cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A reconfigurable continuous time recurrent neural network for evolvable hardware applications

Evolvable hardware is reconfigurable hardware plus an evolutionary algorithm. Continuous time recurrent neural networks (CTRNNs) have already been proposed for use as the reconfigurable hardware component. Until recently, however, nearly all CTRNN based EH was simulation based. This paper provides a design for a reconfigurable analog CTRNN computer that supports both extrinsic and intrinsic CTRNN evolvable hardware. The paper will fully characterize the design and demonstrate that configurations can be moved from simulation to hardware without difficulty. It will also discuss implications for an upcoming VLSI system that will combine the CTRNN circuitry with the learning engine on a single chip.
Low-Skill Employment and the Changing Economy of Rural America

This study reports trends in rural low-skill employment in the 1990s and their impact on the rural workforce. The share of rural jobs classified as low-skill fell by 2.2 percentage points between 1990 and 2000, twice the decline of the urban low-skill employment share, but much less than the decline of the 1980s. Employment shifts from low-skill to skilled occupations within industries, rather than changes in industry mix, explain virtually all of the decline in the rural low-skill employment share. The share decline was particularly large for rural Black women, many of whom moved out of low-skill blue-collar work into service occupations, while the share of rural Hispanics who held low-skill jobs increased.
Malignant gynecologic tumors in children: Current approaches to treatment

Abstract Although at one time malignant gynecologic tumors in pediatric patients were almost always lethal, today, with better understanding of the behavior of these tumors and the use of radical measures, some success can be achieved. Specifically, our experience with 33 patients indicated that: (1) location and treatment with adequate irradiation of the sites of metastatic disease may afford the patient with dysgerminoma of the ovary a chance for cure; (2) intensive chemotherapy used in addition to the indicated surgical procedure may benefit children with embryonal carcinoma of the ovary; (3) children with sarcoma botryoides, once a uniformly fatal disease, may be cured with pelvic exenteration; and (4) the combination of chemotherapy and irradiation for patients with rhabdomyosarcoma of the pelvis may prove to be the most effective treatment.
An Equational Chase for Path-Conjunctive Queries, Constraints, and Views

We consider the class of path-conjunctive queries and constraints (dependencies) defined over complex values with dictionaries. This class includes the relational conjunctive queries and embedded dependencies, as well as many interesting examples of complex value and oodb queries and integrity constraints. We show that some important classical results on containment, dependency implication, and chasing extend and generalize to this class.
An Example of the Difference Between Quantum and Classical Random Walks

In this note, we discuss a general definition of quantum random walks on graphs and illustrate with a simple graph the possibility of very different behavior between a classical random walk and its quantum analog. In this graph, propagation between a particular pair of nodes is exponentially faster in the quantum case. PACS: 03.67.Hk
Interdependence in Multinational Production Networks

The majority of multinational firms today operate a multilateral production network. Most existing empirical analyses have, however, focused on firms' choice between producing at home and investing overseas and assumed that a firm's decision to invest in a foreign country is independent of its locations in third countries. This paper examines the effect of existing production network on multinationals' entry decision. Using detailed French multinational subsidiary level data, the paper finds strong evidence of horizontal and vertical interdependence across multinationals' foreign production locations. There is, however, little evidence of horizontal interdependence between home-country production and foreign investment when the third-country effects are taken into account, constituting a sharp contrast to the conventional emphasis. This result is robust to the various specifications and sensitivity analyses undertaken in the paper, and highlights the importance of investigating the causes and effects of foreign direct investment in the context of multinational production network.
Extended update functionality in temporal databases

This paper presents an extended update functionality in temporal databases. In temporal databases, the information is associated with several time dimensions that designate the validity of the information in the application domain as well as the database domain. The complexity of information, coupled with the fact that historical data is being kept in the database, requires the use of an update model that provides the user with high-level abstractions. In this paper we provide an enhanced schema language and an enhanced collection of update operation types that help the system designer and the user to cope with the added complexities of such a model. One of the major issues dealt with in this paper is the situation of simultaneous values of a single data item; this situation occurs when multiple values, valid at the same time, were assigned to a data item at different times over the database history. Unlike the fixed semantics in conventional and existing temporal database models, we provide a flexible mechanism to handle simultaneous values which also distinguishes between regular modifications and error corrections. The extended update functionality is part of an update model that is currently being implemented in a prototype for a simulation project in a hospital's training center. Issues related to the implementation of this functionality in various data models are discussed. In particular, a mapping of the basic primitive operation types to TSQL2, and suggestions for its augmentation are provided.
Constraint-Based deployment of distributed components in a dynamic network

Hierarchical software components offer interesting characteristics for the development of complex applications. However, supporting the deployment of such applications is difficult, especially on challenging distributed platforms. This paper addresses the distribution and the deployment of hierarchical components on heterogeneous dynamic networks. Such networks may include fixed and mobile resource-constrained devices and are characterized by the volatility of their hosts and connections, which may lead to their fragmentation. The distribution scheme and the associated mechanisms we propose allow a component to provide its services in an ubiquitous way and to operate in a degraded mode. The deployment of hierarchical components is described: we present an ADL extension for specifying a context-aware deployment and we detail a hierarchically-controlled deployment designed for dynamic networks. This deployment is performed in a propagative way and is driven by constraints put on the resources of the target hosts.
Recreation as an economic development strategy: some evidence from Utah.

