cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Syntheses, Structures, Bonding, and Reactivity of Main Group Heterocarboranes

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the research on the main group (groups 2 and 13–16) heterocarboranes published since 1982. It focuses on the structural and bonding features of these compounds and on their reaction chemistry. Carboranes, or carbaboranes, are mixed hydrides of carbon and boron in which atoms of both elements are incorporated in an electron-deficient molecular skeleton. There is a simple relationship between the number of skeletal electron pairs and the geometry. Among group 2 elements, only beryllium is known to have been inserted into a carborane polyhedron. Although the icosahedral commo– and closo–aluminacarboranes have been extensively characterized and their reaction chemistry explored, the corresponding aluminacarboranes in the pentagonal bipyramidal system have proved to be illusive. All elements in group 14 have been inserted into carborane cages. A group 15 atom is isoelectronic and isolobal with a CH group. Of all the main-group heterocarboranes, those of group 16 are the least studied. There has been a great deal of recent interest in the preparative chemistry and structural investigations of the main-group heterocarboranes.
A Constructive Version of Tarski's Geometry

Abstract Constructivity, in this context, refers to a theory of geometry whose axioms and language are closely related to ruler and compass constructions. It may also refer to the use of intuitionistic (or constructive) logic, but the reader who is interested in ruler and compass geometry but not in constructive logic will still find this work of interest. Euclid's reasoning is essentially constructive (in both senses). Tarski's elegant and concise first-order theory of Euclidean geometry, on the other hand, is essentially non-constructive (in both senses), even if we restrict attention (as we do here) to the theory with line–circle continuity in place of first-order Dedekind completeness. Hilbert's axiomatization has a much more elaborate language and many more axioms, but it contains no essential non-constructivities. Here we exhibit three constructive versions of Tarski's theory. One, like Tarski's theory, has existential axioms and no function symbols. We then consider a version in which function symbols are used instead of existential quantifiers. This theory is quantifier-free and proves the continuous dependence on parameters of the terms giving the intersections of lines and circles, and of circles and circles. The third version has a function symbol for the intersection point of two non-parallel, non-coincident lines, instead of only for intersection points produced by Pasch's axiom and the parallel axiom; this choice of function symbols connects directly to ruler and compass constructions. All three versions have this in common: the axioms have been modified so that the points they assert to exist are unique and depend continuously on parameters. This modification of Tarski's axioms, with classical logic, has the same theorems as Tarski's theory, but we obtain results connecting it with ruler and compass constructions as well. In particular, we show that constructions involving the intersection points of two circles are justified, even though only line–circle continuity is included as an axiom. We obtain metamathematical results based on the Godel double-negation interpretation, which permit the wholesale importation of proofs of negative theorems from classical to constructive geometry, and of proofs of existential theorems where the object asserted to exist is constructed by a single construction (as opposed to several constructions applying in different cases). In particular, this enables us to import the proofs of correctness of the geometric definitions of addition and multiplication, once these can be given by a uniform construction. We also show, using cut-elimination, that objects proved to exist can be constructed by ruler and compass. (This was proved in [3] for a version of constructive geometry based on Hilbert's axioms.) Since these theories are interpretable in the theory of Euclidean fields, the independence results about different versions of the parallel postulate given in [5] apply to them; and since addition and multiplication can be defined geometrically, their models are exactly the planes over (constructive) Euclidean fields.
Producer Preference for Land-Based Biological Carbon Sequestration in Agriculture: An Economic Inquiry

This study was intended to develop an understanding of producer preference for land-based carbon sequestration in agriculture. We conducted a mail survey to elicit producer choice to provide marketable carbon offsets by participating in different carbon credit programs characterized by varying practices. Based on a quantitative analysis, we found that: 1) the market price for carbon offsets could increase producer participation in carbon sequestration; 2) producers perceived differentially different but correlated private costs for adopting carbon sequestering practices, depending on production attributes; and 3) relatively high carbon prices would be needed to stimulate producer provision of carbon offsets by land-based carbon sequestration activities. A simulation of producer choice with agricultural census data estimated potential carbon offsets supply in the Northern Great Plains region. This study contributes to the economic understanding of agricultural potential for greenhouse gas mitigation.
Small PCPs with Low Query Complexity

Most known constructions of probabilistically checkable proofs (PCPs) either blow up the proof size by a large polynomial, or have a high (though constant) query complexity. In this paper we give a transformation with slightly-super-cubic blowup in proof size, with a low query complexity. Specifically, the verifier probes the proof in 16 bits and rejects every proof of a false assertion with probability arbitrarily close to 1/2, while accepting corrects proofs of theorems with probability one. The proof is obtained by revisiting known constructions and improving numerous components therein. In the process we abstract a number of new modules that may be of use in other PCP constructions.
Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

