cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A multi-agent prediction market based on partially observable stochastic game

We present a novel, game theoretic representation called POSGI (partially observable stochastic game with information) for distributed information aggregation using a multi-agent based prediction market model. We then describe a correlated equilibrium (CE)-based solution strategy for this game which enables each agent to dynamically calculate the prices at which it should trade a security in the prediction market. We have extended our results to risk averse traders and shown that a Pareto optimal correlated equilibrium strategy can be used to incentively truthful revelations from risk averse agents. Simulation results comparing our CE strategy with five other strategies commonly used in similar markets, with both risk neutral and risk averse agents, show that the CE strategy improves price predictions and provides higher utilities to the agents as compared to other existing strategies.
Trade integration in East Asia : the Role of China and production networks

Production networks have been at the heart of the recent growth in trade among East Asian countries. Fragmentation trade, reflected mainly in the trade in parts and components, is expanding more rapidly than the conventional trade in final goods. This is mainly due to the relatively more favorable policy setting for international production, agglomeration benefits arising from the early entry into this new form of specialization, considerable intercountry wage differentials in the region, lower trade and transport costs, and specialization in products exhibiting increasing returns to scale. The economic integration of China has deepened production fragmentation in East Asia, countering fears of crowding out other countries for international specialization. International production fragmentation in East Asia has intensified intraregional trade but has depended heavily on extraregional trade in final goods. While production networks centered on China have contributed significantly to growth in East Asia, they also breed vulnerabilities. They have not automatically led to technology spillovers and have led to an extreme interdependence across East Asian countries.
Architectural Implications of Nanoscale-Integrated Sensing and Computing

The authors explore nanoscale sensor processor (nSP) architectures. Their design includes a simple accumulator-based instruction-set architecture, sensors, limited memory, and instruction-fused sensing. Using nSP technology based on optical resonance energy transfer logic helps them decrease the design's size; their smallest design is about the size of the largest-known virus.
Measurement of a Scientific Workload using the IBM Hardware Performance Monitor

This paper presents data on the performance of the NAS SP2 IBM system using RS6000 hardware monitors and a performance measurement tool. The data collected showed that the SP2 averages about 1.3 Gflops, about 3% of peak. The report provides the relative usage for the various hardware units over the entire workload measured over a 9-month period. The workload displays moderate parallelism, with the most popular choice of nodes as 16. Although the monitor data provide a good snapshot of workload performance, causal correlations regarding key performance indicators appear difficult to draw from the current data due to the absence of I/O delay measurements.
Inferring visibility: who's (not) talking to whom?

Consider this simple question: how can a network operator identify the set of routes that pass through its network? Answering this question is surprisingly hard: BGP only informs an operator about a limited set of routes. By observing traffic, an operator can only conclude that a particular route passes through its network -- but not that a route does not pass through its network. We approach this problem as one of statistical inference, bringing varying levels of additional information to bear: (1) the existence of traffic, and (2) the limited set of publicly available routing tables. We show that the difficulty depends critically on the position of the network in the overall Internet topology, and that the operators with the greatest incentive to solve this problem are those for which the problem is hardest. Nonetheless, we show that suitable application of nonparametric inference techniques can solve this problem quite accurately. For certain networks, traffic existence information yields good accuracy, while for other networks an accurate approach uses the "distance" between prefixes, according to a new network distance metric that we define. We then show how solving this problem leads to improved solutions for a particular application: traffic matrix completion.
LAGEOS orbit decay due to infrared radiation from Earth

Infrared radiation from the earth may be the principal reason for the decay of Lageos' orbit. The radiation heats up the laser retroreflectors embedded in Lageos' aluminum surface. This creates a north-south temperature gradient on the satellite. The gradient in turn causes a force to be exerted on Lageos because of recoil from photons leaving its surface. The delayed heating of the retroreflectors due to their thermal inertia gives the force a net along-track component which always acts like drag. A simple thermal model for the retroreflectors indicates that this thermal drag accounts for about half the observed average along-track acceleration of -3.3 x 10 to the -10th power m/sec squared. The contribution from the aluminum surface to this effect is negligible. The infrared effect cannot explain the large observed fluctuations in drag which occur mainly when the orbit intersects the earth's shadow.
Rare B meson decays at the Tevatron

Rare B meson decays are an excellent probe for beyond the Standard Model physics. Two very sensitive processes are the B{sub s,d}{sup 0} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -} and b {yields} s{mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -} decays. We report recent results at a center of mass energy of {radical}s = 1.96 TeV from the CDF II and D0 collaborations using between 3.7 fb{sup -1} and 6.9 fb{sup -1} taken during Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron Collider.
Sub-Riemannian calculus on hypersurfaces in Carnot groups

