cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
COVID-19, productivity, and recovery: a nonseparable production function framework

COVID-19 leads to a substantial decrease in the Chinese economy in early 2020. More importantly, the economy's recovery is not immediate; even new COVID-19 cases drop (close) to zero for a few months. I develop a nonseparable production function model to show productivity channel is a resolution to this puzzle. I first establish nonparametric identification and estimation of all the unspecified elements and provide estimators' asymptotic properties. Applying the model to the data, I find COVID-19 lowers current period productivity by 0.101, which then decreases current period output by 2.6%, causing the substantial economic decrease. The decrease of current period productivity reduces next period productivity by 0.084. The low current and next period productivity decrease next period output by 1.9%, causing the slow economic recovery. My estimation results also show that the more the new COVID-19 cases are, the larger the decrease on current and next period productivity and output.
Layered Composite Seals for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC)

A variety of seals such as metal-metal, metal-ceramic, and ceramic-ceramic are required for a functioning SOFC. These seals must function at high temperatures between 600-900°C and in oxidizing and reducing environments of the fuels and air. Among the different type of seals, the metal-ceramic and ceramic-ceramic seals require significant attention, research, and development because the brittle nature of ceramics/glasses can lead to fracture and loss of seal integrity and functionality. This paper addresses the needs and possible approaches for high temperature ceramic-metal seals for SOFC and seals fabricated using some of these approaches. A new concept of layered composite ceramic-metal seal is proposed for fabricating seals among material combinations with significant thermochemical and thermomechanical incompatibilities. Performance of seals incorporating this concept is demonstrated using leak tests.
Emergent Diagnoses from a Collective of Radiologists: Algorithmic versus Social Consensus Strategies

Twelve radiologists independently diagnosed 74 medical images. We use two approaches to combine their diagnoses: a collective algorithmic strategy and a social consensus strategy using swarm techniques. The algorithmic strategy uses weighted averages and a geometric approach to automatically produce an aggregate diagnosis. The social consensus strategy used visual cues to quickly impart the essence of the diagnoses to the radiologists as they produced an emergent diagnosis. Both strategies provide access to additional useful information from the original diagnoses. The mean number of correct diagnoses from the radiologists was 50 and the best was 60. The algorithmic strategy produced 63 correct diagnoses and the social consensus produced 67. The algorithm’s accuracy in distinguishing normal vs. abnormal patients (0.919) was significantly higher than the radiologists’ mean accuracy (0.861; p = 0.047). The social consensus’ accuracy (0.951; p = 0.007) showed further improvement.
Energy Deposition and K-Shell Ionization of Supernovae

We present explicit evaluation of K-shell ionization caused by photoelectric absorption, by Compton scattering, and by electron collisions in supernovae envelopes. Each process derives from the radioactivity that dominates the bolometric luminosity of the model supernovae. We include the ionization by bremsstrahlung. We find that electron-collision ionization with decelerating Compton electrons is the dominant process of K-shell ionization for light elements (lighter than Si) whereas photoelectric K-shell absorption of Comptonized gammas is the dominant process of K-shell ionization for heavy elements (like Fe). The relative importance of the ionization processes also depends upon composition and upon time, as well as upon supernova type. For Type Ia all four ionization sources are of importance. We present fitting formulas for the deposition of radioactive power in each class of models studied. The energy deposition of all mechanisms decreases with time, including the rate of K-shell ionizations of all elements throughout the supernovae model evaluated herein. We compare the relative contributions to the energy deposition and confirm with greater numerical detail results already established.
Serializable programs, parallelizable assertions: a basis for interleaving

Many formal models of concurrent programs are based on the notion of interleaving: in executing a concurrent program, only one enabled action is executed at each step. This notion has both its advantages and disadvantages.
Reforming the Benefit System to 'Make Work Pay': Options and Priorities in a Weak Labour Market

