cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficient approximate dictionary look-up for long words over small alphabets

Given a dictionary ${\mathcal W}$ consisting of n binary strings of length m each, a d-query asks if there exists a string in ${\mathcal W}$ within Hamming distance d of a given binary query string q. The problem was posed by Minsky and Papert in 1969 as a challenge to data structure design. There is a tradeoff between time and space in solving the problem of answering a d-query. Recently developed time-efficient methods for text indexing with errors can be used to answer a d-query in O(m) time. However, these methods use O(nlogdn) (or more) additional space which is not practical for large databases. We present a method for the problem assuming the standard RAM model of computation. We process the dictionary to construct an edge-labelled tree with distinct labels to siblings, and with bounded branching factor and height. Storing the resulting tree does not require asymptotically more space than the size of an ordinary trie that stores the given dictionary. We present an algorithm for the d-query problem that takes O(m(3 log4/3n – 1)d (log2n)d+1) time, and uses only O(m) additional space. We also generalize the results for the case of the problem when a larger alphabet, or edit distance are used. We achieve $O(m(2|\Sigma|-1)^{d}(log_{(2|\Sigma|-1)}{\it n} -1) ^{d}(log_{2}n)^{d+1})$ time complexity for the problem when Hamming distance is used. The time complexity increases by a factor of $O(d(2|\Sigma|-1)^d(log_{2}n)^{d})$ when we use edit distance. The algorithms are efficient when the approximate dictionary look-up involves long words defined over small alphabets. The algorithm can be modified such that it allows for words of different lengths as well as different lengths of query strings.
Fine-Grain Authorization for Resource Management in the Grid Environment

In this document we describe our work-in-progress for enabling finegrain authorization of resource management. In particular we address the needs of Virtual Organizations (VOs) to enforce their own polices in addition to those of the resource owners.
Scalable analysis of linear systems using mathematical programming

We present a method for generating linear invariants for large systems. The method performs forward propagation in an abstract domain consisting of arbitrary polyhedra of a predefined fixed shape. The basic operations on the domain like abstraction, intersection, join and inclusion tests are all posed as linear optimization queries, which can be solved efficiently by existing LP solvers. The number and dimensionality of the LP queries are polynomial in the program dimensionality, size and the number of target invariants. The method generalizes similar analyses in the interval, octagon, and octahedra domains, without resorting to polyhedral manipulations. We demonstrate the performance of our method on some benchmark programs.
Detection and Quantitation of Radiolabeled Proteins in Gels and Blots

This unit provides procedures for detecting an quantifying radiolabeled proteins in SDS-polyacrylamide gels or blots. Autoradiography requires fixed, dried gels before exposure to X-ray film. The results may be enhanced by using intensifying screens and/or preflashing the film. Alternatively fluorography with organic scintillant-impregnated gels may be used to enhance signal. The autoradiogram may be quantified by densitometry. Phosphorimaging is a useful alternative to film exposure.
System-Level Synthesis of MEMS via Genetic Programming and Bond Graphs

Initial results have been achieved for automatic synthesis of MEMS system-level lumped parameter models using genetic programming and bond graphs. This paper first discusses the necessity of narrowing the problem of MEMS synthesis into a certain specific application domain, e.g., RF MEM devices. Then the paper briefly introduces the flow of a structured MEMS design process and points out that system-level lumped-parameter model synthesis is the first step of the MEMS synthesis process. Bond graphs can be used to represent a system-level model of a MEM system. As an example, building blocks of RF MEM devices are selected carefully and their bond graph representations are obtained. After a proper and realizable function set to operate on that category of building blocks is defined, genetic programming can evolve both the topologies and parameters of corresponding RF MEM devices to meet predefined design specifications. Adaptive fitness definition is used to better direct the search process of genetic programming. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the approach as a first step of an automated MEMS synthesis process. Some methods to extend the approach are also discussed.
Chiral Symmetry Versus the Lattice

After mentioning some of the difficulties arising in lattice gauge theory from chiral symmetry, I discuss one of the recent attempts to resolve these issues using fermionic surface states in an extra space-time dimension. This picture can be understood in terms of end states on a simple ladder molecule.
Institutional Investors Tilt Their Real Estate Holdings Toward Quality, Too

This article confirms and extends prior results regarding tilting of institutional investment in common stock toward quality. The evidence presented here suggests that, while both real estate investment trusts and institutional investors tilt their real estate holdings toward quality, the tilt is much more pronounced in the case of institutional investors. Controlling for quality, there is further evidence that institutional investors overweight locations where the share of local employment in business services, finance, insurance, and real estate, and transportation is relatively high (compared to national averages). This evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that significant sector tilting by institutional investors is induced by the constraints of the prudent man rule.
Practical Statistics for the LHC

