cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using Local Labor Market Data to Re-Examine the Employment Effects of the Minimum Wage

Using quarterly Census data for 1996–2000, the author evaluates how minimum wages affected teenage employment at the county level. An analysis that includes all counties yields small and statistically insignificant effects, consistent with previous research using state panels. However, in counties where the minimum wage was likely binding (above the market-clearing wage for teens), the negative impact on employment was considerably larger. The effect was strongest in small counties, was restricted to “transitory” jobs and new hires, and apparently was not experienced by young adults ages 19–22. The small employment effects found in much of the literature, the author argues, at least partly reflect the estimates' inclusion of local labor markets where the minimum wage is not binding. By averaging the effects across all areas, with no disaggregation based on where the minimum wage is binding and where it is not, these studies overlook important regional variation.
Something(s) old and something(s) new: Modeling drivers of global virtual team effectiveness

Summary We developed and tested a model that bridges existing team effectiveness theory with new ideas aimed at understanding the complexity of multiple team membership and virtuality. Using a sample of 60 global, virtual supply teams from a large multi-national organization, we propose that even for new team configurations, transactive memory systems and preparation activities are critical for effectiveness. We also examined the association between members’ percentage of time allocated to a team, team virtuality, and interdependence on preparation activities. Our findings suggest that preparation activities related significantly to effectiveness as mediated by transactive memory systems. Furthermore, interdependence interacted with members’ percentage of time allocated to the team as related to preparation activities. Specifically, members’ percentage of time allocated to the team shifted from being a positive influence on preparation activities to a negative influence as team interdependence went from relatively high to relatively low levels. We discuss implications for theory, research, and practice. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Signaling and technological marketing tools for exporters

Besides superior productivity, what other firm characteristics are associated with export success? This empirical study identifies the effects of signaling tools (foreign technical license, International Standards Organization certification, and review of financial statements) and Internet tools (email and website) on export frequency and intensity of firms in developing countries. Using data from the World Banks Enterprise Survey, the author finds that productivity, size, foreign ownership, International Standards Organization certification, and the use of Internet tools have positive effects on the probability of exporting and on the intensive margin of trade. International Standards Organization certified firms are 22 percent more likely to be exporters, whereas firms that use their own website to communicate with clients and suppliers increase the likelihood they export by 11 percent. Among exporting firms, those that are International Standards Organization certified sell 41 percent more abroad than firms that are not certified. Firms that use email sell 31 percent more in foreign markets than exporting firms that do not.
New results in signal processing and compression of polygon meshes

Polygon meshes, which are used in most graphics applications, require considerable amounts of storage, even when they only approximate precise shapes with limited accuracy. To support Internet access to 3D models of complex virtual environments or assemblies for electronic shopping, collaborative CAD, multi-player video games, and scientific visualization, representations of 3D shapes must be compressed by several orders of magnitude. Furthermore, several closely related methods have been proposed in recent years to smooth, de-noise, edit, compress, transmit, and animate very large polygon meshes, based on topological and combinatorial methods, signal processing techniques, constrained energy minimization, and the solution of diffusion differential equations. This is an overview of some of my recent results in this area: linear anisotropic mesh filtering, bi-level isosurface compression, space-optimized texture maps, and volume warping for adaptive isosurface extraction.
How to Obfuscate Programs Directly

We propose a new way to obfuscate programs, via composite-order multilinear maps. Our construction operates directly on straight-line programs (arithmetic circuits), rather than converting them to matrix branching programs as in other known approaches. This yields considerable efficiency improvements. For an NC\(^1\) circuit of size \(s\) and depth \(d\), with \(n\) inputs, we require only \(O(d^2s^2 + n^2)\) multilinear map operations to evaluate the obfuscated circuit—as compared with other known approaches, for which the number of operations is exponential in \(d\). We prove virtual black-box (VBB) security for our construction in a generic model of multilinear maps of hidden composite order, extending previous models for the prime-order setting.
Threshold selector for fault detection on closed-loop predictor-based recursive system identification

In this research, a technique is developed to separate an additive fault from a multiplicative fault by using recursive update of predictor-based system identification. If additive fault occurs at the same moment of multiplicative fault in a system, the recursively updated system model can take away the effect of multiplicative fault from residual. Thus, purely additive fault affects on residual of which threshold is calculated based on Chi-squared distribution. In this research, the Chi-squared residual is computed as whitened-residual and its whitening covariance matrix is derived from residual itself in order to accommodate identification error. To detect multiplicative fault, the norm to measure the distance between the original system matrices and the changed is recursively checked with user-defined parameter. The benefit of this approach is illustrated with an adopted system.
Should Domestic Courts Prosecute Genocide? Examining the Trial of Efrain Rios Montt

