cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enrichment with growth

This essay first sets out the"business model"problems entailed by corruption and their effects as well as implications for economic growth. Key issues are the need for secrecy and co-operation with partners in crime. Dealing with these leads to behavior which is ostensibly bizarre and undermines economic efficiency, but is in fact a rational way of managing corrupt practices. However, different economic policies can be pursued that are compatible with corruption. Some are more pro-growth than others. Pro-growth corrupt policies hold the promise of enriching the corrupt elite more in absolute terms even though the share of national wealth diverted may be smaller. The most effective pro-growth polices that help enrich an elite resemble fairly orthodox economic policy prescriptions. Eventually the abolition of corruption holds the greatest promise to enhance growth and with it the wealth of elites. The expectation of such growth may explain why more and more political elites pursue"sound"economic policy and may embrace anti-corruption efforts, while securing legal ways of enrichment for themselves. Country examples illustrate policy approaches with different combinations of enrichment and growth properties.
A Java-based multi-institutional medical information retrieval system.

Abstract JAMI (Java-based Agglutination of Medical Information) is designed as a framework for integrating heterogeneous information systems used in healthcare related institutions. It is one of the implementations under the W3-EMRS project 1 aimed at using the World Wide Web (Web) to unify different hospital information systems. JAMI inherited several design decisions from the first W3-EMRS implementation described in, including using the Web as the communication infrastructure and HL7 as the communication protocol between the heterogeneous systems and the W3-EMRS systems. In addition, JAMI incorporates the growing Java technologies and has a more flexible and efficient architecture. This paper describes JAMI's architecture and implementation. It also present two instances of JAMI, one for the integration of different hospital information systems and another for the integration of two heterogeneous systems within a single hospital. Some important issues for the further development of JAMI, including security and confidentiality, data input and decision support are discussed.
Developmental and Tissue Expression Patterns of Mouse Mpp4 Gene

The temporal and spatial expression patterns of mouse membrane palmitoylated protein 4 (Mpp4) gene was investigated. Mpp4 was expressed in postnatal but not embryonic retina by microarray analysis. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that, in addition to retina, Mpp4 was expressed at much lower levels in brain, heart, liver, and spleen tissues. In situ hybridization revealed that Mpp4 was exclusively localized in the photoreceptor cells. It was also detected in pineal gland but not other regions of the brain. Immunofluorescence labeling on eye sections of wild-type mice and transgenic mice with cone-specific GFP expression demonstrated that Mpp4 protein was localized at rod but not at cone photoreceptor synaptic terminals. The high level and cell-type specific expression of mouse Mpp4 gene makes it a good candidate for the targeting and assembly of specific molecules, such as calcium channels, at rod synaptic terminals.
Parallelization of Shape Function Generation for Hierarchical Tetrahedral Elements

Research has gone into parallelization of the numerical aspects of computationally intense analysis and solutions. Recent advances in computer algebra systems have opened up new opportunities for research: generating closed-form, symbolic solutions more efficiently by parallelizing the symbolic manipulations.
The permanent input hypothesis : the case of textbooks and (no) student learning in Sierra Leone

A textbook provision program in Sierra Leone demonstrates how volatility in the flow of government-provided learning inputs to schools can induce storage of these inputs by school administrators to smooth future consumption. This process in turn leads to low current utilization of inputs for student learning. A randomized trial of a public program providing textbooks to primary schools had modest positive impacts on teacher behavior but no impacts on student performance. In many treatment schools, student access to textbooks did not actually increase because a large majority of the books were stored rather than distributed to students. At the same time, the propensity to save books was positively correlated with uncertainty on the part of head teachers regarding government transfers of books. The evidence suggests that schools that have high uncertainty with respect to future transfers are more likely to store a high proportion of current transfers. These results show that reducing uncertainty in school input flows could result in higher current input use for student learning. For effective program design, public policy programs must take forward-looking behavior among intermediate actors into account.
Genome-wide identification of zero nucleotide recursive splicing in Drosophila

Recursive splicing is a process in which large introns are removed in multiple steps by re-splicing at ratchet points--5' splice sites recreated after splicing. Recursive splicing was first identified in the Drosophila Ultrabithorax (Ubx) gene and only three additional Drosophila genes have since been experimentally shown to undergo recursive splicing. Here we identify 197 zero nucleotide exon ratchet points in 130 introns of 115 Drosophila genes from total RNA sequencing data generated from developmental time points, dissected tissues and cultured cells. The sequential nature of recursive splicing was confirmed by identification of lariat introns generated by splicing to and from the ratchet points. We also show that recursive splicing is a constitutive process, that depletion of U2AF inhibits recursive splicing, and that the sequence and function of ratchet points are evolutionarily conserved in Drosophila. Finally, we identify four recursively spliced human genes, one of which is also recursively spliced in Drosophila. Together, these results indicate that recursive splicing is commonly used in Drosophila, occurs in humans, and provides insight into the mechanisms by which some large introns are removed.
Medicaid reimbursement, prenatal care and infant health.