Policies that support the unemployed, while reducing employment barriers and benefit dependency, are of particular interest in the current economic climate. This paper examines alternative policy approaches for combining adequate income support for the jobless with incentives to keep out-of-work spells short. After summarising the main parameters of existing income support measures for the unemployed in EU and OECD countries, I review evidence on the economic relevance of work incentives and discuss their significance when labour markets are weak during and after an economic downturn. Based on the available evidence, I propose a set of policy priorities to strengthen both the "protection" and the "promotion" functions of unemployment support.
A PC-Based Real-Time Digital Control Laboratory

Abstract A software package and a set of controllable systems have been developed for teaching real-time digital control via hardware experiments. This teaching laboratory allows students to apply principles from control-theory courses to actual systems. It is used in a Senior/Masters level course. Control logic is implemented with IBM PC-XTs. A specialized digital control software tool allows the students to code a control law as a FORTRAN 77 subroutine. The software can support up to 2 inputs and 2 outputs, sampling rates up to 300 Hz, nonlinear control, and estimation/full-state feedback. A coupled 2-tank level-control experiment is part of the laboratory. Each student implemented a nonlinear inverse dynamic controller for this system. The nonlinear model was based on tabular experimental data for valve flow rates. Most of the students achieved tank decoupling, linear response over a large operating range, and greatly increased response speed.
An arbitrator looks at grievance arbitration

This article is an overview of the major considerations that are crucial in the thought processes of an arbitrator in deciding a grievance-arbitration case. An arbitrator’s first obligation is to interpret and apply provisions of the labor agreement in a manner consistent with the intent of the parties. Past practices or precedents are often considered by arbitrators to assess the intent of the parties and to decide certain issues. The most subjective area confronting arbitrators is that of fairness and equity, primarily in discipline/discharge matters where just cause must be demonstrated. Most arbitrators apply the preponderance of evidence standard as the required burden of proof in deciding equity matters. Consistency in handling of prior cases and documentation are especially important in an arbitrator’s weighing of evidence. In summary, grievance arbitration is an extension of democratic due process to the industrial and business world.
A Comparative Study of Computer Conferencing and Face-to-Face Communications in Systems Design

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of computer conferencing and face-to-face communications to support the work of student teams in a systems analysis project. The study compares the differences in decision quality associated with the projects accomplished by these teams, such team's confidence in the group decision, and each team's satisfaction with the overall decision process.The research questions were: (1) Will the computer conferencing groups produce solutions of higher decision quality, as measured by group scores for decision quality, analytical strength, technical strength, research base for drawing conclusions, and the effectiveness of the group presentation; and (2) Will the face-to-face groups feel greater confidence in the group decision and greater satisfaction with the group decision process, because of the personal relationships that have been developed, as measured by confidence in the group decision, satisfaction with the group decision process, and peer evaluations of participation of their teammates and effectiveness of their teammates.Based upon the findings, computer conferencing afforded opportunities for handling evaluative tasks more effectively than face-to-face meetings. Computer conferencing offers the benefits of producing better decisions because of broader participation, expression of a wider range of opinions, and greater analysis. Computer conferencing can lower time pressures and create the psychological distance among participants needed to engage in more open, candid exchanges of opinions. Its shortcomings are the time it takes to exchange messages, the increased difficulty of coordinating and clarifying ideas, and the increased time it takes to develop a consensus and to arrive at a decision.
An intermittency model for predicting roughness induced transition

An intermittency transport equation for RANS modeling, formulated in local variables, is extended for roughness-induced transition. To predict roughness effects in the fully turbulent boundary layer, published boundary conditions for k and x are used. They depend on the equivalent sand-grain roughness height, and account for the effective displacement of wall distance origin. Similarly in our approach, wall distance in the transition model for smooth surfaces is modified by an effective origin, which depends on equivalent sand-grain roughness. Flat plate test cases are computed to show that the proposed model is able to predict transition onset in agreement with a data correlation of transition location versus roughness height, Reynolds number, and inlet turbulence intensity. Experimental data for turbine cascades are compared to the predicted results to validate the proposed model.
Citric acid mediated catalytic osmylation/oxidative cleavage of electron deficient olefins: a vinyl sulfone study