This document is a pedagogical introduction to statistics for particle physics. Emphasis is placed on the terminology, concepts, and methods being used at the Large Hadron Collider. The document addresses both the statistical tests applied to a model of the data and the modeling itself . I expect to release updated versions of this document in the future.
Boundary fragment matching and articulated pose under occlusion

Silhouette recognition can reconstruct the three-dimensional pose of a human subject in monocular video so long as the camera's view remains unoccluded by other objects. This paper develops a shape representation that can describe and compare partial shapes, extending the silhouette recognition technique to apply to video with occlusions. The new method operates without human intervention, and experiments demonstrate that it can reconstruct accurate three-dimensional articulated pose tracks from single-camera walking video despite occlusion of one-third to one-half of the subject
The military role of nuclear weapons: Perceptions and misperceptions

(1983). The military role of nuclear weapons: Perceptions and misperceptions. Survival: Vol. 25, No. 6, pp. 261-271.
Kolmogorov’s law of the iterated logarithm for noncommutative martingales

Nous prouvons la loi de Kolmogorov du logarithme itere pour des martingales non-commutatives. Le cas commutatif a ete etabli par Stout. L’ingredient cle est une inegalite exponentielle prouvee recemment par Junge et l’auteur.
Workplace Violence Against Nursing Students and Nurses: An Italian Experience

Background: Nurses and nursing students are exposed to workplace violence. Objectives: To compare the characteristics and effects of violence in nursing students and nurses in order to assess the phenomenon and take preventive action. Methods: A retrospective survey was conducted in three Italian university schools of nursing. At the end of a lecture, 346 of 349 students agreed to fill out a questionnaire that included domains on violence, mental health, job stress, and organizational justice. This group was compared with 275 nurses from a general hospital (94.2% participation rate). Results: The prevalence of subjects reporting at least one upsetting episode of physical or verbal violence during their lifetime activity in clinical settings was 43% in nurses and 34% in nursing students. Nurses reported more physical assaults (odds ratio [OR] 2.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.35–6.18), threats (OR 2.84, 95% CI 1.39–5.79), and sexual harassment (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.15–5.54) during the previous 12 months than students. Nurses were mostly assaulted or harassed by patients or their relatives and friends (“external” violence), whereas students often reported verbal and also physical violence on the part of colleagues, staff, and others, including teachers, doctors, and supervisors (“internal” violence). Verbal violence was associated with high levels of psychological problems, as measured by the 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire, in both students and nurses. Verbal violence was also associated with high job strain, low social support, and low organizational justice, but only among nursing students. Conclusions: Preventive action is urgently needed to control patient-to-worker and worker-to-worker violence in clinical settings. Clinical Relevance: Not only nurses, but also nursing students, would benefit from multilevel programs of violence prevention.
Ownership Structure and the Value of the Firm: The Case of REITs

This article examines the relation between ownership structure and firm value as proxied by market-to-book ratios for real estate investment trusts (REITs) over the period 1980 to 1994. Piecewise r...
Using carbon offsets to fund agricultural conservation practices in a working-lands setting

The nitrogen cascade concept indicates that agriculture serves as a significant link between emissions of the potent greenhouse gas (GHG) nitrous oxide and losses of nitrate-N to surface waters. Conservation practices have the potential to exploit this link, as their implementation is found to reduce fluxes of GHGs and nonpoint source (NPS) water pollution. Several studies have recognized this link and have documented the potential to improve environmental quality through the use of programs which retire land, the cost of which can be offset by the sale of carbon credits. However, the ability to use land for both agricultural production and environmental conservation is important. As such, this study provides a novel analytical framework that is used to examine the potential for implementing agricultural conservation practices to reduce NPS water pollutants and fluxes of GHGs in a working-lands setting. The extent to which carbon pricing can affect practice implementation costs and the optimal distribution of these practices throughout the watershed is also explored. Results from this study indicate that carbon offsets can sharply reduce conservation practice implementation costs and therefore have the potential to reduce greater amounts of NPS pollution for a given cost of implementation. This conclusion has significant implications for policymaking, particularly with regard to using market mechanisms to improve water quality in watersheds where markets have historically been unsuccessful. However, this study found that the optimal allocation of practices was heavily reliant on fertilizer management, which is difficult to enforce in practice.
Information modeling for end to end composition of semantic web services

One of the main goals of the semantic web services effort is to enable automated composition of web services. An end-to-end view of the service composition process involves automation of composite service creation, development of executable workflows and deployment on an execution environment. However, the main focus in literature has been on the initial part of formally representing web service capabilities and reasoning about their composition using AI techniques. Based upon our experience in building an end-to-end composition tool for application integration, we bring out issues that have an impact on information modeling aspects of the composition process. In this paper, we present approaches for solving problems relating to scalability and manageability of service descriptions and data flow construction for operationalizing the composed services.
Defect tolerance in multiple-FPGA systems