Abstract This paper evaluates the impact of state-level Medicaid reimbursement rates for obstetric care on prenatal care utilization across demographic groups. It also uses these rates as an instrumental variable to assess the importance of prenatal care on birth weight. The analysis is conducted using a unique dataset of Medicaid reimbursement rates and 2001–2010 Vital Statistics Natality data. Conditional on county fixed effects, the study finds a modest, but statistically significant positive relationship between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the number of prenatal visits obtained by pregnant women. Additionally, higher rates are associated with an increase in the probability of obtaining adequate care, as well as a reduction in the incidence of going without any prenatal care. However, the effect of an additional prenatal visit on birth weight is virtually zero for black disadvantaged mothers, while an additional visit yields a substantial increase in birth weight of over 20 g for white disadvantaged mothers.
Charge storage and transport in thermal ruthenium oxide thin films: In situ detection of local pH changes and asymmetries in charge-discharge cycles at the oxide/aqueous electrolyte interphase

Abstract The charge-discharge cycle in thermal RuOx electrodes was studied by a combination of voltammetry and a new thin-layer spectroelectrochemical technique developed in this laboratory. The RuOx was deposited pyrolytically on Ti and Au supports for these two techniques, respectively. The oxide anneal temperature and the oxide loading on the substrate were varied to investigate their influence on the local pH changes and the charge consumed in the anodic oxidation and subsequent reduction at the oxide/electrolyte interphase. The potential scan rate was further used as a variable parameter in the voltammetric experiments. The spectroelectrochemical experiments showed conclusively that the voltammetric waves superimposed on a pseudo-capacitive background, which is a signature of RuOx represented proton ejection and reinjection during the anodic and cathodic cycles, respectively. Concomitantly, the integrated current efficiency for proton “collection” in the spectroelectrochemical measurements was much less than unity, signifying the importance of the capacitive components. Finally, the implications of the voltammetric and spectroelectrochemical data for the optimization and use of RuOx in electrochemical capacitors are discussed.
Inference networks and the evaluation of evidence: alternative analyses

Inference networks have a variety of important uses and are constructed by persons having quite different standpoints. Discussed in this paper are three different but complementary methods for generating and analyzing probabilistic inference networks. The first method, though over eighty years old, is very useful for knowledge representation in the task of constructing probabilistic arguments. It is also useful as a heuristic device in generating new forms of evidence. The other two methods are formally equivalent ways for combining probabilities in the analysis of inference networks. The use of these three methods is illustrated in an analysis of a mass of evidence in a celebrated American law case.
Roads, lands, markets, and deforestation : a spatial model of land use in Belize

Rural roads promote economic development, but they also facilitate deforestation. To explore this tradeoff, this article develops a spatially explicit model of land use and estimates probabilities of alternative land uses as a function of land characteris- tics and distance to market using a multinomial logit specification of this model. Controls are incorporated for the endogeneity of road placement. The model is applied to data for southern Belize, an area experiencing rapid expansion of both subsistence and commercial agriculture, using geographic infor- mation system (GIS) techniques to select sample points at 1-kilometer intervals. Mar- ket access, land quality, and tenure status affect the probability of agricultural land use synergistically, having differential effects on the likelihood of commercial versus semisubsistence farming. The results suggest that road building in areas with agri- culturally poor soils and low population densities may be a “lose-lose” proposition, causing habitat fragmentation and providing low economic returns.
Pension reform in the Dominican Republic

Arguably, the most important public policy initiative under way today in the Dominican Republic is the reform of its social security programs. The reform is taking place in the context of an economic crisis that will make a complex implementation process even more difficult in the first few years. In the longer run, the complete overhaul of the health and pension systems will have a major impact beyond social policy. It will affect labor markets, fiscal policy and even financial markets. In terms of the country's economic development, much is at stake. This paper describes the systemic pension reform introduced by legislation in 2001 but implemented only in mid-2003
Analysis of daily beam output data for teletherapy machines

Quality assurance protocol of radiotherapy machines recommends a daily constancy check of beam output. In our institution we use a Keithley TRACKER/sup TM/ system to monitor daily variation of beam output, flatness, and symmetry. The monitoring device does not correct the readings of ionization chambers for temperature and pressure. We have analyzed the daily beam output data of a Co-60 teletherapy unit and a Varian Clinac 2100CD unit. The data were collected for a five-year period. We have found that the TRACKER/sup TM/ readings of the Co-60 unit show a sinusoidal oscillation with one-year period. Decay corrected data were analyzed by using a time-series model. The results indicate the amplitude of 2.0% for the seasonal oscillation and a random fluctuation of 1.0% about the sinusoidal trend curve. Temperature and pressure measurements for monthly quality assurance dose not indicate such a periodic oscillation in the temperature and pressure correction factor. The Co-60 data were used to remove the seasonal variation from the TRACKER/sup TM/ readings of the 2100CD photon-beam output. The resulting curve shows a linear trend with occasional discontinuities due to machine output calibration. We also have demonstrated that the daily output data, which are not corrected for temperature and pressure, can be used to estimate the output deviation from a reference value and predict a future trend of the beam output.
Technical Efficiency in Agriculture and Dependency on Forest Resources: An Economic Analysis of Rural Households and the Conservation of Natural Forests in Sri Lanka

