cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estimating Second Order Probability Beliefs from Subjective Survival Data

Based on subjective survival probability questions in the Health and Retirement Study HRS, we use an econometric model to estimate the determinants of individual-level uncertainty about personal longevity. This model is built around the modal response hypothesis MRH, a mathematical expression of the idea that survey responses of 0%, 50%, or 100% to probability questions indicate a high level of uncertainty about the relevant probability. We show that subjective survival expectations in 2002 line up very well with realized mortality of the HRS respondents between 2002 and 2010. We show that the MRH model performs better than typically used models in the literature of subjective probabilities. Our model gives more accurate estimates of low probability events and it is able to predict the unusually high fraction of focal 0%, 50%, and 100% answers observed in many data sets on subjective probabilities. We show that subjects place too much weight on parents' age at death when forming expectations about their own longevity, whereas other covariates such as demographics, cognition, personality, subjective health, and health behavior are underweighted. We also find that less educated people, smokers, and women have less certain beliefs, and recent health shocks increase uncertainty about survival, too.
Robust Control for Structural Systems with Parametric and Unstructured Uncertainties

Tall, slender structures and long bridges inherit numerous uncertainties due to model errors, stress calculations, material properties, and load environments and may undergo large forces from natural hazards such as earthquakes and strong wind events. This paper develops a robust active control approach with para metric uncertainty in the system and control input and unstructured uncertainty in the disturbance input ma trices based on an uncertain structural system. A special single-valued decomposition (SVD) is applied to structured uncertain structures. The robust control law provides robust relative stability, an H∞-norm distur bance attenuation, and H2 optimality. The H∞ norm of the transfer function from the external disturbance forces (e.g., earthquake, wind, etc.) to the observed system states is restricted by a prescribed attenuation in dex δ. Preservation of robust H2 optimality of uncertain structural systems is discussed. This paper considers both structured uncertainties and norm-bounded unstr...
Integration and Optimization of Multivariate Polynomials by Restriction onto a Random Subspace

We consider the problem of efficient integration of an n-variate polynomial with respect to the Gaussian measure in ℝn and related problems of complex integration and optimization of a polynomial on the unit sphere. We identify a class of n-variate polynomials f for which the integral of any positive integer power fp over the whole space is well approximated by a properly scaled integral over a random subspace of dimension O(log n). Consequently, the maximum of f on the unit sphere is well approximated by a properly scaled maximum on the unit sphere in a random subspace of dimension O(log n). We discuss connections with problems of combinatorial counting and applications to efficient approximation of a hafnian of a positive matrix.
Time-memory-processor tradeoffs

It is demonstrated that usual time-memory trade-offs offer no asymptotic advantage over exhaustive search. Instead, trade-offs be- tween time, memory, and parallel processing are proposed. Using this approach it is shown that most searching problems allow a trade-off between C,, the cost per solution, and C,,,, the cost of the machine: doubling C,,, increases the solution rate by a factor of four, halving C,. The machine which achieves this has an unusual architecture, with a number of processors sharing a large memory through a sorting/switching network. The implications for cryptanalysis, the knapsack problem, and multiple encryption are discussed.
Network transparency: the plaNET approach

Fast packet-switching has been chosen as the basis for future high speed, "universal" networks. The successful deployment of such networks will clearly depend on a wide range of factors such as cost and technology, but the authors believe that foremost among all is how well they will support existing and future applications. Emphasizing an application oriented perspective is one of the main motivation of the paper. The authors denote by "transparency" the ability of a network to transport application information while altering or manipulating it as little as possible, and believe it will be key to the acceptance of high-speed networks. While the concept is clearly not new, they articulate the need for it and illustrate its feasibility and the advantages it affords through the example of the plaNET network. In particular, they argue that a "transparent" data transfer mechanism can be provided that is both compatible with current standard proposals such as ATM and frame relay, and offers applications the choice of the data transfer mode that best meet their needs. A number of examples are used to illustrate these claims. >
Determining accuracy bounds for simulation-based switching activity estimation

Discrete simulation-based methods for switching density estimation can provide very accurate results, but some unresolved problems such as determining the required number of input patterns to guarantee a final accuracy impede the usefulness of this technique. In this paper, we present novel solutions for the following issues in switching density estimation: 1) derivation of simulation stopping criteria based on run-time information, and 2) a priori estimation of the number of input patterns required to guarantee a final specified accuracy. These problems are solved through the definition of a set of multinomial random variables and functions based on the parameters of these random variables. Experimental results indicate that the proposed techniques deliver a reliable stopping criteria as well as accurate a priori estimation of the number of required input patterns.
CARTOGRAPHY, ETHICS AND SOCIAL THEORY

