cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trade policy and market access issues for developing countries : implications for the Millennium Round

The author analyzes 61 trade policy reviews prepared for the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its predecessor, GATT - reviews that document the progress developing countries have made in integration with the world trading system over the past decade. Based on an analysis of post-Uruguay Round tariff and nontariff barriers worldwide, he then recommends developing country positions on major issues in the new round of WTO trade negotiations. His key conclusions and recommendations: 1) Agriculture. Developing countries should support the Cairns Group in its push for greater liberalization of industrial countries' agricultural trade policies; the revised Food Aid Convention is not a substitute for but a complement to worldwide liberalization of agriculture. 2) Manufactures. The existence of tariff peaks and escalation in industrial country markets and the limited bindings at relatively high levels of developing country tariffs on manufactures present opportunities for negotiations with good prospects for shared and balanced benefits. The remaining nontariff barriers in industrial countries that affect manufactures are concentrated in textiles and clothing. Developing countries should ensure that industrial countries implement their commitments to liberalize this sector and impose no new nontariff barriers in this or other sectors under the guise of other rules or arrangements. The remaining nontariff barriers in developing countries should be converted into tariffs and reduced over time as part of the negotiations. 3) Antidumping. The increased use of antidumping measures by high- and middle-income developing countries in recent periods offers an opportunity for balanced negotiations to restrict their use. Reduced use of antidumping measures would increase efficiency and benefit consumers in all countries. But it is unclear whether a supportive climate for such negotiations exists in either industrial or developing countries.
An evaluation of structural parameters for probabilistic reasoning: results on benchmark circuits

Many algorithms for processing probabilistic networks are dependent on the topological properties of the problem's structure. Such algorithms (e.g., clustering, conditioning) are effective only if the problem has a sparse graph captured by parameters such as tree width and cycle-outset size. In this paper we initiate a study to determine the potential of structure-based algorithms in real-life applications. We analyze empirically the structural properties of problems coming from the circuit diagnosis domain. Specifically, we locate those properties that capture the effectiveness of clustering and conditioning as well as of a family of conditioning+clustering algorithms designed to gradually trade space for time. We perform our analysis on 11 benchmark circuits widely used in the testing community. We also report on the effect of ordering heuristics on tree-clustering and show that, on our benchmarks, the wellknown max-cardinality ordering is substantially inferior to an ordering called raindegree.
Mountain Timberlines: Ecology, Patchiness, and Dynamics

From the Table of Contents Preface.- Acknowledgements.-1 Introduction.- 2 History and present state of timberline research.- 3 Definitions, terminology.- 4 Physiognomic and ecological differentiation of mountain timberline.- 5 Timberline fluctuations.- 6 Timberline prospects and research needs.- References.- Index
The Potential for Marketing Pork Products with Embedded Environmental Attributes: Results from an Experimental Study

Environmental issues such as air and water quality related to livestock production currently receive much attention. Potential methods for environmental improvement range from regulation to market solutions. This study looks at consumer willingness to pay for pork products with embedded environmental attributes. Experimental auctions showed that over one-half of the participants (62%) paid a premium, that did not vary significantly between differing regions of the United States.
Code Construction and Decoding Algorithms for Semi-Quantitative Group Testing With Nonuniform Thresholds

We analyze a new group-testing scheme, termed semi-quantitative group testing, which may be viewed as a concatenation of an adder channel and a discrete quantizer. Our focus is on non-uniform quantizers with arbitrary thresholds. For the most general semi-quantitative group-testing model, we define three new families of sequences capturing the constraints on the code design imposed by the choice of the thresholds. The sequences represent extensions and generalizations of $B_{h}$ and certain types of super-increasing and lexicographically ordered sequences, and they lead to code structures amenable for efficient recursive decoding. We describe the decoding methods and provide an accompanying computational complexity and performance analysis.
Is Wal-Mart a Monopsony? Evidence from Local Labor Markets

This paper measures the degree of monopsony power exerted by Wal-Mart over retail workers using a dominant-firm model and data in the 48 contiguous U.S. states for counties where the company operates, presenting for the first time a measure of the company’s anticompetitive behavior. Empirical results show that Wal-Mart’s monopsony power over workers varies significantly across the country, being higher in non-metro and rural counties, particularly in the south. For instance, Wal-Mart’s buying power index in labor markets in rural southern and central states is estimated to be 5% or higher while the impact on northeastern states’ retail wages is negligible.
Capabilities and the Theory of the Firm

This essay seeks to locate the ideas of G. B. Richardson within the present-day discussion of the theory of the boundaries of the firm. Richardson differs from the mainstream of transaction-cost economics in that, like Coase and Knight before him, he sees the problem of market contracting as a matter of difficult coordination rather than as a problem of "opportunism" in the face of contractual hazards, and in that he effectively links together transaction costs and production costs, categories sharply partitioned by traditional price theory (which largely ignored the former) and by transaction-cost economics (which largely ignores the latter).
Larger crises, slower recoveries: the asymmetric effects of financial frictions