Households living in peripheral villages of the natural forests are primarily dependent on agriculture and secondarily dependent on forest gatherings. High rates of forest dependency occur, in part, from the efforts of inefficient farmers securing subsistence. Due to excessive use, the productivity of the remaining forests is at a critical stage. Technical efficiency in agriculture in forest peripheries is one aspect in which agricultural capacity and rural incomes can be enhanced. The study's main objective was to assess the efficiency of farming in forest margins and to determine its effect on dependency on forest resources by rural households. The findings of the study showed that the mean technical efficiency in agricultural farming in forest peripheries ranges between 67 - 73 percent. Factors such as age, education, experience, extension, and the nutrition status of the household head are mainly responsible for determining the level of inefficiency. Further, study findings showed factors such as technical efficiency in agriculture, off-farm income, wealth and the diversification index had negative and significant effects on dependency of rural households on forest resource extraction. It is estimated that on average, an increase in mean technical efficiency in agriculture by 10 percent would increase agricultural revenue by 2,142 - 3,987 rupees/farm. Based on the threshold efficiency levels needed to arrest forest dependency, it is estimated that increasing agricultural income through increasing technical efficiency can be partly compensated for forest resource extraction. Compared to the measured efficiency levels, the efficiency gaps needs to be addressed by policy measures range from 2-14 percent for NTFP categories and 10-26 percent for the fuelwood category. Technical efficiency in agriculture can be minimized via policies to enhance farmer education, extension and nutrition status of households.
Spectral Networks with Spin

The BPS spectrum of d = 4 N = 2 field theories in general contains not only hyper- and vector-multipelts but also short multiplets of particles with arbitrarily high spin. This paper extends the method of spectral networks to give an algorithm for computing the spin content of the BPS spectrum of d = 4 N = 2 field theories of class S. The key new ingredient is an identification of the spin of states with the writhe of paths on the Seiberg–Witten curve. Connections to quiver representation theory and to Chern–Simons theory are briefly discussed.
Para-aminobenzoic acid in the treatment of Rocky Mountain spotted fever; a report of its use in 17 cases.

PABA was used in 17 cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever during the summers of 1946 and 1947 with recovery of all patients. Both the morbidity and degree of toxicity were decreased. The earlier the initiation of PABA therapy, the better the response. Favorable therapeutic results can probably be expected if the drug is started before the seventh day. The optimal time for initiating treatment probably is during the fist four days after the onset of the disease. The importance of early diagnosis is emphasized. There is considerable variation in the PABA blood level achieved with comparable dosage, there being no definite linear or curvilinear correlation between dosage and blood concentration. On the average, a dose of 0.9 gm./kg. body weight in 24 hours in a two-hour divided dosage schedule was found to be satisfactory in children. PABA has few toxic manifestations. A leukopenia without granulocytopenia was found to occur in some cases. Cephalin flocculation tests showed an increase in positivity during PABA therapy. A reducing substance which produced a green or yellow reduction with Benedict9s reagent was found in 55% of the urines examined during PABA therapy. This reducing substance is probably a benzoylglucuronide resulting from the conjugation of PABA with glucuronic acid.
PUPIL TRANSPORTATION: THE IMPACT OF MARKET STRUCTURE ON EFFICIENCY IN RURAL, SUBURBAN, AND URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN MINNESOTA

This paper presents a cost function for the pupil transportation industry in Minnesota. In-house provision of transportation was not shown to be more costly than outsourcing. Large contractors may seek the most profitable contracts in urban and suburban areas, while showing little interest in contracting opportunities in rural school districts.
Energy consumption of traffic padding schemes in wireless ad hoc networks

