cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of homing sequences to synchronous sequential circuit testing

A test generation procedure for synchronous sequential circuits is proposed, that is based on the multiple observation times approach, and uses homing sequences, instead of conventionally used synchronizing sequences, to initialize the circuit. A procedure for computing homing sequences in sequential circuits, for which a state-table description is too large to be practical, is described, and experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed test generation procedure. >
CALIBRATING THE STAR FORMATION RATE AT z ∼ 1 FROM OPTICAL DATA

We present a star formation rate (SFR) calibration based on optical data that is consistent with average observed rates in both the red and blue galaxy populations at z {approx} 1. The motivation for this study is to calculate SFRs for DEEP2 Redshift Survey galaxies in the 0.7 < z < 1.4 redshift range, but our results are generally applicable to similar optically selected galaxy samples without requiring UV or IR data. Using SFR fits from UV/optical spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in the All-Wavelength Extended Groth Strip International Survey, we explore the behavior of rest-frame B-band magnitude, observed [O II] luminosity, and rest-frame color with SED-fit SFR for both red sequence and blue cloud galaxies. The resulting SFR calibration is based on three optical-band observables: M{sub B} , (U - B), and (B - V). The best-fit linear relation produces residual errors of 0.3 dex rms scatter for the full color-independent sample with minimal correlated residual error in L[O II] or stellar mass. We then compare the calibrated z {approx} 1 SFRs to two diagnostics that use L[O II] as a tracer in local galaxies and correct for dust extinction at intermediate redshifts through either galaxy B-band luminosity or stellarmore » mass. We find that an L[O II]-M{sub B} SFR calibration commonly used in the literature agrees well with our calculated SFRs after correcting for the average B-band luminosity evolution in L{sub *} galaxies. However, we find better agreement with a local L[O II]-based SFR calibration that includes stellar mass to correct for reddening effects, indicating that stellar mass is a better tracer of dust extinction for all galaxy types and less affected by systematic evolution than galaxy luminosity from z = 1 to the current epoch.« less
The usefulness to individual and institutional investors of annual earnings announcements and SEC filings by non-U.S. companies

Abstract This study examines the information contained in annual earnings announcements and SEC filings by non-U.S. and non-Canadian companies listed on either the New York or American Stock Exchange. We extend previous research in this area by employing intraday trading data, which allows us to assess the relative informativeness of the earnings announcements and SEC filings across different classes of investors. In addition, analyzing trading data is advantageous in that abnormal trading volume on a U.S. exchange can reasonably be attributed to the usefulness of the information to U.S. traders. The results suggest that annual earnings announcements of non-U.S. companies provide information to both institutional and individual investors, as indicated by the abnormal trading activity surrounding this event, but the value of the information is greater and the time required to process the information is less for institutional investors. With respect to the SEC annual filings, abnormal trading activity was not detected surrounding the filing dates for the entire sample period (1983–1992) for either institutional or individual investors. We do, however, document some evidence that the information content of the 20-F has increased in post-1988 filings, which corresponds with a dramatic rise in the market value of non-U.S. equity securities listed in the U.S. market.
Burst suppression probability algorithms: state-space methods for tracking EEG burst suppression

Objective. Burst suppression is an electroencephalogram pattern in which bursts of electrical activity alternate with an isoelectric state. This pattern is commonly seen in states of severely reduced brain activity such as profound general anesthesia, anoxic brain injuries, hypothermia and certain developmental disorders. Devising accurate, reliable ways to quantify burst suppression is an important clinical and research problem. Although thresholding and segmentation algorithms readily identify burst suppression periods, analysis algorithms require long intervals of data to characterize burst suppression at a given time and provide no framework for statistical inference. Approach. We introduce the concept of the burst suppression probability (BSP) to define the brain’s instantaneous propensity of being in the suppressed state. To conduct dynamic analyses of burst suppression we propose a state-space model in which the observation process is a binomial model and the state equation is a Gaussian random walk. We estimate the model using an approximate expectation maximization algorithm and illustrate its application in the analysis of rodent burst suppression recordings under general anesthesia and a patient during induction of controlled hypothermia. Main result. The BSP algorithms track burst suppression on a second-to-second time scale, and make possible formal statistical comparisons of burst suppression at different times. Significance. The state-space approach suggests a principled and informative way to analyze burst suppression that can be used to monitor, and eventually to control, the brain states of patients in the operating room and in the intensive care unit. (Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal)
Online external beam radiation treatment simulator

Radiation therapy is an effective and widely accepted form of treatment for many types of cancer that requires extensive computerized planning. Unfortunately, current treatment planning systems have limited or no visual aid that combines patient volumetric models extracted from patient-specific CT data with the treatment device geometry in a 3D interactive simulation. We illustrate the potential of 3D simulation in radiation therapy with a web-based interactive system that combines novel standards and technologies. We discuss related research efforts in this area and present in detail several components of the simulator. An objective assessment of the accuracy of the simulator and a usability study prove the potential of such a system for simulation and training.
A compact analytical formalism for current transients in electrochemical systems.

