cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PERCEPTIONS AND MISPERCEPTIONS OF FISCAL INFLATION

The Great Recession and worldwide financial crisis have exploded fiscal imbalances and brought fiscal policy and inflation to the forefront of policy concerns. Those concerns will only grow as aging populations increase demands on government expenditures in coming decades. It is widely perceived that fiscal policy is inflationary if and only if it leads the central bank to print new currency to monetize deficits. Monetization can be inflationary. But it is a misperception that this is the only channel for fiscal inflations. Nominal bonds, the predominant form of government debt in advanced economies, derive their value from expected future nominal primary surpluses and money creation; changes in the price level can align the market value of debt to its expected real backing. This introduces a fresh channel, not requiring explicit monetization, through which fiscal deficits directly affect inflation. The paper describes various ways in which fiscal policy can directly affect inflation and explains why these fiscal effects are difficult to detect in time series data.
What Drives Firm Productivity Growth

This paper presents new evidence on the causal links between changes in the business environment and firm productivity growth. It contributes to the literature in three important aspects. First, it constructs a unique database merging information from two large firm-level databases. The samples of both databases are merged on four criteria-country, sub-national location, firm size, and year-producing a panel of 22,004 firms in eight economies of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia,, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Ukraine. Second, the paper addresses shortcomings of earlier studies, namely reverse causation, multicollinearity, and unreliable productivity estimates. Firm productivity growth is estimated drawing on corporate financial data from manufacturing firms included in the AMADEUS database. Changes in the business environment are estimated from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys conducted in 2002 and 2005. Multicollinearity problems in the full model regression are mitigated by constructing a set of six aggregate indicators of the business environment (using principal component analysis). The paper finds that, over the period 2001 to 2004, an increase of one standard deviation in infrastructure quality, financial development, governance, labor market flexibility, labor quality, and market competition raises the total factor productivity of the average firm by 9.8, 7.8, 3.2, 3.4, 5.8, and 3 percent, respectively. Lastly, the paper decomposes firm productivity growth and ranks the relative impact of changes in these six aspects of the business environment by country, by firm size, and by industry.
Analysis of the Leaky Bucket Algorithm for ON-OFF Data Sources

The leaky bucket algorithm has been proposed as an important element in the rate-based management of bandwidth in high-performance, integrated packet communication networks. In this paper, the leaky bucket algorithm is analyzed for ON-OFF data sources, which may be characterized by their average data rate, peak data rate, and average number of bits generated during an ON period. A fictitious queue is used to model the behavior of the leaky bucket algorithm, and a two-state Markov-modulated rate process is used to model the ON-OFF data source. The analysis applies to buffered and unbuffered leaky buckets with rejecting or marking of violating data. Simple, closed-form expressions are derived that relate the leaky bucket parameters (bucket size and rate) and the ON-OFF source characteristics to the loss and mark probabilities and the leaky bucket queueing delay. The required bucket size is shown to increase linearly with the average number of bits generated during an ON period, and increase logarithmically with the decrease in loss or mark probability. For a buffered leaky bucket, we also show that the bucket size increases logarithmically with the decrease in the average delay in the leaky bucket queue.
Assertions: a personal perspective

It was my early experience in industry that triggered my interest in assertions and their in-program proofs; and my subsequent research at university extended the idea into a methodology for the specification and design of programs. Now that I have returned to work in industry, I have looked into the current role of assertions in industrial program development. My personal perspective illustrates the complementary roles of pure research, aimed at academic ideals of excellence, and the unexpected ways in which the results of such research contribute to the gradual improvement of engineering practice.
A new computational approach to lattice quantum field theories

Developments in algorithms over the past decade suggest that there is a new computational approach to a class of quantum field theories. This approach is b ased on rewriting the partition function in a representation similar to the world-line repr esentation and hence we shall call it the “WL-approach”. This approach is likely to be more powerful than the conventional approach in some regions of parameter space, especially in the presence of chemical potentials or massless fermions. While world-line representations are natural in t he Hamiltonian formulation, they can also be constructed directly in Euclidean space. We first des cribe the approach and its advantages by considering the classical XY model in the presence of a chemical potential. We then argue that, CP N−1 models, models of pions on the lattice and the lattice massless Thirring model, can all be formulated and solved using the WL-approach. In particular, we discover that the WL-approach to the Thirring model leads to a novel determinantal Monte-Carlo algorithm which we call the “dynamical-bag” algorithm. Finally, we argue that a simple extension of the WL-approach to gauge theories leads to a world-sheet, “WS-approach”, in Abelian Lattice Gauge theory.
Searching images using Ultimedia Manager