It is well known that movements in lending rates are asymmetric; they rise quickly and sharply, but fall slowly and gradually. Not known is the fact that the asymmetry is stronger the less developed a country's financial system is. This new fact is here documented and explained in a model with an endogenous flow of information about economic conditions. The stronger asymmetry in less developed countries stems from their greater financial system frictions, such as monitoring and bankruptcy costs, which first magnify jumps of lending rates and then delay their recoveries by restricting the generation of information after the crisis. A quantitative exploration of the model shows the data are consistent with this explanation.
Steroid-protein interactions: VII. Interactions of progesterone and corticosteroids with human plasma proteins determined by multiple equilibrium dialysis

Abstract Determination of binding of progesterone to human and rabbit serum by continuous paper electrophoresis shows high affinity to albumin and weak interaction with the globulins. The method of multiple equilibrium dialysis is described, including its application to the measurement of the binding of progesterone, corticosterone, and cortisol to electrophoretic serum components. The affinities of binding of progesterone and cortisol to prealbumin, α 1 -acid glycoprotein, fibrinogen, and globin have been determined. The interaction between α 1 -acid glycoprotein (orosomucoid) and progesterone is about 15 times as strong as that between albumin and progesterone.
Leukoplakia of the cervix.

Abstract Leukoplakia is a clinically descriptive term for a hyperkeratotic lesion. Eighty-six patients with leukoplakia of the cervix were reviewed and cervicovaginal smears and histologic specimens from 80 of the group were re-examined. Clumps of keratotic, anucleate, squamous cells were the single most consistent cytologic finding. Hyperkeratosis was the most consistent finding on biopsy, being observed in 92 per cent of the cases. A granular layer was noted in 43 per cent and basal cell hyperplasia in 70 per cent of the histologic specimens. In a small but significant number of cases (10 per cent) of leukoplakia, underlying dysplasia or carcinoma in situ was observed. Eighty-two women were followed for a period of time varying from less than one to 19 years. The most significant finding was a progression in the degree of hyperkeratosis.
Integrated urban uprading for the poor : the experience of Ribeira Azul, Brazil

This study looks at the experience of integrated urban upgrading in a low-income neighborhood of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Infrastructure and social investments have been made in the community through a government program, with community participation playing a major role in the design and implementation. This approach is now perceived to be highly successful in terms of its implementation and positive impact on living conditions, and will provide the basis for a major state-wide program. This paper analyzes the lessons learned from the experience, with implications for scaling up as well as applications for other urban upgrading programs. Among the key issues looked at are: (1) what has worked well with the integrated urban upgrading approach and what has not; (2) how cost-effective the interventions were; (3) institutional arrangements given the multi-sectoral approach; and (4) sustainability issues of financing, tenure security, the prevention of further slum expansion, operations and maintenance, environmental sustainability, and job creation, and how they will impact on the poor over time. Key findings point to the importance of community participation, clear roles and responsibilities in institutional arrangements, the need for strong local government participation, and the high costs and challenges of providing housing for the poor.
Affective Assessment of a Computer User through the Processing of the Pupil Diameter Signal

This study proposes to achieve the affective assessment of a computer user through the processing of the pupil diameter (PD) signal. An adaptive interference canceller (AIC) system using the H∞ time-varying (HITV) adaptive algorithm was developed to minimize the impact of the PLR (pupil size changes caused by light intensity variations) on the measured pupil diameter signal. The modified pupil diameter (MPD) signal, obtained from the AIC, was expected to reflect primarily the pupillary affective responses (PAR) of the subject. Additional manipulations of the AIC output resulted in a Processed MPD (PMPD) signal, from which a classification feature, “PMPDmean”, was extracted. This feature was used to train and test a support vector machine (SVM), for the identification of “stress” states in the subject, achieving an accuracy rate of 77.78%. The advantages of affective recognition through the PD signal were verified by comparatively investigating the classification of “stress” and “relaxation” states through features derived from the simultaneously recorded galvanic skin response (GSR) and blood volume pulse (BVP) signals, with and without the PD feature. Encouraging results in affective assessment based on pupil diameter monitoring were obtained in spite of intermittent illumination increases purposely introduced during the experiments. Therefore, these results confirmed the possibility of using PD monitoring to evaluate the evolving affective states of a computer user.
cAMP‐activated chloride currents in amphibian retinal pigment epithelial cells.

