cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antegrade Techniques of Collagen Injection for Post-Prostatectomy Stress Urinary Incontinence: The Washington University Experience

Treatment of sphincteric incontinence after radical retropubic prostatectomy remains a clinical challenge. Antegrade techniques of collagen injection are a relatively new method for treatment of post-prostatectomy incontinence. Early experience with this approach has demonstrated improved outcomes compared to the traditional retrograde technique. Overall response rates of 70% cure or significant improvement compare favorably with previously reported series. The theoretical advantages of this method include improved visualization of vesicourethral anastomosis and improved access to the bladder neck. Furthermore, suprapubic catheter drainage avoids the risks of collagen molding around the catheter. The use of a flexible cystoscope for this approach is a recent modification. The smaller diameter of the flexible cystoscope has facilitated access and reduced anesthetic requirements. This system affords unimpeded delivery of collagen to regions of the bladder neck where the submucosa accommodates the injectable agent. In addition, this modality allows more precise needle positioning to provide correct angle and depth of penetration into the submucosal plane. Short-term success rates of this procedure are encouraging and suggest that it may become the primary approach. While these antegrade techniques are more aggressive than the traditional retrograde approach, they are relatively simple and draw upon principles familiar to all urologists. It is hoped that the new flexible antegrade approach will further improve our results. Longer-term follow-up studies with larger numbers of patients will be required to see whether we can accomplish this goal.
Galanin, galanin receptors, and drug targets.

Galanin, a neuropeptide widely expressed in the central and peripheral nervous systems and in the endocrine system, has been shown to regulate numerous physiological and pathological processes through interactions with three G-protein- coupled receptors, GalR1 through GalR3. Over the past decade, some of the receptor subtype-specific effects have been elucidated through pharmacological studies using subtype selective ligands, as well as through molecular approaches involving knockout animals. In this chapter, we summarize the current data which constitute the basis of targeting GalR1, GalR2, and GalR3 for the treatment of various human diseases and pathological conditions, including seizure, Alzhei- mer's disease, mood disorders, anxiety, alcohol intake in addiction, metabolic diseases, pain and solid tumors.
Capacity of discrete molecular diffusion channels

In diffusion-based molecular communications, messages can be conveyed via the variation in the concentration of molecules in the medium. In this paper, we intend to analyze the achievable capacity in transmission of information from one node to another in a diffusion channel. We observe that because of the molecular diffusion in the medium, the channel possesses memory. We then model the memory of the channel by a two-step Markov chain and obtain the equations describing the capacity of the diffusion channel. By performing a numerical analysis, we obtain the maximum achievable rate for different levels of the transmitter power, i.e., the molecule production rate.
The probability distribution as a computational resource for randomness testing

When testing a set of data for randomness according to a probability distribution that depends on a parameter, access to this parameter can be considered as a computational resource. We call a randomness test Hippocratic if it is not permitted to access this resource. In these terms, we show that for Bernoulli measures p , 0 6 p 6 1 and the Martin-L¨ of randomness model, Hippocratic randomness of a set of data is the same as ordinary randomness. The main idea of the proof is to first show that from Hippocrates-random data one can Turing compute the parameter p. However, we show that there is no single Hippocratic randomness test such that passing the test implies computing p, and in particular there is no universal Hippocratic randomness test. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification 03D28, 68Q30 (primary); 60F15 (sec- ondary)
A proof of Culter's theorem on the existence of periodic orbits in polygonal outer billiards

We prove a recent theorem by C. Culter every polygonal outer billiard in the affine plane has a periodic trajectory.
Single-molecule fluorescence imaging of nanocatalytic processes

This tutorial review covers recent developments in using single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to study nanoscale catalysis. The single-molecule approach enables following catalytic and electrocatalytic reactions on nanocatalysts, including metal nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes, at single-reaction temporal resolution and nanometer spatial precision. Real-time, in situ, multiplexed measurements are readily achievable under ambient solution conditions. These studies provide unprecedented insights into catalytic mechanism, reactivity, selectivity, and dynamics in spite of the inhomogeneity and temporal variations of catalyst structures. Prospects, generality, and limitations of the single-molecule fluorescence approach for studying nanocatalysis are also discussed.
Note on the Khaneja glaser decomposition

Recently, Vatan and Williams utilize a matrix decomposition of SU(2n) introduced byKhaneja and Glaser to produce CNOT-efficient circuits for arbitrary three-qubit unitaryevolutions. In this note, we place the Khaneja Glaser Decomposition (KGD) in contextas a SU(2n) = KAK decomposition by proving that its Cartan involution is type AIII,given n ≥ 3. The standard type AIII involution produces the Cosine-Sine Decomposition(CSD), a well-known decomposition in numerical linear algebra which may be computedusing mature, stable algorithms. In the course of our proof that the new decomposition istype AIII, we further establish the following. Khaneja and Glaser allow for a particulardegree of freedom, namely the choice of a commutative algebra a, in their construction.Let χ1n be a SWAP gate applied on qubits 1, n. Then χ1n vχ1n = k1 a k2 is a KGD fora = span R{χ1n(|j〉〈N-j-1|-|N-j-1〉〈j|)χ1n} if and only if v = (χ1nk1χ1n)(χ1naχ1n)(χ1nk2χ1n) is a CSD.
Law of Included Multiple-Middle & Principle of Dynamic Neutrosophic Opposition

