cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Statistical Inference: The Big Picture.

Statistics has moved beyond the frequentist-Bayesian controver- sies of the past. Where does this leave our ability to interpret results? I suggest that a philosophy compatible with statistical practice, labeled here statisti- cal pragmatism, serves as a foundation for inference. Statistical pragmatism is inclusive and emphasizes the assumptions that connect statistical models with observed data. I argue that introductory courses often mischaracterize the process of statistical inference and I propose an alternative "big picture" depiction. The protracted battle for the foundations of statis- tics, joined vociferously by Fisher, Jeffreys, Neyman, Savage and many disciples, has been deeply illuminat- ing, but it has left statistics without a philosophy that matches contemporary attitudes. Because each camp took as its goal exclusive ownership of inference, each was doomed to failure. We have all, or nearly all, moved past these old debates, yet our textbook expla- nations have not caught up with the eclecticism of sta- tistical practice. The difficulties go both ways. Bayesians have de- nied the utility of confidence and statistical signifi- cance, attempting to sweep aside the obvious success of these concepts in applied work. Meanwhile, for their part, frequentists have ignored the possibility of infer- ence about unique events despite their ubiquitous oc- currence throughout science. Furthermore, interpreta- tions of posterior probability in terms of subjective be- lief, or confidence in terms of long-run frequency, give students a limited and sometimes confusing view of the nature of statistical inference. When used to introduce the expression of uncertainty based on a random sam-
Characterizing pseudoentropy and simplifying pseudorandom generator constructions

We provide a characterization of pseudoentropy in terms of hardness of sampling: Let (X,B) be jointly distributed random variables such that B takes values in a polynomial-sized set. We show that B is computationally indistinguishable from a random variable of higher Shannon entropy given X if and only if there is no probabilistic polynomial-time S such that (X,S(X)) has small KL divergence from (X,B). This can be viewed as an analogue of the Impagliazzo Hardcore Theorem (FOCS '95) for Shannon entropy (rather than min-entropy). Using this characterization, we show that if f is a one-way function, then (f(Un),Un) has "next-bit pseudoentropy" at least n+log n, establishing a conjecture of Haitner, Reingold, and Vadhan (STOC '10). Plugging this into the construction of Haitner et al., this yields a simpler construction of pseudorandom generators from one-way functions. In particular, the construction only performs hashing once, and only needs the hash functions that are randomness extractors (e.g. universal hash functions) rather than needing them to support "local list-decoding" (as in the Goldreich--Levin hardcore predicate, STOC '89). With an additional idea, we also show how to improve the seed length of the pseudorandom generator to ~{O}(n3), compared to O(n4) in the construction of Haitner et al.
Solutions to a class of linear-quadratic-Gaussian (LQG) stochastic team problems with nonclassical information

Abstract We consider a stochastic dynamic team problem with two controllers and nonclassical information, which can be viewed as the transmission of a garbled version of a Gaussian message over a number of noisy channels under a fidelity criterion. We show that the optimum solution (under a quadratic loss functional) consists of linearly transforming the garbled message to a certain (optimum) power level P ∗ and then optimally decoding it by using a linear transformation at the receiving end. The power level P ∗ is determined by the solution of a fifth order algebraic equation. The paper also discusses an extension of this result to the case when the channel noise is correlated with the input random variable, and shows that for the single channel case the optimum solution is again linear.
Stabilization of multiple input chained form control systems

Abstract This paper presents a control law for stabilizing multiple input chained form control systems. This extends an earlier result of Teel et al. (1994) on stabilizing the above class of systems which have two inputs. In addition, we generalize this law to dynamical control systems and construct a transformation from general chained form systems with multiple generators to a power form. A control law which stabilizes the origin of a three-input control system that models the kinematics of a fire truck is simulated, confirming the theoretical results.
Quantum crystallographic charge density of urea

Standard X-ray crystallography methods use free-atom models to calculate mean unit-cell charge densities. Real molecules, however, have shared charge that is not captured accurately using free-atom models. To address this limitation, a charge density model of crystalline urea was calculated using high-level quantum theory and was refined against publicly available ultra-high-resolution experimental Bragg data, including the effects of atomic displacement parameters. The resulting quantum crystallographic model was compared with models obtained using spherical atom or multipole methods. Despite using only the same number of free parameters as the spherical atom model, the agreement of the quantum model with the data is comparable to the multipole model. The static, theoretical crystalline charge density of the quantum model is distinct from the multipole model, indicating the quantum model provides substantially new information. Hydrogen thermal ellipsoids in the quantum model were very similar to those obtained using neutron crystallography, indicating that quantum crystallography can increase the accuracy of the X-ray crystallographic atomic displacement parameters. The results demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of integrating fully periodic quantum charge density calculations into ultra-high-resolution X-ray crystallographic model building and refinement.
Analysis of High-Speed PCB With SiC Devices by Investigating Turn-Off Overvoltage and Interconnection Inductance Influence

