cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Extremal Correlators in the Ads/cft Correspondence

The non-renormalization of the 3-point functions 〈trXk1 trXk2 trXk3〉 of chiral primary operators in N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory is one of the most striking facts to emerge from the AdS/CFT correspondence. A two–fold puzzle appears in the extremal case, e.g. k1 = k2+k3. First, the supergravity calculation involves analytic continuation in the ki variables to define the product of a vanishing bulk coupling and an infinite integral over AdS. Second, extremal correlators are uniquely sensitive to mixing of the single–trace operators trXk with protected multi-trace operators in the same representation of SU(4). We show that the calculation of extremal correlators from supergravity is subject to the same subtley of regularization known for 2-point functions, and we present a careful method which justifies the analytic continuation and shows that supergravity fields couple to single traces without admixture. We ∗e-mails : dhoker@physics.ucla.edu, dzf@math.mit.edu, me@ctpdown.mit.edu, alec m@ctp.mit.edu, rastelli@ctp.mit.edu also study extremal n-point functions of chiral primary operators, and argue that type IIB supergravity requires that their space-time form is a product of n− 1 two– point functions (as in the free–field approximation) multiplied by a non–renormalized coefficient. This non–renormalization property of extremal n–point functions is a new prediction of the AdS/CFT correspondence. As a by-product of this work we obtain the cubic couplings tφφ and sφφ of fields in the dilaton and 5-sphere graviton towers of type IIB supergravity on AdS5 × S5.
Dusty Cloud Acceleration with Multiband Radiation

We perform two-dimensional and three-dimensional simulations of cold, dense clouds, which are accelerated by radiation pressure on dust relative to a hot, diffuse background gas. We examine the relative effectiveness of acceleration by ultraviolet and infrared radiation fields, both independently and acting simultaneously on the same cloud. We study clouds that are optically thin to infrared emission but with varying ultraviolet optical depths. Consistent with previous work, we find relatively efficient acceleration and long cloud survival times when the infrared band flux dominates over the ultraviolet flux. However, when ultraviolet is dominant or even a modest percentage ($\sim 5-10$\%) of the infrared irradiating flux, it can act to compress the cloud, first crushing it and then disrupting the outer layers. This drives mixing of outer regions of the dusty gas with the hot diffuse background to the point where most dust is not likely to survive or stay coupled to the gas. Hence, the cold cloud is unable to survive for a long enough timescale to experience significant acceleration before disruption even though efficient infrared cooling keeps the majority of the gas close to radiative equilibrium temperature ($T \lesssim 100$K). We discuss implications for observed systems, concluding that radiation pressure driving is most effective when the light from star-forming regions is efficiently reprocessed into the infrared.
Biased tracers of two fluids in the Lagrangian picture

Author(s): Chen, SF; Castorina, E; White, M | Abstract: We explore Lagrangian perturbation theory (LPT) for biased tracers in the presence of two fluids, focusing on the case of cold dark matter (CDM) and baryons. The presence of two fluids induces corrections to the Lagrangian bias expansion and tracer advection, both of which we formulate as expansions in the three linear modes of the Lagrangian equations of motion. We compute the linear-order two-fluid corrections in the Zeldovich approximation, finding that modifications to the bias expansion and tracer advection both enter as percent-level corrections over a large range of wavenumbers at low redshift and draw parallels with the Eulerian formalism. We then discuss nonlinear corrections in the two-fluid picture, and calculate contributions from the relative velocity effect (vr2) at one loop order. Finally, we conduct an exploratory Fisher analysis to assess the impact of two-fluid corrections on baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) measurements, finding that while modest values of the relative bias parameters can introduce systematic biases in the measured BAO scale of up to 0.5 σ, fitting for these effects as additional parameters increases the error bar by less than 30% across a wide range of bias values.
Compact convolutional neural networks for classification of asynchronous steady-state visual evoked potentials

Objective Steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) are neural oscillations from the parietal and occipital regions of the brain that are evoked from flickering visual stimuli. SSVEPs are robust signals measurable in the electroencephalogram (EEG) and are commonly used in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). However, methods for high-accuracy decoding of SSVEPs usually require hand-crafted approaches that leverage domain-specific knowledge of the stimulus signals, such as specific temporal frequencies in the visual stimuli and their relative spatial arrangement. When this knowledge is unavailable, such as when SSVEP signals are acquired asynchronously, such approaches tend to fail. Approach In this paper, we show how a compact convolutional neural network (Compact-CNN), which only requires raw EEG signals for automatic feature extraction, can be used to decode signals from a 12-class SSVEP dataset without the need for user-specific calibration. Main results The Compact-CNN demonstrates across subject mean accuracy of approximately 80%, out-performing current state-of-the-art, hand-crafted approaches using canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and Combined-CCA. Furthermore, the Compact-CNN approach can reveal the underlying feature representation, revealing that the deep learner extracts additional phase- and amplitude-related features associated with the structure of the dataset. Significance We discuss how our Compact-CNN shows promise for BCI applications that allow users to freely gaze/attend to any stimulus at any time (e.g. asynchronous BCI) as well as provides a method for analyzing SSVEP signals in a way that might augment our understanding about the basic processing in the visual cortex.
Revision of the ionization energy of neutral carbon