Wireless ad hoc network possesses some unique characteristics that prove to be extremely valuable in mission-critical systems. However, the wide use of wireless ad hoc network in mission-critical systems is still limited by its poor security and constraints on energy consumption - the nodes in wireless ad hoc networks typically have limited battery supply. It is well known that the wireless medium provides greater opportunities for eavesdropping on the transmissions of data packets in the network. While encryption may be used to hide message contents in the packets, the observable traffic pattern might reveal important information about the system. Traffic padding may be used to hide the traffic pattern, which means to insert dummy traffic into the network and present to the intruder a different traffic pattern. The apparent traffic pattern, which is observed by intruder, is referred to as a cover mode that hides the real operation mode of the system. Since the dummy traffic incurs an overhead, it is important to minimize dummy traffic while achieving the desired security objective. This paper deals with the issue of designing energy-saving traffic padding schemes. Instead of simply reducing the amount of dummy traffic, we attempt to develop cover modes that optimize system parameters, i.e. system lifetime and energy consumption per unit of real traffic delivered by the network.
Optimal online prediction in adversarial environments

In many prediction problems, including those that arise in computer security and computational finance, the process generating the data is best modelled as an adversary with whom the predictor competes. Even decision problems that are not inherently adversarial can be usefully modeled in this way, since the assumptions are sufficiently weak that effective prediction strategies for adversarial settings are very widely applicable.
Submodular maximization by simulated annealing

We consider the problem of maximizing a nonnegative (possibly non-monotone) submodular set function with or without constraints. Feige et al. [9] showed a 2/5-approximation for the unconstrained problem and also proved that no approximation better than 1/2 is possible in the value oracle model. Constant-factor approximation has been also known for submodular maximization subject to a matroid independence constraint (a factor of 0.309 [33]) and for submodular maximization subject to a matroid base constraint, provided that the fractional base packing number ν is bounded away from 1 (a 1/4-approximation assuming that ν ≥ 2 [33]).In this paper, we propose a new algorithm for submodular maximization which is based on the idea of simulated annealing. We prove that this algorithm achieves improved approximation for two problems: a 0.41-approximation for unconstrained submodular maximization, and a 0.325-approximation for submodular maximization subject to a matroid independence constraint.On the hardness side, we show that in the value oracle model it is impossible to achieve a 0.478-approximation for submodular maximization subject to a matroid independence constraint, or a 0.394-approximation subject to a matroid base constraint in matroids with two disjoint bases. Even for the special case of cardinality constraint, we prove it is impossible to achieve a 0.491-approximation. (Previously it was conceivable that a 1/2-approximation exists for these problems.) It is still an open question whether a 1/2-approximation is possible for unconstrained submodular maximization.
Clinicopathologic Correlation of Retinal Angiomatous Proliferation

Objectives To correlate clinical and histopathologic features of an eye with retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) secondary to age-related macular degeneration and to investigate the expression of von Willebrand factor (VWF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in this condition. Methods Histopathologic features from serial sections through the globe of an 87-year-old woman with RAP were studied and compared with fluorescein angiography and color fundus photographs obtained 4 months before death. Commercially available anti bodies were used to detect expression of VWF and VEGF in tissue sections. Results The pathologic correlate of RAP was a circumscribed intraretinal angiomatous complex within the outer part of the neurosensory retina overlying a large pigment epithelial detachment. There were no breaks in the Bruch membrane. No choroidal neovascularization was present. Endothelial cells within the RAP lesion immunostained positively for VWF and VEGF. The Bruch membrane expressed VWF adjacent to the RAP. Conclusions Fundus examination and fluorescein angiography images of RAP in a patient with age-related macular degeneration correlated histopathologically with a neovascular intraretinal angiomatous complex, without the presence of sub–retinal pigment epithelial neovascularization. Immunostaining demonstrated that RAP expresses VWF and VEGF.
Commutants of Bol loops of odd order

1. IntroductionA loop (L,·) is a set L with a binary operation · : L×L → L such that(i) for given a,b ∈ L, the equations a· x = b and y · a = b have uniquesolutions x,y ∈ L, and (ii) there exists a neutral element 1 ∈ L satisfying1 · x = x · 1 = x for all x ∈ L. Basic references for loop theory are [1],[6]. We will use the usual juxtaposition conventions to avoid excessiveparenthesization, e.g., ab · c = (a· b) · c. The commutant of a loop L isthe setC(L) = {a ∈ L : ax = xa ∀x ∈ L}.The center of L is the set of all a ∈ C(L) such that a · xy = ax · y,x·ay = xa·y, and xy·a = x·ya for all x,y ∈ L. The center is a normalsubloop. For some varieties of loops, such as groups, the commutantand center coincide. For other varieties, the commutant is larger thanthe center, but is still “well-behaved” in the sense that it is a normalsubloop. However, the commutant of an arbitrary loop need not be asubloop at all, and even when it is, it need not be normal.The commutant is also known in the literature by other names suchas “Moufang center”, “commutative center”, or “centrum”. Since thisobject is not, in general, central in the sense of universal algebra, weprefer a term that does not suggest otherwise. Thus we have borrowedthe term “commutant”, which is used for a similar concept in other ﬁelds.A loop is said to be a (left) Bol loop if it satisﬁes the identity x(y·xz) =(x· yx)z for all x,y,z. A right Bol loop is similarly deﬁned, and a loopwhich is both a left and right Bol loop is a Moufang loop. (This is one ofmany equivalent deﬁnitions; see [1], [6], [8].) In this paper, all Bol loopswillbeleftBolloops. The commutant ofaMoufangloopisasubloop, butit is an open problem to characterize precisely those Moufang loops forwhich the commutant is normal [2]. On the other hand, the commutant
Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood Estimation for Gaussian Processes on an Incomplete Lattice