'Cartography, Ethics and Social Theory' is a sequel to 'Deconstructing the Map' (Cartographica 26 / 2, 1989: 1–20) and to the 'Responses' to that paper (see 'Commentary' Cartographica 26 /3 &4, 1989: 89–121). It is argued that the absence of a social dimension in cartographic theory has led to a neglect of social issues in the content of maps and that together these deficiencies constitute a crisis of representation. The dilemma of cartographic ethics — and the profession's response to it — is discussed in the context of the technological transformation in official topographical mapping being induced by the invention of Geographical Information Systems. A case is made for the retention of topographical maps in their present published form on the grounds that they can offer a democratic and humanistic form of geographical knowledge. 'Cartography, Ethics and Social Theory' donne suite a 'Deconstructing the Map' (Cartographica, vol. 26, no. 2, 1989, pp. 1–20) et aux reponses a cette article (voir 'Commentary...
A $(\log n)^{\Omega(1)}$ Integrality Gap for the Sparsest Cut SDP

We show that the Goemans-Linial semidefinite relaxation of the Sparsest Cut problem with general demands has integrality gap $(\logn)^{\Omega(1)}$. This is achieved by exhibiting $n$-point metric spaces of negative type whose $L_1$ distortion is $(\logn)^{\Omega(1)}$. Our result is based on quantitative bounds on the rate of degeneration of Lipschitz maps from the Heisenberg group to $L_1$ when restricted to cosets of the center.
Experimental Analysis of Neighborhood Effects

Families, primarily female-headed minority households with children, living in high-poverty public housing projects in five U.S. cities were offered housing vouchers by lottery in the Moving to Opportunity program. Four to seven years after random assignment, families offered vouchers lived in safer neighborhoods that had lower poverty rates than those of the control group not offered vouchers. We find no significant overall effects of this intervention on adult economic self-sufficiency or physical health. Mental health benefits of the voucher offers for adults and for female youth were substantial. Beneficial effects for female youth on education, risky behavior, and physical health were offset by adverse effects for male youth. For outcomes that exhibit significant treatment effects, we find, using variation in treatment intensity across voucher types and cities, that the relationship between neighborhood poverty rate and outcomes is approximately linear.
Creative Teaching: Collaborative Discussion as Disciplined Improvisation

Teaching has often been thought of as a creative performance. Although comparisons with performance were originally intended to emphasize teacher creativity, they have become associated instead with contemporary reform efforts toward scripted instruction that deny the creativity of teachers. Scripted instruction is opposed to constructivist, inquiry-based, and dialogic teaching methods that emphasize classroom collaboration. To provide insight into these methods, the “teaching as performance” metaphor must be modified: Teaching is improvisational performance. Conceiving of teaching as improvisation highlights the collaborative and emergent nature of effective classroom practice, helps us to understand how curriculum materials relate to classroom practice, and shows why teaching is a creative art.
Integration of vision and laser displacement sensor for efficient and precise digitizing

This paper presents a new digitizing technique which integrates computer vision methods, such as the photometric stereo approach, with the laser displacement sensors (LDS). The curvature at each point of the surface can be measured cost-effectively by the photometric stereo approach. Once the information of curvature of the surface is provided, the measuring speed of LDS can be improved by digitizing at the selected points of the surface and meanwhile the accuracy of digitization is still maintained. By means of the integration, the merits of both approaches can be achieved simultaneously and the efficiency of the digitization can be improved. Experimental results are provided to verify the proposed method.
Neural networks with modified backpropagation learning applied to structural optimization

A multilayer feedforward neural network with a modification to the standard backpropagation training of neural nets is considered. Information on the gradients of target outputs with respect to network inputs is used in this modification. This modified neural network is then applied for approximating design requirements of aerospace composite components, such as an aircraft engine guide vane and a satellite reflector assembly. This neural network functional approximator is then used with an optimization algorithm for determining the optimal parameters for component design requirements. The modified neural network provides for faster convergence of learning process and requires a smaller number of hidden layer nodes for convergence to similar training error levels. HE application of neural networks as universal approximators has been the focus of tremendous amount of activity in the past few years.1"6 Neural networks have been used for approximating and modeling both memoryless systems and dynamical systems with memory. This paper does not go into the various neural net architectures and training schemes, and the interested reader could refer to standard texts on this subject matter.1'2 This paper considers static neural networks (systems without memory) formed by interconnections without loops, called feedforward networks.2 In addition, this work considers a backpropagation learning scheme with adaptation of learning rate. There have been many additions to, or adaptations of, the basic backpropagation scheme, such as adaptive learning rate, learning with momentum, and the like,1'2 for improving convergence of the learning scheme, and these are not addressed in this paper. This paper explores a modification of the backpropagation learning scheme using information on the gradient of the target outputs with respect to the inputs of the network. The performance of the modified learning scheme is compared with that of the standard backpropagation learning scheme.2 A feedforward network with a single hidden layer trained with this modified learning scheme is applied in structural optimization problems. Figure 1 shows a feedforward net with a single hidden layer. The restriction to a single hidden layer is not a limitation of the modified learning scheme, and the new training scheme can be used on networks with multiple hidden layers also. The use of neural networks for structural response approximation has been reported by several authors.4"6 The primary reason for investigating such properties is to assess the applicability of trained neural networks for quick and accurate approximation of response functions during structural design optimization. Structural optimization, utilizing either gradient-based numerical search or genetic search algorithms, requires repeated function (response) evaluations during the search process. A single finite element analysis of large-scale structures requires a significant amount of computational time and resource and hence the need for robust approxima
Tying Odysseus to the Mast: Evidence From a Commitment Savings Product in the Philippines