1. The effect of cAMP on whole-cell currents in isolated retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells of the bullfrog and marine toad was investigated by means of the perforated patch clamp technique. 2. Superfusing cells with either cAMP or forskolin led to the development of a time-independent current that had a linear current-voltage (I-V) relationship. The reversal potential of (Vrev) of the cAMP-activated current was unaffected by the removal of either Na+ or HCO3- from the external and internal solutions or by the addition of extracellular barium, but it was near the Cl- equilibrium potential (ECl) over a wide range of extracellular Cl- concentrations, suggesting the presence of a Cl(-)-selective channel. 3. The anion permeability sequence of the cAMP-activated conductance calculated from biionic reversal potentials was NO3- = I- > Br- > Cl- >> HCO3- > methanesulphonate. 4. The conductance was blocked by a variety of Cl- transport inhibitors, including 4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (DIDS), 4,4'-dinitro-2,2'- stilbene disulphonic acid (DNDS), frusemide, N-phenylanthranilic acid (DPC) and niflumic acid. 5. The present study demonstrates that cAMP activates a Cl(-)-selective channel that most probably resides in the basolateral membrane.
Chapter 1 - Definitions

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the definitions, similarities and differences between asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), drawing heavily on the latest information on asthma and COPD that is included in the guidelines on the diagnosis and management of these diseases from two widely respected global initiatives, the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) and the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), as updated in 2006. Most of the definitions for asthma have emphasized the characteristics of fluctuations over time in bronchoconstriction and the reversible nature of the disease. As the pathophysiological basis of asthma became clearer, definitions began to include a statement about the pathological characteristics. Until quite recently, definitions of COPD used to include the terms “chronic bronchitis” and “emphysema.” Over the past 30 years, the thinking about asthma and COPD has swung between the concept of asthma and COPD belonging to a spectrum of diseases that all cause airflow obstruction, to the concept of them as very different diseases, and most recently to them both being inflammatory diseases with important similarities and differences. Although the similarities between the diseases are striking, it is the differences in the inflammatory processes between the two diseases that define their natural histories, clinical presentations, and approaches to management.
Penile venous surgery.

SUMMARY Excessive venous flow during erection is an acknowledged cause of impotence. At the turn of the century, Wooten9 and Lydston5 reported a cure rate of roughly 50 per cent after ligation of the deep dorsal vein of the penis. In 1979, Ebbehoj and Wagner2 restored potency in three of four patients with venous leakage. Later, Virag6,7 reported the diagnostic technique of dynamic cavernosography and proposed deep venous ligation. In 1985, Wespes and Schulman8 reported an 80 per cent success rate for correction of venogenic impotence by ligating the deep dorsal vein and its tributaries. Since then, Bennett and associates1 have achieved success in six of eight patients, and Lewis and Puyau3 report a 50 to 75 per cent success. With the technique described above, after careful selection and proper diagnostic testing, impotence has resolved or erection improved in more than 80 per cent of our patients.
3. Glow Discharges and Wall Stabilized Arcs

Publisher Summary The chapter presents a discussion on glow discharges, dielectric barrier discharges, wall stabilized arcs, electron cyclotron resonance sources, electron-beam ion trap (EBIT) sources, inductively coupled plasma sources, and capillary discharges. All of these discharges may have different ways to excite bound atomic or molecular states and to ionize constituents of the discharge, but they will all radiate both spectral line radiation and continuum radiation. In some cases, the source conditions can be controlled so one or the other of these types of radiation may dominate. The choice of a source often depends on which type of radiation is desired—for example, if a source exhibits a stable well-characterized continuum spectrum in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) region, then this source could be used as a secondary radiometric calibration standard throughout this spectral region. Some of the sources discussed in this chapter were designed and used as sources of spectra—that is, both line and continuum spectra as in the case of the wall stabilized arc. Some other sources that are described were designed for uses other than sources of spectra—for example, the electron cyclotron resonance tool has been primarily used as an ion source.
Semantic Models for Distributed Object Reflection

A generic formal model of distributed object reflection is proposed, that combines logical reflection with a structuring of distributed objects as nested configurations of metaobject that can control subobjects under them. The model provides mathematical models for a good number of existing models of distributed reflection and of reflective middleware. To illustrate the ideas, we show in some detail how two important models of distributed actor reflection can be naturally obtained as special cases of our generic model, and discuss how several recent models of reflective middleware can be likewise formalized as instances of our model.
Signal of Quark Deconfinement in Millisecond Pulsars and Reconfinement in Accreting X-ray Neutron Stars

Theoretically, the phase transition between the confined and deconfined phases of quarks can have a remarkable effect on the spin properties of millisecond pulsars and on the spin distribution of the population of x-ray neutron stars in lowmass binaries. In the latter class of stars, the effect has already been observed-a strong clustering in the population in a narrow band of spins. The observed clustering cannot presently be uniquely assigned to the phase transition as cause. However, there is another possible signal-not so far observed-in millisecond pulsars that we also discuss which would have the same origin, and whose discovery would tend to confirm the interpretation in terms of a phase transition in the stellar core.
Coherent Structures and Mass Exchange Processes in Channel Flow with Spanwise Obstructions