This publication describes a re-analysis of previously published data on neutral carbon (C I). We used critically examined and improved values for the line energies of the absorption spectrum of molecular iodine to calibrate the transition energies of C I absorption lines originating from the 1s 22s 22p3s 3 P°2 level and terminating on highly excited Rydberg states of the 1s 22s 22pnp 3 D 3 series. This series converges on the first excited fine-structure level of the ionic ground configuration. Additional use of improved energy values for the 1s 22s 22p3s 3 P°2 level and for the fine-structure interval of the ionic ground state together with modern fitting techniques lead to a new value of the ionization energy of neutral carbon with 9 times the precision of previous work, 90 820.348(9) cm−1 (equivalent to 11.260 2880(11) eV), as well as a table of predicted values for the energies of unobserved states in the series.
NuSTAR Observations of G11.2–0.3

We present in this paper the hard X-ray view of the pulsar wind nebula in G11.2−0.3 and its central pulsar powered pulsar J1811−1925 as seen by NuSTAR. We complement the data with Chandra for a more complete picture and confirm the existence of a hard, power-law component in the shell with photon index Γ = 2.1 ± 0.1, which we attribute to synchrotron emission. Our imaging observations of the shell show a slightly smaller radius at higher energies, consistent with Chandra results, and we find shrinkage as a function of increased energy along the jet direction, indicating that the electron outflow in the PWN may be simpler than that seen in other young PWNe. Combining NuSTAR with INTEGRAL, we find that the pulsar spectrum can be fit by a power law with Γ = 1.32 ± 0.07 up to 300 keV without evidence of curvature.
Mean curvature flow of star-shaped hypersurfaces

In 1998 Smoczyk [Smo98] showed that, among others, the blowup limits at singularities are convex for the mean curvature flow starting from a closed star-shaped surface in $\mathbf{R}^3$. We prove in this paper that this is true for the mean curvature flow of star-shaped hypersurfaces in $\mathbf{R}^{n+1}$ in arbitrary dimension $n\geq 2$. In fact, this holds for a much more general class of initial hypersurfaces. In particular, this implies that the mean curvature flow of star-shaped hypersurfaces is generic in the sense of Colding-Minicozzi [CM12].
Knowledge Transfer via Dense Cross-Layer Mutual-Distillation

Knowledge Distillation (KD) based methods adopt the one-way Knowledge Transfer (KT) scheme in which training a lower-capacity student network is guided by a pre-trained high-capacity teacher network. Recently, Deep Mutual Learning (DML) presented a two-way KT strategy, showing that the student network can be also helpful to improve the teacher network. In this paper, we propose Dense Cross-layer Mutual-distillation (DCM), an improved two-way KT method in which the teacher and student networks are trained collaboratively from scratch. To augment knowledge representation learning, well-designed auxiliary classifiers are added to certain hidden layers of both teacher and student networks. To boost KT performance, we introduce dense bidirectional KD operations between the layers appended with classifiers. After training, all auxiliary classifiers are discarded, and thus there are no extra parameters introduced to final models. We test our method on a variety of KT tasks, showing its superiorities over related methods. Code is available at https://github.com/sundw2014/DCM.
Image-Based Table Recognition: Data, Model, and Evaluation

Important information that relates to a specific topic in a document is often organized in tabular format to assist readers with information retrieval and comparison, which may be difficult to provide in natural language. However, tabular data in unstructured digital documents, e.g. Portable Document Format (PDF) and images, are difficult to parse into structured machine-readable format, due to complexity and diversity in their structure and style. To facilitate image-based table recognition with deep learning, we develop and release the largest publicly available table recognition dataset PubTabNet (https://github.com/ibm-aur-nlp/PubTabNet.), containing 568k table images with corresponding structured HTML representation. PubTabNet is automatically generated by matching the XML and PDF representations of the scientific articles in PubMed Central™ Open Access Subset (PMCOA). We also propose a novel attention-based encoder-dual-decoder (EDD) architecture that converts images of tables into HTML code. The model has a structure decoder which reconstructs the table structure and helps the cell decoder to recognize cell content. In addition, we propose a new Tree-Edit-Distance-based Similarity (TEDS) metric for table recognition, which more appropriately captures multi-hop cell misalignment and OCR errors than the pre-established metric. The experiments demonstrate that the EDD model can accurately recognize complex tables solely relying on the image representation, outperforming the state-of-the-art by 9.7% absolute TEDS score.
Investigation of Slip Models for High-Speed Centrifugal Compressors