Neutrosophy is a new branch of philosophy that studies the origin, nature, and scope of neutralities, as well as their interactions with different ideational spectra.
Hierarchical, adaptive cache consistency in a page server OODBMS

Due to its simplicity and communication efficiency, many client-server object-oriented database systems are based on the basic page server architecture-pages serve as their smallest unit of data transfer, client caching, and concurrency control. In an earlier paper, we showed how to extend this architecture to permit object-level callback locking, and we showed through simulations that significant performance gains can be expected. In the current paper, we report on our experiences from implementing this approach in the context of the SHORE system. Since SHORE supports multiple lock granularities (volume, file, page, object), we explain how our callback algorithm can be extended to support multigranularity locking. We also discuss some of the stickier issues that arose as we moved our algorithm out of the simulator and into SHORE, which supports a generalized peer-servers architecture. Finally, we present performance measurements that explore the tradeoffs between page-level and object-level concurrency control. Our measurements were obtained by running SHORE on an IBM SP2 shared-nothing parallel machine.
When Should Sellers Use Auctions

The simultaneous bid auction is a standard method for sellers to solicit offers from buyers. A simple alternative is for a seller to ask buyers to make offers sequentially. If it is costly for buyers to participate, the sequential mechanism will tend to be more efficient than the simultaneous auction because later potential buyers can condition their participation decisions on earlier bids. However, the sequential mechanism’s greater efficiency may not produce higher revenues because while the possibility of deterring later potential entrants can lead early bidders to bid aggressively, the fact that later firms might be deterred will tend to reduce revenues. The relative revenue performance of the mechanisms will therefore depend on whether the threat of potential future competition, which can raise bids in the sequential mechanism, is more valuable to the seller than actual competition, which will tend to be greater in the simultaneous auction. The relative revenue performance of these alternative mechanisms has direct implications for how assets should be sold. In the case of how to structure the sale of corporations, this question has attracted attention from practitioners and commentators since the Delaware Supreme Court’s 1986 Revlon decision charged a board overseeing the sale of a company with the duty of “getting the best price for the stockholders” (Revlon v. McAndrews and Forbes Holdings 1986). In practice,
Stereochemistry of the reactions of some “CH3-” nucleophiles with 2-(tetrahydrofur-2′-yl)-acetaldehyde

Abstract The addition of a series of “CH 3 -” nucleophiles to aldehyde 4 provides selectivities which range from 1/3.5 to 140/1.
Customer Relationship Management: A Comparative Analysis of Family and Nonfamily Business Practices*

It has been reported that family businesses perceive excellent customer service as critical to the future of their businesses. However, little research into the customer relationship management (CRM) practices of family businesses has been performed. In this study, we examine CRM implementation among 82 family and 370 nonfamily firms. Family and nonfamily businesses report similar attitudes toward the importance of CRM, their knowledge of CRM, and their success when they do implement it. However, using a logit regression model, we find that the actual implementation strategies of family businesses are significantly different from those of nonfamily businesses. These results remain constant when controlling for size and industry sector.
Return dispersion and expected returns

This paper proposes a two-factor asset-pricing model that incorporates market return and return dispersion. Consistent with this model, we find that stocks with higher sensitivities to return dispersion have higher average returns, and that return dispersion carries a significant positive price of risk. In particular, the return dispersion factor dominates the book-to-market factor in explaining cross-sectional expected returns. The return dispersion model outperforms the CAPM, MVM, IVM, and FF-3M when using a set of 5×5 test portfolios constructed from NYSE and AMEX stock returns from August 1963 to December 2005. Return dispersion continues to play an important role in explaining the cross-sectional variation of expected returns, even when market volatility, idiosyncratic volatility, size, book-to-market factors, and a momentum factor are included. This study sheds some light on the ability of return dispersion to explain expected returns beyond the standard asset-pricing factors. Our finding suggests that return dispersion captures two dimensions of systematic risk: the business cycle and fundamental economic restructuring.
Three-stranded mixed artificial β-sheets

