cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Ideal-Point Probabilistic Choice Model for Heterogeneous Preferences

This paper presents a new ideal point probabilistic choice model. Unlike the model suggested by Cooper and Nakanishi Cooper, L. G., M. Nakanishi. 1983. Two logit models for external analysis of preferences. Psychometrika48 4 607--619. which attempts to capture choices via a single ideal point, the proposed model, though based on aggregate data, allows for heterogeneity in preferences by estimating a distribution of ideal points. The model accounts for substitutability among choice alternatives and alleviates one of the major sources for the violation of the “Independence from Irrelevant Alternatives” property. It is demonstrated that the final form of the model is a Multinomial Probit, with a covariance matrix that depends on the relative position of the choice alternatives. An empirical application is provided and the resulting parameters are compared to the distributions of ideal points and attribute weights obtained via LINMAP at the individual level and via both the Logit and Probit versions of the model proposed by Cooper and Nakanishi at the aggregate level.
Vulnerabilities and Economic Wellbeing of Hispanics in Non-Metro Missouri

Non-metro Missouri has observed a net in-migration in the last decennial period and great part of these immigrants are Latinos (Lazos and Jeanetta). The literature contends that Latinos are being pulled into the rural areas by large agricultural operations and pushed out of urban areas by harsh immigration laws, and low job availability. The "context of reception" (Portes and Rumbaut) of communities where Latino newcomers settle impacts on how well they can integrate to the economy and settle as residents. This research addresses the factors explaining vulnerabilities faced by Latinos, and their economic conditions in non-metro Missouri, using the 2000 Census and Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) as well as county level data on racial profiling and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) database. The livelihoods framework (Chambers and Conway; Valdivia and Gilles; Bebbington; Ellis), a focus on capabilities, capitals, and the enabling context frames the study of the vulnerability of Latinos with respect to economic success. Racial profiling is a measure of the enabling context in communities. Regression of US born Latino wages on educational attainment, English interacting with education, work experience and mobility are significant. For foreign born Latinos significant factors are education, the interaction of education and good and low English ability, gender, work experience, racial profiling, and mobility. Being a foreign born Latina, racial profiling and mobility have all negative effects on earnings. Both low and high English ability interacting with education has a positive impact. Mobility's negative effect suggests further study of moving, which may be related to the Context of Reception.
Ni-V2O5.nH2O core-shell nanocable arrays for enhanced electrochemical intercalation.

We have prepared Ni−V2O5·nH2O core−shell nanocable arrays for Li+ intercalation applications. Ni−V2O5·nH2O nanocables were prepared via formation of Ni nanorod arrays through the template based electrochemical deposition, followed by coating of V2O5·nH2O on Ni nanorods through electrophoretic deposition. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrograph clearly shows the Ni core was covered completely by a V2O5·nH2O shell. Electrochemical analysis demonstrates that in a current density of 1.6 A/g, the Li+ intercalation capacity of Ni−V2O5·nH2O nanocable array is approximately 10 times higher than that of single-crystal V2O5 nanorod array and 20 times higher than that of sol−gel-derived V2O5 film. Both energy density and power density of such nanocable-array electrodes are higher than the V2O5 film electrode by at least 1 order of magnitude. Such significant improvement in electrochemical performance is due to the large surface area and short diffusion path offered by the nanostructured V2O5·nH2O.
Ligand‐Free Copper‐Catalyzed Negishi Coupling of Alkyl‐, Aryl‐, and Alkynylzinc Reagents with Heteroaryl Iodides

Reported herein is an unprecedented ligand-free copper-catalyzed cross-coupling of alkyl-, aryl-, and alkynylzinc reagents with heteroaryl iodides. The reaction proceeds at room temperature for the coupling of primary, secondary, and tertiary alkylzinc reagents with heteroaryl iodides without rearrangement. An elevated temperature (100 °C) is required for aryl–heteroaryl and alkynyl–heteroaryl couplings.
Facial Feature Tracking Under Varying Facial Expressions and Face Poses Based on Restricted Boltzmann Machines

Facial feature tracking is an active area in computer vision due to its relevance to many applications. It is a nontrivial task, since faces may have varying facial expressions, poses or occlusions. In this paper, we address this problem by proposing a face shape prior model that is constructed based on the Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBM) and their variants. Specifically, we first construct a model based on Deep Belief Networks to capture the face shape variations due to varying facial expressions for near-frontal view. To handle pose variations, the frontal face shape prior model is incorporated into a 3-way RBM model that could capture the relationship between frontal face shapes and non-frontal face shapes. Finally, we introduce methods to systematically combine the face shape prior models with image measurements of facial feature points. Experiments on benchmark databases show that with the proposed method, facial feature points can be tracked robustly and accurately even if faces have significant facial expressions and poses.
Do estate and gift taxes affect the timing of private transfers