ABSTRACTThis article proposes a new approach for Bayesian and maximum likelihood parameter estimation for stationary Gaussian processes observed on a large lattice with missing values. We propose a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach for Bayesian inference, and a Monte Carlo expectation-maximization algorithm for maximum likelihood inference. Our approach uses data augmentation and circulant embedding of the covariance matrix, and provides likelihood-based inference for the parameters and the missing data. Using simulated data and an application to satellite sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, we show that our method provides accurate inference on lattices of sizes up to 512 × 512, and is competitive with two popular methods: composite likelihood and spectral approximations.
The Carrot or the Stick: Water Allocation Strategies for Uzbekistan

Irrigation water is a constrained common-pool resource in Uzbekistan that leads to an increasing competition over its allocation among farmers. We examine how the management of the commons in this region affects individual strategic behavior. We conduct an experiment with farmers from Uzbekistan in which two policies are analyzed, a penalty and a bonus. The paper studies a non-cooperative game and identifies the efficient use of water for irrigation. We compare our theoretical results with the experimental observations. Our findings suggest that the penalty and bonus mechanisms are effective in reducing individual water appropriation compared to the benchmark case in which these mechanisms are absent. Finally, we identify two different effects that drive subjects’ opportunistic behavior.
Improved multi-unit auction clearing algorithms with interval (multiple-choice) knapsack problems

We study the interval knapsack problem (I-KP), and the interval multiple-choice knapsack problem (I-MCKP), as generalizations of the classic 0/1 knapsack problem (KP) and the multiple-choice knapsack problem (MCKP), respectively. Compared to singleton items in KP and MCKP, each item i in I-KP and I-MCKP is represented by a ([ai , bi], pi) pair, where integer interval [ai, bi] specifies the possible range of units, and pi is the unit-price. Our main results are a FPTAS for I-KP with time O(n logn + n/e2) and a FPTAS for I-MCKP with time O(nm /e), and pseudo-polynomial-time algorithms for both I-KP and I-MCKP with time O(nM) and space O(n + M). Here n, m, and M denote number of items, number of item sets, and knapsack capacity respectively. We also present a 2-approximation of I-KP and a 3-approximation of I-MCKP both in linear time. We apply I-KP and I-MCKP to the single-good multi-unit sealed-bid auction clearing problem where M identical units of a single good are auctioned. We focus on two bidding models, among them the interval model allows each bid to specify an interval range of units, and XOR-interval model allows a bidder to specify a set of mutually exclusive interval bids. The interval and XOR-interval bidding models correspond to I-KP and I-MCKP respectively, thus are solved accordingly. We also show how to compute VCG payments to all the bidders with an overhead of O(logn) factor. Our results for XOR-interval bidding model imply improved algorithms for the piecewise constant bidding model studied by Kothari et al. [18], improving their algorithms by a factor of Ω(n).
Evolutionary Equilibrium with Forward-Looking Players

The stochastic evolutionary game literature is built on three behavioral postulates: ``noisy'' decisionmaking, myopic decisionmaking and random opportunities for choice (inertia). The role of noise is by now well- understood. This paper investigates the significance of the other two postulates. The model is the conventional evolutionary story, where a population of players is randomly matched against each other, and where strategy revision opportunities for each player arrive at random moments. But here players are assumed to have rational expectations about the evolution of play of their opponents, and choose revision policies to maximize the expected present value of the payoff stream. The dynamic programming problem each player solves is studied, and equilibrium is shown to exist. Not surprisingly, myopic play emerges as discount rates become large. More surprising is that, for any discount rate, myopic play also emerges as the arrival rate of strategy revision opportunities shrinks to~0. These results hold for any $K\times K$ symmetric game. For $2\times 2$ coordination games the effects of taking limits in the opposite direction is studied. When the noise term is small, if players are sufficiently patient or if the arrival rate of strategy revision opportunities is sufficiently large, the unique symmetric Markov equilibrium has each player always choosing the payoff- dominant strategy.
QuaSAQ: An Approach to Enabling End-to-End QoS for Multimedia Databases