We develop a sub-Riemannian calculus for hypersurfaces in graded nilpotent Lie groups. We introduce an appropriate geometric framework, such as horizontal Levi-Civita connection, second fundamental form, and horizontal Laplace–Beltrami operator. We analyze the relevant minimal surfaces and prove some basic integration by parts formulas. Using the latter we establish general first and second variation formulas for the horizontal perimeter in the Heisenberg group. Such formulas play a fundamental role in the sub-Riemannian Bernstein problem.
A review of Axion Inflation in the era of Planck

Because the inationary mechanism is extremely sensitive to UV-physics, the construction of theoretically robust models of ination provides a unique window on Planck-scale physics. We review eorts to use an axion with a shift symmetry to ensure a prolonged slow-roll background evolution. The symmetry dictates which operators are allowed, and these in turn determine the observational predictions of this class of models, which include observable gravitational waves (potentially chiral), oscillations in all primordial correlators, specic deviations from scale invariance and Gaussianity and primordial black holes. We discuss the constraints on this class of models in light of the recent Planck results and comment on future perspectives. The shift symmetry is very useful in models of large-eld ination, which typically have monomial potentials, but it cannot explain why two or more terms in the potential are ne-tuned against each other, as needed for typical models of small-eld ination.
Product Substitutability and Productivity Dispersion

Tremendous differences in producer productivity levels exist, even within narrowly defined industries. This paper explores the influence of product substitutability in an industry on this disparity. When consumers can easily switch between producers, inefficient (high-cost) producers cannot operate profitably. Thus high-substitutability industries should exhibit less productivity dispersion and have higher average productivity levels. I demonstrate this mechanism in a simple industry equilibrium model and test it empirically using producer-level data from 443 U.S. manufacturing industries. I find evidence that substitutability measured in several ways'is indeed negatively related to within-industry productivity dispersion and positively related to median productivity.
Sub-national Differentiation and the Role of the Firm in Optimal International Pricing

Abstract We illuminate the relationship between optimal firm pricing and optimal trade policy by exploring a generalized model that accommodates product differentiation at both the national and sub-national (firm) levels. We assume monopolistic competition in the differentiated products at the sub-national level. When the national and sub-national substitution elasticities are similar we find little opportunity for small countries to improve their terms of trade through trade distortions, because firms play an important preemptive role in optimally pricing unique varieties. We contrast this with standard applications of perfect-competition Armington models, which exhibit high optimal tariffs—even for relatively small countries.
THE 2MASS WIDE-FIELD T DWARF SEARCH. II. DISCOVERY OF THREE T DWARFS IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

We present the discovery of three new southern hemisphere T dwarfs identified in the Two Micron All Sky Survey. These objects, 2MASS 0348-6022, 2MASS 0516-0445, and 2MASS 2228-4310, have classifications T7, T5.5, and T6.5, respectively. Using linear absolute magnitude/spectral type relations derived from T dwarfs with measured parallaxes, we estimate spectrophotometric distances for these discoveries; the closest, 2MASS 0348-6022, is likely within 10 pc of the Sun. Proper motions and estimated tangential velocities are consistent with membership in the Galactic disk population. We also list southern hemisphere T dwarf candidates that were either not found in subsequent near-infrared imaging observations and are most likely uncataloged minor planets, or have near-infrared spectra consistent with background stars.
An anionic condensation and fragmentation approach to substituted 3-pyrrolines

We have identified an anionic condensation and fragmentation sequence from the coupling of 7-azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptenones with aldehydes. This reaction leads to the stereoselective formation of disubstituted 3-pyrrolines as are present in a wide array of bioactive molecules.
Development of an enantiodivergent strategy for the total synthesis of (+)- and (-)-dragmacidin f from a single enantiomer of quinic Acid.

An enantiodivergent strategy for the total chemical synthesis of both (+)- and (−)-dragmacidin F beginning from a single enantiomer of quinic acid has been developed and successfully implemented. Although unique, the synthetic routes to these antipodes share a number of key features, including novel reductive isomerization reactions, Pd(II)-mediated oxidative carbocyclization reactions, halogen-selective Suzuki couplings, and high-yielding late-stage Neber rearrangements.
Separability of drag and thrust in undulatory animals and machines

