cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Retrospective analysis of cancer-specific gene expression panel for thyroid fine needle aspiration specimens.

While molecular testing is a promising strategy for preoperative assessment of cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules, thyroid fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) presents unique challenges for molecular assays, including contaminating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and variable numbers of evaluable epithelial thyroid cells. Moreover, the newly recognized entity, noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP), has added an additional challenge to the currently available molecular diagnostic platforms. New diagnostic tools are still needed to correctly distinguish benign and malignant thyroid nodules preoperatively. Twenty-two transcript splice variants from 12 genes we previously identified as discriminating benign from malignant thyroid nodules were characterized in 80 frozen thyroid tumors from 8 histological subtypes. Isoforms detectable in PBMC were excluded, and the 5 most discriminating isoforms were further validated by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) on intraoperative FNA samples from 59 malignant tumors, 55 benign nodules, and 23 NIFTP samples. The qPCR threshold cycle values for each transcript were normalized to the thyrocyte-specific thyroid peroxidase isoform 1 (TPO1) and z-transformed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses of the composite transcript scores were used to evaluate classification of thyroid FNAs by the 5-gene isoform expression panel. A molecular signature was developed by combining expression levels of specific isoforms of CDH3, FNDC4, HMGA2, KLK7, and PLAG1. FNAs containing at least 12–36 thyrocytes were sufficient for this assay. The 5-gene composite score achieved an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.86 for distinguishing malignant from benign nodules, with a specificity of 91%, sensitivity of 75%, negative predictive value of 91%, and positive predictive value of 74%. Our newly developed 5-gene isoform expression panel distinguishes benign from malignant thyroid tumors and, may help distinguish benign from malignant thyroid nodules in the context of the new NIFTP subtype.
Seven theses on critical empathy: a methodological framework for ‘unsavory’ populations:

Qualitative researchers of ‘unsavory’ populations experience a complex range of emotions as they sustain close contact with people and communities that are deemed reprehensible, dangerous, or toxic...
Enhancement of Mode I fracture toughness properties of epoxy reinforced with graphene nanoplatelets and carbon nanotubes

Abstract Relative to the conventional metals used in structures, epoxy-based composites have poor fracture toughness properties. This has long been a weak link when using epoxy composites for structural applications and therefore several efforts are being made to improve their fracture toughness. In this experimental study, the enhancement of fracture toughness brought about by the addition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) was investigated. CNT-Epoxy and GNP-Epoxy Compact Tension (CT) samples were fabricated with 0.1% and 0.5% nanofiller weight concentrations. The potential synergistic effects of dual nanofiller reinforcements were also explored using CNT/GNP-Epoxy CT samples at a 1:1 ratio of CNT:GNP. Displacement controlled CT tests were conducted according to ASTM D5045 test procedure and the critical stress intensity factor, K I C , and the critical fracture energy, G I C , were calculated for all the material systems. Significant enhancements relative to neat epoxy were observed in reinforced epoxies. The CNT-Epoxy samples at 0.5% nanofiller concentration experienced the most enhancement with a ∼ 118 % and ∼ 311 % increase in fracture toughness and fracture energy, respectively. The GNP-Epoxy and CNT/GNP-Epoxy samples also demonstrated significant enhancements relative to neat epoxy, but the enhancements are in general weaker than those of the CNT-Epoxy samples. Fracture surfaces were analyzed via scanning electron microscopy. Instances of CNT pullouts on the fracture surface were observed, indicating the occurrence of crack bridging. Furthermore, increased surface roughness, an indicator of crack deflection, was observed along with some crack bifurcations in the GNP-Epoxy samples. A further exploration is needed to understand the poor synergy between CNTs and GNPs in the CNT/GNP-Epoxy samples, which may be due to the CNT:GNP ratio and particle sizes used in the current study.
A Multidimensional Approach to Muslim Women's Activism: Mapping the Legal Landscape in the City of Lucknow

