VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Police professionalism and racial disparities in arrest rates [electronic resource] : an examination of police discrimination, discretion, and diversity

It is highly debated in both academia and civil discourse whether U.S. police agencies are professional, performing their duties impersonally and expertly. In particular, there is much concern that U.S. police agencies discriminate against black men. This dissertation examines the prevalence and causes of such discrimination, seeking to better understand and increase police professionalism. Using data from the 2013 National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and the 2013 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS), this dissertation employs multilevel modeling to estimate black and white criminal offenders' relative arrest likelihoods across different police agencies. The use of national data on criminal offenses allows me to condition on criminal behavior and examine police treatment of black and white men net of criminal behavior. This is a novel contribution that greatly improves our understanding of police discrimination in the U.S. My analyses of 956,434 criminal offenders reported for nine common offenses do not find evidence that police agencies discriminate against black offenders. In fact, black men are often less likely than white men to face arrest after committing the same criminal offense. This is the case even in police agencies that use more discretion when investigating reported offenses and with more officers of color. These findings suggest that black men's over-representation in the criminal justice system cannot be overcome simply by reducing police discretion and increasing police diversity. Moreover, arrest rate disparities are likely to persist even in the absence of police discrimination against black men, since 35 percent of reported male offenders are black. Overcoming racial disparities in arrest rates will require multipronged interventions that account for the complexity of this issue, including racial disparities in criminal behavior reported by victims, witnesses, and police officers. It is possible that criminal reports are exceedingly biased, which would help explain these findings, as well as the large racial disparities in arrest rates observed today.

Keywords: Sociology.
Advisor: Young Cristobal primary advisor. Thesis advisor
Rosenfeld Michael J.
Snipp C. Matthew advisor. Thesis advisor
Policies for managing the global commons [electronic resource] : the case of marine protected areas in Antarctica

The Commission on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the international body responsible for managing Antarctic marine living resources, has been lauded as a leader in high seas conservation and science-based management. Exemplary of this leadership, CCAMLR committed to designating a representative network of Southern Ocean marine protected areas (MPAs). However, after adopting the world's first high seas MPA in 2009, progress towards this goal stalled, despite extensive MPA proposals for the East Antarctic and the Ross Sea. To evaluate the potential barriers and facilitators of the CCAMLR MPA process, I conducted an in depth case study that included participant observations of five CCAMLR meetings from 2012--2015, interviews with CCAMLR diplomats and scientists from the 24 Member States and compiling a diverse suite of other documents and secondary data sources from 1982--2015. Results indicate that national economic interests, geopolitics, and lack of a defined policy process have created institutional inertia within CCAMLR and thus inhibited CCAMLR's ability to establish MPAs. Worldwide, the Antarctic harbors some of the last regions of unexploited marine living resources, including stocks of krill and lucrative toothfish. The MPAs proposed would displace some fishing access, limit potential future access to Southern Ocean resources, and establish a major precedent for global management in the Antarctic and high seas. Tense international relations due to actions far removed from Antarctica (e.g., U.S. opposition to Russian actions in Crimea in 2014) can stall the entire process. Moreover, the motivations behind MPA proposals are not clear to all participating States, nor is the scientific basis for the location of MPA boundaries. This lack of clarity and the potential disruption of CCAMLR institutional norms may impart distrust among some Member States, thus stalling the negotiation process. While CCAMLR Member States have collectively agreed to adopt MPAs in the Southern Ocean, the process of implementation has become increasingly entangled in regional and global politics. As a consensus-based management body, just one Member State can block adoption of conservation measures. The way forward may depend on building trust through enhanced transparency, greater collaboration among Member States and better defined rules around the MPAs plans and process. Adoption of CCAMLR MPAs may further require a shift in international relationships among participatory States.