Micro- and nanostructured electrodes form an integral part of a wide variety of electrochemical systems for biomolecular detection, batteries, solar cells, scanning electrochemical microscopy, etc. Given the complexity of the electrode structures, the Butler–Volmer formalism of redox reactions, and the diffusion transport of redox species, it is hardly surprising that only a few problems are amenable to closed-form, compact analytical solutions. While numerical solutions are widely used, it is often difficult to integrate the insights gained into the design and optimization of electrochemical systems. In this article, we develop a comprehensive analytical formalism for current transients that not only anticipate the responses of complex electrode structures to complicated voltammetry measurements, but also intuitively interpret diverse experiments such as redox detection of molecules at nanogap electrodes, scanning electrochemical microscopy, etc. The results from the analytical model, well supported through detailed numerical simulations and experimental data from the literature, have broad implications in the design and optimization of nanostructured electrodes for healthcare and energy storage applications.
Sources of the solar wind at solar activity maximum

[1] The photospheric sources of solar wind observed by the Ulysses and ACE spacecraft from 1998 to early 2001 are determined through a two-step mapping process. Solar wind speed measured at the spacecraft is used in a ballistic model to determine a foot point on a source surface at a solar distance of 2.5 solar radii. A potential-field source-surface model is then used to trace the field and flow from the source surface to the photosphere. Comparison of the polarity of the measured interplanetary field with the polarity of the photospheric source region shows good agreement for spacecraft latitudes equatorward of 60°. At higher southern latitudes, the mapping predicts that Ulysses should have observed only outward directed magnetic fields, whereas both polarities were observed. A detailed analysis is performed on four of the solar rotations for which the mapped and observed polarities were in generally good agreement. For those rotations, the solar wind mapped to both coronal holes and active regions. These findings for a period of high solar activity differ from the findings of a similar study of the solar wind in 1994–1995 when solar activity was very low. At solar minimum the fastest wind mapped to the interior of large polar coronal holes while slower wind mapped to the boundaries of those holes or to smaller low-latitude coronal holes. For the data examined in the present study, neither spacecraft detected wind from the small polar coronal holes when they existed and the speed was never as high as that observed by Ulysses at solar minimum. The principal difference between the solar wind from coronal holes and from active regions is that the O7+/O6+ ion ratio is lower for the coronal hole flow, but not as low as in the polar coronal hole flow at solar minimum. Furthermore, the active-region flows appear to be organized into several substreams unlike the more monolithic structure of flows from coronal holes. The boundaries between plasma flows from neighboring sources are marked by large magnetic holes, plasma sheets, and low entropy, independent of whether the sources have the same or opposite magnetic polarities. The evolution of solar wind properties between 1 AU and the 1.6–5.4 AU solar distance of Ulysses is also briefly discussed.
Application of chemical engineering to large scale solar energy

Abstract In the Solchem concept sunlinght is converted to chemical energy in disbursed solar furnaces. Products are piped to a central station where energy is stored as latent heat-of-fusion in a eutectic salt. Heat pipe boilers provide on-demand power plant steam.
Frame expansions with erasures: an approach through the non-commutative operator theory

Abstract In modern communication systems such as the Internet, random losses of information can be mitigated by oversampling the source. This is equivalent to expanding the source using overcomplete systems of vectors (frames), as opposed to the traditional basis expansions. Dependencies among the coefficients in frame expansions often allow for better performance compared to bases under random losses of coefficients. We show that for any n-dimensional frame, any source can be linearly reconstructed from only O ( n log n ) randomly chosen frame coefficients, with a small error and with high probability. Thus every frame expansion withstands random losses better (for worst case sources) than the orthogonal basis expansion, for which the n log n bound is attained. The proof reduces to M. Rudelson's selection theorem on random vectors in the isotropic position, which is based on the non-commutative Khinchine's inequality.
Three-dimensional frameworks of gallium selenide supertetrahedral clusters

通讯作者地址: Feng, PY (通讯作者), Univ Calif Riverside, Dept Chem, Riverside, CA 92521 USA 地址: 1. Univ Calif Riverside, Dept Chem, Riverside, CA 92521 USA 2. Calif State Univ Long Beach, Dept Chem & Biochem, Long Beach, CA 90840 USA 电子邮件地址: pingyun.feng@ucr.edu
Simulation studies of space-charge-dominated beam transport in large-aperture ratio quadrupoles

