cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regulatory adaptations for delivering information: the case of confession

Abstract Prior to, or concurrent with, the encoding of concepts into speech, the individual faces decisions about whether, what, when, how, and with whom to communicate. Compared to the existing wealth of linguistic knowledge however, we know little of the mechanisms that govern the delivery and accrual of information. Here we focus on a fundamental issue of communication: The decision whether to deliver information. Specifically, we study spontaneous confession to a victim. Given the costs of social devaluation, offenders are hypothesized to refrain from confessing unless the expected benefits of confession (e.g. enabling the victim to remedially modify their course of action) outweigh its marginal costs—the victim's reaction, discounted by the likelihood that information about the offense has not leaked. The logic of welfare tradeoffs indicates that the victim's reaction will be less severe and, therefore, less costly to the offender, with decreases in the cost of the offense to the victim and, counter-intuitively, with increases in the benefit of the offense to the offender. Data from naturalistic offenses and experimental studies supported these predictions. Offenders are more willing to confess when the benefit of the offense to them is high, the cost to the victim is low, and the probability of information leakage is high. This suggests a conflict of interests between senders and receivers: Often, offenders are more willing to confess when confessions are less beneficial to the victims. An evolutionary–computational framework is a fruitful approach to understand the factors that regulate communication.
Equilibrium in Non-partitioning Strategies

Abstract Herein we present a single example with three purposes: (1) to show the existence of equilibria in a game which violates the assumptions of currently available general existence theorems; (2) to illustrate the importance of the "affiliation" assumption in economic games of incomplete information, by showing how even a slight relaxation can lead to the nonexistence of equilibria in monotone strategies; and, most importantly, (3) to exhibit an equilibrium point in strategies which partially reveal information without inducing posterior partitionings of the players′ type spaces. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C72
Stationary cycling induced by switched functional electrical stimulation control

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is used to activate the dysfunctional lower limb muscles of individuals with neuromuscular disorders to produce cycling as a means of exercise and rehabilitation. In this paper, a stimulation pattern for quadriceps femoris-only FES-cycling is derived based on the effectiveness of knee joint torque in producing forward pedaling. In addition, a switched sliding-mode controller is designed for the uncertain, nonlinear cycle-rider system with autonomous state-dependent switching. The switched controller yields ultimately bounded tracking of a desired trajectory in the presence of an unknown, time-varying, bounded disturbance, provided a reverse dwell-time condition is satisfied by appropriate choice of the control gains and a sufficient desired cadence. Stability is derived through Lyapunov methods for switched systems, and experimental results demonstrate the performance of the switched control system under typical cycling conditions.
Digital Divide: Issues and Opportunities

Economic Divide has been an issue throughout the history of civilization. We believe we now have the opportunity to narrow this divide to an acceptable degree for the first time in the history of civilization. In this paper, we explore the digital divide as a potential consequence of economic divide, and the digital phenomenon as a potential means of addressing the economic divide in the information era.
Acoustic measurement of a granular density of modes

In glasses and other disordered materials, measurements of the vibrational density of states reveal that an excess number of long-wavelength (low-frequency) modes, as compared to the Debye scaling seen in crystalline materials, is associated with a loss of mechanical rigidity. In this paper, we present a novel technique for measuring the density of modes (DOM) in a real granular material, in which we excite vibrational modes using white noise acoustic waves. The resulting vibrations are detected with piezoelectric sensors embedded inside a subset of the particles, from which we are able to compute the DOM via the spectrum of the velocity autocorrelation function, a technique previously applied in thermal systems. The velocity distribution for individual particles is observed to be Gaussian, but the ensemble distribution is non-Gaussian due to varying widths of the individual distributions. We find that the DOM exhibits several thermal-like features, including Debye scaling in a compressed hexagonally ordered packing, and an increase in low-frequency modes as the confining pressure is decreased. In disordered packings, we find that a characteristic frequency fc increases with pressure, but more weakly than has been observed in simulations of frictionless packings.
Monolithic integration of a strained-layer InGaAs-GaAs-AlGaAs quantum-well laser with a passive waveguide by selective-area MOCVD

The monolithic integration of a strained layer InGaAs-GaAs-AlGaAs quantum-well laser with a passive waveguide by conventional atmospheric pressure metalorganic chemical vapor growth is discussed. Growth inhibition from a silicon dioxide mask is the mechanism used for selective-area growth rate enhancement. Variation in the width of the oxide stripe opening along the length of the device results in different quantum-well thicknesses, allowing the light generated in one selective growth region to propagate without significant absorption loss in an adjacent passive waveguide region. >
The Population of Propellers in Saturn's A Ring