In 2013, in a highly publicized case, Efrain Rios Montt, the de facto leader of Guatemala from 1982-1983, was ordered to stand trial for genocide in Guatemala for the deaths of at least 1771 Ixil Mayan people during the most violent period of the country’s thirty-six-year-long civil war. The trial was historic; Rios Montt became the first former head of state to be tried for genocide in his home country. This Article, using the Rios Montt trial as a case study, asks: should domestic courts prosecute genocide? The Article argues that domestic prosecution of genocide is not inherently negative or positive, but could further certain goals of international criminal justice at the expense of others. While the domestic prosecution of genocide (in the country where it occurred) better satisfies legal jurisdiction requirements and serves the goals of transitional justice, it may do so at the expense of traditional criminal justice goals (including victims’ rights) and defendants’ right to a fair trial and due process.The international community, including countries that have experienced genocide, should analyze the most important goals in prosecution in deciding whether to refer a case to the International Criminal Court (ICC), allow a foreign court to prosecute the crime, or prosecute the crime at home.
The digital Michelangelo project

Recent improvements in laser rangefinder technology, together with algorithms developed at Stanford for combining multiple range and color images, allow us to reliably and accurately digitize the external shape and reflectance of many physical objects. As an application of this technology, I and a team of 30 faculty, staff, and students from Stanford University and the University of Washington spent the 1998-99 academic year digitizing the sculptures and architecture of Michelangelo. During this time, we scanned 10 statues, including the giant figure of David, and 2 building interiors, including the Medici Chapel, which was designed by Michelangelo. As a side project, we also acquired a high-resolution light field of his statue of Night, in the Medici Chapel. Finally, in another side project, we scanned the 1,163 fragments of the Forma Urbis Romae, the giant marble map of ancient Rome. In the months ahead we will process the data we have collected to create 3D digital models of these objects and, in the case of the Forma Urbis, we will try to assemble the map. The goals of this project are scholarly and educational. Commercial use of the models is not excluded, and many such uses can be imagined, but none is currently planned. I outline the technological underpinnings, logistical challenges, and possible outcomes of this project.
Carboplatin with Decitabine Therapy, in Recurrent Platinum Resistant Ovarian Cancer, Alters Circulating miRNAs Concentrations: A Pilot Study

Objective Plasma miRNAs represent potential minimally invasive biomarkers to monitor and predict outcomes from chemotherapy. The primary goal of the current study—consisting of patients with recurrent, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer—was to identify the changes in circulating miRNA concentrations associated with decitabine followed by carboplatin chemotherapy treatment. A secondary goal was to associate clinical response with changes in circulating miRNA concentration.
Determinants of Profitability in Farrow-to-Finish Swine Production

Cost estimates for feed, facilities, labor, operating, health, reproductive performance and average selling price were derived from four years of on-farm data from farrow-to-finish swine producers. The effect of each independent management area on profit per hundredweight of pork produced was estimated. Feed cost was found to have the greatest impact, followed closely by the cost of facilities. The quantity of feed consumed per hundredweight of gain and the cost of the ration had nearly equal impact on feed costs.
Fumbling toward a Critical Legal Pedagogy and Practice

This article argues that the culture and practice of legal education in the United States functions to dehumanize law students and potentially produce one-dimensional lawyers in the service of corporate interests and the capitalist status quo. These lawyers are trained to serve not only as the guardians of legal rights, social entitlements and privileges of citizenship but also as the vested producers and protectors of the unjust institutions and systems that deny these rights, entitlements and privileges to certain groups and ensure them to others. Drawing on the work of Freire, Gramsci, and Marcuse, critical legal scholars like Lani Guinier and the history of legal education and the legal profession in the United States, this article uses theory and critical scholarship to read and interrogate the ways in which the current practices and the historical evolution of legal education have functioned and continue to function in the service of capitalism and to the disservice of many of its clients. It also p...
Quantitation of Rare DNAs by PCR

This unit presents a protocol that uses the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to quantitate the numbers of a particular DNA sequence, from 1 to 20,000 molecules per sample. In addition, it helps assess the presence of contaminating sequences, which can seriously affect the outcome of the procedure.
Banking in transition countries