For many cases of interest in the design of heavy-ion fusion accelerators, the maximum transportable current in a magnetic-quadrupole lattice scales as (a/L)2, wherea is the useful dynamic aperture andL is the half-lattice period. There are many cost benefits in maximizing the usable aperture which must be balanced against unwanted effects such as possible emittance growth and particle loss from anharmonic fringe fields. We have used two independent simulation codes to model space-charge-dominated beam transport both in an azimuthally pure quadrupole FODO lattice design and in a more conventional design. Our results indicate that careful matching will be necessary to minimize emittance growth and that (a/L) ratios of 0.2 or larger are possible for particular parameters.
SUBCENTERS IN THE LOS ANGELES REGION

We investigate employment subcenters in the Los Angeles region using 1980 Census journey-to-work data. A simple subcenter definition is used, based solely on gross employment density and total employment. We find a surprising dominance of downtown Los Angeles and three large subcenters with which it forms a nearly contiguous corridor. Two-thirds of the region's employment, however, is outside any of the 32 centers we identify. Most centers have high population densities in and near them, and their workers' commutes are just 2.4 miles longer than other workers' commutes. A cluster analysis of employment by industry reveals several distinct types of centers, and a wide dispersion of sizes and locations within each type.
Simulation without the Artificial Abort: Simplified Proof and Improved Concrete Security for Waters' IBE Scheme

Waters' variant of the Boneh-Boyen IBE scheme is attractive because of its efficency, applications, and security attributes, but suffers from a relatively complex proof with poor concrete security. This is due in part to the proof's "artificial abort" step, which has then been inherited by numerous derivative works. It has often been asked whether this step is necessary.We show that it is not, providing a new proof that eliminates this step. The new proof is not only simpler than the original one but offers better concrete security for important ranges of the parameters. As a result, one can securely use smaller groups, resulting in significant efficiency improvements.
Genus topology of the cosmic microwave background from WMAP

We have independently measured the genus topology of the temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background seen by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). A genus analysis of the WMAP data indicates consistency with Gaussian random-phase initial conditions, as predicted by standard inflation.
Staying Power and the American Future: Problems of Primacy, Policy, and Grand Strategy

Abstract Many scholars, strategists and pundits contend that the US is in decline. They argue that America's national capabilities are significantly eroding, and that with the rise of important regional powers, its primacy in world affairs is rapidly diminishing as well. Yet America continues to possess significant advantages in critical sectors such as economic size, technology, competitiveness, demography, force size, power projection, military technology, and in the societal capacity to innovate and adapt. This article argues that the nature of material problems has been overstated, and that the US should be able to withstand modest erosion in its relative strength for some time to come without losing its predominant status. Instead, where limits to American primacy do exist, they are as or more likely to be ideational as they are material. The problem inheres as much or more in elite and societal beliefs, policy choices, and political will, as in economic, technological or manpower limitations at home...
Flap-edge aeroacoustic measurements and predictions

An aeroacoustic model test has been conducted to investigate the mechanisms of sound generation on high-lift wing configurations. This paper presents an analysis of flap side-edge noise, which is often the most dominant source. A model of a main element wing section with a half-span flap was tested at low speeds of up to a Mach number of 0.17, corresponding to a wing chord Reynolds number of approximately 1.7 million. Results are presented for flat (or blunt), flanged, and round flap-edge geometries, with and without boundary-layer tripping, deployed at both moderate and high flap angles. The acoustic database is obtained from a small aperture directional array (SADA) of microphones, which was constructed to electronically steer to different regions of the model and to obtain farfield noise spectra and directivity from these regions. The basic flap-edge aerodynamics is established by static surface pressure data, as well as by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations and simplified edge flow analyses. Distributions of unsteady pressure sensors over the flap allow the noise source regions to be defined and quantified via cross-spectral diagnostics using the SADA output. It is found that shear layer instability and related pressure scatter is the primary noise mechanism. For the flat edge flap, two noise prediction methods based on unsteady-surface-pressure measurements are evaluated and compared to measured noise. One is a new causality spectral approach developed here. The other is a new application of an edge-noise scatter prediction method. The good comparisons for both approaches suggest that the prediction models capture much of the physics. Areas of disagreement appear to reveal when the assumed edge noise mechanism does not fully define the noise production. For the different edge conditions, extensive spectra and directivity are presented. The complexity of the directivity results demonstrate the strong role of edge source geometry and frequency in the noise radiation. Significantly, for each edge configuration, the spectra for different flow speeds, flap angles, and surface roughness were successfully scaled by utilizing aerodynamic performance and boundary-layer scaling methods developed herein.
Why peer discussion improves student performance on in-class concept questions

When students answer an in-class conceptual question individually using clickers, discuss it with their neighbors, and then revote on the same question, the percentage of correct answers typically increases. This outcome could result from gains in understanding during discussion, or simply from peer influence of knowledgeable students on their neighbors. To distinguish between these alternatives in an undergraduate genetics course, we followed the above exercise with a second, similar (isomorphic) question on the same concept that students answered individually. Our results indicate that peer discussion enhances understanding, even when none of the students in a discussion group originally knows the correct answer.
Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Escherichia Coli Emerging in a Rehabilitation Medical Center