Silicon (Si) carbide (SiC)-based power switching devices provide significant performance improvements compared to conventional Si devices. The superior characteristics enable considerable loss, size, and weight reduction of power converters in the powertrain of hybrid/electric vehicles. However, the fast switching capability of SiC devices renders them more vulnerable to parasitic inductances in the circuit. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of interconnection inductances to overvoltage during turn- off transient of SiC devices. To understand the switching behavior of the SiC devices, the ringing and overshoots of the voltage caused by the device capacitance and interconnection inductances are considered. Parametric studies are conducted to compare the influences of printed circuit board (PCB) and packaging inductances on the peak turn- off overvoltage under various operating conditions. A prototype half-bridge buck converter with SiC MOSFETs is constructed for the experiments. Experimental results are shown to validate the simulation results.
Formation of 3,4-dimethyl-2-pyrones from allene carboxylates and 2-silyloxydienes via 3-carboethoxyethylidene cyclobutanols

The 3-carboethoxyethylidene cyclobutanols 4 are prepared in two steps via [2+2] cycloaddition of the 2-silyloxydienes 1 and the allene carboxylate 2 followed by acidic hydrolysis. Treatment of these cyclobutanols 4 with various bases affords good yields of the substituted 3,4-dimethyl-2-pyrones 6. The proposed mechanism involves ring opening of the metal alkoxide 7 to give the carbanion 8, which undergoes proton transfer to give the more stable carbanion 9 and double bond isomerization to give the enolate 10, which then forms the pyrone ring 6 via attack on the ester via 11.
Effects of food and agricultural imports on domestic factors in the U.S. agricultural sector: a translog cost function framework

AbstractThe translog cost function of the U.S. agricultural sector unveils dynamic relationships between foreign and domestic inputs. On average, capital and labour are weak substitutes, but they are strong substitutes to food and agricultural imports. Therefore, enhancing trade policies on food and agricultural products should be supplemented by strategic policies aiming at protecting domestic factors' income.
Rhenium-catalyzed 1,3-isomerization of allylic alcohols : Scope and chirality transfer

The scope of the triphenylsilyl perrhennate (O3ReOSiPh3, 1) catalyzed 1,3-isomerization of allylic alcohols has been thoroughly explored. It was found to be effective for a wide variety of secondary and tertiary allylic alcohol substrates bearing aryl, alkyl, and cyano substituents. Two general reaction types were found which gave high levels of product selectivity: those driven by formation of an extended conjugated system and those driven by selective silylation of a particular isomer. The efficiency of chirality transfer with various substrates was investigated, and conditions were found in which secondary and tertiary allylic alcohols could be formed with high levels of enantioselectivity. Consideration of selectivity trends with respect to the nature of the substituents around the allylic system revealed that this is a reliable and predictable method for allylic alcohol synthesis.
Survivors of gynecologic malignancies: impact of treatment on health and well-being.

While overall survival from gynecologic malignancies has greatly improved over the last three decades, required treatments can lead to multiple health issues for survivors. Our objective was to identify health concerns that gynecologic cancer survivors face. A systematic, stratified sample of women with gynecologic malignancies was surveyed for 18 health issues occurring before, during, or after treatment. The impact of clinical features and treatment modality on health issues was assessed through multivariate logistic regression models. Of 2,546 surveys mailed, 622 were not received by eligible subjects secondary to invalid address, incorrect diagnosis, or death. Thus, 1924 survivors potentially received surveys. Of the 1,029 surveys (53.5 %) completed, median age was 59 years; diagnoses included 29 % cervical, 26 % endometrial, 26 % ovarian/primary peritoneal/fallopian tube, 12.1 % vulvar, and 5.4 % vaginal cancers. The most frequently reported health issues included fatigue (60.6 %), sleep disturbance (54.9 %), urinary difficulties (50.9 %), sexual dysfunction (48.4 %), neurologic issues (45.4 %), bowel complaints (42.0 %), depression (41.3 %), and memory problems (41.2 %). These rankings were consistent with patients’ self-reported rankings of “highest impact” personal issues. After controlling for demographic and clinical variables, multivariate analyses revealed that treatment modality impacted the odds of experiencing a given health issue. Our study demonstrates that gynecologic cancer survivors experience a high frequency of health conditions and highlights the association between treatment modality and specific health concerns. The study findings highlight the multiple health concerns experienced by gynecologic cancer survivors and suggest the potential for developing interventions to mitigate these concerns in survivorship.
Reaction of N3-benzoyl-3',5'-O-(di-tert-butylsilanediyl)uridine with hindered electrophiles: intermolecular N3 to 2'-O protecting group transfer.