Abstract The first broad catalytic dihydroxylation of enantiopure cyclic vinyl sulfones followed by oxidative cleavage of the resulting acyloin provides linear termini-differentiated polyketide fragments. This mild vinyl sulfone cleavage provides an effective alternative to the current ozonolysis protocol.
Regulation and corruption

Higher levels of government expenditures and more regulation naturally invite corruption, because they provide the opportunity for government officials to be paid off for regulatory favors, subsidies, and government contracts. Some countries have relatively large governments but lower levels of corruption. Scandinavian countries offer examples. While institutional differences may explain some of the cross-country differences in corruption, the most consistent relationship is that high levels of regulation are associated with more corruption. When looking at the effect of the size of government, it is the regulatory state, rather than the productive or redistributive state, that is associated with corruption.
Galois groups of Mori trinomials and hyperelliptic curves with big monodromy

We compute the Galois groups for a certain class of polynomials over the the field of rational numbers that was introduced by Shigefumi Mori and study the monodromy of corresponding hyperelliptic jacobians.
Performance and economy of a fault-tolerant multiprocessor *

The FTMP (Fault-Tolerant Multiprocessor) is one of two central aircraft fault-tolerant architectures now in the prototype phase under NASA Langley Research Center sponsorship. 1 , 2 The intended application of the computer includes such critical real-time tasks as "fly-by-wire" active control and completely automatic Category III landings (zero visibility and zero ceiling) of commercial aircraft. The life-critical nature of these tasks and the profit-oriented attitude of airlines translate into some very challenging and sometimes contradictory computer requirements. For example, a candidate computer should be able to execute tasks on time, without significant delays, be extremely reliable, and yet be cost-effective. At a first glance these requirements seem to be in conflict with each other. After all, to meet the performance criteria some sort of parallelism such as multiprocessing capability would be in order. Second, to meet the reliability and safety requirements it would be necessary to use redundancy since no simplex computer could possibly meet the "extremely improbable" failure criterion of the Federal Aviation Administration. The result is a computer that could be very expensive. Yet it may still be cost-effective. The reason is that it is the balance between the benefits and costs that determines the cost-effectiveness of a product; cost alone is not a pertinent criterion. In this paper we intend to show that the FTMP architecture is a viable solution to the multi-faceted problems of safety, speed, and cost.
Summarizing topical content with word frequency and exclusivity

Recent work in text analysis commonly describes topics in terms of their most frequent words, but the exclusivity of words to topics is equally important for communicating content. We introduce Hierarchical Poisson Convolution (HPC), a model which infers regularized estimates of the differential use of words across topics as well as their frequency within topics. HPC uses known hierarchical structure on human-labeled topics to make focused comparisons of differential usage within each branch of the hierarchy of labels. We then infer a summary for each topic in terms of words that are both frequent and exclusive. We develop a parallelized Hamiltonian Monte Carlo sampler that allows for fast and scalable computation.
Uncertainty, Utility, and Understanding

Uncertainty abounds in pedagogy. As such, the effectiveness of intelligent tutoring systems hinges on identifying appropriate actions under uncertainty. I will discuss challenges and opportunities with the use of probabilistic user models in intelligent tutoring systems, drawing key concepts from the broader arena of probabilistic and decision-theoretic user modeling.
Using a GIS for Real Estate Market Analysis: The Problem of Spatially Aggregated Data

Many databases used for real estate market analysis are not available at the address level. For example, information on employment and unemployment may be available only for labor market areas; and...
Ecological theory and biological control

