cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improving Patent Notice and Remedies: A Critique of the FTC's 2011 Report

In March 2011, the Federal Trade Commission released an eagerly awaited report on the U.S. patent system. The FTC advances a series of recommendations separately aimed at ameliorating the dire levels of notice imparted by most patents and correcting erroneous judicial practices that too-often accompany damages awards for infringement. In this Article, the author explores the material features of the patent crisis and explains the crucial roles played by patent notice and remedies in fueling the same. The Article examines the Report’s probable efficacy, laudable provisions, and material shortcomings. The author concludes that, although its recommendations are generally well founded, the Report is unlikely to have a major impact on the patent system’s most significant problems. It thus appears likely that more significant reforms will be necessary.
Human Capital, Technology Adoption and Development

This paper presents a model of development in which skilled labor is an input in technology adoption. The model combines Nelson and Phelps (1966) type technology dynamics with a growth model in which intermediate goods are used to produce a nal good. The intermediate good producers hire skilled labor to increase their productivity by adopting techniques from an exogenously evolving stock of world knowledge. I solve for the stationary equilibrium and derive analytic expressions for steady state income level and wage premium. In a quantitative exercise, I calibrate the model and compare its predictions with data. The model successfully accounts for cross-country income dierences
Deviation from the target capital structure and acquisition choices.

Abstract This study finds that managers take deviations from their target capital structures into account when planning and structuring acquisitions. Specifically, firms that are overleveraged relative to their target debt ratios are less likely to make acquisitions and are less likely to use cash in their offers. Furthermore, they acquire smaller targets and pay lower premiums. Managers of overleveraged firms also actively rebalance their capital structures when they anticipate a high likelihood of making an acquisition. Finally, they pursue the most value-enhancing acquisitions. Collectively, these findings improve understanding of how firms choose their capital structures and shed light on the interdependence of capital structure and investment decisions in the presence of financial frictions.
A Law Library Journal Centennial Timeline: Highlights from One Hundred Years of LLJ History

Professor Houdek provides a time line highlighting events, actions, and individuals that have played prominent roles in the nearly hundred-year history of Law Library Journal.
Corporate leverage, debt maturity, and credit supply: The role of credit default swaps

Does the ability of suppliers of corporate debt capital to hedge risk through credit default swap (CDS) contracts impact firms' capital structures? We find that firms with traded CDS contracts on their debt are able to maintain higher leverage ratios and longer debt maturities. This is especially true during periods in which credit constraints become binding, as would be expected if the ability to hedge helps alleviate frictions on the supply side of credit markets. The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Society for Financial Studies. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com., Oxford University Press.
The First Disestablishment: Limits on Church Power and Property Before the Civil War

INTRODUCTION 308 I. THE CHALLENGES OF DISESTABLISHMENT 313 A. Seeing Like a Disestablished State: Regulation Through Incorporation 317 B. Incorporated Societies 324 1. The Nature of “Religious Property” 325 2. The Law of Religious Property and Lay Governance 330 II. ENTHUSIASM AND REGULATION 335 A. A Regulated Market for Faith 337 B. Going to Law 342 C. The Trouble with Conscience 344 III. THE CONTAGION OF LAY EMPOWERMENT 347 A. Trusteeism 349 B. Conscience over Clergy 355
Informal Payments in Developing Countries' Public Health Sectors

In many developing countries, public patients offer payments to their doctors outside the official payment channels. We argue that the fundamental reason for these informal payments is that formal prices cannot fully differentiate patients' various needs. We compare patient welfare and social efficiency when informal payments are allowed with the scenario when they are banned. Patient heterogeneity plays a central role in the comparison. Contrary to conventional wisdom, allowing informal payments always improves social efficiency when patients do not face income constraints. Moreover, allowing informal payments improves patient welfare if patients' willingness to pay differs significantly.
Estimation and inference in the case of competing sets of estimating equations

Abstract When there is uncertainty concerning the appropriate statistical model and corresponding estimators and inference methods, we use the Cressie–Read measure of divergence to define a semiparametric estimator, β ¯ ( α ^ ) , that combines plausible estimation problems. This estimation procedure identifies, conditional on the data, an optimal combination of competing estimators for the unknown parameters associated with the alternative plausible structural model specifications. The optimization is handled internally and avoids the tuning parameters usually necessary in problems of this type. To illustrate finite sample performance, an extensive sampling experiment is conducted to demonstrate the adaptive nature of the estimator for an array of data sampling specifications.
Diffusion Models for Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Media Distribution: On the Impact of Decentralized, Constrained Supply