The legal landscape in the city of Lucknow is complex, featuring a variety of non-state legal bodies which are currently involved in the discursive struggles over the institutional power to uphold, regulate, or adjust ‘correct’ Islamic practices regarding marriage and the family. Within the last decade, the city of Lucknow has experienced an extraordinary proliferation of Muslim women's organisations which aim at publicly overturning chauvinistic ideals of women's subjectivity in Islam within a contested sociopolitical landscape. The current rise of political Islam in the city of Lucknow, nourished by ideological tensions between Sunni and Shia groups (Freitag 1989,249), galvanised both Sunni and Shia women to openly destabilise relations of power and question established ideas of gender equality in Islam. However, whereas Shia women tend to debate issues of Islamic law and practice within the intimate comfort zone of their traditional spiritual meetings called majlis, which usually take place on religious sites such as mosque courtyards, Sunni women have more recently carried their struggle for justice into the politically and ideologically contested public sphere. As mentioned above, the presidents and founding members of the All India Muslim Women's Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB), Indian Muslim Women's Movement or the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), and Bazme Khawateen, which are at the centre of this study, are amongst the most vocal Muslim women's activists in the city. These newly emerging Muslim women's rights activisms in the city of Lucknow is part of and constitutive to a highly linguistically, ideologically, economically, and politically scattered Muslim community. The activists and members of the different Muslim women's rights organisations featured in this study speak different languages, prefer different Islamic clothing styles, live in different neighbourhoods, interact with different institutions, and, not surprisingly, cultivate unique relationships with the state and with the Muslim leadership. As Shaista Amber (AIMWPLB), a well-known Lucknow Muslim women's rights activist, puts it: ‘I hardly collaborate with other women's rights activists in the city despite the fact that our goals are so similar.
Fast Mesh-Based Medical Image Registration

In this paper a fast triangular mesh based registration method is proposed. Having Template and Reference images as inputs, the template image is triangulated using a content adaptive mesh generation algorithm. Considering the pixel values at mesh nodes, interpolated using spline interpolation method for both of the images, the energy functional needed for image registration is minimized. The minimization process was achieved using a mesh based discretization of the distance measure and regularization term which resulted in a sparse system of linear equations, which due to the smaller size in comparison to the pixel-wise registration method, can be solved directly. Mean Squared Difference (MSD) is used as a metric for evaluating the results. Using the mesh based technique, higher speed was achieved compared to pixel-based curvature registration technique with fast DCT solver. The implementation was done in MATLAB without any specific optimization. Higher speeds can be achieved using C/C++ implementations.
Anypoint: extensible transport switching on the edge

Anypoint is a new model for one-to-many communication with ensemble sites-aggregations of end nodes that appear to the external Internet as a unified site. Policies for routing Any-point traffic are defined by application-layer plugins residing in extensible routers at the ensemble edge. Anypoint's switching functions operate at the transport layer at the granularity of transport frames. Communication over an Anypoint connection preserves end-to-end transport rate control, partial ordering, and reliable delivery. Experimental results from a host-based Anypoint prototype and an NFS storage router application show that Anypoint is a powerful technique for virtualizing and extending cluster services, and is amenable to implementation in high-speed switches. The Anypoint prototype improves storage router throughput by 29% relative to a TCP proxy.
Impact evaluation in the post-disaster setting: A conceptual discussion in the context of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake

There is growing interest in impact evaluation in both the humanitarian and the development sectors. Several recent reports have identified post -disaster impact evaluation (PDIE) as a particular challenge and have galvanized interest in pushing the field forward. This study reviews existing work, synthesizes a set of guiding principles and analytic frameworks for PDIE, and applies those to a design for the evaluation of relief and recovery programs following the 2005 Pakistan earthquake. The study contributes to ongoing discussions of impact assessment within the humanitarian sector while also introducing impact evaluation practitioners to the specific issues related to conducting quality impact evaluations in post -disaster settings.
The uncrossing partial order on matchings is Eulerian

We prove that the partial order on the set of matchings of 2n points on a circle, given by resolving crossings, is an Eulerian poset.
Entry under Subsidy: the Competitive U.S. Local Telephone Industry

The 1996 Telecommunication Act introduces entry into an originally monopolistic U.S. local telephone industry. As competitors cherry pick rich, urban markets to enter, the Act calls for an explicit and pro-competitive subsidy policy to narrow the potential divide in telecom infrastructure. To study relevant economic factors in the design of such a policy, we estimate a dynamic oligopoly entry game using data on the competitors' entry decisions into local markets. As we observe the identities of potential entrants and their waiting time before actual entry, we allow these firms to be heterogeneous long-run players who have the option value of waiting. We find that both market- and firm-level heterogeneity plays an important role in a potential entrant's local entry decisions. Moreover, these entry decisions are significantly influenced by the consideration of both current and future competition. Using structural estimates, we evaluate the effectiveness of different subsidy policies.
Immunobiological barriers to xenotransplantation

