cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biomedical Big Data Analytics for Patient-Centric and Outcome-Driven Precision Health

Rapid advancements in biotechnologies such as -omic (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics etc.), next generation sequencing, bio-nanotechnologies, molecular imaging, and mobile sensors etc. accelerate the data explosion in biomedicine and health wellness. Multiple nations around the world have been seeking novel effective ways to make sense of "big data" for evidence-based, outcome-driven, and affordable 5P (Patient-centric, Predictive, Preventive, Personalized, and Precise) healthcare. My main research focus is on multi-modal and multi-scale (i.e. molecular, cellular, whole body, individual, and population) biomedical data analytics for discovery, development, and delivery, including translational bioinformatics in biomarker discovery for personalized care; imaging informatics in histopathology for clinical diagnosis decision support; bionanoinformatics for minimally-invasive image-guided surgery; critical care informatics in ICU for real-time evidence-based decision making; and chronic care informatics for patient-centric health. In this talk, first, I will highlight major challenges in biomedical and health informatics pipeline consisting of data quality control, information feature extraction, advanced knowledge modeling, decision making, and proper action taking through feedback. Second, I will present informatics methodological research in (i) data integrity and integration; (ii) case-based reasoning for individualized care; and (iii) streaming data analytics for real-time decision support using a few mobile health case studies (e.g. Sickle Cell Disease, asthma, pain management, rehabilitation, diabetes etc.). Last, there is big shortage of data scientists and engineers who are capable of handling Big Data. In addition, there is an urgent need to educate healthcare stakeholders (i.e. patients, physicians, payers, and hospitals) on how to tackle these grant challenges. I will discuss efforts such as patient-centric educational intervention, community-based crowd sourcing, and Biomedical Data Analytics MOOC development. Our research has been supported by NIH, NSF, Georgia Research Alliance, Georgia Cancer Coalition, Emory-Georgia Tech Cancer Nanotechnology Center, Children's Health Care of Atlanta, Atlanta Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and industrial partners such as Microsoft Research and HP.
The upper-branch stability of compressible boundary layer flows

The upper-branch linear and nonlinear stability of compressible boundary-layer flows is studied using the approach of Smith and Bodonyi (1982) for a similar incompressible problem. Both pressure gradient boundary layers and Blasius flow are considered with and without heat transfer and the neutral eigenrelations incorporating compressibility effects are explicitly obtained. The compressible nonlinear viscous critical-layer equations are derived and solved numerically and the results indicate some solutions with positive phase shift across the critical layer. Various limiting cases are investigated including the case of much larger disturbance amplitudes and this indicates the structure for the strongly nonlinear critical layer of the Benney-Bergeron (1969) type. Finally, we also show how a match with the inviscid neutral inflexional modes arising from the generalized inflexion-point criterion is achieved.
Effect of tunneling resonances on the paramagnetism of an optical lattice

We measure periodic modulations of the magnetization and the lifetime of atoms trapped in an optical lattice versus an applied B-field. The observations show that tunneling resonances can influence the macroscopic steady-state parameters in optical lattices.
Quantum guessing via Deutsch-Jozsa

We examine the "Guessing Secrets" problem arising in internet routing, in which the goal is to discover the identity of two objects from a known finite set Ω by asking yes/no questions. The best known classical algorithm requires O(log N) questions and O(log2 N) steps to process the answers, where N = |Ω|. We apply the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm and show that the number of necessary calls to the oracle is independent of the size of the domain and that the output from each run of the algorithm has immediate meaning. In doing so, we extend the types of questions that the quantum algorithms can be used to solve.
Muscimol acts in dorsomedial but not paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus to suppress cardiovascular effects of stress

Both the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus (DMH) and the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) have been implicated in the neural control of the cardiovascular response to stress. We used the GABAA agonist muscimol to inhibit neuronal activation and attempted to identify hypothalamic nuclei required for the cardiovascular response to air stress. Chronically instrumented rats received bilateral injections of either 80 pmol of muscimol or 100 nl of saline vehicle into the DMH, the PVN, or an intermediate area (including the rostral edge of the DMH and the region between the two nuclei) and were placed immediately in a restraining tube and subjected to 20 min of air stress. In all rats, air stress after vehicle injections caused marked increases in heart rate (137 +/- 6 beats/min) and blood pressure (26 +/- 2 mmHg). Microinjection of muscimol into the DMH suppressed the heart rate and blood pressure response by 85 and 68%, respectively. Identical microinjection of muscimol into the intermediate area between the DMH and the PVN attenuated the increases in heart rate by only 46% and in blood pressure by 52%. In contrast, similar injections into the vicinity of the PVN failed to alter the cardiovascular response to air stress. These findings demonstrate that muscimol-induced inhibition of neuronal activity in the region of the DMH blocks air stress-induced increases in heart rate and arterial pressure, whereas similar treatment in the area of the PVN has no effect.
Diffusion of point defects in two-dimensional colloidal crystals