We present an extensive data set of ∼150 localized features from Cassini images of Saturn’s A ring, a third of which are demonstrated to be persistent by their appearance in multiple images, and half of which are resolved well enough to reveal a characteristic “propeller” shape. We interpret these features as the signatures of small moonlets embedded within the ring, with diameters between 40 and 500 m. The lack of significant brightening at high phase angle indicates that they are likely composed primarily of macroscopic particles, rather than dust. With the exception of two features found exterior to the Encke Gap, these objects are concentrated entirely within three narrow (∼1000 km) bands in the mid-A ring that happen to be free from local disturbances from strong density waves. However, other nearby regions are similarly free of major disturbances but contain no propellers. It is unclear whether these bands are due to specific events in which a parent body or bodies broke up into the current moonlets, or whether a larger initial moonlet population has been sculpted into bands by other ring processes.
Separate Neural Mechanisms Underlie Choices and Strategic Preferences in Risky Decision Making

Adaptive decision making in real-world contexts often relies on strategic simplifications of decision problems. Yet, the neural mechanisms that shape these strategies and their implementation remain largely unknown. Using an economic decision-making task, we dissociate brain regions that predict specific choices from those predicting an individual's preferred strategy. Choices that maximized gains or minimized losses were predicted by functional magnetic resonance imaging activation in ventromedial prefrontal cortex or anterior insula, respectively. However, choices that followed a simplifying strategy (i.e., attending to overall probability of winning) were associated with activation in parietal and lateral prefrontal cortices. Dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, through differential functional connectivity with parietal and insular cortex, predicted individual variability in strategic preferences. Finally, we demonstrate that robust decision strategies follow from neural sensitivity to rewards. We conclude that decision making reflects more than compensatory interaction of choice-related regions; in addition, specific brain systems potentiate choices depending on strategies, traits, and context.
The Political Economy of Land Privatization in Argentina and Australia, 1810-1850: A Puzzle

In early public land privatization, governments in New South Wales and Buenos Aires provided for de jure transfer of public lands. In New South Wales the government lost control; squatters rushed out unlawfully and seized de facto frontier claims. But in Buenos Aires privatization was accomplished by de jure transfers. Why did British settlers reject de jure transfers from a government, most able to secure property rights and rule of law, while settlers of the pampa frontier, where property-rights security was doubtful, complied with de jure transfers? We find that the revenue objective and violence on the frontier explain this puzzle.
Force networks and the dynamic approach to jamming in sheared granular media

Diverging correlation lengths on either side of the jamming transition are used to formulate a rheological model of granular shear flow, based on the propagation of stress through force chain networks. The model predicts three distinct flow regimes, characterized by the shear rate dependence of the stress tensor, that have been observed in both simulations and experiments. The boundaries separating the flow regimes are quantitatively determined and testable. In the limit of jammed granular solids, the model predicts the observed anomalous scaling of the shear modulus and a new relation for the shear strain at yield.
The Phoenix mission to Mars

After a picture-perfect launch to Mars on August 4, 2007, the Phoenix mission will land near 70° N on the northern lowlands on May 25, 2008 and perform an in situ investigation of the ice layer discovered by the Mars Odyssey scientists in 2002. Mars undergoes climate change through obliquity and orbital variations on time periods of 50,000 years. By analyzing the minerals, aqueous chemistry, and grain shapes of the soil associated with the ice, Phoenix will determine whether the ice has ever melted and modified the soil properties. Since water is a necessary substance for life on Earth, a major question for the mission is whether the northern plains represent a habitable zone on Mars. Besides water. the Phoenix team will assess the organic content of the soil and ice as well as the abundances of biologically active elements. Finally, the transport of water through soils and atmosphere is measured using a Canadian meteorological station supplemented by probes to evaluate soil conductivity.
Human adaptation to climate change: a review of three historical cases and some general perspectives

To study mitigation and adaptation to climate change, social scientists have drawn on different approaches, particularly sociological approaches to the future and comparative history of past societies. These two approaches frame the social and temporal boundaries of decisionmaking collectivities in different ways. A consideration of the responses to climate variability in three historical cases, the Classic Maya of Mexico and Central America, the Viking settlements in Greenland, and the US Dust Bowl, shows the value of integrating these two approaches. # 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Dispute settlement and the WTO

This article briefly examines the developing jurisprudence of the new WTO dispute settlement system as expressed in the Appellate reports of the first three and one-third years. It suggests some tentative generalizations about the Appellate Body approach, including a possible greater spirit of deference to national government regulatory decisions, to allow greater margins of leeway for those decisions than sometimes indicated in first-level panel reports or in later-year GATT panel reports. The author also notes some constitutional dangers of a tendency for the WTO diplomacy to rely too heavily on the dispute system to correct the many ambiguities and gaps in the new trading system Uruguay Round texts. Copyright 1998 by Oxford University Press.
The Farm Diversification Discount