In peer-to-peer (P2P) media distribution, users obtain content from other users who already have it. This form of decentralized product distribution demonstrates several unique features. Only a small fraction of users in the network are queried when a potential adopter seeks a file, and many of these users might even free-ride, i.e., not distribute the content to others. As a result, generated demand might not always be fulfilled immediately. We present mixing models for product diffusion in P2P networks that capture decentralized product distribution by current adopters, incomplete demand fulfillment and other unique aspects of P2P product diffusion. The models serve to demonstrate the important role that P2P search process and distribution referrals---payments made to users that distribute files---play in efficient P2P media distribution. We demonstrate the ability of our diffusion models to derive normative insights for P2P media distributors by studying the effectiveness of distribution referrals in speeding product diffusion and determining optimal referral policies for fully decentralized and hierarchical P2P networks.
Unfit for Duty: The Officer and Director Bar as a Remedy for Fraud

Many commentators have questioned the efficacy of the SEC’s enforcement program in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Some criticize the agency for allowing corporate defendants to settle charges without admitting or denying liability. Others dispute the impact of astronomical fines levied against too-big-to-fail financial institutions. Still others urge prosecutors to bring criminal charges against those who led the failed financial firms to ruin. This Article, written for a symposium on SEC enforcement, focuses attention on an underutilized weapon in the SEC’s arsenal: the power to bar officers and directors of public companies from future service in such roles. Despite longstanding power to seek and impose bars, the SEC seldom pursues the remedy against senior executives or directors of large firms. The bar has the potential to act as a corrective and deterrent device. If sought more widely, the bar could operate both to prevent future misconduct and to express societal assessments of individual responsibility for massive corporate failures. For these reasons, the SEC should look to the bar more frequently as a remedy for fraud. After laying out the case for the increased use of bar orders, the Article recommends changes to SEC enforcement strategies that could help improve the agency’s success rate when seeking bar orders in court.
Venture capital and the incorporation decisions of IPO firms

Abstract This paper investigates whether IPO firms backed by venture capital investors are more likely to incorporate in states that are takeover friendly. Venture capital firms benefit when their portfolio companies are subject to the discipline of the corporate control market. State-level antitakeover statutes diminish the effectiveness of the corporate control market by making firm acquisition more costly. I find that venture capital-backed IPO firms are more likely to incorporate in a takeover-friendly state, such as Delaware. State-level antitakeover statutes are effective takeover deterrents, as my results show that firms incorporated in takeover-friendly states are more likely to be acquired in the five years following their IPO. I also find that firms incorporated in takeover-friendly states have higher Tobin's Q values than firms incorporated in takeover-unfriendly states, suggesting that state-level antitakeover statutes negatively impact firm value.
Diversity and Trade

Abstract We develop a competitive model of trade between countries with similar aggregate factor endowments. The trade pattern reflects differences in the distribution of talent across the labor forces of the two countries. The country with a relatively homogeneous population exports the good produced by a technology with complementarities between tasks. The country with a more diverse workforce exports the good for which individual success is more important. Imperfect observability of talent strengthens the forces of comparative advantage. Finally, we examine the effects of trade on income distribution and the composition of firms in each industry. (JEL F11, D51)
Beyond Retribution and Impunity: Responding to War Crimes of Sexual Violence

Beyond Retribution and Impunity: Responding to War Crimes of Sexual Violence articulates principles for an approach to gender-based violence during conflict and post-conflict that operates within three different meanings of justice: criminal/civil justice, restorative justice, and what I define as social services justice. The article argues that responses to sexual violence must integrate legal and nonlegal, national, international, and local approaches, and must respond to both short and longer-term needs. It focuses on victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during what has been called the First World War in Africa, which occurred from 1996-2003. Joseph Conrad famously wrote about The Heart of Darkness more than a century ago. Today, the Congo is emerging from a devastating war which involved neighboring countries, including Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and Angola. As the Congo undergoes a transition to a democracy, it must grapple with its response to the hundreds of thousands of victims of sexual violence who are still wounded - in so many ways - as a result of the conflict. By focusing on the actual victims of violence, this article articulates a new vision of social services justice. Social services justice adds another dimension to the criminal/civil justice system and to restorative justice (remedies such as reparations and mediation) by focusing on the social, economical, medical, and psychological components of providing justice to victims and moving beyond the two-dimension focus on perpetrator/victim. This new vision of justice is applicable to countries beyond the Congo and to victims of any type of conflict-based violence. This article discusses the contemporary Congolese conflict, providing the context for the sexual violence that has occurred during the war. Next, the article provides a fuller development of the principles that should guide any response to the sexual violence, surveying the possible approaches. Finally, the article provides specific recommendations for a victim-centered approach that reflects and respects community concerns and interests and that also ensures responsibility for perpetrators.
Signaling to the Crowd: Private Quality Information and Rewards-Based Crowdfunding

Problem definition: We consider an entrepreneur designing a fixed funding rewards-based crowdfunding campaign for an innovative product. Product quality is known to the entrepreneur but unknown to ...
Private International Law-Making for the Financial Markets

