cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Changes in Unemployment and Wage Inequality: An Alternative Theory and Some Evidence

I present a model where firms decide what types of jobs to create and then search for suitable workers. When there are few skilled workers and the skilled-unskilled productivity gap is small, firms create a single type of job and recruit all workers. An increase in the proportion of skilled workers or skill-biased technical change can create a qualitative change in the composition of jobs, increasing the demand for skills, wage inequality, and unemployment. I provide some evidence that there has been a change in the composition of jobs in the United States during the past two decades.
Is growth in Bangladesh's rice production sustainable?

The current level of per capita production of rice in Bangladesh can be sustained only through increased yields of modern rice varieties. The recent growth of foodgrain (primarily rice) production in Bangladesh has outpaced population growth largely because of the spread of green revolution technology. The transition from being labeled a basket case in the early 1970s to the virtual elimination of rice imports in the early 1990s is particularly remarkable considering the severe land constraint in Bangladesh. Two decades of concerted government efforts to achieve rice self-sufficiency have created both an atmosphere of optimism and concerns about whether rice self-sufficiency is sustainable. Baffes and Gautam find that rice production grew in Bangladesh between 1973 and 1994 mainly because of the conversion of rice-growing areas from local to modern varieties. Simulations suggest that the current level of per capita production can be sustained only through increased yields from modern rice varieties. Other factors that could affect growth in per capita rice production are population control (which is found to have significant long-term benefits) and faster conversion of remaining areas to modern varieties (which is found to have important short-run payoffs). But population control and faster conversion to modern varieties are only complements for the most important factor: efforts to increase the yields from modern rice varieties. If policies designed to raise the overall rate of economic growth and reduce poverty succeed, it will be even more critical to focus on increasing productivity. This paper - a product of the Commodity Policy and Analysis Unit, International Economics Department - is part of a larger effort in the department to analyze global food security issues.
The Impact of Reform on the Criminal Justice System in Mexico

Studies the impact of judicial reform in Mexico by using a survey about crime victimization and perceptions of insecurity in eleven Mexican cities, three of which implemented the reform.
Carbon nanotube devices for GHz to THz applications

This paper presents an overview of the high-frequency applications of carbon nanotubes. The first step towards understanding the high-frequency electronic properties of carbon nanotubes is to understand the passive, ac impedance of a 1d quantum system. The effective RF circuit model for the ac impedance of capacitively contacted nanotube and a dc contacted nanotube is summarized. A second application of nanotubes in high-frequency electronics is in the active mode of operation, i.e. nanotube transistors.
Reciprocal Trade Agreements: Impacts on U.S. and Foreign Suppliers in Commodity and Manufactured Food Markets

Reciprocal trade agreements (RTAs), which grant special preferences to members, affect the pattern and volume of bilateral trade in global markets. This study uses the gravity framework and panel data depicting annual trade between 69 countries over 31 years to examine how 11 RTAs have shaped U.S. and other suppliers’ exports of commodity and manufactured foods. Empirical results show that joint RTA membership enabled exporters to increase their trade with member country importers in the two food markets. The few agreements that failed to have a positive effect on member trade in either commodity food or manufactured food involve developing countries that typically grant very limited cross-border trade preference to member countries. Interestingly, model results indicate that RTAs can be a vehicle to increase trade externally. Nine of the 11 RTAs also expanded exports externally to nonmember countries, albeit to a lesser degree than with member importers. In some cases, however, nonmember exporters of food bore the cost of the RTA-induced expansion of trade. Five RTAs lowered food imports from nonmember suppliers. The adverse effects on nonmember suppliers were more pronounced for the United States than for other competitors.
Metastability in the Two-Dimensional Ising Model with Free Boundary Conditions

We investigate metastability in the two dimensional Ising model in a square with free boundary conditions at low temperatures. Starting with all spins down in a small positive magnetic field, we show that the exit from this metastable phase occurs via the nucleation of a critical droplet in one of the four corners of the system. We compute the lifetime of the metastable phase analytically in the limit T → 0, h → 0 and via Monte Carlo simulations at fixed values of T and h and find good agreement. This system models the effects of boundary domains in magnetic storage systems exiting from a metastable phase when a small external field is applied.
Variational Considerations for Elastic Beams and Shells

A general variational theorem for stresses and displacements in small deflection shell theory, including the effect of transverse shear deformation, is presented. The theorem is used, in conjunctio...
The prevention of error propagation in dictionary compression with update and deletion