Large Eddy Simulation (LES) is used to investigate three-dimensional flow phenomena induced by a pair of spanwise vertical obstructions (groynes) in a channel with lateral vertical walls and a flat bed. The main phenomena that govern the physics of this flow include the formation of a horseshoe vortex (HV) at the base of the upstream obstruction and of detached shear layers originating at the tips of the obstructions. In practice, this flow is similar to river flow around groynes. The structure and spectral content of coherent structures inside the HV system are investigated. It is found that the flow in the turbulent HV region is characterized by a very sharp increase in the level of turbulence fluctuations which explains the initiation of scour in the case of a loose bed. The distribution of the bed shear stress was determined and analyzed relative to the capacity of the flow to entrain sediment. The mixing processes (exchange of dissolved matter) between the main channel and the embayment were modeled using a passive scalar. The decay of scalar mass in the groynes area corresponding to the mixing between the dissolved matter present initially in the embayment and the channel was measured and global exchange coefficients corresponding to the initial & final stages of decay were determined.
A Test of Cultural Affinity in Home Mortgage Lending

This paper assess cultural affinity as a potential explanation for observed racial disparities in mortgage rejection rates. Two formulations of the theory have evolved in the literature. The taste-based cultural affinity hypothesis asserts that lenders have a blanket preference for members of the same race, while the common bond hypothesis asserts that cultural affinity allows lenders to better assess the credit quality of members of the same race. The analysis involves tests that focus on the experiences of applicants with marginal credit quality, as the two theories offer conflicting predictions regarding their application patterns and treatment by lenders. The results of these tests provide weak support for the existence of taste-based cultural affinity, but contradict the predictions of the common bond form of the theory.
Modeling Inflation Using a Non-Equilibrium Equation of Exchange

Inflation is a change in the prices of goods that takes place without changes in the actual values of those goods. The Equation of Exchange, formulated clearly in a seminal paper by Irving Fisher in 1911, establishes an equilibrium relationship between the price index P (also known as "inflation"), the economy's aggregate output Q (also known as "the real gross domestic product"), the amount of money available for spending M (also known as "the money supply"), and the rate at which money is reused V (also known as "the velocity of circulation of money"). This paper offers first a qualitative discussion of what can cause these factors to change and how those causes might be controlled, then develops a quantitative model of inflation based on a non-equilibrium version of the Equation of Exchange. Causal relationships are different from equations in that the effects of changes in the causal variables take time to play out-often significant amounts of time. In the model described here, wages track prices, but only after a distributed lag. Prices change whenever the money supply, aggregate output, or the velocity of circulation of money change, but only after a distributed lag. Similarly, the money supply depends on the supplies of domestic and foreign money, which depend on the monetary base and a variety of foreign transactions, respectively. The spreading of delays mitigates the shocks of sudden changes to important inputs, but the most important aspect of this model is that delays, which often have dramatic consequences in dynamic systems, are explicitly incorporated.macroeconomics, inflation, equation of exchange, non-equilibrium, Athena Project
A Survey of Star Product Geometry

A brief pedagogical survey of the star product is provided, through Groenewold’s original construction based on the Weyl correspondence. It is then illustrated how simple Landau orbits in a constant magnetic field, through their Dirac Brackets, define a noncommutative structure since these brackets exponentiate to a star product—a circumstance rarely operative for generic Dirac Brackets. The geometric picture of the star product based on its Fourier representation kernel is utilized in the evaluation of chains of star products. The intuitive appreciation of their associativity and symmetries is thereby enhanced. This construction is compared and contrasted with the remarkable phase-space polygon construction of Almeida.
Adjustment in the world economy

There is a widespread view that world payments imbalances can be remedied through increased demand in surplus countries and reduced demand in deficit countries, without any need for real exchange rate changes. In fact shifts in demand and real exchange rate adjustment are necessary couplets, not substitutes. The essential reason for this complementarity is that a much higher fraction of a marginal dollar of US than of foreign spending falls on US output. As a result, a redistribution of world spending away from the US leads to an excess supply of US goods unless accompanied by a decline in their relative price. Although some economists believe that the integration of world capital markets somehow eliminates this problem, this is a fallacy that confuses accounting identities with behavior. The paper also addresses a number of relates issues, such as the role of budget deficits in determining domestic demand and the effectiveness of nominal exchange rates changes in producing real depreciation.
Can deflagration-detonation-transitions occur in Type Ia supernovae?