Modern banking institutions were virtually non-existent in the planned economies of cen-tral Europe and the former Soviet Union. In the early transition period, banking sectors be-gan to develop during several years of macroeconomic decline and turbulence accompa-nied by repeated bank crises. However, governments in many transition countries learned from these tumultuous experiences and eventually dealt successfully with the accumulated bad loans and lack of strong bank regulation. In addition, rapid progress in bank privatiza-tion and consolidation took place in the late 1990s and early 2000s, usually with the par-ticipation of foreign banks. By the mid 2000s the banking sectors in many transition coun-tries were dominated by foreign owners and were able to provide a wide range of services. Credit growth resumed, sometimes too rapidly, particularly in the form of lending to households. The global financial crisis put transition banking to test. Countries that had expanded credit rapidly were vulnerable to the macroeconomic shock and there was con-siderable concern that foreign owners would reduce their funding to transition country sub-sidiaries. However, the banking sectors turned out to be resilient, a strong indication of the rapid progress in institutional development and regulatory capabilities in the transition countries. Keywords: transition banking, bank privatization, foreign banks, bank regulation, credit growth JEL codes: G21, P27, O57
Multi-fidelity algorithms for interactive mobile applications

We introduce the concept of multi-fidelity algorithms, which revises the classical notion of an algorithm. Instead of having a fixed output criterion and allowing the resource consumption to vary, we bound the resource consumption and allow the fidelity or output criterion to vary. We discuss how multi-fidelity algorithms can improve the latency and battery life of interactive mobile applications. An extension of this idea allows the system to automatically discover sweet spots: sharp discontinuities in the fidelity-resource tradeoff space.
Papaloizou–Pringle instability of magnetized accretion tori

Hot accretion tori around a compact object are known to be susceptible to a global hydrodynamical instability, the so-called Papaloizou-Pringle (PP) instability, arising from the interaction of non-axisymmetric waves across the corotation radius, where the wave pattern speed matches the fluid rotation rate. However, accretion tori produced in various astrophysical situations (e.g. collapsars and neutron star binary mergers) are likely to be highly magnetized. We study the effect of magnetic fields on the PP instability in incompressible tori with various magnetic strengths and structures. In general, toroidal magnetic fields have significant effects on the PP instability. For thin tori (with the fractional width relative to the outer torus radius much less than unity), the instability is suppressed at large field strengths with the corresponding toroidal Alfven speed υ Aφ ≳ 0.2rΩ (where Ω is the flow rotation rate). For thicker tori (with the fractional width of order 0.4 or larger), which are hydrodynamically stable, the instability sets in for sufficiently strong magnetic fields (with υ Aφ ≳ 0.2rΩ). Our results suggest that highly magnetized accretion tori may be subjected to global instability even when it is stable against the usual magneto-rotational instability.
Highly reactive heterogeneous Heck and hydrogenation catalysts constructed through ‘bottom-up’ nanoparticle self-assembly

Polymer-mediated self-assembly of functionalized Pd and SiO2 nanoparticles provides highly active hydrogenation and Heck coupling catalysts.
Particle Physics after the Higgs-Boson Discovery: Opportunities for the Large Hadron Collider

The first run of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN brought the discovery of the Higgs boson, an apparently elementary scalar particle with a mass of 125GeV, the avatar of the mechanism that hides the electroweak symmetry. A new round of experimentation is beginning, with the energy of the proton–proton colliding beams raised to 6.5TeV per beam, from 4TeV at the end of the first run. This article summarises what we have learned about the Higgs boson, and calls attention to some issues that will be among our central concerns in the near future.
Some research advances in computer graphics that will enhance applications to engineering design

Abstract This paper describes some research in man-machine interaction, and graphics hardware-software that will enhance applications to engineering design. Research aspects of CAD executive systems, command languages, and networking are mentioned. Finally, a few areas where little or no research is being done are identified, and consideration is called for.
An analytical approach to s-box generation

Using analytical approaches we show how to construct symmetric and asymmetric substitution boxes that are highly resistant to linear and differential cryptanalysis. The objective of this work is to generate s-boxes that meet the Strict Avalanche Criteria (SAC), are non-linear and possess a high degree of resistance to differential cryptanalysis. Our approach shows that it is possible to generate s-boxes that exhibit a SAC compliance of 70% without compromising on the robustness.
Quantifying the Luminosity Evolution in Gamma-Ray Bursts

We estimate the luminosity evolution and formation rate for more than 900 GRBs by using redshift and luminosity data calculated by Band, Norris, & Bonnell via the lag-luminosity correlation. By applying maximum likelihood techniques, we are able to infer the true distribution of the parent GRB population's luminosity function and density distributions in a way that accounts for detector selection effects. We find that after accounting for data truncation, there still exists a significant correlation between the average luminosity and redshift, indicating that distant GRBs are on average more luminous than nearby counterparts. This is consistent with previous studies showing strong source evolution and also recent observations of underluminous nearby GRBs. We find no evidence for beaming angle evolution in the current sample of GRBs with known redshift, suggesting that this increase in luminosity cannot be due to an evolution of the collimation of gamma-ray emission. The resulting luminosity function is well fit with a single power law of index L'-1.5, which is intermediate between the values predicted by the power-law and Gaussian structured jet models. We also find that the GRB comoving rate density rises steeply, with a broad peak between 1 = z = 2 followed by a steady decline above z > 3. This rate density qualitatively matches the current estimates of the cosmic star formation rate, favoring a short-lived massive star progenitor model or a binary model with a short delay between the formation of the compact object and the eventual merger.
Time Variability of Accretion Flows: Effects of the Adiabatic Index and Gas Temperature