In his 2004 Chorley lecture, Simon Roberts argued against the modern trend to “loosen the conceptual bonds between law and government.” Roberts is concerned that by expanding the range of what we call law we undermine the meaning of the descriptor. But he is also concerned that “under an onslaught of jural discourse and institutional design, [the] distinctive values of negotiated order, far from being celebrated, are actually effaced.” In financial regulation it is easy to subscribe to this distinction between state-centered law and negotiated rules, whether we describe them as “law” or not. It is common, for example, to distinguish between governmental and “self-regulatory” rules. But this apparent sharp distinction between governmental and self-regulation soon breaks down: self-regulatory organizations often derive—or appear to derive—their [quasi] regulatory au-
The impact of the disposition effect on asset prices: insight from the NBA

In this paper we examine the price movements of contracts that represent bets on NBA games and find that the disposition effect causes significant deviations between contract prices and values. The contracts under examination are listed on Tradesports, a prediction market which provides an ideal venue for testing this and other behavioral theories because of its asset properties, market structure, and the absence of the joint hypothesis problem. In our analysis, we forecast the projected final combined scores of both teams in a contest based on observed within-game scores and game time remaining. At all points in time throughout each game, mean future returns (measured as Ticks to Expiry) should be no different than zero. However, we find that contracts which have fallen off pace to exceed the stated contract total become overpriced and experience negative future returns. Likewise, we provide evidence that contracts on games in which teams are on pace to exceed the stated total become underpriced and experience significantly positive future returns. These findings are consistent with the disposition effect in which traders tend to hold losing positions to avoid realizing losses yet prematurely unwind winning positions to realize gains.
The Courts Are All A 'Twitter': The Implications of Social Media Use in the Courts

Tweet, poke, post, friend, like, blog, link, comment, and share: the opportunities to communicate electronically using social media tools seem never ending. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, and LinkedIn are just a few of the social media sites that allow people to communicate and “connect” with others across the world in seconds. E-mail and sending text messages are two other ways to communicate electronically, but neither e-mails nor text messages can keep up with the speed, accessibility, and popularity of social media. Social media is entrenched in our lives as evidenced by the fact that adult profiles on online social media sites are up from only 8% in 2005 to 47% in 2010. The legal profession has also jumped aboard the social media bandwagon with 40% of judges reporting they are on social media sites and 56% of attorneys reported having a presence on social media sites. Whichever “social networking” or communication method is chosen by an individual, the technology has made that communication instantaneous. Unfortunately, social media communication is also dangerous to the integrity of the courts.
Is the Time Allocated to Review Patent Applications Inducing Examiners to Grant Invalid Patents?: Evidence from Micro-Level Application Data

We explore how examiner behavior is altered by the time allocated for reviewing patent applications. Insufficient examination time may hamper examiner search and rejection efforts, leaving examiner...
Bounded Rationality in Newsvendor Models

Many theoretical models adopt a normative approach and assume that decision makers are perfect optimizers. In contrast, this paper takes a descriptive approach and considers bounded rationality, in the sense that decision makers are prone to errors and biases. Our decision model builds on the quantal choice model: While the best decision need not always be made, better decisions are made more often. We apply this framework to the classic newsvendor model and characterize the ordering decisions made by a boundedly rational decision maker. We identify systematic biases and offer insight into when overordering and underordering may occur. We also investigate the impact of these biases on several other inventory settings that have traditionally been studied using the newsvendor model as a building block, such as supply chain contracting, the bullwhip effect, and inventory pooling. We find that incorporating decision noise and optimization error yields results that are consistent with some anomalies highlighted by recent experimental findings.
The Bullionist Controversy: Theory and New Evidence

The Bullionist Controversy in the United Kingdom is one of the first debates about the determination of the price level and the exchange rate under a paper money standard. Despite the importance of the debate in the development of monetary theory, there remains little empirical evidence that uses modern, multivariate time series techniques. The evidence that does exist provides support for the Anti-Bullionist position. The purpose of this paper is to review the debate and develop a dynamic general equilibrium model that is capable of capturing key features of the 19th-century British financial system. The model is estimated using Bayesian procedures to test the competing hypotheses. The paper provides support for the Bullionist position.
A Psychometric Assessment of the Businessweek, U.S. News & World Report, and Financial Times Rankings of Business Schools' MBA Programs