Chronic use of glucocorticoids (GCs) is the most common cause of secondary osteoporosis. We will review the current understanding of the clinical features, pathogenesis, and management of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GCOP), with emphasis on the nutritional aspects of the disorder.
Experimental Evidence on the Endogenous Entry of Bidders in Internet Auctions

This paper tests the empirical predictions of recent theories of the endogenous entry of bidders in auctions. Data come from a field experiment, involving sealed-bid auctions for collectible trading cards over the Internet. Manipulating the reserve prices in the auctions as an experimental treatment variable generates several results. First, observed participation behavior indicates that bidders consider their bid submission to be costly, and that bidder participation is indeed an endogenous decision. Second, the participation is more consistent with a mixed-strategy entry equilibrium than with a deterministic equilibrium. Third, the data reject the prediction that the profit-maximizing reserve price is greater than or equal to the auctioneer’s salvage value for the good, showing instead that a zero reserve price provides higher expected profits in this case.
Parameter estimation for statistical parsing models: theory and practice of distribution-free methods

A fundamental problem in statistical parsing is the choice of criteria and algo-algorithms used to estimate the parameters in a model. The predominant approach in computational linguistics has been to use a parametric model with some variant of maximum-likelihood estimation. The assumptions under which maximum-likelihood estimation is justified are arguably quite strong. This chapter discusses the statistical theory underlying various parameter-estimation methods, and gives algorithms which depend on alternatives to (smoothed) maximum-likelihood estimation. We first give an overview of results from statistical learning theory. We then show how important concepts from the classification literature - specifically, generalization results based on margins on training data - can be derived for parsing models. Finally, we describe parameter estimation algorithms which are motivated by these generalization bounds.
An Approach to Preserve Protocol Consistency and Executability Across Updates

An approach to systematically update finite state protocols while preserving application independent properties such as consistency and executability is described. Protocols are modelled as a network of communicating finite state machines with each machine denoting the behavior of a single protocol controller. Updates to protocols are specified as a finite set of rules that may add, delete and/or replace one or more transitions in one or more controllers. Conditions on updates are identified under which a single transition in a single controller or multiple transitions in one or more controllers can be changed to produce an executable protocol with a consistent global transition relation. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated on a large class of cache coherence protocols. It is shown how several common design choices can be consistently incorporated into these protocols by specifying them as updates. Many changes to verified protocols are non-monotonic in the sense that they do not preserve all of the verified protocol invariants. The proposed approach enables incremental verification of application independent properties that need to be preserved by any update and are a precursor to verification of the application specific properties.
Term distribution visualizations with Focus+Context

Many text searches are meant to identify one particular fact or one particular section of a document. Unfortunately, predominant search paradigms focus mostly on identifying relevant documents and leave the burden of within-document searching on the user. This research explores term distribution visualizations as a means to more clearly identify both the relevance of documents and the location of specific information within them. We present a set of term distribution visualizations, introduce a Focus+Context model for within-document search and navigation, and describe the design and results of a 34-subject user study. This user study shows that these visualizations--with the exception of the grey scale histogram variant--are comparable in usability to our Grep interface. This is impressive given the substantial experience of our users with Grep functionality. Overall, we conclude that user do not find this visualization model difficult to use and understand.
Guarding networks through heterogeneous mobile guards

In this article, the issue of guarding multi-agent systems against a sequence of intruder attacks through mobile heterogeneous guards (guards with different ranges) is discussed. The article makes use of graph theoretic abstractions of such systems in which agents are the nodes of a graph and edges represent interconnections between agents. Guards represent specialized mobile agents on specific nodes with capabilities to successfully detect and respond to an attack within their guarding range. Using this abstraction, the article addresses the problem in the context of eternal security problem in graphs. Eternal security refers to securing all the nodes in a graph against an infinite sequence of intruder attacks by a certain minimum number of guards. This paper makes use of heterogeneous guards and addresses all the components of the eternal security problem including the number of guards, their deployment and movement strategies. In the proposed solution, a graph is decomposed into clusters and a guard with appropriate range is then assigned to each cluster. These guards ensure that all nodes within their corresponding cluster are being protected at all times, thereby achieving the eternal security in the graph.
What Is It Worth? The Economic Value of Manure Testing

In many ways, farming is often an exercise in decision-making in uncertain conditions. Agricultural systems are complex, highly variable, and conditions are continuously changing. Moreover, the variable conditions mean that the farmer often lacks information that could be used to make more informed decisions. Sampling and testing can provide farmers with more information, which they can use to improve their decisions. To evaluate the monetary value of manure testing, an economic model was developed. Using published literature values of manure nutrient concentrations and other agronomic factors as inputs, this model assesses how production expenses and incomes change with knowledge of manure’s nutrient content. This work demonstrated that manure testing is an important part of maximizing the value of manure; moreover, it is known to be a best management practice for environmental protection.
Quantum anomalous Hall effect in magnetically doped InAs/GaSb quantum wells.