For nearly a century, researchers have tried to understand the swimming of aquatic animals in terms of a balance between the forward thrust from swimming movements and drag on the body. Prior approaches have failed to provide a separation of these two forces for undulatory swimmers such as lamprey and eels, where most parts of the body are simultaneously generating drag and thrust. We nonetheless show that this separation is possible, and delineate its fundamental basis in undulatory swimmers. Our approach unifies a vast diversity of undulatory aquatic animals (anguilliform, sub-carangiform, gymnotiform, bal-istiform, rajiform) and provides design principles for highly agile bioinspired underwater vehicles. This approach has practical utility within biology as well as engineering. It is a predictive tool for use in understanding the role of the mechanics of movement in the evolutionary emergence of morphological features relating to locomotion. For example, we demonstrate that the drag-thrust separation framework helps to predict the observed height of the ribbon fin of electric knifefish, a diverse group of neotropical fish which are an important model system in sensory neurobiology. We also show how drag-thrust separation leads to models that can predict the swimming velocity of an organism or a robotic vehicle.
Adaptive vibration isolation for axially moving beams

Manufacture and use of metal bands, sheets, and cables often requires high-speed axial transport of the material. Disturbance forces can cause vibration to propagate through the process due to the bending stiffness coupling between adjacent roller-supported spans. This paper introduces an active pivoting roller that adaptively decouples adjacent spans, thereby isolating a controlled span from bounded disturbances in an adjacent span. The system includes a partial differential equation for the two spans and an ordinary differential equation for the actuator. Exact model knowledge and adaptive isolation controllers, based on Lyapunov theory, regulate the controlled span from bounded disturbances in the adjacent, uncontrolled span. Assuming distributed damping in the uncontrolled span, the exact model knowledge and adaptive controllers exponentially and asymptotically drive the controlled span displacement to zero, respectively, while ensuring bounded uncontrolled span displacement and control force. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.
Firm Size, Innovation Dynamics and Growth

Third, I structurally estimate the theoretical model parameters using Simulated Method of Moments on Compustat firms. Finally, I use these estimated parameters to conduct a macro policy experiment to evaluate the e¤ects of a size-dependent R&D subsidy on different sized firms. In conclusion of this analysis, the optimal size-dependent R&D subsidy policy does considerably better than optimal uniform (size-independent) policy. More interestingly, the optimal (welfare-maximizing) policy provides higher subsidies to smaller firms.
Marriage Institutions and Sibling Competition: Evidence from South Asia*

Using data from South Asia this article examines how arranged marriage cultivates rivalry among sisters. During marriage search parents with multiple daughters reduce the reservation quality for an older daughters groom rushing her marriage to allow sufficient time to marry off her younger sisters. Relative to younger brothers younger sisters increase a girls marriage risk; relative to younger singleton sisters younger twin sisters have the same effect. These effects intensify in marriage markets with lower sex ratios or greater parental involvement in marriage arrangements. In contrast older sisters delay a girls marriage. Because girls leave school when they marry and face limited earning opportunities when they reach adulthood the number of sisters has well-being consequences over the life cycle. Younger sisters cause earlier school-leaving lower literacy a match to a husband with less education and a less skilled occupation and (marginally) lower adult economic status. Data from a broader set of countries indicate that these cross-sister pressures on marriage age are common throughout the developing world although the schooling costs vary by setting.
Equilibrium consumption and precautionary savings in a stochastically growing economy

Abstract The derivation of a closed-form solution for consumption based on the constant elasticity utility function in the presence of stochastic labor income has proved to be intractable. This paper derives a closed-form equilibrium relationship between consumption and wealth, one that holds along a balanced growth path in a stochastic Romer endogenous growth model. By employing more general recursive preferences, we can disentangle the coefficient of relative risk aversion from the intertemporal elasticity of substitution. The effects of key structural parameters on equilibrium consumption and its tradeoff with leisure are analyzed. A significant aspect of our analysis concerns the extent to which current risk in the economy is shared between labor and capital. This plays an important role in determining the impact of risk on the economy in general, and on consumption in particular. Formal analysis is supplemented with extensive numerical simulations.
Non-Noetherian Cohen-Macaulay rings

In this paper we investigate a property for commutative rings with identity which is possessed by every coherent regular ring and is equivalent to Cohen–Macaulay for Noetherian rings. We study the behavior of this property in the context of ring extensions (of various types) and rings of invariants.
History Matching of the PUNQ-S3 Reservoir Model Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter

The problem of reservoir characterization through automatic history matching has been extensively studied in recent years. Efficient applications have, however, required either an adjoint or a gradient simulator method to compute the gradient of the objective function or a sensitivity coefficient matrix for the minimization. Both computations are expensive when the number of model parameters or the number of observation data is large. The codes for gradient-based history matching methods are also complex and time-consuming to write. This paper reports the use of the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) for automatic history matching. EnKF is a Monte Carlo method, in which an ensemble of reservoir models is used. The correlation between reservoir response (e.g. watercut and rate) and reservoir variables (e.g. permeability and porosity) can be estimated from the ensemble. An estimate of uncertainty in future reservoir performance can also be obtained from the ensemble. The methodology of EnKF consists of a forecast step and an assimilation step. A finite-difference, 3-D, 3-phase black-oil reservoir simulator is used for stepping forward the reservoir states. However, unlike the traditional history matching, the source code of the reservoir simulator is not required, which allows this method to be used with any reservoir simulator. Moreover, this forward step is well suited for parallel computation since the time evolution of ensemble reservoir models are independent, hence the ensemble of reservoir models can be advanced in time simultaneously using multiple processors. Only the data assimilation step, i.e. the computation of Kalman filter, requires communication between processors.
Consonant-Final Loanwords and Epenthetic Vowels in Italian