The mechanism for a deflagration-detonation transition (DDT) by turbulent preconditioning, which has previously been used to explain the possible occurrence of delayed detonations in Type Ia supernova explosions, is argued here to be conceptually inconsistent. It relies crucially on diffusive heat losses of the burned material on macroscopic scales. Regardless of the amplitude of the turbulent velocity fluctuations, the typical gradient scale for the temperature fluctuations is shown to be of the order of the laminar flame width or smaller rather than the homogeneity scale required for DDT, which is larger by more than a factor of 1000. Furthermore, thermonuclear flames cannot be fully quenched in regions that are much larger than the laminar flame width as a consequence of their simple "chemistry." Possible alternative explosion scenarios are briefly discussed.
Locally critical quantum phase transitions in strongly correlated metals

When a metal undergoes a continuous quantum phase transition, non-Fermi-liquid behaviour arises near the critical point. All the low-energy degrees of freedom induced by quantum criticality are usually assumed to be spatially extended, corresponding to long-wavelength fluctuations of the order parameter. But this picture has been contradicted by the results of recent experiments on a prototype system: heavy fermion metals at a zero-temperature magnetic transition. In particular, neutron scattering from CeCu6-x Aux has revealed anomalous dynamics at atomic length scales, leading to much debate as to the fate of the local moments in the quantum-critical regime. Here we report our theoretical finding of a locally critical quantum phase transition in a model of heavy fermions. The dynamics at the critical point are in agreement with experiment. We propose local criticality to be a phenomenon of general relevance to strongly correlated metals.
Why Farmers Opt Not to Enroll in Payment-for-Environmental-Services Programs

Payment-for-environmental-services (PES) programs are the focus of increasing attention globally. While existing PES programs can observe who participates and who does not, the reasons for nonparticipation can be opaque. Taking advantage of a unique stated preference data set that includes a follow-up question on conditions for participation, this study differentiates two types of non-participants, those deterred by insufficient payments, and those deterred by fundamental incompatibility with the farm operation. Survey weighted and spatially weighted probit models are applied to examine the determinants of farmers’ willingness to enroll in PES programs and their willingness to consider enrollment at the same or a high payment. Results suggest the decision to enroll relies more on farm benefit-cost factors, such as program payment, total land area and current farming practice, while the decision to consider enrolling depends more on farm and operator characteristics, such as environmental attitudes, soil traits, current government program enrollment or commitment to organic farming. Both decisions also show evidence of spatial dependence that suggest spill-over effects due to natural resources, interpersonal communication, or other socio-economic factors. These findings elucidate reasons for non-participation in PES programs and provide insights for future program design and targeting.
Robbery and Race

Robbery is a serious, widespread and sometimes violent crime resulting each year in costs to victims of several billion dollars. Data on the incidence of robbery reveals certain striking racial disparities. African Americans are more likely to be victims, arrestees and prisoners than members of other demographic groups, and while black-on-white robberies are very common, white-on-black robberies are extremely rare. We develop a model of robbery that attempts to address these and other stylized facts. The key insight underlying the model is that robberies are typically interactions between strangers which involve a sequence of rapid decisions with severely limited information. Potential o¤enders must assess the likelihood of victim resistance, and victims must assess the likelihood that resistance will be met with violence. Racial disparities in the distribution of income can cause such probability assessments to be race-contingent, a¤ecting crime rates as well as rates of resistance and violence. We argue that this model helps account for several empirical regularities that appear puzzling from the perspective of alternative theories of crime. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. SES-0133483. yDepartment of Economics, Columbia University (bo2@columbia.edu). zDepartment of Economics, Barnard College, Columbia University (rs328@columbia.edu).
Interferon Gamma, but not Calcitriol Improves the Osteopetrotic Phenotypes in ADO2 Mice

ADO2 is a heritable osteosclerotic disorder that usually results from heterozygous missense dominant negative mutations in the chloride channel 7 gene (CLCN7). ADO2 is characterized by a wide range of features and severity, including multiple fractures, impaired vision due to secondary bony overgrowth and/or the lack of the optical canal enlargement with growth, and osteonecrosis/osteomyelitis. The disease is presently incurable, although anecdotal evidence suggests that calcitriol and interferon gamma-1b (IFN-G) may have some beneficial effects. To identify the role of these drugs for the treatment of ADO2, we utilized a knock-in (G213R mutation in Clcn7) ADO2 mouse model that resembles the human disease. Six-week-old ADO2 heterozygous mice were administered vehicle (PBS) or calcitriol or IFN-G 5 times per week for 8 weeks. We determined bone phenotypes using DXA and μCT, and analyzed serum biochemistry and bone resorption markers. ADO2 mice treated with all doses of IFN-G significantly (p<0.05) attenuated the increase of whole body aBMD and distal femur BV/TV gain in both male and female compared to the vehicle group. In contrast, mice treated with low and medium doses of calcitriol showed a trend of higher aBMD and BV/TV whereas high dose calcitriol significantly (p<0.05) increased bone mass compared to the vehicle group. The calcium and phosphorus levels did not differ between vehicle and IFN-G or calcitriol treated mice; however, we detected significantly (p<0.05) elevated levels of CTX/TRAP5b ratio in IFN-G treated mice. Our findings indicate that while IFN-G at all doses substantially improved the osteopetrotic phenotypes in ADO2 heterozygous mice, calcitriol treatment at any dose did not improve the phenotype and at high dose further increased bone mass. Thus, use of high dose calcitriol therapy in ADO2 patients merits serious reconsideration. Importantly, our data support the prospect of a clinical trial of IFN-G in ADO2 patients.
Randomized management of the nonfrank breech presentation at term: A preliminary report