Binding of natural anti-pig antibodies in humans and nonhuman primates to carbohydrate antigens expressed on the transplanted pig organ, the most important of which is galactose-α1,3-galactose (Gal), activate the complement cascade, which results in destruction of the graft within minutes or hours, known as hyperacute rejection. Even if antibody is removed from the recipient's blood by plasmapheresis, recovery of antibody is associated with acute humoral xenograft rejection. If immunosuppressive therapy is inadequate, the development of high levels of T cell-dependent elicited anti-pig IgG similarly results in graft destruction, though classical acute cellular rejection is rarely seen. Vascular endothelial activation by low levels of anti-nonGal antibody, coupled with dysregulation of the coagulation-anticoagulation systems between pigs and primates, leads to a thrombotic microangiopathy in the graft that may be associated with a consumptive coagulopathy in the recipient. The most successful approach to overcoming these barriers is by genetically-engineering the pig to provide it with resistance to the human humoral and cellular immune responses and to correct the coagulation discrepancies between the two species. Organs and cells from pigs that (i) do not express the important Gal antigen, (ii) express a human complement-regulatory protein, and (iii) express a human coagulation-regulatory protein, when combined with an effective immunosuppressive regimen, have been associated with prolonged pig graft survival in nonhuman primates.
Groundwater transport and radium variability in coastal porewaters

Abstract Radium isotopes ( 223 Ra, t 1/2 = 11.4 d; 224 Ra, t 1/2 = 3.66 d; 226 Ra, t 1/2 = 1600 y; and 228 Ra, t 1/2 = 5.75 y) are considered excellent tracers of groundwater movement and discharge in coastal systems. However, spatial and temporal variability in porewater radium activity have raised questions about the accuracy of these tracers. To better understand the factors affecting radium variability in coastal systems, measurements of porewater and surface water radium activity were made at an island in North Inlet Salt Marsh in Georgetown, South Carolina, from November 2009 to February 2011. Water salinity, temperature, pH, and redox potential were also recorded, and sediment samples were collected for analysis of bulk 228 Ra and 226 Ra activity. Hydraulic head observations during 2007–2008 from piezometers on the island were used to generate independent estimates of groundwater fluxes. Porewater radium activities decreased with depth below the marsh surface and increased with distance from the creek banks. Salinity measurements were lower and redox potential higher near the marsh creeks. The stratigraphy of the island is typical of intertidal wetlands in the southeastern U.S., with a mud layer overlying a confined sandy aquifer; the observed patterns in porewater radium, salinity, and redox potential were consistent with (1) shorter porewater residence times in the permeable sand aquifer than in the low-permeability mud, (2) differences in grain size between the mud and sand, and (3) greater tidal exchange near the creeks. Temporal variations in porewater radium activity were not associated with salinity, pH, and redox potential although temperature provided significant control (P 2 228 Ra and 226 Ra activity. Lower mean sea water levels resulted in greater calculated groundwater discharge and were also associated with lower average porewater 224 Ra and 223 Ra activity, in that groundwater discharge variations strongly affected short-lived radium activity at this site. The 228 Ra/ 226 Ra activity ratios in the surface water and porewater signified that the confined aquifer, rather than the surficial mud, was the primary source of radium to the surface water. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the hydrology of any coastal system when interpreting radium results. It is also essential to identify and measure the correct porewater end-member(s) (i.e. source aquifers) when calculating radium budgets.
Epidemic Spread in Adaptive Social Networks with Community Structure

When an epidemic spreads in a population, individuals may adaptively change the structure of their social contact network in response. We study the spread of epidemics in an adaptive network with community structure. Community structure is a characteristic of social networks that has been neglected in previous adaptive network epidemic models. We model the effect of heterogeneous communities on infection levels. We also show how an epidemic can alter the community structure.
Does Political Reservation for Minorities Affect Child Labor? Evidence from India

Summary This paper examines the impact of state-level political reservation for two minority groups–Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes–on the incidence of child labor in India. We estimate the effect of political reservation on the incidence of child labor by exploiting the state variation in the share of seats reserved for the two minority groups in state legislative assemblies mandated by the Constitution of India. Using data from state and household-level surveys on fifteen major Indian states, we find that at the household level, Schedule Tribe reservation decreases the incidence of child labor, while Scheduled Caste reservation increases the total number of children working. We examine these impacts on the general as well as the disadvantaged group population independently, and across the gender of children. We also explore potential explanations for the differential impact of SC and ST political reservation, including geographic isolation, caste fragmentation, support for the Congress Party, and decentralization of power. Our results survive a variety of robustness checks.
How Democracies Keep the Peace: Contextual Factors that Influence Conflict Management Strategies

Some studies find that democratic states are more amenable to third party forms of conflict management, while other studies indicate that democracies are able to resolve contentious issues on their own through bilateral negotiations. Using data from the Issue Correlates of War (ICOW) Project, the authors investigate peaceful and militarized conflict management strategies that democratic states employ to resolve contentious issues. Theoretically, the authors focus on how militarized conflict history, relative capabilities, and issue salience influence the tools of conflict management employed by democratic states. Empirical analyses suggest that democratic dyads employ bilateral negotiations more often to resolve contentious issues when the issue has not been militarized previously, when the issue is more salient, and when democratic states face equal adversaries. Democratic dyads seek out nonbinding third party settlement more frequently in situations of power preponderance than nondemocratic dyads, although binding forms of third party settlement occur most often in relatively equal democratic dyads. When it comes to the use of force, democratic states are much less likely than their authoritarian counterparts to militarize an issue claim when little or no armed conflict characterizes the relationship. However, democratic leaders show a willingness to confront force with force. After one militarized dispute, democratic states are no different in their conflict propensity than autocratic states.
Day‐to‐day ionospheric variability due to lower atmosphere perturbations