Slip in centrifugal compressors arises from imperfect guidance of the flow by the impeller blades and reduces the work input delivered by the impeller. Slip models are used to predict slip in preli...
P/2019 LD2 (ATLAS): An Active Centaur in Imminent Transition to the Jupiter Family

The recently discovered object P/2019 LD2 (ATLAS) was initially thought to be a Jupiter Trojan asteroid, until dynamical studies and the appearance of persistent cometary activity revealed that this object is actually an active Centaur. However, the dynamical history, thermal environment, and impact of such environments on the activity of 2019 LD2 are poorly understood. Here we conduct dynamical simulations to constrain its orbital history and resulting thermal environment over the past 3000 years. We find that 2019 LD2 is currently in the vicinity of a dynamical "Gateway" that facilitates the majority of transitions from the Centaur population into the Jupiter Family of Comets (JFC population; Sarid et al. 2019). Our calculations show that it is unlikely to have spent significant amounts of time in the inner solar system, suggesting that its nucleus is relatively pristine in terms of physical, chemical, and thermal processing through its history. This could explain its relatively high level of distant activity as a recently activated primordial body. Finally, we find that the median frequency of transition from the Gateway population into the JFC population varies from once every ~3 years to less than once every 70 years, if 2019 LD2's nucleus is ~1 km in radius or greater than 3 km in radius. Forward modeling of 2019 LD2 shows that it will transition into the JFC population in 2063, representing the first known opportunity to observe the evolution of an active Centaur nucleus as it experiences this population-defining transition.
Utilizing left atrial strain to identify patients at risk for atrial fibrillation on ibrutinib

BACKGROUND Ibrutinib is associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), though echocardiographic predictors of AF have not been studied in this population. We sought to determine whether left atrial (LA) strain on transthoracic echocardiography could identify patients at risk for developing ibrutinib-related atrial fibrillation (IRAF). METHODS We performed a retrospective review of 66 patients who had an echocardiogram prior to ibrutinib treatment. LA strain was measured with TOMTEC Imaging Systems, obtaining peak atrial longitudinal strain (PALS) and peak atrial contraction strain (PACS) on 4-chamber and 2-chamber views. Statistical analysis was performed with chi-square analysis, t test, or binomial regression analysis, with a P-value < .05 considered statistically significant. RESULTS Twenty-two patients developed IRAF (33%). Age at initiation of ibrutinib was significantly associated with IRAF (65.1 years vs 74.1 years, P = .002). Mean ibrutinib dose was lower among patients who developed IRAF (388.2 ± 121.7 vs 448.6 ± 88.4, P = .025). E/e' was significantly higher among patients who developed IRAF (11.5 vs 9.3, P = .04). PALS was significantly lower in patients who developed AF (30.3% vs 36.3%, P = .01). On multivariate regression analysis, age, PALS, and PACS were significantly associated with IRAF. On multivariate regression analysis, only PACS remained significantly associated with IRAF while accounting for age. CONCLUSIONS Age, ibrutinib dose, E/e', and PALS on pre-treatment echocardiogram were significantly associated with development of IRAF. On multivariate regression analyses, age, PALS, and PACS remained significantly associated with IRAF. Impaired LA mechanics add to the assessment of patients at risk for IRAF.
Temperature and Solvent Effects on H2 Splitting and Hydricity: Ramifications on CO2 Hydrogenation by a Rhenium Pincer Catalyst

The catalytic hydrogenation of carbon dioxide holds immense promise for applications in sustainable fuel synthesis and hydrogen storage. Mechanistic studies that connect thermodynamic parameters with the kinetics of catalysis can provide new understanding and guide predictive design of improved catalysts. Reported here are thermochemical and kinetic analyses of a new pincer-ligated rhenium complex (tBuPOCOP)Re(CO)2 (tBuPOCOP = 2,6-bis(di-tert-butylphosphinito)phenyl) that catalyzes CO2 hydrogenation to formate with faster rates at lower temperatures. Because the catalyst follows the prototypical "outer sphere" hydrogenation mechanism, comprehensive studies of temperature and solvent effects on the H2 splitting and hydride transfer steps are expected to be relevant to many other catalysts. Strikingly large entropy associated with cleavage of H2 results in a strong temperature dependence on the concentration of [(tBuPOCOP)Re(CO)2H]- present during catalysis, which is further impacted by changing the solvent from toluene to tetrahydrofuran to acetonitrile. New methods for determining the hydricity of metal hydrides and formate at temperatures other than 298 K are developed, providing insight into how temperature can influence the favorability of hydride transfer during catalysis. These thermochemical insights guided the selection of conditions for CO2 hydrogenation to formate with high activity (up to 364 h-1 at 1 atm or 3330 h-1 at 20 atm of 1:1 H2:CO2). In cases where hydride transfer is the highest individual kinetic barrier, entropic contributions to outer sphere H2 splitting lead to a unique temperature dependence: catalytic activity increases as temperature decreases in tetrahydrofuran (200-fold increase upon cooling from 50 to 0 °C) and toluene (4-fold increase upon cooling from 100 to 50 °C). Ramifications on catalyst structure-function relationships are discussed, including comparisons between "outer sphere" mechanisms and "metal-ligand cooperation" mechanisms.
Tensor Decomposition based Adaptive Model Reduction for Power System Simulation