We report on the current phase of our study of rotating accretion flows onto black holes. We consider hydrodynamical (HD) accretion flows with a spherically symmetric density distribution at the outer boundary but with spherical symmetry broken by the introduction of a small, latitude-dependent angular momentum. We study accretion flows by means of numerical two-dimensional, axisymmetric, HD simulations for a variety of values for the adiabatic index γ and the gas temperature at infinity c∞. Our work is an extension of work done by Proga and Begelman who consider models for only γ = 5/3. Our main result is that the flow properties such as the topology of the sonic surface and time behavior strongly depend on γ but little on c∞. In particular, for 1 < γ < 5/3, the mass accretion rate shows large-amplitude, slow time variability which is a result of mixing between slow and fast rotating gas. This temporal behavior differs significantly from that in models with γ 5/3 where the accretion rate is relatively constant and from that in models with γ 1 where the accretion exhibits small-amplitude quasi-periodic oscillations. The key parameter responsible for the differences is the sound speed of the accretion flow which in turn determines whether the flow is dominated by gas pressure, radiation pressure, or rotation. Despite these differences, the time-averaged mass accretion rate in units of the corresponding Bondi rate is a weak function of γ and c∞.
Pediatric Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar State

Diabetic ketoacidosis is an important complication of diabetes in children and is the most frequent diabetes-related cause of death in childhood. The pathophysiology of this condition can be viewed as an exaggeration of the normal physiologic mechanisms responsible for maintaining an adequate fuel supply to the brain and other tissues during periods of fasting and physiologic stress. The optimal therapy has been a subject of controversy, particularly because the most frequent serious complication of diabetic ketoacidosis-cerebral edema-and the relationship of this complication to treatment are incompletely understood. In this article, the author reviews the pathophysiology of diabetic ketoacidosis and its complications and presents an evidence-based approach to the management of this condition.
η3-Pyranyl and η3-Pyridinyl Molybdenum π-Complexes as Chiral Scaffolds for the Enantioselective Construction of Substituted Oxa- and Aza[3.3.1]bicyclics: First Enantio- and Regiocontrolled [5+3] Cycloaddition Reactions

The first Mo-mediated [5+3] cycloadditions are reported. 3-Substituted pyranyl and pyridinyl molybdenum π-complexes participate in enantiocontrolled [5+3] cycloadditions and provide a new and efficient synthetic approach to oxa- and aza[3.3.1]bicyclics of high enantiomeric purity. The reaction proceeds in good to excellent yields and with complete regio- and endo-selectivities; it diverts to a [2+3] cycloaddition pathway when 2-substituted heterocycle π-complexes are used. This methodology, coupled with a variety of general demetalation protocols, holds much promise in synthetic applications.
Ultra-scale vehicle tracking in low spatial-resolution and low frame-rate overhead video

Overhead persistent surveillance systems are becoming more capable at acquiring wide-field image sequences for long time-spans. The need to exploit this data is becoming ever greater. The ability to track a single vehicle of interest or to track all the observable vehicles, which may number in the thousands, over large, cluttered regions while they persist in the imagery either in real-time or quickly on-demand is very desirable. With this ability we can begin to answer a number of interesting questions such as, what are normal traffic patterns in a particular region or where did that truck come from? There are many challenges associated with processing this type of data, some of which we will address in the paper. Wide-field image sequences are very large with many thousands of pixels on a side and are characterized by lower resolutions (e.g. worse than 0.5 meters/pixel) and lower frame rates (e.g. a few Hz or less). The objects in the scenery can vary in size, density, and contrast with respect to the background. At the same time the background scenery provides a number of clutter sources both man-made and natural. We describe our current implementation of an ultrascale capable multiple-vehicle tracking algorithm for overhead persistent surveillance imagery as well as discuss the tracking and timing performance of the currently implemented algorithm which is aimed at utilizing grayscale electrooptical image sequences alone for the track segment generation.
A mass, energy, vorticity, and potential enstrophy conserving lateral fluid-land boundary scheme for the shallow water equations