ABSTRACT The compound N3-benzoyl-3′,5′-O-(di-tert-butylsilanediyl)uridine 2 was alkylated with various alkyl iodides in CH3CN in the presence of base. Normal 2′-O-alkylated products were obtained with methyl or benzyl iodide. if hindered alkyl iodides with β-branching such as 2-ethylbutyl iodide were used as electrophiles under the same conditions, N3-alkyl-2′-O-benzoyl uridine derivatives were produced. This unexpected transformation is usually dormant with reactive alkylating agents, but expressed with sterically hindered, less reactive electrophiles. This unwanted reaction gives isomeric products whose spectra differ in only subtle ways from target compounds.
Thermodynamic Characterization of Conformational States of Biological Macromolecules using Differential Scanning Calorimetry

(1978). Thermodynamic Characterization of Conformational States of Biological Macromolecules using Differential Scanning Calorimetry. CRC Critical Reviews in Biochemistry: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 85-124.
Tenure security premium in informal housing markets : a spatial hedonic analysis

Summary This paper estimates slum residents’ willingness to pay for formalized land tenure in Pune, India. The results show that the legal assurance of slum residents’ occupancy of their lands could benefit them. Previous studies have discussed the legal and non-legal factors that substantially influence the tenure security of residents in informal settlements; however, it remains unclear how and to what extent the assignment of legal property rights through the formalization of land tenure improves the tenure security of residents in informal settlements and living conditions, even in the presence of other legal and non-legal factors that also contribute to their tenure security. To address this question, this study focuses on the city of Pune, India, where government agencies have formalized slums by legally ensuring the occupancy of the residents under the “slum declaration.” Applying a hedonic price model to an original household survey, this paper investigates how slum residents evaluate formalized land tenure. A spatial econometrics method is also applied to account for spatial dependence and spatially autocorrelated unobserved errors. The spatial hedonic analysis shows that the premium of slum declaration is worth 19.2% of the average housing rent in slums. The associated marginal willingness to pay is equivalent to 6.7% of the average household expenditure, although it is heterogeneous depending on a household’s caste and other legal conditions. This finding suggests that the assurance of occupancy rights is a vital component of land-tenure formalization policy even if it does not directly provide full property rights.
Anti-counterfeiting: Mixing the Physical and the Digital World

Counterfeiting is as old as the human desire to create objects of value. For example, historians have identified counterfeit coins just as old as the corresponding originals. Archeological findings have identified examples of counterfeit coins from 500 BC netting a 600+% instant profit to the counterfeiter [2]. Test cuts were likely to be the first counterfeit detection procedure – with an objective to test the purity of the inner structure of the coin. The appearance of counterfeit coins with already engraved fake test cuts initiated the cat-and-mouse game between counterfeiters and original manufacturers that has lasted to date [2].
Copper-Catalyzed Divergent Addition Reactions of Enoldiazoacetamides with Nitrones

Catalyst-controlled divergent addition reactions of enoldiazoacetamides with nitrones have been developed. By using copper(I) tetrafluoroborate/bisoxazoline complex as the catalyst, a [3+3]-cycloaddition reaction was achieved with excellent yield and enantioselectivity under exceptionally mild conditions, which represents the first highly enantioselective base-metal-catalyzed vinylcarbene transformation. When the catalyst was changed to copper(I) triflate, Mannich addition products were formed in high yields with near exclusivity under otherwise identical conditions.
A Multi-Scale Spatiotemporal Perspective of Connected and Automated Vehicles: Applications and Wireless Networking

Wireless communication is a basis of the vision of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs). Given the heterogeneity of both wireless communication technologies and CAV applications, one question that is critical to technology road-mapping and policy making is which communication technology is more suitable for a specific CAV application. Focusing on the technical aspect of this question, we present a multi-scale spatiotemporal perspective of wireless communication technologies as well as canonical CAV applications in active safety, fuel economy and emission control, vehicle automation, and vehicular infotainment. Our analysis shows that CAV applications in the regime of small spatiotemporal scale communication requirements are best supported by V2V communications, applications in the regime of large spatiotemporal scale communication requirements are better supported by cellular communications, and applications in the regime of small spatial scale but medium-to-large temporal scale can be supported by both V2V and cellular communications and provide the opportunity of leveraging heterogeneous communication resources.
Regulation of gastrointestinal mucosal growth.

This article reviews the possible mechanisms initiated by the ingestion and presence of food in the digestive tract that might regulate the growth of gastrointestinal mucosa. Emphasis is placed on direct local nutrition, pancreatic and biliary secretions, and gastrointestinal hormones. The strong and weak points of each of these are discussed in regard to its ability to account for experimental data. Areas of controversy are emphasized and, in some cases, attempts at reconciliation are made. Many of the data in this field of research are descriptive; future studies should focus on the actual mechanisms of regulation.
Object-Oriented/Data-Oriented Design of a Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Algorithm