This research investigates the reliability and validity of three major publications’ rankings of MBA programs. Each set of rankings showed reasonable consistency over time, both at the level of the overall rankings and for most of the facets from which the rankings are derived. Each set of rankings also showed some levels of convergent and discriminant validity, but each has room for improvement, particularly Businessweek, which relies heavily on subjective surveys of students and recruiters, and Financial Times, whose methodology may be simplified and streamlined, ceasing to measure facets that are empirically superfluous. Together the three publications blanket the student process—U.S. News & World Report captures incoming student quality clearly with GMAT scores, Businessweek captures whether the students are happy while at their respective business schools, and U.S. News captures salaries and Financial Times captures return on investment, as short-term and longer term indicators of graduates’ early career successes.
Mowing the Playing Field: Addressing Information Distortion and Asymmetry in the Trips Game

Induced by favorable trade concessions, developing countries seem to be willing to incur some of the costs of enacting and enforcing the new laws necessary to comply with the TRIPS Agreement. The United States and other industrialized nations insist compliance is a small sacrifice. They assert that enforcement of high intellectual property standards imposes only short-term costs and that long-term stimulus of local creativity and direct foreign investment offer the best incentive for developing countries to embrace the TRIPS Agreement. This paper de-mystifies the canonical work inevitably cited for the proposition that a developing country will stimulate foreign direct investment by increasing its intellectual property protection. It's difficult to overestimate the influence of Edwin Mansfield's 1994 paper for the International Finance Corporation, but close scrutiny reveals that its findings have been consistently misread. The developing world should be very skeptical of the Western claim that maximum enforcement of intellectual property laws will inevitably lead to economic prosperity. In the world of intellectual property law, one size does not fit all. Each country must consider it's own unique economic situation in crafting an intellectual property policy that complies with the TRIPS Agreement. The paper examines options available to policymakers most likely to be involved in the compliance process in developing countries. First it looks through the legislative lens and explores the numerous statutory options available to capture welfare benefits offered by intellectual property while reducing the cost to consumers and local industry of complying with the TRIPS Agreement. Next, proposes a role for the judiciary in realizing legislative initiatives. Then, it focuses on the welfare-enhancing ways that intellectual property owners and users can be permissibly regulated by an executive (or agency) function. Finally, it explores the critical diplomatic perspective, and borrowing from the work of Professors Reichman and Lange, suggests strategic initiatives that can enable a nation to "bargain around the TRIPS Agreement." Even if new intellectual property laws do not stimulate investment in - or technology transfer to - a developing country, public/private partnerships have the potential to leverage significant economic benefits. One advantage of examining the TRIPS Agreement from distinct legislative, judicial, executive (or agency), and diplomatic perspectives is what it can reveal about ineffective or non-existent governmental structures in the developing world. The approach taken here not only directly examines the substance of rational intellectual property policy, but also indirectly addresses the structure of effective lawmaking and enforcement.
A Meta‐Analysis of the Effect of Common Currencies on International Trade*

Abstract. Thirty-four recent studies have investigated the effect of currency union on trade, resulting in 754 point estimates of this effect. This paper uses meta-analysis to combine, explain, and to summarize these disparate estimates of common currency trade effects. The hypothesis that there is no effect of currency union on trade is easily and robustly rejected at standard significance levels. Combining these estimates implies that a currency union increases bilateral trade by between 30 and 90%. Although there is evidence of publication selection, there is also evidence of a genuine positive trade effect beyond publication bias.
An Emotion-Based Approach to Freedom of Speech

Free speech law often protects emotional expression. However, we lack an understanding of the scope and limits of protection for emotional expression. This Essay seeks to make progress toward such an understanding because a better understanding and grasp of the nature of emotion itself is crucial to achieving this goal. If we can arrive at an improved understanding of emotions and how they can be expressed, we will be better able to explain when we do and do not constitutionally protect the expression of emotion.
DID THE FIRST JUSTICE HARLAN HAVE A BLACK BROTHER

This Article summarizes the careers of James, John, and Robert Harlan. It then examines the evidence of the blood relationship between Robert Harlan and James Harlan, and speculates on the influence that John Harlan's contact with Robert Harlan might have had in shaping John's views on race. Finally, the Article reflects on the implications of the careers of John and Robert Harlan for our understanding of race in late nineteenth century America.
Can Sharing Be Taxed

The past few years have seen the rise of a new model of production and consumption of goods and services, often referred to as the “sharing economy.” Fueled by startups such as Uber and Airbnb, sharing enables individuals to obtain rides, accommodations, and other goods and services from peers via the Internet or mobile application in exchange for payment. The rise of sharing has raised questions about how it should be regulated, including whether existing laws and regulations can and should be enforced in this new sector or whether new ones are needed. In this Article, we explore those questions in the context of taxation. We argue that, contrary to the claims of some commentators, the application of substantive tax law to sharing is mostly (though not completely) clear, because current law generally contains the concepts and categories necessary to tax sharing. However, tax enforcement and compliance may present challenges, as a result of two distinctive features of sharing. First, some sharing businesses tend to opportunistically pick the more favorable regulatory interpretation if there is ambiguity regarding which rule applies or whether a rule applies. This leads to compliance and enforcement gaps. Second, the “microbusiness” nature of sharing raises unique compliance and enforcement concerns. We suggest strategies for addressing these dual challenges, including lower information reporting thresholds, safe harbors and advance rulings to simplify tax reporting, and targeted enforcement efforts. * Hoffman F. Fuller Associate Professor of Law, Tulane Law School. ** Professor of Law & The Thomas F. Carney Distinguished Scholar, Boston College
Fat tails and spurious estimation of consumption-based asset pricing models