A numerical scheme for treating fluid-land boundaries in inviscid shallow water flows is derived that conserves the domain-summed mass, energy, vorticity, and potential enstrophy in domains with arbitrarily shaped boundaries. The boundary scheme is derived from a previous scheme that conserves all four domain-summed quantities only in periodic domains without boundaries. It consists of a method for including land in the model along with evolution equations for the vorticity and extrapolation formulas for the depth at fluid-land boundaries. Proofs of mass, energy, vorticity, and potential enstrophy conservation are given. Numerical simulations are carried out demonstrating the conservation properties and accuracy of the boundary scheme for inviscid flows and comparing its performance with that of four alternative boundary schemes. The first of these alternatives extrapolates or finite-differences the velocity to obtain the vorticity at boundaries; the second enforces the free-slip boundary condition; the third enforces the super-slip condition; and the fourth enforces the no-slip condition. Comparisons of the conservation properties demonstrate that the new scheme is the only one of the five that conserves all four domain-summed quantities, and it is the only one that both prevents a spurious energy cascade to the smallest resolved scales and maintains the correct flow orientation with respect to an external forcing. Comparisons of the accuracy demonstrate that the new scheme generates vorticity fields that have smaller errors than those generated by any of the alternative schemes, and it generates depth and velocity fields that have errors about equal to those in the fields generated by the most accurate alternative scheme.
Spin Dynamics and Spin Transport

Spin-orbit (SO) interaction critically influences electron spin dynamics and spin transport in bulk semiconductors and semiconductor microstructures. This interaction couples electron spin to dc and ac electric fields. Spin coupling to ac electric fields allows efficient spin manipulating by the electric component of electromagnetic field through the electric dipole spin resonance (EDSR) mechanism. Usually, it is much more efficient than the magnetic manipulation due to a larger coupling constant and the easier access to spins at a nanometer scale. The dependence of the EDSR intensity on the magnetic field direction allows measuring the relative strengths of the competing SO coupling mechanisms in quantum wells. Spin coupling to an in-plane electric field is much stronger than to a perpendicular field. Because electron bands in microstructures are spin split by SO interaction, electron spin is not conserved and spin transport in them is controlled by a number of competing parameters, hence, it is rather nontrivial. The relation between spin transport, spin currents, and spin populations is critically discussed. Importance of transients and sharp gradients for generating spin magnetization by electric fields and for ballistic spin transport is clarified.
Issues in the design of expert systems for management

The development during the past twenty years of knowledge-based systems for recognized specialists and professionals has given rise to suggestions that systems of this type might be useful to managers as well. This paper examines (1) what managers do, (2) how they differ from the other professionals for whom expert systems have been designed, and (3) the implication of these findings for the design and implementation of expert systems for management.
Modulation of galactic cosmic rays at solar maximum: Observations

Abstract The spectra of galactic cosmic rays observed anywhere inside the heliosphere are modulated by the sun because the charged particles must fight their ways inward against the radially expanding solar wind. In the past half a century, galactic cosmic ray fluxes at Earth were continuously monitored by neutron monitors on the ground and instruments on spacecraft in the Earth orbit. It was found that cosmic ray intensities are the lowest at the maximum of the 11-year solar activity cycle when the solar and heliospheric magnetic fields are complex and disturbed by many events on the sun. Our knowledge of comic ray modulation in the global heliosphere was greatly enhanced in the past two decades, thanks to an array of heliospheric missions, Voyagers and Pioneers that covered the outer heliosphere up to ∼75 AU radial distance from the sun and Ulysses that covered the inner heliosphere over almost the entire range of heliographic latitude. It is particularly fortunate that Ulysses was at the highest heliographic latitudes in 2000–2001 making observations of the polar regions of the heliosphere at the solar maximum for the first time. With the observations from the heliospheric network missions, both the spatial variation and the temporal variation of cosmic ray modulation in the three dimensional heliosphere could be investigated. In this paper, observational results of cosmic rays during recent solar maximum periods are reviewed. Comparisons to the cosmic ray observations during the solar minimum are made to show how the modulation changes with the solar activity cycle and solar magnetic fields. Implications of these results to our understanding of the heliospheric magnetic field and solar wind structures and the mechanisms of long-term cosmic ray modulation are discussed.
Stellar atmospheres of nearby young solar analogs

Abstract High-resolution (R≈90,000) spectra of 34 nearby, young Sun-like stars were analyzed using stellar atmosphere models to estimate effective photosphere temperatures, surface gravities, and the abundance of certain heavy elements (C, Na, Mg, Si, S, Ca, Ti, Fe, and Ni). The effective temperatures derived from spectroscopy were compared with temperatures estimated using optical and near-infrared photometry. In many cases the spectroscopic temperatures are significantly higher than the photometric estimates, possibly as a result of spottedness or chromospheric activity on these active stars. Values of effective temperature, surface gravity, and luminosity were compared to theoretical stellar evolution tracks and the evolutionary status of these objects was evaluated. The correlation between heavy element abundance patterns and kinematics (space motion) was also examined. Two nearby stars that were tentatively assigned to the Hyades cluster based on kinematics have Fe abundances that are also consistent with membership in that cluster. Members of the Ursa Major kinematic group exhibit a range of [Fe/H] values but have monotonic [Si/Fe]. These two observations suggest that heterogeneous incorporation of the heavy elements into protostars is creating the variation in metallicity. Local Association members have a distinctly different Si/Fe that probably reflects their distinct origin and chemical inheritance.
Estimating effective display size in online retrieval systems