Successful classical biological control in long-lived ecosystems occurs when an imported natural enemy keeps the density of the alien pest insect below the density at which it causes economic damage. It has been generally accepted for some 75 years that such enemies establish a low stable equilibrium pest density and maintain it by imposing density-dependent mortality on the pest. In recent years it has been suggested that success typically involves aggregation by the enemy, perhaps to those patches that contain more pests. This theory is embodied in Nicholson-Bailey models of the parasitoid-host interaction.
Synthesis and conformational analysis of α,α-difluoroalkyl heteroaryl ethers

We report the efficient synthesis of difluoroalkyl aryl ethers from the rearrangement of heteroaryl ketones and aldehydes, mediated by xenon difluoride and HF/pyridine in methylene chloride at room temperature. Computational analysis of difluoroalkylethers shows that there is potential to allow access to conformational space not accessible to the hydrogenated parent.
The Economic History of the American Economic Review : A Century's Explosion of Economics Research

Written in celebration of the upcoming 100th anniversary of the American Economic Review (February 2011), this paper recounts the history of the journal. The recounting has an analytic core that sees the American Economic Association as an organization supplying goods and services to its members, one of which is the AER. Early in its history the AER was a multi-purpose publication with highly disparate content. Over time the economics profession expanded and more economics research was produced, primarily in the form of journal articles. The AER accommodated this shift by allocating more resources to the refereeing and editing process and more space, absolutely and relatively, in the AER to research papers. Historically, the latter was accomplished mostly by moving other content (for example, book reviews) out most of which the AEA continued to supply elsewhere. Despite these shifts, the ratio of papers published in the AER to those submitted - a proxy for the acceptance rate - has declined precipitously over the past half-century.
Does Transparency Lead to Pay Compression

This paper asks whether pay disclosure in the public sector changes wage setting at the top of the distribution. I examine a 2010 California mandate that required municipal salaries to be posted on...
Phenomenology of the minimal SO(10) SUSY model

In this talk I define what I call the minimalSO(10) SUSY model. I then discuss the phenomenological consequences of this theory, vis-a-vis gauge and Yukawa coupling unification, Higgs and super-particle masses, the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, the decayBs → μ+ itμ− and dark matter.
Efficient ‘myopic’ asset pricing in general equilibrium: A potential pitfall in excess volatility tests

Abstract Excess volatility tests for financial market efficiency maintain the hypothesis of risk neutrality. This permits the specification of the benchmark efficient market price as the present discounted value of expected future dividends. By departing from the risk neutrality assumption in a stripped-down version of Lucas's general equilibrium asset pricing model, I show that asset prices determined in a competitive asset market and efficient by construction can nevertheless violate the variance bounds established under the assumption of risk neutrality. This can occur even without the problems of non-stationarity (including bubbles) and finite samples. Standard excess volatility tests are joint tests of market efficiency and risk neutrality. Failure of an asset price to pass the test may be due to the absence of risk neutrality rather than to market inefficiency.
The Structure of the Solar Core

The Apollo and Galileo missions provided unambiguous evidence that the Sun is iron-rich. New experimental measurements and theoretical studies are now needed to build a framework for understanding the source of solar luminosity, neutrinos and mono-isotopic hydrogen coming from the Sun. Specifically, measurements are needed of the low energy (E < 0.782 MeV) anti-neutrinos that would be produced if neutron-decay is occurring near the core of the Sun and a theoretical basis is needed to understand empirical evidence of a) repulsive interactions between like nucleons, b) clustering of nucleons, and c) possible neutron penetration of the gravitational barrier surrounding a neutron star.
String without Strings