An examination of employment patterns in rural Utah counties suggests that those counties which primarily rely on tourism and recreation to maintain economic viability exhibit annual employment var...
Model Reduction for Robust Control: A Schur Relative-Error Method

A numerically robust Relative Error Method (REM) for state-space model order reduction is described. Our algorithm is based on Desai's Balanced Stochastic Truncation (BST) technique for which M. Green has obtained an L? relative-error bound. However, unlike previous methods, our Schur method completely circumvents the numerically delicate initial step of obtaining a minimal balanced stochastic realiztion (BSR) of the the power spectrum matrix G(s)GT(-s).
SIMPLOTITE, A NEW QUADRIVALENT VANADIUM MINERAL FROM THE COLORADO PLATEAU

„ „....* ,., „ Introduction and acknowledgments 5 Occurrence 6 Physical and optical properties 8 Chemical analysis 9 X-ray data 11 Literature cited 18 Figure 1* Index map of parts of Colorado and Utah, showing the localities of simplotite 7 2» Electron diffraction spot pattern of simplotite representing the a*-c* reciprocal net plane superimposed on an aluminum ring pattern 15 3. Schematic drawing showing relation between reciprocal lattice, optical orientation, and habit of simplotite ;..» 1?
EULER: a system for numerical optimization of programs

We give a tutorial introduction to Euler, a system for solving difficult optimization problems involving programs.
The hats simulator and colab: an integrated information fusion challenge problem and collaborative analysis environment

We present an overview of our work in information fusion for intelligence analysis. This work includes the Hats Simulator and the COLAB system. The Hats Simulator is a parameterized model of a virtual world in which hundreds of thousands of agents engage in individual and collective activities. Playing against the simulator, the goal of the analyst is to identify and stop harmful agents before they carry out terrorist attacks on simulated landmarks. The COLAB system enables multiple human analysts in different physical locations to conduct collaborative intelligence analysis. COLAB consists of two components: an instrumented analysis working environment built on a blackboard system, and a web-based user interface that integrates the Trellis hypothesis authoring and management tool with a query language. COLAB is integrated with the Hats Simulator to provide a complete end-to-end analysis environment with challenging problem domain.
Visual Interface for Evaluating Internet Search Results

The summary-based approach is not an optimal solution in presenting a search result for a massive collection of information. This traditional approach does not consider user’s search behavior, further it lacks the capability of providing distributional and structural information of the contents, which is valuable in the user’s search activity. We have developed a visualization system that presents visual abstractions of Web pages as a search result. The illustration of a Web page shows the distributional pattern of search terms and structural layout of document compactly, but informatively. The developed system reflects the significance of related hyperlinks in the visualization and it also helps users locate search terms through distinct markers. In our pilot study, the participants showed a higher degree of preference using the visual interface than the traditional approach in exploring a huge information space, the Internet. The proposed encoding algorithm makes it possible to compare retrieved results intuitively and it will boost user’s understanding about the content of Web resources, eventually assisting search activities.
A recent Cleanroom success story: The Redwing project

Redwing is the largest completed Cleanroom software engineering project in IBM, both in terms of lines of code and project staffing. The product provides a decision-support facility that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) technology for predicting and preventing complex operating problems in an MVS environment. The project used the Cleanroom process for development and realized a defect rate of 2.6 errors/KLOC, measured from first execution. This represents the total amount of errors that were found in testing and installation at three field test sites. Development productivity was 486 LOC/PM, which included all development labor expended in design specification through completion of incremental testing. In short, the Redwing team produced a complex systems software product with an extraordinarily low error rate, while maintaining high productivity. All of this was accomplished by a project team using Cleanroom for the first time. An 'introductory implementation' of Cleanroom was defined and used on Redwing. This paper describes the quality and productivity results, the Redwing project, and how Cleanroom was implemented.
Semi-instrumental variables: a test for instrument admissibility