The quantum anomalous Hall effect has recently been observed experimentally in thin films of Cr-doped $(\mathrm{Bi},\mathrm{Sb}{)}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3}$ at a low temperature ($\ensuremath{\sim}30\text{ }\mathrm{mK}$). In this work, we propose realizing the quantum anomalous Hall effect in more conventional diluted magnetic semiconductors with magnetically doped InAs/GaSb type-II quantum wells. Based on a four-band model, we find an enhancement of the Curie temperature of ferromagnetism due to band edge singularities in the inverted regime of InAs/GaSb quantum wells. Below the Curie temperature, the quantum anomalous Hall effect is confirmed by the direct calculation of Hall conductance. The parameter regime for the quantum anomalous Hall phase is identified based on the eight-band Kane model. The high sample quality and strong exchange coupling make magnetically doped InAs/GaSb quantum wells good candidates for realizing the quantum anomalous Hall insulator at a high temperature.
Collaborative conceptual modeling using an ontology

This paper describes the method of collaborative conceptual modeling using an ontology. The method was used for the design of a student lifecycle management system at a University. The problem was presented to the students of a Knowledge Management class by the Decision Support staff of the University System. Starting with a core knowledge management framework used for the class the students, in collaboration with the instructor, developed the student lifecycle management ontology to synthesize the requirements. The class presented the ontology to the Assistant VP of Decision Support and her staff for validation, together with prototype dashboards based on the ontology. They found the ontology to be comprehensive, insightful, and useful.
Viewpoint: Boosting Recessions

This paper explores the effectiveness of boosting, often regarded as the state of the art classification tool, in giving warning signals of recessions 3, 6, and 12 months ahead. Boosting is used to screen as many as 1,500 potentially relevant predictors consisting of 132 real and financial time series and their lags. Estimation over the full sample 1961:1–2011:12 finds that there are fewer than 10 important predictors and the identity of these variables changes with the forecast horizon. There is a distinct difference in the size and composition of the relevant predictor set before and after mid-1980. Rolling window estimation reveals that the importance of the term and default spreads are recession specific. The Aaa spread is the most robust predictor of recessions three and 6 months ahead, while the risky bond and 5-year spreads are important for 12 months ahead predictions. Certain employment variables have predictive power for the two most recent recessions when the interest rate spreads were uninformative. Warning signals for the post-1990 recessions have been sporadic and easy to miss. The results underscore the challenge that changing characteristics of business cycles pose for predicting recessions. Prevoir les recessions. Ce texte explore l'efficacite de la methode dite du ‘boosting’, qu'on considere souvent comme un instrument de classification qui est a la fine pointe de l'art de prevoir les recessions 3, 6 et 12 mois a l'avance. Cette methode est utilisee pour passer au crible quelques 1500 predicteurs potentiellement pertinents construits a partir de 132 series chronologiques de variables reelles et financieres plus ou moins decalees. Des estimations de l'echantillon complet pour la periode du debut de 1961 a la fin de 2011 revelent qu'aussi peu que dix predicteurs sont importants, et que l'identite de ces variables change selon l'horizon de prevision considere. Il y a aussi une difference marquee dans la taille et la composition de cet ensemble de predicteurs avant et apres le milieu des annees 1980. Il appert que l'importance des ecarts de credit (ecarts des taux d'interet et des risques de defaut de paiement) est specifique a la recession particuliere. L'ecart Aaa est le predicteur le plus robuste des recessions dans trois et six mois, alors que la debenture risquee et l'ecart des taux d'interet pour la fenetre de 5 ans sont les predicteurs importants pour un horizon temporel de 12 mois. Certaines variables reliees a l'emploi ont eu un certain pouvoir de prediction pour les deux dernieres recessions quand les ecarts de taux d'interet n'ont pas ete eclairants. Les signaux des clignotants pour les recessions d'apres 1990 ont ete sporadiques et faciles a manquer. Les resultats soulignent le defi que posent a ceux qui font des previsions de recessions les caracteristiques changeantes des cycles economiques.
Grid Vertex-Unfolding Orthogonal Polyhedra

An edge-unfolding of a polyhedron is produced by cutting along edges and flattening the faces to a net, a connected planar piece with no overlaps. A grid unfolding allows additional cuts along grid edges induced by coordinate planes passing through every vertex. A vertex-unfolding allows faces in the net to be connected at single vertices, not necessarily along edges. We show that any orthogonal polyhedra of genus zero has a grid vertex-unfolding. (There are orthogonal polyhedra that cannot be vertex-unfolded, so some type of “gridding” of the faces is necessary.) For any orthogonal polyhedron P with n vertices, we describe an algorithm that vertex-unfolds P in O(n2) time. Enroute to explaining this algorithm, we present a simpler vertex-unfolding algorithm that requires a 3×1×1 refinement of the vertex grid.
VEHICLE DYNAMICS MODEL FOR SIMULATION ON A MICROCOMPUTER