National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been investing in the development of a new code, the Multiphysics Algorithm with Particles, to incorporate recent developments in direct simulation Monte Carlo algorithms and improve physical realism, time to solution, and expand the range of usefulness of National Aeronautics and Space Administration direct simulation Monte Carlo codes (in both velocity space and altitude). The Multiphysics Algorithm with Particles is an object-oriented/data-oriented code written in C++. Object-oriented codes are likely the most flexible and efficient approach for the development of new algorithms and physics modules due to their inherent modularity. However, computational efficiency is an equally critical component of software design that must be considered, which is why data-oriented design becomes important. The focus of the development of the Multiphysics Algorithm with Particles thus far has been on the creation of efficient particle data structures, the inclusion of...
Depressed basal hypothalamic neuronal activity in type-1 diabetic mice is correlated with proinflammatory secretion of HMBG1

We recently found indicators of hypothalamic inflammation and neurodegeneration linked to the loss of neuroprotective factors including insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and IGF binding protein-2 (IGFBP-3) in mice made diabetic using streptozotocin (STZ). In the current work, a genetic model of type-1 diabetes (Ins2(Akita) mouse) was used to evaluate changes in neuronal activity and concomitant changes in the proinflammatory mediator high-mobility group box-1 (HMBG1). We found basal hypothalamic neuronal activity as indicated by manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) was significantly decreased in 8 months old, but not 2 months old Ins2(Akita) diabetic mice compared to controls. In tissue from the same animals we evaluated the expression of HMBG1 using immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy. We found decreased HMBG1 nuclear localization in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) in 8 months old, but not 2 months old diabetic animals indicating nuclear release of the protein consistent with an inflammatory state. Adjacent thalamic regions showed little change in HMBG1 nuclear localization and neuronal activity as a result of diabetes. This work extends our previous findings demonstrating changes consistent with hypothalamic neuroinflammation in STZ treated animals, and shows active inflammatory processes are correlated with changes in basal hypothalamic neuronal activity in Ins2(Akita) mice.
MEDICAL AND SOCIAL FACTORS IN CRIME

Excerpt When a child is born his behavior is almost entirely on a physiological basis. He reacts to various stimuli on a reflex level and draws upon his heritage through past ages for motivation. I...
Fire Safety of Grounded Corrugating Stainless Steel Tubing in a Structure Energized by Lightning

Corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) has been used for more than 20 years as a replacement for conventional black iron gas piping. CSST has a thinner tubing wall and is susceptible to damage from lightning activity when discharges enter a structure, potentially resulting in perforation of the CSST wall and fire ignition. Grounding has been promoted by CSST manufacturers as a solution to this problem. We use modeling and simulation of voltage potentials and arc currents to evaluate the effects of grounding on the voltage potential across CSST, which can result in arc initiation, and charge through the arc, which can result in melting and perforation of the CSST wall. Our results show multiple scenarios where a 10 kA 10 × 350 s current waveform with 1 $$\Omega $$ grounding of the CSST still results in voltages greater than the arc initiation threshold of 25 kV and charge through the arc greater than 1.2 C, the perforation threshold we measured. For the case where lightning enters the structure through an outdoor light fixture or chimney, the presence of a grounding wire increases the charge through the arc from 0.13 C to 2.22 C. These results indicate that good grounding of CSST will not necessarily prevent arc initiation nor perforation of the CSST wall by lightning. Good grounding may in fact exacerbate the problem of lightning damage to CSST depending on where lightning enters the building and the electrical parameters of the path to ground.
Site-selective arene C-H amination via photoredox catalysis

Over the past several decades, organometallic cross-coupling chemistry has developed into one of the most reliable approaches to assemble complex aromatic compounds from preoxidized starting materials. More recently, transition metal–catalyzed carbon-hydrogen activation has circumvented the need for preoxidized starting materials, but this approach is limited by a lack of practical amination protocols. Here, we present a blueprint for aromatic carbon-hydrogen functionalization via photoredox catalysis and describe the utility of this strategy for arene amination. An organic photoredox-based catalyst system, consisting of an acridinium photooxidant and a nitroxyl radical, promotes site-selective amination of a variety of simple and complex aromatics with heteroaromatic azoles of interest in pharmaceutical research. We also describe the atom-economical use of ammonia to form anilines, without the need for prefunctionalization of the aromatic component.
Fast lattice point enumeration with minimal overhead