In a causal graphical model, an instrument for a variable X and its effect Y is a random variable that is a cause of X and independent of all the causes of Y except X (Pearl 1995). For continuous variables, instrumental variables can be used to estimate how the distribution of an effect will respond to a manipulation of its causes, even in the presence of unmeasured common causes (confounders). In typical instrumental variable estimation, instruments are chosen based on domain knowledge. There is currently no statistical test for validating a continuous variable as an instrument. In this paper, we introduce the concept of semi-instrument, which generalizes the concept of instrument: each instrument is a semi-instrument, but the converse does not hold. We show that in the framework of additive models, under certain conditions, we can test whether a variable is semi-instrumental. Moreover, adding some distribution assumptions, we can test whether two semi-instruments are instrumental. We give algorithms to test whether a variable is semi-instrumental, and whether two semi-instruments are both instrumental. These algorithms can be used to test the experts' choice of instruments, or to identify instruments automatically.
Comparison of the Microbial Community Composition at Yucca Mountain and Laboratory Test Nuclear Repository Environments

The microbiological community structure within a proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain (YM), NV was determined. Microbial growth from collected rock was detected using simulated ground water as a growth medium, with or without amendment of a carbon source. Grown isolates were identified by 16s ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence analysis. A more complete compositional analysis of the microbial community located at the proposed nuclear waste repository site was performed using environmental DNA isolation and subsequent identification of amplified 16s rDNA genes. Concurrently, a series of corrosion testing tanks that simulate the evolution of anticipated environmental conditions within the proposed repository have been subjected to the same type of analyses.
Motion tracking and intensity surface recovery in microscopic nuclear images

Current techniques for microscopic imaging do not provide necessary spatial and temporal resolutions for real time visualization of the nucleus. Images can only be acquired in time lapse mode, leading to significant loss of information between image frames. Such data, if available, can be extremely helpful in the study of nuclear organization and function. In this paper, we present a gamut of geometric-technique-based approaches for solving the problem. Our techniques, working together, can effectively recover complicated motion and deformation as well as the change of intensity surfaces from pairs of images in a microscopic image sequence, and has low time complexity, particularly desirable by many biological applications where large amount of DNA need to be processed. These techniques are also readily applicable to other types of images for reconstructing motion and intensity surfaces of deformable objects.
Chromium Poisoning Effects on Various Cathodes

Progress in materials and fabrication techniques has allowed the reduction in the operating temperature of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) to an intermediate range (650~800°C). In this temperature range, oxidation-resistant high-temperature alloys are used for interconnect materials. Chromia-forming ferritic stainless steels are the most promising and widely used oxidation-resistant alloys due to their appropriate thermal expansion behaviors, electrically conducting oxide scale, and low costs. However, the application of chromia-forming alloys for SOFC interconnects has been largely limited by the evaporation of chromium species from their oxide scale, which leads to degradation of cell performance. In this study, we report effects of Cr poisoning on the performance of various cathodes used for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs).
Gamma-Ray Evidence for a Galactic Halo

Gamma-ray evidence for the existence of a cosmic-ray halo around the Galaxy is examined. Gamma-ray data obtained by SAS-2 and COS-B and nonthermal radio continuum data are shown to indicate the nonconfinement of cosmic rays to the spiral arms and thus the existence of a larger propagation disk through which cosmic rays diffuse. The latitudinal distribution of gamma rays observed by SAS-2 is found to be consistent with the existence of a thin disk-shaped electron halo of half-thickness 1.5 kpc. The propagation of nucleons is determined indirectly from their radial distribution in the galactic plane, which is obtained from an analysis of the longitudinal distribution of gamma rays in the plane. The resulting distributions are found to be similar to the distribution of supernovae in the Galaxy, implying a galactic origin for cosmic rays and a half-thickness of less than 3 kpc.
Schemata-driven multi-objective optimization

This paper investigates the exploitation of nondominated sets' schemata in guiding multi-objective optimization. Schemata capture the similarities between solutions in the non-dominated set. They also reflect the knowledge acquired by multi-objective evolutionary algorithms. A schemata-driven genetic algorithm as well as a schemata-driven local search algorithm are described. An experimental study to evaluate the suggested approach is then conducted.
Welfare Effects of Mandatory Traceability When Firms are Heterogeneous

We develop a framework in which the cost of producing a quantity food and the cost of food safety differs across firms. We show that large firms may supply the safest food even though small firms have a cost advantage in producing safe food. The model shows that mandatory traceability can decrease the overall safety of food when small firms that supply the safest food exit the industry. Our model applies to food safety but can be applied to a wide range of issues related to regulation and product quality.
Differential addition in generalized Edwards coordinates