A retrospective review of laboratory records from 1988 to 1996 has shown an increased rate of ciprofloxacin-resistant (cip(r)) Escherichia coli in our rehabilitation center. Resistance increased from 0.6% in 1989 to 5.9% in 1996. Of 7870 E. coli strains isolated during this period, 257 cip(r)-E. coli were recovered from 257 patients. The majority (96%) of these resistant strains were isolated from the urine samples. One hundred and twenty strains of cip(r)-E. coli were also resistant to four other fluoroquinolones. MICs ranging from 64 to 512 micrograms/mL were observed in 75% of the strains and > or = 1028 micrograms/mL in 6.4% of the strains. Resistance to ciprofloxacin was due to possible mutations in topoisomerase gyrA.
Koszul duality for toric varieties

We show that certain categories of perverse sheaves on affine toric varieties X σ and X σ v defined by dual cones are Koszul dual in the sense of Beilinson, Ginzburg and Soergel (1996). The functor expressing this duality is constructed explicitly by using a combinatorial model for mixed sheaves on toric varieties.
Cheap recovery: a key to self-managing state

Cluster hash tables (CHTs) are key components of many large-scale Internet services due to their highly-scalable performance and the prevalence of the type of data they store. Another advantage of CHTs is that they can be designed to be as self-managing as a cluster of stateless servers. One key to achieving this extreme manageability is reboot-based recovery that is predictably fast and has modest impact on system performance and availability. This "cheap" recovery mechanism simplifies management in two ways. First, it simplifies failure detection by lowering the cost of acting on false positives. This enables one to use statistical techniques to turn hard-to-catch failures, such as node degradation, into failure, followed by recovery. Second, cheap recovery simplifies capacity planning by recasting repartitioning as failure plus recovery to achieve zero-downtime incremental scaling. These low-cost recovery and scaling mechanisms make it possible for the system to be continuously self-adjusting, a key property of self-managing systems.
The role of prophylaxis in the management of von Willebrand disease: today and tomorrow

Some patients with von Willebrand disease (VWD) will experience severe bleeding complications requiring intensive treatment. Up to 40% of patients with type 3 VWD experience joint bleeding, which can lead to haemophilic arthropathy. Patients with type 2A or 2B VWD are at risk of developing recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding, which is associated with angiodysplasia. Some children with VWD will experience epistaxis of sufficient frequency, duration, or severity to cause anaemia and have negative effects on overall health, development, and quality of life. For these patients, prophylactic use of concentrates containing von Willebrand factor may help to avoid bleeding events and their associated complications. The available clinical data suggest that secondary prophylaxis is beneficial in patients with type 3 VWD and certain patients with type 1 or 2 VWD. The VWD International Prophylaxis (VIP) trial is an ongoing study that will help to identify which patients are most likely to benefit from long-term prophylaxis, and determine the optimal approach to prophylaxis in various settings.
Nonlinear control via approximate input-output linearization: the ball and beam example

Approximate input-output linearization of nonlinear systems which fail to have a well defined relative degree is studied. For such systems, a method for constructing approximate systems that are input-output linearizable is provided. The analysis presented is motivated through its application to a common undergraduate control laboratory experiment-the ball and beam-where it is shown to be more effective for trajectory tracking than the standard Jacobian linearization. >
Electrostatic effects on (di)terpene synthase product outcome

Terpene synthases catalyze complex reactions, often forming multiple chiral centers in cyclized olefin products from acyclic allylic diphosphate precursors, yet have been suggested to largely control their reactions via steric effects, serving as templates. However, recent results highlight electrostatic effects also exerted by these enzymes. Perhaps not surprisingly, the pyrophosphate co-product released in the initiating and rate-limiting chemical step provides an obvious counter-ion that may steer carbocation migration towards itself. This is emphasized by the striking effects of a recently uncovered single residue switch for diterpene synthase product outcome, whereby substitution of hydroxyl residues for particular aliphatic residues has been shown to be sufficient to “short-circuit” complex cyclization and/or rearrangement reactions, with the converse change further found to be sufficient to increase reaction complexity. The mechanistic hypothesis for the observed effects is hydroxyl dipole stabilization of the specific carbocation formed by initial cyclization, enabling deprotonation of this early intermediate, whereas the lack of such stabilization (i.e. in the presence of an aliphatic side chain) leads to carbocation migration towards the pyrophosphate co-product, resulting in a more complex reaction. This is further consistent with the greater synergy exhibited between pyrophosphate and aza-analogs of late, relative to early, stage carbocation intermediates, and crystallographic analysis of the monoterpene cyclase bornyl diphosphate synthase wherein mechanistically non-relevant counter-ion pairing between aza-analogs of early stage carbocation intermediates and pyrophosphate is observed. Thus, (di)terpene synthases seem to mediate specific reaction outcomes, at least in part, by providing electrostatic effects to counteract those exerted by the pyrophosphate co-product.
Strategic Planning for Information Security and Assurance