SRAM-based FPGAs have an inherent capacity for defect tolerance. We propose a simple scheme that exploits this potential in multiple-FPGA systems. The symmetry of the system is exploited to yield a large number of possible mappings of bitstreams on FPGAs, which results in a high probability that at least one functional mapping exists. We show that the behavior of a system built using a large number of defective FPGAs approaches that of the ideal defect-free system. Various interconnection topologies such as the tree, the crossbar, and a hybrid form are compared.
Voluntary environmental disclosure quality and firm value: Further evidence

Abstract This study reexamines the relationship between the quality of a firm’s voluntary environmental disclosures and firm value by exploring the relationship between the components of firm value (expected future cash flows and cost of equity) and voluntary environmental disclosure quality. We measure voluntary environmental disclosure quality using a disclosure index consistent with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI, 2006) disclosure framework for a sample of US firms across five industries. In addition to overall disclosure quality, we consider the type (i.e., hard/soft) and the nature (i.e., positive/neutral/negative) of the disclosure in our analysis. Our analyses provide evidence that voluntary environmental quality is associated with firm value through both the cash flow and the cost of equity components, consistent with our expectations. More importantly, however, we demonstrate that both the type and nature of the environmental disclosures is informative in establishing the predicted relations. Thus, in addition to providing evidence on the association between voluntary disclosure quality and firm value, our results highlight the benefit of parsing broader measures (e.g. voluntary environmental disclosure quality) when examining complex relationships.
Managing farming systems, landscapes, pests and pathogens to improve consumer perception of berries

A major challenge in berry production is the management of pests. Traditionally, growers have used pesticides to manage weeds, arthropods and pathogens, but pressure has been increasing to reduce or eliminate their use. A multitude of approaches and technologies exist that could potentially reduce pesticide use and increase consumer acceptance of berries. Many of these have not yet been widely used in the production of berries. The intent of this paper is to identify ten promising approaches that can lead to reduced pesticide use, and provide examples of how these can be applied to berry production in the future.
Capabilities and Coherence in Firms and Markets

This volume seeks to open a dialogue between the evolutionary approach to economics and the resource-based approach to strategy. Despite their differences in intellectual origin and explanatory purpose, these two intellectual strands intertwine for a considerable distance. Rather than attempt a detailed comparison, however, this chapter tries to illuminate the overlap by examining one particular issue of common interest: the nature of “coherence” in economic organization. As Foss, Knudsen, and Montgomery noted in their introductory chapter, coherence has to do with whatever it is “that fundamentally distinguishes the viable firm as a historical entity, rather than just an arbitrary collection of businesses held together by the thin glue of transaction-cost minimization” (p. 13).
Learning to rank with Bregman divergences and monotone retargeting

This paper introduces a novel approach for learning to rank (LETOR) based on the notion of monotone retargeting. It involves minimizing a divergence between all monotonic increasing transformations of the training scores and a parameterized prediction function. The minimization is both over the transformations as well as over the parameters. It is applied to Bregman divergences, a large class of "distance like" functions that were recently shown to be the unique class that is statistically consistent with the normalized discounted gain (NDCG) criterion [19]. The algorithm uses alternating projection style updates, in which one set of simultaneous projections can be computed independent of the Bregman divergence and the other reduces to parameter estimation of a generalized linear model. This results in easily implemented, efficiently parallelizable algorithm for the LETOR task that enjoys global optimum guarantees under mild conditions. We present empirical results on benchmark datasets showing that this approach can outperform the state of the art NDCG consistent techniques.
R&D: A Small Contribution to Productivity Growth

In this article I evaluate the contribution of R&D investments to productivity growth. The basis for the analysis are the free entry condition and the fact that most R&D innovations are embodied. Free entry yields a relationship between the resources devoted to R&D and the growth rate of technology. Since innovators are small, this relationship is not directly affected by the size of R&D externalities, or the presence of aggregate diminishing returns in R&D after controlling for the growth rate of output and the interest rate. The embodiment of R&D-driven innovations bounds the size of the production externalities. The resulting contribution of R&D to productivity growth in the US is smaller than 3–5 tenths of 1% point. This constitutes an upper bound for the case where innovators internalize the consequences of their R&D investments on the cost of conducting future innovations. From a normative perspective, this analysis implies that, if the innovation technology takes the form assumed in the literature, the actual US R&D intensity may be the socially optimal.
The long-run volatility puzzle of the real exchange rate

Abstract This paper documents large cross-country differences in the long-run volatility of the real exchange rate. It shows that the real exchange rate of developing countries is approximately three times more volatile than the real exchange rate in industrial countries. The paper shows that this difference in volatility cannot be explained by the fact that developing countries face larger shocks (both real and nominal), recurrent currency crises or by different elasticities to these shocks. ARCH estimations find a much higher persistence of deviations of the variance of the RER from its long-run value when the economy suffers shocks of various kinds.
Optimal Use of Carbon Sequestration in a Global Climate Change Strategy : Is there a Wooden Bridge to a Clean Energy Future?