This article estimates the effect of diversification on farm values, where farms are valued relative to the median specialized farm having the same enterprise. Using data from the Agricultural Resource Management Study, the estimated diversification discount in agriculture is similar to the discount found for corporate firms. The results show that diversified crop/livestock farms had a diversification discount of 5.8% in comparison with specialized crop or livestock farms from 1999 to 2001. Commodity diversified farms had a diversification discount of 9.4% in comparison with commodity specialized farms.
Clusters and Comparative Advantage: Implications for Industrial Policy

Abstract Cases of industrial agglomeration or “clusters” arise in the presence of industry-specific and local externalities, also called Marshallian externalities. The standard argument is that such externalities may justify a policy of infant-industry protection to allow and encourage clusters to emerge. In this paper I explore this carefully, and show that different policy implications emerge under a more realistic modeling of clusters. In particular, rather than distorting prices to promote clusters in “advanced sectors” that may exhibit strong clustering possibilities, countries should focus instead on promoting clustering in current sectors, which have revealed to have the strongest comparative advantage. Import substitution is not a proper way to achieve this.
Rigid body segmentation and shape description from dense optical flow under weak perspective

We present an algorithm for identifying and tracking independently moving rigid objects from optical flow. Some previous attempts at segmentation via optical flow have focused on finding discontinuities in the flow field. While discontinuities do indicate a change in scene depth, they do not in general signal a boundary between two separate objects. The proposed method uses the fact that each independently moving object has a unique epipolar constraint associated with its motion. Thus motion discontinuities based on self-occlusion can be distinguished from those due to separate objects. The use of epipolar geometry allows for the determination of individual motion parameters for each object as well as the recovery of relative depth for each point on the object. The algorithm assumes an affine camera where perspective effects are limited to changes in overall scale. No camera calibration parameters are required. A Kalman filter based approach is used for tracking motion parameters with time.
Universal Switching and Side Information Portfolios Under Transaction Costs Using Factor Graphs

We consider the sequential portfolio investment problem. We combine various insights from universal portfolios research in order to construct more sophisticated algorithms that take into account transaction costs. In particular, we use the insights of Blum and Kalai's transaction costs algorithm to take these costs into account in Cover and Ordentlich's side information portfolio and Kozat and Singer's switching portfolio. This involves carefully designing a set of causal portfolio strategies and computing a convex combination of these according to a carefully designed distribution. Universal (sublinear regret) performance bounds for each of these portfolios show that the algorithms asymptotically achieve the wealth of the best strategy from the corresponding portfolio strategy set, to first order in the exponent. Factor graph representations of the algorithms demonstrate that computationally feasible algorithms may be derived. Finally, we present results of simulations of our algorithms and compare them to other portfolios.
Revenue Management of a Make-to-Stock Queue

Motivated by recent electronic marketplaces, we consider a single-product make-to-stock manufacturing system that uses two alternative selling channels: long-term contracts and a spot market of electronic orders. At time 0, the risk-averse manufacturer selects the long-term contract price, at which point buyers choose one of the two channels. The resulting long-term contract demand is a deterministic fluid, while the spot-market demand is modeled as a stochastic renewal process. An exponential reflected random walk model is used to model the spot-market price, which is correlated with the spot-market demand process. The manufacturer accepts or rejects each electronic order, and long-term contracts and accepted electronic orders are backordered if necessary. The manufacturer's control problem is to select the optimal long-term contract price as well as the optimal production (i.e., busy/idle) and electronic-order admission policies to maximize revenue minus inventory holding and backorder costs. Under heavy-traffic conditions, the problem is approximated by a diffusion-control problem, and analytical approximations are used to derive a policy that is simple, and reasonably accurate and robust.
The Housing Boom and Its Effect on Farmland Acreage

This paper examines farmers land ownership decision to keep their farmland or sell the acreage to a non-agricultural enterprise. The boom in housing demand during the early 21st century caused a subsequent rise in land demand by housing construction companies. This, in turn, has significant effects on farmers choice to sell their farmland endowment and leave farming. Data from several public sources, including the USDA-NASS, U.S. Census, BLS, and BEA-REIS, is used to analyze the relationship of farm acreage with housing permit values. The Arellano-Bond dynamic panel estimator is used within a GMM framework to examine land ownership behavior of forward-looking farmers. Results indicate that a rise in demand for new housing significantly influences a farmers behavior to transfer agricultural acreage out of farming.
Topological insulators from the perspective of first‐principles calculations