We designed a commitment savings product for a Philippine bank and implemented it using a randomized control methodology. The savings product was intended for individuals who want to commit now to restrict access to their savings, and who were sophisticated enough to engage in such a mechanism. We conducted a baseline survey on 1777 existing or former clients of a bank. One month later, we offered the commitment product to a randomly chosen subset of 710 clients; 202 (28.4 percent) accepted the offer and opened the account. In the baseline survey, we asked hypothetical time discounting questions. Women who exhibited a lower discount rate for future relative to current trade-offs, and hence potentially have a preference for commitment, were indeed significantly more likely to open the commitment savings account. After twelve months, average savings balances increased by 81 percentage points for those clients assigned to the treatment group relative to those assigned to the control group. We conclude that the savings response represents a lasting change in savings, and not merely a short-term response to a new product.
Solar Activity and the Weather

Some new evidence that the weather is influenced by solar activity is reviewed. It appears that the solar magnetic sector structure is related to the circulation of the Earth’s atmosphere during local winter. About 3 1/2 days after the passage of a sector boundary the maximum effect is seen; apparently the height of all pressure surfaces increases in high latitudes leading to anticyclogenesis, whereas at midlatitudes the height of the pressure surfaces decreases leading to low pressure systems or to deepening of existing systems. This later effect is clearly seen as an increase in the area of the base of air with absolute vorticity exceeding a given treshold. Since the increase of geomagnetic activity generally is small at a sector boundary it is speculated that geomagnetic activity as such is not the cause of the response to the sector structure but that both weather and geomagnetic activity are influenced by the same (unknown) mechanism.
Indeterminacy and the Discourse of Inevitability in International Technology Management

I consider what effect technologically deterministic rhetoric might have on the process of technology implementation. I argue that deterministic discourse creates an ideological orientation toward technological change—a Discourse of inevitability—which makes the fundamentally indeterminate relationship between technology and culture appear determinate. The implications of the paper concern the need for researchers to take into account how institutionalized images of technology can be used discursively to create outcomes in multinational corporations and how such discourse can promote the interests of powerful actors while marginalizing others.
Homogeneous Nucleation of Vapor at Preferred Sites During Rapid Transient Heating of Liquid in Micropassages

Rapid heating of a liquid at the wall of a micropassage may produce homogeneous nucleation of vapor in the liquid in contact with the surface. In such circumstances, nucleation is generally expected to be most likely to occur in the hottest liquid closest to the surface. It is known, however, that in many cases, the liquid molecules closest to the surface will experience long-range attractive forces to molecules in the solid, with the result that the equation of state for the liquid near the surface will differ from that for the bulk liquid. In micro- and nanopassages, this wall-affected region may be a significant fraction of the passage interior volume. Recent investigations of wall force effects on the liquid indicate that these forces increase the spinodal temperature in the near-surface region. The results of these previous investigations suggest that for heated surfaces with nanoscale roughness, protrusion of bulk fluid into crevices in the surface may make them preferred sites for homogeneous nucleation during rapid heating. A detailed model analysis of the heat transfer in a model conical crevice is developed and used to explore the plausibility and apparent mechanisms of preferred-site homogeneous nucleation. The analysis predicts that protrusion of bulk liquid into a conical cavity does, under some conditions, make the cavity a preferred site for the first occurrence of homogeneous nucleation. The analysis is used to examine the range of conditions under which a crevice will be a preferred site. The implications for nucleation near a solid surface during rapid heating are also explored for circumstances similar to those for bubble nucleation adjacent to heaters in microheater reservoirs in inkjet printer heads.
ERYTHROCYTE ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE ACTIVITY IN ABO HEMOLYTIC DISEASE OF THE NEWBORN.