Advisor: Crowder Larry B.
Curran Lisa Marie
Caldwell Margaret R.
Dunbar Robert
Political origins of public education systems [electronic resource]

Why do some governments provide more education than others? And why do so many education systems fail to promote student learning and reduce poverty and inequality? This volume addresses these questions by examining what motivates politicians to provide education. Using newly collected quantitative and qualitative data spanning the long history of public primary education systems in Europe, Latin America, the United States, and the rest of the world, it assesses four possible reasons why politicians may expand education systems: in response to the human capital demands of voters; in response to the job-related interests of organized teacher unions; in response to pressure from capitalists who demand a skilled workforce; or out of their own interest in nation-building. The weight of the evidence presented points to the role of nation-building as a trigger for primary education provision. In particular, I show that the civil wars, and more generally, instances of widespread internal political disorder were a crucial factor that prompted politicians to set up and expand primary education systems as a means to inculcate beliefs and behaviors that would prevent future rebellions against authority. These findings suggest that a core reason why education systems fail to promote learning and reduce poverty and inequality is because that is not what they were primarily designed to do.

Keywords: Political Science.
Advisor: Scheve Kenneth F. primary advisor. Thesis advisor
Weinstein Jeremy M. primary advisor. Thesis advisor
Fearon James D. advisor. Thesis advisor
Laitin David D. advisor. Thesis advisor
Political risks in international finance [electronic resource]

Political regime change creates a number of financial risks for international investors. One is sovereign risk, or the possibility that a government may fail to repay outstanding debts. A second is fiscal risk, defined as uncertainty about prospects for government revenue and excessive vulnerability to macroeconomic shocks. Finally, there is the risk that a newly-elected government will dramatically revise the economic policies of its predecessor. This thesis comprises three essays examining these risks in two different political contexts: British decolonization during the mid-twentieth century, and the present-day United States.

Keywords: Political Science.
Advisor: Haber Stephen H.
Scheve Kenneth F. advisor. Thesis advisor
Tomz Michael advisor. Thesis advisor
The politics and policies of inclusion [electronic resource]

Can state policies make politics more accessible and responsive to historically marginalized groups? India, like many developing democracies, faces a fundamental contradiction between its promise of political equality and entrenched social inequality, across caste, class, and gender. In response, the Indian state has undertaken a number of institutional reforms explicitly aimed at making politics more inclusive. This dissertation comprises three studies that evaluate how these policies have affected both the political engagement and welfare of women and caste minorities in rural south India. It examines: (1) caste and gender quotas for elected office, (2) deliberative forums to engage citizens in governance, and (3) grassroots efforts to politically empower women through self-help groups.

Keywords: Political Science.
Advisor: Laitin David D. primary advisor. Thesis advisor
Acharya Avidit advisor. Thesis advisor
Blaydes Lisa
Weinstein Jeremy M. advisor. Thesis advisor
Pore-scale simulation of immiscible multiphase flow with moving contact lines using level sets [electronic resource]

Accurate Modeling of immiscible two-phase flow at the pore-scale requires the development of high-fidelity numerical methods that allow for high-resolution representation of fluid interfaces, while honoring the conservation laws of momentum, mass, and energy. The multiphase numerical methods must capture the interfacial jump conditions and model the multiscale physics of contact-line dynamics. The objective of this work is to model accurately the surface-tension force and the moving contact line (MCL) boundary condition using the level-set framework coupled with the Navier-Stokes equations. To model the MCL, we implemented the Cox-Voinov slip-based model that describes the viscous bending occurring of the fluid interface near the contact line. The Cox-Voinov model determines the contact angle boundary condition. Several test cases have shown that the Cox-Voinov model leads to excellent agreement with the experimental results without the need to explicitly resolve the nanoscale slip-length. We developed a new multiscale level-set method that efficiently captures the evolution of thin films covering the solid surface. In this multiscale framework, the MCL singularity is removed using a film model that takes into account the intermolecular surfaces forces in the vicinity of the contact line. The new multiscale method matches Bretherton's scaling law in a drainage process, where the deposited film thickness on the solid wall depends on the balance between the viscous and capillary forces. The new multiscale level-set method can simulate two-phase flow with a capillary number as low as