Topological insulators are new quantum states with helical gapless edge or surface states inside the bulk band gap. These topological surface states are robust against weak time-reversal invariant perturbations without closing the bulk band gap, such as lattice distortions and non-magnetic impurities. Recently a variety of topological insulators have been predicted by theories, and observed by experiments. First-principles calculations have been widely used to predict topological insulators with great success. In this review, we summarize the current progress in this field from the perspective of first-principles calculations. First of all, the basic concepts of topological insulators and the frequently-used techniques within first-principles calculations are briefly introduced. Secondly, we summarize general methodologies to search for new topological insulators. In the last part, based on the band inversion picture first introduced in the context of HgTe, we classify topological insulators into three types with s–p, p–p and d–f, and discuss some representative examples for each type. Surface states of topological insulator Bi2Se3 consist of a single Dirac cone, as obtained from first-principles calculations. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Unnatural Experiments? Estimating the Incidence of Endogenous Policies

There are numerous empirical studies that exploit variation in policies over space and time in the U.S. federal system. If state policy making is purposeful action, responsive to economic and political conditions within the state, then it is necessary to identify and control for the forces that lead to these policy changes. This paper investigates the implications of policy endogeneity for a specific policy context – workers’ compensation benefits. We contrast different methods of estimation and their pros and cons in this context.
Black Hole Thermodynamics

The discovery in the early 1970s that black holes radiate as black bodies has radically affected our understanding of general relativity, and offered us some early hints about the nature of quantum gravity. In this paper, will review the discovery of black hole thermodynamics and summarize the many independent ways of obtaining the thermodynamic and (perhaps) statistical mechanical properties of black holes. I will then describe some of the remaining puzzles, including the nature of the quantum microstates, the problem of universality, and the information loss paradox.
Low-frequency unsteadiness in the wake of a normal flat plate

The separated flow past a zero-thickness flat plate held normal to a free stream at Re=250 has been investigated through numerical experiments. The long-time signatures of the drag and lift coefficients clearly capture a low-frequency unsteadiness with a period of approximately 10 times the primary shedding period. The amplitude and frequency of drag and lift variations during the shedding process are strongly modulated by the low frequency. A physical interpretation of the low-frequency behaviour is that the flow gradually varies between two different regimes: a regime H of high mean drag and a regime L of low mean drag. It is observed that in regime H the shear layer rolls up closer to the plate to form coherent spanwise vortices, while in regime L the shear layer extends farther downstream and the rolled-up Karman vortices are less coherent. In the high-drag regime three-dimensionality is characterized by coherent Karman vortices and reasonably well-organized streamwise vortices connecting the Karman vortices. With a non-dimensional spanwise wavelength of about 1.2, the three-dimensionality in this regime is reminiscent of mode-B three-dimensionality. It is observed that the high degree of spanwise coherence that exists in regime H breaks down in regime L. Based on detailed numerical flow visualization we conjecture that the formation of streamwise and spanwise vortices is not in perfect synchronization and that the low-frequency unsteadiness is the result of this imbalance (or phase mismatch).
Lagwise Loads Analysis of a Rotor Blade with an Embedded Chordwise Absorber

An aeroelastic simulation of a stiff in-plane hingeless rotor in forward flight is conducted to evaluate the feasibility of reducing lagwise root loads via an embedded absorber within the blade. A finite element analysis based on a moderate deflection beam model is employed to capture the flap, lag, and torsion deflections of the rotor blade. The mass-spring-damper absorber system is simulated as a one-degree-of-freedom rigid body with chordwise motion. By using the Hamilton principle, system equations of motion are derived based on the generalized force formulation. Dynamic responses are calculated to investigate the potential of the absorber for in-plane loads reduction. Parametric studies are conducted to explore the influence of the absorber on the dynamic characteristics of the rotor blade. From the aeroelastic analysis of the blade-absorber system, results indicate that placing an embedded absorber in the blade chordwise direction can decrease the 1 and 2/rev lagwise root bending moments by about 50 and 90%, respectively, under large load states. The effects of absorber frequency, absorber damping, chordwise position of the absorber, rotor thrust, forward speed, and trim condition are also studied.
Effect of Excess PbO on the Sintering Characteristics and Dielectric Properties of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3-Based Ceramics

Additions of excess PbO to the perovskite Pb[(Mg1/3Nb2/3)0.92Ti0.08]O3 solid solution enhanced the formation of a liquid phase at 840°C, which served as a densification aid for the ceramics. The liquid phase allowed elimination of pores and promoted grain growth during sintering. With additions of 1 to 2 wt% excess PbO, densities in excess of 97% of theoretical were obtained at a sintering temperature of 950°C. The peak dielectric constants of the resulting ceramics were over 18 000 at 30°C and dissipation factors less than 1%. Additions of PbO in excess of 2 wt% resulted in inferior dielectric properties due mainly to the dilution of the ferroelectric phase.
A process‐based inventory model for landfill CH4 emissions inclusive of seasonal soil microclimate and CH4 oxidation

