cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The futility of utility: how market dynamics marginalize Adam Smith

Abstract Economic theorizing is based on the postulated, nonempiric notion of utility. Economists assume that prices, dynamics, and market equilibria are supposed to be derived from utility. The results are supposed to represent mathematically the stabilizing action of Adam Smith's invisible hand. In deterministic excess demand dynamics I show the following. A utility function generally does not exist mathematically due to nonintegrable dynamics when production/investment are accounted for, resolving Mirowski's thesis. Price as a function of demand does not exist mathematically either. All equilibria are unstable. I then explain how deterministic chaos can be distinguished from random noise at short times. In the generalization to liquid markets and finance theory described by stochastic excess demand dynamics, I also show the following. Market price distributions cannot be rescaled to describe price movements as ‘equilibrium’ fluctuations about a systematic drift in price. Utility maximization does not describe equilibrium. Maximization of the Gibbs entropy of the observed price distribution of an asset would describe equilibrium, if equilibrium could be achieved, but equilibrium does not describe real, liquid markets (stocks, bonds, foreign exchange). There are three inconsistent definitions of equilibrium used in economics and finance, only one of which is correct. Prices in unregulated free markets are unstable against both noise and rising or falling expectations: Adam Smith's stabilizing invisible hand does not exist, either in mathematical models of liquid market data, or in real market data.
Computing on a free tree via complexity-preserving mappings

The relationship between linear lists and free trees is studied. We examine a number of well-known data structures for computing functions on linear lists and show that they can be canonically transformed into data structures for computing the same functions defined over free trees. This is used to establish new upper bounds on the complexity of several query-answering problems.
The CDF Run II Upgrade

The status of the Run II upgrade to the CDF detector will be reviewed and the future schedule summarized.
Growth Effects of Capital Income Taxes: How much does Endogenous Innovation Matter? *

The paper compares the way economies with exogenous and endogenous innovation respond to capital income taxes. If innovation is exogenous, tax cuts increase saving. If innovation is endogenous, tax cuts increase innovation as well. Faster innovation raises capital productivity and calls forth still more saving. A larger capital stock lowers the discount rate, increases the present value of monopoly profit, and calls forth faster innovation. How large a difference endogenous innovation might make is an open question. We calculate numerical solutions of a model including features of the U.S. tax code that affect incentives to innovate. The results suggest that models with exogenous innovation substantially underestimate long-run effects of capital income taxes.
Numerical Simulation of a Three-Dimensional Flame/Shock Wave Interaction

A three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver for chemically reacting flows is used to study the structure of a supersonic hydrogen-air flame stabilized in a Mach 2.4 rectangular cross-section wind tunnel. The numerical model uses a 9-species, 21-reaction hydrogen oxidation mechanism and employs Menter's hybrid κ-ω/κ-e turbulence model. An assumed probability density function is used to account for the effects of turbulent temperature fluctuations on the ensemble-averaged chemical reaction rates. Results are presented for a configuration studied at the University of Michigan in which the effects of wedge-generated shock waves on flame stability were determined. Computed pitot and static pressure profiles are compared with experimental measurements, and axial density gradient contour plots are compared with experimental schlieren photographs. The highly three-dimensional structure of the flame is described in detail, and stabilization mechanisms are discussed
Rising U.S. Earnings Inequality and Family Labor Supply: The Covariance Structure of Intrafamily Earnings

This paper studies the labor supply contributions to individual and family earnings inequality during the period of rising wage inequality in the early 1980's. Working couples have positively correlated labor market outcomes, which are almost entirely attributable to permanent factors. An intertemporal family labor supply model with this feature is used to estimate labor supply elasticities for husbands of 0.05, and wives of 0.40. This implies that labor supply explains little of the rising annual earnings inequality for married men, but over 20 percent of the rise in family inequality and 50 percent of the modest rise in female inequality.
Development and optimization of NOx storage and reduction catalysts using statistically guided high-throughput experimentation

Abstract The interaction between reaction conditions and catalyst compositions for NO x storage and reduction (NSR) catalysts has been explored using a combination of high-throughput experimentation and experimental design. This was accomplished by varying the concentration of NO and O 2 , the reducing agent concentration and identity, space velocity, and reactor temperature. All reaction conditions were varied simultaneously for a range of Pt, Ba, and Fe loadings on γ-Al 2 O 3 . It was found that most of the reaction conditions investigated affected the saturation NO x storage, the production of nitrous oxide, and the steady state lean NO x reduction. An empirical model was developed using response surface methodology to predict the saturation NO x storage and nitrous oxide production as a function of Pt, Ba, and Fe weight loading. This model was used to optimize the catalytic composition and a comparison between the model predictions and experimental results for the optimized catalysts are given. It was shown that high-throughput experimentation in combination with experimental design leads to more efficient use of experimental resources in addition to a more in depth understanding of catalytic systems.
FUNDAMENTALS OF MEDIA THEORY