Equations of motion are derived for a two–axle, two–wheeled vehicle pulling a one–axle, two–wheeled trailer. Linear and nonlinear tyre side force models are discussed. Examples of computer solutions of the equations are presented for both single vehicle motion and articulated vehicle motion. A comparison of tractor semitrailer manoeuvres with a more elaborate simulation shows excellent results.
“Compressed” compressed sensing

The field of compressed sensing has shown that a sparse but otherwise arbitrary vector can be recovered exactly from a small number of randomly constructed linear projections (or samples). The question addressed in this paper is whether an even smaller number of samples is sufficient when there exists prior knowledge about the distribution of the unknown vector, or when only partial recovery is needed. An information-theoretic lower bound with connections to free probability theory and an upper bound corresponding to a computationally simple thresholding estimator are derived. It is shown that in certain cases (e.g. discrete valued vectors or large distortions) the number of samples can be decreased. Interestingly though, it is also shown that in many cases no reduction is possible.
Why High-Order Polynomials Should Not Be Used in Regression Discontinuity Designs

It is common in regression discontinuity analysis to control for third, fourth, or higher-degree polynomials of the forcing variable. There appears to be a perception that such methods are theoreti...
The impact of migration on family left behind

This paper addresses the effects of migration on families left behind and offers new evidence on the impact of migration on elderly parents. After discussing the identification issues involved in estimation, I review the literature on the effects of migration on the education and health of non-migrant children as well as the labor supply of non-migrant spouses. Finally, I address the impact of adult child migration on contributions toward non-migrant parents as well as the effects on parental health. Results show that elderly parents receive lower time contributions from all of their children when one child migrates.
1-D photonic-band-gap structure along photonic wire

Summary form only given. We have discussed a novel microcavity structure, which is a combination of one-dimensional bandgap structure and photonic wire. We have successfully demonstrated the fabrication of the suspended photonic-wire microcavity, which is an important step towards the realization of microcavity lasers based a photonic-band-gap structure.
Mechanical Properties of the Porcine Lens Capsule

Basement membranes are ubiquitous. In humans, genetic disorders in basement membranes can lead to many complications including kidney disease, skeletal muscle myopathy, hearing loss, and ocular abnormalities[1]. We hypothesize that genetic mutation of the microstructure of the lens capsule basement membrane will alter its mechanical properties. Because of its unique thickness and anatomically distinct margins, the lens capsule is the only site in the body where large-scale mechanical tests on the basement membrane can be made.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
From the Ground Up: Building an Undergraduate Earth Systems Curriculum

It is rare that an interdisciplinary group of educators has the opportunity to design a science curriculum without the constraints of pre-existing academic departments. In 1994, California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) acquired 1,387 acres from the U.S. Department of the Army and began construction of a new campus. CSUMB was developed as a four-year undergraduate university distinctive in its mission to serve the diverse people of California. Inspired by the Earth System Science Education program initiated by NASA and the Universities Space Research Association, CSUMB embarked upon the development of an interdisciplinary Earth systems curriculum that placed a strong emphasis on experience-based learning; integration of science, technology, and policy; outreach to minority students; and partnerships with the local community. Our cornerstone program is the Bachelor of Science in Earth Systems Science & Policy. It is built on a pyramid-style framework that includes integration, a systems approach, an...
An organizational view of distributed systems

The relationship between organization theory and distributed systems is studied. By viewing distributed systems as analogous to human organizations, concepts and theories germane to the management science field of organization theory can be applied. Task complexity, uncertainty, coupled with resource constraints are shown to be important factors in deciding how a system is to be distributed.
The Dilute Potts Model on Random Surfaces

We present a new solution of the asymmetric two-matrix model in the large-N limit which only involves a saddle point analysis. The model can be interpreted as Ising in the presence of a magnetic field, on random dynamical lattices with the topology of the sphere (resp. the disk) for closed (resp. open) surfaces; we elaborate on the resulting phase diagram. The method can be equally well applied to a more general (Q+1)-matrix model which represents the dilute Potts model on random dynamical lattices. We discuss in particular duality of boundary conditions for open random surfaces.
Openness and Technological Innovation in East Asia: Have They Increased the Demand for Skills?