[1] We have developed and field-validated an annual inventory model for California landfill CH4 emissions that incorporates both site-specific soil properties and soil microclimate modeling coupled to 0.5° scale global climatic models. Based on 1-D diffusion, CALMIM (California Landfill Methane Inventory Model) is a freely available JAVA tool which models a typical annual cycle for CH4 emissions from site-specific daily, intermediate, and final landfill cover designs. Literature over the last decade has emphasized that the major factors controlling emissions in these highly managed soil systems are the presence or absence of engineered gas extraction, gaseous transport rates as affected by the thickness and physical properties of cover soils, and methanotrophic CH4 oxidation in cover materials as a function of seasonal soil microclimate. Moreover, current IPCC national inventory models for landfill CH4 emissions based on theoretical gas generation have high uncertainties and lack comprehensive field validation. This new approach, which is compliant with IPCC “Tier III” criteria, has been field-validated at two California sites (Monterey County; Los Angeles County), with limited field validation at three additional California sites. CALMIM accurately predicts soil temperature and moisture trends with emission predictions within the same order of magnitude as field measurements, indicating an acceptable initial model comparison in the context of published literature on measured CH4 emissions spanning 7 orders of magnitude. In addition to regional defaults for inventory purposes, CALMIM permits user-selectable parameters and boundary conditions for more rigorous site-specific applications where detailed CH4 emissions, meteorological, and soil microclimate data exist.
Analytical theory of NEXAFS from diatomic molecules

Analytical expressions are derived for both the ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\pi}}}^{\mathrm{*}}$ and ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}^{\mathrm{*}}$ resonances in near-edge x-ray-absorption fine-structure (NEXAFS) spectra from diatomic molecules. A simple criterion is formulated for extracting structural parameters (e.g., the bond lengths) of such molecules from NEXAFS spectra. A universal curve for the positions of resonances is derived from our analytical expressions. The predictions are confirmed by comparisons with computer simulations of NEXAFS spectra for gas-phase ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ molecules. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Fine structure of the zeros of orthogonal polynomials IV: A priori bounds and clock behavior†

We prove locally uniform spacing for the zeros of orthogonal polynomials on the real line under weak conditions (Jacobi parameters approach the free ones and are of bounded variation). We prove that for ergodic discrete Schrodinger operators, Poisson behavior implies a positive Lyapunov exponent. Both results depend on a priori bounds on eigenvalue spacings for which we provide several proofs.
Generalized double affine Hecke algebras of rank 1 and quantized del Pezzo surfaces

Abstract Let D be a simply laced Dynkin diagram of rank r whose affinization has the shape of a star (i.e., D 4 , E 6 , E 7 , E 8 ). To such a diagram one can attach a group G whose generators correspond to the legs of the affinization, have orders equal to the leg lengths plus 1, and the product of the generators is 1. The group G is then a 2-dimensional crystallographic group: G = Z l ⋉ Z 2 , where l is 2, 3, 4, and 6, respectively. In this paper, we define a flat deformation H ( t , q ) of the group algebra C [ G ] of this group, by replacing the relations saying that the generators have prescribed orders by their deformations, saying that the generators satisfy monic polynomial equations of these orders with arbitrary roots (which are deformation parameters). The algebra H ( t , q ) for D 4 is the Cherednik algebra of type C ∨ C 1 , which was studied by Noumi, Sahi, and Stokman, and controls Askey–Wilson polynomials. We prove that H ( t , q ) is the universal deformation of the twisted group algebra of G, and that this deformation is compatible with certain filtrations on C [ G ] . We also show that if q is a root of unity, then for generic t the algebra H ( t , q ) is an Azumaya algebra, and its center is the function algebra on an affine del Pezzo surface. For generic q, the spherical subalgebra e H ( t , q ) e provides a quantization of such surfaces. We also discuss connections of H ( t , q ) with preprojective algebras and Painleve VI.
Improved synthesis of d,l-fluorocitric acid

Abstract We propose a decagram synthesis of commercially unavailable fluorocitric acid. The synthesis begins with benzyl fluoroacetate, which is converted to dibenzyl 2-fluoro-3-oxosuccinate, followed by condensation with malonic acid or its monobenzyl ester and subsequent hydrogenolysis.
The Purchasing Power Parity Persistence Paradigm

Abstract Rogoff (Journal of Economic Literature 1996;34:647–668) describes the ‘remarkable consensus’ of 3–5 year half-lives of purchasing power parity deviations among studies using long-horizon data. These studies, however, focus on rejections of unit roots in real exchange rates and do not use appropriate techniques to measure persistence. Our half-life estimates explicitly account for serial correlation, sampling uncertainty and, most importantly, small sample bias. Calculating confidence intervals as well as point estimates for long-horizon and post-1973 data, we find that, even though most of the point estimates lie within the 3–5 year range, univariate methods provide virtually no information regarding the size of the half-lives.
Reliability Estimation and Design with Insufficient Data Based on Possibility Theory