The paper proposes an adaptive model reduction approach based on tensor decomposition to speed up time-domain power system simulation. Taylor series expansion of a power system dynamic model is calculated around multiple equilibria corresponding to different load levels. The terms of Taylor expansion are converted to the tensor format and reduced into smaller-size matrices with the help of tensor decomposition. The approach adaptively changes the complexity of a power system model based on the size of a disturbance to maintain the compromise between high simulation speed and high accuracy of the reduced model. The proposed approach is compared with a traditional linear model reduction approach on the 140-bus 48machine Northeast Power Coordinating Council system.
Two restricted ABC conjectures

Abstract Ellenberg proved that the abc conjecture would follow if this conjecture were known for sums a + b = c such that D | a b c for some integer D. Mochizuki proved a theorem with an opposite restriction, that the full abc conjecture would follow if it were known for abc sums that are not highly divisible. We prove both theorems for general number fields.
On the Einstein condition for Lorentzian 3-manifolds

Abstract It is well known that in Lorentzian geometry there are no compact spherical space forms; in dimension 3, this means there are no closed Einstein 3-manifolds with positive Einstein constant. We generalize this fact here, by proving that there are also no closed Lorentzian 3-manifolds ( M , g ) whose Ricci tensor satisfies Ric = f g + ( f − λ ) T ♭ ⊗ T ♭ , for any unit timelike vector field T, any positive constant λ, and any nontrivial function f that never takes the value λ. (Observe that this reduces to the positive Einstein case when f = λ .) We show that there is no such obstruction if λ is negative. Finally, the “borderline” case λ = 0 is also examined: we show that if λ = 0 , then ( M , g ) must be isometric to ( S 1 × N , − d t 2 ⊕ h ) with ( N , h ) a Riemannian manifold.
Learning a Distributed Control Scheme for Demand Flexibility in Thermostatically Controlled Loads

Demand flexibility is increasingly important for power grids, in light of growing penetration of renewable generation. Careful coordination of thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs) can potentially modulate energy demand, decrease operating costs, and increase grid resiliency. However, it is challenging to control a heterogeneous population of TCLs: the control problem has a large state action space; each TCL has unique and complex dynamics; and multiple system-level objectives need to be optimized simultaneously. To address these challenges, we propose a distributed control solution, which consists of a central load aggregator that optimizes system-level objectives and building-level controllers that track the load profiles planned by the aggregator. To optimize our agents' policies, we draw inspirations from both reinforcement learning (RL) and model predictive control. Specifically, the aggregator is updated with an evolutionary strategy, which was recently demonstrated to be a competitive and scalable alternative to more sophisticated RL algorithms and enables policy updates independent of the building-level controllers. We evaluate our proposed approach across four climate zones in four nine-building clusters, using the newly-introduced CityLearn simulation environment. Our approach achieved an average reduction of 16.8% in the environment cost compared to the benchmark rule-based controller.
Sequencing red fox y chromosome fragments to develop phylogenetically informative snp markers and glimpse male-specific trans-pacific phylogeography

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has a wide global distribution with many ecotypes and has been bred in captivity for various traits, making it a useful evolutionary model system. The Y chromosome represents one of the most informative markers of phylogeography, yet it has not been well-studied in the red fox due to a lack of the necessary genomic resources. We used a target capture approach to sequence a portion of the red fox Y chromosome in a geographically diverse red fox sample, along with other canid species, to develop single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, 13 of which we validated for use in subsequent studies. Phylogenetic analyses of the Y chromosome sequences, including calibration to outgroups, confirmed previous estimates of the timing of two intercontinental exchanges of red foxes, the initial colonization of North America from Eurasia approximately half a million years ago and a subsequent continental exchange before the last Pleistocene glaciation (~100,000 years ago). However, in contrast to mtDNA, which showed unidirectional transfer from Eurasia to North America prior to the last glaciation, the Y chromosome appears to have been transferred from North America to Eurasia during this period. Additional sampling is needed to confirm this pattern and to further clarify red fox Y chromosome phylogeography.
SARS-COV-2 INFECTION AND LONGITUDINAL FECAL SCREENING IN MALAYAN TIGERS ( PANTHERA TIGRIS JACKSONI ), AMUR TIGERS ( PANTHERA TIGRIS ALTAICA ), AND AFRICAN LIONS ( PANTHERA LEO KRUGERI ) AT THE BRONX ZOO, NEW YORK, USA.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged as the cause of a global pandemic in 2019-2020. In March 2020, New York City became the epicenter in the United States for the pandemic. On 27 March 2020, a Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) at the Bronx Zoo in New York City developed a cough and wheezing with subsequent inappetence. Over the next week, an additional Malayan tiger and two Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) in the same building and three lions (Panthera leo krugeri) in a separate building also became ill. The index case was anesthetized for diagnostic workup. Physical examination and bloodwork results were unremarkable. Thoracic radiography and ultrasonography revealed a bronchial pattern with peribronchial cuffing and mild lung consolidation with alveolar-interstitial syndrome, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was identified by real-time, reverse transcriptase PCR (rRT-PCR) on oropharyngeal and nasal swabs and tracheal wash fluid. Cytologic examination of tracheal wash fluid revealed necrosis, and viral RNA was detected in necrotic cells by in situ hybridization, confirming virus-associated tissue damage. SARS-CoV-2 was isolated from the tracheal wash fluid of the index case, as well as the feces from one Amur tiger and one lion. Fecal viral RNA shedding was confirmed in all seven clinical cases and an asymptomatic Amur tiger. Respiratory signs abated within 1-5 days for most animals, although they persisted intermittently for 16 days in the index case. Fecal RNA shedding persisted for as long as 35 days beyond cessation of respiratory signs. This case series describes the clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, and management of tigers and lions infected with SARS-CoV-2 and describes the duration of viral RNA fecal shedding in these cases. This report documents the first known natural transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to nondomestic felids.
Run for your life: an integrated virtual tissue platform for incorporating exercise oncology into immunotherapy