The standard generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation of Euler equations in heterogeneous-agent consumption-based asset pricing models is inconsistent under fat tails because the GMM criterion is asymptotically random. To illustrate this, we generate asset returns and consumption data from an incomplete-market dynamic general equilibrium model that is analytically solvable and exhibits power laws in consumption. Monte Carlo experiments suggest that the standard GMM estimation is inconsistent and susceptible to Type II errors (incorrect non-rejection of false models). Estimating an overidentified model by dividing agents into age cohorts appears to mitigate Type I and II errors.
The Creation and Detection of Deepfakes: A Survey

Generative deep learning algorithms have progressed to a point where it is difficult to tell the difference between what is real and what is fake. In 2018, it was discovered how easy it is to use this technology for unethical and malicious applications, such as the spread of misinformation, impersonation of political leaders, and the defamation of innocent individuals. Since then, these “deepfakes” have advanced significantly. In this article, we explore the creation and detection of deepfakes and provide an in-depth view as to how these architectures work. The purpose of this survey is to provide the reader with a deeper understanding of (1) how deepfakes are created and detected, (2) the current trends and advancements in this domain, (3) the shortcomings of the current defense solutions, and (4) the areas that require further research and attention.
The Unexceptionalism of Evolving Standards

Conventional wisdom is that outside the Eighth Amendment context, the Supreme Court does not engage in the sort of explicitly majoritarian state nose-counting for which the “evolving standards of decency” doctrine is famous. Yet this impression is simply inaccurate. Across a stunning variety of civil liberties contexts, the Court routinely—and explicitly— bases constitutional protection on whether a majority of states agree with it. This Article examines the Supreme Court’s reliance on the majority position of the states to identify constitutional norms, then turns to the qualifications, explanations, and implications of state polling as a larger doctrinal phenomenon. While the past few years have seen an explosion of constitutional law scholarship demonstrating the Supreme Court’s majoritarian tendencies, the most powerful evidence of the Court’s inherently majoritarian nature has been right under our noses all along— its widespread use of explicitly majoritarian doctrine. *Professor of Law, University of Richmond School of Law. This Article benefitted from suggestions made at faculty workshops at Emory, William and Mary, Seton Hall, the Virginia Junior Faculty Forum, and the Southeastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference. Special thanks to Michael Klarman, Barry Friedman, Michael Perry, Bill Buzbee, Robert Shapiro, Neal Devins, Steve Gottlieb, Jim Gibson, Shari Motro, and Jessica Erickson for their insights in developing this piece. THE UNEXCEPTIONALISM OF “EVOLVING STANDARDS”
Idiosyncratic risk and the manager

Abstract We develop a model to characterize and quantify the effects of stock, option, and fixed compensation on a manager’s risk-taking incentive and investment choice. We find the average chief executive officer’s (CEO) compensation contract incentivizes overinvestment by 1.3 percentage points per year, with significant variation across firms and over time. We estimate a value of CEO effort implied by compensation contracts and find it to be strongly related to firm intangibility. Finally, we assess the effects on investment of FAS 123R and a hypothetical ban on option grants and find heterogeneous responses that depend on firm volatility and the prior structure of compensation.
Auditors' Identification with Their Clients and Its Effect on Auditors' Objectivity

This study empirically models auditors' relationships with their clients. The Independence Standards Board (ISB 2000) identified auditors' familiarity with the client as one of five threats to auditor independence. Yet familiarity with the client is necessary for auditors to understand the client well enough to plan and perform an effective and efficient audit. We introduce a theory‐based measure of the extent to which auditors identify with a client, which we then use to directly measure auditors' attachment to the client and the threat of this attachment to auditors' objectivity. The responses of 252 practicing auditors support our theoretical predictions. Specifically, we find that auditors do identify with their clients and that auditors who identify more with a client are more likely to acquiesce to the client‐preferred position. On the other hand, more experienced auditors and auditors who exhibit higher levels of professional identification are less likely to acquiesce to the client's position.
‘Ordinary science intelligence’: a science-comprehension measure for study of risk and science communication, with notes on evolution and climate change