In earlier work we presented the k-error protocol, a technique for protecting a dynamic dictionary lossless compression method from error propagation as the result of errors on the communication channel or compressed file. Experiments showed that in practice this approach is both fast and highly effective against a noisy channel or faulty storage medium. This past work addressed dictionary-based methods where new strings are added over time. Here we address the issue of dynamically deleting strings. Although without modification most standard methods used in practice (e.g., LRU strategies) perform poorly with respect to error propagation, we propose and analyze some that are very robust, including a strategy based on leaf pruning.
Phase separation scenario for manganese oxides

Abstract Recent computational studies of models for manganese oxides have revealed a rich phase diagram, not anticipated in early calculations in this context. In particular, the transition between the antiferromagnetic insulator of the hole-undoped limit and the ferromagnetic metal at finite hole-density was found to occur through a mixed-phase process. Experimental data for manganites and other materials are consistent with this scenario. More recently, the influence of disorder on first-order transitions present in non-disordered manganite models has been shown to lead to giant cluster coexistence, as reported in several experiments. Inhomogeneities clearly regulate the physics of manganites. Here, a simple model is presented for the calculation of resistivities in the mixed-phase regime. The results are in excellent qualitative agreement with experiments.
Quality of service and scientific workflows

The advent of high-performance computing engines and networks is bringing serious numerical and problem-solving environments (PSEs) closer to a broad base of users with widely differing needs. From the perspective of these users, a key issue will be the quality of service (QoS) PSEs offer. In the broader sense, QoS includes parameters such as network delays and throughput, as well as end-user quality factors such as system availability, system functionality, content quality, and semantic interoperability. In order to facilitate integration of the QoS and PSE we introduce scientific workflows, to mean a series of structured activities and computations that arise in scientific problem-solving. Scientific workflows are expected to coexist and cooperate with other user workflows (e.g., business workflows, educational workflows, legislative workflows). As such they must support compatible QoS. We use data from existing systems and workflows to quantitatively bound some of the PSE QoS parameters. Use of multimedia imposes additional restrictions, while end-user risks impose bounds on the security and reliability of numerical computations and algorithms It is our belief that the next generation of PSEs must have QoS parameters designed into the system, or these PSEs will fail to live up to user needs and expectations.
Un bloque al mismo tiempo: Historiografía de las relaciones de Canadá con América Latina y de Canadá con Colombia

Este articulo es una revision historiografica del tema Canada y America Latina, asi como del tema Canada y Colombia, con el proposito de demostrar que el papel de Canada en el estudio de la historia de America Latina ha sido en gran parte ignorado por los circulos academicos. Sostengo que aunque existe una larga historia de la presencia de Canada en la region, los historiadores han optado por centrar su analisis hemisferico en las relaciones entre Inglaterra y America Latina, y Estado Unidos y America Latina. Argumento que esta aproximacion deja grandes vacios en el analisis moderno de la historia hemisferica, teniendo en cuenta que otros poderes medios como Canada, Alemania, Francia, Italia, Holanda, Espana, Suiza, Irlanda, Israel, Rusia y Japon tambien tuvieron gran influencia en la transformacion de las sociedades, economias, paisajes y mercados de la region. La ausencia de una significativa historiografia de las relaciones entre Canada y Colombia demuestran el hecho de que existe una considerable carencia gran vacio que debe ser cubierto por aquellos que estudian el hemisferio occidental. Un estudio mas robusto sobre el papel de los poderes medios en America Latina brindara claridad y generara un mayor entendimiento sobre los procesos de modernizacion, desarrollo economico y la adaptacion al capitalismo experimentada por la region.
Stochastic Cooling of 200 MeV Protons

Vertical and longitudinal cooling has been achieved at the FNAL 200 MeV cooling ring. Initial longitudinal cooling times of 20 seconds for 1.5 × 106 circulating protons are in approximate agreement with calculations based on measured system parameters. The cooling systems have an electronic bandwidth of ∼ 300 MHz, travelling wave pickups and kickers and a notch filter using flexible cable. The TW structures provide a good signal-to-noise ratio and reduce output power requirements.
A Constitutional Right to Preschool

Currently, about twenty-five percent of all children ages three through five, who are not in kindergarten, attend a publicly-funded preschool. A bit more than twenty-five percent attend a private preschool. As for the public programs, the federal government traditionally played the leading role in providing access to preschool, but that is beginning to change. Forty states and the District of Columbia currently sponsor pre-school programs, up from ten in 1980. Both federal and state programs typically target poor children, but even then only serve a limited portion of the eligible group. As a result, millions of three- and four-year old children do not attend preschool, many because they have no access to public programs and cannot afford private ones. This article examines whether access to publicly-funded preschool ought to be expanded and, if so, whether courts - state or federal - should play a role in that expansion.
A microprocessor-based control system for a near-term electric vehicle