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a novel in silico platform for simulating early-stage solid tumor growth and anti-tumor immune response. We present the model, test the sensitivity and robustness of its parameters, and calibrate it with clinical data from exercise oncology experiments which offer a natural biological backdrop for modulation of anti-tumor immune response. We then perform two virtual experiments with the model that demonstrate its usefulness in guiding pre-clinical and clinical studies of immunotherapy. The first virtual experiment describes the intricate dynamics in the tumor microenvironment between the tumor and the infiltrating immune cells. Such dynamics is difficult to probe during a pre-clinical study as it requires significant redundancy in lab animals and is prohibitively time-consuming and labor-intensive. The result is a series of spatiotemporal snapshots of the tumor and its microenvironment that can serve as a platform to test mechanistic hypotheses on the role and dynamics of different immune cells in anti-tumor immune response. The second virtual experiment shows how dosage and/or frequency of immunotherapy drugs can be optimized based on the aerobic fitness of the patient, so that possible adverse side effects of the treatment can be minimized.
Relations in doubly laced crystal graphs via discrete Morse theory

We study the combinatorics of crystal graphs given by highest weight representations of types $A_{n}, B_{n}, C_{n}$, and $D_{n}$, uncovering new relations that exist among crystal operators. Much structure in these graphs has been revealed by local relations given by Stembridge and Sternberg. However, there exist relations among crystal operators that are not implied by Stembridge or Sternberg relations. Viewing crystal graphs as edge colored posets, we use poset topology to study them. Using the lexicographic discrete Morse functions of Babson and Hersh, we relate the Mobius function of a given interval in a crystal poset of simply laced or doubly laced type to the types of relations that can occur among crystal operators within this interval. For a crystal of a highest weight representation of finite classical Cartan type, we show that whenever there exists an interval whose Mobius function is not equal to -1, 0, or 1, there must be a relation among crystal operators within this interval not implied by Stembridge or Sternberg relations. As an example of an application, this yields relations among crystal operators in type $C_{n}$ that were not previously known. Additionally, by studying the structure of Sternberg relations in the doubly laced case, we prove that crystals of highest weight representations of types $B_{2}$ and $C_{2}$ are not lattices.
Using out-of-sample mean squared prediction errors to test the martingale difference hypothesis

Abstract We consider using out-of-sample mean squared prediction errors (MSPEs) to evaluate the null that a given series follows a zero mean martingale difference against the alternative that it is linearly predictable. Under the null of no predictability, the population MSPE of the null “no change” model equals that of the linear alternative. We show analytically and via simulations that despite this equality, the alternative model's sample MSPE is expected to be greater than the null's. For rolling regression estimators of the alternative model's parameters, we propose and evaluate an asymptotically normal test that properly accounts for the upward shift of the sample MSPE of the alternative model. Our simulations indicate that our proposed procedure works well.
The Evolution of Suffrage Institutions in the New World

Extreme variation in the extent of inequality emerged early across the New World colonies established by the Europeans, and we hypothesized in previous work that these contrasts persisted over time through systematic differences in the ability and inclination of elites to shape legal frameworks to advantage themselves. We find support for this view in how the rules governing the extension of suffrage evolved over time within the United States, and across the societies of the Americas. Polities with labor scarcity and greater equality generally led in broadening the franchise and attaining high rates of participation in elections.
Banks and managerial discipline: Does regulatory monitoring play a role?