Abstract This article outlines a problem in commercial online retrieval systems, provides a review of the relevant literature, and presents a solution for a special case of the problem. Previous investigators have considered how to best determine, for a ranked list of records retrieved from an online retrieval system, whether or not the user should continue to display the output. This article examines the problem of how effective display size can be estimated as a means of assisting the users of commercial online retrieval systems. Although no experimental results are as yet available, the approach presented here will provide a guide to and prolegomenon for systematic study of the problem, as well as a method for providing the estimated number of relevant records remaining in a retrieved set ranked by a retrieval status value.
Magnetic interaction between metals separated by single atom bridges

Abstract The magnetic properties of three types of binuclear complexes are related to their structures. In the planar di-μ-hydroxodicopper(II) complexes the magnetic properties are dominated by the bridging angle φ, but the effects of other structural parameters are also significant. In the parallel-planar di-μ-chlorodicopper(II) complexes the magnetic properties are explained as a function of φ/R, where R is the out-of-plane Cu-Cl separation, but this is only an approximate function. In the di-μ-hydroxodichromium-(III) complexes a function of R, φ and θ is necessary. The interaction of copper(II) chloride with 4-methylthiazole to form six discrete complexes is discussed, and the possible generality of this result is suggested. The pH-dependent deprotonation of di-μ-hydroxodichromium(III) complexes is discussed as a possible analogue to the isoelectronic manganese(IV) systems.
Implications of Africa's Transportation Systems for Development in the Era of Globalization:

The paper identifies and discusses major implications of Africa’s contemporary transport infrastructure for the continent’s development in general and its active participation in the globalization process in particular. Initially it identifies and analyses major events in the evolution of the continent’s modern transport systems. It is revealed that colonial authorities did the most to develop these systems. However, because the systems were designed to facilitate the extraction and transmission of products from the continent to the colonial master nations, they are deemed incapable of enhancing the active participation of African countries in the globalization process. In an effort to reverse this situation, a number of specific steps, including increasing the stock of all-season roads, regional integration, the promotion of intermodal transport facilities, and the adoption of safety measures in the transport sector, are proposed.
Higgs Signal for h $\to$ aa at Hadron Colliders

We assess the prospect of observing a neutral Higgs boson at hadron colliders in its decay to two spin-zero states, a, for a Higgs mass of 90-130 GeV, when produced in association with a W or Z boson. Such a decay is allowed in extensions of the MSSM with CP-violating interactions and in the NMSSM, and can dominate Higgs boson final states, thereby evading the LEP constraints on standard Higgs boson production. The light spin-zero state decays primarily via a→b and τ+τ−, so this signal channel retains features distinct from the main backgrounds. Our study shows that at the Tevatron, there may be potential to observe a few events in the bτ+τ− or bb channels with relatively small background, although this observation would be statistically limited. At the LHC, the background problem is more severe, but with cross sections and integrated luminosities orders of magnitude larger than at the Tevatron, the observation of a Higgs boson in this decay mode would be possible. The channel h→aa→bb would provide a large statistical significance, with a signal-to-background ratio on the order of 1:2. In these searches, the main challenge would be to retain the adequate tagging efficiency of b's and τ's in the low pT region.
The Effects of Foreign Direct Investment on Local Communities

Abstract Little evidence exists on the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on local communities in the United States, despite evidence that U.S. communities actively bid against each other for FDI. We use detailed county-level panel data from South Carolina across 5-year intervals from 1980 through 1995 to investigate the effect of foreign manufacturing plants on local labor markets and on the level and distribution of local government budgets. We find that foreign investment raises local real wages much more than does domestic investment, but lowers per capita county-government expenditures and redistributes monies away from public school expenditures.
Catalytic asymmetric Claisen rearrangement of unactivated allyl vinyl ethers.