IBM's Ultimedia Manager is a software product for the management and retrieval of image data. The product includes both traditional database search and content based search. Traditional database search allows images to be retrieved by text descriptors or business data such as price, date, and catalog number. Content based search allows retrieval by similarity to a specified color, texture, shape, position or any combination of these. The two can be combined, as in retrieve all images with the text 'beach' in their description, and sort them in order by how much blue they contain. Functions are also available for fast browsing, and for database navigation. The two main components of Ultimedia Manager are a database population tool to prepare images for query by identifying areas of interest and computing their features, and the query tool for doing retrievals. Application areas include stock photography, electronic libraries, retail, cataloging, and business graphics
Landlocked or Policy Locked? How Services Trade Protection Deepens Economic Isolation

A new cross-country database on services policy reveals a perverse pattern: many landlocked countries restrict trade in the very services that connect them with the rest of the world. On average, telecommunications and air-transport policies are significantly more restrictive in landlocked countries than elsewhere. The phenomenon is most starkly visible in Sub-Saharan Africa and is associated with lower levels of political accountability. This paper finds evidence that these policies lead to more concentrated market structures and more limited access to services than these countries would otherwise have, even after taking into account the influence of geography and incomes, and the possibility that policy is endogenous. Even moderate liberalization in these sectors could lead to an increase of cellular subscriptions by 7 percentage points and a 20-percent increase in the number of flights. Policies in other countries, industrial and developing alike, also limit competition in international transport services. Hence, “tradefacilitating” investments under various “aid-for-trade” initiatives are likely to earn a low return unless they are accompanied by meaningful reform in these services sectors.
Forecasting Interest Rates

Abstract This chapter discusses what the asset-pricing literature concludes about the forecastability of interest rates. It outlines forecasting methodologies implied by this literature, including dynamic, no-arbitrage term structure models and their macro-finance extensions. It also reviews the empirical evidence concerning the predictability of future yields on Treasury bonds and future excess returns to holding these bonds. In particular, it critically evaluates theory and evidence that variables other than current bond yields are useful in forecasting.
Quality of Care

Quality of care refers to the attributes or characteristics of the delivery and subsequent outcomes of mental and physical health care. Data are collected to assess quality in order to improve care, to provide accountability, and to quantify information for market choices. Analyses of health data, however, are challenging due to their nonexperimental nature and complex structure. These characteristics lead to potential problems with confounding when identifying factors that impact quality, with nonindependence of outcomes associated with individuals treated within health care units, as well as with clustering due to multiple mixed outcomes. Keywords: structural measures; outcomes-based measures; process-based measures; regression-adjustment; observational study; hierarchical model; latent variables
Representing and reasoning with qualitative preferences for compositional systems

Many applications, e.g., Web service composition, complex system design, team formation, etc., rely on methods for identifying collections of objects or entities satisfying some functional requirement. Among the collections that satisfy the functional requirement, it is often necessary to identify one or more collections that are optimal with respect to user preferences over a set of attributes that describe the non-functional properties of the collection. We develop a formalism that lets users express the relative importance among attributes and qualitative preferences over the valuations of each attribute. We define a dominance relation that allows us to compare collections of objects in terms of preferences over attributes of the objects that make up the collection. We establish some key properties of the dominance relation. In particular, we show that the dominance relation is a strict partial order when the intra-attribute preference relations are strict partial orders and the relative importance preference relation is an interval order. We provide algorithms that use this dominance relation to identify the set of most preferred collections. We show that under certain conditions, the algorithms are guaranteed to return only (sound), all (complete), or at least one (weakly complete) of the most preferred collections. We present results of simulation experiments comparing the proposed algorithms with respect to (a) the quality of solutions (number of most preferred solutions) produced by the algorithms, and (b) their performance and efficiency. We also explore some interesting conjectures suggested by the results of our experiments that relate the properties of the user preferences, the dominance relation, and the algorithms.
Maximizing matching in double-sided auctions

Traditionally in double auctions, offers are cleared at the equilibrium price. In this paper, we introduce a novel, non-recursive, matching algorithm for double auctions, which aims to maximize the amount of commodities to be traded. Our algorithm has lower time and space complexities than existing algorithms.
Non-Abelian Binding Energies from the Lightcone Bootstrap

We analytically study the lightcone limit of the conformal bootstrap for 4-point functions containing scalars charged under global symmetries. We show the existence of large spin double-twist operators in various representations of the global symmetry group. We then compute their anomalous dimensions in terms of the central charge C T , current central charge C J , and the OPE coefficients of low dimension scalars. In AdS, these results correspond to the binding energy of two-particle states arising from the exchange of gravitons, gauge bosons, and light scalar fields. Using unitarity and crossing symmetry, we show that gravity is universal and attractive among different types of two-particle states, while the gauge binding energy can have either sign as determined by the representation of the two-particle state, with universal ratios fixed by the symmetry group. We apply our results to 4D $$ \mathcal{N}=1 $$ SQCD and the 3D O(N) vector models. We also show that in a unitary CFT, if the current central charge C J stays finite when the global symmetry group becomes infinitely large, such as the N → ∞ limit of the O(N) vector model, then the theory must contain an infinite number of higher spin currents.
Market Reaction to Information Shocks—Does the Bloomberg and Briefing.com Survey Matter?