Dealing with risk is critical to the success of any information security and assurance endeavor. With society's ever-increasing dependence on large-scale information systems, dealing with security risk is a topic of considerable importance and attention. It is generally infeasible to provide "total security" for any information system. As a result, successful risk management must be strategically planned with regard to desired assurance levels and costs. In this paper we define the practices associated with strategic planning for managing information security and assurance. We provide a concrete and practical approach for generating such strategic plans that is provably optimal and robust.
A Short, Affordable, One-Pot Synthesis of a Camphor-Derived Amino Alcohol

Abstract The commercially available α-ketoxime of camphorquinone (1) was reduced to the corresponding exo,exo-amino alcohol (2) in a two-step, one-pot procedure using sodium borohydride and nickel(II) chloride hexahydrate.
SOLUTION OF VISCOELASTIC SCATTERING PROBLEMS IN LINEAR ACOUSTICS USING HP BOUNDARY/FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

The interaction of acoustic waves with submerged structures remains one of the most difficult and challenging problems in underwater acoustics. Many techniques such as coupled Boundary Element (BE)/Finite Element (FE) or coupled Infinite Element (IE)/Finite Element approximations have evolved. In this paper, we focus on the steady-state formulation only, and study a general coupled hp-adaptive BE/FE method. The work is devoted to a study on viscoelastic scattering problems in linear acoustic medium by means of hp boundary and finite element approximations. A particular emphasis is placed on an a-posteriori error estimation for the viscoelastic scattering problems.
Earnings surprise and sophisticated investor preferences in India

Abstract In this paper, I examine the existence of earnings surprise anomaly for a sample of actively traded stocks in the Bombay Stock Exchange during 2001–2006. I also examine if sophisticated institutional investors, in particular transient investors, exploit the earnings surprise anomaly. My results indicate that using a standard time series model to forecast earnings, there is clear evidence of a post-earnings announcement drift in the Indian market, even after controlling for common factors that affect risk and transaction costs. However, I find very little evidence that indicates transient investors exploit the earnings surprise mispricing. Attribution analysis of hedge portfolio returns based on increases in ownership by transient investors indicates that earnings surprise does not play a role; risk and liquidity does. A direct test of what causes increase in ownership by transient investors provides little support for the role of earnings surprise. Robustness tests also indicate that while earnings surprise is mispriced by the market, the level of transient investor ownership does not mitigate this effect.
Necessary and sufficient conditions for a nonminimum phase plant to have a recoverable target loop: a stable compensator design for LTR

Abstract In connection with loop transfer recovery of nonminimum phase systems, the purpose of this paper is two-fold: (1) to study the set of recoverable target loops and to establish necessary or/and sufficient conditions for a given plant to have at least one recoverable target loop, and (2) to show that the compensator structure developed earlier in Chen, Saberi and Sannuti [(1991) Automatica , 27, 257–280] for minimum phase systems, can also recover any recoverable target loop for nonminimum phase systems as well while retaining all its advantages over conventional observer based controllers.
On the Universal Tiling Conjecture in Dimension One

We show that the spectral-tile implication in the Fuglede conjecture in dimension 1 is equivalent to a Universal Tiling Conjecture and also to similar forms of the same implication for some simpler sets, such as unions of intervals with rational or integer endpoints.
Implementations of adaptive IIR filters with lowest complexity

The problem of implementing adaptive IIR filters of minimum complexity is considered. The complexity used here is the number of multiplications in the implementation of the structures generating both the adaptive filter output and the sensitivities to be used in any gradient based algorithm. This complexity is independent of the specific adaptive algorithm used. It is established that the sensitivity generation requires a minimum of N additional states, where N is the order of the filter. This result is used to show a minimum complexity of 3N+1 multiplications for an order N filter. Principles to use in the construction of such lowest complexity implementations are provided, and examples of minimum complexity direct-form, cascade-form, and parallel-form adaptive IIR filters are given.
Selection of chromosomal DNA libraries using a multiplex CRISPR system