Abstract Cesarean section has become the standard management used by many clinicians for breech presentation in labor. Proof of the superiority of routine cesarean section has been largely circumstantial. Concern over rising cesarean section rates has led to renewed interest in possible alternatives. Protocols have been developed to select which patients may be allowed a trial of labor with frank breech presentation at term. We undertook a prospective clinical trial comparing elective cesarean section with a selective management protocol for the nonfrank breech presentation at term. One hundred five patients with nonfrank breech presentations at term in labor were studied. Seventy (67%) were randomized to a trial of labor and 35 (33%) to elective cesarean section. Of the patients allowed a trial of labor, 31 (44%) were delivered vaginally, and 39 (56%) required cesarean section. The largest single cause of a “failed” trial of labor was inadequate pelvic dimensions on x-ray pelvimetry (23 patients, 59%). Neonatal morbidity assessed by Apgar scores, cord gases, birth injury, and hospital stay was not different for those delivered vaginally or by cesarean section. Maternal morbidity in terms of febrile morbidity, blood transfusion, wound infections, and hospital stay was significantly greater among women delivered by cesarean section. Two of three neonatal deaths occurred in infants with major congenital anomalies. The third infant, apparently normal, died after vaginal delivery. Extensive evaluation suggests the death was attributable to inadequate resuscitation. We conclude that the use of a selective management protocol under controlled conditions is a reasonable alternative to elective cesarean section. Approximately one half of patients allowed a trial of labor may be expected to deliver vaginally with neonatal morbidity comparable to that seen with cesarean section.
Relationship between mean radiated energy, mean squared radiated energy and spontaneous power spectrum in a power series expansion of the equations of motion in a free-electron laser

To lowest order in the electric field and the inverse electron energy, the classical mean energy radiated by electrons in a free-electron laser with a symmetric magnet is equal to one-half the derivative, with respect to energy, of the classical mean squared radiated energy. The integral for the mean squared energy is also shown to be identical to the integral for the classical spontaneous power spectrum.
Fault-tolerant quantum computation for local leakage faults

We provide a rigorous analysis of fault-tolerant quantum computation in the presence of local leakage faults. We show that one can systematically deal with leakage by using appropriate leakage-reduction units such as quantum teleportation. The leakage noise is described microscopically by a Hamiltonian couplings, and the noise is treated coherently, similar to general non-Markovian noise analyzed in Refs. [1] and [2]. We describe ways to limit the use of leakage-reduction units while keeping the quantum circuits fault-tolerant and we also discuss how leakage reduction by teleportation is naturally achieved in measurement-based computation.
Topological decomposition of composite quantum state spaces

We present a two-part program for state space decomposition. States are classified into entanglement classes based on local unitary transformations, and then characterized as elements of topological spaces using the language of fibre bundles.
Relativity, chiral symmetry, and the nucleon electromagnetic form-factors

A relativistic interpretation for why the proton’s GE/GM falls and QF2/F1, is approximately constant is presented. Reproducing the observed GE n mandates the inclusion of the effects of the pion cloud. The full relativistic model with a pion cloud provides a good reproduction of all of the nucleon electromagnetic form factors.
Quantum vernam cipher

We discuss aspects of secure quantum communication by proposing and analyzing a quantum analog of the Vernam cipher (one-time-pad). The quantum Vernam cipher uses entanglement as the key to encrypt quantum information sent through an insecure quantum channel. First, in sharp contrast with the classical Vernam cipher, the quantum key can be recycled securely. We show that key recycling is intrinsic to the quantum cipher-text, rather than using entanglement as the key. Second, the scheme detects and corrects for arbitrary transmission errors, and it does so using only local operations and classical communication (LOCC) between the sender and the receiver. The application to quantum message authentication is discussed. Quantum secret sharing schemes with similar properties are characterized. We also discuss two general issues, the relation between secret communication and secret sharing, the classification of secure communication protocols.
Attitude Control of Flexible Space Vehicles