[1] Ionospheric day-to-day variability is a ubiquitous feature, even in the absence of appreciable geomagnetic activities. Although meteorological perturbations have been recognized as an important source of the variability, it is not well represented in previous modeling studies and the mechanism is not well understood. This study demonstrates that the thermosphere-ionosphere-mesosphere-electrodynamics general circulation model (TIME-GCM) constrained in the stratosphere and mesosphere by the hourly whole atmosphere community climate model (WACCM) simulations is capable of reproducing observed features of day-to-day variability in the thermosphere-ionosphere. Realistic weather patterns in the lower atmosphere in WACCM were specified by Modern Era Retrospective Reanalysis for Research and Application (MERRA). The day-to-day variations in mean zonal wind, migrating and nonmigrating tides in the thermosphere, vertical and zonal E × B drifts, and ionosphere F2 layer peak electron density (NmF2) are examined. The standard deviations of the drifts and NmF2 show local time and longitudinal dependence that compare favorably with observations. Their magnitudes are 50% or more of those from observations. The day-to-day thermosphere and ionosphere variability in the model is primarily caused by the perturbations originated in lower atmosphere, since the model simulation is under constant solar minimum and low geomagnetic conditions.
Adapting to the Shifting Intent of Search Queries

Search engines today present results that are often oblivious to recent shifts in intent. For example, the meaning of the query 'independence day' shifts in early July to a US holiday and to a movie around the time of the box office release. While no studies exactly quantify the magnitude of intent-shifting traffic, studies suggest that news events, seasonal topics, pop culture, etc account for 1/2 the search queries. This paper shows that the signals a search engine receives can be used to both determine that a shift in intent happened, as well as find a result that is now more relevant. We present a meta-algorithm that marries a classifier with a bandit algorithm to achieve regret that depends logarithmically on the number of query impressions, under certain assumptions. We provide strong evidence that this regret is close to the best achievable. Finally, via a series of experiments, we demonstrate that our algorithm outperforms prior approaches, particularly as the amount of intent-shifting traffic increases.
Symmetry Maps of Free-Form Curve Segments via Wave Propagation

This paper presents an approach for computing the symmetries (skeletons) of an edge map consisting of a collection of curve segments. This approach is a combination of analytic computations in the style of computational geometry and discrete propagations on a grid in the style of the numerical solutions of PDE's. Specifically, waves from each of the initial curve segments are initialized and propagated as a discrete wavefront along discrete directions. In addition, to avoid error built up due to the discrete nature of propagation, shockwaves are detected and explicitly propagated along a secondary dynamic grid. The propagation of shockwaves, integrated with the propagation of the wavefront along discrete directions, leads to an exact simulation of propagation by the Eikonal equation. The resulting symmetries are simply the collection of shockwaves formed in this process which can be manipulated locally, exactly, and efficiently under local changes in an edge map (gap completion, removal of spurious elements, etc). The ability to express grouping operations in the language of symmetry maps makes it an appropriate intermediate representation between low-level edge maps and high level object hypotheses.
HDAC6 is a specific deacetylase of peroxiredoxins and is involved in redox regulation

A19 Eighteen histone deacetylases (HDAC) are present in humans, categorized into two groups: zinc dependent enzymes (HDAC1-11) and NAD+ dependent enzymes (Sirtuins 1-7). Among zinc dependent HDACs, HDAC6 is unique. It has a cytoplasmic localization, two catalytic sites, an ubiquitin binding site and selectively deacetylases α-tubulin and HSP90. Here we report the novel discovery that the redox regulatory proteins, peroxiredoxin (Prx) I and Prx II are specific targets of HDAC6. Prx are antioxidants enzymes whose main function is H2O2 reduction. Prx are elevated in many cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. The acetylated form of Prx accumulates in the absence of an active HDAC6. Acetylation of Prx increases its reducing activity, its resistance to super oxidation and its resistance to transition to high molecular weight complexes. Thus, HDAC6 and Prx are targets for modulating intracellular redox status in therapeutic strategies for disorders as disparate as cancers and neurodegenerative diseases.
Butterflies and Peer-to-Peer Networks

Research in Peer-to-peer systems has focussed on building efficient Content Addressable Networks (CANs), which are essentially distributed hash tables (DHT) that support location of resources based on unique keys. While most proposed schemes are robust to a large number of random faults, there are very few schemes that are robust to a large number of adversarial faults. In a recent paper ([2]) Fiat and Saia have proposed such a solution that is robust to adversarial faults.We propose a new solution based on multi-butterflies that improves upon the previous solution by Fiat and Saia. Our new network, multihypercube, is a fault tolerant version of the hypercube, and may find applications to other problems as well. We also demonstrate how this network can be maintained dynamically. This addresses the first open problem in the paper ([2]) by Fiat and Saia.
DOES CREDIT SUPPLY AFFECT SMALL-FIRM FINANCE?