The paper discusses the design and prototype implementation of a QoS-aware multimedia database system. Recent research in multimedia databases has devoted little attention to the aspect of the integration of QoS support at the user level. Our proposed architecture to enable end-to-end QoS control, the QoS-Aware Query Processor (QuaSAQ), satisfies user specified quality requirements. The users need not be aware of detailed low-level QoS parameters, but rather specifies high-level, qualitative attributes. In addition to an overview of key research issues in the design of QoS-aware databases, this paper presents our proposed solutions, and system implementation details. An important issue relates to the enumeration and evaluation of alternative plans for servicing QoS-enhanced queries. This step follows the conventional query execution which results in the identification of objects of interest to the user. We propose a novel cost model for media delivery that explicitly takes the resource utilization of the plan and the current system contention level into account. Experiments run on the QuaSAQ prototype show significantly improved QoS and system throughput.
Existence and Number of Solutions of Diophantine Quadratic Equations with Two Unknowns in Z and N

In this short note we study the existence and number of solutions in the set of integers (Z) and in the set of natural numbers (N) of Diophantine equations of second degree with two unknowns of the general form ax2 - by2 = c .
Exoflops in two dimensions

An exoflop occurs in the gauged linear σ-model by varying the Kahler form so that a subspace appears to shrink to a point and then reemerge “outside” the original manifold. This occurs for K3 surfaces where a rational curve is “flopped” from inside to outside the K3 surface. We see that whether a rational curve contracts to an orbifold phase or an exoflop depends on whether this curve is a line or conic. We study how the D-brane category of the smooth K3 surface is described by the exoflop and, in particular, find the location of a massless D-brane in the exoflop limit. We relate exoflops to noncommutative resolutions.
Experimental Studies of Phase Transformation in Shape Memory Alloys

This paper presents experimental studies to examine stress-induced martensitic phase transformation during the superelastic deformation of the shape memory alloy Nickel-Titanium. The phase transformation, which is solid-to-solid and diffusionless, occurs between austenite, a B2 cubic crystal structure, and martensite, a monoclinic crystal structure during loading and unloading at constant ambient temperature. To examine the complex local thermo-mechanical interactions that affect transformation behavior, we utilize a temporally- and spatially- simultaneous combination of strain and thermal mapping using three-dimensional digital image correlation and infrared thermography, respectively. This combined experimental approach enables full-field, quantitative maps of strain and temperature fields over the specimen surface, allowing the investigation of factors including cycling, strain rate, texture, and local temperature variations. The effects of these factors on fundamental transformation properties, such as the stresses required for phase nucleation and propagation, accumulated residual plastic strain, total strain accommodated by phase transformation, the evolution of martensitic volume fraction, and the amount of hysteresis, are discussed.
On the size of approximately convex sets in normed spaces

Let X be a normed space. A set A ⊆ X is approximately convex if d(ta + (1 − t)b, A) ≤ 1 for all a, b ∈ A and t ∈ [0, 1]. We prove that every n-dimensional normed space contains approximately convex sets A with H(A,Co(A)) ≥ log2 n− 1 and diam(A) ≤ C √ n(lnn), where H denotes the Hausdorff distance. These estimates are reasonably sharp. For every D > 0, we construct worst possible approximately convex sets in C(0, 1) such that H(A,Co(A)) = diam(A) = D. Several results pertaining to the Hyers-Ulam stability theorem are also proved.
Dynamic response of surface water‐groundwater exchange to currents, tides, and waves in a shallow estuary

[1] In shallow, fetch-limited estuaries, variations in current and wave energy promote heterogeneous surface water-groundwater mixing (benthic exchange), which influences biogeochemical activity. Here, we characterize heterogeneity in benthic exchange within the subtidal zone of the Delaware Inland Bays by linking hydrodynamic circulation models with mathematical solutions for benthic exchange forced by current-bedform interactions, tides, and waves. Benthic fluxes oscillate over tidal cycles as fluctuating water depths alter fluid interactions with the bed. Maximum current-driven fluxes (~1–10 cm/d) occur in channels with strong tidal currents. Maximum wave-driven fluxes (~1–10 cm/d) occur in downwind shoals. During high-energy storms, simulated wave pumping rates increase by orders of magnitude, demonstrating the importance of storms in solute transfer through the benthic layer. Under moderate wind conditions (~5 m/s), integrated benthic exchange rates due to wave, current, and tidal pumping are each ~1–10 m3/s, on the order of fluid contributions from runoff and fresh groundwater discharge to the estuary. Benthic exchange is thus a significant and dynamic component of an estuary's fluid budget that may influence estuarine geochemistry and ecology.
Approximation schemes for partitioning: convex decomposition and surface approximation