The quality of an epenthetic vowel in a particular language may vary depending on segmental and prosodic factors, such as the quality of the surrounding consonants, the quality of other vowels in the word, and the position of the epenthetic vowel within the word. This last factor has received little attention in the literature. I have identified a number of cases in Italian in which the quality of the inserted vowel is determined by its position within the word. Through an in-depth study of loan word integration we see that the choice of the inserted vowel is influenced not only by phonology, but by phonetics and morphology as well.
The color of night: Surface color perception under dim illuminations.

Several studies document rudimentary color vision under dim illumination. Here, hue perceptions of paper color samples were determined for a wide range of light levels, including very low light levels where rods alone mediate vision. The appearances of 24 paper color samples from the OSA Uniform Color Scales were gauged under successively dimmer illuminations from 10–0.0003 Lux. Triads of samples were chosen representing each of eight basic color categories; red, pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and gray. Samples within each triad varied in lightness. Observers sorted samples into groups that they could categorize with specific color names. Above 0.32 Lux, observers sorted the samples into the originally chosen color groups with few exceptions. For 0.1–0.01 Lux, the red and orange samples were usually correctly identified as either red or orange. The remaining samples tended to be grouped into two categories, associated with the scotopic sample reflectance. The lowest reflectance samples were below threshold and were named black. The higher reflectance group was named predominately as green or blue-green ~three observers; the fourth observer used blue or achromatic!. At the three dimmest levels ~ 0.0032 Lux! there continued to be conspicuous color percepts. Color categories were reliably assigned based on relative sample scotopic lightness. Of the samples above threshold, those with lower reflectance were classified as red or orange ~all observers! and the higher reflectance samples as green or blue-green ~three observers! or achromatic or blue ~the fourth observer!. Rods and L-cones presumably mediated color percepts at the intermediate light levels used in the study. At the three lowest light levels there were distinct color appearances mediated exclusively by rods. We speculate that at these light levels the visual system estimates probable colors based on prior natural experience.
Rare earth – manganese perovskites

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the structure of manganese (Mn) perovskites. In manganese perovskites, the dominant interactions between the d -like orbitals at neighboring Mn atoms are the (180 ˚-Φ) Mn–O–Mn interactions. The single-valent perovskites and mixed-valent perovskites is briefly discussed in the chapter. The crossover from localized to itinerant electronic behavior is of first-order, and the consequent double-well potential for the equilibrium Mn–O bond length can be accommodated in the perovskite structure by cooperative oxygen displacements perpendicular and/or along a Mn–O–Mn bond axis. Cooperative bond-length fluctuations permit the coexistence of the competing phases, in what appears to a diffraction experiment to be a single phase. Where an external input stabilizes one competing phase relative to another, the bond-length fluctuations allow one phase to grow at the expense of another at lower temperatures. An appropriate choice of rare-earth and alkaline-earth A -site cations can change the physical properties dramatically and allow the design of materials with unusual physical properties that may prove technologically useful.
Performance analysis of scarfed nozzles

An analysis for predicting the performance of side-exhausting scarfed propulsive nozzles is presented. Nozzles of this type consist of a conventional axisymmetric nozzle followed by a scarfed conical extension. They are employed in situations where the exhaust jet must exit through the side of a missile. The flowfield model assumes that the flow within the nozzle is axisymmetric, and that the overall nozzle pressure ratio is high enough to preclude shock waves or flow separation at the nozzle exit. The flowfield is calculated by the method of characteristics. The oblique shock wave that emanates from the junction of the nozzle and the nozzle extension is fitted discretely and tracked through the flowfield. The forces and moments acting on the scarfed nozzle and the missile are determined. The results of an extensive parametric study are presented. Comparisons with experimental measurements are presented to verify the analysis.
Crack to heroin? Drug markets and transition

A number of supply and demand-side indicators provide support for heroin's 're-incubation' in an era of crack cocaine's decline. The present paper assesses the extent to which these and other trends converge with reports of heroin market participants operating on the streets of a large midwestern American city. Focal areas of investigation include quality, price and drug use conduct norms. Conceptualization centres on the short and long-term implications of heroin's reported resurgence on emergent street drug markets.
A Test of Two Competing Explanations for the Attraction-Enhancing Effects of Counselor Self-Disclosure