States were granted authority to limit interstate branching following passage of Federal legislation in 1994, relaxing restrictions on geographical expansion by banks. We show that differences in state's branching restrictions affect credit supply. In states more open to branching, small firms borrow at interest rates 25 to 45 basis points lower than firms operating in less open states. Firms in open states also are more likely to borrow from banks. Despite this evidence that interstate branch openness expands credit supply, we find no effect of variation in state restrictions on branching on small-firm borrowing or other indicators of credit constraints. The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the authors and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or of any other person associated with the Federal Reserve System. We thank John Wolken, Diana Hancock, Courtney Carter, Traci Mach, John Holmes, Ron Borzekowski, Robert DeYoung and seminar participants at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the Federal Reserve Board and the 44 th Annual Conference on Bank Structure and Competition.
Rare earth-doped waveguide lasers

Recent developments in rare earth-doped planar waveguide lasers in glass and LiNbO/sub 3/ are reviewed, and the first demonstration of an integrated Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) laser in a neodymium-doped glass channel waveguide is described. A new technique for making volume gratings in thermal ion-exchanged glass waveguides is also presented. The technique is based on photobleaching a gamma ray-induced absorption defect center which is located at a wavelength of 330 nm. >
Non-Legal-Tender Paper Money: The Structure and Performance of Maryland's Bills of Credit, 1767-1775

In this article, Maryland's non-legal-tender paper money emissions between 1765 and 1775 are reconstructed to determine quantities outstanding and redemption dates, providing a substantial correction to the literature. Over 80 per cent of this paper money's current market value was expected real asset present value and under 20 per cent was liquidity premium. It was primarily a real barter asset and not a fiat currency. The liquidity premium was positively related to the amount of paper money per capita in circulation. This paper money traded below face value due to time-discounting, rather than depreciation. Past scholars have simply confused depreciation with time-discounting.
Reviving Telecommunications Surveillance Law

Consider three questions. How would one decide if there was too much telecommunications surveillance in the United States, or too little? How would one know if law enforcement was using its surveillance capabilities in the most effective fashion? How would one assess the impact of this collection of information on civil liberties? In answering these questions, a necessary step, the logical first move, would be to examine existing data about governmental surveillance practices and their results. One would also need to examine and understand how the legal system generated these statistics about telecommunications surveillance. Ideally, the information structure would generate data sets that would allow the three questions posed above to be answered. Light might also be shed on other basic issues, such as whether or not the amount of telecommunications surveillance was increasing or decreasing. Such rational inquiry about telecommunications surveillance is, however, largely precluded by the haphazard and incomplete information that the government collects about it. This Article evaluates the main parts of telecommunications surveillance law and the statistics about their use. The critical statutory regulations are (1) the Wiretap Act, (2) the Pen Register Act, (3) the Stored Communications Act, and, for foreign intelligence, (4) the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and (5) the different provisions for National Security Letters (NSLs). Other parts of the surveillance landscape represent an even greater expanse of blank spaces on the legal map. There are a number of semi-known unknowns (to coin a phrase); these are kinds of telecommunications surveillance about which only limited public information exists - this surveillance also occurs outside a detailed legal framework. This Article concludes with the development of the concept of privacy theater. Currently, the value of the collection of telecommunications statistics is largely ritualistic. It serves to create a myth of oversight. This Article proposes that we go beyond myth and re-dedicate ourselves to the task of creating a telecommunications surveillance law that minimizes the impact of surveillance on civil liberties and maximizes its effectiveness for law enforcement.
Accidental Pinhole and Pinspeck Cameras

We identify and study two types of "accidental" images that can be formed in scenes. The first is an accidental pinhole camera image. The second class of accidental images are "inverse" pinhole camera images, formed by subtracting an image with a small occluder present from a reference image without the occluder. Both types of accidental cameras happen in a variety of different situations. For example, an indoor scene illuminated by natural light, a street with a person walking under the shadow of a building, etc. The images produced by accidental cameras are often mistaken for shadows or interreflections. However, accidental images can reveal information about the scene outside the image, the lighting conditions, or the aperture by which light enters the scene.
Consensus of the Governed: The Legitimacy of Constitutional Change