Bloomberg and Briefing.com provide competing forecasts for prescheduled macroeconomic announcements. This study examines the accuracy of these forecasts and market reactions to announcement surprises. Our results show that the Bloomberg survey is slightly more accurate than the Briefing.com survey. More importantly, although announcement surprises based on both surveys have a significant effect on the trading activities and returns of S&P 500 futures contracts, the Bloomberg survey subsumes the explanatory power of the Briefing.com survey. The findings suggest that on average Bloomberg forecasts are more consistent with the market consensus view. In addition, we provide evidence of asymmetric market reactions to positive versus negative announcement surprises. In particular, the market reacts strongly to inflation news in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Producer Price Index (PPI) announcements and negative shocks in housing price, personal spending, and retail sales.
Computational science simulations based on web services

We describe the software architecture of a system for doing multiphysics simulation of a coupled fluid, thermal, and mechanical fracture problem. The system is organized as a collection of geographically-distributed software components in which each component provides a web service, and uses standard web-service protocols to interact with other components. The resulting system incorporates many features such as componentization and geographical distribution which we believe are vital to adaptive and dynamic data-driven application systems (DDDAS).
A Real Polynomial Decision Algorithm Using Arbitrary-Precision Floating Point Arithmetic

We study the problem of deciding whether a system of real polynomial equations and inequalities has solutions, and if yes finding a sample solution. For polynomials with exact rational number coefficients the problem can be solved using a variant of the cylindrical algebraic decomposition (CAD) algorithm. We investigate how the CAD algorithm can be adapted to the situation when the coefficients are inexact, or, more precisely, Mathematica arbitrary-precision floating point numbers. We investigate what changes need to be made in algorithms used by CAD, and how reliable are the results we get.
One-shot access to α,β-difunctionalized azepenes and dehydropiperidines by reductive cross-coupling of α-selenonyl-β-selenyl enamides with organic bromides

The synthesis of α- and α,β-functionalized azepenes and dehydropiperidines from readily prepared α-selenonyl eneformamides or enecarbamates has been achieved through Fe-catalyzed α-substitutive deselenonation, β-regioselective lithiation/trapping, and Co-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling protocols.
Attractive interactions between negatively charged dust particles in a plasma

Summary form only given. Plasma dust particle interactions, charges, and screening lengths are derived from measurements of time-dependent particle positions in a simplified geometry. The magnitude and structure of the ion wake-field potential below a negatively-charged dust particle levitated in the plasma sheath region were measured as functions of the pressure and interparticle spacing. Attractive and repulsive components of the interaction force were extracted from a trajectory analysis of low-energy dust collisions between different mass particles in a well-defined electrostatic potential that constrained the dynamics of the collisions to be one dimensional. Typical peak attractions varied between 60 and 230 fN while the peak particle-particle repulsion was on the order of 60 fN. Random thermal motion of the particles contributed to observable rates for transitions between different equilibrium configurations of vertically separated particles. We also observed a slight potential barrier that impeded the formation of vertically aligned pairs. The influence of nearest- and non-nearest-neighbor interactions on calculated particle parameters are examined using several methods. Implications for plasma/surface interactions and plasma dielectric charging will be discussed.
Informing migration policies : a data primer

Researchers in many fields, such as demography, economics, and sociology, have established various data collection methodologies and principles to answer a range of academic and policy questions on migration. Although the progress has been impressive, some basic challenges remain. This paper addresses some basic, yet fundamental, questions on identification of international migrants and how their various demographic, personal, and human capital characteristics are captured via different data sources. The critical issues are the construction of proper sampling frames in censuses, registers, and surveys and the design of questionnaires in household, labor market, and other relevant surveys. The paper discusses how these data sources can be used to answer policy questions in areas such as labor markets, education, or poverty. The focus is on how some of the existing shortcomings in availability, quality, and relevance of migration data can be overcome via improvements in data collection methods.
Variational inference in nonconjugate models

Mean-field variational methods are widely used for approximate posterior inference in many probabilistic models. In a typical application, mean-field methods approximately compute the posterior with a coordinate-ascent optimization algorithm. When the model is conditionally conjugate, the coordinate updates are easily derived and in closed form. However, many models of interest--like the correlated topic model and Bayesian logistic regression--are nonconjugate. In these models, mean-field methods cannot be directly applied and practitioners have had to develop variational algorithms on a case-by-case basis. In this paper, we develop two generic methods for nonconjugate models, Laplace variational inference and delta method variational inference. Our methods have several advantages: they allow for easily derived variational algorithms with a wide class of nonconjugate models; they extend and unify some of the existing algorithms that have been derived for specific models; and they work well on real-world data sets. We studied our methods on the correlated topic model, Bayesian logistic regression, and hierarchical Bayesian logistic regression.
Statistical Evidence Measured on a Properly Calibrated Scale across Nested and Non-nested Hypothesis Comparisons