Early in the engineering design cycle, it is difficult to quantify product reliability or compliance to performance targets because of insufficient data or information for modeling the uncertainties. Design decisions are, therefore, based on fuzzy information that is vague, imprecise, qualitative, linguistic, or incomplete. The uncertain information is usually available as intervals with lower and upper limits. In this work, the possibility theory is used to assess design reliability with incomplete information. The possibility theory can be viewed as a variant of fuzzy set theory. The formal theories to handle uncertainty are first introduced using the theoretical fundamentals of fuzzy measures. A computationally efficient and accurate hybrid (global-local) optimization approach is subsequently described for calculating the confidence level of fuzzy response. The method combines the advantages of the commonly used vertex and discretization methods. Subsequently, the possibility theory is used in design. A possibility-based design optimization method is proposed where all design constraints are expressed in a possibilistic way. It is shown that the method gives a conservative solution compared with all conventional reliability-based designs obtained with different probability distributions. Finally, a general possibility-based design optimization method, which handles a combination of random and possibilistic design variables, is presented. Several numerical examples demonstrate the application of possibility theory in design.
Electrochemical and solid state reactions of copper with n-SnS2

The intercalation reaction of Cu with n-SnS2 has been studied with a variety of techniques. Electrochemical and photoelectrochemical methods provided information about the energetics of the intercalation reaction and the band gap and carrier type of the new phase (p-CuSnS2). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to characterize the stoichiometry of the new phase as prepared both electrochemically and in UHV. The thermal stability of CuSnS2 was studied with XPS and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the diffusion of copper through the van der Waals planes of SnS2 was demonstrated. A structure for the new phase is proposed which is consistent with the measured physical properties. The intercalation reaction is discussed with respect to its differences from the rigid band model of intercalation.
AN EFFECTIVE ALGORITHM FOR THE COHOMOLOGY RING OF SYMPLECTIC REDUCTIONS

Let G be a compact torus acting on a compact symplectic manifold M in a Hamiltonian fashion, and T a subtorus of G. We prove that the kernel of \( \kappa : H^\ast_G(M) \to H^\ast(M//G) \) is generated by a small number of classes \( \alpha \in H^\ast_G(M) \) satisfying very explicit restriction properties. Our main tool is the equivariant Kirwan map, a natural map from the G-equivariant cohomology of M to the G/T-equivariant cohomology of the symplectic reduction of M by T . We show this map is surjective. This is an equivariant version of the well-known result that the (nonequivariant) Kirwan map \( \kappa : H^\ast_G(M) \to H^\ast(M//G) \) is surjective. We also compute the kernel of the equivariant Kirwan map, generalizing the result due to Tolman and Weitsman [TW] in the case T = G and allowing us to apply their methods inductively. This result is new even in the case that dim T = 1. We close with a worked example: the cohomology ring of the product of two \( {\Bbb C}P^2{\rm s} \), quotiented by the diagonal 2-torus action.
ACTION SELECTORS AND MASLOV CLASS RIGIDITY

In this paper, we detect new restrictions on the Maslov class of displaceable Lagrangian submanifolds of symplectic manifolds which are symplectically aspherical. These restrictions are established using action selectors for Hamiltonian flows. In particular, we construct and utilize a new action selector for the flows of a special class of Hamiltonian functions which arises naturally in the study of Hamiltonian paths which minimize the Hofer length functional.
The President, the Press, and the War: A Tale of Two Framing Agendas

The alignment between media and presidential framing following 9/11, as well as surrounding the Iraq war, has been criticized as an instance of “when the press fails.” We explore this idea further by comparing presidential and newspaper framing in the case of 9/11 and the subsequent “war on terror.” We argue that high president/press framing alignment after 9/11, and again during the start of the Iraq war, was largely driven by institutional incentives. Thus, “failure” of the press should be expected in these cases, as in the case of other crisis events that yield a strong rally response. Because the media and the president operate under different incentives, they exhibit different framing behaviors—and different framing dynamics. The result is that, in general, the framing messages of these two institutions sometimes align, especially at critical moments, but more often differ. And in the case of major crises like 9/11 and Iraq, we should see a distinct pattern in president/press framing alignment over t...
An optimal control approach to robust control of robot manipulators

We present a new optimal control approach to robust control of robot manipulators in the framework of Lin (1997). Due to the unknown load placed on a manipulator and the other uncertainties in the manipulator dynamics, it is important to design a robust control law that will guarantee the performance of the manipulator under these uncertainties. To solve this robust control problem, we first translate the robust control problem into an optimal control problem, where the uncertainties are reflected in the performance index. We then use the optimal control approach to solve the robust control problem. We show that the solution to the optimal control problem is indeed a solution to the robust control problem. We illustrate this approach using a two-joint SCARA type robot, whose robust control is obtained by solving an algebraic Riccati equation.
EVIDENCE FOR DELAYED MASSIVE STAR FORMATION IN THE M17 PROTO-OB ASSOCIATION