Erythrocyte AChE is reduced in ABO hemolytic disease of the newborn. This enzyme alteration is not present in all infants with ABO disease, nor in all erythrocytes of affected infants. Treatment of erythrocytes with anti A or B antibodies has not resulted in AChE decrease, but such decrease regularly follows erythrocyte treatment by proteolytic enzymes. While AChE is normal in Rh hemolytic disease of the newborn it is decreased in one infant exhibiting features of both ABO and Rh disease. The measurement of erythrocyte AChE activity provides a simple colorimetric test to confirm the diagnosis of ABO hemolytic disease of the newborn. The reduced activity of this surface located erythrocyte enzyme in ABO disease and in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria suggests that a similar extracorpuscular mechanism could be involved in both conditions. The demonstration of an enzymatic abnormality in erythrocytes associated with an immune hemolytic anemia may yield a model system for further study of cellular reactions in immune diseases.
Vertical Dust Particle Chains - Mass and Charge Measurements

Summary form only given. Dusty plasmas have generated a large amount of interest since the discovery of ordered structure (crystal) formation in experimentally generated complex plasmas in 1994. Dust particles within the plasma sheath generated in these complex plasmas can form vertical chains due to the streaming ion wakefield. For the simplest of these configurations (a two-particle chain), the particle closest to the lower electrode will always remain in the shadow of the particle farthest from the lower electrode. This results in the two particles feeling differing ion drag forces: the top particle is acted on by an ion drag force directed from the plasma to the lower electrode, while the bottom particle is instead acted upon by the resulting 'wakefield' produced by the interaction of the upper particle with the ion drag force. This dynamic situation currently provides the best known experimental environment for examining the physics behind the ion drag force and should lead to a better understanding of its interaction with the plasma sheath. An experimental method for investigating the interaction between such pair-particle chains based on modulating the bias on the lower electrode employing a DC bias modulation technique is presented.
Bistatic Radar Cross Sections of Horizontally Oriented Chaff

Bistatic radar cross sections are determined for scattering from a cloud of randomly positioned resonant dipoles (chaff). Dipoles are assumed to be horizontally oriented with axes randomly oriented in the horizontal plane. The cloud is arbitrarily located relative to an illuminating source having an arbitrary (elliptical) polarization. Cloud cross section is found for an arbitrarily located receiver that views the cloud with an antenna of arbitrary polarization. Cross section applicable to the receiver's orthogonal polarization is also found.
SYMMETRIES OF DEGENERATE CENTER SINGULARITIES OF PLANE VECTOR FIELDS

Let $ {D^2} \subset {\mathbb{R}^2} $ be a closed unit 2-disk centered at the origin $ O \subset {\mathbb{R}^2} $ and let F be a smooth vector field such that O is the unique singular point of F, and all other orbits of F are simple closed curves wrapping once around O: Thus, topologically, O is a “center” singularity. Let $ {\mathcal{D}^{+} }(F) $ be the group of all diffeomorphisms of D 2 that preserve the orientation and orbits of F. Recently, the author described the homotopy type of $ {\mathcal{D}^{+} }(F) $ under the assumption that the 1-jet j 1 F(O) of F at O is nondegenerate. In this paper, the degenerate case j 1 F(O) is considered. Under additional “nondegeneracy assumptions” on F, the path components of $ {\mathcal{D}^{+} }(F) $ with respect to distinct weak topologies are described. These conditions imply that, for each $ h \in {\mathcal{D}^{+} }(F) $ , its path component in $ {\mathcal{D}^{+} }(F) $ is uniquely determined by the 1-jet of h at O.
How Can Decision Making Be Improved

The optimal moment to address the question of how to improve human decision making has arrived. Thanks to 50 years of research by judgment and decision-making scholars, psychologists have developed a detailed picture of the ways in which human judgment is bounded. This article argues that the time has come to focus attention on the search for strategies that will improve bounded judgment because decision-making errors are costly and are growing more costly, decision makers are receptive, and academic insights are sure to follow from research on improvement. In addition to calling for research on improvement strategies, this article organizes the existing literature pertaining to improvement strategies and highlights promising directions for future research.
More on the connection between planar field theory and string theory

We continue work on the connection between world sheet representation of the planar ϕ3 field theory and string formation. The present article, like the earlier work, is based on the existence of a solitonic solution on the world sheet, and on the zero mode fluctuations around this solution. The main advance made in this paper is the removal of the cutoff and the transition to the continuum limit on the world sheet. The result is an action for the modes whose energies remain finite in this limit (light modes). The expansion of this action about a dense background of graphs on the world sheet leads to the formation of a string.
Eliminating definitions and Skolem functions in first-order logic

From proofs in any classical first-order theory that proves the existence of at least two elements, one can eliminate definitions in polynomial time. From proofs in any classical first-order theory strong enough to code finite functions, including sequential theories, one can also eliminate Skolem functions in polynomial time.
Beam impedance of ferrite kicker magnets

The longitudinal beam impedance of a typical pulsed magnet that will be used in the Advanced Light Source was measured. The magnets are of a ferrite window-frame design with a single plate conductor on each side. Two separate power supplies are used to derive current in opposite directions in the two conductors. The continuity of the ferrite yoke is interrupted by two copper plates 1 mm thick in the center of the top and bottom of the window frame. This increases the reluctance of the magnetic path, and thus decreases the flux which couples the beam. The measurements were made by exciting a 1/8-in. rod along the beam path through the magnet. This makes a 185- Omega transmission line, and it was terminated in a resistive divider at the exist end. A 3-GHz network and analyzer was used to measure S/sub 21/ through the magnet, and longitudinal beam impedance was calculated from these data. The impedance is dominated by two low-frequency resonances in the magnet winding and drive circuit. >
Compatible quantum theory.