Scale invariance provides a principled reason for the physical importance of Hilbert space, the Virasoro algebra, the string mode expansion, canonical commutators and Schrodinger evolution of states, independent of the assumptions of string theory and quantum theory. The usual properties of dimensionful fields imply an infinite, projective tower of conformal weights associated with the tangent space to scale-invariant spacetimes. Convergence and measurability on this tangent tower are guaranteed using a scale-invariant norm, restricted to conformally self-dual vectors. Maps on the resulting Hilbert space are correspondingly restricted to semi-definite conformal weight. We find the maximally- and minimally-commuting, complete Lie algebras of definite-weight operators. The projective symmetry of the tower gives these algebras central charges, giving the canonical commutator and quantum Virasoro algebras, respectively. Using a continuous, m-parameter representation for rank-m tower tensors, we show that the parallel transport equation for the momentum-vector of a particle is the Schrodinger equation, while the associated definite-weight operators obey canonical commutation relations. Generalizing to the set of integral curves of general timelike, self-dual vector-valued weight maps gives a lifting such that the action of the curves parallel transports arbitrary tower vectors. We prove that the full set of Schrodinger-lifted integral curves of a general self-dual map gives an immersion of its 2-dim parameter space into spacetime, inducing a Lorentzian metric on the parameter space. This immersion is shown to satisfy the full variational equations of open string.
Adoption studies of alcoholism.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the adoption studies of alcoholism. A Danish-American team of investigators over a six year period has conducted a series of studies exploring the possibility that alcoholism may have a genetic component. The studies utilized a unique group of adoptees who had a biological parent with a hospital diagnosis of alcoholism. Compared to controls, sons of the alcoholics were about four times more likely to be alcoholic but no more likely to be heavy drinkers or have other psychiatric disorders. This increased rate of alcoholism applied whether the sons were raised by their own alcoholic parents or by nonalcoholic foster parents. Daughters of alcoholics were more likely to be depressed than were controls, but only when they had been raised by their alcoholic parent. Daughters of alcoholics raised by foster parents were no more likely to have a history of depression than were controls. There was some indication that daughters of alcoholics were more prone to alcoholism than were women in the general population, but this also appeared true of women adoptees in the control group, and no definite conclusion could be drawn about a genetic predisposition of alcoholism in women.
Adaptive Bound Optimization for Online Convex Optimization

We introduce a new online convex optimization algorithm that adaptively chooses its regularization function based on the loss functions observed so far. This is in contrast to previous algorithms that use a fixed regularization function such as L2-squared, and modify it only via a single time-dependent parameter. Our algorithm’s regret bounds are worst-case optimal, and for certain realistic classes of loss functions they are much better than existing bounds. These bounds are problem-dependent, which means they can exploit the structure of the actual problem instance. Critically, however, our algorithm does not need to know this structure in advance. Rather, we prove competitive guarantees that show the algorithm provides a bound within a constant factor of the best possible bound (of a certain functional form) in hindsight.
Does Contract Enforcement Limit the Distribution of Bargaining Power? An Experimental Study

In more consolidated markets where asymmetric bargaining power leaves one party with small contract rents, policies that attempt to balance bargaining power may be implemented. The economic eects of such policies depend on the degree of legal enforcement. This paper examines how redistributing bargaining power among sellers and buyers aects long-term relationships when third party enforcement is partially and fully absent. I implement an experimental design that adjusts the bargaining power of sellers and the enforceability of the contract. I nd that bargaining
New Results in Linear Cryptanalysis of RC5

We show that the linear cryptanalytic attack on RC5 that was published by Kaliski and Yin at Crypto'95 does not work as expected due to the failure of some hidden assumptions involved. Then we present new linear attacks on RC5. Our attacks use the same linear approximation as the one used by Kaliski and Yin. Therefore, the plaintext requirement of our attack is around 4w2r-2 which is impractically high for reasonably high values of w and r. These new attacks has also significances beyond the linear cryptanalysis of RC5 to show how linear cryptanalysis can carry on when the approximation used has a non-zero bias for the wrong key values. We also discuss certain issues about linear cryptanalysis of RC5 that need to be resolved for a better linear attack.
Results in 138 cases of endometriosis treated by conservative surgery