Nearly a century after their original discovery, catalyzed enantioselective variants of the venerable Claisen rearrangement remain relatively rare. We have discovered a cooperative transition metal−Lewis acid cocatalyst system that affects highly enantio- and diastereoselective examples of archetypical Claisen rearrangements. The catalyzed rearrangements proceed using an easily prepared enantioenriched transition metal catalyst and a commercially available Lewis acid cocatalyst at ambient temperature in common solvents.
Quantum wave packet revivals

Abstract The numerical prediction, theoretical analysis, and experimental verification of the phenomenon of wave packet revivals in quantum systems has flourished over the last decade and a half. Quantum revivals are characterized by initially localized quantum states which have a short-term, quasi-classical time evolution, which then can spread significantly over several orbits, only to reform later in the form of a quantum revival in which the spreading reverses itself, the wave packet relocalizes, and the semi-classical periodicity is once again evident. Relocalization of the initial wave packet into a number of smaller copies of the initial packet (‘minipackets’ or ‘clones’) is also possible, giving rise to fractional revivals. Systems exhibiting such behavior are a fundamental realization of time-dependent interference phenomena for bound states with quantized energies in quantum mechanics and are therefore of wide interest in the physics and chemistry communities. We review the theoretical machinery of quantum wave packet construction leading to the existence of revivals and fractional revivals, in systems with one (or more) quantum number(s), as well as discussing how information on the classical period and revival time is encoded in the energy eigenvalue spectrum. We discuss a number of one-dimensional model systems which exhibit revival behavior, including the infinite well, the quantum bouncer, and others, as well as several two-dimensional integrable quantum billiard systems. Finally, we briefly review the experimental evidence for wave packet revivals in atomic, molecular, and other systems, and related revival phenomena in condensed matter and optical systems.
A blind adaptive decorrelating detector for CDMA systems

The decorrelating detector is known to eliminate multiaccess interference when the signature sequences of the users are linearly independent, at the cost of enhancing the Gaussian receiver noise. We present a blind adaptive decorrelating detector which is based on the observation of readily available statistics. The algorithm recursively updates the filter coefficients of a desired user by using the output of the current filter. Due to the randomness of the information bits transmitted and the ambient Gaussian channel noise, the filter coefficients evolve stochastically. We prove the convergence of the filter coefficients to a decorrelating detector in the mean squared error (MSE) sense. We develop lower and upper bounds on the MSE of the receiver filter from the convergence point and show that with a fixed step size sequence, the MSE can be made arbitrarily small by choosing a small enough step size. With a time-varying step size sequence, the MSE converges to zero implying an exact convergence. The proposed algorithm is distributed, in the sense that no information about the interfering users such as their signature sequences or power levels is needed. The algorithm requires the knowledge of only two parameters for the construction of the receiver filter of a desired user: the desired user's signature sequence and the variance of the additive white Gaussian (AWG) receiver noise. This detector, for an asynchronous code division multiple access (CDMA) channel, converges to the one-shot decorrelating detector.
The Contribution of Domain-Specific Knowledge in Predicting Students' Proportional Word Problem-Solving Performance.

This study explored the extent to which domain-specific knowledge predicted proportional word problem-solving performance. We tested 411 seventh-grade students on conceptual and procedural fraction knowledge, conceptual and procedural proportion knowledge, and proportional word problem solving. Multiple regression analyses indicated that all four domain-specific knowledge variables (i.e., conceptual and procedural fraction knowledge, conceptual and procedural proportion knowledge) significantly predicted proportional word problem-solving performance. Conceptual fraction and procedural proportion knowledge contributed the most unique variance (10.0 and 6.7%, respectively, of the total variance) to proportional word problem solving. Procedural fraction and conceptual proportion knowledge each also contributed significant unique variance to proportional word problem solving explaining 5.6 and 2.8%, respectively. The results support the notion that both conceptual fraction and proportion knowledge and procedu...
Phase Functions and Light Curves of Wide-Separation Extrasolar Giant Planets

We calculate self-consistent extrasolar giant planet (EGP) phase functions and light curves for orbital distances ranging from 0.2 to 15 AU. We explore the dependence on wavelength, cloud condensation, and Keplerian orbital elements. We find that the light curves of EGPs depend strongly on wavelength, the presence of clouds, and cloud particle sizes. Furthermore, the optical and infrared colors of most EGPs are phase-dependent, tending to be reddest at crescent phases in V - R and R - I. Assuming circular orbits, we find that at optical wavelengths most EGPs are 3-4 times brighter near full phase than near greatest elongation for highly inclined (i.e., close to edge-on) orbits. Furthermore, we show that the planet/star flux ratios depend strongly on the Keplerian elements of the orbit, particularly inclination and eccentricity. Given a sufficiently eccentric orbit, an EGP's atmosphere may make periodic transitions from cloudy to cloud-free, an effect that may be reflected in the shape and magnitude of the planet's light curve. Such elliptical orbits also introduce an offset between the time of the planet's light-curve maximum and the time of full planetary phase, and for some sets of orbital parameters, this light-curve maximum can be a steeply increasing function of eccentricity. We investigate the detectability of EGPs by proposed space-based direct-imaging instruments.
A practical chemoenzymatic synthesis of a key intermediate of antifungal agents

Abstract A novel synthesis of an azole antifungal building block, the optically active diol, is described. The key step involves an enantioselective hydrolysis of a prochiral diester by a lipase.
Catalytic iron-mediated ene carbocyclizations of trienes: Investigations into the stereoselective formation of some bicyclic lactams and amines.