Statistical modeling is often used to measure the strength of evidence for or against hypotheses about given data. We have previously proposed an information-dynamic framework in support of a properly calibrated measurement scale for statistical evidence, borrowing some mathematics from thermodynamics, and showing how an evidential analogue of the ideal gas equation of state could be used to measure evidence for a one-sided binomial hypothesis comparison (“coin is fair” vs. “coin is biased towards heads”). Here we take three important steps forward in generalizing the framework beyond this simple example, albeit still in the context of the binomial model. We: (1) extend the scope of application to other forms of hypothesis comparison; (2) show that doing so requires only the original ideal gas equation plus one simple extension, which has the form of the Van der Waals equation; (3) begin to develop the principles required to resolve a key constant, which enables us to calibrate the measurement scale across applications, and which we find to be related to the familiar statistical concept of degrees of freedom. This paper thus moves our information-dynamic theory substantially closer to the goal of producing a practical, properly calibrated measure of statistical evidence for use in general applications.
Thio sol-gel process for the synthesis of titanium disulfide

Sulfides of transition metals (titanium, molybdenum, vanadium, tungsten, etc.) represent an important class of materials well-known for their catalytic and electrochemical properties. The catalytic properties make them potentially useful in hydrodesulfurization reactions, and their electrochemical response makes them suitable as active cathodes in rechargeable batteries. A thio sol-gel process for the synthesis of titanium disulfide using titanium alkoxide as the metal source is demonstrated. The alkoxide reacts at room temperature with H[sub 2]S to form a precipitate which is a precursor to the sulfide. Through infrared spectroscopy and chemical analysis of the powder and gas chromatographic analysis of the liquid byproducts of the reaction, it is shown that a partially sulfidized alkoxide precursor forms through the displacement of alkoxy groups from the alkoxide by sulfur-bearing thiol groups. This thiolysis reaction is very similar to that which occurs in the case of sol-gel reactions to form oxides. The alkoxy-thiol species then undergo condensation-polymerization by the liberation of H[sub 2]S. When it is heat-treated in H[sub 2]S, this precursor transforms to TiS[sub 2] at [approximately]700 C. Systematic heat treatments have been performed and the formation of TiS[sub 2] has been observed using X-ray diffractometry. The change in the morphology has also beenmore » studied using scanning electron microscopy.« less
Diffusion in Binary and Pseudo-Binary L12 Indides, Stannides, Gallides and Aluminides of Rare-Earth Elements as Studied Using Perturbed Angular Correlation of 111In/Cd

Diffusional jumps can produce fluctuating electric field gradients at nuclei of jumping atoms. Using perturbed angular correlation of gamma rays (PAC), jumps of probe atoms cause nuclear quadrupole relaxation that can be fitted to obtain the mean jump frequency. An overview is given of the application of this approach to highly ordered intermetallic compounds having the L12 (Cu3Au) crystal structure. New results are then presented for jump frequencies of 111In/Cd probe atoms in pseudo-binary L12 compounds of the forms In3(La1-xPrx) and (In1-xSnx)3La. For the mixed rare-earth system, jump frequencies are found to scale with composition between jump frequencies of the end-member phases In3La and In3Pr. However, for the mixed sp-element system, a large decrease in jump frequency is observed as Sn atoms substitute for In-atoms. This difference in behavior appears to depend on whether atomic disorder is on the diffusion sublattice (In-Sn substitution), as opposed to a neighboring sublattice (La-Pr substitution), whether or not there is a difference in diffusion mechanism between end-member phases, and/or whether or not there is a valence difference between the mixing atoms. All three conditions apply for only (In1-xSnx)3La.
Endogenous formation of customs unions under imperfect competition: open regionalism is good☆

Abstract Consider an environment in which ex-ante symmetric countries can form customs unions freely. What are the welfare effects on member and non-member countries of the formation of welfare-maximizing customs unions? What are the properties of stable customs-union structures? Can one design a rule of customs-union formation which supports global free trade as an equilibrium outcome? I show that the formation of customs unions improves the aggregate welfare of member countries but reduces the welfare of non-member countries. Regional customs unions are stepping stones toward global free trade under the ‘open regionalism’ rule but can be stumbling blocks against global free trade under the ‘unanimous regionalism’ rule.
A NEW MODEL OF TOPCOLOR-ASSISTED TECHNICOLOR

Abstract I present a model of topcolor-assisted technicolor that can have topcolor breaking of the desired pattern, hard masses for all quarks and leptons, mixing among the heavy and light generations, and explicit breaking of all technifermion chiral symmetries except electroweak SU(2)⊗U(1). These positive features depend on the outcome of vacuum alignment. The main flaw in this model is tau-lepton condensation.
ARC NUMBERS FROM GAUSS DIAGRAMS