Does temporary sequestration of carbon dioxide have a place in a comprehensive policy for mitigating climate change? Does it buy time for technical change in the energy sector? Carbon sequestration aims at raising the amount of carbon sequestered in biomass and in soils. Whether it should be part of a global climate mitigation strategy, however, remains controversial. One of the key issues is that, contrary to emission abatement, carbon sequestration might not be permanent. But some argue that even temporary sequestration is beneficial as it delays climate change impacts and buys time for technical change in the energy sector. To rigorously assess these arguments, Lecocq and Chomitz build an intertemporal optimization model in which both sequestration and abatement can be used to mitigate climate change. They confirm that permanent sequestration, if feasible, can be an overall part of a climate mitigation strategy. When permanence can be guaranteed, sequestration is equivalent to fossil-fuel emissions abatement. The optimal use of temporary sequestration, on the other hand, depends mostly on marginal damages of climate change. Temporary sequestration projects starting now, in particular, are not attractive if marginal damages of climate change at current concentration levels are assumed to be low. This paper - a product of Infrastructure and Environment, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to assess policies for mitigating climate change.
On the Relation Between Extremal Elasticity Tensors with Orthotropic Symmetry and Extremal Polynomials

We prove that an elasticity tensor with orthotropic symmetry is extremal if the determinant of its acoustic tensor is an extremal polynomial that is not a perfect square.
Cellular Automata, Decidability and Phasespace

Cellular automata have rich computational properties and, at the same time, provide plausible models of physics-like computation. We study decidability issues in the phasespace of these automata, construed as automatic structures over infinite words. In dimension one, slightly more than the first order theory is decidable but the addition of an orbit predicate results in undecidability. We comment on connections between this “what you see is what you get” model and the lack of natural intermediate degrees.
A Brief History of Star Formation and Chemical Enrichment in the Bulge of the Milky way

Observations of the stellar content of the bulge of the Milky Way can provide critical guidelines for the interpretation of observations of distant galaxies, in particular for understanding their stellar content and evolution. In this brief overview I will first highlight some recent work directed towards measuring the history of star formation and the chemical composition of the central few parsecs of the Galaxy. These observations point to an episodic history of star formation in the central region with several bursts having occurred over the past few 100 Myr (e.g. Blum et al., 1996b). High resolution spectroscopic observations by Ramirez et al. (1998) of luminous M stars in this region yield a near solar value for [Fe/H] from direct measurements of iron lines. Then I will present some results from an ongoing program by my colleagues and myself the objective of which is the delineation of the star formation and chemical enrichment histories of the central 100 parsecs of the Galaxy, the ‘inner bulge’. From new photometric data we have concluded that there is a small increase in mean [Fe/H] from Baade’s Window to the Galactic Center and deduce a near solar value for stars in the central region. For radial distances greater than 1° from the Galactic Center we fail to find a measurable population of stars that are significantly younger than those in Baade’s Window. Within 1° we find a number of luminous M giants that most likely are the result of a star formation episode not more than one or two Gyr ago.
Carbon Dioxide as an Indicator of Air Pollution

Atmospheric carbon dioxide was investigated as an indicator of air quality in urban atmospheres comparing hourly, daily, and seasonal variations in carbon dioxide with carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen oxide and oxidant. Because the complex meteorological-photochemical phenomena involved in West Coast basins causes the chemical constituents to change in concentration during the day, statistical correlations on an hour by hour or a minute-by-minute basis were found to be meaningless. Seasonal, daily, and hourly relationships are graphically presented and discussed. Results from the use of a mobile carbon dioxide sampler used on the freeway to evaluate the line source of air pollution are presented. The results of a study of atmospheric carbon dioxide over the ocean shows clouds of air containing significantly high amounts as far as 800 miles off shore that are traceable to the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Indications are that carbon dioxide concentrations may be used as an index of air pollution, and could be used to tell much about the general meteorological phenomena of a basin.
Direct energy recovery from primary and secondary sludges by supercritical water oxidation.

Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) oxidizes organic and biological materials virtually completely to benign products without the need for stack gas scrubbing. Heavy metals are recovered as stabilized solid, along with the sand and clay that is present in the feed. The technology has been under development for twenty years. The major obstacle to commercialization has been developing reactors that are not clogged by inorganic solid deposits. That problem has been solved by using tubular reactors with fluid velocities that are high enough to keep solids in suspension. Recently, system designs have been created that reduce the cost of processing sewage sludges below that of incineration. At 10 wt-% dry solids, sludge can be oxidized with virtually complete recovery of the sludge heating value as hot water or high-pressure steam. Liquid carbon dioxide of high purity can be recovered from the gaseous effluent and excess oxygen can be recovered for recycle. The net effect is to reduce the stack to a harmless vent with minimal flow rate of a clean gas. Complete simulations have been developed using physical property models that accurately simulate the thermodynamic properties of sub- and supercritical water in mixtures with O2, N2, CO2, and organics. Capital and operating cost estimates are given for sewage sludge treatment, which are less costly than incineration. The scenario of direct recovery of energy from sludges has inherent benefits compared to other gasification or liquefaction options.
Financial Aggregation and Index Number Theory

Monetary Aggregation and Index Number Theory Monetary User Cost Formulas Risk Adjustment Monetary Policy State Space Time Series Evaluation of Aggregate Data.
TARGETED MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATION USING EXPONENTIAL FAMILIES

Targeted maximum likelihood estimation (TMLE) is a general method for estimating parameters in semiparametric and nonparametric models. The key step in any TMLE implementation is constructing a sequence of least-favorable parametric models for the parameter of interest. This has been done for a variety of parameters arising in causal inference problems, by augmenting standard regression models with a "clever-covariate." That approach requires deriving such a covariate for each new type of problem; for some problems such a covariate does not exist. To address these issues, we give a general TMLE implementation based on exponential families. This approach does not require deriving a clever-covariate, and it can be used to implement TMLE for estimating any smooth parameter in the nonparametric model. A computational advantage is that each iteration of TMLE involves estimation of a parameter in an exponential family, which is a convex optimization problem for which software implementing reliable and computationally efficient methods exists. We illustrate the method in three estimation problems, involving the mean of an outcome missing at random, the parameter of a median regression model, and the causal effect of a continuous exposure, respectively. We conduct a simulation study comparing different choices for the parametric submodel. We find that the choice of submodel can have an important impact on the behavior of the estimator in finite samples.
Quantifying the value of U.S. tariff preferences for developing countries

In recent debates, trade preference erosion has been viewed by some as damaging to developing countries, and by others as insignificant, except in a few cases. But little data have been available to back either view. The objective of this paper is to improve our measures of the size, utilization, and value of all U.S. nonreciprocal trade preference programs in order to shed light on this debate. Highly disaggregated data are used to quantify the margins, coverage, utilization, and value of agricultural and nonagricultural tariff preferences for all beneficiary countries in the U.S. regional programs and in the Generalized System of Preferences. Results show that U.S. regional tariff preference programs are generally characterized by high coverage of beneficiary countries'exports, high utilization by beneficiary countries, and low tariff preference margins (except on apparel). For 29 countries, the value of U.S. tariff preferences was 5 percent or more of 2003 dutiable exports to the United States, even after incorporating actual utilization. Most of this value is attributable to nonagricultural tariff preferences, and to apparel preferences in particular. These results suggest that preference erosion may be significant for more countries than many had thought.
Correlations for a new Bell’s inequality experiment

Proofs of Bell’s theorem and the data analysis used to show its violation have commonly assumed a spatially stationary underlying process. However, it has been shown recently that the appropriate Bell’s inequality holds identically for cross correlations of three or four lists of ±l’s, independently of statistical assumptions. When data consistent with its derivation are analyzed without imposition of the stationarity assumption, the resulting correlations satisfy the Bell inequality.
Current Rectification, Switching, Polarons, and Defects in Molecular Electronic Devices

Devices for nano- and molecular size electronics are currently a focus of research aimed at an efficient current rectification and switching. A few generic molecular scale devices are reviewed here on the basis of first-principles and model approaches. Current rectification by (ballistic) molecular quantum dots can produce the rectification ratio ~100. Current switching due to conformational changes in the molecules is slow, on the order of a few kHz. Fast switching (~1THz) may be achieved, at least in principle, in a degenerate molecular quantum dot with strong coupling of electrons with vibrational excitations. We show that the mean-field approach fails to properly describe intrinsic molecular switching and present an exact solution to the problem. Defects in molecular films result in spurious peaks in conductance, apparent negative differential resistance, and may also lead to unusual temperature and bias dependence of current. The observed switching in many cases is_extrinsic_, caused by changes in molecule-electrode geometry, molecule reconfiguration, metallic filament formation through, and/or changing amount of disorder in a molecular film. We give experimental examples of telegraph "switching" and "hot spot" formation in the molecular films.
Techniques for observing solar oscillations.