Enumeration algorithms are the best currently known methods to solve lattice problems, both in theory (within the class of polynomial space algorithms), and in practice (where they are routinely used to evaluate the concrete security of lattice cryptography). However, there is an uncomfortable gap between our theoretical understanding and practical performance of lattice point enumeration algorithms. The algorithms typically used in practice have worst-case asymptotic running time 2O(n2), but perform extremely well in practice, at least for all values of the lattice dimension for which experimentation is feasible. At the same time, theoretical algorithms (Kannan, Mathematics of Operation Research 12(3):415-440, 1987) are asymptotically superior (achieving 2O(n log n) running time), but they are never used in practice because they incur a substantial overhead that makes them uncompetitive for all reasonable values of the lattice dimension n. This gap is especially troublesome when algorithms are run in practice to evaluate the concrete security of a cryptosystem, and then experimental results are extrapolated to much larger dimension where solving lattice problems is computationally infeasible.We introduce a new class of (polynomial space) lattice enumeration algorithms that simultaneously achieve asymptotic efficiency (meeting the theoretical nO(n) = 2O(n log n) time bound) and practicality, matching or surpassing the performance of practical algorithms already in moderately low dimension. Key technical contributions that allow us to achieve this result are a new analysis technique that allows us to greatly reduce the number of recursive calls performed during preprocessing (from super exponential in n to single exponential, or even polynomial in n), a new enumeration technique that can be directly applied to projected lattice (basis) vectors, without the need to remove linear dependencies, and a modified block basis reduction method with fast (logarithmic) convergence properties. The last technique is used to obtain a new SVP enumeration procedure with O(nn/2e) running time, matching (even in the constant in the exponent) the optimal worst-case analysis (Hanrot and Stehle, CRYPTO 2007) of Kannan's theoretical algorithm, but with far superior performance in practice.We complement our theoretical analysis with a preliminary set of experiments that not only support our practicality claims, but also allow to estimate the crossover point between different versions of enumeration algorithms, as well as asymptotically faster (but not quite practical) algorithms running in single exponential 2O(n) time and space.
Autocracies and the international sources of cooperation

Under what conditions do autocracies peacefully settle disputes? Existing studies tend to focus on the domestic factors that shape conflict initiation. In this article, I show how domestic institut...
All orders results for self-crossing Wilson loops mimicking double parton scattering

Loop-level scattering amplitudes for massless particles have singularities in regions where tree amplitudes are perfectly smooth. For example, a 2 → 4 gluon scattering process has a singularity in which each incoming gluon splits into a pair of gluons, followed by a pair of 2 → 2 collisions between the gluon pairs. This singularity mimics double parton scattering because it occurs when the transverse momentum of a pair of outgoing gluons vanishes. The singularity is logarithmic at fixed order in perturbation theory. We exploit the duality between scattering amplitudes and polygonal Wilson loops to study six-point amplitudes in this limit to high loop order in planar N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory. The singular configuration corresponds to the limit in which a hexagonal Wilson loop develops a self-crossing. The singular terms are governed by an evolution equation, in which the hexagon mixes into a pair of boxes; the mixing back is suppressed in the planar (large N_c) limit. Because the kinematic dependence of the box Wilson loops is dictated by (dual) conformal invariance, the complete kinematic dependence of the singular terms for the self-crossing hexagon on the one nonsingular variable is determined to all loop orders. The complete logarithmic dependence on the singular variable can be obtained through nine loops, up to a couple of constants, using a correspondence with the multi-Regge limit. As a byproduct, we obtain a simple formula for the leading logs to all loop orders. We also show that, although the MHV six-gluon amplitude is singular, remarkably, the transcendental functions entering the non-MHV amplitude are finite in the same limit, at least through four loops.
Reply to Wu and Wilkes: Power, whether situational or durable, decreases both relational and generalized trust

In our article (1), we present evidence that individuals low in power are more trusting than those high in power. In a letter to the editor, Wu and Wilkes argue that our finding is “subject to two caveats about the kind of power and trust being considered” (2). Although refinements of our theory are welcome, we have reservations about the caveats brought forward. Wu and Wilkes’ (2) first objection is that the negative power–trust effect might flip once power is conceptualized as a durable (rather than situational) property. We expect that individuals endowed with durable power would still trust less (in relative terms) … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: reimann{at}arizona.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
FPGA-based HPC application design for non-experts

In the current era of big-data computing, most non-engineer domain experts lack the skills needed to design FPGA-based hardware accelerators to address big-data problems in their fields. This work presents bFlow, a development environment that facilitates the assembly of such accelerators, specifically those targeting FPGA-based hybrid computing platforms, such as the Convey HC series. This framework attempts to address the above problem by making use of an abstracted, graphical front-end more friendly to users without computer engineering backgrounds than traditional, HDL-based design environments, as well as by accelerating bitstream compilation by means of incremental implementation techniques. bFlow's performance, usability, and application to big-data life-science problems were tested by participants of an NSF-funded Summer Institute organized by the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI). In about one week, a group of four non-engineering participants made significant improvements to a reference Smith-Waterman implementation, adding functionality and scaling theoretical throughput by a factor of 32.
Additional support for the cognitive model of schizophrenia: evidence of elevated defeatist beliefs in schizotypy.