This paper describes the ‘ordinary science intelligence’ scale (OSI_2.0). Designed for use in the empirical study of risk perception and science communication, OSI_2.0 comprises items intended to measure a latent capacity to recognize and make use of valid scientific evidence in everyday decision-making. The derivation of the items, the relationship of them to the knowledge and skills OSI requires, and the psychometric properties of the scale are examined. Evidence of the external validity of OSI_2.0 is also presented. Finally, the utility of OSI_2.0 is briefly illustrated by its use to assess standard survey items on evolution and global warming: when administered to members of a US general population sample, these items are more convincingly viewed as indicators of one or another latent cultural identity than as indicators of science comprehension.
Redefining State Power and Individual Rights in the War on Terrorism

America’s “war on terrorism” initiated after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks has served more than a rhetorical function. It reflects the U.S. government’s considered legal position that it is engaged in an armed conflict against al Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated groups — a conflict of unbounded territorial scope and uncertain, if not perpetual, duration. The United States’ adoption of a war paradigm as a central part of its counter-terrorism policy has had significant consequences. Among the most important has been the expansion of state power at the expense of individual liberties.This Essay explores the impact of the war on terrorism on the detention and treatment of terrorism suspects. It first describes the shift in U.S. policy after the 9/11 attacks and the legal underpinnings of the war on terrorism. The Essay then examines how a war paradigm underlies key aspects of the United States’ approach to terrorism, including: indefinite detention; the use of military commissions in place of the regular criminal courts; and the rendition and interrogation of terrorism suspects. The Essay concludes by exploring the ways in which the war on terrorism has become institutionalized, and the consequences for the state, society, and individual rights.
Base-substitution mutation rate across the nuclear genome of Alpheus snapping shrimp and the timing of isolation by the Isthmus of Panama.

The formation of the Isthmus of Panama and final closure of the Central American Seaway (CAS) provides an independent calibration point for examining the rate of DNA substitutions. This vicariant event has been widely used to estimate the substitution rate across mitochondrial genomes and to date evolutionary events in other taxonomic groups. Nuclear sequence data is increasingly being used to complement mitochondrial datasets for phylogenetic and evolutionary investigations; these studies would benefit from information regarding the rate and pattern of DNA substitutions derived from the nuclear genome. To estimate the genome-wide neutral mutation rate (µ), genotype-by-sequencing (GBS) datasets were generated for three transisthmian species pairs in Alpheus snapping shrimp. A range of bioinformatic filtering parameters were evaluated in order to minimize potential bias in mutation rate estimates that may result from SNP filtering. Using a Bayesian coalescent approach (G-PhoCS) applied to 44,960 GBS loci, we estimated µ to be 2.64E−9 substitutions/site/year, when calibrated with the closure of the CAS at 3 Ma. Post-divergence gene flow was detected in one species pair. Failure to account for this post-split migration inflates our substitution rate estimates, emphasizing the importance of demographic methods that can accommodate gene flow. Results from our study, both parameter estimates and bioinformatic explorations, have broad-ranging implications for phylogeographic studies in other non-model taxa using reduced representation datasets. Our best estimate of µ that accounts for coalescent and demographic processes is remarkably similar to experimentally derived mutation rates in model arthropod systems. These results contradicted recent suggestions that the closure of the Isthmus was completed much earlier (around 10 Ma), as mutation rates based on an early calibration resulted in uncharacteristically low genomic mutation rates. Also, stricter filtering parameters resulted in biased datasets that generated lower mutation rate estimates and influenced demographic parameters, serving as a cautionary tale for the adherence to conservative bioinformatic strategies when generating reduced-representation datasets at the species level. To our knowledge this is the first use of transisthmian species pairs to calibrate the rate of molecular evolution from GBS data.
Comments on Brane Recombination, Finite Flux Vacua, and the Swampland

The Swampland program relies heavily on the conjecture that there can only be a finite number of flux vacua (FFV conjecture). Stipulating this FFV conjecture and applying it to some older work in flux vacua construction, we show that within a patch of the landscape the FFV conjecture makes predictions on the nonexistence of otherwise viable nonperturbative objects arising from brane recombination. Future gains in the direct nonperturbative analysis could, therefore, not only test this prediction but also test portions of the Swampland program itself. We also discuss implications of a weaker FFV conjecture on the counting of flux vacua which predicts the positivity of the brane central charge if the EFT analysis is to be qualitatively trusted.
Symmetries of tropical moduli spaces of curves