A microprocessor-based control system is described for an electric vehicle where the microprocessor has the responsibility of propulsion feedback control, drive system sequencing control, battery ``fuel gauging,'' battery charging/equalization control, and some amount of diagnostics. The system functions were analyzed and implemented in Intel-8080-based hardware and software. The control system was tested systematically in the laboratory and in the field and shows excellent performance.
Development of a nanocomposite meal bag for individual military rations

: It has been known for some time that quality food and rations are important for providing health, morale, and discipline to the men and women of the armed forces. Military rations and supplies have undergone quite a few progressive changes throughout the years, as new technologies have paved the way for next generations of military feeding systems. The latest significant effect on the development and progression of future ration systems is nanotechnology. By utilizing the advanced mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties of nanocomposite systems, the next generation of packaging materials for MREs™(Meal Ready-to-Eat™) are being developed, to be lighter weight, recyclable, and to outperform the current MRE™ individual ration packaging systems. This chapter summarizes the progression of modern military rations and introduces research and development of new ration packaging systems based on the use of nanotechnology.
Ultraviolet Dust Grain Properties in Starburst Galaxies: Evidence from Radiative Transfer Modeling and Local Group Extinction Curves

This paper summarizes the evidence of the ultraviolet properties of dust grains found in starburst galaxies. Observations of starburst galaxies clearly show that the 2175 A feature is weak or absent. This can be the result of radiative transfer effects (mixing the dust and stars) or due to dust grains which do not have this feature. Spherical DIRTY radiative transfer models imply that it is not radiative transfer effects, but other radiative transfer models with disk/bulge geometries have found cases where it could be radiative transfer effects. Recent work on the extinction curves in the Magellanic Clouds and Milky Way has revealed that the traditional explanation of low metallicity for the absence of the 2175 A feature in the Small Magellanic Cloud is likely incorrect. The SMC has one sightline with a 2175 A feature and the Milky Way has sightlines without this feature. In addition, where the 2175 A feature is found to be weak or absent in both Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way, there is evidence for ...
Drawing Down Desires: Women, Ritual and Art in Tamil Nadu

The kolam (Fig. 1), a threshold ritual art form practiced extensively by millions of Tamil women, is the focus of this paper. This paper will explore the multiple sites in daily life in which the kolam plays a significant role. Theoretical categories from the fields of anthropology, cultural studies, art history, and environmental studies will be set in the context of a form of ritual geometry. Design forms will be the sites of exploration of this paper. Indigenous terms, women’s voices, their own narratives of their own ritual forms will be the primary research focus (NAGARAJAN, 2001).
Event Studies of Regulation and New Results on the Effect of the Cigarette Advertising Ban

Questions concerning the effects of regulation on stock returns are important to regulators and investors. Analysts must carefully design and interpret tests of hypotheses regarding these effects because of the nature of the regulatory process and financial markets. I discuss the way to test for the impact of regulation on firm value and required return in an event study. I illustrate with an examination of the 1971 radio and television cigarette advertising ban, and find results at odds with those of an earlier study.
Slicing & Dicing of Individual Disparate Treatment Law

This article discusses the decision of the Supreme Court in Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc., which may be an even more important individual disparate treatment case than the Supreme Court's 1993 decisions in Hazen Paper and St. Mary's Honor Center v. Hicks. After Hicks, the court had not yet seemed to set the prima facie case thresh hold high enough to permit the proven prima facie case to support a sufficiently strong inference of discrimination to mandate judgment for the plaintiff when combined only with disbelief of the employer's stated justification. The Court has still not resolved that question. The evidence supporting the prima facie case plus evidence that defendant's reason is false does support a fact finder drawing the inference of intent to discriminate. Further, in reviewing that evidence for the purpose of deciding motions for summary judgment and judgment as a matter of law, the Court indicated that every inference must be drawn in favor of the non moving party, typically the plaintiff. Still, judgment for the plaintiff is not mandated. Alternatively, Reeves may be important, but more limited, overturning the pretext plus rule further narrowed in Hazen Paper and Hicks, but leaving intact the common practice of courts in slicing and dicing the evidence supporting a plaintiff's case in order to grant motions for summary judgment and judgment as a matter of law.
Developments in the Coordination Chemistry of Europium(II)

Recent advances in the coordination chemistry of Eu2+ are reviewed. Common synthetic routes for generating discrete Eu2+-containing complexes reported since 2000 are summarized, followed by a description of the reactivity of these complexes and their applications in reduction chemistry, polymerization, luminescence, and as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. Rapid development of the coordination chemistry of Eu2+ has led to an upsurge in the utilization of Eu2+-containing complexes in synthetic chemistry, materials science, and medicine.
The free haven project: distributed anonymous storage service