There is currently a wide range of methods for observing the properties of solar oscillations. It is generally true, however, that the means used to analyze the data are just as important to the final result as the instrumentation. I discuss first the instrumental techniques used to observe solar p-modes, with attention given both to low- and no-resolution systems, and to systems with spatial resolution. Then I describe the reduction techniques that are used to convert the raw observations into useful form.
PVCoherence: Designing Flat Coherence Protocols for Scalable Verification

The goal of this work is to design cache coherence protocols with many cores such that they can be verified with existing verification methodologies. In particular, the authors focus on flat (nonhierarchical) coherence protocols using a mostly automated methodology based on parametric verification. They present design guidelines that, if followed by architects, enable parametric verification of protocols with arbitrary numbers of cores.
Hidradenoma of the vulva.

Abstract Hidradenoma of the vulva is a relatively rare lesion that originates from apocrine sweat glands. It is generally agreed that this is a benign growth. Ten cases of hidradenoma of vulva are presented.
A discovery algorithm for directed cyclic graphs

Directed acyclic graphs have been used fruitfully to represent causal structures (Pearl 1988). However, in the social sciences and elsewhere models are often used which correspond both causally and statistically to directed graphs with directed cycles (Spirtes 1995). Pearl (1993) discussed predicting the effects of intervention in models of this kind, so-called linear nonrecursive structural equation models. This raises the question of whether it is possible to make inferences about causal structure with cycles, from sample data. In particular do there exist general, informative, feasible and reliable procedures for inferring causal structure from conditional independence relations among variables in a sample generated by an unknown causal structure? In this paper I present a discovery algorithm that is correct in the large sample limit, given commonly (but often implicitly) made plausible assumptions, and which provides information about the existence or non-existence of causal pathways from one variable to another. The algorithm is polynomial on sparse graphs.
Laser Fusion: Capital Cost of Inertial Confinement

In the context of laser-induced fusion of solid pellets, a quadratic relation between peak laser power and the inertial confinement parameter ρR is derived and discussed. This relation is combined with the linear relation between laser system cost and peak output power to obtain an estimate of the capital cost of inertial confinement.
Local Starbursts in a Cosmological Context

In this contribution I introduce some of the major issues that motivate the conference, with an emphasis on how starbursts fit into the “big picture”. I begin by defining starbursts in several different ways, and discuss the merits and limitations of these definitions. I will argue that the most physically useful definition of a starburst is its “intensity” (star-formation rate per unit area). This is the most natural parameter to compare local starbursts with physically similar galaxies at high redshifts, and indeed I will argue that local starbursts are unique laboratories to study the processes at work in the early Universe. I will describe how NASA's GALEX mission has uncovered a rare population of close analogs to Lyman Break Galaxies in the local Universe. I will then compare local starbursts to the Lyman Break and sub-mm galaxies' high-redshift populations, and speculate that the multi-dimensional “manifold” of starbursts near and far can be understood largely in terms of the Schmidt/Kennicutt law and galaxy mass-metallicity relation. I will briefly summarize the properties of starburst-driven galactic superwinds and their possible implications for the evolution of galaxies and the intergalactic medium. These complex multiphase flows are best studied in nearby starbursts, where we can study the hot X-ray gas that contains the bulk of the energy as well as newly produced metals.
Lorentz and CPT tests involving antiprotons

Perhaps the largest gap in our understanding of nature at the smallest scales is a consistent quantum theory underlying the Standard Model and General Relativity. Substantial theoretical research has been performed in this context, but observational efforts are hampered by the expected Planck suppression of deviations from conventional physics. However, a variety of candidate models predict minute violations of both Lorentz and CPT invariance. Such effects open a promising avenue for experimental research in this field because these symmetries are amenable to Planck‐precision tests.The low‐energy signatures of Lorentz and CPT breaking are described by an effective field theory called the Standard‐Model Extension (SME). In addition to the body of established physics (i.e., the Standard Model and General Relativity), this framework incorporates all Lorentz‐ and CPT‐violating corrections compatible with key principles of physics. To date, the SME has provided the basis for the analysis of numerous tests of L...
Neuroenhancement of Exposure Therapy in Anxiety Disorders