Abstract Certain bicyclic ring systems (i.e., indolizidine and quinolizidine ring systems) are constructed in a stereoselective fashion using an iron-catalyzed carbocyclization. It is noteworthy that the reduced iron catalyst tolerates triene substrates containing a basic nitrogen and that the chemical efficiency and the degree of 1,3-stereoinduction are dramatically influenced by the nature of the substrate (amine versus amide) and the nature of the ligand (2,2′-bipyridine versus bisoxazoline) employed in the iron catalyst system.
Body composition and wages

This paper examines the relationship between body composition and wages in the United States. We develop measures of body composition--body fat (BF) and fat-free mass (FFM)--using data on bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) that are available in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III and estimate wage models for respondents in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979. Previous research uses body size or BMI as measures of obesity despite a growing concern that they do not distinguish between body fat and fat-free body mass or adequately control for non-homogeneity inside the human body. Therefore, measures presented in this paper represent a useful alternative to BMI-based proxies of obesity. Our results indicate that BF is associated with decreased wages for both males and females among whites and blacks. We also present evidence suggesting that FFM is associated with increased wages. We show that these results are not the artifacts of unobserved heterogeneity. Finally, our findings are robust to numerous specification checks and to a large number of alternative BIA prediction equations from which the body composition measures are derived.
Intergenerational Transfers, Borrowing Constraints, and Saving Behavior: Evidence from the Housing Market

Abstract We examine the effects of intergenerational transfers on saving behavior by analyzing transfers targeted to first-time home purchases. Transfer recipients have a shorter time to save for a down payment of 9–20%. For each dollar of transfer received, total savings falls by 29–40 cents and the down payment rises by 61–71 cents. Transfer recipients increase the value of the home purchased, but by an amount that is much lower than possible if the transfer were fully leveraged. In addition, transfers appear to help households achieve certain down payment thresholds that give favorable mortgage terms.
Architectonic Quantum Dot Solids

Three things largely determine the electronic properties of a crystal: the energy levels of the atoms or lattice sites, the coupling between adjacent sites, and the symmetry of the solid. Imagine being able to control each of these properties separately, and therefore being able to “design” a solid with a prescribed set of electronic properties. For an atomic solid, this would amount to being able to tune the electronegativity of an atom, to control the strength of the covalent interactions within the lattice, and to choose the crystal structure. While the chemistry of the periodic table does not permit such control, the chemistry of “artificial atoms”,1 or quantum dots (QDs), does. In this Account, we will discuss one example of “designing” a unique electronic property into a QD solid. This property, which is the ability of the solid to reversibly pass through a metal−insulator (MI) transition under ambient conditions, is something that has not been previously demonstrated for a more traditional solid. A two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal superlattice of organically passivated silver QDs was fabricated as a Langmuir monolayer. Selecting a particular size of QD controlled the (super)lattice site energies. The coupling between adjacent QDs was coarsely controlled by selection of the organic surface passivant, and precisely controlled by compressing the superlattice using the Langmuir technique. By using the title “Architectonic2 Quantum Dot Solids”, we emphasize that many of the collective properties of the superlattice were rationally designed into the material.
The Neutrino Bubble Instability: A Mechanism for Generating Pulsar Kicks

An explanation for the large random velocities of pulsars is presented. Like many other models, we propose that the momentum imparted to the star is given at birth. The ultimate source of energy is provided by the intense optically thick neutrino flux that is responsible for radiating the proto-neutron star's gravitational binding energy during the Kelvin-Helmholtz phase. The central feature of the kick mechanism is a radiatively driven magnetoacoustic instability, which we refer to as "neutrino bubbles." Identical in nature to the photon bubble instability, the neutrino bubble instability requires the presence of an equilibrium radiative flux, as well as a coherent steady background magnetic field. Over regions of large magnetic flux densities, the neutrino bubble instability is allowed to grow on dynamical timescales ~1 ms, potentially leading to large luminosity enhancements and density fluctuations. Local luminosity enhancements, which preferentially occur over regions of strong magnetic field, lead to a net global asymmetry in the neutrino emission, and the young neutron star is propelled in the direction opposite to these regions. For favorable values of magnetic field structure, size, and strength, as well as neutrino bubble saturation amplitude, momentum kicks in excess of 1000 km s-1 can be achieved. Since the neutrino-powered kick is delivered over the duration of the Kelvin-Helmholtz time, a few seconds, one expects spin-kick alignment from this neutrino bubble-powered model.