Formulations of quantum mechanics (QM) can be characterized as realistic, operationalist, or a combination of the two. In this paper a realistic theory is defined as describing a closed system entirely by means of entities and concepts pertaining to the system. An operationalist theory, on the other hand, requires in addition entities external to the system. A realistic formulation comprises an ontology, the set of (mathematical) entities that describe the system, and assertions, the set of correct statements (predictions) the theory makes about the objects in the ontology. Classical mechanics is the prime example of a realistic physical theory. A straightforward generalization of classical mechanics to QM is hampered by the inconsistency of quantum properties with classical logic, a circumstance that was noted many years ago by Birkhoff and von Neumann. The present realistic formulation of the histories approach originally introduced by Griffiths, which we call 'compatible quantum theory (CQT)', consists of a 'microscopic' part (MIQM), which applies to a closed quantum system of any size, and a 'macroscopic' part (MAQM), which requires the participation of a large (ideally, an infinite) system. The first (MIQM) can be fully formulated based solely on the assumption of a Hilbert space ontology and the noncontextuality of probability values, relying in an essential way on Gleason's theorem and on an application to dynamics due in large part to Nistico. Thus, the present formulation, in contrast to earlier ones, derives the Born probability formulas and the consistency (decoherence) conditions for frameworks. The microscopic theory does not, however, possess a unique corpus of assertions, but rather a multiplicity of contextual truths ('c-truths'), each one associated with a different framework. This circumstance leads us to consider the microscopic theory to be physically indeterminate and therefore incomplete, though logically coherent. The completion of the theory requires a macroscopic mechanism for selecting a physical framework, which is part of the macroscopic theory (MAQM). The selection of a physical framework involves the breaking of the microscopic 'framework symmetry', which can proceed either phenomenologically as in the standard quantum measurement theory, or more fundamentally by considering the quantum system under study to be a subsystem of a macroscopic quantum system. The decoherent histories formulation of Gell-Mann and Hartle, as well as that of Omnes, are theories of this fundamental type, where the physical framework is selected by a coarse-graining procedure in which the physical phenomenon of decoherence plays an essential role. Various well-known interpretations of QM are described from the perspective of CQT. Detailed definitions and proofs are presented in the appendices.
NOTES ON OPTIMAL DEBT MANAGEMENT

(1999). Notes on Optimal Debt Management. Journal of Applied Economics: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 281-289.
In-situ Fluid Experiments in Carbon Nanotubes

Closed-end multi-wall carbon nanotubes, which contain an encapsulated aqueous multi-phase fluidunder high pressure, have been produced by hydrothermal synthesis. These nanotubes are leak-tight by virtue of holding the fluid at the high vacuum of a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and can be used as a testplatform for unique in-situ nanofluidic experiments in TEM. They form an experimental apparatus, which is at least two orders of magnitude smaller than the smallest capillaries used in fluidic experiments so far. Excellent wettability of the carbon tube walls by the liquid and a dynamic behavior similar to that in micro-capillaries demonstrates the possibility of use of nanoscale (<100 nm) tubes in nanofluidic devices.However, complex interface behavior that can potentially create hurdles to fluid transport is also demonstratedherein.
Disposable tethers in type 2 intramolecular diels-alder cycloaddition reactions. Applications in stereochemical control

Abstract Temporary union of diene and dienophile in the type 2 intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition provides a general strategy for controlling both regio- and stereochemistry of the cycloaddition.
Derived Categories and Stacks in Physics

We review how both derived categories and stacks enter physics. The physical realization of each has many formal similarities. For example, in both the cases, equivalences are realized via renormalization group flow: in the case of derived categories, (boundary) renormalization group flow realizes the mathematical procedure of localization on quasi-isomorphisms and, in the case of stacks, worldsheet renormalization group flow realizes presentation-independence. For both, we outline current technical issues and applications.
Low-noise MEMS vibration sensor for geophysical applications