Abstract This paper examines the impact of performance, board independence, and regulatory evaluations on CEO turnover in a recent sample of banks. Similar to earlier studies, the results suggest weak performance and greater board independence are positively related to CEO turnover. In addition, poor regulatory ratings and recent rating downgrades are found to have a positive impact on turnover, not fully explained by performance or board characteristics. Finally, the relation between CEO turnover and weak regulatory evaluations is only significant for banks with more independent boards. Overall, the results are consistent with the view that regulatory monitoring enhances managerial discipline in banks but that such discipline may be severely limited in banks with less independent boards.
The Next ‘New Wave’: Law-Genre Documentaries, Lawyering in Support of the Creative Process, and Visual Legal Advocacy

This Article challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about law-genre documentaries. Part I will propose a working definition of law-genre documentaries because such a categorization is a necessary precursor to thinking or writing about the relevance of documentary films to lawyers, law students, and anyone interested in law and the pursuit of justice. The Article will go on from there to describe in Part II the various rhetorical or narrative styles or modes of filmmaking that documentarians employ. Although these styles or modes contribute to the impenetrability of documentary films, an understanding of their limitations can open up documentary films to critical analysis and greater appreciation. The discussion will suggest that reflexivity or introspection on the part of the subjects, the filmmaker, and the audience, all of whom are active constructors of “the reality” reflected on the screen, is the key to interpreting documentary film. Part III will take the analysis beyond reflexivity by suggesting how law-trained viewers constitute a critical “authenticating audience” for law-genre films because of their ability to understand not only the films’ content, but also the context of their making which significantly parallels the role law and lawyering now play in the creative process by which documentary films are produced. Finally, Part IV will describe visual legal advocacy, a form of nonfiction filmmaking done by lawyers on behalf of clients and their causes. An enhanced ability to engage in and respond to visual legal advocacy is the payoff for law students and practicing lawyers who take seriously the study of law-genre documentaries and the role law plays in nonfiction film criticism and production.
Use of Judicial Doctrines in Resolving Transfer Tax Controversies

The striking difference in the outcomes in two transfer tax cases involving similar circumstances raises au important question: what role, if any, should judicial doctrines play in resolving transfer tax controversies? This Article traces the development of judicial doctrines in the sphere of income tax controversies and discusses the role these doctrines have played, and should play, in resolving transfer tax controversies. It concludes that judicial doctrines should serve only a limited role in resolving transfer tax controversies, and that this limited role should be taken into account by the Internal Revenue Service when it enforces compliance, by taxpayers when they plan their estates, and by Congress when it crafts transfer tax legislation.
Security analysis, agency costs, and UK firm characteristics

Abstract The paper examines the monitoring power of security analysts from the manager–shareholder conflict perspective. Our evidence supports the view that security analysis acts as a monitoring mechanism in reducing agency costs for smaller as opposed to larger firms. Moreover, we also find evidence that security analysis has a positive and significant impact on firm value only for smaller firms. These findings support the proposition that, as firms grow larger and more complex, the monitoring activity of security analysis becomes less effective. Our evidence also shows that the monitoring role of security analysts is not restricted to the US capital market environment.
Decomposing Lorenz and Concentration Curves

We decompose the Lorenz curve (LC) and its associated concentration curve (CC) by population subgroups. To illustrate these decompositions, we examine changes in earnings inequality among West Germans, East Germans, and foreign guest workers during the recent German unification. We show that East German earnings have become less concentrated in the lower deciles of the overall German earnings distribution, whereas the earnings of West Germans and foreign guest workers have become more concentrated in the lower deciles.
Employee sentiment and stock option compensation

Abstract The use of equity-based compensation for rank-and-file employees is a puzzle. We analyze whether the popularity of option compensation may be driven by employee optimism, and show that optimism by itself is insufficient to make option compensation optimal. The crucial insight is that firms compete with financial markets as suppliers of equity to employees and that employees’ access to the equity market restricts firms’ ability to profit from employee optimism. Firms must be able to extract some of the implied rents even though employees can purchase company equity in the financial markets. Such rent extraction becomes feasible if employees prefer the stock options offered by firms to the equity offered by the market, or if the traded equity is overvalued. We provide empirical evidence that firms use broad-based option compensation when boundedly rational employees are likely to be excessively optimistic about company stock, and when employees are likely to strictly prefer options over stock.
A Framework for Monetary and Banking Analysis

The paper sets out and analyzes a simple model of money, banking, and price level determination. The model is first used to illustrate recent developments in the theory and analysis of banking, particularly the distinction between the portfolio management services provided by banks and their provision of transactions services. The assumptions are then extended to analyze price level determination in an economy that becomes an inside money economy as high-powered money goes out of use. The paper concludes by discussing the major unresolved questions about banking, money, and price level determination.
OF CABBAGES AND KINGS

Culture and economics provide different attitudes towards the ‘… complexities, confusions and aspirations of human life.’ There are serious tensions between the two belief systems and it is not clear to what extent there can be serious and thoughtful conversations between them.
Semiparametric and Additive Model Selection Using an Improved Akaike Information Criterion