Abstract Proposals to alter the estate tax are contentious and have been considered largely in an empirical vacuum. This paper examines time series and cross-sectional variation to identify the effects of estate and gift taxation on the timing of private transfers. The analysis is based on data from the 1989, 1992, 1995, 1998, and 2001 Surveys of Consumer Finances. Legislative activity during this period reduced the tax disadvantage of bequests relative to gifts. Moreover, the magnitude of this reduction differed systematically across identifiable household categories. We find that households experiencing larger declines in the expected tax disadvantages of bequests reduced inter vivos transfers relative to households experiencing small declines in the tax disadvantages of bequests. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that the timing of transfers is responsive to applicable gift and estate tax rates. The results also provide evidence of a systematic bequest motive for high-wealth households.
Substrate delivery by the AAA+ ClpX and ClpC1 unfoldases activates the mycobacterial ClpP1P2 peptidase

Mycobacterial Clp-family proteases function via collaboration of the heteromeric ClpP1P2 peptidase with a AAA+ partner, ClpX or ClpC1. These enzymes are essential for M. tuberculosis viability and are validated antibacterial drug targets, but the requirements for assembly and regulation of functional proteolytic complexes are poorly understood. Here, we report the reconstitution of protein degradation by mycobacterial Clp proteases in vitro and describe novel features of these enzymes that distinguish them from orthologues in other bacteria. Both ClpX and ClpC1 catalyse ATP-dependent unfolding and degradation of native protein substrates in conjunction with ClpP1P2, but neither mediates protein degradation with just ClpP1 or ClpP2. ClpP1P2 alone has negligible peptidase activity, but is strongly stimulated by translocation of protein substrates into ClpP1P2 by either AAA+ partner. Interestingly, our results support a model in which both binding of a AAA+ partner and protein-substrate delivery are required to stabilize active ClpP1P2. Our model has implications for therapeutically targeting ClpP1P2 in dormant M. tuberculosis, and our reconstituted systems should facilitate identification of novel Clp protease inhibitors and activators.
Guided Probabilistic Checksums for Error Control in Low-Power Digital Filters

In many DSP applications (image and voice processing), several dBs of SNR loss can be tolerated without noticeable impact on application level performance. For power optimization in such applications, voltage overscaling (VOS) can be used to operate the arithmetic circuitry at or marginally below the critical circuit path delay while incurring tolerable SNR loss due to the resulting periodic errors in computation. In this paper, low cost checksum codes are used for detection and compensation of intermittent errors due to voltage overscaling in linear digital filters. In traditional coding theory, diagnosis of errors is a key problem and incurs significant computation and latency cost. In the proposed approach, low-precision shadow latches are used to identify likely sources of errors due to voltage overscaling to avoid error diagnosis. This allows accurate error compensation with distance-2 checksum codes that are normally good only for error detection but not for correction. Very precise compensation is achieved by distributing the negative of the error value evenly across only the likely erroneous states. This is called guided probabilistic compensation, as compensation is not exact when errors occur simultaneously in more than one state. A feedback controller is used for dynamic voltage overscaling (DVOS) while keeping the error rate in the system within an acceptable range. It is shown that the low cost accurate error compensation allows significant power savings with minimal degradation in system performance (SNR).
Glossary of Molecular Biology Terminology

This glossary is designed to help the reader with the terminology of molecular biology. Each year, the glossary will be expanded to include new terms introduced in the Education Program. The basic terminology of molecular biology is also included. The glossary is divided into several general sections. A cross-reference guide is included to direct readers to the terms they are interested in. The hope is that this addition to the Education Program will further the understanding of those who are less familiar with the discipline of molecular biology.
Photon pulse filtering and modulation based on the extreme temporal compression and correlated energy spread of the electron bunches in the SLAC Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)

The LCLS photon pulses are expected to attain unprecedented levels of brightness and brevity in the 300-400 eV range. Nominally, the photon pulse length will be dominated by the electron bunch length, while the performance of conventional X-ray reflecting and band-shaping optics will be limited by: 1) peak power damage, and 2) transform-limited monochromatization. In this paper we describe how: 1) the correlated energy spread in the electron bunch can be used to selectably compress the LCLS photon pulses to below their nominal length; 2) gas optics can be used to mitigate peak damage problems; 3) the LCLS pulse structure can, in principle, accommodate schemes based on "disposable" optics; and 4) pulse lengthening schemes can be used to extend the attainable degree of monochromatization. >
Convexity: A Comparison And Reconciliation Of Its Different Forms

In this article we compare and reconcile the measures of convexity presented by several authors. We also examine the effect annual and semi-annual periods have on the relations among the various functional forms. We show that although Garbade's measure of convexity does not represent a measure of the curvature of the price-to-yield function, it is a critical part of other measures that do. We demonstrate the effect that different definitions can have on evaluating basic bond characteristics.
A comparison of the optical projection lithography simulators in SAMPLE and PROLITH