Abstract Objectives The cognitive model of poor functioning in schizophrenia posits that defeatist performance beliefs—overgeneralized negative beliefs about one's ability to perform tasks—develop prior to the onset of psychosis and contribute to the development and maintenance of negative symptoms and poor functioning. Although several studies with schizophrenia samples have provided support for the model, there is a paucity of research investigating these beliefs in individuals with schizotypy—those exhibiting traits reflecting a putative genetic liability for schizophrenia. This study had two aims: to examine whether defeatist performance beliefs (1) are elevated in schizotypy compared to controls and (2) are associated with decreased quality of life and working memory and increased negative but not positive schizotypy traits in the schizotypy group. Methods Schizotypy ( n =48) and control ( n =53) groups completed measures of schizotypy traits, defeatist performance beliefs, quality of life, and working memory. Results Analyses revealed that the schizotypy group reported significantly more defeatist performance beliefs than the control group. Within the schizotypy group, increased defeatist performance beliefs were significantly associated with greater negative schizotypy traits and lower quality of life. No significant associations were observed between defeatist performance beliefs and positive schizotypy traits and working memory. Conclusions Results generally support the theoretical validity of the cognitive model of poor functioning in schizophrenia and suggest that elevated defeatist performance beliefs may contribute to the manifestation of subclinical negative symptom traits and reduced quality of life among those with a latent vulnerability for schizophrenia.
Synthesis of N,N,O-Trisubstituted Hydroxylamines by Stepwise Reduction and Substitution of O-Acyl N,N-Disubstituted Hydroxylamines

Diverse N,N,O-trisubstituted hydroxylamines, an under-represented group in compound collections, are readily prepared by partial reduction of N-acyloxy secondary amines with diisobutylaluminum hydride followed by acetylation and reduction of the so-formed O-acyl-N,N-disubstituted hydroxylamines with triethylsilane and boron trifluoride etherate. Use of carbon nucleophiles in the last step, including allyltributylstannane, silyl enol ethers, and 2-methylfuran, gives N,N,O-trisubstituted hydroxylamines with branching α- to the O-substituent. N,N-Disubstiuted hydroxylamines are conveniently prepared by reaction of secondary amines with dibenzoyl peroxide followed by diisobutylaluminum hydride reduction.
A Chemoselective Route to β-Enamino Esters and Thioesters

Conditions were developed for syntheses of β-enamino esters, thioesters, and amides. These reactions involve hydroxybenzotriazole derivatives in buffered media. Illustrative syntheses of some heterocyclic systems are given, including some related to protein–protein interface mimics.
Joint cooperative relay and cross layer HARQ for QoS provisioning in wireless sensor networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) has drawn significant attention recently as a key important factor especially in sensitive areas, through which, data can be simply collected and transmitted. However, we lack practical WSN that promises a high-speed, real time and energy efficient communication with a small size cell battery. In this paper, we proposed a novel cross-layer Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) architecture with QoS Provisioning for Cooperative Wireless Networking, which can optimize system performance by choosing appropriate frame size, modulation and retransmission methods through sensitive analysis. Spatial diversity gain could also be achieved through cooperative relay stations. Our contribution includes two folders: (1) Proposed a novel cross-layer HARQ framework for cooperative wireless networks (2) Proposed optimal QoS provisioning through Choquet-based cross-layer parameters decision.
Propargyl alcohols as β-oxocarbenoid precursors for the ruthenium-catalyzed cyclopropanation of unactivated olefins by redox isomerization.

An atom-economical method for the direct synthesis of [3.1.0]- and [4.1.0]-bicyclic frameworks via Ru-catalyzed redox bicycloisomerization of enynols is reported. The presented results highlight the unique reactivity profile of propargyl alcohols, which function as β-oxocarbene precursors, in the presence of a ruthenium(II) complex. Furthermore, a rare case of a formal vinylic C−H insertion reaction is described.
Techniques for the diagnosis of switching circuit failures

In 2.12 minutes an IBM 7090 program found four input tests (for an 8-input parity check circuit) whose outcome determines whether any one of 102 possible failures occurred. For any single-output combinational circuit, with no more than 35 input variables, the program computes the set of all inputs detecting a given failure - the essential novelty of the method. These sets, one for each failure, are then Processed to find a (small) subset of tests which detect any failure. The underlying method extends to the diagnosis of circuits with feedback.
The Great Hi-Hi Leader Behavior Myth: A Lesson from Occam's Razor

The belief that high initiating structure-high consideration leadership combinations are superior was investigated. Following Sir William of Occam's notion of parsimony (Occam's razor), simpler sin...
Spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM)

We present SLIM, a new optical method measuring optical pathlength changes of 0.3 nm spatially and 0.03nm temporally. SLIM combines two classic ideas in light imaging: Zernike’s phase contrast microscopyand Gabor’s holography.
Isothermal and Nonisothermal Creep of Lightly Crosslinked cis-1,4-Polybutadiene