We use two parametrizations of points on elliptic curves in generalized Edwards form x2 + y2 = c2(1 + dx2y2) that omit the x- coordinate. The first parametrization leads to a differential addition formula that can be computed using 6M + 4S, a doubling formula using 1M+ 4S and a tripling formula using 4M+ 7S. The second one yields a differential addition formula that can be computed using 5M + 2S and a doubling formula using 5S. All formulas apply also for the case c ≠ 1 and arbitrary curve parameter d. This generalizes formulas from the literature for the special case c = 1 or d being a square in the ground field. For both parametrizations the formula for recovering the missing X- coordinate is also provided.
Asymptotic density and the coarse computability bound

For r ∈( 0, 1) we say that a set A ⊆ ω is coarsely computable at density r if there is a computable set C such that {n : C(n) = A(n)} has lower density at least r .L et γ( A)= sup{r : A is coarsely computable at density r}. We study the interactions of these concepts with Turing reducibility. For example, we show that if r ∈ (0, 1) there are sets A0, A1 such that γ( A0) = γ( A1) = r where A0 is coarsely computable at density r while A1 is not coarsely computable at density r .W e show that a real r ∈( 0, 1) is equal to γ( A)for some c.e. set A if and only if r is left-� 0 . A surprising result is that if G is a � 0 1-generic set, and A T G with γ( A)= 1, then A is coarsely computable at density 1.
Control of nondeterministic discrete event systems for bisimulation equivalence

We study supervisory control for enforcing nondeterministic specifications. Given nondeterministic models of system and its specification, we study the design of a supervisor (possibly nondeterministic) such that the controlled system is bisimilar to the specification. We obtain a small model theorem showing that a supervisor exists if and only if it exists over a certain finite state space, namely the power set of Cartesian product of system and specification state spaces. Also, the notion of state-controllability is introduced as part of a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a supervisor. In the special case of deterministic systems, we provide an existence condition that can be verified linearly in both system and specification states.
A Bernstein result and counterexample for entire solutions to Donaldson’s equation

We show that convex entire solutions to Donaldson's equation are quadratic, using a result of Weiyong He. We also exhibit entire solutions to the Donaldson equation that are not of the form discussed by He. In the process we discover some non-trivial entire solutions to complex Monge-Amp\`{e}re equations.
CD4 T Cells but Not Th17 Cells Are Required for Mouse Lung Transplant Obliterative Bronchiolitis.

Lung transplant survival is limited by obliterative bronchiolitis (OB), but the mechanisms of OB development are unknown. Previous studies in a mouse model of orthotopic lung transplantation suggested a requirement for IL-17. We have used this orthotopic mouse model to investigate the source of IL-17A and the requirement for T cells producing IL-17A. The major sources of IL-17A were CD4+ T cells and γδ T cells. Depletion of CD4+ T cells led to a significantly decreased frequency and number of IL-17A+ lymphocytes and was sufficient to prevent acute rejection and OB. However, mice with STAT3-deficient T cells, which are unable to differentiate into Th17 cells, rejected lung allografts and developed OB similar to control mice. The frequency of IL-17A+ cells was not decreased in mice with STAT3-deficient T cells due mainly to the presence of IL-17A+ γδ T cells. Deficiency of γδ T cells also did not affect the development of airway fibrosis. Our data suggest that CD4+ T cells are required for OB development and expansion of IL-17A responses in the lung, while Th17 and γδ T cells are not absolutely required and may compensate for each other.
Priority Range Trees

We describe a data structure, called a priority range tree, which accommodates fast orthogonal range reporting queries on prioritized points. Let S be a set of n points in the plane, where each point p in S is assigned a weight w(p) that is polynomial in n, and define the rank of p to be \(r(p)=\lfloor \log w(p) \rfloor\). Then the priority range tree can be used to report all points in a three- or four-sided query range R with rank at least \(\lfloor \log w \rfloor\) in time O(logW/w + k), and report k highest-rank points in R in time O(loglogn + logW/w′ + k), where W = ∑ p ∈ S w(p), w′ is the smallest weight of any point reported, and k is the output size. All times assume the standard RAM model of computation. If the query range of interest is three sided, then the priority range tree occupies O(n) space, otherwise O(nlogn) space is used to answer four-sided queries. These queries are motivated by the Weber–Fechner Law, which states that humans perceive and interpret data on a logarithmic scale.
An algorithm for computing stochastically stable distributions with applications to multiagent learning in repeated games

One of the proposed solutions to the equilibrium selection problem for agents learning in repeated games is obtained via the notion of stochastic stability. Learning algorithms are perturbed so that the Markov chain underlying the learning dynamics is necessarily irreducible and yields a unique stable distribution. The stochastically stable distribution is the limit of these stable distributions as the perturbation rate tends to zero. We present the first exact algorithm for computing the stochastically stable distribution of a Markov chain. We use our algorithm to predict the long-term dynamics of simple learning algorithms in sample repeated games.
Health Risk of Heating Fuel Choice: A Simultaneity Causality Analysis