The need exists for high-sensitivity, low-noise vibration sensors for various applications, such as geophysical data collection, tracking vehicles, intrusion detectors, and underwater pressure gradient detection. In general, these sensors differ from classical accelerometers in that they require no direct current response, but must have a very low noise floor over a required bandwidth. Theory indicates a capacitive micromachined silicon vibration sensor can have a noise floor on the order of 100 ng//spl radic/Hz over 1 kHz bandwidth, while reducing size and weight tenfold compared to existing magnetic geophones. With early prototypes, we have demonstrated Brownian-limited noise floor at 1.0 /spl mu/g/Hz, orders of magnitude more sensitive than surface micromachined devices such as the industry standard ADXL05.
Discovery of newly formed broad absorption lines in a radio-loud quasar

We report a serendipitous discovery of broad absorption lines that were newly formed in the spectrum of the high-redshift, luminous radio-loud quasar TEX 1726+344, in a time interval of only 12 yr. This is the first quasar showing a transition from narrow absorption lines to broad absorption lines. It also becomes one of the few radio-loud broad absorption line quasars. The gas cloud responsible for these broad absorption lines is derived to have parameters coinciding with those of the remnant of a tidally disrupted star.
Taking gender differences in bargaining power seriously: Equity, labor standards, and living wages.

Expanding women’s outside options, including paid work at living wages, is a mechanism for improving their well-being. But in developing countries, the dual phenomenon of women’s segregation in export industries and increased firm mobility constrain women’s ability to improve their wages, work conditions, and to bargain for more secure jobs. Efforts to bargain for higher compensation can lead to employment losses, if firms relocate to lower wage sites. These structural factors, rather than gender gaps in education, are largely responsible for persistent wage inequality. The World Bank views trade and market liberalization as unambiguously beneficial mechanisms to improve women’s relative status, but this view must be questioned in light of the structural conditions faced in labor markets. Since outside income has been shown to improve gender equity, what can be done to raise women's relative wages and improve labor standards while avoiding negative effects on output and employment? This paper seeks to answer that question, and considers the macro level policies that might be pursued in order to overcome structural impediments to gender wage equity.
Exactly controlling the non-supercompact strongly compact cardinals

We summarize the known methods of producing a non-supercompact strongly compact cardinal and describe some new variants. Our Main Theorem shows how to apply these methods to many cardinals simultaneously and exactly control which cardinals are supercompact and which are only strongly compact in a forcing extension. Depending upon the method, the surviving non-supercompact strongly compact cardinals can be strong cardinals, have trivial Mitchell rank or even contain a club disjoint from the set of measurable cardinals. These results improve and unify Theorems 1 and 2 of [5], due to the first author.
The Steinberg group of a monoid ring, nilpotence, and algorithms

For a regular ring R and an affine monoid M the homotheties of M act nilpotently on the Milnor unstable groups of R[M]. This strengthens the K2 part of the main result of [J. Gubeladze, The nilpotence conjecture in K-theory of toric varieties, Invent. Math. 160 (2005) 173–216] in two ways: the coefficient field of characteristic 0 is extended to any regular ring and the stable K2-group is substituted by the unstable ones. The proof is based on a polyhedral/combinatorial technique, computations in Steinberg groups, and a substantially corrected version of an old result on elementary matrices by Mushkudiani [Z. Mushkudiani, K2-groups of monoid algebras over regular rings, Proc. A. Razmadze Math. Inst. 113 (1995) 120–137]. A similar stronger nilpotence result for K1 and algorithmic consequences for factorization of high Frobenius powers of invertible matrices are also derived.
Pricing Diagnostic Information

Diagnostic information allows an agent to predict the state of nature about the success of an investment project better than the prior. We analyze the optimal pricing scheme for selling diagnostic information to buyers with different, privately known, ex ante success probability. Investment costs and returns of successful projects are assumed to be the same for all buyers. The value of diagnostic information is the difference in expected payoffs with and without it, and we show that the willingness to pay for diagnostic information is nonmonotonic in the ex ante success probability. When the information seller can offer only one quality level, and negative payments are not allowed, we find that the optimal menu of (linear) contracts is remarkably simple. A pure royalty is offered to buyers with low ex ante success probability, and a pure fixed fee is offered to buyers with high ex ante success probability.
Estimation of Receiver Aircraft States and Wind Vectors in Aerial Refueling

A square root unscented Kalman filter is used to estimate the states of a receiver aircraft and the components of the wind the aircraft is exposed to as it flies behind the tanker aircraft. The wind is the superposition of time-varying prevailing wind, turbulence, and the tanker’s wake-induced wind. The system update of the estimator uses the nonlinear aircraft model, augmented by a nonlinear wind model, obtained from the translational dynamics of the aircraft. The aircraft state estimates are successfully used in controlling the position of the receiver aircraft relative to the tanker flying straight level and making turns. Although the performance of the estimation and control is very dependent on the covariance and correlation time constants of the sensor measurement errors, the estimated state feedback performs better than measured state feedback with higher levels of measurement noise and turbulence intensity.
Matrices related to Dirichlet series