Objectives of this paper are to enhance the concept of multiple control in attitude control systems for large flexible space vehicles and to discuss some questions of stability and structure-control system interaction. The approach to the design of a multiple control system is illustrated with a typical example for which the control system configuration includes a main loop providing control for the main portion of the structure arid auxiliary loops providing active damping for the flexible appendages. Criteria for the first cut design of each auxiliary loop are given. The performance of the multiloop control system described, vs that of the corresponding single-loop, is illustrated by the results of analog simulation. Qualitative results of analysis and stability limitations of different classes of attitude control system configurations for large flexible space vehicles are also discussed. The normal mode approach particularly suitable for the use of transfer functions is considered in modeling the structure dynamics. A criterion for mode separability in a multimode structure is presented. The simplification deriving from its application to the analysis of an attitude control system is illustrated.
New n-Capture Element Abundance Determinations in an r-Process Enriched Star

We report on new abundance determinations for the neutron-capture elements Cd I (Z=48), Lu II (Z = 71) and Os II (Z = 76) in the r-process enriched star BD + 17 3248. These abundances are derived from an ultraviolet spectrum obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. These are the first detections of these elements in metal-poor r-process enriched halo stars. In addition to the HST observations we have obtained new abundance measurements of the elements Mo I, Ru I and Rh I, based upon High Resolution Echelle Spectrograph observations with Keck. Combining these and previous observations, we have now detected 32 n-capture elements in BD +17 3248 this is the most of any metal-poor halo star to date. The lighter n-capture elements (38 ≤ Z ≤ 48) appear to show a pronounced odd-even effect. New Hf I abundances from transitions in the UV were also derived and they were lower than previous values based upon optical transitions. The new Hf abundance agrees better with the scaled Solar system r-process distribution. We also derive an age for this star based upon the Th II/Os II chronometer, which is in better agreement with the age derived from other chronometers than the age derived using Th II/Os I.
Optimal Patent Life in a Variety-Expansion Growth Model

This paper presents more channels through which the optimal patent life is determined in a R&D-based endogenous growth model that permits growth of new varieties of consumer goods over time. Its modeling features include an endogenous hazard rate facing incumbent monopolists, the prevalence of research congestion, and the aggregate welfare importance of product differentiation. As a result, a patent’s effective life is endogenized and less than its legal life. The model is calibrated to a global economy with a set of baseline parameter values. Under the benchmark patent length of 20 years, the calibrated model can deliver along the balanced growth path a plausible innovation rate of 2.84% per year and an economy-wide markup rate of 1.15. The optimal patent length is computed with the algorithm of Golden Search Section, ranging from 17 to 19 years. With the creative-destruction hazard, the world needs a longer patent term to maximize social welfare, but with the prevalence of research congestion, the world needs a shorter patent term. However, if the world’s aggregate welfare appreciates varieties of goods in a way strong enough, the optimal patent term can surprisingly extend beyond even 1,000 years!
Bayesian structure learning for stationary time series

While much work has explored probabilistic graphical models for independent data, less attention has been paid to time series. The goal in this setting is to determine conditional independence relations between entire time series, which for stationary series, are encoded by zeros in the inverse spectral density matrix. We take a Bayesian approach to structure learning, placing priors on (i) the graph structure and (ii) spectral matrices given the graph. We leverage a Whittle likelihood approximation and define a conjugate prior—the hyper complex inverse Wishart—on the complex-valued and graph-constrained spectral matrices. Due to conjugacy, we can analytically marginalize the spectral matrices and obtain a closed-form marginal likelihood of the time series given a graph. Importantly, our analytic marginal likelihood allows us to avoid inference of the complex spectral matrices themselves and places us back into the framework of standard (Bayesian) structure learning. In particular, combining this marginal likelihood with our graph prior leads to efficient inference of the time series graph itself, which we base on a stochastic search procedure, though any standard approach can be straightforwardly modified to our time series case. We demonstrate our methods on analyzing stock data and neuroimaging data of brain activity during various auditory tasks.
Heat flow and a faster algorithm to compute the surface area of a convex body

We draw on the observation that the amount of heat diffusing outside of a heated body in a short period of time is proportional to its surface area, to design a simple algorithm for approximating the surface area of a convex body given by a membership oracle. Our method has a complexity of O*(n4), where n is the dimension, compared to O*(n8) for the previous best algorithm. We show that our complexity cannot be improved given the current state-of-the-art in volume estimation. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 43, 407–428, 2013
Within-Mother Estimates of the Effects of WIC on Birth Outcomes in New York City