Through analysis of archival images and photometry from the Spitzer GLIMPSE and MIPSGAL surveys combined with Two Micron All Sky Survey and MSX data, we have identified 488 candidate young stellar objects (YSOs) in the giant molecular cloud M17 SWex, which extends ~50 pc southwest from the prominent Galactic H II region M17. Our sample includes >200 YSOs with masses >3 M ☉ that will become B-type stars on the main sequence. Extrapolating over the stellar initial mass function (IMF), we find that M17 SWex contains >1.3 × 104 young stars, representing a proto-OB association. The YSO mass function is significantly steeper than the Salpeter IMF, and early O stars are conspicuously absent from M17 SWex. Assuming M17 SWex will form an OB association with a Salpeter IMF, these results reveal the combined effects of (1) more rapid circumstellar disk evolution in more massive YSOs and (2) delayed onset of massive star formation.
Artificially Engineered Protein Hydrogels Adapted from the Nucleoporin Nsp1 for Selective Biomolecular Transport

Adapting artificially engineered protein polymers from consensus repeats of natural proteins is an attractive approach to mimic the unprecedented performance of natural materials.[1-9] Tough silk-like polypeptides,[1] thermoresponsive elastin-like polypeptides,[3, 6, 9] and resilient and elastic resilin-like polypeptides[5, 7] have been synthesized to mimic the functions of natural materials. Important design principles have been developed for these artificial biopolymers that enable rational control over their thermodynamic, structural, and mechanical properties. The simplified repeat allows for a detailed understanding of sequence-structure-property relationships to be developed,[8] and these tailor-made materials open up opportunities for applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, photonic films and smart responsive devices.[1, 3, 4, 10, 11]
THE ROLE OF INFORMATION IN REPEATED GAMES WITH FREQUENT ACTIONS

We show that in repeated interactions the avenues for effective provision of incentives depend crucially on the type of information players observe. We establish this conclusion for general repeated two-player games in which information arrives via a continuous-time stationary process that has a continuous multidimensional Brownian component and a Poisson component, and in which the players act frequently. The Poisson jumps can be used to effectively provide incentives both with transfers and value burning, while continuous Brownian information can be used to provide incentives only with transfers.
A hybrid Cartesian grid and gridless method for compressible flows

A hybrid Cartesian grid and gridless method is presented to compute unsteady compressible flows for complex geometries. In this method, a Cartesian grid is used as baseline mesh to cover the computational domain, while the boundary surfaces are addressed using a gridless method. This hybrid method combines the efficiency of a Cartesian grid method and the flexibility of a gridless method for the complex geometries. The developed method is used to compute a number of test cases to validate the accuracy and efficiency of the method. The numerical results obtained indicate that the use of this hybrid method leads to a significant improvement in performance over its unstructured grid counterpart for the time-accurate solution of the compressible Euler equations. An overall speed-up factor of about eight and a saving in storage requirements about one order of magnitude for a typical three-dimensional problem in comparison with the unstructured grid method are demonstrated.
Bound states and the Bekenstein bound

We explore the validity of the generalized Bekenstein bound, S<= pi M a. We define the entropy S as the logarithm of the number of states which have energy eigenvalue below M and are localized to a flat space region of width alpha. If boundary conditions that localize field modes are imposed by fiat, then the bound encounters well-known difficulties with negative Casimir energy and large species number, as well as novel problems arising only in the generalized form. In realistic systems, however, finite-size effects contribute additional energy. We study two different models for estimating such contributions. Our analysis suggests that the bound is both valid and nontrivial if interactions are properly included, so that the entropy S counts the bound states of interacting fields.
FM Transmitter System for Telemetrized Temperature Sensing Project

Small, inexpensive, traditional analog-type telemetric systems have been developed from 1960th. Since the cost of the device is significantly low, it still can be used for one-time use purposes. This paper highlights a methodology of sending a FM signal from the FM transmitter which is based on an inexpensive FM wireless microphone to measure high-altitude ambient air temperature. The FM signal is received by a conventional home FM receiver. This research has focused on the following three aspects;
Supporting dynamic parallel object arrays

We present efficient support for generalized arrays of parallel data driven objects. Array elements are regular C++ objects, and are scattered across the parallel machine. An individual element is addressed by its ‘index’, which can be an arbitrary object rather than a simple integer. For example, an array index can be a series of numbers, supporting multidimensional sparse arrays; a bit vector, supporting collections of quadtree nodes; or a string. Methods can be invoked on any individual array element from any processor, and the elements can participate in reductions and broadcasts. Individual elements can be created or deleted dynamically at any time. Most importantly, the elements can migrate from processor to processor at any time. We discuss support for message delivery and collective operations in the face of such dynamic behavior. The migration capabilities of array elements have proven extremely useful, for example, in implementing flexible load balancing strategies and for exploiting workstation clusters adaptively. We present the design, an implementation, and performance results. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A pattern story for combining crosscutting concern state machines