This paper documents important algorithmic details not available in the open literature, and illustrates differences and similarities between the SAMPLE and PROLITH programs using representative lithography systems as examples. Numerical comparisons demonstrate that the aerial images calculated by SAMPLE and PROLITH are in generally good agreement. At high numerical resolution, the programs provide the same qualitative lithographic information, including latent images and edge profile results; however, significant degradation occurs at lower restorations. Adequate results are obtained using a vertical resolution smaller than one-twentieth of the theoretical standing-wave wavelength. Significant disagreement is found in the output of the post-exposure bake algorithms where SAMPLE predicts much lower standing-wave amplitude attenuation effects. >
Quantum Projector Method on Curved Manifolds

A generalized stochastic method for projecting out the ground state of the quantum many-body Schrodinger equation on curved manifolds is introduced. This random-walk method is of wide applicability to any second order differential equation (first order in time), in any spatial dimension. The technique reduces to determining the proper “quantum corrections” for the Euclidean short-time propagator that is used to build up their path-integral Monte Carlo solutions. For particles with Fermi statistics the “Fixed-Phase” constraint (which amounts to fixing the phase of the many-body state) allows one to obtain stable, albeit approximate, solutions with a variational property. We illustrate the method by applying it to the problem of an electron moving on the surface of a sphere in the presence of a Dirac magnetic monopole.
Wiring-up catalytically active metals in solution with sulfonated carbon nanotubes

Highly water soluble sulfonate MWCNTs were synthesized and could be used to facilitate the electron transfer between Pd and Cu in a Wacker-type oxidation in solution.
Syntheses of perfluoroalkylated amines and diamines by reactions of perfluoroalkyl grignard reagents with N-(α-aminoalkyl)benzotriazoles

Abstract The first syntheses of (α,α′-diperfluoroalkylated)diamines are reported together with a range of substituted α-perfluoroalkylated amines all prepared in good yields from benzotriazole derivatives and perfluoroalkyl Grignard reagents in the presence of BF 3 ·Et 2 O. Primary amines are conveniently obtained from Pd-catalyzed hydrogenations.
Synthesis of 2'-substituted MMI linked nucleosidic dimers: an optimization study in search of high affinity oligonucleotides for use in antisense constructs.

The synthesis of a series of methylene(methylimino) (MMI) linked oligodeoxyribonucleotide dimers modified at the 2′‐position with fluoro and/or methoxy groups and their incorporation into different sequences has been accomplished. From these dimers, bis 2′‐OMe MMI dimer was selected for further studies based on its synthetic accessibility and the increased thermodynamic stability conferred upon oligonucleotides incorporating this modification. †In honor and celebration of the 70th birthday of Professor Leroy B. Townsend.
Obliquity tides do not significantly heat Enceladus

Recently, Tyler [Tyler, R.H., 2009. Geophys. Res. Lett. 36, L15205; Tyler, R., 2011. Icarus, 211, 770–779] proposed that the tide due to an obliquity of greater than 0.1 might drive resonant flow in a liquid ocean at Enceladus, and that dissipation of the ocean’s kinetic energy may be an alternate source for the observed global heat flux. While there is currently no measurement of Enceladus’ obliquity, dissipation is expected to drive the spin pole to a Cassini state. Under this assumption, we find that Enceladus should occupy Cassini state 1 and that the obliquity of Enceladus should be less than 0.0015 for values of the degree-2 gravity coefficient C2,2 between 1.0 � 10 � 3 and 2.5 � 10 � 3 . Unless there is a
Widowhood Effects in Voter Participation

Past research suggests that spouses influence one another to vote, but it relies almost exclusively on correlation in turnout. It is therefore difficult to establish whether spouses mobilize each other or tend to marry similar others. Here, we test the dependency hypothesis by examining voting behavior before and after the death of a spouse. We link nearly six million California voter records to Social Security death records and use both coarsened exact matching and multiple cohort comparison to estimate the effects of spousal loss. The results show that after turnout rates stabilize, widowed individuals vote nine percentage points fewer than they would had their spouse still been living; the results also suggest that this change may persist indefinitely. Variations in this “widowhood effect” on voting support a social-isolation explanation for the drop in turnout. R ecent experimental studies highlight the importanceofsocialmobilizationanddemonstratethat efforts to increase turnout may not only convince those directly contacted to vote but also their political partners, friends, and family members. For example, Nickerson (2008) conducted a get-out-the-vote (GOTV) field experiment with two-person households and showed that 60% of the increased propensity to turn out resulting from the treatment was passed from one household member to the other. Gerber, Green, and Larimer (2008) also conducted a GOTV experiment in which they promised to show neighbors whether or not a person voted. This raised turnout by 8%—one of the largesteffectseverobservedforaby-mailtreatment.Bond et al. (2012) conducted a 61-million-person experiment on Facebook and showed that a GOTV message not only increased turnout among the recipients but among the recipients’ friends as well. Observational work by Cutts and Fieldhouse (2009) provides evidence that the occupants in two-person households have substantially larger
Pd-Catalyzed Oxidative ortho-C–H Borylation of Arenes