We compute the automorphism group $\mathrm{Aut}(\Delta_{g, n})$ for all $g, n \geq 0$ such that $3g - 3 + n > 0$, where $\Delta_{g, n} \subset M_{g, n}^\mathrm{trop}$ is the moduli space of stable $n$-marked tropical curves of genus $g$ and volume one. In particular, we show that $\mathrm{Aut}(\Delta_{g})$ is trivial for $g \geq 2$, while $\mathrm{Aut}(\Delta_{g, n}) \cong S_n$ when $n \geq 1$ and $(g, n) \neq (0, 4), (1, 2)$. The space $\Delta_{g, n}$ is a symmetric $\Delta$-complex in the sense of Chan, Galatius, and Payne, and is identified with the dual intersection complex of the boundary divisor in the Deligne-Mumford-Knudsen moduli space $\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{g, n}$ of stable curves. After the work of Masseranti, who has shown that $\mathrm{Aut}(\overline{\mathcal{M}}_g)$ is trivial for $g \geq 2$ while $\mathrm{Aut}(\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{g, n}) \cong S_n$ when $n \geq 1$ and $2g - 2 + n \geq 3$, our result implies that the tropical moduli space $\Delta_{g, n}$ faithfully reflects the symmetries of the algebraic moduli space for general $g$ and $n$.
Modeling Axonal Plasticity in Artificial Neural Networks

Axonal growth and pruning are the brain’s primary method of controlling the structured sparsity of its neural circuits. Without long-distance axon branches connecting distal neurons, no direct communication is possible. Artificial neural networks have almost entirely ignored axonal growth and pruning, instead relying on implicit assumptions that prioritize dendritic/synaptic learning above all other concerns. This project proposes a new model called the axon game, which allows biologically-inspired axonal plasticity dynamics to be incorporated into most artificial neural network models in a computationally efficient manner. First, we demonstrate that the axon game replicates multiple previously defined pre-synaptic cortical maps. Second, we demonstrate that the axon game integrated with a synaptic learning model similar to the Laterally Interconnected Synergetically Self-Organizing Map (LISSOM), can simulate the interaction of axonal plasticity and synaptic plasticity within one model creating both pre-synaptic and post-synaptic cortical maps. Finally, it is shown that pre-synaptic and post-synaptic maps can be decoupled from one another. This decoupling depends on the relative sizes of dendritic and axonal arbors, and indicates a novel theoretical prediction about how axonal and synaptic dynamics interact.
Oblate electron holes are not attributable to anisotropic shielding

The influence of shielding mechanisms on the ratio of perpendicular to parallel scale lengths of multidimensional plasma electron hole equilibria is analyzed theoretically and computationally. It is shown that the “gyrokinetic” model, invoking perpendicular polarization, is based on a misunderstanding and cannot explain the observational trend that greater transverse extent accompanies a lower magnetic field. Instead, the potential in the wings of the hole, outside the region of trapped-electron depletion, has isotropic shielding giving ϕ ∝ e − r / L / r, with the shielding length L equal to the Debye length for holes much slower than the electron thermal speed. Particle in cell simulations confirm the analysis. Trapped electron charge distribution anisotropy must, therefore, instead underlie the oblate shape of electron holes.
Representations of Motion Groups of Links via Dimension Reduction of TQFTs

Motion groups of links in the three sphere $$\mathbb {S}^3$$ are generalizations of the braid groups, which are motion groups of points in the disk $$\mathbb {D}^2$$ . Representations of motion groups can be used to model statistics of extended objects such as closed strings in physics. Each 1-extended $$(3+1)$$ -topological quantum field theory (TQFT) will provide representations of motion groups, but it is difficult to compute such representations explicitly in general. In this paper, we compute representations of the motion groups of links in $$\mathbb {S}^3$$ with generalized axes from Dijkgraaf–Witten (DW) TQFTs inspired by dimension reduction. A succinct way to state our result is as a step toward a twisted generalization (Conjecture 1) of a conjecture for DW theories of dimension reduction from $$(3+1)$$ to $$(2+1)$$ : $$\text {DW}^{3+1}_G \cong \oplus _{[g]\in [G]} \text {DW}^{2+1}_{C(g)}$$ , where the sum runs over all conjugacy classes $$[g]\in [G]$$ of G and C(g) the centralizer of any element $$g\in [g]$$ . We prove a version of Conjecture 1 for the mapping class groups of closed manifolds and the case of torus links labeled by pure fluxes.
The dynamic of body and brain co-evolution:

We introduce a method that permits to co-evolve the body and the control properties of robots. It can be used to adapt the morphological traits of robots with a hand-designed morphological bauplan ...
FUSE: Multi-faceted set expansion by coherent clustering of skip-grams

Set expansion aims to expand a small set of seed entities into a complete set of relevant entities. Most existing approaches assume the input seed set is unambiguous and completely ignore the multi-faceted semantics of seed entities. As a result, given the seed set {“Canon”, “Sony”, “Nikon”}, previous models return one mixed set of entities that are either Camera Brands or Japanese Companies. In this paper, we study the task of multi-faceted set expansion, which aims to capture all semantic facets in the seed set and return multiple sets of entities, one for each semantic facet. We propose an unsupervised framework, FUSE, which consists of three major components: (1) facet discovery module: identifies all semantic facets of each seed entity by extracting and clustering its skip-grams, and (2) facet fusion module: discovers shared semantic facets of the entire seed set by an optimization formulation, and (3) entity expansion module: expands each semantic facet by utilizing a masked language model with pre-trained BERT models. Extensive experiments demonstrate that FUSE can accurately identify multiple semantic facets of the seed set and generate quality entities for each facet.
Small-angle neutron scattering solution structures of NADPH-dependent sulfite reductase