Media theory is a new branch of discrete applied mathematics originally developed in mid-nineties to deal with stochastic evolution of preference relations in political science and mathematical psychology. The theory focuses on a particular semigroup of ‘messages’ acting as transformations of a set of ‘states’, called a ‘medium’, whose axioms are both strong and natural. The term ‘medium’ stems from a particular application in which the transformations formalize the effects, on an individual, of ‘tokens’ of information delivered by the environment—that is, the ‘medium’. However, many different types of examples can be found, ranging from learning spaces to hypercube computers, suggesting that this concept is ubiquitous. The paper presents very basic concepts and results of media theory and is aimed at a wide body of researchers in discrete applied mathematics.
Sensitivity analysis of an inverse problem for the wave equation with caustics

The paper investigates the sensitivity of the inverse problem of recovering the velocity field in a bounded domain from the boundary dynamic Dirichlet-to-Neumann map (DDtN) for the wave equation. Three main results are obtained: (1) assuming that two velocity fields are non-trapping and are equal to a constant near the boundary, it is shown that the two induced scattering relations must be identical if their corresponding DDtN maps are sufficiently close; (2) a geodesic X-ray transform operator with matrix-valued weight is introduced by linearizing the operator which associates each velocity field with its induced Hamiltonian flow. A selected set of geodesics whose conormal bundle can cover the cotangent space at an interior point is used to recover the singularity of the X-ray transformed function at the point; a local stability estimate is established for this case. Although fold caustics are allowed along these geodesics, it is required that these caustics contribute to a smoother term in the transform than the point itself. The existence of such a set of geodesics is guaranteed under some natural assumptions in dimension greater than or equal to three by the classification result on caustics and regularity theory of Fourier Integral Operators. The interior point with the above required set of geodesics is called "fold-regular"; (3) assuming that a background velocity field with every interior point fold-regular is fixed and another velocity field is sufficiently close to it and satisfies a certain orthogonality condition, it is shown that if the two corresponding DDtN maps are sufficiently close then they must be equal.
Spin polarization and transition from metallic to insulating behavior in 2D systems

Abstract We have made quantitative measurements of the spin polarization of two-dimensional (2D) GaAs (1 0 0) electrons and GaAs (3 1 1) A holes, as a function of an in-plane magnetic field. The functional form of the in-plane magnetoresistance is shown to be intimately related to the spin polarization. Moreover, for three different 2D systems, namely GaAs (1 0 0) electrons, GaAs (3 1 1) A holes, and AlAs (4 1 1) B electrons, the temperature dependence of the in-plane magnetoresistance reveals that their behavior turns from metallic to insulating before they are fully spin polarized.
New polynomial analogues of Jacobi's triple product and Lebesgue's identities

In a recent paper by the authors, a bounded version of Gollnitz's (big) partition theorem was established. Here we show among other things how this theorem leads to nontrivial new polynomial analogues of certain fundamental identities of Jacobi and Lebesgue. We also derive a two parameter extension of Jacobi's famous triple product identity.
Maxwellian cascade model

Abstract A model for gamma-ray cascade de-excitation of a nucleus derived from the Maxwellian energy distribution function while imposing energy conservation was investigated. Energy distributions and multiplicities and their averages were found over a range of nuclear temperatures and excitation energies appropriate to neutron capture. The model was compared to existing measurements for tantalum, a case where the level density was high and thus a good approximation to the model.
A Tax-Free Exploitation of the Turn-of-the-Month Effect: C.R.E.F.

Abstract By applying knowledge of the “turn-of-the-month” effect investors will improve the risk-adjusted performance of their retirement accounts by using a simple and easily implemented “switching” strategy. Our exploitation of the turn-of-the-month anomaly achieves a 17.7 percent average annual rate of return by switching between a money market account and a broad market indexed stock account. This is compared to a 15.6 percent average annual rate achieved by simply buying and holding the stock account, or a 5.8 percent rate on the money market account. Additionally, volatility is cut in half and there are no tax consequences or transactions fees when the switching strategy is used within a retirement account. Our results suggests that this strategy might be successfully implemented, under current tax laws, in qualified retirement plans and in variable annuities.
ENSEMBLE ANALYSIS OF OPEN CLUSTER TRANSIT SURVEYS: UPPER LIMITS ON THE FREQUENCY OF SHORT-PERIOD PLANETS CONSISTENT WITH THE FIELD