Abstract A nonisothermal creep experiment has been analyzed to ascertain its suitability for determining the temperature dependence of low-activation-energy viscoelastic processes in elastomers far above Tg. The nonisothermal method was employed to determine the activation energy for creep near 35°C in a lightly crosslinkedcis-1,4-polybutadiene elastomer at small strains within the linear viscoelastic region and at various large deformations up to rupture. The observed activation energy was essentially independent of the level of strain, and the value of ΔHa (∼ 11 kcal/mol) determined via the nonisothermal creep method was in good agreement with the result (∼12 kcal/mol) obtained via time-temperature superposition of isothermal linear viscoelastic creep data. The nonisothermal data allowed for an estimate of the volume of the “flow unit” associated with the controlling viscoelastic creep mechanism, attributed here to slippage of entanglements within lightly crosslinked network.
Optimal Transport Methods in Economics

This is a preliminary draft of the manuscript of my textbook "Optimal Transport Methods in Economics" (to appear), based on lectures given at MIT in Spring 2015. The present preprint version is circulated to invite comments by readers.
SEMAPLAN: combining planning with semantic matching to achieve web service composition

Composing existing Web services to deliver new functionality is a difficult problem as it involves resolving semantic, syntactic and structural differences among the interfaces of a large number of services. Unlike most planning problems, it can not be assumed that Web services are described using terms from a single domain theory. While service descriptions may be controlled to some extent in restricted settings (e.g., intra-enterprise integration), in Web-scale open integration, lack of common, formalized service descriptions prevent the direct application of standard planning methods. In this paper, we present a novel algorithm to compose Web services in the presence of semantic ambiguity by combining semantic matching and AI planning algorithms. Specifically, we use cues from domain-independent and domain-specific ontologies to compute an overall semantic similarity score between ambiguous terms. This semantic similarity score is used by AI planning algorithms to guide the searching process when composing services. Experimental results indicate that planning with semantic matching produces better results than planning or semantic matching alone. The solution is suitable for semi-automated composition tools or directory browsers.
Personal information systems for strategic scanning in turbulent environments: can the CEO go on-line?

As the business environment becomes more complex and dynamic, it becomes increasingly vital for top executives to scan the information environment to identify strategic threats and opportunities. This article seeks to understand the strategic scanning behaviors of top executives in order to provide some guidelines for the possibility of designing computer-based systems to support and enhance these scanning processes. The characteristics of the strategic scanning process are investigated through an empirical study of 37 chief executive officers of small to medium-sized high technology companies. Results show that they are very systematic scanners when it comes to strategic information, and that their information sources are limited, mostly personal, and external to the organization. This suggest that a computer-based system for strategic scanning would probably have to be a customized personal system, not tightly coupled to the organizational information system.
Self-Expressive Dictionary Learning for Dynamic 3D Reconstruction

We target the problem of sparse 3D reconstruction of dynamic objects observed by multiple unsynchronized video cameras with unknown temporal overlap. To this end, we develop a framework to recover the unknown structure without sequencing information across video sequences. Our proposed compressed sensing framework poses the estimation of 3D structure as the problem of dictionary learning, where the dictionary is defined as an aggregation of the temporally varying 3D structures. Given the smooth motion of dynamic objects, we observe any element in the dictionary can be well approximated by a sparse linear combination of other elements in the same dictionary (i.e., self-expression). Our formulation optimizes a biconvex cost function that leverages a compressed sensing formulation and enforces both structural dependency coherence across video streams, as well as motion smoothness across estimates from common video sources. We further analyze the reconstructability of our approach under different capture scenarios, and its comparison and relation to existing methods. Experimental results on large amounts of synthetic data as well as real imagery demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Regional and ethnic differences in stroke in the southeastern United States population.

The Stroke Belt in the United States lies in the Southeastern region where stroke mortality has been higher than in other geographic regions. The U.S. (African-American) black population has a higher stroke incidence and mortality rate than the US white population. This article reviews the English-language literature relating to observed regional and ethnic differences in stroke mortality, incidence, and risk factors. In addition, possible explanations for regional and ethnic differentials are explored. The significance of these regional and ethnic differences, and directions for future research, are examined.
The myth of psychotherapy

Psychotherapeutic interventions are metaphorical treatments that stand in the same sort of relation to medical treatments as criticizing and editing television programs stand to repairing televisio...
Development of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Receptor Binding Probes to Image Ovarian Xenografts

The Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Receptor (FSHR) is used as an imaging biomarker for the detection of ovarian cancer (OC). FSHR is highly expressed on ovarian tumors and involved with cancer development and metastatic signaling pathways. A decapeptide specific to the FSHR extracellular domain is synthesized and conjugated to fluorescent dyes to image OC cells in vitro and tumors xenograft model in vivo. The in vitro binding curve and the average number of FSHR per cell are obtained for OVCAR-3 cells by a high resolution flow cytometer. For the decapeptide, the measured EC50 was 160 μM and the average number of receptors per cell was 1.7 x 107. The decapeptide molecular imaging probe reached a maximum tumor to muscle ratio five hours after intravenous injection and a dose-dependent plateau after 24-48 hours. These results indicate the potential application of a small molecular weight imaging probe specific to ovarian cancer through binding to FSHR. Based on these results, multimeric constructs are being developed to optimize binding to ovarian cells and tumors.
GAIN/FEEDBACK APPROACH TO OPTICAL INSTABILITIES IN SODIUM VAPOR