There is a large literature suggesting that "WIC works" to improve birth outcomes. However, methodological limitations related to selection into the WIC program have left room for doubt about this conclusion. This paper uses birth records from New York City to address some limitations of the previous literature. We estimate models with mother fixed effects to control for fixed characteristics of mothers and we directly investigate the way that time-varying characteristics of mothers affect selection into the WIC program. We find that WIC is associated with reductions in low birth weight, even among full term infants, and with reductions in the probability that a child is "small for dates." These improvements are associated with a reduction in the probability that the mother gained too little weight during pregnancy. Improvements tend to be largest for first born children. We also find that women on WIC are more likely to be diagnosed with chronic conditions, and receive more intensive medical services, a finding that may reflect improved access to medical care.
Radio's impact on preferences for patronage benefits

Citizens in developing countries support politicians who provide patronage or clientelist benefits, such as government jobs and gifts at the time of elections. Can access to mass media that broadcasts public interest messages shift citizens' preferences for such benefits? This paper examines the impact of community radio on responses to novel survey vignettes that make an explicit trade-off between political promises of jobs for a few versus public services for all. The impact of community radio is identified through a natural experiment in the media market in northern Benin, which yields exogenous variation in access across villages. Respondents in villages with greater radio access are less likely to express support for patronage jobs that come at the expense of public health or education. Gift-giving is not necessarily traded off against public services; correspondingly, radio access does not reduce preferences for candidates who give gifts. The pattern of results is consistent with a particular mechanism for radio's impact: increasing citizens' demand for broadly delivered health and education and thereby shaping their preferences for clientelist candidates.
OPTIMAL MIGRATION: A WORLD PERSPECTIVE*

We ask what level of migration would maximize world welfare. Welfare is assumed to be a weighted average of the utilities of the world’s various citizens, but the weights are also country specific. Using a calibrated one-sector model, we find that unless the weights are heavily biased toward the natives of rich countries, the extent of migration that would be optimal far exceeds the levels observed today. The claim remains true in a two-sector extension of the model. All versions of the model assume that migration is the only redistributive tool.
Total positivity in the De Concini-Procesi Compactification

We study the nonnegative part G>0 of the De Concini-Procesi com- pactification of a semisimple algebraic group G, as defined by Lusztig. Using posi- tivity properties of the canonical basis and parametrization of flag varieties, we will give an explicit description of G>0. This answers the question of Lusztig in (L4). We will also prove that G>0 has a cell decomposition which was conjectured by Lusztig.
On Direct Summands of Homological Functors on Length Categories

We show that direct summands of certain additive functors arising as bifunctors with a fixed argument in an abelian category are again of that form whenever the fixed argument has finite length or, more generally, satisfies the descending chain condition on images of nested endomorphisms. In particular, this provides a positive answer to a conjecture of M. Auslander in the case of categories of finite modules over artin algebras. This implies that the covariant Ext functors are the only injectives in the category of defect-zero finitely presented functors on such categories.
Chelate-Directed Oxidative Functionalization of Carbon–Hydrogen Bonds: Synthetic Applications and Mechanistic Insights

This chapter describes advances over the past four decades in Pd-mediated and Pd-catalyzed reactions for the highly regioselective oxidative functionalization of C–H bonds. The synthetic utility and the key mechanistic features of both stoichiometric and catalytic C–X (X = O, Cl, Br, I, F, N) bond-forming reactions are presented. The intermediacy of high oxidation state PdIV species in many of these transformations has allowed for bond constructions that were not previously possible through traditional Pd0/PdII couples.
Out-of-court debt restructuring

This study provides a conceptual framework for the analysis of the questions of out-of-court debt restructuring from a policy-oriented perspective. The starting point of the analysis is given by the World Bank principles for effective insolvency and creditor rights systems. The study offers an overview of out-of-court restructuring, which is not seen as fundamentally opposed to formal insolvency procedures. Actually, the study contemplates different restructuring techniques as forming a continuum to the treatment of financial difficulties. The study discusses the advantages and disadvantages of all the debt restructuring techniques, and concludes, in this regard, that a legal system may contain a number of options a menu that can cover different sets of circumstances. In the end, the law may offer a toolbox with very different instruments that the parties may use depending on the specific facts of the case. The study also provides a checklist that can be used to examine the features of a legal system that bear a direct influence on debt restructuring activities.
The Less the Public Knows the Better? The Effects of Increased Knowledge on Celebrity Evaluations

Celebrities are figures that people like a lot but know little about. Two experiments investigated how celebrity evaluations are affected by increased knowledge. In Experiment 1, heightened knowledge of the political orientation, faith, and social attitudes of two prominent actors led to less favorable evaluations and greater differentiation in the evaluations of the actors along political and gender lines. In Experiment 2, increasing participants' cognizance of their limited knowledge of popular entertainers led to less positive evaluations and diminished credibility of the celebrities as spokespersons. The findings suggest that increasing knowledge and meta-knowledge of celebrities may diminish their marketability.