Abstract This paper describes the design, synthesis, and structural evaluation of a pair of compounds, comprising molecular templates and attached peptide strands, that mimic a small three-stranded mixed β-sheet ( 6a and b ). Each of these artificial β-sheets is composed of two different molecular templates and two dipeptide strands. One of the templates is based on a 5-amino-2-methoxybenzoic hydrazide group that mimics the hydrogen-bonding functionality of a peptide β-strand and serves as the top strand. This template forms a pattern of hydrogen bonds similar to that of an antiparallel β-sheet with the middle peptide strand. The middle peptide strand forms a pattern of hydrogen bonds similar to that of a parallel β-sheet with the bottom peptide strand. The other template holds the three strands next to each other and is based upon a triurea. In one artificial β-sheet ( 6a ), both the upper and middle urea groups and the middle and lower urea groups are linked by dimethylene (CH 2 CH 2 ) chains; in the other ( 6b ), the upper and middle urea groups are linked by a dimethylene chain, while the middle and lower urea groups are linked by a trimethylene (CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 ) chain. 1 H NMR chemical shift and NOE studies establish that both of these compounds fold to adopt a hydrogen-bonded β-sheetlike structure in CDCl 3 solution. Chemical shift studies establish that three-stranded mixed artificial β-sheets 6 are more tightly folded than their smaller two-stranded homologues, artificial parallel β-sheet 1 and artificial antiparallel β-sheet 3 , as well as their three-stranded homologues with truncated β-strand mimics, artificial β-sheets 5 . These studies show that the folding of artificial β-sheets 6 is cooperative, with the interactions between the upper and middle strands and between the middle and lower strands reinforcing each other.
Sketch based interfaces: early processing for sketch understanding

Freehand sketching is a natural and crucial part of everyday human interaction, yet is almost totally unsupported by current user interfaces. We are working to combine the flexibility and ease of use of paper and pencil with the processing power of a computer, to produce a user interface for design that feels as natural as paper, yet is considerably smarter. One of the most basic steps in accomplishing this is converting the original digitized pen strokes in a sketch into the intended geometric objects. In this paper we describe an implemented system that combines multiple sources of knowledge to provide robust early processing for freehand sketching.
Uncertainty Estimates of the EOF-Derived North Atlantic Oscillation

Different approaches to obtaining uncertainty estimates of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) are explored. The resulting estimates are used to enhance the understanding of spatial variability of the NAO over different time periods. Among the parametric and nonparametric approaches investigated in this study, the bootstrap is nonparametric and not confined to the assumption of normally distributed data. It gives physically plausible uncertainty estimates. The NAO uncertainty estimates depend on sample sizes with greater sampling variability as sample size is smaller. The NAO uncertainty varies with time but common featuresincludethatthemostuncertainvaluesarecenteredbetweenthecentersofactionoftheNAOandare asymmetric in the zonal direction (more uncertainty in the eastward direction or downstream). The bootstrap can also be used to provide direct measures of uncertainty regarding the location of the NAO action centers. The uncertainty of the location of the NAO action centers not only helps assess the shift in the NAO but also provides evidence of more than two action centers. The methods reported on here could in principle be applied to any EOF-derived climate pattern.
ANALYSIS OF ACCELERANTS AND FIRE DEBRIS USING AROMA DETECTION TECHNOLOGY

The purpose of this work was to investigate the utility of electronic aroma detection technologies for the detection and identification of ignitable liquid accelerants and their residues in suspected arson debris. Through the analysis of “known” accelerants and residues, a trained neural network was developed for classifying fire debris samples. Three “unknown” items taken from actual fire debris that had contained the fuels, gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuel, were classified using this neural network. One item, taken from the area known to have contained diesel fuel, was correctly identified as diesel fuel residue every time. For the other two “unknown” items, variations in sample composition, possibly due to the effects of weathering or increased sample humidities, were shown to influence the sensor response. This manifested itself in inconsistent fingerprint patterns and incorrect classifications by the neural network. Sorbent sampling prior to aroma detection was demonstrated to reduce these problems and allowed improved neural network classification of the remaining items which were identified as kerosene and gasoline residues.
NO-ARBITRAGE PRICING FOR DIVIDEND-PAYING SECURITIES IN DISCRETE-TIME MARKETS WITH TRANSACTION COSTS

We prove a version of First Fundamental Theorem of Asset Pricing under transaction costs for discrete-time markets with dividend-paying securities. Specifically, we show that the no-arbitrage condition under the efficient friction assumption is equivalent to the existence of a risk-neutral measure. We derive dual representations for the superhedging ask and subhedging bid price processes of a contingent claim contract. Our results are illustrated with a vanilla credit default swap contract.
Dinoflagellate bioluminescence: Chemical behavior of the chromophore towards oxidants

Abstract The chromophore model 5 of dinoflagellate luciferin was synthesized, and its behavior towards oxidants was studied. Molecular oxygen at high substrate concentrations, superoxide anion, and Fenton reagent effected oxidation of 5 at the C.132 position. On the basis of these results, a possible mechanism for these oxidations and for bioluminescent air-oxidation of dinoflagellate luciferin, is suggested.
Low-Rank Matrix Recovery From Errors and Erasures