Over the course of billions of years, natural evolution has produced new proteins and adapted existing ones so that they work better. Scientists have learned how to use the principles that underlie evolution to similarly engineer proteins in the laboratory. This process, known as directed evolution, is a powerful tool for improving how proteins function. Directed evolution normally involves mutating the gene that encodes the protein of interest, selecting the genes that produce the most promising proteins for another round of mutation, and repeating the process until the desired protein function is achieved. In the first step of directed evolution, a gene is usually mutated randomly in order to create a large ‘library’ of different forms of the gene. These are joined to circular pieces of DNA known as plasmids that can replicate themselves inside cells. However, the number of plasmids than can be taken up differs from cell to cell. This complicates experiments, and the ideal directed evolution experiment would have the same number of plasmids, or target genes, being delivered into each cell. Ryan et al. have developed a new method for performing directed evolution experiments that uses a recently developed technique called the CRISPR-Cas9 system. This can make direct changes to a DNA strand such as inserting or deleting specific sequences that code for proteins. Ryan et al. used the CRISPR-Cas9 system to create multiple DNA breaks simultaneously across the genome of yeast cells, and joined ‘barcoded’ DNA or DNA for intact genes to these breaks. This avoids the need to use plasmids to introduce foreign DNA into cells. Ryan et al. have named this method the Multiplex CRISPR (or CRISPRm) system. Having established CRISPRm, Ryan et al. tested whether it could be used to engineer improved proteins by attempting to modify a transporter protein called CDT-1. This protein transports the sugar cellobiose into yeast cells, where it can be converted into alcohol by fermentation. This is important for making biofuel from plants. After just one round of directed evolution using CRISPRm, Ryan et al. successfully isolated a form of the CDT-1 protein that increased the rate of fermentation over 10-fold; hence this CDT-1 variant could be used to increase biofuel production. In the future, it will be important to implement multiple selection rounds with CRISPRm, and to test how large the DNA libraries can be for directed evolution. In time, CRISPRm could find use in evolving and engineering different combinations of genes, metabolic pathways, and possibly entire genomes.
Resolved CO (1 --> 0) Nuclei in IRAS 14348-1447: Evidence for Massive Bulge Progenitors to Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies.

The CO morphology shows two molecular gas components associated with the stellar nuclei of the progenitors, consistent with the idea that the molecular disks are gravitationally bound by the dense bulges of the progenitor galaxies as the interaction proceeds.
Binary Black Hole Coalescence

The two-body problem in general relativity is reviewed, focusing on the final stages of the coalescence of the black holes as uncovered by recent successes in numerical solution of the field equations.
Plasma wave interactions with energetic ions near the magnetic equator

An intense band of electromagnetic noise is frequently observed near the magnetic equatorial plane at radial distance from about 2 to 5 Re. Recent wideband wave-form measurements with the IMP-6 and Hawkeye-1 satellites have shown that the equatorial noise consists of a complex superposition of many harmonically spaced lines. Several distinctly different frequency spacings are often evident in the same spectrum. The frequency spacing typically ranges from a few Hz to a few tens of Hz. It is suggested that these waves are interacting with energetic protons, alpha particles, and other heavy ions trapped near the magnetic equator. The possible role these waves play in controlling the distribution of the energetic ions is considered.
Improvement of the Structural Quality of GaAs Layers Grown on Si with LT-GaAs Intermediate Layer

Superior electrical and optical quality of GaAs grown on Si with an inserted low-temperature (LT)-GaAs buffer-layer was demonstrated. Photoluminescence intensity was increasing and leakage current of Schottky diodes build on such a structure was decreasing by few orders of magnitude. These observations were correlated with structural studies employing classical and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Bending of the threading dislocations and their interaction was observed at the interface between a cap GaAs layer and the LT-GaAs layer. This dislocation interaction results in the reduction of dislocation density by at least one order of magnitude or more compared for the GaAs layers with the same thickness grown on Si. The surface morphology of the cap GaAs layer is improving as well.
Random walks in random environments

Random walks in random environments and their diffusion analogues have been a source of surprising phenomena and challenging problems, especially in the non-reversible situation, since they began to be studied in the 1970s. We review the model, available results and techniques, and point out several gaps in the understanding of these processes.
U.S. Citrus Import Demand: Seasonality and Substitution

Citrus fruits make up 1/5 of all fresh fruit consumed in the United States. Given the increasing importance of imported citrus in the diet of American consumers, it is perhaps surprising that no import demand analysis of U.S. citrus has been conducted. Using quarterly U.S. import data for 6 citrus commodities, we employed a demand systems model and evaluated aspects of seasonality. The results suggest wide variations in price responses to different types of imported citrus. The average amplitude and phase shift suggest that all citrus fruits exhibit some seasonality in their imports, likely a result of peak harvesting schedules of exporters.
A two‐dimensional Kolmogorov–Smirnov test for crowded field source detection: ROSAT sources in NGC 6397