Combustion-generated pollutants, principally those from solid-fuels including biomass and coal when cooking and heating, bring out a significant public health hazard in both developed and developing countries. Most of the existing studies addressing this issue focus on developing countries, and on exposure when cooking rather than heating. By using Kentucky rural data, this research explores the health risk associated with heating fuel choice. Given the simultaneity between heating fuel choice and prevalence of asthma and allergy, we obtain the instrumental variable (IV) estimate for Logit models through the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM). After correcting for simultaneity bias, we do not find strong evidence supporting the causal relationship between polluting heating use and the prevalence of asthma, allergy, and other respiratory disease. Some demographic and lifestyle factors do have significant effects on the prevalence of these diseases. The results suggest that the current policy regulation and public awareness of the possible hazards associated with different heating fuels may have prompted a strong averting behavior.
The SOHO-Stellar Connection

The’ solar-stellar connection’ bridges the daytime and nighttime communities; an essential link between the singular, but detailed, views of our Sun, and the broad, but coarse, glimpses of the distant stars. One area in particular — magnetic activity — has profited greatly from the two way traffic in ideas. In that spirit, I present an evolutionary context for coronal activity, focusing on the very different circumstances of low-mass main-sequence stars like the Sun, compared with more massive stars. The former are active mainly very early in their lives, whereas the latter become coronal only near the end of theirs, during the brief incursion into the cool half of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram as yellow, then red, giants. I describe tools at the disposal of the stellar astronomer; especially spectroscopy in the ultraviolet and X-ray bands where coronae leave their most obvious imprints. I compare HST STIS spectra of solar-type dwarfs — ζ Dor (F7 V), an active coronal source, and α Cen A (G2 V), near twin of the Sun — to the SOHO SUMER UV solar atlas. I also compare the STIS line profiles of the active coronal dwarf to the corresponding features in the mixed activity ‘hybrid chromosphere’ bright giant α TrA (K2II) and the archetype ‘non-coronal’ red giant Arcturus (α Boo; K2 III). The latter shows dramatic evidence for a ‘cool absorber’ in its outer atmosphere that is extinguishing the ‘hot lines’ (like SiIV λ1393 and Nv λ1238) below about 1500 A; the corona of the red giant seems to lie beneath its extended chromosphere, rather than outside as in the Sun. I present an early taste of the moderate resolution spectra we can expect from the recently launched Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO), and contemporaneous STIS high resolution UV measurements of the CXO calibration star Capella (α Aur; G8 III + Gl III). Last, I describe preliminary results from a May 1999 observing campaign involving SOHO SUMER, TRACE, and the Kitt Peak Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (IRIS). The purpose was to explore the dynamics of the quiet solar atmosphere through the key ‘magnetic transition zone’ that separates the kinetically dominated deep photosphere from the magnetically dominated coronal regime. Linking spatially and temporally resolved solar phenomena to properties of the average line shapes (widths, asymmetries, intensity ratios, and Doppler shifts) is a crucial step in carrying physical insights from the solar setting to the realm of the distant stars.
Analysis and Thermodynamic Prediction of Hydrogen Solution in Solid and Liquid Multicomponent Aluminum Alloys

Reported experimentally determined values of hydrogen solubility in liquid and solid Al-H and Al-H-X (where X = Cu, Si, Zn, Mg, Li, Fe or Ti) systems have been critically reviewed and analyzed in terms of Wagner's interaction parameter. An attempt has been made to use Wagner's interaction parameter and statistic linear regression models derived from reported hydrogen solubility limits for binary aluminum alloys to predict the hydrogen solubility limits in liquid and solid (commercial) multicomponent aluminum alloys. Reasons for the observed poor agreement between the predicted and experimentally determined hydrogen solubility limits are discussed.
Exact model structures and recollements

Abstract We show how to obtain recollements of triangulated categories using the theory of exact model structures from [13] . After noting how the theory relates to well-known notions in the simplest case of Frobenius categories, we apply these ideas to recollements of homotopy categories of chain complexes. In short, we give model categorical explanations for the classical Verdier localization recollement as well as several recollement situations due to Neeman and Murfet.
Better bounds for matchings in the streaming model