We characterize planar diagrams which may be divided into n arc embeddings in terms of their chord diagrams, generalizing a result of Taniyama for the case n = 2. Two algorithms are provided, one which finds a minimal arc embedding (in quadradic time in the number of crossings), and one which constructs a minimal subdiagram having the same arc number as D.
Stereoselective synthesis of enediynes and enynes by condensation of aldehydes with γ-(trialkylsilyl)allenylboranes

Abstract Enediynes and enynes with high geometric purity were synthesized by treating acetylenic and simple aldehydes with γ-( tert -butyldimethylsilyl)allenylborane 2a followed by the elimination step of the Peterson olefination reaction.
Measuring the Interplanetary Medium with a Solar Sail

NASA has been considering a solar sail that would accelerate a craft to a high velocity (~14 AU/yr) by the time it reached 5 AU. Then the sail would be dropped and the craft would coast alone to deep space. We propose that the sail be retained longer. Then the density of the interplanetary medium could be determined by measuring the drag force on the huge sail using radiometric navigational data. Such an experiment would yield an independent, new type of measurement of the interplanetary medium and should be pursued.
NGC 4254: An Act of Harassment Uncovered by the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA Survey

We present an H I map constructed from the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA survey of the surroundings of the strongly asymmetric Virgo Cluster Sc galaxy NGC 4254. Noted previously for its lopsided appearance, rich interstellar medium, and extradisk H I emission, NGC 4254 is believed to be entering the Virgo environment for the first time and at high speed. The ALFALFA map clearly shows a long H I tail extending ~250 kpc northward from the galaxy. Embedded as one condensation within this H I structure is the object previously identified as a "dark galaxy" by Davies et al.: VIRGOHI 21. A body of evidence including its location within and velocity with respect to the cluster and the appearance and kinematics of its strong spiral pattern, extradisk H I, and lengthy H I tail is consistent with a picture of "galaxy harassment" as proposed by Moore et al. The smoothly varying radial velocity field along the tail as it emerges from NGC 4254 can be used as a timing tool, if interpreted as resulting from the coupling of the rotation of the disk and the collective gravitational forces associated with the harassment mechanism.
Enantioselective Total Syntheses of (+)-Castanospermine, (+)-6-Epicastanospermine, (+)-Australine, and (+)-3-Epiaustraline

The total syntheses of the potent glycosidase inhibitors castanospermine ((+)-1), 6-epicastanospermine ((+)-2), australine ((+)-3), and 3-epiaustraline ((+)-4) are described. The syntheses of indolizidine alkaloids (+)-1 and (+)-2 were accomplished in eight steps and in 18% and 24% overall yields from 2,5-dihydrofuran while the pyrrolizidine alkaloids (+)-3 and (+)-4 were obtained in a nine-step sequence in 17% and 22% overall yields from the same starting material. These four natural products are derived from a single common intermediate, nitroso acetal (−)-31, which is created in the key step by the asymmetric tandem [4 + 2]/[3 + 2] cycloaddition between silaketal nitro olefin 18 and chiral vinyl ether (+)-23. The ability to access both 5,5- and 5,6-fused bicyclic systems was a result of a successful in situ N-alkylation strategy during the hydrogenolysis of four highly functionalized nitroso acetals. A novel silaketal tether provided exceptional levels of diastereocontrol and the ideal combination of p...
Facilitation and interference of selective attention in schizophrenia.

Theories of attentional impairment in schizophrenia predict excessive interference in selective attention tasks, such as the Stroop task, where subjects must name the color of words which spell colors different than the to-be-named-color. However, a recent study actually found greater facilitation, i.e. improved color-naming time when the color-word agrees with the to-be-named color, and near-normal interference in schizophrenic patients when compared to normal controls. To evaluate these findings, we studied 12 schizophrenic patients (10 on neuroleptics), and 12 age- and gender-matched, healthy subjects in a trial-by-trial Stroop task. The patients exhibited significantly greater facilitation on the Stroop task compared to the normal controls (81 and 12 ms, respectively). Interference effects were not significantly greater for the schizophrenic patients. These findings suggest a need for more work to investigate why schizophrenic patients appear to benefit from the facilitation condition more than normal controls do.
FUNCTIONAL DISTURBANCES OF HEARING IN GUINEA PIGS AFTER LONG EXPOSURE TO AN INTENSE TONE.