Uniform colloidal microspheres dispersed in a solvent will, under appropriate conditions, self-assemble into ordered crystalline structures. Using these colloidal crystals as a model system, a great variety of problems of interest to materials science, physical chemistry, and condensed-matter physics have been investigated during the past two decades. Recently, it has been demonstrated that point defects can be created in two-dimensional colloidal crystals by manipulating individual particles with optical tweezers. Direct imaging of these defects verified that their stable configurations have lower symmetry than the underlying triangular lattice, as predicted by numerical simulations for a number of two-dimensional systems. It was also observed that point defects can dissociate into pairs of well-separated dislocations, a topological excitation especially important in two dimensions. Here we use a similar experimental system to study the dynamics of mono- and di-vacancies in two-dimensional colloidal crystals. We see evidence that the excitation of point defects into dislocation pairs enhances the diffusion of di-vacancies. Moreover, the hopping of the defects does not follow a pure random walk, but exhibits surprising memory effects. We expect the results presented in this work to be relevant for explaining the dynamics of other two-dimensional systems.
The Helium λ 10830 Line in Planetary Nebulae and the Orion Nebula

Interferometric observations of profiles of Hei λ 10830 emission lines in 11 planetary nebulae, and in selected regions of the Orion Nebula, are presented. In common with the Orion Nebula, the planetaries are shown to emit a P Cygni-like λ 10830 line, with the absorption component shifted toward the violet with respect to the laboratory wavelength in a frame of reference at rest in the centre of expansion of the gas. The emission components are shifted toward the red. In planetaries, the negative displacements of the absorption edges are, in general, approximately equal to the widths, β, of the emission components which, in turn, range from about 12 km/sec in IC 418 to about 28 km/sec in NGC 6210. The emission red-shift is about 0.7β on the average, but individual shifts vary from 0.5β in IC 2149 to 1.05β in NGC 6826. The line widths and shifts tend to increase in nebulae with larger expansion velocities. In Orion, the absorption edges in the λ 10830 line coincide in velocity with those in the line Hei λ 3888 observed against the spectra of the Trapezium stars. In planetaries, the absorption edges in the λ 10830 line appear qualitatively similar to those in the line Hei λ 3888, but a coincidence in velocity could not be demonstrated.
Charge order in photosensitive Bi0.4Ca0.6MnO3 films

We report the structural and electronic characterization of the charge order phase in Bi0.4Ca0.6MnO3 films, in which photoinduced resistivity changes have been observed at temperatures approaching room temperature. Lattice distortions associated with the charge order are observed in all films, and both the wavevectors and displacements of the distortions are in the plane of the film. Films under compressive and tensile strain are observed to have different resonant x-ray scattering characteristics—a result that may shed light on the mechanism responsible for the photosensitivity exhibited by this material.
Strain gage measurement errors in the transient heating of structural components

Significant strain-gage errors may exist in measurements acquired in transient thermal environments if conventional correction methods are applied. Conventional correction theory was modified and a new experimental method was developed to correct indicated strain data for errors created in radiant heating environments ranging from 0.6 C/sec (1 F/sec) to over 56 C/sec (100 F/sec). In some cases the new and conventional methods differed by as much as 30 percent. Experimental and analytical results were compared to demonstrate the new technique. For heating conditions greater than 6 C/sec (10 F/sec), the indicated strain data corrected with the developed technique compared much better to analysis than the same data corrected with the conventional technique.
A classical theory of continuous spin and hidden gauge invariance

We present a classical higher derivative point particle theory whose quantization gives Wigner's continuous spin representation of the Poincare group. Although the theory is not reparametrization-invariant in the usual sense, it does possess a hidden gauge invariance that provides a non-local representation of the reparametrization group. The Hamiltonian of the theory does not vanish and its value is the continuous spin parameter. The theory presented here represents the simples example of a wide class of higher derivative theories possessing a hidden gauge invariance.
Computational advantages of relevance reasoning in Bayesian belief networks

This paper introduces a computational framework for reasoning in Bayesian belief networks that derives significant advantages from focused inference and relevance reasoning. This framework is based on d-separation and other simple and computationally efficient techniques for pruning irrelevant parts of a network. Our main contribution is a technique that we call relevance-based decomposilion, Relevance-based decomposition approaches belief updating in large networks by focusing on their parts and decomposing them into partially overlapping subnetworks. This makes reasoning in some intractable networks possible and, in addition, often results in significant speedup, as the total time taken to update all subnetworks is in practice often considerably less than the time taken to update the network as a whole. We report results of empirical tests that demonstrate practical significance of our approach.
Deductive Model Checking