In this paper we present improved bounds for approximating maximum matchings in bipartite graphs in the streaming model. First, we consider the question of how well maximum matching can be approximated in a single pass over the input when O(n) space is allowed, where n is the number of vertices in the input graph. Two natural variants of this problem have been considered in the literature: (1) the edge arrival setting, where edges arrive in the stream and (2) the vertex arrival setting, where vertices on one side of the graph arrive in the stream together with all their incident edges. The latter setting has also been studied extensively in the context of on-line algorithms, where each arriving vertex has to either be matched irrevocably or discarded upon arrival. In the online setting, the celebrated algorithm of Karp-Vazirani-Vazirani achieves a 1--1/e approximation by crucially using randomization (and using O(n) space). Despite the fact that the streaming model is less restrictive in that the algorithm is not constrained to match vertices irrevocably upon arrival, the best known approximation in the streaming model with vertex arrivals and O(n) space is the same factor of 1--1/e.We show that no (possibly randomized) single pass streaming algorithm constrained to use O(n) space can achieve a better than 1--1/e approximation to maximum matching, even in the vertex arrival setting. This leads to the striking conclusion that no single pass streaming algorithm can get any advantage over online algorithms unless it uses significantly more than O(n) space. Additionally, our bound yields the best known impossibility result for approximating matchings in the edge arrival model (improving upon the bound of 2/3 proved by Goel at al[SODA'12]).Second, we consider the problem of approximating matchings in multiple passes in the vertex arrival setting. We show that a simple fractional load balancing approach achieves approximation ratio
Social Comparison and Peer Effects at an Elite College

A study was conducted to see whether peer effects could be observed among undergraduates at Williams College, an elite four-year liberal arts school. Specifically, the study explored whether students in the bottom third of their class, with average SAT's of about 1300, would perform better in writing about newspaper articles they read and discussed in groups of three if the two others in the group were academically superior -- from the top third of their class, with SAT's averaging about 1500 -- rather than similar -- also from the bottom third of the class. The results showed that women subjects performed better if their discussion partners were from the top third of the class, but men did better if their discussion partners were from the bottom third. Alternative analyses comparing subjects who had better or worse discussion partners as determined by the quality of their peers videotaped discussion statements, showed that across gender subjects did better written work when their discussion partners were better. The results were interpreted in terms of the principles of social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954).
Some Developments in Economic Theory Since 1940: An Eyewitness Account

The article considers the evolution of some branches of modern economic theory from the perspective of the author’s biography as a scientist and his professional formation. It describes problems of econometrics, general equilibrium theory, uncertainty, economics of information, and growth. It is shown how different authors representing various fields came to similar conclusions simultaneously and independently, what were the problems, in response to which economists of the second half of last century developed their theories, and what were the contexts of such development.
Fixed Parameter Tractability of Crossing Minimization of Almost-Trees

We investigate exact crossing minimization for graphs that differ from trees by a small number of additional edges, for several variants of the crossing minimization problem. In particular, we provide fixed parameter tractable algorithms for the 1-page book crossing number, the 2-page book crossing number, and the minimum number of crossed edges in 1-page and 2-page book drawings.
Crustal Structure of the Earth

The boundary between the crust and the mantle was discovered by Mohorovicic in 1909 under the European continent. Subsquent research in this century established the major differences between the continental and oceanic crust; a typical thickness for the continental crust is 30-50 km while a typical thickness for me oceanic crusts is 6 km. In terms of history the continental crust contains a much longer history of 4 billion years, whereas the oceanic crust contains at most 200 million years of history because of recycling of oceanic plates. Because of its long history, the continental crust has been subjected to various tectonic processes, such as repeated episodes of partial melting, metamorphism, intrusion, faulting and folding. It is thus easier to find systematic relationships between age and structure of oceanic crusts. However, the existence of hotspots as well as changing patterns of plate motion complicate oceanic crustal structure. In this section, we assemble crustal thickness data from various tectonic provinces and discuss their implications.
Strong confinement and oscillations in two-component Bose-Einstein condensates

Summary form only given. Recent elegant experimental observations of Rabi-type oscillations in a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of 87Rb brings up an issue of collapse and revival in BEC which has resisted any conventional theoretical analysis. Though a heuristic argument using "twists" of an SU(2) order parameter was given in, the fundamental dynamics of the observed oscillations has not been understood. In this talk, we present a resolution to this problem in terms a new model of BEC dynamics. We go beyond revival analysis to present a new quantum mechanical picture of the multicomponent BEC physics based on a strong confinement model, which explains experimentally observed features quite well. We show that the coupled Gross-Pitaevski (GP) equations for the two-component Bose-Einstein condensate can be decoupled by a time-dependent dressing transformation.
Quasi-hyperbolic planes in hyperbolic groups

The hyperbolic plane H 2 admits a quasi-isometric embedding into every hyperbolic group which is not virtually free.
Constraints to Effective Fiscal Decentralization in Peru

Peru represents a laboratory for examining the different approaches to the centralized or decentralized delivery of public services over the past quarter of a century. There is a renewed and increasing interest in decentralization in Peru as a mechanism to generate more involved decision making at the sub-national level. This is tempered with a continuing emphasis on overall fiscal stability. Learning from the lessons of the ongoing decentralization, there is a recognition that considerable work needs to be undertaken to more clearly define expenditure responsibilities and financing mechanisms that would increase local accountability. In addition, improved expenditure management at all levels of government is needed. The paper suggests that there is a pending work agenda to grasp the benefits of the decentralization process, including the reduction in inequality and poverty across regions.
Women's Legal Rights over 50 Years : Progress, Stagnation or Regression?