This paper asks whether the increased openness and technological innovation in East Asia have contributed to an increased demand for skills in the region. The author explores a unique firm level data set across eight countries. Results strongly support the idea that greater openness and technology adoption have increased the demand for skills, especially in middle income countries. Moreover, while the presence in international markets has been skill enhancing for most middle income countries, this has not been the case for manufacturing firms operating in China and in low-income countries. If international integration in the region intensifies further and technology continues to be skilled biased, policies aimed at mitigating skills shortages in the region should produce continual and persistent increases in skills.
The Abella Interactive Theorem Prover (System Description)

Abella [3] is an interactive system for reasoning about aspects of object languages that have been formally presented through recursive rules based on syntactic structure. Abella utilizes a two-level logic approach to specification and reasoning. One level is defined by a specification logic which supports a transparent encoding of structural semantics rules and also enables their execution. The second level, called the reasoning logic, embeds the specification logic and allows the development of proofs of properties about specifications. An important characteristic of both logics is that they exploit the i¾?-tree syntax approach to treating binding in object languages. Amongst other things, Abella has been used to prove normalizability properties of the i¾?-calculus, cut admissibility for a sequent calculus and type uniqueness and subject reduction properties. This paper discusses the logical foundations of Abella, outlines the style of theorem proving that it supports and finally describes some of its recent applications.
THE EXCRETION OF LACTIC ACID IN THE URINE AFTER MUSCULAR EXERCISE

To study the excretion of lactic acid after exercise, urine was collected in ten minute periods and was analyzed for lactic acid by Clausen's method. After one or two minutes of strenuous exercise the lactic acid excretion rose from a normal of about 2 mg. in ten minutes to about 150 mg. in ten minutes. The excretion reached a maximum within twenty minutes after exercise and then fell rapidly. There was a return to normal in about one hour. The experiments were carried out using men as subjects.
Pursuing International Labour Rights in U.S. Courts: New Uses for Old Tools

Filing lawsuits in U.S. federal and state courts for workers’ rights violations suffered by workers employed by American corporations abroad is one of several strategies for promoting labour rights. Other strategies include use of labour rights mechanisms in GSP laws, in regional trade agreements like NAFTA and Mercosur, in corporate codes of conduct, in the ILO and other venues. To succeed, such suits must first overcome the strong presumption against extraterritorial effect of U.S. law. Other jurisdictional hurdles like “inconvenient forum” also require caution in bringing suits. However, several cases using common law tort and contract theories as well as international human rights law have recovered substantial actual and punitive damages for workers of U.S. multinational companies in several developing countries. With the right strategic choices, labour rights litigation can be an effective means of advancing workers’ rights in the global economy.
Climate change in the Himalayas : current state of knowledge

This paper reviews the literature on the potential biophysical and economic impacts of climate change in the Himalayas. Existing observations indicate that the temperature is rising at a higher rate in Nepal and Chinese regions of the Himalayas compared with rest of the Himalayas. A declining trend of monsoon in the western Indian Himalayas and an increasing trend in the eastern Indian Himalayas have been observed, whereas increasing precipitation and stream flow in many parts of Tibetan Plateau are noted. Glaciers in both the eastern and western Himalayas are mostly retreating, but the majority of the glaciers in Karakorum are either stable or advancing slowly. Expansion of glacier lakes is reported, with the highest rate in Nepal and Bhutan. Most literature predicts increases in temperature and monsoon precipitations and decreases in winter precipitations in the future thereby leading to monsoon flooding and increased sediments in stream flow. Available hydrological simulations indicate reduced rainfall and shrinkage of glacier thereby leading to shortage of water supply for power generation and irrigation in winter particularly in highly glaciated basins. Projected economic impacts of glacial lake outburst floods can be substantial on the developed river basin with infrastructures and population centers. However, there is a clear gap in knowledge of economic impacts of climate change in the Himalayas.
Foreign Direct Investment, Non-Traded Goods and Real Wages

Using a three-sector general equilibrium model with non-traded goods, we investigate the impact of foreign direct investment on the real wages of skilled and unskilled workers. We show that foreign direct investment increases the real wages of skilled and unskilled workers alike, but widens the gap between the two under plausible conditions.
Brownian Motion and Diffusion Processes

A brief review of the one-dimensional Brownian motion in terms of three perspectives. (1) As the limiting case of a random walk, the total displacement has a normal distribution. (2) The mathematical model leads to a partial differential equation, which is known as Fokker–Planck diffusion equation. And (3) as a stochastic process, both the time element and the displacement are continuous variables. The solution of the partial differential equation for the transition density function also has the normal distribution. Wiener–Levy process is a special case. The Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process, which describes the velocity of the movement of a particle in a Brownian motion is also mentioned. Keywords: random walk; Fokker–Planck diffusion equation; stochastic processes
A new leech species of Semiscolex (Arhynchobdellida: Semiscolecidae) from Lake Catemaco, Veracruz, Mexico