We present an extension of classical tableau-based model checking procedures to the case of infinite-state systems, using deductive methods in an incremental construction of the behavior graph. Logical formulas are used to represent infinite sets of states in an abstraction of this graph, which is repeatedly refined in the search for a counterexample computation, ruling out large portions of the graph before they are expanded to the state-level. This can lead to large savings, even in the case of finite-state systems. Only local conditions need to be checked at each step, and previously proven properties can be used to further constrain the search. Although the resulting method is not always automatic, it provides a flexible, general and complete framework that can integrate a diverse number of other verification tools.
The transport capacity of a wireless network is a subadditive euclidean functional

The transport capacity of a dense ad hoc network with n nodes scales like radicn. We show that the transport capacity divided by radicn approaches a non-random limit with probability one when the nodes are i.i.d. distributed on the unit square. We prove that the transport capacity under the protocol model is a subadditive Euclidean functional and use the machinery of subadditive functions in the spirit of Steele to show the existence of the limit.
Further Evidence on Real Estate Market Efficiency

This article investigates the extent to which condominium apartment prices in Vancouver, British Columbia are set in an efficient asset market. The empirical results provide strong evidence against...
The Final Focus Test Beam laser reference system

The original design for the SLAC linac included an alignment reference system with 270 diffraction gratings situated along the 3000 meter linac. These gratings have provided SLAC with a global reference line repeatable to within 200 micro meters. For the Final Focus Test Beam, this laser system has been extended and 13 new diffraction grating have been installed. Improvements in the image detection system, in the calibration of the targets and the availability of new instruments allows us to evaluate the performance of the laser reference system at the 5-10 micro meter level. An explanation of the system and the results of our evaluation are presented. >
Consciousness and Endogenous State Reduction: Two Experiments

There is a tradition in science that regards consciousness as merely epiphenornenal. Accordingly, physical systems can create and influence consciousness, but consciousness can have no influence on physical systems. Indeed, the current understanding of quantum mechanics provides no way for consciousness to alter the wave function of a quantum mechanical state. Furthermore, there is nothing in molecular biology that would suggest that the human body is anything more that an automaton that operates on the basis of purely physical and chemical interactive forces. However, I believe that the epiphenomenal view is fundamentally flawed, and I suggest the following experiments as a way of demonstrating the existence of an influence of consciousness on material systems. The first uses Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with a human subject, and the second used autoradiography with rats. Detailed arguments for my position can be found in three papers that have been published in recent years. A brief summery of the arguments is initially given below, where it is claimed that ‘pain’ consciousness might be correlated in a certain way with the relative binding of opiates to receptors in a subject's brain.
Testing the Link Between Devaluation and Inflation: Time Series Evidence from Ghana

Policy makers in Africa often argue that devaluation leads to inflation. This is undesirable in itself and also because the inflation mitigates any impact that the nominal devaluation has on the real exchange rate, which is what one hopes to change in the face of balance of payments problems. This paper argues that, under the extensive trade and exchange restrictions that are common in Africa, devaluation of the official exchange rate should have little impact on domestic prices. It tests that hypothesis with time series techniques due to Box and Tsiao (1975) using data from Ghana for the period 1974-86 when exchange controls were severe. The paper's main conclusion is that devaluations in Ghana have had a small but statistically significant impact on the domestic CPI: for a 100 percent increase in the exchange rate, prices rise by 5 to 10 percent. Copyright 1992 by Oxford University Press.
Fragility of the commons under prospect-theoretic risk attitudes

Abstract We study a common-pool resource game where the resource experiences failure with a probability that grows with the aggregate investment in the resource. To capture decision making under such uncertainty, we model each player's risk preference according to the value function from prospect theory. We show the existence and uniqueness of a pure Nash equilibrium when the players have heterogeneous risk preferences and under certain assumptions on the rate of return and failure probability of the resource. Greater competition, vis-a-vis the number of players, increases the failure probability at the Nash equilibrium; we quantify this effect by obtaining bounds on the ratio of the failure probability at the Nash equilibrium to the failure probability under investment by a single user. We further show that heterogeneity in attitudes towards loss aversion leads to higher failure probability of the resource at the equilibrium.
Quaternary pnictides with complex, noncentrosymmetric structures. Synthesis and structural characterization of the new Zintl phases Na11Ca2Al3Sb8, Na4CaGaSb3, and Na15Ca3In5Sb12.