Keywords: Energy Resources Engineering.
Advisor: Tchelepi Hamdi primary advisor. Thesis advisor
Aziz Khalid
Kovscek Anthony R. (Anthony Robert) advisor. Thesis advisor
Portable giant magnetoresistive sensor system for quantitative point-of-care health diagnostics [electronic resource]

This dissertation describes the research and development of a portable, point-of-care molecular biomarker sensor system using the Giant Magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor that aims to combine the sensitivity of the clinical lab test and the practicality of the rapid strip test. A portable, quantitative immunoassay platform based on the GMR sensor technology is introduced. The platform only requires one-step user involvement. With the one-step detection scheme, quantitative test results can be obtained in less than 15 minutes after sample insertion. The portable GMR system is affordable and capable of detecting multiple protein biomarkers from one sample, enabling a wide array of diagnostics to be performed simultaneously. In the further development, a portable automated assay system on the GMR sensor system has been developed to automate assay steps to bring multistep immunoassay tests at the point-of-care, anywhere in non-clinical settings. A multiplexed hepatitis B virus biomarker diagnostic test for diagnosing the viral infection status has also been developed in conjunction with the automated assay system. Comparison between the automated multiplexed hepatitis B testing on the GMR sensor system and the commercial clinical lab testing is performed, and the results show excellent agreements between the results obtained by the two different sensor platforms. In conclusion, this dissertation describes novel devices to bring the clinical laboratory testing to reach more people and areas using the GMR sensor system by making the device portable, the process simpler and faster, and the cost affordable.

Keywords: Electrical Engineering.
Advisor: Wang Shan X. primary advisor. Thesis advisor
So Samuel advisor. Thesis advisor
De la Zerda Adam
Post-M&A Performance in Mobile App Developing Startups

M&A is becoming increasingly common as a key growth and exit mechanism for startups. However, it is still a relatively undocumented phenomenon, due to the challenges of tracking target-specific metrics once the target and acquirer have merged. Using app ranking as a proxy for target performance, I manage to quantify the effects of acquisition on a target’s growth postacquisition. Firstly, we find that mobile app developing startups generally experience significant, positive, and rapid benefits in ranking from being acquired. Secondly, our observations about startups’ positive growth trajectories allow us to make inferences about circumstances where the increased access to resources afforded by an acquisition is particularly valuable in accelerating the target’s growth. Finally, we observe some interesting exceptions where targets’ apps experience rapid declines in ranking post-acquisition, providing empirical evidence for the important roles that startup acquisitions can also play in non-product-related functions, such as acquiring talent or reducing competition.

Keywords:  Department of Economics
mobile apps
mergers
acquisitions
startups
survival
Crunchbase
innovation
entrepreneurship
app ranking
Mobile Innovation Group
App Store
Stanford Department of Economics
Thesis
Advisor: Bresnahan Timothy
Precious cargo [electronic resource] : child rescue and American power, 1945-1980

In the quarter century between 1950 and 1975, Americans launched four major emergency campaigns to resettle children caught in war zones. This dissertation investigates these child evacuation airlifts in Korea (1950), Cuba (1960-1962), Nigeria (1968), and Vietnam (1975). It explores why Americans considered refugee children especially worthy of rescue; to what extent the Cold War informed their philanthropic efforts; and how the relationship between private humanitarians and the U.S. government changed over time. This study argues that small-scale acts of relief helped the American public endure the military and diplomatic setbacks of the Cold War. It demonstrates how aid to a symbolic few insulated state actors from more systematic critiques of U.S. foreign policy. Finally, by tracing the history of postwar child rescue missions through the lens of gender politics, this project illuminates the rise of one of the signature institutions of our own time: the international NGO.