Using a newly compiled database of women's property rights and legal capacity covering 100 countries over 50 years, this paper analyzes the triggers and barriers to reform. The database documents gender gaps in the ability to access and own assets, to sign legal documents in one's own name, and to have equality or non-discrimination as a guiding principle of the country's constitution. Progress in reducing these constraints has been dramatic -- half of the constraints documented in the 1960s had been removed by 2010. However, some sticky areas persist where laws have not changed or have even regressed. The paper analyzes potential drivers of reforms. A significant finding is that the relationship with a country's level of development and the extent of its reforms is not straightforward. For the first half of the sample, there was no systematic connection; only in the last 25 years have increases in income been associated with higher probabilities for reform, but only in lower-income countries. With the remaining constraints as prevalent in middle- as low-income countries, increased growth is not necessarily going to spark additional reforms. Clearer patterns emerge from the momentum created by international conventions, such as the Committee to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), women's political representation at the national level, mobilization of women's networks, and increasing labor force participation in sectors that provide a voice for women, which are positive forces for change. Conversely, conflict and weak rule of law can entrench a discriminatory status quo. And much is at stake; strengthening women's legal rights is associated with important development outcomes that can benefit society as a whole.
Contact line instability of gravity-driven flow of power-law fluids

The moving contact line of a thin fluid film can often corrugate into fingers, which is also known as a fingering instability. Although the fingering instability of Newtonian fluids has been studied extensively, there are few studies published on contact line fingering instability of non-Newtonian fluids. In particular, it is still unknown how shear-thinning rheological properties can affect the formation, growth, and shape of a contact line instability. Our previous study (Hu and Kieweg, 2012) showed a decreased capillary ridge formation for more shear-thinning fluids in a 2D model (i.e. 1D thin film spreading within the scope of lubrication theory). Those results motivated this study's hypothesis: more shear-thinning fluids should have suppressed finger growth and longer finger wavelength, and this should be evident in linear stability analysis (LSA) and 3D (i.e. 2D spreading) numerical simulations. In this study, we developed a LSA model for the gravity-driven flow of shear-thinning films, and carried out a parametric study to investigate the impact of shear-thinning on the growth rate of the emerging fingering pattern. A fully 3D model was also developed to compare and verify the LSA results using single perturbations, and to explore the result of multiple-mode, randomly imposed perturbations. Both the LSA and 3D numerical results confirmed that the contact line fingers grow faster for Newtonian fluids than the shear-thinning fluids on both vertical and inclined planes. In addition, both the LSA and 3D model indicated that the Newtonian fluids form fingers with shorter wavelengths than the shear-thinning fluids when the plane is inclined; no difference in the most unstable (i.e. emerging) wavelength was observed at vertical. This study also showed that the distance between emerging fingers was smaller on a vertical plane than on a less-inclined plane for shear-thinning fluids, as previously shown for Newtonian fluids. For the first time for shear-thinning fluids, these results connect trends in capillary ridge and contact line finger formation in 2D models, LSA, and 3D simulations. The results can provide us insights on how to optimize non-Newtonian fluid properties to minimize a fingering instability in many industrial and biological applications.
Inductive trace properties for computational security

Protocol authentication properties are generally trace-based, meaning that authentication holds for the protocol if authentication holds for individual traces (runs of the protocol and adversary). Computational secrecy conditions, on the other hand, often are not trace based: the ability to computationally distinguish a system that transmits a secret from one that does not is measured by overall success on the set of all traces of each system. Non-trace-based properties present a challenge for inductive or compositional methods: induction is a natural way of reasoning about traces of a system, but it does not appear directly applicable to non-trace properties. We therefore investigate the semantic connection between trace properties that could be established by induction and non-trace-based security requirements. Specifically, we prove that a certain trace property implies computational secrecy and authentication properties, assuming the encryption scheme provides chosen ciphertext security and ciphertext integrity. We also prove a similar theorem for computational secrecy assuming Decisional Diffie-Hellman and a chosen plaintext secure encryption scheme.
Management of Hypertension in Older Persons