The authors tested two theoretical explanations for the attraction-enhancing effects of counselor self-disclosure: the similarity hypothesis and the social exchange hypothesis. A counseling analogue was constructed to discriminate between these two explanations by varying the valence (positive or negative) of the counselor's disclosure and its relevance (relevant or irrelevant) to the client's presenting problem. Dependent variables were perceptions of the counselor's attractiveness, empathy, and level of regard for the client. Results were mixed, supporting the social exchange explanation for empathy and the similarity explanation for level of regard.
Catalyst‐Controlled Chemoselective Arylation of 2‐Aminobenzimidazoles

The chemoselective and complementary Pd-and Cu-catalyzed N-arylation of 2-aminobenzimidazoles is described. Selective N-arylation of the amino-group was achieved with a Pd-catalyzed method, while selective N-arylation of azole nitrogen was achieved with a Cu-catalyzed procedure. The utility of these complementary sets of conditions is demonstrated in several two-step, selective syntheses of di-arylated aminoazoles.
Investigation of porphyrin-forming reactions. Part 4. Examination of the reaction course in syntheses of porphyrins via dipyrromethanecarbinols

The dipyrromethanecarbinol motif is a key component in rational routes to a wide variety of porphyrinic macrocycles. We have investigated the dipyrromethane-monocarbinol self-condensation and the dipyrromethane-dicarbinol + dipyrromethane condensation under four different acid-catalysis conditions and have characterized the oligomer composition (by LD-MS), yield of porphyrin (by UV–Vis), and yield of N-confused porphyrin (by HPLC). Under conditions giving “no-scrambling”, the condensations are rapid and afford an oligomer composition characterized by (1) absence of scrambling, (2) suppression of acidolysis, and (3) a disproportionate amount of long oligomers from which recovery does not occur. The irreversibility of the reaction and lack of recovery from the long oligomers may explain the lower yields of dipyrromethanecarbinol condensations (<30%) compared with reversible reactions of aldehyde + pyrrole (∼50%). Modest levels of acidolysis and scrambling with the dipyrromethanecarbinols are obtained under reaction conditions that cause extensive scrambling in dipyrromethane + aldehyde condensations. Because both reactions give the same porphyrinogen, the scrambling processes must primarily involve the dipyrromethane or oligomer intermediates rather than the porphyrinogen. The dipyrromethane-monocarbinol self-condensation and dipyrromethane-dicarbinol + dipyrromethane condensation afford quite similar oligomer compositions, suggesting that both follow similar pathways to the porphyrinogen. Reaction conditions that suppress scrambling in the dipyrromethanecarbinol condensations were found to dramatically suppress formation of the N-confused porphyrin. Taken together, these experiments show how the greater reactivity of the dipyrromethanecarbinol unit (compared with the pyrrole + aldehyde reaction) facilitates synthesis of meso-substituted porphyrins without scrambling.
A silver-catalyzed domino route toward 1,2-dihydroquinoline derivatives from simple anilines and alkynes.

A silver-catalyzed domino reaction of simple anilines and alkynes generates 1,2-dihydroquinoline derivatives efficiently.
Subjective and objective fit in religious congregations: Implications for well-being

For most religiously affiliated people, the context of the religious group is a central element of the religious experience, but it is also one that has been relatively neglected in the study of th...
On the role of diversity in sparsity estimation

A major challenge in sparsity pattern estimation is that small modes are difficult to detect in the presence of noise. This problem is alleviated if one can observe samples from multiple realizations of the nonzero values for the same sparsity pattern. We will refer to this as “diversity”. Diversity comes at a price, however, since each new realization adds new unknown nonzero values, thus increasing uncertainty. In this paper, upper and lower bounds on joint sparsity pattern estimation are derived. These bounds, which improve upon existing results even in the absence of diversity, illustrate key tradeoffs between the number of measurements, the accuracy of estimation, and the diversity. It is shown, for instance, that diversity introduces a tradeoff between the uncertainty in the noise and the uncertainty in the nonzero values. Moreover, it is shown that the optimal amount of diversity significantly improves the behavior of the estimation problem for both optimal and computationally efficient estimators.
Inferential Models: A Framework for Prior-Free Posterior Probabilistic Inference