Three new Zintl phases, Na11Ca2Al3Sb8, Na4CaGaSb3, and Na15Ca3In5Sb12, have been synthesized by solid-state reactions, and their structures have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Na11Ca2Al3Sb8 crystallizes with its own structure type (Pearson index oP48) with the primitive orthorhombic space group Pmn21 (No. 31). The structure is best viewed as [Al3Sb8]15– units of fused AlSb4 tetrahedra, a novel type of Zintl ion, with Na+ and Ca2+ cations that solvate them. Na4CaGaSb3 also crystallizes in its own type with the primitive monoclinic space group Pc (No. 7; Pearson index mP36), and its structure boasts one-dimensional [GaSb3]6– helical chains of corner-shared GaSb4 tetrahedra. The third new compound, Na15Ca3In5Sb12, crystallizes with the recently reported K2BaCdSb2 structure type (space group Pmc21; Pearson index oP12). The Na15Ca3In5Sb12 structure is based on polyanionic layers made of corner-shared InSb4 tetrahedra. Approximately one-sixth of the In sites are vacant in a statistical man...
Braking of tearing mode rotation by ferromagnetic conducting walls in tokamaks

An in-depth investigation of the braking of tearing mode rotation in tokamak plasmas via eddy currents induced in external ferromagnetic conducting structures is performed. In general, there is a “forbidden band” of tearing mode rotation frequencies that separates a branch of high-frequency solutions from a branch of low-frequency solutions. When a high-frequency solution crosses the upper boundary of the forbidden band, there is a bifurcation to a low-frequency solution, and vice versa. The bifurcation thresholds predicted by simple torque-balance theory (which takes into account the electromagnetic braking torque acting on the plasma, as well as the plasma viscous restoring torque, but neglects plasma inertia) are found to be essentially the same as those predicted by more complicated time-dependent mode braking theory (which takes inertia into account). Significant ferromagnetism causes otherwise electromagnetically thin conducting structures to become electromagnetically thick and also markedly decreases the critical tearing mode amplitude above which the mode “locks” to the conducting structures (i.e., the high-frequency to low-frequency bifurcation is triggered). On the other hand, if the ferromagnetism becomes too large, then the forbidden band of mode rotation frequencies is suppressed, and the mode frequency consequently varies smoothly and reversibly with the mode amplitude.
Quality and accountability in healthcare delivery : audit evidence from primary care providers in India

This paper presents direct evidence on the quality of health care in low-income settings using a unique and original set of audit studies, where standardized patients were presented to a nearly representative sample of rural public and private primary care providers in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Three main findings are reported. First, private providers are mostly unqualified, but they spent more time with patients and completed more items on a checklist of essential history and examination items than public providers, while being no different in their diagnostic and treatment accuracy. Second, the private practices of qualified public sector doctors were identified and the same doctors exerted higher effort and were more likely to provide correct treatment in their private practices. Third, there is a strong positive correlation between provider effort and prices charged in the private sector, whereas there is no correlation between effort and wages in the public sector. The results suggest that market-based accountability in the unregulated private sector may be providing better incentives for provider effort than administrative accountability in the public sector in this setting. While the overall quality of care is low both sectors, the differences in provider effort may partly explain the dominant market share of fee-charging private providers even in the presence of a system of free public healthcare.
Is the East African Community an Optimum Currency Area

This paper investigates whether the East African Community (EAC) constitutes an optimum currency area (OCA) by estimating the degree and evolution of business cycle synchronization between the EAC countries. We also investigate whether the degree of business cycle synchronization has improved after signing of the EAC treaty in 1999. The degree of business cycle synchronization is estimated using an unobserved components model of structural shocks obtained from a structural VAR model. We then use a time-varying parameter model to estimate the evolution of business cycle synchronization. Our results indicate that the proportion of shocks that is common across different countries is small, implying weak synchronization. However, we also find that the degree of synchronization has improved after signing of the EAC treaty in 1999.
Clinical Feedback About Empirically Supported Treatments for Obsessive‐Compulsive Disorder

Previous evidence for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been derived principally from randomized controlled trials. As such, evidence about the treatment of OCD has unilaterally flowed from researchers to clinicians. Despite often having decades of experience treating OCD, clinicians' feedback on their clinical observations in using these treatments has not been solicited. The current study contacted clinicians for their clinical observations on empirically supported treatments for OCD to identify commonly used cognitive-behavioral techniques and their limitations in their practices. One hundred eighty-one psychotherapists completed an online survey. The average participant practiced psychotherapy for 15 years, worked in private practice, held a doctorate, and treated an average of 25 clients with OCD in their lifetime. In regard to the most common techniques, behavioral strategies involving exposure to a feared outcome and prevention of a compulsive ritual were the most frequent group of interventions, followed by techniques that attempted to identify and challenge irrational thoughts. However, the majority of participants also reported incorporating mindfulness or acceptance-based methods. Based on therapists' reports, the most common barriers to the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral interventions included limited premorbid functioning, chaotic lifestyles, controlling and critical families, OCD symptom severity, OCD symptom chronicity, and comorbidities. This study provides insight into common practices and limitations in clinical practice to inform future clinically relevant treatment research.
The first (nearly) model-independent constraint on the neutral hydrogen fraction at z ∼ 5–6