Recently, Adamaszek and Wiese [1, 2] presented a quasi-polynomial time approximation scheme (QPTAS) for the problem of computing a maximum weight independent set for certain families of planar objects. This major advance on the problem was based on their proof that a certain type of separator exists for any independent set. Subsequently, Har-Peled [22] simplified and generalized their result. Mustafa et al. [36] also described a simplification, and somewhat surprisingly, showed that QPTAS's can be obtained for certain, albeit special, type of covering problems.Building on these developments, we revisit two NP-hard geometric partitioning problems -- convex decomposition and surface approximation. Partitioning problems combine the features of packing and covering. In particular, since the optimal solution does form a packing, the separator theorems are potentially applicable. Nevertheless, the two partitioning problems we study bring up additional difficulties that are worth examining in the context of the wider applicability of the separator methodology. We show how these issues can be handled in presenting quasi-polynomial time algorithms for these two problems with improved approximation guarantees.
From Abstract Data Types to Logical Frameworks

This paper surveys ways in which the ideas and concepts developed in the research field of abstract data types have undergone a vigorous process of generalization that has led to the development of axiomatic notions of logic and of expressive multiparadigm logics. On the one hand, the generalization from equational specifications to specifications in any logic requires general metalogical concepts making precise what logics are. Beginning with the notion of institution, several notions have been proposed to cover different needs arising in this task; we discuss these notions and summarize in particular the main ideas of the theory of general logics, which is a specific line of work in this area. On the other hand, the extension of equational logic in several directions to make specifications and programs more expressive has given rise to powerful multiparadigm logics in which other specification and programming paradigms can be cleanly combined with the equational one; we discuss several of these extensions, including rewriting logic, which unifies equational, Horn, object-oriented, and concurrent specification and programming.
The Second Peak: The Dark-Energy Density and the Cosmic Microwave Background

Supernova evidence for a negative-pressure dark energy (e. g., cosmological constant or quintessence) that contributes a fraction ΩΛ ≃ 0.7 of closure density has been bolstered by the discrepancy between the total density, Ωtot ≃ 1, suggested by the location of the first peak in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectrum and the nonrelativistic-matter density Ω m ≃ 0.3 obtained from dynamical measurements. Here we show that the impending identification of the location of the second peak in the CMB power spectrum will provide an immediate and independent probe of the cosmological constant. As an aside, we show how the measured height of the first peak probably already points toward a low matter density and places upper limits to the reionization optical depth and gravitational-wave amplitude.
On Generalized Ramsey Numbers for 3-Uniform Hypergraphs

The well-known Ramsey number rt,u is the smallest integeri¾?n such that every Kt-free graph of orderi¾?n contains an independent set of sizei¾?u. In other words, it contains a subset of ui¾?vertices with noi¾?K2. Erdi¾?s and Rogers introduced a more general problem replacingi¾?K2 byi¾?Ks for 2i¾?s<t. Extending the problem of determining Ramsey numbers they defined the numbersfs,tn=min{max{|W|:Wi¾?VGandG[W]containsnoKs}},where the minimum is taken over all Kt-free graphsi¾?G of orderi¾?n. In this note, we study an analogous function fs,t3n for 3-uniform hypergraphs. In particular, we show that there are constants c1 and c2 depending only on s such thatc1logn1/4loglognlogloglogn1/2<fs,s+13n<c2logn.
Day-night and energy dependence of MSW solar neutrinos for maximal mixing

It has been stated in the literature that the case of maximal mixing angle for νe leads to no day-night effect for solar neutrinos and an energy independent flux suppression of 1/2. While the case of maximal mixing angle and Δm2 in the MSW range does lead to suppression of the electron neutrinos reaching the earth from the sun by PS = 1/2, the situation is different for neutrinos that have passed through the earth. We make the pedagogical point that, just as with smaller mixing angles, the earth regenerates the |ν1 state from the predominantly |ν2 state reaching the earth, leading to coherent interference effects. This regeneration can lead to a day-night effect and an energy dependence of the suppression of solar electron neutrinos, even for the case of maximal mixing. For large mixing angles, the energy dependence of the day-night asymmetry depends heavily on Δm2. With a sufficiently sensitive measurement of the day-night effect, this energy dependence could be used to distinguish among the large mixing angle solutions of the solar neutrino problem. Appendices to this paper provide a detailed summary of the MSW effect in the density matrix formalism.
Rate of decay for the mass ratio of pseudo-holomorphic integral 2-cycles

We consider any pseudo holomorphic integral cycle in an arbitrary almost complex manifold and perform a blow up analysis at an arbitrary point. Building upon a pseudo algebraic blow up (previously introduced by the author) we prove a geometric rate of decay for the mass ratio towards the limiting density, with an explicit exponent of decay expressed in terms of the density of the current at the point. With a non-explicit exponent this result was proved using different techniques by Pumberger and Riviere (Duke Math J 152(3):441–480, 2010).
Discrimination in the Small Business Credit Market