SEMISCOLEX LAMOTHEI SP. NOV. FROM CATEMACO LAKE, VERACRUZ, MEXICO, IS DESCRIBED BASED ON THE EXAMINATION OF 18 SPECIMENS. THE NEW SPECIES DIFFERS FROM OTHER SPECIES OF THE GENUS BY THE PRESENCE OF 1/2 + 5 + 1/2 ANNULI BETWEEN GONOPORES. THE NEW SPECIES HAS MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES PREVIOUSLY NOT DESCRIBED FOR ANY OTHER MEMBER OF THE GENUS, SUCH AS WELL-DEVELOPED EJACULATORY BULBS AND POSTCAECA IN THE POSTERIOR PART OF THE CROP. THIS IS THE FIRST RECORD OF THE GENUS AND THE FAMILY IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE OF THE AMERICAS.
Field-Theory Approaches to Nonequilibrium Dynamics

It is explained how field-theoretic methods and the dynamic renormalisation group (RG) can be applied to study the universal scaling properties of systems that either undergo a continuous phase transition or display generic scale invariance, both near and far from thermal equilibrium. Part 1 introduces the response functional field theory representation of (nonlinear) Langevin equations. The RG is employed to compute the scaling exponents for several universality classes governing the critical dynamics near second-order phase transitions in equilibrium. The effects of reversible mode-coupling terms, quenching from random initial conditions to the critical point, and violating the detailed balance constraints are briefly discussed. It is shown how the same formalism can be applied to nonequilibrium systems such as driven diffusive lattice gases. Part 2 describes how the master equation for stochastic particle reaction processes can be mapped onto a field theory action. The RG is then used to analyse simple diffusion-limited annihilation reactions as well as generic continuous transitions from active to inactive, absorbing states, which are characterised by the power laws of (critical) directed percolation. Certain other important universality classes are mentioned, and some open issues are listed.
Neutrino Oscillations: Some Theoretical Ideas

Over the years, and especially since the discovery of the large mixing of vμ seen in atmospheric neutrino experiments, there have been numerous models of neutrino masses proposed in the literature. In the last two years alone, as many as one hundred different models have been published. One of the goals of this talk is to give a helpful classification of these models. Such a classification is possible because in actuality there are only a few basic ideas that underlie the vast majority of published neutrino mixing schemes. After some preliminaries, I give a classification of three-neutrino models, and then in the last part of the talk I discuss in more detail one category of models — those with “lopsided” charged-lepton mass matrices. Finally, I talk about a specific very predictive model based on lopsided mass matrices that I have worked on with Albright and Babu.
Order-invariant prior specification in Bayesian factor analysis

Abstract Using lower triangular loading matrices in Bayesian factor analysis ensures identifiability but may lead to inferences that depend on how the considered variables are ordered. We show how a standard approach to prior specification can be modified to avoid order-dependence.
Inequality Stagnation in Latin America in the Aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis

Over the past decade (2003-12), Latin America has experienced strong income growth and a notable reduction in income inequality, with the region's Gini coefficient falling from 55.6 to 51.8. Previous studies have warned about the sustainability of such a decline, and this paper presents evidence of stagnation in the pace of reduction of income inequality in Latin America since 2010. This phenomenon of stagnation is robust to different measures of inequality and is largely attributable to the impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Mexico and Central America, where inequality rose after 2010 as labor income recovered. Moreover, this paper finds evidence that much of the continuation of inequality reduction after the crisis at the country level has been due to negative or zero income growth for households in the top of the income distribution, and lower growth of the incomes of the poorest households. The crisis also highlighted weaknesses in the region's labor markets and the heavy reliance on public transfers to redistribute, underscoring the vulnerability of the region's recent social gains to global economic conditions.
Cosmic neutrino flavor ratios with broken ν μ-ν τ symmetry

Abstract Reactor neutrino experiments have now observed a nonzero value for θ 13 at 5 σ , and global fits to data imply a nonzero value above 10 σ . Nonzero values for θ 13 and/or θ 32 − π 4 break a ν μ – ν τ symmetry, which has qualitative as well as quantitative implications for the time-evolution of neutrino flavors. In particular, the large-distance flavor evolution matrix, non-invertible with ν μ – ν τ symmetry, is now invertible. This means that measurements of neutrino flavor ratios at Earth can now be inverted to directly reveal the flavor ratios injected at cosmically distant sources. With the updated values of the three neutrino mixing angles, we obtain the inverted large-distance evolution matrix and use it to derive several phenomenological relations between the injection flavor ratios and the observable ratios at Earth. Taking the three popular injection models as examples, we also exhibit the shift of Earthly observed flavor ratios from the corresponding values in the case with ν μ – ν τ symmetry.
Remittances and the Wage Impact of Immigration

This paper examines how the outflow of remittances affect the wages of native workers. The model shows that the wage impact of immigration depends on the competing effects of an increase in labor market competition and an increase in the consumer base. Immigrant remittances provide a unique way of isolating this latter effect because they reduce the consumer base but not the workforce. The predictions of the model are tested using an unusually rich German data set that has detailed information on remittances and wages. As expected, the results indicate that a 1 percent increase in remittances depress the wages of native workers by 0.06 percent. Furthermore, remittances predominantly affect workers in nontraded industries that are more reliant on domestic consumption.
Conflict anticipation in the search for graph automorphisms