The development of a Pd-catalyzed oxidative ortho-C–H borylation with N-arylbenzamides is reported. A modified dibenzylideneacetone (dba) ligand, a weak base, and a strong oxidant are critical for obtaining good yields. The reaction is tolerant of electron-deficient and electron-rich benzamides derived from readily available benzoic acids. The borylated products can be converted to various synthons via diverse transformations.
Constraints on the correlation between QSO luminosity and host halo mass from high‐redshift quasar clustering

Recent measurements of high-redshift quasar (QSO) clustering from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey indicate that QSOs at z ∼ 4 have a bias (b) ≃ 14. We find that this extremely high clustering amplitude, combined with the corresponding space density, constrains the dispersion in the L-M h relation to be less than 50 per cent at 99 per cent confidence for the most conservative case of a 100 per cent duty cycle. This upper limit to the intrinsic dispersion provides as strong a constraint as current upper limits to the intrinsic dispersion in the local M BH -σ relation and the ratio of bolometric to Eddington luminosity of luminous QSOs.
A Markov chain model for coarse timescale channel variation in an 802.16e wireless network

A wide range of wireless channel models have been developed to model variations in received signal strength. In contrast to prior work, which has focused primarily on channel modeling on a short, per- packet timescale (millisecond), we develop and validate a finite-state Markov chain model that captures variations due to shadowing, which occur at coarser time scales. The Markov chain is constructed by partitioning the entire range of shadowing into a finite number of intervals. We determine the Markov chain transition matrix in two ways: (i) via an abstract modeling approach in which shadowing effects are modeled as a log-normally distributed random variable affecting the received power, and the transition probabilities are derived as functions of the variance and autocorrelation function of shadowing; (ii) via an empirical approach, in which the transition matrix is calculated by directly measuring the changes in signal strengths collected in a 802.16e (WiMAX) network. We validate the abstract model by comparing its steady state and transient performance predictions with those computed using the empirically derived transition matrix and those observed in the actual traces themselves.
ON MAXIMAL RANGES OF VECTOR MEASURES FOR SUBSETS AND PURIFICATION OF TRANSITION PROBABILITIES

Consider a measurable space with an atomless flnite vector mea- sure. This measure deflnes a mapping of the ae-fleld into an Euclidean space. According to the Lyapunov convexity theorem, the range of this mapping is a convex compactum. Similar ranges are also deflned for measurable subsets of the space. Two subsets with the same vector measure may have difierent ranges. We investigate the question whether, among all the subsets having the same given vector measure, there always exists a set with the maximal range of the vector measure. The answer to this question is positive for two- dimensional vector measures and negative for higher dimensions. We use the existence of maximal ranges to strengthen the Dvoretzky-Wald-Wolfowitz pu- riflcation theorem for the case of two measures.
Scanning pentaprism measurements of off-axis aspherics

The pentaprism test is based on the property of a paraboloidal surface where all rays parallel to the optical axis will go through its focal point. We have developed a scanning pentaprism system that exploits this geometry to measure off-axis paraboloidal mirrors such as those for the Giant Magellan Telescope primary mirror. Extension of the pentaprism test to off-axis mirrors requires special attention to field effects that can be ignored in the measurement of an axisymmetric mirror. The test was demonstrated on a 1. -m diameter off-axis mirror and proved to have about 50nm rms surface accuracy. This paper gives detailed performance results for the measurement of the 1.7 m mirror, and designs and analysis for the test of the GMT segments.
Emerging strategies for the total synthesis of inorganic nanostructures.

New synthetic innovations are rapidly being developed to address the demand for complex, next-generation nanomaterials with rigorously controlled architectures and interfaces. This Review highlights key strategies for the chemical transformation and stepwise synthesis of multicomponent inorganic nanostructures, with the existing nanoscale transformations categorized into classes of reactions that are related to those used in the synthesis of organic molecules. The application of concepts used in molecular synthesis—including site-selectivity, regio- and chemoselectivity, orthogonal reactivity, coupling reactions, protection/deprotection strategies, and procedures for separation and purification—to nanoscale systems is emphasized. Collectively, the resulting synthetic concept represents an emerging model for the synthesis of complex inorganic nanostructures on the basis of the guiding principles that underpin the multistep total synthesis of complex organic molecules and natural products.
Elastic plastic self-consistent (EPSC) modeling of plastic deformation in fayalite olivine