We present a design for a system of anonymous storage which resists the attempts of powerful adversaries to find or destroy any stored data. We enumerate distinct notions of anonymity for each party in the system, and suggest a way to classify anonymous systems based on the kinds of anonymity provided. Our design ensures the availability of each document for a publisher-specified lifetime. A reputation system provides server accountability by limiting the damage caused from misbehaving servers. We identify attacks and defenses against anonymous storage services, and close with a list of problems which are currently unsolved.
State Bankruptcy Law and Entrepreneurship: Evidence from a Border Analysis

This paper examines how differences in state bankruptcy laws, specifically the amount of the homestead exemption, affect business location decisions within a few miles of the state boundary. By focusing on these border areas, we are able to more effectively control for unobserved local attributes and isolate the effect of more wealth protection. We find that an increase in the homestead exemption attracts new businesses. We also find that a more generous homestead exemption has a positive impact on existing businesses, suggesting that asset protection through bankruptcy law encourages successful entrepreneurs to incur the risks. Our results indicate that the wealth protection provided by personal bankruptcy law is an important policy tool that state governments can use to attract new, successful businesses owners.
Detection of EEG changes via a generalized Itakura distance

Changes in electroencephalograms (EEGs) carry important clinical information. The accurate detection and characterization of such changes in EEG can be a valuable tool for the clinical assessment of the neurological system condition. Autoregressive (AR) modes have previously been used to detect changes in the EEG signal. Based on the AR model parameters, an off-line distance measure called the Itakura distance (F. Itakura, 1975) has been used to effectively quantify changes in the EEG signal related to brain injury. The ordinary Itakura distance measure used for such quantification requires the same order for the AR models in all EEG segments. In this paper, a generalized Itakura distance measure is proposed without this constraint. The generalized measure is applied to the analysis of EEG signals. Preliminary results suggest that the generalized Itakura distance measure performs better for detecting injury-related changes in EEG.
Taxation without Coordination

Abstract Traditional conceptions of the nation‐state have been challenged by the growth of the global economy. Increasingly, one hears calls for the “harmonization” of divergent national laws. Yet actual movement in the direction of such harmonization has been painfully slow. It may be that the benefits of harmonization are less than they appear to its proponents. Alternatively, this continuing diversity may be an example of special‐interest groups prospering at the expense of the general public. The article looks at one context in which the case for international coordination has been pressed by academics, the definition of income for income tax purposes, as a case study in the general problem of public choice influences on the harmonization process. It identifies potential winners and losers, explicates their roles in the political process, and suggests methods for possibly ameliorating the undue influence of potential losers.
Enumeration of Hybrid Domino-Lozenge Tilings II: Quasi-Octagonal Regions

We use the subgraph replacement method to prove a simple product formula for the tilings of an 8-vertex counterpart of Propp's quasi-hexagons (Problem 16 in New Perspectives in Geometric Combinatorics , Cambridge University Press, 1999), called quasi-octagon.
Publishing construction contracts and outcome details

Construction governance failures can lead to the construction of the wrong infrastructure, poor quality construction, and excessively high prices for work. There is some evidence from both other sectors and the construction sector itself that improved transparency, especially when combined with oversight, can improve development outcomes through its impact on the quality of governance. This paper reviews that evidence, discusses costs and benefits of greater transparency in particular with regard to the contracting and delivery process in construction, and briefly discusses an initiative to improve governance in public construction -- the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative.
Short Lists with Short Programs in Short Time – A Short Proof

Bauwens, Mahklin, Vereshchagin and Zimand [1] and Teutsch [6] have shown that given a string x it is possible to construct in polynomial time a list containing a short description of it. We simplify their technique and present a shorter proof of this result, which also achieves better values for the main parameters.
Determinants of emerging market bond spread : do economic fundamentals matter?

In the 1990s international bond issues from developing countries surged dramatically, becoming one of the fastest-growing devices for financing external development. Their terms have improved as institutional investors have become more interested in emerging market securities and better economic prospects in a number of developing countries. But little is known about what determines the pricing and thus the yield spreads of new emerging market bond issues. The author investigates what determines bond spreads in emerging markets in the 1990s. He finds that strong macroeconomic fundamentals in a country -- such as low domestic inflation rates, improved terms of trade, and increased foreign assets -- are associated with lower yield spreads. By contrast, higher yield spreads are associated with weak liquidity variables in a country, such as a high debt-to-GDP (Gross Domestic Product) ratio, a low ratio of foreign reserves to GDP, a low (high) export (import) growth rate, and a high debt-service ratio. At the same time, external shocks -- as measured by the international interest rate -- matter little in the determination of bond spreads. In the aggregate, Latin America countries have a negative yield curve.
Secrecy through Synchronization Errors