Posterior probabilistic statistical inference without priors is an important but so far elusive goal. Fisher’s fiducial inference, Dempster–Shafer theory of belief functions, and Bayesian inference with default priors are attempts to achieve this goal but, to date, none has given a completely satisfactory picture. This article presents a new framework for probabilistic inference, based on inferential models (IMs), which not only provides data-dependent probabilistic measures of uncertainty about the unknown parameter, but also does so with an automatic long-run frequency-calibration property. The key to this new approach is the identification of an unobservable auxiliary variable associated with observable data and unknown parameter, and the prediction of this auxiliary variable with a random set before conditioning on data. Here we present a three-step IM construction, and prove a frequency-calibration property of the IM’s belief function under mild conditions. A corresponding optimality theory is develo...
Money demand in the West African economic and monetary union - the problems of aggregation

Regional monetary integration, financial liberalisation and the adoption of indirect policy instruments continue to change the conditions for monetary policy in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). While the identification of a stable money demand relationship has become a crucial element for monetary policy, differences in economic behaviour between Cote d'Ivoire and the remaining countries may induce instability at the aggregate level. This paper analyses the demand for money for the entire WAEMU, the six smaller member countries, and Cote d'Ivoire. A stable aggregate money demand function is identified and interpreted in light of the results for the sub-regional estimations. Copyright 1999 by Oxford University Press.
The nearly flat universe

We study here what it means for the Universe to be nearly flat, as opposed to exactly flat. We give three definitions of nearly flat, based on density, geometry and dynamics; all three definitions are equivalent and depend on a single constant flatness parameter ɛ that quantifies the notion of nearly flat. Observations can only place an upper limit on ɛ, and always allow the possibility that the Universe is infinite with k = −1 or finite with k = 1. We use current observational data to obtain a numerical upper limit on the flatness parameter and discuss its implications, in particular the “naturalness” of the nearly flat Universe.
Investigation of aerosol–cloud interactions using a chemical transport model constrained by satellite observations

This study simulates optical depth of marine warm clouds for year 2001 based on interactively predicted aerosol concentrations with a global chemical transport model (CTM) driven by the ERA-40 re-analysis meteorological data. The simulated aerosol and cloud droplet number concentrations (CDNC) largely reproduce the variations between polluted and pristine marine environment as revealed by surface and aircraft measurements. By constraining cloud liquid water path (CLWP) with satellite microwave measurements, the simulated global and southern hemispheric aerosol optical depth (AOD) and cloud optical depth (COD) are well within 10% of the observed values. As a result of larger anthropogenic aerosol loadings over the northern oceans, the simulated CDNC and COD are, respectively, by 51 and 18% higher than those over the southern oceans, while the column-averaged droplet effective radius is 13% smaller. These simulated interhemispheric differences, while qualitatively consistent with satellite observations, are larger than the observations. Inclusion of drizzle effect improved the disparities but not entirely. The constrained CTM generally captures the seasonality in AOD and CLWP observations, and demonstrates that annual cycle of COD is dominated by CLWP. During winter monsoon the simulated and observed COD correlate more strongly with changes in AOD over the N. Indian Ocean.
Trajectory generation and control for precise aggressive maneuvers with quadrotors

We study the problem of designing dynamically feasible trajectories and controllers that drive a quadrotor to a desired state in state space. We focus on the development of a family of trajectories defined as a sequence of segments, each with a controller parameterized by a goal state or region in state space. Each controller is developed from the dynamic model of the robot and then iteratively refined through successive experimental trials in an automated fashion to account for errors in the dynamic model and noise in the actuators and sensors. We show that this approach permits the development of trajectories and controllers enabling such aggressive maneuvers as flying through narrow, vertical gaps and perching on inverted surfaces with high precision and repeatability.
Minimal entropy of states emerging from noisy quantum channels

We consider the minimal entropy of qubit states transmitted through two uses of a noisy quantum channel, which is modeled by the action of a completely positive trace-preserving (or stochastic) map. We provide strong support for the conjecture that this minimal entropy is additive, namely, that the minimum entropy can be achieved when product states are transmitted. Explicitly, we prove that for a tensor product of two unital stochastic maps on qubit states, using an entanglement that involves only states which emerge with minimal entropy cannot decrease the entropy below the minimum achievable using product states. We give a separate argument, based on the geometry of the image of the set of density matrices under stochastic maps, which suggests that the minimal entropy conjecture holds for nonunital as well as for unital maps. We also show that the maximal norm of the output states is multiplicative for most product maps on n-qubit states, including all those for which at least one map is unital. For the class of unital channels on C/sup 2/, we show that additivity of minimal entropy implies that the Holevo (see IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, vol.44, p.269-73, 1998 and Russian Math. Surv., p.1295-1331, 1999) capacity of the channel is additive over two inputs, achievable with orthogonal states, and equal to the Shannon capacity. This implies that superadditivity of the capacity is possible only for nonunital channels.
Steady advection-diffusion around finite absorbers in two-dimensional potential flows†