We present a two-dimensional version of the classical one-dimensional Kolmogorov‐Smirnov (KS) test, extending an earlier idea due to Peacock and an implementation proposed by Fasano and Franceschini. The two-dimensional KS test is used to optimize the goodness of fit in an iterative source-detection scheme for astronomical images. The method is applied to a ROSAT/HRI X-ray image of the post-core-collapse globular cluster NGC 6397 to determine the most probable source distribution in the cluster core. Comparisons to other widely used source-detection methods, and to a Chandra image of the same field, show that our iteration scheme is superior in measuring statistics-limited sources in severely crowded fields.
An Assessment of the Effectiveness of Anti-Poverty Programs in the United States

We assess the effectiveness of means-tested and social insurance programs in the United States. We show that per capita expenditures on these programs as a whole have grown over time but expenditures on some programs have declined. The benefit system in the U.S. has a major impact on poverty rates, reducing the percent poor in 2004 from 29 percent to 13.5 percent, estimates which are robust to different measures of the poverty line. We find that, while there are significant behavioral side effects of many programs, their aggregate impact is very small and does not affect the magnitude of the aggregate poverty impact of the system. The system reduces poverty the most for the disabled and the elderly and least for several groups among the non-elderly and non-disabled. Over time, we find that expenditures have shifted toward the disabled and the elderly, and away from those with the lowest incomes and toward those with higher incomes, with the consequence that post-transfer rates of deep poverty for some groups have increased. We conclude that the U.S. benefit system is paternalistic and tilted toward the support of the employed and toward groups with special needs and perceived deservingness.
Traffic Control For Automated Highway Systems: A Conceptual Framework

Abstract The task of traffic control for automated highway systems (AHS) is drastically different from and much more complex than its conventional counterpart. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for designing a traffic control scheme. It adopts a top-down approach to defining major design steps starting with high-level feature definition. Since all AHS control features materialize through vehicle movements and there exists an infinite number of possible vehicle movements, specifying these movements and verifying that they indeed suffice for the desired features could be extremely complicated. One approach to simplifying such tasks is to define a small number of permissible moves as “building blocks” and define all permissible movements in terms of these moves. With the desired features defined, the top-down approach then identifies and defines moves and related planning and movement functions that are required for supporting the desired features. Central to traffic control is planning, including system flow planning and vehicle movement planning. The former tries to optimize the macroscopic flow of aggregate traffic in the AHS while the latter plans for the microscopic movement of individual vehicles. Making the actual movements according to the vehicle movement plans requires the most detailed data about the immediate neighborhood affecting or affected by the movements. To ensure safety, initiation/continuation/ abort conditions for all permissible vehicle moves must be clearly and safely defined at this level of detail. Since vehicle movement plans are generated by various controllers in the AHS, the planned vehicle moves have the potential of conflicting and interfering with one another. Based on key attributes of a move and the concept of initiation/continuation/abort conditions, we are able to define rigorously the concepts of conflict and interference among different moves. Such conflicts must be recognized and resolved in time for safety; they should also be prevented at the planning stage. Such interferences should be minimized for efficiency. A “running” example defining the traffic control scheme of a simplified AHS operating scenario is provided for illustration.
The observed growth of massive galaxy clusters – IV. Robust constraints on neutrino properties

This is the fourth of a series of papers in which we derive simultaneous constraints on cosmological parameters and X-ray scaling relations using observations of the growth of massive, X-ray flux-selected galaxy clusters. Our data set consists of 238 clusters drawn from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey, and incorporates extensive follow-up observations using the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Here we examine the constraints on neutrino properties that are enabled by the precise and robust constraint on the amplitude of the matter power spectrum at low redshift available from our data. In combination with cluster gas mass fraction, cosmic microwave background, supernova and baryon acoustic oscillation data, and incorporating conservative allowances for systematic uncertainties, we limit the species-summed neutrino mass, M�, to < 0.33eV at 95.4 per cent confidence in a spatially flat, cosmological constant (�CDM) model. In a flat �CDM model where the effective number of neutrino species, Neff, is allowed to vary, we find Neff = 3.4 +0.6 0.5 (68.3 per cent confidence, incorporating a direct constraint on the Hubble parameter from Cepheid and supernova data). We also obtain results with additional degrees of freedom in the cosmological model, in the form of global spatial curvature (k) and a primordial spectrum of tensor perturbations (r and nt). The results are not immune to these generalizations; however, in the most general case we consider, in which M�, Neff, curvature and tensors are all free, we still obtain M� < 0.70eV and Neff = 3.7 ± 0.7 (at, respectively, the same confidence levels as above). These results agree well with recent work using independent data, and highlight the importance of measuring cosmic structure and expansion at low as well as high (z � 1100) redshifts. Although our cluster data extend to redshift z = 0.5, the direct effect of neutrino mass on the growth of structure at late times is not yet detected at a significant level.
Scheduling in Multi-Hop Wireless Networks with Priorities

In this paper we consider prioritized maximal scheduling in multi-hop wireless networks, where the scheduler chooses a maximal independent set greedily according to a sequence specified by certain priorities. We show that if the probability distributions of the priorities are properly chosen, we can achieve the optimal (maximum) stability region using an i.i.d random priority assignment process, for any set of arrival processes that satisfy Law of Large Numbers. The pre- computation of the priorities is, in general, NP-hard, but there exists polynomial time approximation scheme (PTAS) to achieve any fraction of the optimal stability region. We next focus on the simple case of static priority and specify a greedy priority assignment algorithm, which can achieve the same fraction of the optimal stability region as the state of art result for longest queue first (LQF) schedulers. We also show that this algorithm can be easily adapted to satisfy delay constraints in the large deviations regime, and therefore, supports quality of service (QoS) for each link.
Pain in the aftermath of trauma is a risk factor for post-traumatic stress disorder.