Several photometric surveys for short-period transiting giant planets have targeted a number of open clusters, but no convincing detections have been reported. Although each individual survey typically targeted an insufficient number of stars to expect a detection assuming the frequency of short-period giant planets found in surveys of field stars, we ask whether the lack of detections from the ensemble of open cluster surveys is inconsistent with expectations from the field planet population. We select a subset of existing transit surveys with well-defined selection criteria and quantified detection efficiencies, and statistically combine their null results to show that the upper limits on the planet fraction are 5.5% and 1.4% for 1.0 RJ and 1.5 RJ planets, respectively, in the 3 < P < 5 day period range. For the period range of 1 < P < 3 days, we find upper limits of 1.4% and 0.31% for 1.0 RJ and 1.5 RJ , respectively. Comparing these results to the frequency of short-period giant planets around field stars in both radial velocity and transit surveys, we conclude that there is no evidence to suggest that open clusters support a fundamentally different planet population than field stars, given the available data.
International and Interarea Comparisons of Income, Output, and Prices

This work includes discussions of developments in the United Nations International Comparison Program, the largest effort in this field, and in the ICOP programme on the production side, including efforts in both to extend the comparisons to the formerly planned economies. Other papers in this volume explore the programmes on interspatial comparisons within the United States. There are also theoretical papers on how interspatial comparisons should be made and several examples of uses of such comparisons.
Representability of Hilbert Schemes and Hilbert Stacks of Points

We show that the Hilbert functor of points on an arbitrary separated algebraic stack is an algebraic space. We also show the algebraicity of the Hilbert stack of points on an algebraic stack and the algebraicity of the Weil restriction of an algebraic stack along a finite flat morphism. For the latter two results, no separation assumptions are necessary.
Tradition And Innovation In Cultural Geography

ABSTRACT As a product of initiatives undertaken toward the end of the nineteenth century, cultural geography has been one of the most durable of geographical enterprises. Its persistence can be explained by the continuity of a distinctive set of scholarly preferences. Influential recent developments include new or renewed interest in environmental perception, cultural ecology, and aspects of the cultural geography of the United States. Deficiencies include inadequate concern for the context or rationale of studies of material culture and relative neglect of several topics of inherent importance.
Cell to node projections: An assessment of error

Reservoir simulators typically use cell-centered finite volume schemes and do not model directly the coupling of the flow processes with the geomechanics. Coupling of geomechanics with fluid flow can be important in many cases, but introducing fully coupled geomechanical effects in those simulators is not a trivial issue, because the geomechanics is better done by using the Galerkin vertex-centered finite element methods by which the solid displacements are computed at the vertices of the cells. This creates difficulties in interfacing cell variables with nodal variables. Uncoupled or loosely coupled models are used by many researchers/practitioners by which a reservoir model is coupled to a geomechanical model by staggering in-time flow and deformation via a sophisticated interface that repeatedly calls first flow and then mechanics. The method therefore requires projection of the reservoir cell variables onto the nodes of the geomechanics Galerkin finite element mesh. In this note, we attempt to quantify the errors associated with cell to node projection operations. For that purpose, we use a simple model of the pressure equation for a heterogeneous medium in one dimension. We are able to derive the exact analytical solution for this problem for both nodal and cell pressures. This allows us to compute the errors due to projection analytically, function of meshing refinement and permeability field variations. We compute upper and lower bounds for the errors, and analyze their magnitude for a variety of cases. We conclude that, in general, cell to node projection operations lead to substantial errors. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improvement of respiratory compromise through abductor reinnervation and pacing in a patient with bilateral vocal fold impairment

Objectives/Hypothesis. To determine whether respiratory compromise from bilateral vocal fold impairment (paralysis) can be objectively alleviated by reinnervation and pacing. Methods. A patient with paramedian vocal folds and synkinesis had a tracheotomy for stridor after bilateral laryngeal nerve injury and Miller Fisher syndrome. One posterior cricoarytenoideus (PCA) received a nerve-muscle pedicle fitted with a perineural electrode for pacemaker stimulation. The airway was evaluated endoscopically and by spirometry for up to 1 year. Results. Bilateral vocal fold patency during quiet breathing was reversed to active vocal fold adduction during tracheal occlusion. Peak inspiratory flows (PIFs) were significantly higher (P < .001) after reinnervation. PIFs and glottic apertures increased further under stimulation (42 Hz, 1–4 mA, 42–400 μsec). although the differences were not significant. Conclusions. Based on our preliminary data, PCA reinnervation and pacing offer promise for amelioration of respiratory compromise after paradoxical adduction in bilateral vocal fold impairment. Laryngoscope, 2010
Holographic mutual information and distinguishability of Wilson loop and defect operators

The mutual information of disconnected regions in large N gauge theories with holographic gravity duals can undergo phase transitions. These occur when connected and disconnected bulk Ryu-Takayanagi surfaces exchange dominance. That is, the bulk ‘soap bubble’ snaps as the boundary regions are drawn apart. We give a gauge-theoretic characterization of this transition: States with and without a certain defect operator insertion — the defect separates the entangled spatial regions — are shown to be perfectly distinguishable if and only if the Ryu-Takayanagi surface is connected. Meanwhile, states with and without a certain Wilson loop insertion — the Wilson loop nontrivially threads the spatial regions — are perfectly distinguishable if and only if the Ryu-Takayanagi surface is disconnected. The quantum relative entropy of two perfectly distinguishable states is infinite. The results are obtained by relating the soap bubble transition to Hawking-Page (deconfinement) transitions in the Renyi entropies, where defect operators and Wilson loops are known to act as order parameters.
A Survey About Nothing: Monitoring a Million Supergiants for Failed Supernovae