We attach a certain n×n matrix An to the Dirichlet series L(s)=∑k=1∞akk−s. We study the determinant, characteristic polynomial, eigenvalues, and eigenvectors of these matrices. The determinant of An can be understood as a weighted sum of the first n coefficients of the Dirichlet series L(s)−1. We give an interpretation of the partial sum of a Dirichlet series as a product of eigenvalues. In a special case, the determinant of An is the sum of the Mobius function. We disprove a conjecture of Barrett and Jarvis regarding the eigenvalues of An.
Cellular strain assessment tool (CSAT): Precision-controlled cyclic uniaxial tensile loading

The development of a multi-sample strain device and elastomeric culture wells designed to systematically assess strain effects on cell cultures is presented in this report. This device enables one to precisely conduct experimental analyses in sterile conditions while delivering cyclic uniaxial tensile strain. The input to the computer interface allows one to alter variables of frequency, duration, and amplitude of strain. The influence of strain on the migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) cultured on 2D polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces was examined to verify the utility of this system.
Banning front-of-package food labels: First Amendment constraints on public health policy

In recent months, the FDA has begun a crackdown on misleading nutrition and health claims on the front of food packages by issuing warning letters to manufacturers and promising to develop stricter regulatory standards. Leading nutrition policy experts Marion Nestle and David Ludwig have called for an even tougher approach: a ban on all nutrition and health claims on the front of food packages. Nestle and Ludwig argue that most of these claims are scientifically unsound and misleading to consumers and that eliminating them would ‘aid educational efforts to encourage the public to eat whole or minimally processed foods and to read the ingredients list on processed foods’. Nestle and Ludwig are right to raise concerns about consumer protection and public health when it comes to front-of-package food labels, but an outright ban on front-of-package nutrition and health claims would violate the First Amendment. As nutrition policy experts develop efforts to regulate front-of-package nutrition and health claims, they should be mindful of First Amendment constraints on government regulation of commercial speech.
Systematics of RR Lyrae Statistical Parallax. III. Apparent Magnitudes and Extinctions

We sing the praises of the central limit theorem. Having previously removed all other possible causes of significant systematic error in the statistical-parallax determination of RR Lyrae absolute magnitudes, we investigate systematic errors from two final sources of input data: apparent magnitudes and extinctions. We find corrections due to each of about 0.05 mag, i.e., about half the statistical error. However, these are of opposite sign and so approximately cancel out. The apparent-magnitude system that we previously adopted from Layden et al. was calibrated to the photoelectric photometry of Clube & Dawe. Using Hipparcos photometry and archival modern ground-based photometry, we show that the Clube & Dawe system is about 0.06 mag too bright. Extinctions were previously based on the map of Burstein & Heiles, which was constructed from H I maps. We argue that extinctions should rather be estimated using the new map of Schlegel, Finkbeiner, & Davis based on COBE and IRAS measurements of dust emission. This substitution increases the mean estimated extinction by about 0.05 mag, primarily because of a difference in the zero point of the two maps. Our final estimate for the absolute magnitude is MV = 0.77 ± 0.13 at [Fe/H] = -1.60 for a pure sample of 147 halo RR Lyrae stars, or MV = 0.80 ± 0.11 at [Fe/H] = -1.71 if we incorporate kinematic information from 716 nonkinematically selected non-RR Lyrae stars from Beers & Sommer-Larsen. These are 2 and 3 σ fainter than recent determinations of MV based on main-sequence fitting of clusters using Hipparcos measurements of subdwarfs by Reid and Gratton et al. Since statistical parallax is being cleared of systematic errors and since the probability of a more than 2 σ statistical fluctuation is less than 1/20, we conclude that these brighter determinations may be in error. In the course of these three papers, we have corrected six systematic errors whose absolute values total 0.20 mag. Had these, contrary to the expectation of the central limit theorem, all lined up one way, they could have resolved the conflict in favor of the brighter determinations. In fact, the net change was only 0.06 mag.
Recovery guarantees for exemplar-based clustering

For a certain class of distributions, we prove that the linear programming relaxation of k-medoids clustering - a variant of k-means clustering where means are replaced by exemplars from within the dataset - distinguishes points drawn from nonoverlapping balls with high probability once the number of points drawn and the separation distance between any two balls are sufficiently large. Our results hold in the nontrivial regime where the separation distance is small enough that points drawn from different balls may be closer to each other than points drawn from the same ball; in this case, clustering by thresholding pairwise distances between points can fail. We also exhibit numerical evidence of high-probability recovery in a substantially more permissive regime.
A Survey of the Differential Geometry of Discrete Curves