This Article argues that, contrary to current practices, constitutional change is legitimate only when it commands the unanimous support of the people, or, because unanimous support is practically impossible, when it is accomplished through procedural devices (i.e., representation, ratification, and supermajority support) that safeguard minority interests in an effort to determine the public good and approximate the will of the people as a whole. Constitutional change is illegitimate when it represents only the will of a portion of the people. This Article attempts to answer the question of what makes a constitution or a constitutional amendment legitimate, and provides specific content- based norms, consistent with America's history and form of government, to evaluate the legitimacy of constitutional change.
Social norms, cooperation and inequality

This paper analyzes the outcomes that can be supported by social norms in a society of infinitely lived and patient agents that are randomly matched in pairs every period to play a given game. I find that any mutually beneficial outcome can be supported by a self-enforcing social norm under both perfect information and a simple local information system. These Folk Theorem results explain not only how social norms can provide incentives that support cooperation in a community, providing support to the concepts of social capital and corporate culture, but also how they can support inequality and discrimination.
Managing Sustainable Development

For transition economies, sustainable development of agriculture can be most effectively achieved by aggressive steps to increase the role of markets in resource allocation and distribution, according to this paper. Using resources efficiently and producing the foods and services most highly valued by consumers can take agriculture a long way toward the goal of sustainable development. Leaders in transition economies have the difficult task of orchestrating the change of an economic system, but an unusual and perhaps one-time opportunity for carrying reforms.
ESTIMATING THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF CLEANING UP SUPERFUND SITES: THE CASE OF WOBURN, MASSACHUSETTS

Superfund was established in 1980 to deal with closed and abandoned hazardous waste sites. Given the large amounts of money being spent on cleanups of Superfund sites, one might hope that the money is being spent in a cost-effective manner, but there is little evidence that the estimated benefits from cleanup affect the cleanup decision. We apply the hedonic method to house prices to estimate the individual willingness to pay (WTP) to clean up a Superfund site. We then show how the individual WTP can be used to calculate the total benefits from cleaning up the site so that a cost-benefit analysis of Superfund cleanup can be undertaken. We apply our technique to the two Superfund sites in Woburn, Massachusetts. We find that the benefits from cleaning up these sites are in the range of $72 million to $122 million (1992 dollars). It is likely that these benefits are greater than the present value of the estimated costs of cleaning up these sites. Thus it appears that the cleanup of the Woburn Superfund sites results in positive net benefits to society.
Time history of the Martian dynamo from crater magnetic field analysis

[1] Large impacts simultaneously reset both the surface age and the magnetization of the entire depth of crust over areas comparable to the final size of the resulting craters. These properties make large impact craters (>300 km in diameter) ideal “magnetic markers” for constraining the history of the Martian core dynamo. However, the relationship between crustal magnetization and magnetic field measured in orbit is nonunique, making the measured magnetic field signature of an impact crater only a proxy for the magnetization (or lack thereof) below. Using Monte Carlo Fourier domain modeling of subsurface magnetization, we calculate probability distributions of the magnetic field signatures of partially and completely demagnetized craters. We compare these distributions to measured magnetic field signatures of 41 old impact craters on Mars larger than 300 km in diameter and calculate probabilities of their magnetization state. We compare these probabilities to cratering densities and absolute model ages and in this manner arrive at a robust time history of Martian large-crater magnetization and hence of the Martian dynamo. We conclude that the most likely scenario was a Mars dynamo active when the oldest detectable basins formed, ceasing before the Hellas and Utopia impacts, between 4.0 and 4.1 Ga (in model age) and not thereafter restarting. The Mars atmosphere was thereafter exposed directly to erosion by the solar wind, significantly altering the path of climate evolution. Further improvements to the history of the Martian dynamo will require better crater age estimates and lower altitude magnetic field data.
Are Prices Higher for the Poor in New York City

Despite earlier evidence to the contrary, recent inquiries appear to reach a consensus that the poor pay more for food. However, these studies utilize samples drawn on the basis of prior knowledge of unfair pricing strategies, proximity of volunteer surveyors, or selected by other non-random methods. This paper revisits the issue of price discrimination by analyzing price data collected using a stratified, random sample design to answer the question of whether prices are higher in poor, urban neighborhoods. Contrary to the recent literature, it is found that market prices in poor neighborhoods are not higher than those in more affluent areas.
An Optimal Load-Frequency Control Method for Inverter-Based Renewable Energy Transmission