Extragalactic transient searches have historically been limited to looking for the appearance of new sources such as supernovae. It is now possible to carry out a new kind of survey that will do the opposite, that is, search for the disappearance of massive stars. This will entail the systematic observation of galaxies within a distance of 10 Mpc in order to watch ~106 supergiants. Reaching this critical number ensures that something will occur yearly, since these massive stars must end their lives with a core collapse within ~106 yr. Using deep imaging and image subtraction, it is possible to determine the fates of these stars, whether they end with a bang (supernova) or a whimper (fall out of sight). Such a survey would place completely new limits on the total rate of all core collapses, which is critical for determining the validity of supernova models. It would also determine the properties of supernova progenitors, better characterize poorly understood optical transients (such as η Carina-like mass ejections), find and characterize large numbers of Cepheids, luminous blue variables, and eclipsing binaries, and allow the discovery of any new phenomena that inhabit this relatively unexplored parameter space.
Transportable Charge in a Periodic Alternating Gradient System

A simple set of formulas is derived which relate emittance, line charge density, matched maximum and average envelope radii, occupancy factors, and the (space charge) depressed and vacuum values of tune. This formulation is an improvement on the smooth limit approximation; deviations from exact (numerically determined) relations are on the order of ±2%, while the smooth limit values are in error by up to ±30%. This transport formalism is used to determine the limits of transportable line charge density in an electrostatic quadrupole array, with specific application to the low energy portion of the High Temperature Experiment of Heavy Ion Fusion Accelerator Research. The line charge density limit is found to be essentially proportional to the voltage on the pole faces and the fraction of occupied aperture area. A finite injection energy (?2 MeV) is required to realize this limit, independent of particle mass.
A prospective study of reproductive factors and oral contraceptive use in relation to the risk of uterine leiomyomata

Abstract Objective: To investigate the risk of uterine leiomyomata in relation to reproductive factors and oral contraceptive use. Design: A prospective study. Setting: A cohort of female registered nurses from 14 states in the United States who completed mailed questionnaires in 1989, 1991, and 1993. Patient(s): Premenopausal nurses (n = 95,061) aged 25–42 years with intact uteri and no history of diagnosed uterine leiomyomata or cancer in 1989. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Incidence of self-reported uterine leiomyomata confirmed by ultrasound or hysterectomy. In a sample of 243 cases, 93% of the self-reported diagnoses were confirmed in the medical record. Result(s): During 326,116 person-years of follow-up, 3,006 cases of uterine leiomyomata, confirmed by ultrasound or hysterectomy, were reported. After adjustment for other risk factors, the risk of uterine leiomyomata was significantly inversely associated with age at menarche, parity, and age at first birth, and positively associated with a history of infertility and years since last birth. The only notable association with any aspect of oral contraceptive use was a significantly elevated risk among women who first used oral contraceptives at ages 13–16 years compared with those who had never used oral contraceptives. Conclusion(s): Reproductive factors and oral contraceptive use at a young age influence the risk of uterine leiomyomata among premenopausal women.
Novice Nurses’ Experiences With Palliative and End-of-Life Communication :

Health care providers recognize that delivery of effective communication with family members of children with life-threatening illnesses is essential to palliative and end-of-life care (PC/EOL). Parents value the presence of nurses during PC/EOL of their dying child. It is vital that nurses, regardless of their years of work experience, are competent and feel comfortable engaging family members of dying children in PC/EOL discussions. This qualitative-descriptive study used focus groups to explore the PC/EOL communication perspectives of 14 novice pediatric oncology nurses (eg, with less than 1 year of experience). Audio-taped focus group discussions were reviewed to develop the following 6 theme categories: (a) Sacred Trust to Care for the Child and Family, (b) An Elephant in the Room, (c) Struggling with Emotional Unknowns, (d) Kaleidoscope of Death: Patterns and Complexity, (e) Training Wheels for Connectedness: Critical Mentors during PC/EOL of Children, and (f) Being Present with an Open Heart: Ways to Maintain Hope and Minimize Emotional Distress. To date, this is the first study to focus on PC/EOL communication perspectives of novice pediatric oncology nurses.
Capital Budgeting and Managerial Compensation: Incentive and Retention Effects

This paper considers an agency model in which a firm's manager receives private information about an investment project. The manager has unique skills that are essential for implementing the project, and he can pursue the project inside the firm or as an outside venture on his own. The firm's owner thus faces a potential managerial retention problem, where the severity of the retention problem depends on the project's outside viability. My analysis shows that if the managerial retention problem is not too severe, the owner can delegate the investment decision to the manager and use a residua‐lincome‐based bonus contract to give the manager incentives to work hard and make appropriate investment decisions. If the retention problem is severe, however, then the owner must use an option‐based compensation contract to retain the manager and provide him with appropriate incentives. I also establish that as the managerial retention problem becomes more severe, the owner reduces the rate of return, or hurdle rate...
Total syntheses of the assigned structures of lituarines B and C.