Cosmic reionization is expected to be complex, extended and very inhomogeneous. Existing constraints at z ∼ 6 on the volume-averaged neutral hydrogen fraction, , are highly model-dependent and controversial. Constraints at z < 6, suggesting that the Universe is highly ionized, are also model-dependent, but more fundamentally are invalid in the context of inhomogeneous reionization. As such, it has recently been pointed out that there is no conclusive evidence that reionization has completed by z ∼ 5–6, a fact that has important ramifications on the interpretation of high-redshift observations and theoretical models. We present the first direct upper limits on at z ∼ 5–6 using the simple and robust statistic of the covering fraction of dark pixels in the Lyα/β forests of high-redshift quasars. With a sample of 13 Keck Echellette Spectrograph and Imager spectra we constrain at 5.0 ≲ z ≲ 5.5, rising to at z ∼ 6.1. We also find tentative evidence for a break in the redshift evolution of the dark covering fraction at z ∼ 5.5. A subsample of two deep spectra provides a more stringent constraint of , when combined with conservative estimates of cosmic variance. This upper limit is comparable to existing results at z ∼ 6 but is more robust. The results presented here do not rely on assumptions about quasar continua, intergalactic medium density, the morphology of H ii regions or ionizing background fields, and thus are a good starting point for future interpretation of high-redshift observations.
Influence of Avocados on Serum Cholesterol

Summary1. Sixteen male patients aged 27 to 72 years were given 0.5 to 1.5 avocados /day. Animal fat equivalent to a portion of added avocado fat was removed from the basal diet. 2. Serum total, free and ester cholesterol and phospholipids were measured twice a week during control and avocado feeding periods. 3. Of 16 patients during avocado feeding period, 8 gave significant decreases in total serum cholesterol from 8.7 to 42.8% and in phospholipids of from 12.5 to 21.0%. Decreases in ester form exceeded those in free cholesterol. 4. In no individual did cholesterol values rise during avocado feeding. Of 8 patients whose cholesterol values were unchanged, 3 were diabetic and one was hypercholesterolemic.
A new efficient iron catalyst for olefin epoxidation with hydrogen peroxide

A new aminopyridine ligand derived from bipiperidine (the product of full reduction of bipyridine, bipy) coordinates to iron(II) in a cis-α fashion, yielding a new selective catalyst for olefin epoxidation with H2O2 under limiting substrate conditions.
Bare Root Shade Tree Whip Production in Containers

Abstract A production system for producing bare root shade tree whips in containers is described. First year growth, transplant survival and regrowth of eight taxa were studied. Red oak (Quercus rubra L.) seedlings grown in 2:2:1, 2:1:2 or 3:1:1 sand:Comtil (composted municipal sewage sludge):Isolite (by vol) bare root media had first year height growth (100 cm, approximately 40 in) similar to seedlings grown in a 3:0.5:0.5:1 pine bark:peat moss:Comtil:sand medium (by vol). In a 2:2:1 sand:Comtil:Isolite (by vol) medium, red oak seedling height growth was greatest when 60 g (2.1 oz) slow release fertilizer was applied per container. Red oak seedlings were easily bare-rooted by hand shaking the sand:Comtil:Isolite media from the root systems. The root systems of all the taxa were fibrous and had many intact root tips. Red oak seedlings could be successfully transplanted in fall or spring. Six of the eight taxa studied, all except blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica Marsh.) and chinkapin oak (Q. muehlenbergii Engelm....
A self-normalized approach to confidence interval construction in time series

Summary. We propose a new method to construct confidence intervals for quantities that are associated with a stationary time series, which avoids direct estimation of the asymptotic variances. Unlike the existing tuning-parameter-dependent approaches, our method has the attractive convenience of being free of any user-chosen number or smoothing parameter. The interval is constructed on the basis of an asymptotically distribution-free self-normalized statistic, in which the normalizing matrix is computed by using recursive estimates. Under mild conditions, we establish the theoretical validity of our method for a broad class of statistics that are functionals of the empirical distribution of fixed or growing dimension. From a practical point of view, our method is conceptually simple, easy to implement and can be readily used by the practitioner. Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to compare the finite sample performance of the new method with those delivered by the normal approximation and the block bootstrap approach.
The political economy of tariff protection in China: evidence from the WTO accession