Abstract 1. 1. One hundred thirty-eight cases of pelvic endometriosis, treated by laparotomy which conserved childbearing ability, are reviewed. 2. 2. Sixty-eight of these cases, or 49.3 per cent, were relieved of symptoms; 29, or 21 per cent, were partially relieved; and 41, or 29.7 per cent, were failures, requiring later radical surgery or radiation. 3. 3. One hundred twelve patients in the series were married and under 40 years of age; of these, 30, or 26.8 per cent, delivered a total of 39 living children. The average interval between operation and delivery was 2.7 years. 4. 4. The prognosis for symptomatic relief and future pregnancy does not seem to be affected by age, symptomatology, the location and extent of the disease, or the magnitude of the conservative operation performed.
Of (UN) Equal Jurisprudential Pedigree: Rectifying The Imbalance Between Neutrality and Separationism

The Supreme Court's recent Establishment Clause decisions have framed neutrality and separationistn as competing principles. A plurality of the Court views evenhanded neutrality as the superior principle over separationism and the controlling model for Religion Clause adjudication generally. A bare majority insists that the two principles are of equal jurisprudential pedigree. So framed, neutrality and separationism have been placed on an apparent collision course, forcing Supreme Court justices as well as church-state scholars to choose between one principle or the other. This Article proposes an alternative view of the relationship between separationism and neutrality. When viewed within its proper role and function, neutrality serves as an adjunct to separationist'', and can only contribute a value consistent with the history and purpose of the religion clauses by existing as a subordinate principle.
Using Saturation to Stabilize a Class of Single-Input Partially Linear Composite Systems

Abstract We employ linear plus small bounded controls to achieve new global (semi-global) stabilization results for single-input nonlinear systems that are not necessarily feedback linearizable and not minimum phase.
On solving the partial MAX-SAT problem

Boolean Satisfiability (SAT) has seen many successful applications in various fields such as Electronic Design Automation and Artificial Intelligence. However, in some cases, it may be required/preferable to use variations of the general SAT problem. In this paper, we consider one important variation, the Partial MAX-SAT problem. Unlike SAT, Partial MAX-SAT has certain constraints (clauses) that are marked as relaxable and the rest are hard, i.e. non-relaxable. The objective is to find a variable assignment that satisfies all non-relaxable clauses together with the maximum number of relaxable ones. We have implemented two solvers for the Partial MAX-SAT problem using a contemporary SAT solver, zChaff. The first approach is a novel diagnosis based algorithm; it iteratively analyzes the UNSAT core of the current SAT instance and eliminates the core through a modification of the problem instance by adding relaxation variables. The second approach is encoding based; it constructs an efficient auxiliary counter that constrains the number of relaxed clauses and supports binary search or linear scan for the optimal solution. Both solvers are complete as they guarantee the optimality of the solution. We discuss the relative strengths and thus applicability of the two solvers for different solution scenarios. Further, we show how both techniques benefit from the persistent learning techniques of incremental SAT. Experiments using practical instances of this problem show significant improvements over the best known solvers.
Plausibility measures: a user's guide

We examine a new approach to modeling uncertainty based on plausibility measures, where a plausibility measure just associates with an event its plausibility, an element is some partially ordered set. This approach is easily seen to generalize other approaches to modeling uncertainty, such as probability measures, belief functions, and possibility measures. The lack of structure in a plausibility measure makes it easy for us to add structure on an "as needed" basis, letting us examine what is required to ensure that a plausibility measure has certain properties of interest. This gives us insight into the essential features of the properties in question, while allowing us to prove general results that apply to many approaches to reasoning about uncertainty. Plausibility measures have already proved useful in analyzing default reasoning. In this paper, we examine their "algebraic properties", analogues to the use of + and × in probability theory. An understanding of such properties will be essential if plausibility measures are to be used in practice as a representation tool.
How to Make the Fine Fit the Corporate Crime? An Analysis of Static and Dynamic Optimal Punishment Theories

Abstract This paper investigates dynamic optimal punishment theory. Previous studies of optimal punishment theory have all been confined to a static setup. The most celebrated result in the literature is Becker's (1968) optimal punishment theory, which states that the optimal fine should be a multiple of the social cost of the crime. I show that this result is no longer valid in a dynamic environment. The implications of the dynamic model of optimal punishment are found to be strikingly different from those of the static model.
The Speed of Gasoline Price Response in Markets With and Without Edgeworth Cycles