This paper considers the recovery of a low-rank matrix from an observed version that simultaneously contains both 1) erasures, most entries are not observed, and 2) errors, values at a constant fraction of (unknown) locations are arbitrarily corrupted. We provide a new unified performance guarantee on when minimizing nuclear norm plus l1 norm succeeds in exact recovery. Our result allows for the simultaneous presence of random and deterministic components in both the error and erasure patterns. By specializing this one single result in different ways, we recover (up to poly-log factors) as corollaries all the existing results in exact matrix completion, and exact sparse and low-rank matrix decomposition. Our unified result also provides the first guarantees for 1) recovery when we observe a vanishing fraction of entries of a corrupted matrix, and 2) deterministic matrix completion.
An Alternative and Efficient Cluster-Link Approach for Declustering of Earthquake Catalogs

Despite the fact that it isn't compatible with the elastic rebound theory of earthquake faulting, the Poisson model is widely used to describe the temporal occurrence of earthquakes in probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) studies for various reasons. The most important of these is that the Poisson model is simple, yet adequate enough to describe a complex phenomenon. The Poisson model prescribes that earthquakes occur randomly in time with no “memory” of the time since any preceding event (Kramer 1996). Ben-Menahem (1960) and also Gardner and Knopoff (1974) demonstrated that sequences of earthquakes are Poissonian only after foreshocks and aftershocks have been removed from the listing, as these secondary events are causally linked to their mainshock by virtue of them triggering or being triggered by the latter. Hence, the identification and removal of foreshocks and aftershocks from earthquake catalogs, a process referred to as declustering, are a prerequisite for any PSHA study based on a Poissonian model for earthquake occurrence. Two main approaches and their variants are widely used in the seismic hazard assessment community for catalog declustering: 1) the standard space-time windowing technique, such as the Gardner and Knopoff (1974) method, and 2) the cluster-link scheme, such as the Reasenberg (1985) algorithm or Davis and Frohlich (1991) method. The declustering schemes are generally implemented as forward-searching algorithms. Hence, they process an earthquake catalog in increasing (decreasing) chronological sequence for aftershocks (foreshocks) removal. The standard windowing technique classifies as aftershock any event with magnitude smaller than that of the mainshock, occurring within a defined space-time window of the mainshock. In this approach the space-time interaction window is a function of the mainshock magnitude. A detailed description of the methodology can be found in Gardner and Knopoff (1974). The main shortcoming of this method, as originally proposed by these authors, is …
Statistical and Dynamical Climate Predictions to Guide Water Resources in Ethiopia

AbstractClimate predictions with lead times of one season or more often provide prospects for exploiting climate-related risks and opportunities. This motivates the evaluation of precipitation prediction techniques from statistical and dynamical models, and their combination, to potentially augment prediction skill over the Blue Nile Basin in Ethiopia. This work considers to what degree greater skill or reliability in a particular prediction technique translates through hydropower management models given their nonlinear response. One hundred precipitation series from 1981–2000 are generated to compare prediction techniques. The linked multimodel ensemble climate forecast/hydropower system proves superior to the statistical and dynamical prediction technique linked systems across a range of metrics. This includes an expected increase in annual benefits by $4–5–million on average. The climate forecast/hydropower system is sufficiently flexible to allow water managers to attain an optimal balance between ben...
Solar variability and climate

Recent precise observations of solar global parameters are used to calibrate an upgraded solar model which takes into account magnetic fields in the solar interior. Historical data about sunspot numbers (from 1500 to the present) and solar radius changes; (between 1715 and 1979) are used to compute solar variability on timescales of years to centuries. The results show that although the 11 year variability of the total irradiance is of the order of 0.1%, additional, longer-lived changes of the order of 0.1% may have occurred in the past centuries. These could, for example, account for the occurrence of climate excursions such as little ice ages.
Random Linear Network Coding For Time Division Duplexing: When To Stop Talking And Start Listening

A new random linear network coding scheme for reliable communications for time division duplexing channels is proposed. The setup assumes a packet erasure channel and that nodes cannot transmit and receive information simultaneously. The sender transmits coded data packets back-to-back before stopping to wait for the receiver to acknowledge (ACK) the number of degrees of freedom, if any, that are required to decode correctly the information. We provide an analysis of this problem to show that there is an optimal number of coded data packets, in terms of mean completion time, to be sent before stopping to listen. This number depends on the latency, probabilities of packet erasure and ACK erasure, and the number of degrees of freedom that the receiver requires to decode the data. This scheme is optimal in terms of the mean time to complete the transmission of a fixed number of data packets. We show that its performance is very close to that of a full duplex system, while transmitting a different number of coded packets can cause large degradation in performance, especially if latency is high. Also, we study the throughput performance of our scheme and compare it to existing half-duplex Go-back-N and Selective Repeat ARQ schemes. Numerical results, obtained for different latencies, show that our scheme has similar performance to the Selective Repeat in most cases and considerable performance gain when latency and packet error probability is high.
Just and Unjust Killing