Elastic plastic self-consistent (EPSC) simulations are used to model synchrotron X-ray diffraction observations from deformation experiments on fayalite olivine using the deformation DIA apparatus. Consistent with results from other in situ diffraction studies of monomineralic polycrystals, the results show substantial variations in stress levels among grain populations. Rather than averaging the lattice reflection stresses or choosing a single reflection to determine the macroscopic stress sup ported by the specimen, an EPSC simulation is used to forward model diffraction data and determine a macroscopic stress that is consistent with lattice strains of all measured diffraction lines. The EPSC simulation presented here includes kink band formation among the plastic deformation mechanisms in the simulation. The inclusion of kink band formation is critical to the success of the models. This study demonstrates the importance of kink band formation as an accommodation mechanism during plastic deformation of olivine as well as the utility of using EPSC models to interpret diffraction from in situ deformation experiments.
Impact of battery weight and charging patterns on the economic and environmental benefits of plug-in hybrid vehicles

Abstract Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technology is receiving attention as an approach to reducing US dependency on foreign oil and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector. PHEVs require large batteries for energy storage, which affect vehicle cost, weight, and performance. We construct PHEV simulation models to account for the effects of additional batteries on fuel consumption, cost, and GHG emissions over a range of charging frequencies (distance traveled between charges). We find that when charged frequently, every 20 miles or less, using average US electricity, small-capacity PHEVs are less expensive and release fewer GHGs than hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) or conventional vehicles. For moderate charging intervals of 20–100 miles, PHEVs release fewer GHGs, but HEVs have lower lifetime costs. High fuel prices, low-cost batteries, or high carbon taxes combined with low-carbon electricity generation would make small-capacity PHEVs cost competitive for a wide range of drivers. In contrast, increased battery specific energy or carbon taxes without decarbonization of the electricity grid would have limited impact. Large-capacity PHEVs sized for 40 or more miles of electric-only travel do not offer the lowest lifetime cost in any scenario, although they could minimize GHG emissions for some drivers and provide potential to shift air pollutant emissions away from population centers. The tradeoffs identified in this analysis can provide a space for vehicle manufacturers, policymakers, and the public to identify optimal decisions for PHEV design, policy and use. Given the alignment of economic, environmental, and national security objectives, policies aimed at putting PHEVs on the road will likely be most effective if they focus on adoption of small-capacity PHEVs by urban drivers who can charge frequently.
Variational Perturbation Theory of the Confined Hydrogen Atom

Variational perturbation theory was used to solve the Schrodinger equation for a hydrogen atom confined at the center of an impenetrable cavity. Ground state and excited state energies and expectation values calculated from the perturbation wavefunction are comparable in accuracy to results from direct numerical solution.
GENDER, GENDER IDEOLOGY, AND ANIMAL RIGHTS ADVOCACY:

Research on women's preponderance among animal rights advocates explains it exclusively as a product of women's socialization, emphasizing a relational orientation of care and nurturing that extends to animals. The authors propose a more structural explanation: Women's experiences with structural oppression make them more disposed to egalitarian ideology, which creates concern for animal rights. Using data from a 1993 national sample, the authors find that an egalitarian gender ideology is a key difference in women's and men's routes to animal rights advocacy: It differentiates those more likely to endorse animal rights among women but not among men. Neither this ideology nor other variables in the analysis, however, account for women's greater overall support of animal rights in the combined sample. Reasons for this latter finding are explored.
Anderson localization of polar eigenmodes in random planar composites

Anderson localization of classical waves in disordered media is a fundamental physical phenomenon that has attracted attention in the past three decades. More recently, localization of polar excitations in nanostructured metal–dielectric films (also known as random planar composites) has been subject of intense studies. Potential applications of planar composites include local near-field microscopy and spectroscopy. A number of previous studies have relied on the quasistatic approximation and a direct analogy with localization of electrons in disordered solids. Here I consider the localization problem without the quasistatic approximation. I show that localization of polar excitations is characterized by algebraic rather than by exponential spatial confinement. This result is also valid in two and three dimensions. I also show that the previously used localization criterion based on the gyration radius of eigenmodes is inconsistent with both exponential and algebraic localization. An alternative criterion based on the dipole participation number is proposed. Numerical demonstration of a localization–delocalization transition is given. Finally, it is shown that, contrary to the previous belief, localized modes can be effectively coupled to running waves.
Phylogenetic ANOVA: The Expression Variance and Evolution Model for Quantitative Trait Evolution.