Effective search for graph automorphisms allows identifying symmetries in many discrete structures, ranging from chemical molecules to microprocessor circuits. Using this type of structure can enhance visualization as well as speed up computational optimization and verification. Competitive algorithms for the graph automorphism problem are based on efficient partition refinement augmented with group-theoretic pruning techniques. In this paper, we improve prior algorithms for the graph automorphism problem by introducing simultaneous refinement of multiple partitions, which enables the anticipation of future conflicts in search and leads to significant pruning, reducing overall runtimes. Empirically, we observe an exponential speedup for the family of Miyazaki graphs, which have been shown to impede leading graph-automorphism algorithms.
Dimensionally Democratic Calculus and Principles of Polydimensional Physics

A solution to the 50-year-old problem of a spinning particle in curved space has been recently derived using an extension of Clifford calculus in which each geometric element has its own coordinate. This leads us to propose that all the laws of physics should obey new polydimensional metaprinciples, for which Clifford algebra is the natural language of expression, just as tensors were for general relativity. Specifically, phenomena and physical laws should be invariant under local automorphism transformations which reshuffle the physical geometry. This leads to a new generalized unified basis for classical mechanics, which includes string theory, membrane theory and the hypergravity formulation of Crawford [4]. Most important is that the broad themes presented can be exploited by nearly everyone in the field as a framework to generalize both the Clifford calculus and multivector physics.
Faraday rotation observations of magnetic fields in galaxy clusters

The presence of magnetic fields in the intracluster medium in clusters of galaxies has been revealed through several different observational techniques. These fields may be dynamically important in clusters as they will provide additional pressure support to the intracluster medium as well as inhibit transport mechanisms such as thermal conduction. Here, we review the current observational state of Faraday rotation measure studies of the cluster fields. The fields are generally found to be a few to 10 G in non-cooling core clusters and ordered on scales of 10 - 20 kpc. Studies of sources at large impact parameters show that the magnetic fields extend from cluster cores to radii of at least 500 kpc. In central regions of cooling core systems the field strengths are often somewhat higher (10 - 40 G) and appear to be ordered on smaller scales of a few to 10 kpc. We also review some of the recent work on interpreting Faraday rotation measure observations through theory and numerical simulations. These techniques allow us to build up a much more detailed view of the strength and topology of the fields.
Prompt emission of high‐energy photons from gamma ray bursts

Within the internal shock scenario, we consider different mechanisms of high-energy ( > 1 MeV) photon production inside a gamma ray burst (GRB ) fireball and derive the expected high-energy photon spectra from individual GRBs during the prompt phase. The photon spectra of leptonic and hadronic origins are compared within different sets of parameter regimes. Our results suggest that the high-energy emission is dominated by the leptonic component if the fraction of shock energy carried by electrons is not very small (e.g. ∈ e > 10 -3 ). For very small values of ∈ e , the hadronic emission component could be comparable to or even exceed the leptonic component in the GeV-TeV regime. However, in this case a much larger energy budget of the fireball is required to account for the same level of the observed sub-MeV spectrum. The fireballs are therefore extremely inefficient in radiation. For a canonical fireball bulk Lorentz factor (e.g. r = 400), emissions above ∼ 10 GeV are attenuated by two-photon pair production processes. For a fireball with an even higher Lorentz factor, the cut-off energy is higher, and emissions of 10 TeV-PeV due to 7r°-decay can also escape from the internal shocks. The flux level is, however, too low to be detected by current TeV detectors, and these photons also suffer attenuation by external soft photons. The GLAST Large Area Telescope can detect prompt emission of bright long GRBs above 100 MeV. For short GRBs, the prompt emission can be only barely detected for nearby bright ones with relatively 'long' durations (e.g. ∼1 s). With the observed high-energy spectrum alone, it appears that there is no clean picture to test the leptonic versus hadronic origin of the gamma rays. Such an issue may be, however, addressed by collecting both prompt and afterglow data. A moderate-to-high radiative efficiency would suggest a leptonic origin of high-energy photons, while a GRB with an extremely low radiative efficiency but an extended high-energy emission component would be consistent with (but not a proof for) the hadronic origin.
Computational complexity and phase transitions

Phase transitions in combinatorial problems have recently been shown to be useful in locating "hard" instances of combinatorial problems. The connection between computational complexity and the existence of phase transitions has been addressed in statistical mechanics and artificial intelligence, but not studied rigorously. We take a first step in this direction by investigating the existence of sharp thresholds for the class of generalized satisfiability problems, defined by T.J. Schaefer (1978). In the case when all constraints have a special clausal form we completely characterize the generalized satisfiability problems that have a sharp threshold. While NP-completeness does not imply the sharpness of the threshold, our result suggests that the class of counter examples is rather limited, as all such counter examples can be predicted, with constant success probability by a single procedure.
Finances of Egyptian listed firms and the performance of the Egyptian stock exchange