Although exposure-based treatments and anxiolytic medications are more effective than placebo for treating anxiety disorders, there is still considerable room for further improvement. Interestingly, combining these two modalities is usually not more effective than the monotherapies. Recent translational research has identified a number of novel approaches for treating anxiety disorders using agents that serve as neuroenhancers (also known as cognitive enhancers). Several of these agents have been studied to determine their efficacy at improving treatment outcome for patients with anxiety and other psychiatric disorders. In this review, we examine d-cycloserine, yohimbine, cortisol, catecholamines, oxytocin, modafinil, and nutrients such as caffeine and amino fatty acids as potential neuroenhancers. Of these agents, d-cycloserine shows the most promise as an effective neuroenhancer for extinction learning and exposure therapy. Yet, the optimal dosing and dose timing for drug administration remains uncertain. There is partial support for cortisol, catecholamines, yohimbine and oxytocin for improving extinction learning and exposure therapy. There is less evidence to indicate that modafinil and nutrients such as caffeine and amino fatty acids are effective neuroenhancers. More research is needed to determine their long term efficacy and clinical utility of these agents.
AN OPPORTUNITY NOT TAKEN . . . YET: U.S. LABOR AND THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS

Author(s): Tilly, Chris | Abstract: The United States is undergoing what in many ways is its most profound economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Great Recession, as it is popularly called, is having a devastating impact on U.S. workers. In this context, U.S. unions, workers’ most important advocates, have been vociferous in calling for financial reform, job creation, and other strong policy measures. However, whereas the Great Depression in the United States saw labor engaged in dramatic mass mobilizations, large-scale militant actions, and a powerful role in promoting policy changes, the current economic slump the U.S. labor movement has accomplished none of these things. At first glance, this absence may seem surprising. However, I will argue, expanding on an earlier analysis by Milkman (2010) that in fact, it is a relatively unsurprising outcome of both long-term historical trends and shorter-term conjunctural factors.The paper makes this case in four sections. First, I briefly summarize the impact of the crisis on U.S. workers. Second, I describe the response of U.S. unions to the Great Recession, drawing extensively on online searches to document my findings. Third, I discuss the long-term and short-term reasons for the very limited nature of that response. In closing, I explore some alternative paths that may indeed lead U.S. labor to mount a more vigorous response in the months and years to come.
Agriculture Public Spending and Growth in Indonesia

This paper analyzes the trends and evolution of public spending in the agriculture sector in Indonesia, as well as the impact of public spending on agricultural growth. It finds that, in line with empirical work undertaken in other countries, public spending on agriculture and irrigation during the period 1976-2006 had a positive impact on agricultural growth, while public spending on fertilizer subsidies had the opposite effect. The composition of spending patterns in Indonesia over the past decade can partly explain why significant increases in public spending for agriculture have not resulted in a commensurate increase of agricultural production. The paper is structured as follows. Section I presents analytical and empirical findings about the impact of overall public spending on growth, with a particular focus on Indonesia, followed by an analysis of the government's role in agriculture. More precisely, it discusses how public spending can contribute to higher productivity and faster growth in the sector. The section draws lessons from the empirical literature and country examples worldwide, exploring the implications of some of these findings in the Indonesia context. Section II presents the results of an empirical analysis of the impact of agriculture public spending on agriculture gross domestic product per capita growth in Indonesia, using time series analysis with both ordinary least squares and generalized method of moments econometric techniques. Section III analyzes in detail agriculture public spending trends in Indonesia over the period 2000-08, highlighting that a large and increasing share of the spending is being allocated to subsidies (fertilizer, credit, seeds) and to fund transfers to farmers and farmers' groups.
Challenges to MDG Achievement in Low Income Countries : Lessons from Ghana and Honduras

This paper summarizes the policy lessons from applications of the Maquette for MDG Simulations (MAMS) model to two low income countries: Ghana and Honduras. Results show that costs of MDGs achievement could reach 10-13 percent of GDP by 2015, although, given the observed low productivity in the provision of social services, significant savings may be realized by improving efficiency. Sources of financing also matter: foreign aid inflows can reduce international competitiveness through real exchange appreciation, while domestic financing can crowd out the private sector and slow poverty reduction. Spending a large share of a fixed budget on growth-enhancing infrastructure may mean sacrificing some human development, even if higher growth is usually associated with lower costs of social services. The pursuit of MDGs increases demand for skills: while this encourages higher educational attainments, in the short term this could lead to increased income inequality and a lower poverty elasticity of growth.
Solar Nebula Magnetohydrodynamics

The dynamical state of the solar nebula depends critically upon whether or not the gas is magnetically coupled. The presence of a subthermal field will cause laminar flow to break down into turbulence. Magnetic coupling, in turn, depends upon the ionization fraction of the gas. The inner most region of the nebula (≲ 0.1 AU) is magnetically well-coupled, as is the outermost region (≳10AU). The magnetic status of intermediate scales (~1 AU) is less certain. It is plausible that there is a zone adjacent to the inner disk in which turbulent heating self-consistently maintains the requisite ionization levels. But the region adjacent to the active outer disk is likely to be magnetically “dead.” Hall currents play a significant role in nebular magnetohydrodynamics.
Secondary and tertiary structural fold elucidation from 3d EM maps of macromolecules