We use the gain-feedback approach1 to explain a number of instabilities observed in sodium vapor with the laser frequency vL tuned to the defocusing side of line center at v0. The gain curve, which includes motion of the atoms, predicts two regions of possible gain: Rayleigh gain for frequencies v just above vL and Raman gain for v ≅ vL-vR, where vR is the on-resonance Rabi frequency; see Fig. 1.2 Lasings based on these two gain mechanisms have been seen in two different feedback configurations. The new observations are: Rayleigh-gain lasing with no external mirrors using the distributed feedback of counterpropagating pump beams, Rayleigh-gain lasing without a foreign gas, and Raman-gain lasing in a ring cavity. The gain curve for moving atoms2 is shown in Figure 1 and differs substantially from that for stationary atoms.3
Hazelnut: a bidirectionally typed structure editor calculus

Structure editors allow programmers to edit the tree structure of a program directly. This can have cognitive benefits, particularly for novice and end-user programmers. It also simplifies matters for tool designers, because they do not need to contend with malformed program text. This paper introduces Hazelnut, a structure editor based on a small bidirectionally typed lambda calculus extended with holes and a cursor. Hazelnut goes one step beyond syntactic well-formedness: its edit actions operate over statically meaningful incomplete terms. Naively, this would force the programmer to construct terms in a rigid "outside-in" manner. To avoid this problem, the action semantics automatically places terms assigned a type that is inconsistent with the expected type inside a hole. This meaningfully defers the type consistency check until the term inside the hole is finished. Hazelnut is not intended as an end-user tool itself. Instead, it serves as a foundational account of typed structure editing. To that end, we describe how Hazelnut's rich metatheory, which we have mechanized using the Agda proof assistant, serves as a guide when we extend the calculus to include binary sum types. We also discuss various interpretations of holes, and in so doing reveal connections with gradual typing and contextual modal type theory, the Curry-Howard interpretation of contextual modal logic. Finally, we discuss how Hazelnut's semantics lends itself to implementation as an event-based functional reactive program. Our simple reference implementation is written using js_of_ocaml.
Reassessing ACOs and Health Care Reform.

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) were the cornerstone of the novel payment strategies for Medicare reform under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACO initiative was intended as an experiment in health policy, and according to recent findings, the experiment so far has failed to produce needed efficiencies. This begs the important question of whether the theory underlying the ACO strategy is sound. We review recent findings, repeat prior warnings that ACOs could harm competition by consolidating provider markets, and recommend that CMS pursue innovative models of health care delivery that do not rely on high-cost infrastructures that form the backbone of too many ACOs.
A model of energetic ion effects on pressure driven tearing modes in tokamaks

The effects that energetic trapped ions have on linear resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities are studied in a reduced model that captures the essential physics driving or damping the modes through variations in the magnetic shear. The drift-kinetic orbital interaction of a slowing down distribution of trapped energetic ions with a resistive MHD instability is integrated to a scalar contribution to the perturbed pressure, and entered into an asymptotic matching formalism for the resistive MHD dispersion relation. Toroidal magnetic field line curvature is included to model trapping in the particle distribution, in an otherwise cylindrical model. The focus is on a configuration that is driven unstable to the m/n = 2/1 mode by increasing pressure, where m is the poloidal mode number and n is the toroidal. The particles and pressure can affect the mode both in the core region where there can be low and reversed shear and outside the resonant surface in significant positive shear. The results show t...
Development and Application of a Real-Time Testbed for Multiagent System Interoperability: A Case Study on Hierarchical Microgrid Control

This paper presents the development and application of a real-time testbed for multiagent system interoperability. As utility independent private microgrids are installed constantly, standardized interoperability frameworks are required to define behavioral models of the individual agents for expandability and plug-and-play operation. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive hybrid agent framework combining the foundation for intelligent physical agents (FIPAs), IEC 61850, and data distribution service (DDS) standards. The IEC 61850 logical node concept is extended using FIPA-based agent communication language with application specific attributes and deliberative behavior modeling capability. The DDS middleware is adopted to enable a real-time publisher-subscriber interoperability mechanism between platforms. The proposed multi-agent framework was validated in a laboratory-based testbed involving developed intelligent electronic device prototypes and actual microgrid setups. Experimental results were demonstrated for both decentralized and distributed control approaches. Secondary and tertiary control levels of a microgrid were demonstrated for decentralized hierarchical control case study. A consensus-based economic dispatch case study was demonstrated as a distributed control example. It was shown that the developed agent platform is industrially applicable for actual smart grid field deployment.