In this paper, we propose a secure transmission scheme based on deleting and inserting symbols. The proposed encryption/decryption method is novel since it achieves secrecy by a transmitter that deliberately introduces synchronization errors (insertions and/or deletions) based on a shared source of randomness. The intended receiver, having access to the same shared source of randomness as the transmitter, can resynchronize the received sequence. On the other hand, the eavesdropper's channel remains a synchronization error channel. We show that the scheme achieves information theoretic security. We prove a secrecy capacity theorem, provide a lower bound on the secrecy capacity, and propose numerical methods to evaluate it.
Lectures on Spectrum Generating Symmetries and U-duality in Supergravity, Extremal Black Holes, Quantum Attractors and Harmonic Superspace

We review the underlying algebraic structures of supergravity theories with symmetric scalar manifolds in five and four dimensions, orbits of their extremal black hole solutions and the spectrum generating extensions of their U-duality groups. For 5D, N = 2 Maxwell–Einstein supergravity theories (MESGT) defined by Euclidean Jordan algebras, J, the spectrum generating symmetry groups are the conformal groups Conf(J) of J which are isomorphic to their U-duality groups in four dimensions. Similarly, the spectrum generating symmetry groups of 4D, N = 2 MESGTs are the quasiconformal groups QConf(J) associated with J that are isomorphic to their U-duality groups in three dimensions. We then review the work on spectrum generating symmetries of spherically symmetric stationary 4D BPS black holes, based on the equivalence of their attractor equations and the equations for geodesic motion of a fiducial particle on the target spaces of corresponding 3D supergravity theories obtained by timelike reduction. We also discuss the connection between harmonic superspace formulation of 4D, N = 2 sigma models coupled to supergravity and the minimal unitary representations of their isometry groups obtained by quantizing their quasiconformal realizations. We discuss the relevance of this connection to spectrum generating symmetries and conclude with a brief summary of more recent results.
Secular Evolution in Barred Galaxies

A strong bar rotating within a massive halo should lose angular momentum to the halo through dynamical friction, as predicted by Weinberg. We have conducted fully self-consistent, numerical simulations of barred galaxy models with a live halo population and find that bars are indeed braked very rapidly. Specifically, we find that the bar slows sufficiently within a few rotation periods that the distance from the centre to co-rotation is more than twice the semi-major axis of the bar. Observational evidence (meagre) for bar pattern speeds seems to suggest that this ratio typically lies between 1.2 to 1.5 in real galaxies. We consider a number of possible explanations for this discrepancy between theoretical prediction and observation, and conclude that no conventional alternative seems able to account for it.
Implications of “peak oil” for atmospheric CO2 and climate

[1] Unconstrained CO2 emission from fossil fuel burning has been the dominant cause of observed anthropogenic global warming. The amounts of “proven” and potential fossil fuel reserves are uncertain and debated. Regardless of the true values, society has flexibility in the degree to which it chooses to exploit these reserves, especially unconventional fossil fuels and those located in extreme or pristine environments. If conventional oil production peaks within the next few decades, it may have a large effect on future atmospheric CO2 and climate change, depending upon subsequent energy choices. Assuming that proven oil and gas reserves do not greatly exceed estimates of the Energy Information Administration, and recent trends are toward lower estimates, we show that it is feasible to keep atmospheric CO2 from exceeding about 450 ppm by 2100, provided that emissions from coal, unconventional fossil fuels, and land use are constrained. Coal-fired power plants without sequestration must be phased out before midcentury to achieve this CO2 limit. It is also important to “stretch” conventional oil reserves via energy conservation and efficiency, thus averting strong pressures to extract liquid fuels from coal or unconventional fossil fuels while clean technologies are being developed for the era “beyond fossil fuels”. We argue that a rising price on carbon emissions is needed to discourage conversion of the vast fossil resources into usable reserves, and to keep CO2 beneath the 450 ppm ceiling.
Comparison of one-class SVM and two-class SVM for fold recognition

The best protein structure prediction results today are achieved by incorporating initial structural prediction using alignments to known protein structures. The performance of these algorithms directly depends on the quality and significance of the alignment results. Support Vector Machines (SVMs) have shown great potential in providing good alignment results in cases where very low similarities to known proteins exist. In this paper we propose the use of a one-class SVM to reduce the computational resources required to perform SVM learning and classification. Experimental results show its efficiency compared to two-class SVM algorithms while producing results of similar accuracy.
Fast universal algorithms for robustness analysis