The frequency droop response of conventional turbine driven synchronous generators with respect to load increases is normally used in order to have stable operating characteristics for multiple generators operating in parallel over large geographical regions. This presents a challenge for renewable energy sources that interface to the transmission grid through static inverters that do not exhibit an intrinsic frequency droop characteristic. This paper presents a method of designing optimal load frequency controllers for transmission line inverters fed from renewable energy sources that allows for fast dynamic response due to variable solar and wind conditions while maintain stability to interconnected synchronous generators. A control technique based on LQG optimization theory is presented. Detailed analysis of a three-area system representative of a region of mixed wind and solar photovoltaic sources is modeled in order to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed load-frequency control method.
General Algorithms for Testing the Ambiguity of Finite Automata

This paper presents efficient algorithms for testing the finite, polynomial, and exponential ambiguity of finite automata with i¾?-transitions. It gives an algorithm for testing the exponential ambiguity of an automaton Ain time $O(|A|_E^2)$, and finite or polynomial ambiguity in time $O(|A|_E^3)$, where |A| E denotes the number of transitions of A. These complexities significantly improve over the previous best complexities given for the same problem. Furthermore, the algorithms presented are simple and based on a general algorithm for the composition or intersection of automata. We also give an algorithm to determine in time $O(|A|_E^3)$ the degree of polynomial ambiguity of a polynomially ambiguous automaton A. Finally, we present an application of our algorithms to an approximate computation of the entropy of a probabilistic automaton.
Using type qualifiers to analyze untrusted integers and detecting security flaws in c programs

Incomplete or improper input validation is one of the major sources of security bugs in programs. While traditional approaches often focus on detecting string related buffer overflow vulnerabilities, we present an approach to automatically detect potential integer misuse, such as integer overflows in C programs. Our tool is based on CQual, a static analysis tool using type theory. Our techniques have been implemented and tested on several widely used open source applications. Using the tool, we found known and unknown integer related vulnerabilities in these applications
Scheduling for Parallel Supercomputing: A Historical Perspective of Achievable Utilization

The NAS facility has operated parallel supercomputers for the past 11 years, including the Intel iPSC/860, Intel Paragon, Thinking Machines CM-5, IBM SP-2, and Cray Origin 2000. Across this wide variety of machine architectures, across a span of 10 years, across a large number of different users, and through thousands of minor configuration and policy changes, the utilization of these machines shows three general trends: (1) scheduling using a naive FCFS first-fit policy results in 40-60% utilization, (2) switching to the more sophisticated dynamic backfilling scheduling algorithm improves utilization by about 15 percentage points (yielding about 70% utilization), and (3) reducing the maximum allowable job size further increases utilization. Most surprising is the consistency of these trends. Over the lifetime of the NAS parallel systems, we made hundreds, perhaps thousands, of small changes to hardware, software, and policy, yet utilization was affected little. In particular, these results show that the goal of achieving near 100% utilization while supporting a real parallel supercomputing workload is unrealistic.
Two Talks On A Tentative Theory Of Large Distance Physics

These talks present an overview of a tentative theory of large distance physics. For each large distance L (in dimensionless units), the theory gives two complementary descriptions of spacetime physics: quantum field theory at distances larger than L, string scattering amplitudes at distances smaller than L. The mechanism of the theory is a certain 2d nonlinear model, the λ-model, whose target manifold is the manifold of general nonlinear models of the worldsurface, the background spacetimes for string scattering. So far, the theory has only been formulated and its basic working described, in general terms. The theory’s only claims to interest at present are matters of general principle. It is a self-contained non- perturbative theory of large distance physics, operating entirely at large distance. The λ-model constructs an actual QFT at large distance, a functional integral over spacetime fields. It constructs an effective background spacetime for string scattering at relatively small distances. It is background independent, dynamically. Nothing is adjustable in its formulation. It is a mechanical theory, not an S-matrix theory. String scattering takes place at small distances within a mechanical large distance environment. The λ-model constructs QFT in a way that offers possibilities of novel physical phenomena at large distances. The task now is to perform concrete calculations in the λ-model, to find out if it produces a physically useful QFT.
A new scheme on privacy preserving association rule mining

We address the privacy preserving association rule mining problem in a system with one data miner and multiple data providers, each holds one transaction. The literature has tacitly assumed that randomization is the only effective approach to preserve privacy in such circumstances. We challenge this assumption by introducing an algebraic techniques based scheme. Compared to previous approaches, our new scheme can identify association rules more accurately but disclose less private information. Furthermore, our new scheme can be readily integrated as a middleware with existing systems.
A glass always half full: Reconsideration of the Wales apparatus to apply constant head boundary conditions

[1] A new apparatus is presented that is capable of applying a constant fluid pressure at inflow and outflow boundaries. The apparatus can be refilled during operation and does not rely on an overflow mechanism. The device is constructed of two vessels, one that contains the delivered fluid and the other that contains a less dense fluid. By matching the fluid densities and the areas of the vessels the absolute elevation of the delivered fluid is maintained as the fluid is added to or removed from the system. The history of the development of the device, the underlying physical principles, and two demonstrations of the operation of a prototype device are shown.
Deconstructing Postmodernism and the Mainstream Developmental Discourse of Women's Empowerment in the (South) Asian Context