D iscretization of curves is an ancient topic. Even discretization of curves with an eye toward differential geometry is more than a century old. However, there is no general theory or methodology in the literature, despite the ubiquitous use of discrete curves in mathematics and science. There are conflicting definitions of even basic concepts such as discrete curvature j, discrete torsion s, or discrete Frenet frame. Consider, for example, j, the ‘‘discrete curvature’’ of an angle h. We will show in the first section which follows that there are three equally worthy definitions of j, to which one is led by considering the problem of approximating a regular N -gon with sides of length ‘ by a circle:
Molecular switches controlled by light

The photochemical processes of singlet–singlet energy transfer and photoinduced electron transfer are important not only in natural and artificial photosynthetic energy conversion, but also in a variety of other scientific and technological applications. Controlling these functions at the molecular level using outside stimuli is an interesting scientific challenge. Photochromes, organic molecules that are isomerized by light between two stable forms, can be covalently linked to other chromophores, and changes in their properties resulting from photoisomerization used to switch electron and energy transfer on or off. Simple single- and double-throw molecular switches have been constructed, as well as Boolean logic gates. Such molecules are potentially useful in light-controlled molecular data processing and storage applications.
Biosynthesis of hydroxydiphenylacetylene by regiospecific monooxygenation

Bacterial monooxygenase enzymes catalyze a regiospecific single-step hydroxylation of diphenylacetylene to yield meta- and para-hydroxydiphenylacetylene.
Improved Angular Observations in Geosynchronous Orbit Determination

How improved angular observations can aid in the determination of satelliteposition and velocity in thegeosynchronous orbit regime is studied. Raven, a new, automated, low-cost sensor being tested by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, allows for angularobservationsof satellitesto be madewith a standard deviation ofapproximately 1 arc-s (which maps into approximately 170 m at geosynchronous altitude ); this is an order of magnitude improvement over traditional angular observation techniques. Simulation studies are undertaken to show how these angular observations can be used in the orbit determination process both as the only tracking data source and as a supplement to other tracking data sources, such as radio transponder ranges. Parameters varied in the simulation studiesincludethenumberofobservingstations,thedensity oftheopticalobservations,and thenumber of nights of optical tracking. The studies indicate that including the improved angular observations with traditional high-accuracy range observations produces a considerable improvement in orbit determination accuracy over the range observations alone. The studies also indicate that single site geosynchronous orbit determination is an attractive alternative when combining improved angular and high-accuracy range observations.
The Use of Technology in the Delivery of Instruction: Implications for Accounting Educators and Education Researchers

The twofold purpose of this paper is to offer recommendations to accounting educators regarding educational technology (ET) delivery modes, and to stimulate accounting education research efforts in the area of ET. Drawing from behavioral and cognitive theory, as well as educational research on the impact of technology on learning, this paper reports and discusses the current state of research in ET. Next, ET research and accounting technology research are reviewed and classified into five types: (1) evaluation research, (2) media‐comparison studies, (3) intra‐medium studies, (4) aptitude‐treatment interaction studies, and (5) alternative research designs. We provide practical guidelines to accounting educators and theory‐based suggestions to accounting education researchers with regard to ET and its potential impact on student learning. Finally, we offer some directions for future accounting ET research.
Do social benefits respond to crises? Evidence from Europe and Central Asia during the global crisis

Social benefits can potentially play an important role in protecting the poor and minimizing the impacts of an economic crisis. While many studies estimate the impacts of a crisis, there is little evidence of the actual response of social safety nets to systematic shocks. This study traces the response of social benefits during the 2008-10 global crisis for 14 countries in Europe and Central Asia (ECA). The study first sets out a framework for defining the 'expected' response of social benefits covering an assessment of pre-crisis preparedness of social benefits and the severity of the crisis for all countries in the ECA region to provide the context; and then develops a typology of all countries categorized by expected response. Using this typology the study analyzes the monthly administrative data on the observed patterns within social benefit programs. Main findings indicate that actual responses were largely in line with expectations. Pre-crisis preparedness clearly influenced the ability of social benefits to respond to the crisis. Unemployment benefits were generally the first line of response in countries that have them, while social assistance programs also expanded coverage during the crisis. Lessons learned from the 2008?2010 global crisis (such as the importance of structural reform, design, and implementation which affect the success of social benefits programs in crisis response) are also presented. The study concludes with some policy recommendations to help ECA countries prepare for future crises.
A novel, one-step method for the conversion of primary alcohols into carbamate-protected amines

A novel process for the one-step conversion of primary alcohols into carbamate-protected amines has been developed using a modified Burgess reagent. Although this letter mainly focuses on the conversion of alcohols into the corresponding Cbz-protected amines, the potential for extending this process to a wide range of carbamates has also been demonstrated. A detailed catalytic cycle has been proposed. While exploring the scope of this new reagent, an N-aryl piperidine to an N-aryl pyrrolidine rearrangement has been observed and rationalized.