In this paper, we develop efficient randomized algorithms for estimating probabilistic robustness margin and constructing robustness degradation curve for uncertain dynamic systems. One remarkable feature of these algorithms is their universal applicability to robustness analysis problems with arbitrary robustness requirements and uncertainty bounding set. In contrast to existing probabilistic methods, our approach does not depend on the feasibility of computing deterministic robustness margin. We have developed efficient methods such as probabilistic comparison, probabilistic bisection and backward iteration to facilitate the computation. In particular, confidence interval for binomial random variables has been frequently used in the estimation of probabilistic robustness margin and in the accuracy evaluation of estimating robustness degradation function. Motivated by the importance of fast computation of binomial confidence interval in the context of probabilistic robustness analysis, we have derived an explicit formula for constructing the confidence interval of binomial parameter with guaranteed coverage probability. The formula overcomes the limitation of normal approximation which is asymptotic in nature and thus inevitably introduce unknown errors in applications. Moreover, the formula is extremely simple and very tight in comparison with classic Clopper-Pearson's approach.
Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Selected Astronomical Sources

The birth rates of various kinds of white dwarf progenitors are estimated and the spectra of two very hot O-type white dwarfs are analyzed. The effective temperature of LSE 21 was found to be in excess of 100,000 K. The abundance of iron in the atmospheres of two central stars and numerous very hot O-type subdwarfs was found to be strongly variable. Results obtained by high resolution optical spectroscopy, UBV photometry, and low resolution IUE spectrophotometry for LSS 2018, the central star of the planetary nebulae DS1, are summarized. A planetary nebula surrounding the very hot subdwarf LSS 1362 was discovered. Analysis of results obtained by high resolution optical spectra shows agreement with an effective temperature of 110,000 K derived using low resolution IUE observations.
Throughput-optimized implementations of QUAD

We present several software and hardware implementations of QUAD, a recently introduced stream cipher designed to be provably secure and practical to implement. The software implementations target both a personal computer and an ARM microprocessor. The hardware implementations target field-programmable gate arrays. The purpose of our work was to first find the baseline performance of QUAD implementations, then to optimize our implementations for throughput. Our software implementations perform comparably to prior work. Our hardware implementations are the first known implementations to use random coefficients, in agreement with QUAD’s security argument, and achieve much higher throughput than prior implementations.
Optical Bumps in Cosmological GRBs as Supernovae

From both photometric and broadband spectral monitoring of γ-ray burst (GRB) lightcurve “bumps,” particularly in GRB011121, a strong case grew for a supernova (SN) origin. The GRB-SN connection was finally solidified beyond a reasonable doubt with the discovery that the bump in GRB030329 was spectroscopically similar to a bright Type Ic SN. In light of this result, I re-assess the previous SN bump claims and conclude that: 1) the distribution of GRB-SN bump peak magnitudes is consistent with the local Type Ib/c SNe peak distribution and 2) the late-time bumps in all long-duration GRBs are likely supernovae.
Algebraic statistics in model selection

We develop the necessary theory in computational algebraic geometry to place Bayesian networks into the realm of algebraic statistics. We present an algebra-statistics dictionary focused on statistical modeling. In particular, we link the notion of effective dimension of a Bayesian network with the notion of algebraic dimension of a variety. We also obtain the independence and non-independence constraints on the distributions over the observable variables implied by a Bayesian network with hidden variables, via a generating set of an ideal of polynomials associated to the network. These results extend previous work on the subject. Finally, the relevance of these results for model selection is discussed.
Pion observables and QCD

The Dyson-Schwinger equations (DSEs) are a tower of coupled integral equations that relate the Green functions of QCD to one another. Solving these equations provides the solution of QCD. This tower of equations includes the equation for the quark self-energy, which is the analogue of the gap equation in superconductivity, and the Bethe-Salpeter equation, the solution of which is the quark-antiquark bound state amplitude in QCD. The application of this approach to solving Abelian and non-Abelian gauge theories is reviewed. The nonperturbative DSE approach is being developed as both: (1) a computationally less intensive alternative and; (2) a complement to numerical simulations of the lattice action of QCD. In recent years, significant progress has been made with the DSE approach so that it is now possible to make sensible and direct comparisons between quantities calculated using this approach and the results of numerical simulations of Abelian gauge theories. Herein the application of the DSE approach to the calculation of pion observables is described: the {pi}-{pi} scattering lengths (a{sub 0}{sup 0}, a{sub 0}{sup 2}, A{sub 1}{sup 1}, a{sub 2}{sup 2}) and associated partial wave amplitudes; the {pi}{sup 0} {yields} {gamma}{gamma} decay width; and the charged pion form factor, F{sub {pi}}(q{sup 2}).more » Since this approach provides a straightforward, microscopic description of dynamical chiral symmetry breaking (D{sub X}SB) and confinement, the calculation of pion observables is a simple and elegant illustrative example of its power and efficacy. The relevant DSEs are discussed in the calculation of pion observables and concluding remarks are presented.« less
Balancing Your Life: Executive Lessons for Work, Family and Self