A number of methods have been developed for modeling the evolution of a quantitative trait on a phylogeny. These methods have received renewed interest in the context of genome-wide studies of gene expression, in which the expression levels of many genes can be modeled as quantitative traits. We here develop a new method for joint analyses of quantitative traits within- and between species, the Expression Variance and Evolution (EVE) model. The model parameterizes the ratio of population to evolutionary expression variance, facilitating a wide variety of analyses, including a test for lineage-specific shifts in expression level, and a phylogenetic ANOVA that can detect genes with increased or decreased ratios of expression divergence to diversity, analogous to the famous Hudson Kreitman Aguade (HKA) test used to detect selection at the DNA level. We use simulations to explore the properties of these tests under a variety of circumstances and show that the phylogenetic ANOVA is more accurate than the standard ANOVA (no accounting for phylogeny) sometimes used in transcriptomics. We then apply the EVE model to a mammalian phylogeny of 15 species typed for expression levels in liver tissue. We identify genes with high expression divergence between species as candidates for expression level adaptation, and genes with high expression diversity within species as candidates for expression level conservation and/or plasticity. Using the test for lineage-specific expression shifts, we identify several candidate genes for expression level adaptation on the catarrhine and human lineages, including genes putatively related to dietary changes in humans. We compare these results to those reported previously using a model which ignores expression variance within species, uncovering important differences in performance. We demonstrate the necessity for a phylogenetic model in comparative expression studies and show the utility of the EVE model to detect expression divergence, diversity, and branch-specific shifts.
Predicting Preference Reversals via Gaussian Process Uncertainty Aversion

Modeling of a product or service’s attractiveness as a function of its own attributes (e.g., price and quality) is one of the foundations in econometric forecasts, which have been provided with an assumption that each human rationally has a consistent preference order among his choice decisions. Yet the preference orders by real humans become irrationally reversed, when the choice set of available options is manipulated. In order to accurately predict choice decisions involving preference reversals, which existing econometric methods have failed to incorporate, the authors introduce a new cognitive choice model whose parameters are efficiently fitted with a global convex optimization algorithm. The proposed model captures each human as a Bayesian decision maker facing a mental conflict between objective evaluation samples and a subjective prior, where the underlying objective evaluation function is rationally independent from contexts while the subjective prior is irrationally determined by each choice set. As the key idea to analytically handle the irrationality and to yield the convex optimization, the Bayesian decision mechanism is implemented as a closedform Gaussian process regression using similarities among the available options in each context. By explaining the irrational decisions as a consequence of averting uncertainty, the proposed model outperformed the existing econometric models in predicting the irrational choice decisions recorded in realworld datasets. Appearing in Proceedings of the 18 International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Statistics (AISTATS) 2015, San Diego, CA, USA. JMLR: W&CP volume 38. Copyright 2015 by the authors.
An improved method for the synthesis of [closo-B12(OH)12]-2.

The dicesium salt of the icosahedral borane anion dodecahydroxy-closo-dodecaborate(2−), closo-Cs2B12(OH)12, Cs24, was prepared using an improved synthetic pathway. Heating cesium dodecahydro-closo-dodecaborate, closo-Cs2B12H12, Cs21, with 30% hydrogen peroxide added in successive increments at 105−110 °C provided Cs24 in 95% yield. Reaction progress was monitored using 1H-decoupled 11B NMR while 17O NMR provides the most reliable way to detect the presence of peroxides in the reaction solution. The reaction may be safely increased in scale to afford Cs24 in multigram quantities.
Modeling open-set spoken word recognition in postlingually deafened adults after cochlear implantation: Some preliminary results with the Neighborhood Activation Model

Hypotheses Do cochlear implants provide enough information to allow adult cochlear implant users to understand words in ways that are similar to listeners with acoustic hearing? Can we use a computational model to gain insight into the underlying mechanisms used by cochlear implant users to recognize spoken words?
Flow control in the high-speed Thunder and Lightning ATM network

Advances in fiber-optic and VLSI technology are leading to the development of multi-gigabit wide-area networks based on Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). The Thunder and Lightning network project at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is currently building a high-speed ATM switch in which each link operates at 40Gb/s. The Instant Start protocol, developed for the Thunder and Lightning network, maximizes throughput by allowing transmission to begin without a reservation, while guaranteeing loss-free communication even when the network cannot handle the initial rate of transmission. Instant Start is able to provide this behavior when using first-in first-out (FIFO) buffers. This paper discusses the problems of exercising flow control in the high-speed Thunder and Lightning network and describes the techniques used by the Instant Start protocol to overcome them.
On spineless cacti, Deligne's conjecture and Connes-Kreimer's Hopf algebra

Using a cell model for the little discs operad in terms of spineless cacti we give a minimal common topological operadic formalism for three a priori disparate algebraic structures: (1) a solution to Deligne’s conjecture on the Hochschild complex, (2) the Hopf algebra of Connes and Kreimer, and (3) the string topology of Chas and Sullivan.
An Investigation of High-Cycle Fatigue Models for Metallic Structures Exhibiting Snap-Through Response