Resume En 1909 Yoshii publia les resultats d'une experience ou il montra que des changements de structure d'une nature specifique accompagnaient un sujet expose pendant longtemps a des tons intenses. On a accepte partout ces resultats comme bonne evidence pour la theorie de Helmholtz. Boring a montre recemment que les resultats de Yoshii peuvent soutenir aussi bien une theorie de “frequence.” On a designe cette experience-ci pour determiner la nature des changements fonctionnels qui accompagnent un sujet expose pendant longtemps a des stimuli tonals intenses. On a expose deux groupes de cobayes a un ton intense avec une frequence de 600 cycles pendant une periode de 70 jours. Les distances separant les deux groupes de la source du ton ont ete differentes pour que chaque groupe soient soumis a une intensite differente. A la fin de la periode on a teste les animaux pour des reponses directes a plusieurs intensites de la frequence de 600 cycles. Les animaux exposes a la basse intensite ont montre plus de sen...
Shear-induced Inflation of Coronal Magnetic Fields

Using numerical models of force-free magnetic fields, the shearing of footprints in arcade geometries leading to an inflation of the coronal magnetic field was examined. For each of the shear profiles considered, all of the field lines become elevated compared with the potential field. This includes cases where the shear is concentrated well away from the arcade axis, such that B(sub z), the component of field parallel to the axis, increases outward to produce an inward B(sub z)squared/8 pi magnetic pressure gradient force. These results contrast with an earlier claim, shown to be incorrect, that field lines can sometimes become depressed as a result of shear. It is conjectured that an inflation of the entire field will always result from the shearing of simple arcade configurations. These results have implications for prominence formation, the interplanetary magnetic flux, and possibly also coronal holes.
Wiyn open cluster study. xix. main sequence fitting distances to open clusters using v-k color-magnitude diagrams

We have combined existing optical magnitudes for stars in seven open clusters and 54 field stars with the corresponding JHKs photometry from the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). Combining optical with near-IR photometry broadens the color baseline, minimizing the influence of photometric errors and allowing better discrimination between cluster stars and contaminating foreground and background populations. The open clusters in this study include NGC 2516, M35, M34, NGC 3532, M37, M67, and NGC 188. The field stars we are using possess high-quality Hipparcos parallaxes and well-determined metal abundances, allowing us to empirically determine the dependence of V-K color on metal abundance in the range -0.45 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ +0.35. Using this relation along with the parallaxes of the field stars, we are able to construct an unevolved main sequence in the [MV, (V-K)0] diagram for a specific abundance. These diagrams are then used to fit to the cluster main sequences in the (V, V-K) color-magnitude diagram in order to estimate a distance for each open cluster. We find that the resultant distances are within the range of distances found in the literature via the main-sequence–fitting technique. It is hoped that this will spur an expansion of the current (limited) database of star clusters with high-quality V-K photometry down to the unevolved main sequence.
The Problematic Welfare Standards of Behavioral Paternalism

Behavioral paternalism raises deep concerns that do not arise in traditional welfare economics. These concerns stem from behavioral paternalism’s acceptance of the defining axioms of neoclassical rationality for normative purposes, despite having rejected them as positive descriptions of reality. We argue (1) that behavioral paternalists have indeed accepted neoclassical rationality axioms as a welfare standard; (2) that economists historically adopted these axioms not for their normative plausibility, but for their usefulness in formal and theoretical modeling; (3) that broadly rational individuals might fail to satisfy the axioms for various reasons, making them unpersuasive as normative criteria; and (4) that even if their violation did constitute irrationality, that would not justify paternalists’ choosing among inconsistent preferences to define an individual’s “true” preferences.
THE REAL PROBLEM WITH MOND

Gravitational potentials in the cosmos are deeper than expected from observed visible objects, a phenomenon usually attributed to dark matter, presumably in the form of a new fundamental particle. Until such a particle is observed, the jury remains out on dark matter, and modified gravity models must be considered. The class of models reducing to modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) in the weak field limit does an excellent job fitting the rotation curves of galaxies, predicting the relation between baryonic mass and velocity in gas-dominated galaxies, and explaining the properties of the local group. Several of the initial challenges facing MOND have been overcome, while others remain. Here we point out the most severe challenge facing MOND.
Diversity Analysis of Bit-Interleaved Coded Multiple Beamforming

In this paper, diversity analysis of bit-interleaved coded multiple beamforming (BICMB) is extended to the case of general spatial interleavers, removing a condition on their previously known design criteria. We provide a method to get diversity order, simplifying the calculation of pairwise error probability (PEP). By using the Singleton bound, we also show the maximum achievable diversity for given code rate and the number of subchannels.
The Rice research computer: a tagged architecture

In this paper we report on a new computer with several novel features. These features are applications of the concept of tagged architecture, and although some of them are not unique to the Rice Research Computer (R-2), they focus our attention on this radical design form, its advantages and disadvantages. Since the work is still in progress, we limit this report to a discussion of the architecture and a few of its ramifications.
The Stellar Mass-Accretion Rate Relation in T Tauri Stars and Brown Dwarfs