The first syntheses of the structures assigned to the marine natural products lituarines B and C have been achieved via a highly convergent sequence. The structures comprise complex, highly oxygenated 25-membered macrolactones possessing a rare tricyclic spiroketal and a unique (E,Z)-dienamide side chain. Unfortunately, the spectral properties of the synthetic compounds did not match those reported for the natural lituarines. The total syntheses of the assigned structures of lituarines B and C, as well as evidence supporting the structural assignments, are presented in this communication.
Violence against women, social learning, and deterrence

We develop a simple model of sexual and domestic violence. By assumption, the potential victim’s threat to report if she is victimized is not credible, which implies that the only sequential equilibrium involves violence. However, a realistic social learning process converges to a non-sequential equilibrium without violence from all nearby states if the expected punishment for offenders whose victims report to the police is sufficiently high. A policy to increase the sentences for sexual and domestic violence convictions could therefore substantially reduce such violence in the long run, even if it is powerless to make women’s threats to report credible.
Secants of Lagrangian Grassmannians

We study the dimensions of secant varieties of Grassmannian of Lagrangian subspaces in a symplectic vector space. We calculate these dimensions for third and fourth secant varieties. Our result is obtained by providing a normal form for four general points on such a Grassmannian and by explicitly calculating the tangent spaces at these four points.
Finite element for composite plate bending based on efficient higher order theory

A triangular bending element based on an efficient higher order plate theory is developed for symmetric laminated composites. This nonconforming element has five degrees of freedom in each node. It passes proper bending and shear patch tests in arbitrary meshes in isotropic materials. Thus it converges to the exact solution. To demonstrate the element and compare with other theories, finite element solutions are obtained for a static bending problem under sinusoidal loading. The present finite element results give deflections and stresses that are in good agreement with three-dimensional elasticity solutions. Thus this element provides an efficient and accurate tool for the analysis of symmetric multilayered composite plates
An in-vivo experimental study of temperature elevations in animal tissue during magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia.

In magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia in cancer treatment, the local blood perfusion rate and the amount of nanofluid delivered to the target region are important factors determining the temperature distribution in tissue. In this study, we evaluate the effects of these factors on the heating pattern and temperature elevations in the muscle tissue of rat hind limbs induced by intramuscular injections of magnetic nanoparticles during in vivo experiments. Temperature distribution in the vicinity of the injection site is measured inside the rat limb after the nanoparticle hyperthermia. The measured temperature elevations at the injection site are 3.5° ± 1.8°C and 6.02° ± 0.8°C above the measured body temperature, when the injection amount is 0.1 cc and 0.2 cc, respectively. The full width of half maximum (FWHM) of the temperature elevation, an index of heat transfer in the radial direction from the injection site is found to be approximately 31 mm for both injection amounts. The temperature measurements, tog...
Private Income Transfers and Market Incentives

The paper introduces labour supply considerations and labour earnings uncertainty into a parent–child framework in the presence of ‘merit goods’. I investigate the implications of various parental bequest rules on the effort decisions of the offspring, where the parent cannot perfectly observe her child’s market activities. The asymmetry in information and preferences gives rise to a moral hazard problem, and as a result the parent may not fully insure her child because the source of risk is not entirely exogenous. In this case, optimal parental transfers are shown to be state-contingent. Moreover, the child’s effort is higher in the case with a merit good and parental transfers than in the case without a merit good. Goods are not only economic commodities but vehicles and instruments for realities of another order: influence, power, sympathy, status, emotion; and the skillful game of exchange consists of a complex totality of maneuvers, conscious or unconscious, in order to gain security and to fortify one’s self against risks incurred through alliances and rivalry. Levi-Strauss, The Principle of Reciprocity
Transitional Disks as Signposts of Young, Multiplanet Systems

Although there has yet been no undisputed discovery of a still-forming planet embedded in a gaseous protoplanetary disk, the cleared inner holes of transitional disks may be signposts of young planets. Here, we show that the subset of accreting transitional disks with wide, optically thin inner holes of 15 AU or more can only be sculpted by multiple planets orbiting inside each hole. Multiplanet systems provide two key ingredients for explaining the origins of transitional disks. First, multiple planets can clear wide inner holes where single planets open only narrow gaps. Second, the confined, non-axisymmetric accretion flows produced by multiple planets provide a way for an arbitrary amount of mass transfer to occur through an apparently optically thin hole without overproducing infrared excess flux. Rather than assuming that the gas and dust in the hole are evenly and axisymmetrically distributed, one can construct an inner hole with apparently optically thin infrared fluxes by covering a macroscopic fraction of the hole's surface area with locally optically thick tidal tails. We also establish that other clearing mechanisms, such as photoevaporation, cannot explain our subset of accreting transitional disks with wide holes. Transitional disks are therefore high-value targets for observational searches for young planetary systems.
Objective B-fields and a Hitchin-Kobayashi correspondence