We analyze China's tariff rates at WTO accession using a political economy approach. A model drawing on Branstetter and Feenstra (2002) is used to derive an optimal tariff rate for each industry. The model predicts that a government would set a high tariff rate if an industry is of large state-owned enterprise (SOE) share, multinational share, or small foreign import share. From the model we reveal the Chinese government's preference towards different interest groups under the binding tariff constraint from the WTO commitments. The estimated structural parameters imply that the political weights on both the SOE profits and consumer income diminish with the economic opening. More important, the government still favours SOEs over consumer income. Our findings are consistent with the special features of China's economy. Economie politique de la protection tarifaire en Chine: resultats derives de l'accession a l'OMC. L'auteur analyse, a l'aide d'une approche d'economie politique, les droits de douane de la Chine lors de son accession a l'Office mondial du commerce. Un modele s'inspirant de Branstetter & Feenstra (2002) est utilise pour deriver un droit de douane optimal pour chaque industrie. Le modele predit qu'un gouvernement va fixer un droit de douane eleve si l'industrie est soit partie du grand secteur des entreprises d'Etat (EE), du secteur des multinationales, ou du secteur ou l'importation est peu importante. On revele les preferences du gouvernement chinois entre les divers groupes d'interets face aux contraintes imposees par les engagements vis-a-vis l'Office mondial du commerce. Les parametres structurels calibres impliquent que le poids politique a la fois des profits des EE et des revenus des consommateurs diminue quand il y a liberalisation du commerce. Plus important peut-etre, le gouvernement favorise toujours les profits des EE plutot que le revenu des consommateurs. Ces resultats s'arriment bien aux caracteristiques speciales de l'economie chinoise.
Nonlinear Phase Unwinding of Functions

We study a natural nonlinear analogue of Fourier series. Iterative Blaschke factorization allows one to formally write any holomorphic function F as a series which successively unravels or unwinds the oscillation of the function $$\begin{aligned} F = a_1 B_1 + a_2 B_1 B_2 + a_3 B_1 B_2 B_3 + \cdots \end{aligned}$$ where \(a_i \in \mathbb {C}\) and \(B_i\) is a Blaschke product. Numerical experiments point towards rapid convergence of the formal series but the actual mechanism by which this is happening has yet to be explained. We derive a family of inequalities and use them to prove convergence for a large number of function spaces: for example, we have convergence in \(L^2\) for functions in the Dirichlet space \(\mathcal {D}\). Furthermore, we present a numerically efficient way to expand a function without explicit calculations of the Blaschke zeroes going back to Guido and Mary Weiss.
Singularities of theta divisors and the birational geometry of irregular varieties

The purpose of this paper is to show how the generic vanishing theorems of M. Green and the second author can be used to settle several questions and conjectures concerning the geometry of irregular complex projective varieties. First, we prove a conjecture of Arbarello and DeConcini characterizing principally polarized abelian varieties whose theta divisors are singular in codimension one. Secondly, we study the holomorphic Euler characteristics of varieties of general type having maximal Albanese dimension: we verify a conjecture of Kollar for subvarieties of abelian varieties, but show that it fails in general. Finally, we give a surprisingly simple new proof of a fundamental theorem of Kawamata concerning the Albanese mapping of projective varieties of Kodaira dimension zero.
The exoplanet eccentricity distribution from Kepler planet candidates

The eccentricity distribution of exoplanets is known from radial velocity surveys to be divergent from circular orbits beyond 0.1 au. This is particularly the case for large planets where the radial velocity technique is most sensitive. The eccentricity of planetary orbits can have a large effect on the transit probability and subsequently the planet yield of transit surveys. The Kepler mission is the first transit survey that probes deep enough into period space to allow this effect to be seen via the variation in transit durations. We use the Kepler planet candidates to show that the eccentricity distribution is consistent with that found from radial velocity surveys to a high degree of confidence. We further show that the mean eccentricity of the Kepler candidates decreases with decreasing planet size indicating that smaller planets are preferentially found in low-eccentricity orbits.
Incipient motion of surf zone sediments

Incipient motion experiments were conducted with natural gravel, acetate beads, and coarse-gravel-sized electronic grains called Smart Sediment Grains in a Small-Oscillatory Flow Tunnel. Measurements of fluid velocity were made using Particle Image Velocimetry. The strength of the fluid shear stresses and the pressure gradients were examined for a range of oscillatory flow conditions at the onset of motion of the sediment particles to determine which mechanism had induced particle motion. The three sediment types utilized in these experiments facilitated an assessment of the effects of sediment grain size diameter, shape, and density on incipient motion. Results suggested that the onset of sediment motion was dominated by the pressure gradients for flows with small orbital excursion amplitudes, by the shear stresses for flows with large orbital excursion amplitudes and by the combined effects for intermediate flows. The denser, angular gravel required greater free-stream accelerations to trigger sediment motion than the spherical, less dense acetate beads, and Smart Sediment Grains. A combined parameter for incipient motion that accounts for the simultaneous effects of both shear stresses and pressure gradients while depending on the static coefficient of friction and the packing concentration of the mobile bed layer was evaluated for accuracy using a range of sediment types. The results suggested that the combined parameter may be a better indicator of sediment mobilization under oscillatory flows than the typically assumed shear stress criterion.
A unifying view of multiple kernel learning

Recent research on multiple kernel learning has lead to a number of approaches for combining kernels in regularized risk minimization. The proposed approaches include different formulations of objectives and varying regularization strategies. In this paper we present a unifying optimization criterion for multiple kernel learning and show how existing formulations are subsumed as special cases. We also derive the criterion's dual representation, which is suitable for general smooth optimization algorithms. Finally, we evaluate multiple kernel learning in this framework analytically using a Rademacher complexity bound on the generalization error and empirically in a set of experiments.
Partitioning of the Elastic Energy in Protein-Dna Chimeras