Abstract To provide a way to understand warfare and debate military conduct, Michael Walzer's Just and Unjust Wars tries to show that civilians and soldiers are not separated by a barrier of violence as we might think, but rather inhabit the same moral world. While this view enables us to question and criticize our leaders during times of war instead of simply claiming ignorance, its success is gained by obscuring certain fundamental boundaries that exist between combatants and noncombatants. By comparing Walzer's just war theory with the existential theories of Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger, we can therefore find a more complete picture of what it means to declare war and what it means to engage in combat. This will allow us to see that what separates the soldier from the civilian is our everyday avoidance of death and anything associated with it. Through an investigation into the relationship between death and killing it can then be asked, from an existential standpoint, whether we can call any ...
OPTIMAL PAYOFF FUNCTIONS FOR MEMBERS OF COLLECTIVES

We consider the problem of designing (perhaps massively distributed) collectives of computational processes to maximize a provided "world utility" function. We consider this problem when the behavior of each process in the collective can be cast as striving to maximize its own payoff utility function. For such cases the central design issue is how to initialize/update those payoff utility functions of the individual processes so as to induce behavior of the entire collective having good values of the world utility. Traditional "team game" approaches to this problem simply assign to each process the world utility as its payoff utility function. In previous work we used the "Collective Intelligence" (COIN) framework to derive a better choice of payoff utility functions, one that results in world utility performance up to orders of magnitude superior to that ensuing from the use of the team game utility. In this paper, we extend these results using a novel mathematical framework. Under that new framework we review the derivation of the general class of payoff utility functions that both (i) are easy for the individual processes to try to maximize, and (ii) have the property that if good values of them are achieved, then we are assured a high value of world utility. These are the "Aristocrat Utility" and a new variant of the "Wonderful Life Utility" that was introduced in the previous COIN work. We demonstrate experimentally that using these new utility functions can result in significantly improved performance over that of previously investigated COIN payoff utilities, over and above those previous utilities' superiority to the conventional team game utility. These results also illustrate the substantial superiority of these payoff functions to perhaps the most natural version of the economics technique of "endogenizing externalities."
Adaptive Refinement Tree: A New High-Resolution N-Body Code for Cosmological Simulations

Abstract : We present a new high-resolution N-body algorithm for cosmological simulations. The algorithm employs a traditional particle-mesh technique on a cubic grid and successive multilevel relaxations on the finer meshes, introduced recursively in a fully adaptive manner in the regions where the density exceeds a predefined threshold. The mesh is generated to effectively match an arbitrary geometry of the underlying density field-a property particularly important for cosmological simulations. In a simulation the mesh structure is not created at every time step but properly adjusted to the evolving particle distribution. The algorithm is fast and effectively parallel: the gravitational relaxation solver is approximately two times slower than the FFT solver on the same number of mesh cells. The required CPU time scales with number of cells, N suc c, as ^O(Nc). It allows us to improve considerably the spatial resolution of the particle-mesh code without loss in mass resolution. We present a detailed description of the methodology, implementation, and tests of the code. We further use the code to study the structure of dark matter halos in high-resolution (^2/h kpc) simulations of standard CDM (Omega = 1, h = 0.5, sigma sub g = 0.63) and (Lambda)CDM (0A = 1 -Omega sub O = 0.7, h = 0.7, sigma sub g = 1.0) models. We find that halo density profiles in both CDM and ACDM models are well fit by the analytical model presented recently by Navarro et al. (1966) which predicts a singular (rho(r) oc 1/r) behavior of the halo density profiles at small radii. We therefore conclude that halos formed in the (Lambda)CDM model have structure similar to the CDM halos, and thus cannot explain dynamics of the central parts of dwarf spiral galaxies infrerred from their rotation curves.
Dusty Gas Influences on Transport in Turbulent Erosive Propellant Flow

A theoretical-nu merical model is introduced that relates the influences of particles on erosive transport in a turbulent reactive boundary layer. Specifically, this discussion concerns additive particles used to suppress wall erosion in gun propellant turbulent combustion. The turbulent-particle interactions are modeled with random particulate motion computations. These produce participate trajectories, distributions, and momenta. The interaction model includes effects of particle size, mass, and rotation as well as two-particle hard sphere collisions. The main purpose of this work is to evaluate the effects of the particles on the energy, mass, and momentum transport in the erosive wall boundary-layer region. Neglecting thermal relaxation, the heat transfer rates are found to be substantially reduced when particles are added. The most significant reduction occurs when smaller diameter (0.2 jun) particles are introduced rather than larger diameter particles (5 j*m).
Computer programming as an art