A simple trick invoking objective B-fields is employed to refine the concept of characteristic classes for twisted bundles. Then the objective stability and objective Einstein metrics are introduced and a new Hitchin-Kobayashi correspondence is established between them. As an application the SO(3)-instanton moduli space is proved to be always orientable.
Screening plant designs and control structures for uncertain systems

Screening tools are developed which provide nonconservative estimates of the achievable performance in the presence of general structured model uncertainty. These tools allow the rational selection among plant designs, or can be applied to provide recommedations on how to modify a plant design to improve the closed loop performance. Many of these tools are applicable to the pairing or partitioning of inputs and outputs of decentralized controllers. It is shown through examples that ignoring or improperly characterizing plant/model mismatch while selecting among plant designs can lead to erroneous results.
Competitive Parallel Disk Prefetching and Buffer Management

We provide a competitive analysis framework for online prefetching and buffer management algorithms in parallel I/O systems, using a read-once model of block references. This has widespread applicability to key I/O-bound applications such as external merging and concurrent playback of multiple video streams. Two realistic lookahead models, global lookahead and local lookahead, are defined. Algorithms NOM and GREED, based on these two forms of lookahead are analyzed for shared buffer and distributed buffer configurations, both of which occur frequently in existing systems. An important aspect of our work is that we show how to implement both of the models of lookahead in practice using the simple techniques of forecasting and flushing.Given a D-disk parallel I/O system and a globally shared I/O buffer that can hold up to M disk blocks, we derive a lower bound of ?(D) on the competitive ratio of any deterministic online prefetching algorithm with O(M) lookahead. NOM is shown to match the lower bound using global M-block lookahead. In contrast, using only local lookahead results in an ?(D) competitive ratio. When the buffer is distributed into D portions of M/D blocks each, the algorithm GREED based on local lookahead is shown to be optimal, and NOM is within a constant factor of optimal. Thus we provide a theoretical basis for the intuition that global lookahead is more valuable for prefetching in the case of a shared buffer configuration, whereas it is enough to provide local lookahead in the case of a distributed configuration. Finally, we analyze the performance of these algorithms for reference strings generated by a uniformly-random stochastic process and we show that they achieve the minimal expected number of I/Os. These results also give bounds on the worst-case expected performance of algorithms which employ randomization in the data layout.
Computational Geometry Column 42

A compendium of thirty previously published open problems in computational geometry is presented.
Confined Jet Thrust Vector Control Nozzle Studies

Axial and vectored flow behavior of an axisymmetric confined jet thrust vector control (CJTVC) nozzle is studied experimentally under steady-state and dynamic conditions. Pressurized secondary air injection is used to vector the nozzle at various levels of primary (chamber) air pressure. Attention is focused on internal flow characterization, nozzle instability, and the influence of secondary mass flow rate on vectored side force. The overexpanded flow separation point is located during axial test runs and compared to empirical predictions. Side force and mass flow rate measurements suggest that choked secondary mass flow occurs prior to the secondary mass flow rate that generates a maximum side force. Cavity pressure oscillations and nozzle side force response times are investigated to further characterize the dynamic behavior of the CJTVC nozzle. Nomenclature A = area a = cavity acoustic speed D = throat diameter d = cavity diameter F = force / = eigenfrequencies L = nozzle length from throat to exit M = Mach number m = mass flow rate P = stagnation pressure p = static pressure St = cavity Strouhal number, /Trd/a x = axial distance from throat a = conical half-angle y = ratio of specific heats Subscripts a = axial b = cavity downstream of separation e = exit m = circle nodal parameter n = radial nodal parameter p = primary s = side/separation/secondary w = wall
Who pays brokers’ commissions? Evidence from fine wine auctions

As brokers between consignors and buyers, auction houses routinely charge successful bidders a broker's commission—a percent of their successful bids. This study considers the extent to which differences in brokers' commissions are reflected in differences in winning bids in fine wine auctions, drawing upon an unusually detailed collection of auction data for Bordeaux wine and providing a 'natural experiment' for testing the incidence of brokers' commissions. The data allow not only a test of the extent to which the commission charged to buyers is reflected in the buyers' bids but also a reasonably comprehensive explanation of variations in wine auction prices. The results indicate that buyers' premia are capitalized fully into bids so that bids fall accordingly with obvious consequences for the proceeds from the sale. Copyright 2009 , Oxford University Press.
Distribution of the height of local maxima of Gaussian random fields