Keywords: History.
Advisor: Campbell James T.
Freedman Estelle B.
Chang Gordon H. advisor. Thesis advisor
A precise Cdk activity threshold determines passage through the restriction point [electronic resource]

At the restriction point (R), mammalian cells irreversibly commit to divide. R has been viewed as a point in G1 after growth factor signaling initiates a positive feedback loop of Cdk activity. However, recent studies cast doubt on this model by claiming R occurs prior to positive feedback activation in G1 or even before completion of the previous cell cycle. Here we reconcile these results and show that whereas many commonly used cell lines do not exhibit a G1 R, primary fibroblasts have a G1 R that is defined by a precise Cdk activity threshold and the activation of cell cycle-dependent transcription. A simple threshold model, based solely on Cdk activity, predicted with more than 95% accuracy whether individual cells had passed R. That a single measurement accurately predicted cell fate shows that the state of complex regulatory networks can be classified by a few critical protein activities.

Keywords: Biology.
Advisor: Skotheim Jan
Block Steven M.
Lipsick Joseph Steven
Nelson William
Prediction and dimension reduction methods in computer experiments [electronic resource]

In many fields of engineering and science, computer experiments have become essential tools in studying physical processes. This dissertation reviews standard prediction methods and dimension reduction methods in the analysis of computer experiments and proposes new approaches. Response surface modeling is the starting point of the analysis of computer experiments. Kriging or Gaussian process regression is widely used in constructing response surfaces. We propose Single Nugget Kriging, which is a method with better predictions at extreme values than the standard method of Kriging. Our prediction exhibits robustness to the model mismatch in the covariance parameters, a desirable feature for computer simulations with a restricted number of data points. For high dimensional computer experiments, dimension reduction methods in regression are essential for solving optimization problems and inverse problems. We compare model-free sufficient dimension reduction methods and the active subspace for computer experiments. We propose a modification of the active subspace. We further discuss the analysis of dimension reduction methods in computer experiments, using projected Gaussian processes.

Keywords: Statistics.
Advisor: Owen Art B. primary advisor. Thesis advisor
Switzer Paul advisor. Thesis advisor
Taylor Jonathan
Pricing and rollout of durable product versions in the presence of maintenance costs [electronic resource]

In many durable good contexts, firms have the opportunity to price discriminate on quality by charging higher prices for the latest functionality. In the software good market, on the other hand, we often do not observe price discrimination on the latest versions, despite new versions being introduced over time. I propose that the software firm's ability to price discriminate on latest functionality is restricted by two factors: (1) the extent to which different consumer types appreciate the innovation from one version to the next and (2) the extent to which legacy software products are costly for the firm to maintain. To analyze this question, I use a unique dataset on individual consumer subscriptions to a Fortune 500 firm's software products. The firm releases new product versions each year, but allows consumers to adopt the latest functionality for free. Despite this policy, descriptive analysis reveals that consumers frequently choose not to upgrade, electing to renew legacy versions of the product instead. To distinguish between the different factors driving this pattern, I develop a dynamic model of consumer choice of different product versions, renewal opportunities and upgrades. This model allows me to separately account for version usage utility, non-monetary costs of purchasing and upgrading and the heterogeneity therein. The estimates of the model reveal that although the majority of the consumers value the new versions, the high value, price insensitive consumers do not, causing it to be un- profitable for the firm to price latest functionality at a premium. Using the estimates and the structure of the model, I then show that if high value consumers were to sufficiently appreciate the firm's innovation, it would be profitable for the firm to charge a fee for the new functionality; however, sufficiently high costs of maintaining legacy versions eliminate such incentives. The final counterfactual allows me to calculate the minimum legacy version cost that would cause the firm to shift from releasing distinct intertemporal versions to maintaining one continuously upgraded version of the product.