When Communications of the ACM began publication in 1959, the members of ACM's Editorial Board made the following remark as they described the purposes of ACM's periodicals [2]: “If computer programming is to become an important part of computer research and development, a transition of programming from an art to a disciplined science must be effected.” Such a goal has been a continually recurring theme during the ensuing years; for example, we read in 1970 of the “first steps toward transforming the art of programming into a science” [26]. Meanwhile we have actually succeeded in making our discipline a science, and in a remarkably simple way: merely by deciding to call it “computer science.”
BANA: Body Area Network Authentication Exploiting Channel Characteristics

In wireless body area network (BAN), node authentication is essential for trustworthy and reliable gathering of patient's critical health information. Traditional authentication solutions depend on prior trust among nodes whose establishment would require either key pre-distribution or non-intuitive participation by inexperienced users. Most existing non-cryptographic authentication schemes require advanced hardware or significant modifications to the system software, which are impractical for BANs. In this paper, for the first time, we propose a lightweight body area network authentication scheme BANA. Different from previous work, BANA does not depend on prior-trust among nodes and can be efficiently realized on commercial off-the-shelf low-end sensors. We achieve this by exploiting a unique physical layer characteristic naturally arising from the multi-path environment surrounding a BAN, i.e., the distinct received signal strength (RSS) variation behaviors among on-body channels and between on-body and off-body communication channels. Based on distinct RSS variations, BANA adopts clustering analysis to differentiate the signals from an attacker and a legitimate node. We also make use of multi-hop on-body channel characteristics to enhance the robustness of our authentication mechanism. The effectiveness of BANA is validated through extensive real-world experiments under various scenarios. It is shown that BANA can accurately identify multiple attackers with minimal amount of overhead.
High Order Finite Volume Nonlinear Schemes for the Boltzmann Transport Equation

The authors apply the nonlinear WENO (Weighted Essentially Nonoscillatory) scheme to the spatial discretization of the Boltzmann Transport Equation modeling linear particle transport. The method is a finite volume scheme which ensures not only conservation, but also provides for a more natural handling of boundary conditions, material properties and source terms, as well as an easier parallel implementation and post processing. It is nonlinear in the sense that the stencil depends on the solution at each time step or iteration level. By biasing the gradient calculation towards the stencil with smaller derivatives, the scheme eliminates the Gibb's phenomenon with oscillations of size O(1) and reduces them to O(h{sup r}), where h is the mesh size and r is the order of accuracy. The current implementation is three-dimensional, generalized for unequally spaced meshes, fully parallelized, and up to fifth order accurate (WENO5) in space. For unsteady problems, the resulting nonlinear spatial discretization yields a set of ODE's in time, which in turn is solved via high order implicit time-stepping with error control. For the steady-state case, they need to solve the non-linear system, typically by Newton-Krylov iterations. There are several numerical examples presented to demonstrate the accuracy, non-oscillatory nature and efficiencymore » of these high order methods, in comparison with other fixed-stencil schemes.« less
DISCOVERY OF A PLANETARY-MASS COMPANION TO A BROWN DWARF IN TAURUS*

We have performed a survey for substellar companions to young brown dwarfs in the Taurus star-forming region using the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on board the Hubble Space Telescope. In these data, we have discovered a candidate companion at a projected separation of 0105 from one of the brown dwarfs, corresponding to 15 AU at the distance of Taurus. To determine if this object is a companion, we have obtained images of the pair at a second epoch with the adaptive optics system at Gemini Observatory. The astrometry from the Hubble and Gemini data indicates that the two objects share similar proper motions and thus are likely companions. We estimate a mass of 5-10 M Jup for the secondary based on a comparison of its bolometric luminosity to the predictions of theoretical evolutionary models. This object demonstrates that planetary-mass companions to brown dwarfs can form on a timescale of τ 1 Myr. Companion formation on such a rapid timescale is more likely to occur via gravitational instability in a disk or fragmentation of a cloud core than through core accretion. The Gemini images also reveal a possible substellar companion (ρ = 023) to a young low-mass star that is 124 from the brown dwarf targeted by Hubble. If these four objects comprise a quadruple system, then its hierarchical configuration would suggest that the fragmentation of molecular cloud cores can produce companions below 10 M Jup.
High-frequency scattering by an impenetrable sphere