We consider perhaps the simplest non-trivial problem in advection–diffusion – a finite absorber of arbitrary cross-section in a steady two-dimensional potential flow of concentrated fluid. This problem has been studied extensively in the theory of solidification from a flowing melt, and it also arises in advection–diffusion-limited aggregation. In both cases, the fundamental object is the flux to a circular disk, obtained by conformal mapping from more complicated shapes. Here, we construct an accurate numerical solution by an efficient method that involves mapping to the interior of the disk and using a spectral method in polar coordinates. The method combines exact asymptotics and an adaptive mesh to handle boundary layers. Starting from a well-known integral equation in streamline coordinates, we also derive high-order asymptotic expansions for high and low P´eclet numbers (Pe). Remarkably, the ‘high’-Pe expansion remains accurate even for such low Pe as 10−3. The two expansions overlap well near Pe=0.1, allowing the construction of an analytical connection formula that is uniformly accurate for all Pe and angles on the disk with a maximum relative error of 1.75 %. We also obtain an analytical formula for the Nusselt number (Nu) as a function of Pe with a maximum relative error of 0.53% for all possible geometries after conformal mapping. Considering the concentration disturbance around a disk, we find that the crossover from a diffusive cloud (at low Pe) to an advective wake (at high Pe) occurs at Pe≈60.
Gait tracking and recognition using person-dependent dynamic shape model

The characteristics of the 2D shape deformation in human motion contain rich information for human identification and pose estimation. In this paper, we introduce a framework for simultaneous gait tracking and recognition using person-dependent global shape deformation model. Person-dependent global shape deformations are modeled using a nonlinear generative model with kinematic manifold embedding and kernel mapping. The kinematic manifold is used as a common representation of body pose dynamics in different people in a low dimensional space. Shape style as well as geometric transformation and body pose are estimated within a Bayesian framework using the generative model of global shape deformation. Experimental results show person-dependent synthesis of global shape deformation, gait recognition from extracted silhouettes using style parameters, and simultaneous gait tracking and recognition from image edges.
Knowing when to trust others: An ERP study of decision making after receiving information from unknown people

To address the neurocognitive mechanisms that underlie choices made after receiving information from an anonymous individual, reaction times (Experiment 1) and event-related brain potentials (Experiment 2) were recorded as participants played three variants of the coin toss game. In this game, participants guess the outcomes of unseen coin tosses after a person in another room (dubbed 'the reporter’) observes the coin toss outcomes and then sends reports (which may or may not be truthful) to participants about whether the coins landed on heads or tails. Participants knew that the reporter's interests were aligned with their own (common interests), opposed to their own (conflicting interests) or opposed to their own, but that the reporter was penalized every time he or she sent a false report about the coin toss outcome (penalty for lying). In the common interests and penalty for lying conditions, participants followed the reporter's reports over 90% of the time, in contrast to <59% of the time in the conflicting interests condition. Reaction time results indicated that participants took similar amounts of time to respond in the common interests and penalty for lying conditions and that they were reliably faster than in the conflicting interests condition. Event-related potentials timelocked to the reporter's reports revealed a larger P2, P3 and late positive complex response in the common interests condition than in the other two, suggesting that participants’ brains processed the reporter's reports differently in the common interests condition relative to the other two conditions. Results suggest that even when people behave as if they trust information, they consider communicative efforts of individuals whose interests are aligned with their own to be slightly more informative than those of individuals who are made trustworthy by an institution, such as a penalty for lying.
From Qualitative to Quantitative Proofs of Security Properties Using First-Order Conditional Logic

Security protocols, such as key-exchange and key management protocols, are short, but notoriously difficult to prove correct. Flaws have been found in numerous protocols, ranging from the the 802.11 Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol used to protect link-layer communications from eavesdropping and other attacks to standards and proposed standards for Secure Socket Layer to Kerberos. Not surprisingly, a great deal of effort has been devoted to proving the correctness of such protocols. There are two largely disjoint approaches. The first essentially ignores the details of cryptography by assuming perfect cryptography and an adversary that controls the network. The second approach applies the tools of modern cryptography to proving correctness, using more quantitative arguments.
Passive Mixing Control via Lobed Injectors in High-Speed Flow