Keywords: Business.
Advisor: Hartmann Wesley R. (Wesley Robert)
Nair Harikesh S. (Harikesh Sasikumar)
Reiss Peter
PriMagic: Component-Based Synthesis of Loopy and Non-Loopy Programs

Previous works in component-based synthesis have struggled to synthesize loops and other control structures. We present PriMagic, a new approach to component-based synthesis that can synthesize loopy programs from input-output examples. Our approach first mines primitives: by generating random straight-line programs and remembering those that are consistent with many input-output examples, we can obtain a set of code fragments that are likely to be useful for synthesis. Then, we randomly generate programs where we leave control structure conditions blank. We evaluate these partial programs using the idea of magic conditions, where we analyze the different code flows to determine if it is possible for the partial program to pass all test cases. In the last step, we resolve the magic conditions by filling them with random Boolean expressions. We demonstrate that PriMagic can synthesize short but interesting loopy programs within several minutes, and that it can be a useful tool for API translation.

Keywords:  Department of Computer Science
PriMagic
program synthesis
component-based synthesis
loops
Department of Computer Science
honors thesis
Thesis
Advisor: Liang Percy
Probing ultrafast electron dynamics in atoms and molecules [electronic resource]

This dissertation explores two major lines of research concerning ultrafast electron dynamics in atoms and molecules. The first part investigates the dynamics of photoionization in intense laser fields on the attosecond time scale. A new technique using a weak probing field at half the frequency of the strong ionizing laser field reveals attosecond delays in the above-threshold ionization process. We observe the influence of the combined Coulomb-laser potential on the spectral phase of the photoelectron. In the second part, an experiment which imaged the uncoupling of electron motion from the molecular frame in rotating molecules is described. A coherent wave packet in the 4f Rydberg manifold of molecular nitrogen is created and its motion is probed in time. This allows for a direct observation in the time domain of a non-Born-Oppenheimer regime, known as the l-uncoupling regime, that up until now has only been inferred from spectroscopic data.

Keywords: Physics.
Advisor: Bucksbaum Philip H. primary advisor. Thesis advisor
Hogan Jason advisor. Thesis advisor
Schleier-Smith Monika advisor. Thesis advisor
The problem of epistemic relevance [electronic resource]

Does being in a position to know P require information that rules out every possible way in which P is false? Traditional arguments for skepticism apparently assume a 'yes' answer. A relevant alternatives (RA) theorist answers 'no'. In this dissertation, I bypass prominent objections to relevant alternatives theory with a novel and precise version thereof called resolution theory. Resolution theory marries the old with the new. On the epistemic side, it claims that to be in a position to know proposition P is to have empirical information that discriminates P from not-P (a degenerate case: if P is a priori, discrimination requires no empirical information). Thus, resolution theory develops a key claim in the groundbreaking work of early RA advocate Alvin Goldman (in concert with ideas from another key progenitor: Fred Dretske). On the semantic side, it claims that the truth of "a knows that φ" requires that a be positioned to know that each proposition in a certain set is false: namely, a set of defeaters generated by the subject matter of φ in coordination with its Fregean guise. Thus, we capitalize on recent insights on how the meaning of "a knows that φ" interacts with the meaning of φ, building mainly on David Chalmers, Jonathan Schaffer and Stephen Yablo. Despite these many debts, resolution theory is a novelty, contrasting with its forerunners in critical ways. I argue that resolution theory overcomes objections that many RA theories fall prey to: Schaffer's problem of missed clues; the closure dilemma; and worries concerning ad hocness. In particular, these objections apply, to varying extents, to the theories we draw inspiration from. Among other consequences, resolution theory motivates a novel framework for epistemic logic, broadly situated in the modal tradition.

Keywords: Philosophy.
Advisor: Lawlor Krista primary advisor. Thesis advisor
Benthem Johan van
Holliday Wesley H.
Malmgren Anna-Sara advisor. Thesis advisor
Skyrms Brian advisor. Thesis advisor