This paper describes a solution to a real world problem using a combination of well-known patterns. The problem deals with combining state machines that represent core concerns and crosscutting concerns in a loosely coupled manner. The state based behaviors are modeled with state machines and implemented with the State Pattern[3]. The coordination between the loosely coupled state machines is achieved with the Interceptor Pattern[9][11]. The Abstract Factory Pattern[3] is used to shield the original state machine developers from being aware that their state machines are being combined in new and different ways.
Selecting uncertainty calculi and granularity: an experiment in trading-off precision and complexity

The management of uncertainty in expert systems has usually been left to ad hoc representations and rules of combinations lacking either a sound theory or clear semantics. The objective of this paper is to establish a theoretical basis for defining the syntax and semantics of a small subset of calculi of uncertainty operating on a given term set of linguistic statements of likelihood. Each calculus will be defined by specifying a negation, a conjunction and a disjunction operator. Families of Triangular norms and conorms will provide the most general representations of conjunction and disjunction operators. These families provide us with a formalism for defining an infinite number of different calculi of uncertainty. The term set will define the uncertainty granularity, i.e. the finest level of distinction among different quantifications of uncertainty. This granularity will limit the ability to differentiate between two similar operators. Therefore, only a small finite subset of the infinite number of calculi will produce notably different results. This result is illustrated by an experiment where nine different calculi of uncertainty are used with three term sets containing five, nine, and thirteen elements, respectively.
Additive Pummerer reaction of heteroaromatic sulfilimines with carbon nucleophiles

The additive Pummerer reaction of several heteroaromatic sulfilimines has been investigated. The overall process involves the reaction of the sulfilimine with TFAA to produce a transient N-tosyl-N-trifluoroacetyl sulfonium ion. Nucleophilic attack at the adjacent vinyl carbon results in the ejection of the sulfonamide group and the resulting thionium ion loses a proton to give the observed product.
Recent developments in U.S. collective bargaining and employment practices

Abstract Diversity in employment relations is growing in the United States as a result of the growth in non-union employment and the existence of a variety of union and non-union employment practices. There is also wide variation in recent U.S. collective bargaining. In some firms heightened conflict appears, while in some others extensive partnerships have been forged. While some workers and firms are suffering as management takes advantage of power advantages provided by non-union growth and globalization, other firms and unions are using innovative bargaining or traditional strike leverage to make gains. This paper describes and analyses these and other recent developments in US. collective bargaining and employment practices. It concludes that the challenge the American labour movement faces is to find ways to combine recent collective bargaining successes and revitalization efforts to further promote high-end employment outcomes and limit the growth of low wage employment patterns and income inequality.
Complexity-Based Approach to Calibration With Checking Rules

We consider the problem of forecasting a sequence of outcomes from an unknown source. The quality of the forecaster is measured by a family of checking rules. We prove upper bounds on the value of the associated game, thus certifying the existence of a calibrated strategy for the forecaster. We show that complexity of the family of checking rules can be captured by the notion of a sequential cover introduced in (Rakhlin et al., 2010a). Various natural assumptions on the class of checking rules are considered, including niteness of Vapnik-Chervonenkis and Littlestone’s dimensions.
WTO dispute determinants

Abstract The notion of dispute resolution is central to WTO theory, which emphasizes country size and the ability to retaliate against trading partners as major determinants of WTO disputes. But these explanations cannot account for the steady drop in trade quarrels since the early 2000s and are silent on the link between trade policy and dispute initiations. This paper presents a new theory to show that “tariff overhangs”, the difference between WTO members' bound and applied tariffs, are the key to understanding the WTO dispute pattern. In the model, lower tariff overhangs constrain WTO members' legal policy options when responding to adverse shocks. Moreover, countries are more likely to gain from dispute filings through WTO-administered tariff retaliation when applied tariff rates are close to their bindings. Guided by this framework, the paper presents empirical evidence that tariff overhangs are an essential determinant of WTO disputes.
Label-free Morphometry of Retinal Nerve Fiber Bundles by Second-harmonic Generation Microscopy

We present an application of second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy for label-free visualization and quantification of the morphology of nerve fibers in the retina. We show that SHG arises from the retinal nerve fiber layer and that it is specifically associated with uniformly oriented microtubules in the axons. The utility of axonal SHG is demonstrated for imaging the neuroanatomy of fresh ex vivo retina, and the three-dimensional structure of the axons of retinal ganglion cells is quantitatively analyzed.