Recent observations show a strong correlation between stellar mass and accretion rate in young stellar and substellar objects, with the scaling acc ∝ M holding over more than 4 orders of magnitude in accretion rate. We explore the consequences of this correlation in the context of disk evolution models. We note that such a correlation is not expected to arise from variations in disk angular momentum transport efficiency with stellar mass, and we suggest that it may reflect a systematic trend in disk initial conditions. In this case we find that brown dwarf disks initially have rather larger radii than those around more massive objects. By considering disk evolution, and invoking a simple parameterization for a shutoff in accretion at the end of the disk lifetime, we show that such models predict that the scatter in the stellar mass-accretion rate relationship should increase with increasing stellar mass, in rough agreement with current observations.
An Adaptive Fuzzy Controller for Constant Cutting Force in End-Milling Processes

A novel multilevel fuzzy control system is introduced and implemented for online force control of end-milling processes to increase machining productivity and improve workpiece quality, where the cutting force is maintained at its maximum allowable level in the presence of different variations inherent in milling processes, such as tool wear, workpiece geometry, and material properties. In the controller design, the fuzzy rules are generated heuristically without any mathematical model of the milling processes. An adaptation mechanism is embedded to tune the control parameters online, and the resultant closed-loop system is guaranteed to be stable based on the input-output passivity analysis. In the experiment, the control algorithm is implemented using a National Instrument real-time control computer in an open architecture control environment, where high metal removal rates are achieved and the cycle time is reduced by up to 34% over the case without any force controller and by 22% compared with the regular fuzzy logic controller, thereby indicating its effectiveness in improving productivity for actual machining processes.
Considerations for applying multiple-level protocols to satellite communication networks

Abstract U.S. space system designers are becoming increasingly concerned about the robustness, capacity, and interoperability of future space communications networks and are seeking new approaches. This paper investigates the feasibility of applying a functional analogue of the current International Organization for Standardization's seven-level protocol model for intercomputer communications to space-ground communications links and demonstrates that a mapping into the space environment is possible. For this purpose 1. (1) the functions and interrelationships of the protocol levels are outlined, 2. (2) strong analogies are pointed out between the multilevel protocol organization and the structure of software operating systems, 3. (3) the operations for a typical interchange of a message from terminal-to-satellite followed by a satellite-to-terminal response are described, and 4. (4) the principal concepts and implications for their further development are summarized.
High-resolution infrared image reconstruction using multiple low-resolution aliased frames

Staring infrared detectors often produce low resolution images because the technology does not exist to produce higher resolution arrays with sufficient spatial sampling intervals. A proven approach to combat this difficulty involves recording multiple frames that have been optically shifted onto a high-resolution grid pattern and then combined together into a single high resolution image. This process is known as microscanning. In fact, if the infrared (IR) imaging system is mounted on a moving platform, the normal vibrations associated with the platform's movement can be exploited to generate shifts in the acquired images. We present an algorithm that can register this temporal image sequence at the sub-pixel level and then reconstruct a high resolution image from the shifted frames. The proposed algorithm uses a gradient based shift estimator which provides shift information for each of the recorded frames. The reconstruction algorithm is based on a technique of high resolution image reconstruction by solving a series of linear equations in the frequency domain. In this paper, we review the theory behind the registration and reconstruction algorithms and their limitations. We demonstrate that the registration is a viable real-time algorithm that is suitable for applications involving small image shifts (i.e. less than one detector element). We also show that the reconstruction program gives dramatic improvements in the image's resolution and does well in handling the aliased information.
Appropriating Identity or Cultivating Capital? Global English in Offshoring Service Industries

In the popular media, much has been made of the adoption of American identities by Indian nationals working in call centers in urban India. In the transactions between call center workers in India and their American customers, language is often the only conveyor of cultural identity. The implications of this linguistic globalization are drawn out by examining the historical trajectory of the politics of global English in India. I argue that the indigenization of English that has occurred in India represents a shift in the political and cultural contestation over language from the global to the local, so that today the politics of language in India primarily involve contestation between elites and subalterns within India rather than between Indians and a global power. I conclude that the appropriation of American identities by Indian call center workers is mainly for the purpose of cultivating linguistic capital within the Indian context, and does not entail a loss of authenticity or reveal cultural insecurity. More likely, the American customers and media commentators who worry about being duped by Indians faking American accents are the ones who are culturally insecure.
Single-crystal elasticity of zoisite Ca2Al3Si3O12 (OH) by Brillouin scattering

The single-crystal elastic constants of zoisite Ca2Al3Si3O12(OH) were determined by Brillouin scattering at ambient conditions. The elastic tensor was obtained by an inversion of acoustic velocity data for three different crystal planes. The aggregate bulk modulus, shear modulus, and Poisson’s ratio are KS0 = 125.3(4) GPa, G0 = 72.9(2) GPa, and σ0 = 0.26(1) for the VRH (Voigt-Reuss-Hill) average, respectively. The maximum azimuthal anisotropy of zoisite is 22% for compressional velocity and 33% for shear velocity. The maximum shear splitting is 21% along the [001] direction. Our results resolve the discrepancies in bulk modulus and axial compressibilities reported from static compression studies, and provide the Þ rst experimental constraints on the shear modulus. Trends in the elastic moduli of minerals in the CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O (CASH) system are evaluated.
The motives underlying stereotype-based discrimination against members of stigmatized groups.