A study is undertaken to develop a methodology for determining the suitability of various high-cycle fatigue models for metallic structures subjected to combined thermal-acoustic loadings. Two features of this problem differentiate it from the fatigue of structures subject to acoustic loading alone. Potentially large mean stresses associated with the thermally pre- and post-buckled states require models capable of handling those conditions. Additionally, snap-through motion between multiple post-buckled equilibrium positions introduces very high alternating stress. An aluminum beam structure is chosen as the computational test article, with its geometric and material nonlinear response determined via numerical simulation. A cumulative damage model is employed using a rainflow cycle counting scheme and fatigue life estimates are made for 2024-T3 aluminum using various non-zero mean stress fatigue models, including Walker, Morrow, Morrow with true fracture strength, and MMPDS. A baseline zero-mean stress model is additionally considered. It is shown that for this material, the Walker model produces the most conservative fatigue life estimates when the stress response has a tensile mean introduced by geometric nonlinearity, but remains in the linear elastic range. However, when the loading level is sufficiently high to produce plasticity, the response becomes more fully reversed and the baseline, Morrow, and Morrow with true fracture strength models produce the most conservative fatigue life estimates.
The effects of risk preference and loss aversion on individual behavior under bonus, penalty, and combined contract frames

ABSTRACT: This study examines the effects of risk preference and loss aversion on individual responses to differently framed, yet economically equivalent, incentive contracts. We extend prior research by examining contracts with combinations of bonus, penalty, and clawback incentives. Contracts framed as a combination of bonus and penalty incentives, especially those framed as a clawback, are less attractive to participants than contracts with bonus- or penalty-only incentives. Further, research suggests that individuals' contract preferences are due primarily to loss aversion. We test this conjecture with a new measure of loss aversion. Results indicate that our measure of loss aversion is well calibrated to encompass variation in loss aversion. In addition, participants' loss preferences explain a significant portion of the differences in observed behavior. Importantly, this relation is less significant for clawback contracts, indicating that other preferences may be driving individuals' strong reaction...
MPS beam control software architecture

The new Machine Protection System (MPS) now being tested at SLAC has a beam control subsystem resident in processors located close to the beam monitoring devices within the machine. There are two types of beam control micros: algorithm processors (APs) which collect and evaluate data from monitoring devices, and a supervisor (SUPE) which collects and evaluates data from all the APs. The SUPE also receives the global machine beamcode indicating beam presence, and passes it on to the APs. The SUPE receives the beamcode pattern from the Master Pattern Generator (MPG) via a shared-memory communication link. MIL-1553 serial communication is used between the SUPE and the APs, and between the APs and the monitoring devices. Multitasking software is used to allow high priority handling of data evaluation and low priority handling of host/user interfacing and event reporting. Pipelining of data, between acquisition and evaluation and reporting is used to accommodate the processing capacity, while still supporting full processing at the 360 Hz broadcast rate of the beamcode pattern. >
The disjoint curve property

A Heegaard splitting of a closed, orientable three-manifold satisfies the disjoint curve property if the splitting surface contains an essential simple closed curve and each handlebody contains an essential disk disjoint from this curve [Thompson, 1999]. A splitting is full if it does not have the disjoint curve property. This paper shows that in a closed, orientable three-manifold all splittings of sufficiently large genus have the disjoint curve property. From this and a solution to the generalized Waldhausen conjecture it would follow that any closed, orientable three manifold contains only finitely many full splittings.
A sparse semi-blind source identification method and its application to Raman spectroscopy for explosives detection

Rapid and reliable detection and identification of unknown chemical substances are critical to homeland security. It is challenging to identify chemical components from a wide range of explosives. There are two key steps involved. One is a non-destructive and informative spectroscopic technique for data acquisition. The other is an associated library of reference features along with a computational method for feature matching and meaningful detection within or beyond the library. In this paper, we develop a new iterative method to identify unknown substances from mixture samples of Raman spectroscopy. In the first step, a constrained least squares method decomposes the data into a sum of linear combination of the known components and a non-negative residual. In the second step, a sparse and convex blind source separation method extracts components geometrically from the residuals. Verification based on the library templates or expert knowledge helps to confirm these components. If necessary, the confirmed meaningful components are fed back into step one to refine the residual and then step two extracts possibly more hidden components. The two steps may be iterated until no more components can be identified. We illustrate the proposed method in processing a set of the so called swept wavelength optical resonant Raman spectroscopy experimental data by a satisfactory blind extraction of a priori unknown chemical explosives from mixture samples. We also test the method on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra for chemical compounds identification.
Controllability, observability, and parameter identification of two coupled spin 1's

In this note, we study the control theoretic properties of a couple of interacting spin 1's driven by an electromagnetic field. In particular, we assume that it is possible to observe the expectation value of the total magnetization and we study controllability, observability, and parameter identification of these systems. We give conditions for controllability and observability and characterize the classes of equivalent models which have the same input-output behavior. The analysis is motivated by the recent interest in three level systems in quantum information theory and quantum cryptography as well as by the problem of modeling molecular magnets as spin networks.
AIS-BN: an adaptive importance sampling algorithm for evidential reasoning in large Bayesian networks