What We Know About Adult Life Stages and Development The Challenging and Elusive Nature of Success Reflections on a Summer Experience in Investment Banking Fairfax County Manager The Life and Career of a Free Spirit: Dee Dee Fisher John Wolford A Erika James Tetsundo Iwakuni Speaker of the House Indiana The Modest Achievements of Stephen P Robbins The Life and Career of an SEO: Tom Curren and Mrs. Tom Curren Professor Jim Gordon's Week The Life and Career of a High Tech Entrepreneur: Donna Dubinsky A Chung at Hyundai Bob Johnson at BET Jackie Woods Bob Johnson The Life and Career of a CEO: Harold Clawson Some Thoughts About Managing Your Own Life and Career.
Collective diffusion over networks: models and inference

Diffusion processes in networks are increasingly used to model the spread of information and social influence. In several applications in computational sustainability such as the spread of wildlife, infectious diseases and traffic mobility pattern, the observed data often consists of only aggregate information. In this work, we present new models that generalize standard diffusion processes to such collective settings. We also present optimization based techniques that can accurately learn the underlying dynamics of the given contagion process, including the hidden network structure, by only observing the time a node becomes active and the associated aggregate information. Empirically, our technique is highly robust and accurately learns network structure with more than 90% recall and precision. Results on real-world flu spread data in the US confirm that our technique can also accurately model infectious disease spread.
Radiation and Thermal Stability of Spray Solutions

It has been proposed that, following a pressurized water reactor (PWR) loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA), sprays be used for the twofold purpose of pressure suppression and fission product (largely 131I) removal. These proposed sprays must operate under severe conditions of high energy radiation (∼3 × 108 rads) and temperature (∼135°C). Studies have been carried out on a series of such sprays to ascertain their stability under these conditions. It was found that several of the solutions exhibit satisfactory behavior under accident conditions while others were discarded from consideration because of either thermal and/or radiation instability. The two sprays found to demonstrate acceptable stabilities under test conditions are the basic borate (0.15N NaOH-3000 ppm B) and basic borate thiosulfate (1 wt% Na2S2 O3-0.15N NaOH-3000 ppm B). However, even these demonstrate a radiolytic gas generation (H2) sufficient to be a possible safety hazard. Various studies have been carried out to establish G(H2) values and/...
Some answered and unanswered questions about the structure of the set of fermionic actions with GWL symmetry

In this talk I will briefly discuss several issues that I thought about since Ginsparg-Wilson (GW) relation and Ginsparg-Wilson-Loscher (GWL) symmetry became popular topics in lattice field theory. Most of these issues are not resolved to my satisfaction (if at all), which actually makes them an appropriate material to discuss at a workshop like this.
A vision for the broadband network

Broadband networks are evolving to support applications beyond internet access sharing to encompass the distribution and use of content in the home. Consumers, having learned the benefits of mobility with their cell phones, are demanding "no new wires" and mobility in their home networks. And, as consumers leave their homes and travel, their communications requirements include using public places to gain access to the WLAN broadband network. In parallel, mobile wireless data applications are growing. WLAN and WWAN are complementary, with both being a key element of next generation networks. This talk will provide a vision for the broadband network of the future and its relationship to WLAN networks, 3G networks, the intelligent edge network, and the backbone network. Considerations on advances in speed, mobility, QOS, security, and distribution of content required to support this next generation network will be addressed.
Statistical Discrimination, Productivity, and the Height of Immigrants

Building on the economic research that demonstrates a positive relationship between height and worker ability, the author compares wage returns to height for immigrants and for natives to explore possible explanations for the positive wage–height gradient. Using multiple data sets, the article presents a robust empirical finding that the wage gains associated with height are almost twice as large for immigrants as for native-born individuals. This wage relationship occurs because the productivity gap between tall and short immigrants is greater than the productivity gap between tall and short native-born workers. The author next tests for the possibility that in the relative absence of other sources of information about immigrants, employers place more importance on height for immigrants than for native-born individuals. The evidence does not support the hypothesis of statistical discrimination based on height.
On Tensor Completion via Nuclear Norm Minimization

Many problems can be formulated as recovering a low-rank tensor. Although an increasingly common task, tensor recovery remains a challenging problem because of the delicacy associated with the decomposition of higher-order tensors. To overcome these difficulties, existing approaches often proceed by unfolding tensors into matrices and then apply techniques for matrix completion. We show here that such matricization fails to exploit the tensor structure and may lead to suboptimal procedure. More specifically, we investigate a convex optimization approach to tensor completion by directly minimizing a tensor nuclear norm and prove that this leads to an improved sample size requirement. To establish our results, we develop a series of algebraic and probabilistic techniques such as characterization of subdifferential for tensor nuclear norm and concentration inequalities for tensor martingales, which may be of independent interests and could be useful in other tensor-related problems.
Countercyclical financial regulation