BackgroundIdentifying risk factors for the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is important for understanding and ultimately preventing the disorder. This study assessed pain shortly after traumatic injury (i.e. peritraumatic pain) as a risk factor for PTSD.MethodParticipants (n=115) were patients admitted to a Level 1 Surgical Trauma Center. Admission to this service reflected a severe physical injury requiring specialized, emergent trauma care. Participants completed a pain questionnaire within 48 h of traumatic injury and a PTSD diagnostic module 4 and 8 months later.ResultsPeritraumatic pain was associated with an increased risk of PTSD, even after controlling for a number of other significant risk factors other than acute stress disorder symptoms. An increase of 0.5 s.d. from the mean in a 0–10 pain rating scale 24–48 h after injury was associated with an increased odds of PTSD at 4 months by more than fivefold, and at 8 months by almost sevenfold. A single item regarding amount of pain at the time of hospital admission correctly classified 65% of participants.ConclusionsIf these findings are replicated in other samples, high levels of peritraumatic pain could be used to identify individuals at elevated risk for PTSD following traumatic injury.
On the interferometric sizes of young stellar objects

Long-baseline optical interferometers can now detect and resolve hot dust emission thought to arise at the inner edge of circumstellar disks around young stellar objects (YSOs). We argue that the near-infrared sizes being measured are closely related to the radius at which dust is sublimated by the stellar radiation field. We consider how realistic dust optical properties and gas opacity dramatically affect the predicted location of this dust destruction radius, an exercise routinely done in other contexts but so far neglected in the analysis of near-infrared sizes of YSOs. We also present the accumulated literature of near-infrared YSO sizes in the form of a size-luminosity diagram and compare with theoretical expectations. We find evidence that large (1.0 μm) dust grains predominate in the inner disks of T Tauri and Herbig Ae/Be stars, under the assumption that the innermost gaseous disks are optically thin at visible wavelengths.
Robotic Health Assistant (Feverkit) for the Rational Management of Fevers among Nomads in Nigeria

The innovation described in this paper was motivated by concern that in Africa, parasite resistance to antimalarial drugs is associated with irrational drug use where health facilities are inaccessible. However, advancement in digital technology, simple diagnostic devices and smart drug packaging inspire innovative strategies. The combination of communication technology, rapid diagnostic tools, and antibiotic and antimalarial medicines can increase access to evidence-based malaria management, reduce mortality and slow the development of resistance to drugs. The author initiated development of a solar-powered device (Feverkit) programmed with user-interactive capabilities and equipped with a detachable laboratory and dispensary for community management of fevers. The operational performance of 10 units of the device was evaluated among 20 nomadic Fulani communities in northeastern Nigeria. A brief introduction to its parts and functions was sufficient for community-selected nomadic caregivers to use it competently for managing 207 fever cases in eight weeks, with a 97% (p=.000) recovery rate. The Feverkit guided the nomads to distinguish between malaria and non-malaria-induced fevers, and thus selectively treat them. Camp communities accepted the device and were willing to pay between US$33 and $334 (mean, $113; mode, $67) to keep it. Public-private sector collaboration is essential for sustaining and scaling up production of the Feverkit as a commercial health device for the management of fevers among nomads.
Tabletop nanometer extreme ultraviolet imaging in an extended reflection mode using coherent Fresnel ptychography

We demonstrate the first (to our knowledge) general purpose full-field reflection-mode extreme ultraviolet (EUV) microscope based on coherent diffractive imaging. This microscope is capable of nanoscale amplitude and phase imaging of extended surfaces at an arbitrary angle of incidence in a noncontact, nondestructive manner. We use coherent light at 29.5 nm from high-harmonic upconversion to illuminate a surface, directly recording the scatter as the surface is scanned. Ptychographic reconstruction is then combined with tilted plane correction to obtain an image with amplitude and phase information. The image quality and detail from this diffraction-limited tabletop EUV microscope compares favorably with both scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope images. The result is a general and completely extensible imaging technique that can provide a comprehensive and definitive characterization of how light at any wavelength scatters from a surface, with imminent feasibility of elemental imaging with