This paper analyzes the finances of Egypt's listed firms and the performance of the Egyptian stock exchange during the period 2003-07/08. Egyptian companies can be clearly divided into a top tier and a second tier. Egypt's top tier of listed firms tends to finance themselves mainly from operating cash flows, trade credits, and other short-term borrowing. This raises questions as to whether recent performance could have been even better had these firms done more in the way of long-term financing and long-term investment. This issue is even starker for a large second tier of much smaller firms. Regarding the stock market, the analysis finds that the Egyptian Exchange has experienced extraordinary market capitalization growth fueled by strong price increases. Market activity has been increasing as well, but reached expected levels only recently. Despite strong improvement, however, many companies remain illiquid. In its ability to raise capital, Egypt seems to do well, but privatizations and relatively low gross fixed capital formation might distort this picture.
Gas‐phase ozonolysis of cis‐ and trans‐dichloroethylene

Dichloroethylene (DCE), either cis or trans, was reacted with O3 at 23°C in both N2 and O2 buffered mixtures. Both reactant consumption and product formation were monitored by infrared spectroscopy and, in some cases, O3 consumption was monitored by ultraviolet absorption. For thoroughly dried mixtures, the initial products were only HCClO and O2, but geometrical isomerization also occurred. The stoichiometry of the overall reaction always was The HCClO was unstable and disappeared slowly in a first-order reaction which was, at least in part, heterogeneous. The products were CO and HCl so that the stoichiometric reaction was The rate law was complex. The rate was always faster in N2 than in O2. In the N2 buffered reaction, inhibition occurred as the reaction progressed and O2 was produced. From the reactant and product decay curves, the following rate behavior was established: where high and low concentrations are relative terms for the initial pressure ranges covered ([DCE]0 = 0.21−78.4 torr, [O3]0 = 0.30−6.76 torr). The rate coefficients k2, k3, and k4 were larger for the trans-DCE than the cis-DCE, and for each isomer they were larger in N2 than in O2 buffered reactions. The ozonolysis can be explained in terms of the mechanism where R2 is DCE, RO is HCClO, and RO2 is HCClO2. Rate ceofficients are computed. The isomerization is first order in [O3] and approximately first order in [DCE] for the limited kinetic data we were able to obtain. The isomerization does not appear to be explained by the reverse reactions of reactions (6), (7), and (9). Presumably isomerization occurs through some other route.
EmStar: a software environment for developing and deploying wireless sensor networks

Many Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) applications are composed of a mixture of deployed devices with varying capabilities, from extremely constrained 8-bit "Motes" to less resource-constrained 32-bit "Microservers". EmStar is a software environment for developing and deploying complex WSN applications on networks of 32-bit embedded Microserver platforms, and integrating with networks of Motes. EmStar consists of libraries that implement message-passing IPC primitives, tools that support simulation, emulation, and visualization of live systems, both real and simulated, and services that support networking, sensing, and time synchronization. While EmStar's design has favored ease of use and modularity over efficiency, the resulting increase in overhead has not been an impediment to any of our current projects.
Newer antiretroviral agents and how to use them

Several relatively new antiretroviral drugs have been approved or are under investigation. These include nucleoside and nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, protease and integrase strand transfer inhibitors, CCR5 antagonists, and an entirely new class of maturation inhibitors. Although most of these drugs were developed for patients with drug-resistant HIV-1, some have demonstrated a potential role for those starting treatment for the first time. This review incorporates data from the most recent treatment guidelines, peer-reviewed publications, and recent presentations at research meetings about some of these relatively new and emerging antiretroviral agents and offers strategies for incorporating them into clinical practice.
Dynamics and Structure of PMN and PZN

A review is given of recent neutron and x-ray scattering studies of the lead-oxide perovskite relaxor systems Pb(Zn 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 -xPbTiO 3 (PZN-xPT) and Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 -xPbTiO 3 (PMN-xPT). X-ray measurements by Noheda et al. have established that these two systems exhibit nearly identical phase diagrams in which a rhombohedral-monoclinic-tetragonal structural sequence takes place with increasing PbTiO 3 concentration. Recent high-energy x-ray and neutron measurements on single crystals of PZN and PMN-10PT, however, show that the rhombohedral distortions occur only in the outermost 20–40 microns, while the bulk of each crystal transforms into a new phase X, which has a nearly cubic unit cell. This situation is very similar to the structural behavior of pure PMN at T c = 220 K. A simple model has been suggested that correlates phase X to the unique atomic displacements of the polar nanoregions, which are created at the Burns temperature.