The global financial crisis has focused much attention on procyclicality, particularly in the context of a macroprudential framework. This paper reviews a set of prudential measures that can be adopted by national authorities to deal with procyclicality and discusses issues in designing and implementing such measures. For developing countries, in addition to some general considerations on policy design and implementation, a range of issues may warrant special attention. These include the balance between financial stability and financial development objectives, selection and calibration of policy instruments according to national circumstances and taking into account data limitations and capacity constraints as well as other practical challenges, and continued efforts to improve supervisory independence, supervisory powers and analytical capacity and to ensure adequate resources in order to perform the required tasks. Given the limited practical experience with countercyclical prudential measures, developing countries (as well as developed countries) will have to ascend a learning curve and experiment with select instruments while carefully monitoring and evaluating their effectiveness over time before a framework matures.
Certitude and rectitude

Certitude: the state of being or feeling certain; Rectitude: correctness of judgment or procedure. There is a fundamental difference between certification (which is intended to give you the feeling that someone or something is doing the right thing) and correctness (for which you hopefully have some well-founded reason to believe that someone or something is doing the right thing - with respect to appropriate definitions of what is right). Certification is typically nowhere near enough; correctness is somewhat closer to what is needed, although often unattainable in the large - that is, with respect to the entire system. However, formal demonstrations that something is correct are potentially much more valuable than loosely based certification. Therefore, a challenge confronting us here is to endow certification - of people and of systems - with a greater sense of rigor and credibility.
Polycentricity: From Polanyi to Ostrom, and Beyond

The article overviews and elaborates the concept of polycentricity, defined as a structural feature of social systems of many decision centers having limited and autonomous prerogatives and operating under an overarching set of rules. The article starts by introducing the concept as it was advanced by Michael Polanyi and developed by Elinor and Vincent Ostrom. It continues introducing possible instances of polycentricity as well as related notions, as part of an attempt to further elaborate the concept through a concept design approach that systematically applies the logic of necessary and sufficient conditions. The article concludes by arguing that the polycentricity conceptual framework is not only a robust analytical structure for the study of complex social phenomena, but is also a challenging method of drawing non-ad hoc analogies between different types of self-organizing complex social systems.
Kinetics, Microbial Growth

The article summarizes basic principles, methods, and the most essential results of kinetic studies in microbiology. Microbial kinetics is based on experimental studies of all dynamic manifestations of microbial life (growth, survival, death, product formation, mutations, cell cycles, environmental effects) and analysis of underlying mechanisms using mathematical models. The article starts from introduction to basic principles of growth stoichiometry (quantitative relationships between substrates and products of microbial processes) and enzyme kinetics and then, step-by-step surveys simple and structured models of microbial growth, cell cycle, mutation, and population dynamics. Special emphasis is given to similarity and difference in kinetic terms as applied to chemical reactions, enzyme-catalyzed processes, and microbial growth. The last part of the chapter is devoted to characterization of diversity of cultivation methods including various continuous methods (chemostat, turbidostat, pH-auxostat, viscostat, bistat), batch, fed-batch, phased and dialysis culture, plug-flow, columns packed, colonies and biofilms. Keywords: growth kinetic and stoichiometry; maintenance; wasteful catabolic reactions; cell size distribution; growth models; catabolic and anabolic substrates; physiological state; structured models; autoselection; biofilms; bistat; chemostat; fed-batch; dialysis culture; biomass recycle; sensitivity analysis; inhibitors and activators; colonies
On the relationship between individual and group decisions

Each member of a group receives a signal about the unknown state of the world and decides on a utility-maximizing recommendation on the basis of that signal. The individuals have identical preferences. The group makes a decision that maximizes the common utility function assuming perfect pooling of the information in individual signals. An action profile is a group action and a recommendation from each individual. A collection of action profiles is rational if there exists an information structure under which all elements in the collection arise with positive probability. With no restrictions on the information structure, essentially all action profiles are rational. In fact, given any distribution over action profiles, it is possible to find an information structure that approximates the distribution. In a monotone environment in which individuals receive conditionally independent signals, essentially any single action profile is rational, although some collections of action profiles are not.
Universal Design for Learning and Multimedia Technology: Supporting Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for designing instruction to address the needs of a range of learners. The UDL guidelines define ways in which flexible options can be integrated into curriculum and instruction. This paper presents three classroom projects that illustrate how UDL was integrated into teaching and learning to support the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse K-12 students. In each project, teachers used readily-available software and created multimedia projects that addressed specific instructional goals, taking into account the needs of the culturally and linguistically diverse students in their classrooms. The paper provides information on how UDL checkpoints are addressed by each project, defining ways in which teachers can use digital media in creative ways to support the learning process.