Recent advances in three dimensional Electron Microscopy (3D EM) have given an opportunity to look at the structural building blocks of proteins (and nucleic acids) at varying resolutions. In this paper, we provide algorithms to detect the secondary structural motifs (α-helices and β-sheets) from proteins for which the volumetric maps are reconstructed at 5−10 A resolution. Additionally, we show that when the resolution is coarser than 10 A, some of the tertiary structural motifs can be detected from 3D EM. For both these algorithms, we employ the tools from computational geometry and differential topology, specifically the computation of stable/unstable manifolds of certain critical points of the distance function induced by the molecular surface. With the results in this paper, we thus draw a connection between the mathematically well-defined concepts with the bio-chemical structural folds of proteins.
The evolution of structure in the universe from axions

A scenario where axions provide the dark matter in the universe is considered. Fluctuations in the axion field density produced by domain walls and strings cause the appearance of axion clumps of masses of order 10 to the 6th power solar mass which most likely collapse to black holes by or at the time that the universe becomes axion dominated at T is approximately 10 eV. These objects form the building blocks for a clustering hierarchy theory of galaxy and supercluster formation on scales up to approximately 10 Mpc and approximately 10 to the 15th power solar mass.
An Efficient Numerical Method for Acoustic Wave Scattering in Random Media

This paper is concerned with developing efficient numerical methods for acoustic wave scattering in random media which can be expressed as random perturbations of homogeneous media. We first analyze the random Helmholtz problem by deriving some wavenumber-explicit solution estimates. We then establish a multimodes representation of the solution as a power series of the perturbation parameter and analyze its finite modes approximations. Based on this multimodes representation, we develop a Monte Carlo interior penalty discontinuous Galerkin (MCIP-DG) method for approximating the mode functions, which are governed by recursively defined nearly deterministic Helmholtz equations. Optimal order error estimates are derived for the method, and an efficient algorithm, which is based on the LU direct solver, is also designed for efficiently implementing the proposed multimodes MCIP-DG method. It is proved that the computational complexity of the whole algorithm is comparable to that of solving one deterministic He...
Radio transients from stellar tidal disruption by massive black holes

The tidal disruption of a star by a supermassive black hole provides us with a rare glimpse of these otherwise dormant beasts. It has long been predicted that the disruption will be accompanied by a thermal ‘flare’, powered by the accretion of bound stellar debris. Several candidate disruptions have been discovered in this manner at optical, ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths. Here we explore the observational consequences if a modest fraction of the accretion power is channelled into an ultrarelativistic outflow. We show that a relativistic jet decelerates due to its interaction with the interstellar medium at subparsec distances from the black hole. Synchrotron radiation from electrons accelerated by the reverse shock powers a bright radio–infrared transient that peaks on a time-scale ∼1 yr after disruption. Emission from the forward shock may be detectable for several years after the peak. Deep radio follow-up observations of tidal disruption candidates at late times can test for the presence of relativistic ejecta. Upcoming radio transient surveys may independently discover tens to hundreds of tidal disruptions per year, complimenting searches at other wavelengths. Non-thermal emission from tidal disruption probes the physics of jet formation under relatively clean conditions.
Two-Manifold Problems with Applications to Nonlinear System Identification

Recently, there has been much interest in spectral approaches to learning manifolds-- so-called kernel eigenmap methods. These methods have had some successes, but their applicability is limited because they are not robust to noise. To address this limitation, we look at two-manifold problems, in which we simultaneously reconstruct two related manifolds, each representing a different view of the same data. By solving these interconnected learning problems together, two-manifold algorithms are able to succeed where a non-integrated approach would fail: each view allows us to suppress noise in the other, reducing bias. We propose a class of algorithms for two-manifold problems, based on spectral decomposition of cross-covariance operators in Hilbert space, and discuss when two-manifold problems are useful. Finally, we demonstrate that solving a two-manifold problem can aid in learning a nonlinear dynamical system from limited data.
o-(Trialkylstannyl)anilines and their utility in Migita–Kosugi–Stille cross-coupling: direct introduction of the 2-aminophenyl substituent

Abstract We have developed shelf- and air-stable ortho -stannylated aniline reagents that can directly be coupled with alkenyl and aryl halides via Migita–Kosugi–Stille cross-coupling. We report (i) the efficient preparation of o -(tributylstannyl)aniline ( 2a ) and o -(trimethylstannyl)aniline ( 2b ), (ii) the comparison of the reactivities of 2a and 2b with those of related organostannanes in cross-coupling reaction with an alkenyl halide, and (iii) the cross-coupling of 2a and 2b with a series of arylhalides and triflate.