Abstract An improved AIC-based criterion is derived for model selection in general smoothing-based modeling, including semiparametric models and additive models. Examples are provided of applications to goodness-of-fit, smoothing parameter and variable selection in an additive model and semiparametric models, and variable selection in a model with a nonlinear function of linear terms.
Taking Justice Kennedy Seriously: Why Windsor Was Decided "quite apart from principles of federalism

On June 26, 2013, the United States Supreme Court announced its decision in United States v. Windsor,1 striking down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”).2 In this Article, I refute the argument that Justice Kennedy’s opinion for the Court in that case is primarily animated by principles of federalism. Drawing on the arguments that I made in The Tie Goes to Freedom: Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on Liberty,3 I argue
Do Sedentary Behaviors Modify the Health Status of Older Adults

Evidence suggests sedentary behavior (SB) negatively impacts the health of adults but less is known about SB impact on older adult (OA) health. Seventy OA (73.4±6years) living in the southeast region of Wisconsin, United States of America (USA) completed three SB diaries and had risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) assessed. Sedentary behaviors were quantified as time spent in sitting/lying activities. Pearson correlation coefficients, independent samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVA were performed to explore the relationship between SB and health. Older adults engaged in 620.3±91.2min s/d of SB with television watching (144.3±99.8mins/d) being the most prominent. Total SB and television watching were correlated to multiple risk factors for CVD (r=-.241-.415, p=.009.027) and these variables worsened as OA spent more time in those activities. Television watching was the only SB that increased across risk categories of CVD [ F (2,67) =4.158, p=.020, eta squared=.11]. These results suggest SB, especially television watching to be related to risk factors of CVD in OA.
Venture Capital Financing and the Informativeness of Earnings

Are there long-term costs to obtaining venture capital financing? We explore the hypothesis that venture capital backed firms do not efficiently transform to the corporate structure of public firms and have difficulties publicly communicating with arm's length investors. Our results are three-fold. First, we find that, on average, reported accounting earnings are less informative for venture capital backed firms. Second, the informativeness of reported earnings is a decreasing function of venture capitalists' ownership of firm equity and a decreasing function of venture capitalists' board representation. Third, stock prices of venture capital backed firms reflect future earnings to a lesser extent relative to non-venture capital backed firms. Our findings support the hypothesis that venture capitalists manage the flow of public information to capital markets and preserve short-term interests arising from specific investment and ownership horizons. This evidence suggests that the benefits of receiving vent...
International Knowledge and Domestic Evaluations in a Changing Society: The Case of China

Do knowledge and information about foreign countries affect people’s evaluation of domestic situations? Using unique survey and experimental data, this research finds that Chinese citizens with more positive perceptions and especially overestimation of foreign socioeconomic conditions have more negative evaluations of China and the Chinese government. Moreover, correcting socioeconomic misinformation about foreign countries improves one’s evaluations of China, indicating that the causal direction is at least partly from rosier estimation of foreign conditions to lower domestic evaluations. The relationship between domestic evaluations and international political knowledge, as measured by familiarity with political affairs and figures in foreign countries, is typically not significant, although awareness of political instability in other countries can increase satisfaction with one’s own country. These results contribute both substantively and conceptually to the study of politically relevant knowledge and information, and shed new light on the nuances of information flow and opinion formation in changing societies.
Compulsory Whiteness: Towards a Middle Eastern Legal Scholarship

INTRODUCTION 2 I. THE RACIAL IDENTIFICATION OF INDIVIDUALS OF MIDDLE EASTERN DESCENT IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 6 A. Constructing Caucasians 7 B. Confronting the Middle East: Early Contemplations of Racial Belonging 11 C. Negotiating Middle Eastern Racial Status in the New America: Covering, Passing, and the Irresistible Urge Towards Assimilation and Ethnic Denial 17 II. THE MIDDLE EASTERN EXCEPTION: BEARING THE BURDENS, BUT NOT ENJOYING THE PRIVILEGES, OF WHITENESS 23 A. The Myth of Racism as an Historical Phenomenon 23 B. Civil Rights Inchoate: The Rising Tide of Hate Against Individuals of Middle Eastern Descent 25 C. The Middle Easterner as the Other: The Slippery Slope from Friendly Foreigner to Enemy Alien, Enemy Alien to Enemy Race 32 D. Justice Denied: The Judiciary and the Middle Eastern Subject 35 III. ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM 36 A. The Only Thing Worse Than Being Reduced to a Number Is Not Being Reduced to a Number: Quantifying Discrimination Against Middle Easterners 37 B. Defining and Advancing Diversity: The Legal Academy and the Shortcomings of the Extant Literature in Critical Race Theory 38 C. A Middle Eastern Moment? 43 D. A Word of Caution: The Risk of Essentialization 44 CONCLUSION 46
Davidson was Almost Right about Lying