Let {f(t) : t ∈ T} be a smooth Gaussian random field over a parameter space T, where T may be a subset of Euclidean space or, more generally, a Riemannian manifold. We provide a general formula for the distribution of the height of a local maximum ℙ{f(t0) > u|t0 is a local maximum of f(t)} when f is non-stationary. Moreover, we establish asymptotic approximations for the overshoot distribution of a local maximum ℙ{f(t0) > u+v|t0 is a local maximum of f(t) and f(t0) > v} as \(v\to \infty \). Assuming further that f is isotropic, we apply techniques from random matrix theory related to the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble to compute such conditional probabilities explicitly when T is Euclidean or a sphere of arbitrary dimension. Such calculations are motivated by the statistical problem of detecting peaks in the presence of smooth Gaussian noise.
The Cause of Photospheric and Helioseismic Responses to Solar Flares: High-Energy Electrons or Protons?

Analysis of the hydrodynamic and helioseismic effects in the photosphere during the solar flare of 2002 July 23, observed by MDI/SOHO, and high-energy images from RHESSI show that these effects are closely associated with sources of the hard X-ray emission but that no such effects existed in the centroid region of the flare's gamma-ray emission. These results demonstrate that, contrary to expectations, these hydrodynamic and helioseismic responses ("sunquakes") are more likely to be caused by accelerated electrons than by high-energy protons. A series of multiple impulses of high-energy electrons form a hydrodynamic source that is moving in the photosphere at supersonic speed. This moving source plays a critical role in the formation of the anisotropic wave front of sunquakes.
Vibrational relaxation and recombination of nitrogen and air in hypersonic nozzle flows

The effects of vibrational relaxation and recombination of high-temperature nitrogen and air were investigated in a hypersonic shock tunnel at high flow Mach numbers. The equilibrium temperature and pressure ranges after the reflected shock wave were 1400° to 7000 °K and 100 to 500 psia. Static pressure measurements were made along the axis of the nozzle to determine the freezing of the vibrational mode during the expansion process. Vibrational relaxation times for nitrogen obtained from shock-tube experiments were used to calculate the relaxation length. Once the nitrogen vibrational mode freezes in the expansion region, there is very little exchange of the vibrational energy into the translational and rotational energies, and the static pressures are significantly lower than those calculated for an equilibrium expansion. The nonequilibrium effects for nitrogen are much less than those for air, and the large difference is caused mainly by the presence of oxygen. With air, the reservoir pressure has a large influence upon the departure from equilibrium expansion.
A Theoretical Analysis of the Impact of Adopting Rolling Budgets, Activity-Based Budgeting and Beyond Budgeting

Budgeting accomplishes many goals in an organization and evaluating the potential impact of a change is difficult. I investigate the organization-wide effects of three distinct budgeting alternatives (rolling budgets, activity-based budgeting and beyond budgeting) using a model that incorporates three important budgeting functions: forecasting, operational planning and performance evaluation. From the perspective of the whole organization, each budgeting alternative improves profits. I then examine the department preferences for each alternative when each function is under the control of a different department and each department has its own, department-specific performance metric. Forecasting is judged on the variance of the base demand forecast, operational planning on the expected unit capacity costs and performance evaluation on the salesperson's expected action. In my model all departments always favor rolling forecasts, while only one department always favors beyond budgeting (or activity-based budg...
SEMIDIRECT PRODUCTS AND FUNCTIONAL EQUATIONS FOR QUANTUM MULTIPLICATION

The quantum integer [n]q is the polynomial 1 + q + q2 + ⋯ + qn-1, and the sequence of polynomials $\{[n]_q \}_{n = 1}^{\infty}$ is a solution of the functional equation fmn(q) = fm(q)fn(qm). In this paper, semidirect products of semigroups are used to produce families of functional equations that generalize the functional equation for quantum multiplication.
Financial Slack, Strategy, and Competition in Movie Distribution

Organizations that enjoy some slack are believed to make good use of it in their strategic decisions. Using panel data on firms in the U.S. film distribution industry between 1985 and 2007, this article examines how financial slack affects the volume of new product introductions, the competitive strategies for those releases, and their economic performance. Unexpectedly successful “sleeper” films are exploited as a source of exogenous financial slack in the econometric analysis. The results suggest that unexpected financial slack leads to more product introductions, less marketing support for the new products, and no improvement in performance. These findings are consistent with an attribution process in which managers attempt to replicate extraordinary success even if it is largely random, providing real-world evidence of a mechanism recently developed in theory and laboratory research.
Parasystole with Fixed Coupling