We argue that the motivations that underlie stereotype-based discrimination against racial minorities and other stigmatized groups often fail to meet standard criteria for rational judgments. Stereotyping of such groups is often driven by threats to one’s self-esteem and a desire to rationalize inequality, and declines when the perceiver is motivated to be accurate. Also, Bayesian racism—the belief that it is rational to discriminate against individuals based on stereotypes about their racial group—correlates highly with negative feelings toward minorities and the desire to keep low-status groups in their place, and correlates negatively with indices of rational thinking. The motives that drive social judgments call into question whether people engage in stereotype-based discrimination for rational reasons.
High-NA, anamorphic or aspheric microlenses for telecommunications and data storage

A new wafer-based process has been developed for manufacturing high-NA, anamorphic or aspheric microlenses that satisfy many of the demands of high- performance optical systems in telecommunications and data storage. Lens materials include fused silica and silicon.
The electrochemistry of iron porphyrin nitrosyls in the presence of pyridines and amines

Abstract The electrochemistry of Fe(P)(NO), where P was tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP), tetraphenylchlorin (TPC) and protoporphyrin dimethyl ester (PPDME), was studied in the presence of substituted pyridines and various amines. Both in the presence and absence of the ligand, the first reduction wave of Fe(P)(NO) was reversible. Weak complexes between the iron porphyrin nitrosyls and the pyridines or amines were observed. Upon reduction, the pyridine or amine was lost, and there was no evidence of complexation of the ligand with Fe(P)(NO) − . There were also no significant differences in the Fe(P)(NO)–ligand formation constants between P = TPP and TPC. The formation constants for the Fe(P)(NO)–ligand complex, K NOL , varied linearly with the pK a of the ligand. The slopes of the p K a versus log K NOL curves were 0.22, 0.19 and 0.20 for P equal to TPP, TPC and PPDME, respectively. These slopes were significantly smaller than the values previously observed for Fe II (P) and Fe III (P), but only slightly smaller than the complexes where NO was replaced by CS or CSe (0.31 and 0.23, respectively). The visible spectra of Fe(P)(NO) in the presence of the nitrogenous bases were also obtained. With the addition of ligand, the Soret band shifted to longer wavelengths (405 to 419 nm for pyridine), while the long wavelength region shifted to shorter wavelengths (532 to 520 nm for pyridine). Spectra of Fe(P)(NO)(L) at high concentrations of L were not stable indefinitely, but slowly lost NO to generate the bis-ligand complex, Fe(P)(L) 2 .
Short Syntheses of (±)-δ-Araneosene and Humulene Utilizing a Combination of Four-Component Assembly and Palladium-Mediated Cyclization

The four components shown are assembled in two steps, and the product is converted to araneosene by a short sequence.
Steric buttressing in the Pauson–Khand reactions of aryl enynes

Abstract The application of the intramolecular Pauson-Khand reaction of 1,n-enynes provides a convenient method for the construction of polycyclic frameworks but this process has largely been limited to the formation of 5,5- and 5,6-fused ring systems. In this report, we describe the application of the Pauson-Khand cyclization to 1,8-enynes embedded in an aromatic ring system wherein it is determined that the presence of steric buttresses in the form of t -butyl groups facilitates the cycloaddition. These reactions proceed in good yields with either thermal or oxidative activation and in the former case, the diastereoselectivities are high. An investigation of the tolerance of this cycloaddition to substitution around the 1,8-enyne demonstrates that only 2,2-disubstitution does not result in productive cyclization. Cycloadditions with hydroxyl groups at the propargylic position while leading to fused rings are compromised by side reactions leading to reduction and in some cases tautomerization. However, these byproducts are easily minimized through conversion of the hydroxyl group to the corresponding silyl ether.
MNDO study of the proton affinity of fluorinated formaldehydes and acetones

Abstract The MNDO molecular orbital method is employed to calculate the proton affinities of fluorinated formaldehydes and acetones. Agreement with experimentally reported proton affinities is good. In the acetone series a decrease in proton affinity is calculated for each successive fluorine substituent. The calculated strength of the intramolecular hydrogen bond in the protonated fluoro-formaldehydes and acetones is 0.6—2.7 kcal mol −1 , in good agreement with the experimental value of 2—3 kcal mol −1 in the protonated fluoroacetones. Examination of the calculated charge distribution shows that the trends in proton affinity can be understood qualitatively both in terms of initial-state and final-state effects caused by the fluorine substituents. Protonation at the fluorine atom is less stable by about 25 kcal mol −1 than protonation at the oxygen atom for monofluoroacetone.