Donald Davidson once suggested that a liar ‘must intend to represent himself as believing what he does not’. In this paper I argue that, while Davidson was mistaken about lying in a few important respects, his main insight yields a very attractive definition of lying. Namely, you lie if and only if you say something that you do not believe and you intend to represent yourself as believing what you say. Moreover, I show that this Davidsonian definition can handle counter-examples that undercut four prominent definitions of lying: viz., the traditional intend-to-deceive definition, Thomas Carson's definition, Don Fallis's definition, and Andreas Stokke's definition.
Originalism and Constitutional Construction

Constitutional interpretation is the activity that discovers the communicative content or linguistic meaning of the constitutional text. Constitutional construction is the activity that determines the legal effect given the text, including doctrines of constitutional law and decisions of constitutional cases or issues by judges and other officials. The interpretation-construction distinction, frequently invoked by contemporary constitutional theorists and rooted in American legal theory in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, marks the difference between these two activities. This Article advances two central claims about constitutional construction. First, constitutional construction is ubiquitous in constitutional practice. The central warrant for this claim is conceptual: because construction is the determination of legal effect, construction always occurs when the constitutional text is applied to a particular legal case or official decision. Although some constitutional theorists may prefer to use different terminology to mark the distinction between interpretation and construction, every constitutional theorist should embrace the distinction itself, and hence should agree that construction in the stipulated sense is ubiquitous. Construction occurs in every constitutional case. The second claim is more substantive and practical. In some cases, construction can simply translate the plain meaning of the constitutional text into corresponding doctrines of constitutional law—we might call this strict construction. But in other cases, the constitutional text does not provide determinate answers to constitutional questions. For example, the text may be vague or irreducibly ambiguous. We can call this domain of constitutional underdeterminacy the construction zone. The second claim is that the construction zone is ineliminable: the actual text of the U.S. Constitution contains general, abstract, and vague provisions that require constitutional construction that goes beyond the meaning of the text for their application to concrete constitutional cases.
Spanning subspace configurations

A spanning configuration in the complex vector space $${{\mathbb {C}}}^k$$ is a sequence $$(W_1, \dots , W_r)$$ of linear subspaces of $${{\mathbb {C}}}^k$$ such that $$W_1 + \cdots + W_r = {{\mathbb {C}}}^k$$ . We present the integral cohomology of the moduli space of spanning configurations in $${{\mathbb {C}}}^k$$ corresponding to a given sequence of subspace dimensions. This simultaneously generalizes the classical presentation of the cohomology of partial flag varieties and the more recent presentation of a variety of spanning line configurations defined by the author and Pawlowski. This latter variety of spanning line configurations plays the role of the flag variety for the Haglund–Remmel–Wilson Delta Conjecture of symmetric function theory.
Verifying greenhouse gas emissions of Annex I parties: Methods we have and methods we want

Despite the hopeful prediction in the New York Times story, we are very far from being able to use satellites to verify compliance with the Kyoto Protocol’s caps on greenhouse gas emissions of Annex I states. The problem is not only one of insufficiently developed or installed technology. “Satellite verification” would also mean changing the current system of reporting-and-review of state emissions, opening it up to independent scrutiny, and making it less forgiving of state evasiveness and ambiguity about emissions than it is now. Some states will be interested in this proposal and others will not. In any event, the current MRV system, built on bottom-up state reporting, will remain the dominant framework of international GHG emissions knowledge for the foreseeable future. To safeguard its own credibility, it must progressively be strengthened. In this article I outline the existing verification regime’s main shortcomings and argue that the most efficient way around them is to incorporate into the current MRV system top-down (satellite and surface) measurements, resolved by modeling software at the state level, and produced by independent scientific experts in cooperation with the UNFCCC.
Valuation of Barrier Options in a Black–Scholes Setup with Jump Risk

This paper discusses the pitfalls in the pricing of barrier options using approximations of the underlying continuous processes via discrete lattice models. To prevent from numerical deficiencies, the space axis is discretized first, and not the time axis. In a Black–Scholes setup, models with improved convergence properties are constructed: a trinomial model and a randomized trinomial model where price changes occur at the jump times of a Poisson process. These lattice models are sufficiently general to handle options with multiple barriers: the numerical difficulties are resolved and extrapolation yields even more accurate results. In a last step, we extend the Black–Scholes setup and incorporate unpredictable discontinuous price movements. The randomized trinomial model can easily be extended to this case, inheriting its superior convergence properties. JEL classification: C63, G12, G13.
A Pecuniary Explanation for the Heterogeneous Effects of Unemployment on Happiness

Why unemployment has heterogeneous effects on subjective well-being remains a hot topic. Using German Socio-Economic Panel data, this paper finds significant heterogeneity using different material deprivation measures. Unemployed individuals who do not suffer from material deprivation may not experience a life satisfaction decrease and may even experience a life satisfaction increase. Policy implications for taxation and unemployment insurance are discussed.