The near-e eld e ow and mixing characteristics of nonreactive lobed fuel injectors in subsonic and transonic airstreams were studied experimentally. Three alternative injector geometries were explored, two of which had lobed shapes. These lobed injectors mixed gas-phase injectant (nitrogen) and coe owing air to different extents, straining e uid interfaces due to streamwise vorticity generation. The experiments were conducted in a “ trisonic” wind tunnel, with coe owing airstream Mach numbers ranging from 0.4 to 1.2. Visualization of the downstream evolution of the injectant was achieved via planar laser-induced e uorescence imaging of acetone seeded in the nitrogen. Comparisons of near-e eld e ow evolution, mixing properties, and scalar dissipation and strain rates were made among different injectors for the different experimental e ow conditions. It was observed that lobed injector geometries produced greater near-e eld mixing as well as higher effective interfacial strain rates than nonlobed injectors in the subsonic (Mach 0.4) regime, although at higher subsonic Mach numbers mixing increases were accompanied by a reduction in the effective strain rate. Flow evolution observed in the experiments was also compared with numerical simulations of vorticity evolution and rollup, with good correspondence.
A low-cost, expendable, helicopter-deployed buoy for ocean surface meteorological measurements

A low-cost, expendable, helicopter-deployed, wave-riding buoy is described that has been developed to measure meteorological properties at sea. The buoy weighs 8.2 kg and is 1.3-m long and 8.9 cm in diameter in its stored configuration. After deployment, the buoy extends a 2.5-m sensor mast above the water and a 3.8-m ballasted keel below the water. Buoyancy is provided by an inflated air bladder. An airsonde electronics package that measures relative humidity, barometric pressure, and air temperature transmits the data via a UHF transmitter to a receiver on a helicopter. The received data are displayed and recorded in the helicopter. The buoy is considered simple to construct, uses off-the-shelf hardware, and requires very few, easily machined components. >
Do Televised Presidential Ads Increase Voter Turnout? Evidence from a Natural Experiment

The geographic idiosyncrasies of states and media markets set the stage for a natural experiment in which residents of a given state may be exposed to widely varying quantities of presidential television advertising. We use this natural experiment to estimate the effects of TV ads on voter turnout. Analysis of voting rates in media markets reveals that the volume of advertising purchased by the presidential campaigns during the final weeks of the 2000 election had negligible effects on voter turnout. Classifying presidential advertisements according to whether their tone is positive or negative, we find no evidence to suggest that attack ads promote or diminish turnout. Our findings stand in sharp contrast with recent survey-based studies that report strong turnout effects.
Resource Partitioning, the Founding of Specialist Firms, and Innovation: The American Feature Film Industry, 1912--1929

Past research has established that large bureaucratic firms are less innovative than other firms. This reduced innovativeness is likely to be exacerbated when large firms engage in market control. In cultural industries, the effects can be especially pernicious, resulting in the failure to provide audiences with artistic quality or product diversity. We investigate the population dynamics of one cultural industry: the early American feature film industry. Specifically, we examine the hypothesis that concentration among large generalist firms will be associated with higher rates of foundings of specialist producers and specialist distributors. We also investigate the question of whether these specialists are more innovative. Specifically, we examine the hypothesis that specialists were more active than were generalists in the creation of new film genres in the early years of the American film industry. We find that increased concentration among generalists had a positive effect on foundings of specialist producers and specialist distributors, and that the specialists were more active in the creation of new film genres. Implications of these findings for future research, both on cultural industries and on the population dynamics of the founding of specialist firms, are discussed.
Large Scale Structure in the Local Universe — The 2MASS Galaxy Catalog

Using twin ground-based telescopes, the Two-Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) scanned both equatorial hemispheres, detecting more than 500 million stars and resolving more than 1.5 million galaxies in the near-infrared (1-2.2 µm) bands. The Extended Source Catalog (XSC) embodies both photometric and astrometric whole sky uniformity, revealing large scale structures in the local Universe and extending our view into the Milky Way's dust-obscured 'Zone of Avoidance'. The XSC represents a uniquely unbiased sample of nearby galaxies, particularly sensitive to the underlying, dominant, stellar mass component of galaxies. The basic properties of the XSC, including photometric sensitivity, source counts, and spatial distribution, are presented here. Finally, we employ a photometric redshift technique to add depth to the spatial maps, reconstructing the cosmic web of superclusters spanning the sky.
Globalisation and Gender Inequality: Is Africa Different?

Using cross-sectional data (5-year averages), ordinary least-squares and three-stage least squares estimations, this paper examines the effects of globalisation and growth on gender inequality (inequality in literacy) and tries to investigate whether the effects are homogenous across developing countries. In particular, we explore whether the effects of increased trade openness and growth on gender inequality in Africa are different from those in other developing countries. The empirical evidence indicates that globalisation and growth seem to have no effect on gender equality in non-SSA developing countries. However, we find overwhelming statistical evidence that higher integration in world markets and growth cause gender inequality in SSA to increase. The findings in this article suggest that it is extremely important that socioeconomic policies that promote the welfare of women (and, in particular, enhance female literacy) accompany trade reforms and growth-promoting policies. Copyright 2007, Oxford University Press.