Sulfite reductase (SiR), a dodecameric complex of flavoprotein reductase subunits (SiRFP) and hemoprotein oxidase subunits (SiRHP), reduces sulfur for biomass incorporation. Electron transfer within SiR requires intra- and inter-subunit interactions that are mediated by the relative position of each protein, governed by flexible domain movements. Using small-angle neutron scattering, we report the first solution structures of SiR heterodimers containing a single copy of each subunit. These structures show how the subunits bind and how both subunit binding and oxidation state impact SiRFP's conformation. Neutron contrast matching experiments on selectively deuterated heterodimers allow us to define the contribution of each subunit to the solution scattering. SiRHP binding induces a change in the position of SiRFP's flavodoxin-like domain relative to its ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase domain while compacting SiRHP's N-terminus. Reduction of SiRFP leads to a more open structure relative to its oxidized state, re-positioning SiRFP's N-terminal flavodoxin-like domain towards the SiRHP binding position. These structures show, for the first time, how both SiRHP binding to, and reduction of, SiRFP positions SiRFP for electron transfer between the subunits.
Diffusion fails to make a stink

In this work, we consider the question of whether a simple diffusive model can explain the scent tracking behaviors found in nature. For such tracking to occur, both the concentration of a scent and its gradient must be above some threshold. Applying these conditions to the solutions of various diffusion equations, we find that the steady state of a purely diffusive model cannot simultaneously satisfy the tracking conditions when parameters are in the experimentally observed range. This demonstrates the necessity of modeling odor dispersal with full fluid dynamics, where nonlinear phenomena such as turbulence play a critical role.
International Harmonization of Product Standards and Firm Heterogeneity in International Trade

As free trade areas have proliferated and statutory tariffs have been dramatically reduced in recent decades, non-tariff barriers (NTBs) to international trade have risen in importance. Destination-specific product standards are one of the major types of NTBs as they impose additional costs on exporters and increase the time required to bring a product to market. This paper examines the response of U.S. manufacturing firms to a reduction of this NTB by looking at the harmonization of European product standards to international norms in the electronics sector. Using a highly detailed dataset that links U.S. international trade transactions to U.S. firms and a new industry-level database of EU product standards, the author finds that harmonization increases U.S. exports to the EU and that this increase is due to more U.S. firms entering the EU market the extensive margin of trade. New entrants to the EU region are drawn mainly from the most productive set of firms already exporting to developing markets before harmonization -the extensive margin of trade composition. These firms are characterized by being smaller and less productive than the firms that were already exporting to the EU before harmonization. Furthermore, harmonization decreases export sales at existing exporters -the intensive margin of trade. These findings are consistent with a model featuring the role of product standards heterogeneity across market destinations and productivity heterogeneity across firms. These results suggest that working toward a harmonization of product rules across markets could be a supportive policy to encourage small and medium size firms' ability to enter new export markets.
Design-Based Ratio Estimators and Central Limit Theorems for Clustered, Blocked RCTs

This article develops design-based ratio estimators for clustered, blocked randomized controlled trials (RCTs), with an application to a federally funded, school-based RCT testing the effects of be...
The Nondeterministic Waiting Time Algorithm: A Review

We present the Nondeterministic Waiting Time algorithm. Our technique for the simulation of biochemical reaction networks has the ability to mimic the Gillespie Algorithm for some networks and solutions to ordinary differential equations for other net works, depending on the rules of the system, the kinetic rates and numbers of molecules. We provide a full description of the algorithm as well as specifics on its implementation. Some results for two well-k nown models are reported. We have used the algorithm to explore Fas-mediated apoptosis models in cancerous and HIV-1 infected T cells.
Superspace formulation of massive half-integer superspin

An explicit form for the Lagrangian of a massive arbitrary half-integer super-spin Y = s + 1/2 supermultiplet is obtained in 4D, $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 1 superspace. This is accomplished by the introduction of a tower of pairs of auxiliary superfields of increasing rank which are required to vanish on-shell for free theories. In the massless limit almost all auxiliary super- fields decouple except one, which plays the role of compensator as required by the emergent gauge redundancy of the Lagrangian description of the massless theory. The number of off-shell degrees of freedom carried by the theory is $$ \frac{8}{3} $$ (s + 1)(4s2 + 11s + 3). For s = 1 our results are in agreement with those obtained in [1].