Four examples of spontaneous and six of artificial ventricular parasystole exhibiting fixed coupling of the premature beats were presented. In five cases, one of the pacemakers was located in the S-A node, in four in the A-V junction, and in one at first in the A-V junction and later in the ventricles. The material was divided according to the presence either of mutual protection of the two pacemakers (group I, four cases) or of unilateral protection of the parasystolic pacemaker (group II, five cases). When the rates of both pacemakers are regular and the conditions for impulse propagation remain stable, fixed (forced) coupling of parasystolic beats develops under the following conditions: in group I (with mutual protection) (a) if there is-by chance or by experimental adjustment-a simple numerical relation between the two pacemaker rates, or (b) if subthreshold stimuli become effective only during a short super-normal period of excitability in the early portion of the ventricular cycle; and in group II (with unilateral protection) as a result of a fixed relationship that develops secondarily to the discharge of the dominant pacemaker by the parasystolic pacemaker, a mechanism referred to as "reversed coupling." This mechanism may be combined with that of group Ib.
R&D and Output in a Regulated Vertically Integrated Oligopoly

This paper examines input price regulation’s effects on research and development (R&D) and output in a vertically integrated industry. A single integrated firm produces the crucial input and the output. The non-integrated rival does not produce the input but buys it from the integrated firm at a regulated price. Only the integrated firm engages in cost-reducing R&D. Results show that changes in input price have a negative effect on the integrated firm’s output and R&D. The non-integrated firm’s output response to changes in input price depends upon the slope of the demand curve. The welfare analysis examines the social desirability of such regulation.
Asymptotic Optimality of Equal Power Allocation for Linear Estimation of WSS Random Processes

This letter establishes the asymptotic optimality of equal power allocation for measurements of a continuous wide-sense stationary (WSS) random process with a square-integrable autocorrelation function when linear estimation is used on equally-spaced measurements with periodicity meeting the Nyquist criterion and with the variance of the noise on any sample inversely proportional to the power expended by the user to obtain that measurement.
Competition and Cost Accounting: Adapting to Changing Markets

The relation of competition and cost accounting has been the subject of conflicting prescriptions, theories, and empirical evidence. Practitioner literature and textbooks argue that higher competition generally requires more accurate product costing. Theoretical economic analysis, in contrast, predicts that the optimal level of product-costing accuracy is sometimes higher at lower levels of competition. Results of survey research are inconsistent, suggesting a need for further identification of conditions under which higher competition leads to more accurate product costing. This study shows experimentally that individuals' choices of the level of product-costing accuracy depend not only on the current level of competition but also on the previous level of competition — that is, on an interaction between market structure (monopoly, duopoly, and four-firm competition) and market history (increasing versus decreasing competition). In the experiment, subjects decide on the quantity of data to collect at a pre-set price per datum to support more accurate product-cost estimates. Subjects collect the most cost data (i.e., choose the most accurate product costing) in monopoly, collect the least in duopoly, and an intermediate amount in the four-firm market, consistent with the pattern of optimal cost-data collection in Hansen's 1998 model. The process of convergence to the optimum differs significantly across market types and market histories, however. Subjects who begin in four-firm competition adapt more successfully to change than those who begin in monopoly. The lowest levels of decision performance occur when ex-monopolists face their first competitor: they overreact to this first encounter with competition and overspend on cost data.
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON BOWLS, BASKETS, BALLS, AND TUBES: CHALLENGING TARGETS FOR CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS

The number of unique chemical substances registered by the Chemical Abstracts Service passed the 50 million mark in September 2009. The vast majority of these substances were brought into existence by chemical synthesis, a human activity that has grown immensely powerful and continues to advance at an ever-accelerating pace. It would not be unreasonable for the average layman to assume that chemists must now be able to synthesize everything imaginable; however, that Utopian level of success has not been achieved. Some molecular targets remain beyond the reach of chemical synthesis by present day methods. When fullerenes and carbon nanotubes were discovered near the end of the 20th century, for example, scientists quickly recognized that chemical methods to synthesize such large, curved, polycyclic aromatic structures simply did not exist. Since that time, progress has been made on the development of methods for this purpose, and the present article recounts some of the advances along those lines that have...
Gender bias in power relationships: evidence from police traffic stops

We test for the existence of gender bias in power relationships. Specifically, we examine whether police officers are less likely to issue traffic tickets to men or to women during traffic stops. Whereas the conventional wisdom, which we document with surveys, is that women are less likely to receive tickets, our analysis shows otherwise. Examination of a pooled sample of traffic stops from five locations reveals no gender bias, but does show significant regional variation in the likelihood of citations. Analysis by location shows that women are more likely to receive citations in three of the five locations. Men are more likely to receive citations in the other two locations. To our knowledge, this study is the first to test for gender bias in traffic stops, and clearly refutes the conventional wisdom that police are more lenient towards women.
What is motivic measure

These notes give an exposition of the theory of arithmetic motivic integration, as developed by J. Denef and F. Loeser. An appendix by M. Fried gives some historical comments on Galois stratifications.