Stochastic sampling algorithms, while an attractive alternative to exact algorithms in very large Bayesian network models, have been observed to perform poorly in evidential reasoning with extremely unlikely evidence. To address this problem, we propose an adaptive importance sampling algorithm, AIS-BN, that shows promising convergence rates even under extreme conditions and seems to outperform the existing sampling algorithms consistently. Three sources of this performance improvement are (1) two heuristics for initialization of the importance function that are based on the theoretical properties of importance sampling in finite-dimensional integrals and the structural advantages of Bayesian networks, (2) a smooth learning method for the importance function, and (3) a dynamic weighting function for combining samples from different stages of the algorithm. We tested the performance of the AIS-BN algorithm along with two state of the art general purpose sampling algorithms, likelihood weighting (Fung & Chang, 1989; Shachter & Peot, 1989) and self-importance sampling (Shachter & Peot, 1989). We used in our tests three large real Bayesian network models available to the scientific community: the CPCS network (Pradhan et al., 1994), the PATHFINDER network (Heckerman, Horvitz, & Nathwani, 1990), and the ANDES network (Conati, Gertner, VanLehn, & Druzdzel, 1997), with evidence as unlikely as 10-41. While the AIS-BN algorithm always performed better than the other two algorithms, in the majority of the test cases it achieved orders of magnitude improvement in precision of the results. Improvement in speed given a desired precision is even more dramatic, although we are unable to report numerical results here, as the other algorithms almost never achieved the precision reached even by the first few iterations of the AIS-BN algorithm.
On the long-time behavior of type-III Ricci flow solutions

We show that three-dimensional homogeneous Ricci flow solutions that admit finite-volume quotients have long-time limits given by expanding solitons. We show that the same is true for a large class of four-dimensional homogeneous solutions. We give an extension of Hamilton’s compactness theorem that does not assume a lower injectivity radius bound, in terms of Riemannian groupoids. Using this, we show that the long-time behavior of type-III Ricci flow solutions is governed by the dynamics of an \({\mathbb{R}}^+\) -action on a compact space.
Tunable solvents for fine chemicals from the biorefinery

Making biorefineries economically and environmentally sustainable is the biggest barrier to the mass commercialization of biofuels in this country. One way to add economic value to the biofuel process is to isolate and extract fine chemicals from waste biomass such as lignin, extractives, and unreacted cellulose and hemicellulose. In this paper we demonstrate a technique for extracting high-value added chemicals such as vanillin, syringaldehyde, and syringol from lignin using a novel CO2-expanded organic solvent (gas-expanded liquid). This method incorporates many principles of green chemistry while offering several economical advantages to the biorefinery: low operating costs, easy recycling of organic solvents, use of a renewable feedstock, and a way to produce chemicals without wasteful synthesis. Furthermore, this technique demonstrated the ability to produce high-value chemicals ($5–25 lb−1) from a waste source that is presently being burned for a fuel value of 2–3 cents lb−1. We believe the process presented in this paper will spark interest in developing other sustainable techniques to extract fine chemicals from biorefinery waste.
Energy Efficient Estimation of Gaussian Sources over Inhomogeneous Gaussian MAC Channels

In this paper, we first provide a joint source and channel coding (JSCC) approach in estimating Gaussian sources over Gaussian MAC channels, as well as its sufficient and necessary condition in restoring Gaussian sources with a prescribed distortion value. An interesting relationship between our proposed joint approach with a more straightforward separate source and channel coding (SSCC) scheme is further established. We then formulate constrained power minimization problems to minimize total transmission power consumption under a distortion constraint for arbitrary in-homogeneous networks under JSCC, SSCC and uncoded scheme (UC). They are transformed to relaxed convex geometric programming problems. Our numerical results exhibit that none of the three schemes is consistently most energy efficient. The proposed JSCC could be more energy efficient than either the uncoded scheme, or SCCC, but not both. In addition, we prove that the optimal decoding order to minimize the total transmission powers for both source and channel coding parts is solely subject to the ordering of MAC channel qualities, and has nothing to do with the ranking of measurement qualities across measuring nodes.
On deformations of associative algebras

In a classic paper, Gerstenhaber showed that first order deformations of an associative k-algebra a are controlled by the second Hochschild cohomology group of a. More generally, any n-parameter first order deformation of a gives, due to commutativity of the cup-product on Hochschild cohomology, a graded algebra morphism Sym • (k n ) → Ext 2• a-bimod (a, a). We prove that any extension of the n-parameter first order deformation of a to an infinite order formal deformation provides a canonical ‘lift’ of the graded algebra morphism above to a dg-algebra morphism Sym • (k n ) → RHom • (a, a), where the symmetric algebra Sym • (k n ) is viewed as a dg-algebra (generated by the vector space k n placed in degree 2) equipped with zero differential.