Abstract The scattering of a scalar plane wave by a totally reflecting sphere (hardcore potential) at high frequencies is treated by a modified Watson transformation. The behavior of the solution both in the near and far regions of space is discussed, as well as the accuracy and domain of applicability of the WKB approximation and classical diffraction theory. It is shown that different transformations are required in the forward and backward half-spaces, and corresponding integral representations for the primary wave are derived. The transformations are rigorously proved and the convergence of the residue series is discussed. In the shadow region, the physical interpretation of the complex angular momentum poles in terms of surface waves is in agreement with Keller's geometrical theory of diffraction. In the lit region, sufficiently far from the shadow boundary, the WKB expansion for the wave function is confirmed up to the second order. On the surface of the sphere, Kirchhoff's approximation is accurate, except in the penumbra region, where the behavior is described by Fock's function. The diffraction effects in the neighborhood of the shadow boundary are investigated and the corrections to classical diffraction theory are obtained. The shift of the shadow boundary is evaluated. The expression for the wave function in the Fresnel-Lommel region is derived and applied to the discussion of the Poisson spot and the behavior near the axis. The total scattering amplitude is evaluated for all angles, including the neighborhood of the forward and backward directions. The corrections to the forward diffraction peak and the transition to the region of geometrical reflection are discussed. The modified Watson transformation is also applied directly to the scattering amplitude. The connection between representations valid in different regions is established.
The upgraded ring loss radiation monitoring system at the AGS

With the Booster, the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) will accelerate protons to 3*10/sup 13/ per cycle, polarized protons at 10/sup 12/, and ions from carbon to gold at intensities from 50 to 3*10/sup 9/. A loss monitoring system is being developed to facilitate tuning, and to reduce the exposure of personnel to radiation by minimizing residual induced activity and by remotely monitoring activity in the accelerator enclosure. The monitoring system must have a large dynamic range to monitor high-intensity beam losses and to measure induced activity down to the level of a few millirads per hour. Various detectors are being evaluated, including ion chambers, proportional counters, and aluminium cathode electron multipliers. Measurements of the prompt ionization distribution in the median plane at various energies from point targets at two representative locations in the accelerator lattice have been completed. Details of the monitoring system are presented, as well as the experimental measurements of the prompt radiation field and a comparable Monte Carlo calculation. >
An analytical retention model for SONOS nonvolatile memory devices in the excess electron state

We present an analytical retention model for scaled SONOS devices in the excess electron state. In this model, trap-to-band tunneling and thermal excitation discharge mechanisms are considered to be responsible for the temperature-dependent electron decay behaviors in SONOS devices. We assume an arbitrary trap distribution in energy within the charge-storage silicon nitride. Simulated retention characteristics are compared with experiment results measured on SONOS devices with a gate dielectric stack consisting of a 1.8 nm tunnel oxide, a 10 nm oxynitride and a 4.5 nm blocking oxide. We obtain good agreement between simulations and measurements for temperatures from 22 to 225 °C. We also extract the trap distribution in the nitride with this model. Finally, we discuss the influence of the gate dielectric properties (thickness, trap energy, etc.) and temperature on data retention of SONOS devices.
Student Sorting and Bias in Value-Added Estimation: Selection on Observables and Unobservables

Abstract Nonrandom assignment of students to teachers can bias value-added estimates of teachers' causal effects. Rothstein (2008, 2010) shows that typical value-added models indicate large counterfactual effects of fifth-grade teachers on students' fourth-grade learning, indicating that classroom assignments are far from random. This article quantifies the resulting biases in estimates of fifth-grade teachers' causal effects from several value-added models, under varying assumptions about the assignment process. If assignments are assumed to depend only on observables, the most commonly used specifications are subject to important bias, but other feasible specifications are nearly free of bias. I also consider the case in which assignments depend on unobserved variables. I use the across-classroom variance of observables to calibrate several models of the sorting process. Results indicate that even the best feasible value-added models may be substantially biased, with the magnitude of the bias depending ...
Incremental Medians via Online Bidding

In the k-median problem we are given sets of facilities and customers, and distances between them. For a given set F of facilities, the cost of serving a customer u is the minimum distance between u and a facility in F. The goal is to find a set F of k facilities that minimizes the sum, over all customers, of their service costs. Following the work of Mettu and Plaxton, we study the incremental medians problem, where k is not known in advance. An incremental algorithm produces a nested sequence of facility sets F1⊆F2⊆⋅⋅⋅⊆Fn, where |Fk|=k for each k. Such an algorithm is called c-cost-competitive if the cost of each Fk is at most c times the optimum k-median cost. We give improved incremental algorithms for the metric version of this problem: an 8-cost-competitive deterministic algorithm, a 2e≈5.44-cost-competitive randomized algorithm, a (24+e)-cost-competitive, polynomial-time deterministic algorithm, and a 6e+e≈16.31-cost-competitive, polynomial-time randomized algorithm. We also consider the competitive ratio with respect to size. An algorithm is s-size-competitive if the cost of each Fk is at most the minimum cost of any set of k facilities, while the size of Fk is at most sk. We show that the optimal size-competitive ratios for this problem, in the deterministic and randomized cases, are 4 and e. For polynomial-time algorithms, we present the first polynomial-time O(log m)-size-approximation algorithm for the offline problem, as well as a polynomial-time O(log m)-size-competitive algorithm for the incremental problem. Our upper bound proofs reduce the incremental medians problem to the following online bidding problem: faced with some unknown threshold T∈ℝ+, an algorithm must submit “bids” b∈ℝ+ until it submits a bid b≥T, paying the sum of all its bids. We present folklore algorithms for online bidding and prove that they are optimally competitive. We extend some of the above results for incremental medians to approximately metric distance functions and to incremental fractional medians. Finally, we consider a restricted version of the incremental medians problem where k is restricted to one of two given values, for which we give a deterministic algorithm with a nearly optimal cost-competitive ratio.
Heegaard-Floer homology and string links