This paper starts with an initial gesture accepting the validity of many of the criticisms of modernity by some leading postmodern thinkers. From this initial position, it then evaluates the postmodernist positions themselves with regards to democracy, women's empowerment and justice by paying careful attention to the arguments of these leading postmodernists. It then develops a theory of deep democracy and radical subjectivity which can be used to deconstruct the rhetoric of international organizations on women's empowerment. However, shallow and self-serving as this rhetoric is, it nevertheless can lead to a limited improvement in women's status contrary to the claims of the conservatives. Furthermore, the theory can also be used to de/reconstruct the liberal and social democratic positions on women's empowerment. Such a deep democratic perspective in South Asia focuses attention on enhancing social capabilities through all means, but most importantly through the political self-activities of the multitude---- particularly the radical subjectivities and actions of the most oppressed women who can and will increasingly take leading roles in overcoming the rule of global capital.
Polarization of prompt J/{psi} and {Upsilon}(nS).

We review predictions, based on the nonrelativistic QCD factorization framework, for the polarizations of prompt J={psi}'s and {Upsilon}(nS)'s produced at the Fermilab Tevatron. We also discuss the effect of relativistic corrections on the theoretical prediction for the polarization of prompt J={psi}'s at the Tevatron.
Optimization of armored spherical tanks for storage on the lunar surface

A redundancy strategy for reducing micrometeroid armoring mass is investigated, with application to cryogenic reactant storage for a regenerative fuel cell (RFC) on the lunar surface. In that micrometeoroid environment, the cryogenic fuel must be protected from loss due to tank puncture. The tankage must have a sufficiently high probability of survival over the length of the mission so that the probability of system failure due to tank puncture is low compared to the other mission risk factors. Assuming that a single meteoroid penetration can cause a storage tank to lose its contents, two means are available to raise the probability of surviving micrometeoroid attack to the desired level. One can armor the tanks to a thickness sufficient to reduce probability of penetration of any tank to the desired level or add extra capacity in the form of spare tanks that results in survival of a given number out of the ensemble at the desired level. A combination of these strategies (armoring and redundancy) is investigated. The objective is to find the optimum combination which yields the lowest shielding mass per cubic meter of surviving fuel out of the original ensemble. The investigation found that, for the volumes of fuel associated with multikilowatt class cryo storage RFC's, and the armoring methodology and meteoroid models used, storage should be fragmented into small individual tanks. Larger installations (more fuel) pay less of a shielding penalty than small installations. For the same survival probability over the same time period, larger volumes will require less armoring mass per unit volume protected.
Latino Voters 2012 and Beyond: Will the Fastest Growing and Evolving Electoral Group Shape U.S. Politics?

The author reviews two recent books, Marisa A. Abrajano’s "Campaigning to the New American Electorate: Advertising to Latino Voters" (2010) and Marisa A. Abrajano’s and R. Michael Alvarez’s "New Faces New Voices: The Hispanic Electorate in America" (2010). These books are part of a growing literature that scientifically studies the evolving Latino electorate, and attempts to answer difficult questions about this ethnic group’s electorate cohesiveness and how candidates might be able to influence the Latino electorate. A careful read of Abrajano’s recent books brings additional understanding to Latino voter behavior, and by implication, how this key group will influence the electoral game in 2012 and beyond. The main message of these texts is that the Latino vote is complex and evolving and not easy to shoehorn into existing frameworks.
Specification and Checking of Software Contracts for Conditional Information Flow

Information assurance applications providing Multi-Level Secure(MLS) solutions must often implement information flow policies that are conditionalin the sense that data is allowed to flow between system components only when the system satisfies certain state predicates. However, existing specification and verification environments, such as SPARK, used to develop such applications, are capable of capturing only unconditional information flows. Motivated by the need to better formally specify and certify MLS applications in industrial contexts, we present an enhancement of the SPARK system that enables specification, inference, and compositional checking of conditional information flow contracts. We report on the use of this framework for a collection of SPARK examples.
On discarding, caching, and recalling samples in active learning

We address challenges of active learning under scarce informational resources in non-stationary environments. In real-world settings, data labeled and integrated into a predictive model may become invalid over time. However, the data can become informative again with switches in context and such changes may indicate unmodeled cyclic or other temporal dynamics. We explore principles for discarding, caching, and recalling labeled data points in active learning based on computations of value of information. We review key concepts and study the value of the methods via investigations of predictive performance and costs of acquiring data for simulated and real-world data sets.