We synthesize Protein-DNA chimeras where a DNA molecular spring mechanically perturbs the conformation of the protein. We measured the elastic energy stored in one such molecule, consisting of the enzyme Guanylate Kinase coupled to a 60 bp DNA spring. From these measurements, the response of the protein in terms of its enzymatic activity, and a mechanical model of the DNA spring we deduce that, in this case, most of the elastic energy of the molecule is stored in the DNA spring. Thus the DNA spring is “softer” than the protein.
Diastereotopic group selectivity at a prostereogenic carbon center: Synthesis of (±)-syn-4,8-dimethyldecanal

Abstract A group selective dealkylation reaction of a bridged ketal with trimethylsilyl iodide serves to control stereochemistry at carbon centers that are separated by five atoms. In combination with the iron/copper promoted fragmentation reaction of a hydroperoxide, a new synthesis of (±)-syn-4,8-dimethyldecanal has been achieved.
Matching of the Heavy-Light Currents with NRQCD Heavy and Improved Naive Light Quarks

One-loop matching of heavy-light currents is carried out for a highly improved lattice action, including the effects of mixings with dimension 4 O ( 1 / M ) and O ( a ) operators. We use the NRQCD action for heavy quarks, the Asqtad improved naive action for light quarks, and the Symanzik improved glue action. These results are being used in recent heavy meson decay constant and semileptonic form factor calculations on the MILC dynamical configurations.
Risk aversion in auctions with asymmetrically informed bidders: A “desensitizer” from uncertainty

Abstract In the context of first-price auctions with asymmetrically informed bidders, we show that risk aversion not only increases a player’s bid, but also makes him less sensitive to the probability that other bidders are informed about his private valuation.
Highly selective Syn acyclic homoaldol chemistry synthesis of cis-3,4-disubstituted butyrolactones

Abstract Syn acyclic homoaldol products have been prepared by the conjugate addition reaction of α-alkoxyorganocuprates to enals. Selectivities of up to >250:1 have been obtained.
High energy γ-ray detection using CZT detectors with virtual Frisch grid

The spectroscopic performance of two Frisch collar CdZnTe (CZT) detectors with different dimensions has been tested and evaluated after exposing to high energy gamma rays. The dimensions of one of the detectors, detector A, were 4.2×6.2×6.5 mm 3 and that of detector B were 3.0×4.0×9.0 mm 3 . Detector grade CZT crystals were grown from zone refined Cd, Zn, and Te (~7N) precursor materials, using the tellurium solvent method. Detectors with virtual Frisch grid configuration were fabricated from these crystals. I-V measurements revealed low leakage currents at room-temperature, ~ 11 nA at 1100V for detector A and 14.5 nA at 1800V for detector B. For the spectroscopic measurements, the detectors were irradiated using a 137 Cs source. Detector A showed an impressive energy resolution of 1.4% and detector B showed an energy resolution of ~5.9 % for 662 keV from Cs-137 radioisotope. A digital technique based biparametric correlation study showed that the performance of detector B was limited by the operating bias voltage. Further, a digital correction scheme has been described and was applied to recover the effect of charge (electron) – loss.
Enantioselective Synthesis of α-Quaternary Mannich Adducts by Palladium-Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation: Total Synthesis of (+)-Sibirinine

A catalytic enantioselective method for the synthesis of α-quaternary Mannich-type products is reported. The two-step sequence of (1) Mannich reaction followed by (2) decarboxylative enantioselective allylic alkylation serves as a novel strategy to in effect access asymmetric Mannich-type products of “thermodynamic” enolates of substrates possessing additional enolizable positions and acidic protons. Palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative allylic alkylation enables the enantioselective synthesis of five-, six-, and seven-membered ketone, lactam, and other heterocyclic systems. The mild reaction conditions are notable given the acidic free N–H groups and high functional group tolerance in each of the substrates. The utility of this method is highlighted in the first total synthesis of (+)-sibirinine.
Product Cycles in U.S. Imports Data

Abstract In this paper, I construct product-level U.S.-manufacturing-imports data for new products. I show that consistent with product cycles, the North's new-products exports to the United States, relative to its old-products exports, grow faster than the South's for over a decade; then the South catches up with the North, and this pattern is reversed. This finding holds up in parametric, nonparametric, and semiparametric estimations, and only when new products are properly identified and old products within the same industries are used as controls. There is also evidence that product cycles become shorter over time and they are technology related.
Useful Bases for Problems in Nuclear and Particle Physics

A set of exactly computable orthonormal basis functions that are useful in computations involving constituent quarks is presented. These basis functions are distinguished by the property that they fall off algebraically in momentum space and can be exactly Fourier?Bessel transformed. The configuration space functions are associated Laguerre polynomials multiplied by an exponential weight, and their Fourier?Bessel transforms can be expressed in terms of Jacobi polynomials in ?2/(k2+ ?2). A simple model of a meson containing a confined quark-antiquark pair shows that this basis is much better at describing the high-momentum properties of the wave function than the harmonic-oscillator basis.
The initial evaluation of the multiple trauma patient.