Antihypertensive therapy has been shown to reduce morbidity and mortality in older patients with elevated systolic or diastolic blood pressures. This benefit appears to persist in patients older than 80 years, but less than one third of older patients have adequate blood pressure control. Systolic blood pressure is the most important predictor of cardiovascular disease. Blood pressure measurement in older persons should include an evaluation for orthostatic hypotension. Low-dose thiazide diuretics remain first-line therapy for older patients. Beta blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin-receptor blockers, and calcium channel blockers are second-line medications that should be selected based on co-morbidities and risk factors. (Copyright© American Academy of Family Physicians.) Permission from the AAFP was granted to publish this article in the hardcopy only. Kindly refer to www.aafp.org or subscribe to the hardcopy of South African Family Practice.
A capsule review of three years of progress in the Sandia Z-pinch program

Summary form only given. In May 1996 modifications began to the PBFA II accelerator at Sandia National Laboratories to produce fast (submicrosecond) plasma implosions, called z pinches, that are driven by intense magnetic fields (/spl sim/1000 Tesla) associated with the large (/spl sim/20 MA) axial currents. The modifications to the water lines, the insulator stack, and the self-magnetically-insulated transmission lines were completed in September 1996, and the first z-pinch-driven X-ray radiation source shot on the new facility occurred on October 2. Today the facility, renamed Z, is the most energetic source of laboratory X-rays and has led to what some have termed a "renaissance" in z pinches for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and defense applications.
The Rise of China and Labor Market Adjustments in Latin America

This paper assesses the impact of the rise of China on the trade of Latin American and Caribbean economies. The study proposes an index to measure the impact on trade, which suggests sizable effects, especially in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Honduras, Mexico, and Paraguay. The paper uses the index and a model of labor mobility, to calculate the impact of China's growth on labor markets in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. The resulting evidence suggests that the rise of China has had positive effects on agriculture and mining in Argentina and Brazil, which offset negative impacts on manufacturing industries, thus leaving total employment and real wages virtually unchanged in the long run. In contrast, the estimated impacts of China's rise on Mexico imply that the sizable shock to manufacturing was not offset by the positive shocks on mining and agriculture, reducing employment in the long run. The paper also discusses the effect of China on the degree of informality in these three economies and contrasts short-run and long-run effects on employment and wages across industries.
La economía política de lo posible en América Latina

Desde la independencia, una de las obsesiones mas persistentes de America fue depender de recetas milagrosas. Del estructuralismo al monetarismo, del marxismo al liberalismo, todo el continente bailo un vals de paradigmas interminable, aclimatando a los tropicos las lecciones y los consensos venidos del norte. No obstante, a lo largo de las ultimas decadas parece venir esbozandose en America Latina una gran transformacion, mas sutil --y tambien mas fragil-- que un simple injerto de paradigmas. Las economias de la region han impulsado uno de los mas notables procesos de reformas de su historia contemporanea, paralelamente a una transicion democratica generalizada. Aunque incompleto e imperfecto, este doble movimiento sincronizado de reformas economicas y transiciones democraticas no deja de ser llamativo.
Incentives and risk-sharing in sharecropping

At least from the time of Ricardo, economists have begun their investigations of how competitive markets work, how wages, rents and prices are determined, by a detailed examination of agriculture. Even today, agriculture is taken as the paradigm-and perhaps almost the only important example-of a truly competitive market (or at least this was the case until the widespread government intervention in this market). For a number of years I have been concerned with how competitive markets handle risk taking, and how risk affects real resource allocation. Risks in agriculture are clearly tremendously important, yet remarkably the traditional theoretical literature has avoided explicit treatment 3 of risk sharing in agricultural environments. The consequences of this are important. First, it makes suspect the traditional conclusions regarding sharecropping. Is it really true that sharecropping results in too low a supply of labour, because workers equate their share of output times the (value of the) marginal productivity of labour to the marginal disutility of work, whereas Pareto optimality requires the (value of the) marginal productivity of labour be equal to the marginal disutility of work? Or is it true, as Wicksell asserted, that there is no distincion between landlords hiring labour or labour renting land? Second, it leaves unanswered many of the important economic questions. How is the equilibrium share determined? Why have some economies (in the past or at present) used one distribution system, other economies used others? Our object is to formulate a simple general equilibrium model of a competitive agricultural economy. (Other general equilibrium models of competitive economies with uncertainty have been formulated by Arrow [2] and Debreu [9], Diamond [10], and Stiglitz [14]. Each of these has its serious limitations in describing the workings of the modern capitalist economy. (See Stiglitz [15]).) The model is of interest not only for extending our understanding of these simple economies but also in gaining some insight into the far more complex phenomena of shareholding in modern corporations. Our focus is on the risk sharing and incentive properties of alternative distribution systems. The analysis is divided into two parts. In the first, the amount of labour (effort) supplied by an individual is given, and the analysis focuses on the risk sharing aspects of