We extend knot Floer homology to string links in D 2 I and to d ‐based links in arbitrary three manifolds. As with knot Floer homology we obtain a description of the Euler characteristic of the resulting homology groups (in D 2 I ) in terms of the torsion of the string link. Additionally, a state summation approach is described using the equivalent of Kauffman states. Furthermore, we examine the situation for braids, prove that for alternating string links the Euler characteristic determines the homology, and develop similar composition formulas and long exact sequences as in knot Floer homology. 57M27; 57M25
Convergence and asymptotic agreement in distributed decision problems

We consider a distributed team decision problem in which different agents obtain from the environment different stochastic measurements, possibly at different random times, related to the same uncertain random vector. Each agent has the same objective function and prior probability distribution. We assume that each agent can compute an optimal tentative decision based upon his own observation and that these tentative decisions are communicated and received, possibly at random times, by a subset of other agents. Conditions for asymptotic convergence of each agent's decison sequence and asymptotic agreement of all agents' decisions are derived.
Iron-Catalyzed 1,4-Hydroboration of 1,3-Dienes

A chemo-, regio-, and stereoselective iron-catalyzed 1,4-hydroboration of dienes that affords γ-disubstituted allylboranes has been developed. 1,4-Hydroboration of 2-substituted dienes forms allylborane products with (E)-trisubstituted double bonds exclusively.
Benzimidazole inhibitors of hepatitis C virus NS5B polymerase: identification of 2-[(4-diarylmethoxy)phenyl]-benzimidazole.

Abstract A series of 1-cycloalkyl-2-phenyl-1H-benzimidazole-5-carboxylic acid derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for inhibitory activity against HCV NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). A SAR study was performed and led to identify the 2-[(4-diarylmethoxy)phenyl]-benzimidazoles as potent inhibitors. They inhibit subgenomic HCV RNA replication in the replicon cells at low micromolar concentrations (EC50 as low as 1.1 μM). They are selective against DNA polymerases (IC50 > 10 μM) and exhibit low cytotoxicity.
Microwave enhanced ligand- and base-free cross-coupling of potassium aryltrifluoroborates salts with aryl triflates

A microwave enhanced ligand- and base-free protocol for the cross-coupling of potassium aryltrifluoroborate salts with triflates is reported.
A convenient method for the synthesis of N-hydroxyureas

Abstract Treatment of amines with 1-(4-nitrophenol)- N -( O -benzylhydroxy)carbamate yields the O -benzyl protected N -hydroxyureas. Hydrogenation of the O -benzyl protected N -hydroxyureas over 5% Pd/BaSO 4 cleanly gives the N -hydroxyureas in good yield. In addition to primary and secondary aliphatic and aromatic amines, this method converts amino sugars to the corresponding N -hydroxyureas without extensive protecting group chemistry.
NIR-FT/Raman Spectroscopy for Nutritional Classification of Cereal Foods

ABSTRACT The classification of cereals using near-infrared Fourier transform Raman (NIR-FT/Raman) spectroscopy was accomplished. Cereal-based food samples (n = 120) were utilized in the study. Ground samples were scanned in low-iron NMR tubes with a 1064 nm (NIR) excitation laser using 500 mW of power. Raman scatter was collected using a Ge (LN2) detector over the Raman shift range of 202.45~3399.89 cm-1. Samples were classified based on their primary nutritional components (total dietary fiber [TDF], fat, protein, and sugar) using principle component analysis (PCA) to extract the main information. Samples were classified according to high and low content of each component using the spectral variables. Both soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) and partial least squares (PLS) regression based classification were investigated to determine which technique was the most appropriate. PCA results suggested that the classification of a target component is subject to interference by other components ...
Asymmetric synthesis of the stereoisomers of 11,12,15(S)-trihydroxyeicosa- 5(Z),8(Z),13(E)-trienoic acid, a potent endothelium-derived vasodilator

The four stereoisomers of the endothelial-derived vasorelaxant 11,12,15(S)-trihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid [1, 11,12,15(S)-THETA] were prepared by a triply convergent, asymmetric route that exploited the stereospecific, copper mediated cross-coupling of alpha,beta-dialkoxystannanes with organic electrophiles and the utility of dialkylthionocarbamates as orthogonal alcohol protective groups. Only 11(R),12(S),15(S)-THETA was comparable to natural material by HPLC, GC/MS, and in vitro bioassay.