The primary evaluation and resuscitation of the multiple trauma patient is based upon diagnosis and therapy of the failures of oxygen transport. The sequence is clearly ventilation, circulatory failure, and pulmonary failure. The secondary evaluation is related to intracranial, intrathoracic, intra-abdominal, and extremity injuries. These 2 phases overlap. Thus, ventilation needs to be achieved without further compromise of spinal cord function while the control of external bleeding certainly aids circulatory function. In addition, effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation commonly greatly improves cerebral function. Thus, although discussed separately, evaluation and resuscitation is a complex endeavor that involves all of the injuries and all of the organs on a varying time scale in which the failures of oxygen transport are of first order importance because of the time scale that leads to death. Effective resuscitation demands a detailed knowledge of cardiopulmonary physiology and an aggressive personality so that the various possible mechanisms are evaluated and treatment is rapidly initiated. In general, the patient should have good cardiopulmonary resuscitation prior to being transferred to the radiographic unit. Thus, chest tubes may be placed on the basis of emergency room physical evaluation. The various pump failures are recognized by the failure of adequate circulatory response to blood volume support, usually accompanied by a rising right atrial pressure. Intra-abdominal and intrathoracic bleeding are largely diagnosed by chest or peritoneal lavage tubes without x-ray examination.
A Theory on REIT’s Advisor Choice and the Optimal Compensation Mechanism

This paper proposes a model which examines the power of monitoring and forcing contract on improving managerial efficiency. We put particular focus on its implication regarding the choice of advisor type used by REITs. This question has long been a puzzling one in real estate literature. Our model provides a theoretical justification regarding the potential appeal of external managerial structure, which is usually regarded as being inferior to internal managerial structure. A crucial driving force regarding advisor choice is the heterogeneity on monitoring power between internal and external advisors and across REIT firms. Provided that the gap of monitoring power is large enough between internal and external advisors, shareholders could make use of the heterogeneity, and induce higher effort levels from external advisors. We motivate the rationale for expecting a “monitoring advantage” over external management from two aspects: the dual-role of external advisory firm and a bigger reputational cost associated with external advisor. Furthermore, we are able to specify the range within which an improved monitoring power is Pareto-optimal for both REIT shareholders and advisors. One implication is that, as agents, it may also be to the benefit of advisors to be better monitored. Finally, we compare the difference between fixed and stochastic forcing contracts. Our findings show that with their imperfect performance measures, the stochastic forcing contracts always dominate the fixed one.
Spike and slab variable selection: Frequentist and Bayesian strategies

Variable selection in the linear regression model takes many apparent faces from both frequentist and Bayesian standpoints. In this paper we introduce a variable selection method referred to as a rescaled spike and slab model. We study the importance of prior hierarchical specifications and draw connections to frequentist generalized ridge regression estimation. Specifically, we study the usefulness of continuous bimodal priors to model hypervariance parameters, and the effect scaling has on the posterior mean through its relationship to penalization. Several model selection strategies, some frequentist and some Bayesian in nature, are developed and studied theoretically. We demonstrate the importance of selective shrinkage for effective variable selection in terms of risk misclassification, and show this is achieved using the posterior from a rescaled spike and slab model. We also show how to verify a procedure’s ability to reduce model uncertainty in finite samples using a specialized forward selection strategy. Using this tool, we illustrate the effectiveness of rescaled spike and slab models in reducing model uncertainty.
Image compression using constrained relaxation

In this work, we develop a new data representation framework, called constrained relaxation for image compression. Our basic observation is that an image is not a random 2-D array of pixels. They have to satisfy a set of imaging constraints so as to form a natural image . Therefore, one of the major tasks in image representation and coding is to efficiently encode these imaging constraints. The proposed data representation and image compression method not only achieves more efficient data compression than the state-of-the-art H.264 Intra frame coding, but also provides much more resilience to wireless transmission errors with an internal error-correction capability.
Low-loss dispersion-shifted single-mode fiber manufactured by the OVD process

The development of a low-loss dispersion-shifted single-mode fiber with a segmented-core profile is reported. The combination of low dispersion in the 1550-nm window, 0.21-dB/km median attenuation at 1550 nm, excellent bend resistance ( \lambda_{c} = 1200 nm), and good splicing behavior make this fiber an economically viable alternative for long-haul high-data-rate operation utilizing multilongitudinal mode lasers. System experiments have demonstrated bit rates as high as 1.3 Gbit/s over 107 km and repeaterless spans of up to 233 km.