We use data from the 1993 and 1998 National Surveys of Small Business Finances to examine the existence of racial discrimination in the small-business credit market. We conduct an econometric analysis of loan outcomes by race and find that black-owned small businesses are about twice as likely to be denied credit even after controlling for differences in creditworthiness and other factors. A series of specification checks indicates that this gap is unlikely to be explained by omitted variable bias. These results indicate that the racial disparity in credit availability is likely caused by discrimination.
Evidence for the multiple hits genetic theory for inherited language impairment: a case study

Communication disorders have complex genetic origins, with constellations of relevant gene markers that vary across individuals. Some genetic variants are present in healthy individuals as well as those affected by developmental disorders. Growing evidence suggests that some variants may increase susceptibility to these disorders in the presence of other pathogenic gene mutations. In the current study, we describe eight children with specific language impairment and four of these children had a copy number variant in one of these potential susceptibility regions on chromosome 15. Three of these four children also had variants in other genes previously associated with language impairment. Our data support the theory that 15q11.2 is a susceptibility region for developmental disorders, specifically language impairment.
A recent Lindblad resonance in the solar neighbourhood

Stars in the solar neighbourhood do not have a smooth distribution of velocities. Instead, the distribution of velocity components in the Galactic plane manifests a great deal of kinematic substructure. Here I present an analysis in action-angle variables of the Geneva–Copenhagen survey of ∼14 000 nearby F & G dwarfs with distances and full space motions. I show that stars in the so-called ‘Hyades stream’ have both angle and action variables characteristic of their having been scattered at an inner Lindblad resonance of a rotating disturbance potential. This discovery seems to favour spiral patterns as recurrent, short-lived instabilities.
Nursing activities and factors influential to nurse staffing decision-making

Objective: There is limited published research supporting the effectiveness of nursing workload measurement to comprehensively measure nursing workload and to formulate nurse resource need. Predictive accuracy is impaired due to variation in direct and indirect care-related activities across measurement instruments. This study aimed to (1) identify common nursing activities considered by nurse managers for staffing decision-making, (2) systematically review such nursing activities in relation to existing nursing workload instruments and Nursing Intervention Classification taxonomy, and (3) describe challenges perceived by managers in staffing decision-making. Methods: A survey was developed from an inclusive review of 20 nursing workload instruments collectively measuring 502 nursing activities. Nurse managers in 13 medical-surgical and two intensive care units at a Midwest healthcare organization identified nursing activities considered daily for staffing decision-making. Results: Twenty-one activities were commonly considered by at least 90 percent of managers (n = 13) for daily staffing decisionmaking, although none of the instruments reviewed included all 21 activities. Conclusions: Lack of a standardized framework for nursing workload measurement might have led to nurse managers’ different perceptions about appropriate determinants of these measurements. A standardized approach for measuring nursing workload would facilitate benchmarking for estimating nurse resource need. Further research is needed to design a systematic infrastructure that ensures staffing to meet patient care need. A process is also needed to alleviate the challenges in staffing decision-making that nurse managers face, such as fluctuations in census and patient acuity, nurse competency-based patient assignments, and limited information resources for staffing estimation.
Liberal Pessimism: International Relations Theory and the Emerging Powers

The triumphalism of the immediate post-Cold War period in the United States has faded, and concern about decline has returned. In the field of international relations, the return of power transition models is exemplary of the new mood. This article argues that realist models misjudge the source of foreign policy risks for the United States and its allies. Rather, the standard canon of liberal international relations theory also suggests sources of pessimism. These include the enduring nature of authoritarian rule, the difficulty of coordinating emerging actors through existing international institutions, and the ambiguous effects of increased interdependence on the foreign policy behaviour and leverage of emerging powers.
Riffled independence for efficient inference with partial rankings

Distributions over rankings are used to model data in a multitude of real world settings such as preference analysis and political elections. Modeling such distributions presents several computational challenges, however, due to the factorial size of the set of rankings over an item set. Some of these challenges are quite familiar to the artificial intelligence community, such as how to compactly represent a distribution over a combinatorially large space, and how to efficiently perform probabilistic inference with these representations. With respect to ranking, however, there is the additional challenge of what we refer to as human task complexity -- users are rarely willing to provide a full ranking over a long list of candidates, instead often preferring to provide partial ranking information. Simultaneously addressing all of these challenges -- i.e., designing a compactly representable model which is amenable to efficient inference and can be learned using partial ranking data -- is a difficult task, but is necessary if we would like to scale to problems with nontrivial size. In this paper, we show that the recently proposed riffled independence assumptions cleanly and efficiently address each of the above challenges. In particular, we establish a tight mathematical connection between the concepts of riffled independence and of partial rankings. This correspondence not only allows us to then develop efficient and exact algorithms for performing inference tasks using riffled independence based representations with partial rankings, but somewhat surprisingly, also shows that efficient inference is not possible for riffle independent models (in a certain sense) with observations which do not take the form of partial rankings. Finally, using our inference algorithm, we introduce the first method for learning riffled independence based models from partially ranked data.