Retail gasoline prices are known to respond fairly slowly to wholesale price changes. This does not appear to be true for markets with Edgeworth price cycles. Recently, many retail gasoline markets in the midwestern U.S. and in other countries have been shown to exhibit price cycles, in which competition generates rapid cyclical retail price movements. We show that cost changes in cycling markets are passed on 2 to 3 times faster than in markets without cycles. We argue that the constant price movement inherent within the Edgeworth cycle eliminates price frictions and allows firms to pass on cost fluctuations more easily.
Statistical discrimination with neighborhood effects: Can integration eliminate negative stereotypes?

We introduce neighborhood effects in the costs of human capital acquisition into a model of statistical discrimination in labor markets. This creates a link between the level of segregation and the likelihood and extent of statistical discrimination. As long as negative stereotypes persist in the face of increasing integration, skill levels rise in the disadvantaged group and fall in the advantaged group. If integration proceeds beyond some threshold, however, there can be a qualitative change in the set of equilibria, with negative stereotypes becoming unsustainable and skill levels in both groups changing significantly. This change can work in either direction: skill levels may rise in both groups, or fall in both groups. Which of these outcomes arises depends on the population share of the disadvantaged group, and on the curvature of the relationship between neighborhood quality and the costs of human capital accumulation.
The Initialization Problem in Quantum Computing

The problem of initializing phase in a quantum computing system is considered. The initialization of phases is a problem when the system is initially present in a superposition state as well as in the application of the quantum gate transformations, since each gate will introduce phase uncertainty. The accumulation of these random phases will reduce the effectiveness of the recently proposed quantum computing schemes. The paper also presents general observations on the nonlocal nature of quantum errors and the expected performance of the recently proposed quantum error-correction codes that are based on the assumption that the errors are either bit-flip or phase-flip or both. It is argued that these codes cannot directly solve the initialization problem of quantum computing.
Does Marijuana Use Impair Human Capital Formation

In this paper we examine the relationship between marijuana use and human capital formation by examining performance on standardized tests among a nationally representative sample of youths from the National Education Longitudinal Survey.
Gamma-Ray Astrophysics

The significance of γ-ray astrophysics lies in its ability to reveal the explosive, high energy, and nuclear phenomena of the universe. Thus, being the indicators of change and evolution, γ-rays provide special insight into the “how” and “why” of the physical processes which govern our universe. Although these features had long been recognized, the low intensity of γ-rays both in absolute terms and relative to the cosmic rays caused the first detection of celestial γ-rays to be delayed until the 1960’s when low energy diffuse γ-ray emission was seen by Metzger et al. (1964) and clear evidence for high energy galactic plane γ-ray emission was obtained with the aid of the 0S0-3 satellite (Kraushaar et al., 1972). Now, particularly with the results of the SAS-2 (e.g. Fichtel et al., 1975; Fichtel et al., 1977) and, more recently COS-B (e.g. Bennett et al., 1977) satellites γ-ray astrophysics has proceeded from the discovery phase to the exploratory phase, and the long awaited promise of γ-ray astrophysics is beginning to be realized.
Many-Thread Aware Prefetching Mechanisms for GPGPU Applications

We consider the problem of how to improve memory latency tolerance in massively multithreaded GPGPUs when the thread-level parallelism of an application is not sufficient to hide memory latency. One solution used in conventional CPU systems is prefetching, both in hardware and software. However, we show that straightforwardly applying such mechanisms to GPGPU systems does not deliver the expected performance benefits and can in fact hurt performance when not used judiciously. This paper proposes new hardware and software prefetching mechanisms tailored to GPGPU systems, which we refer to as many-thread aware prefetching (MT-prefetching) mechanisms. Our software MT-prefetching mechanism, called inter-thread prefetching, exploits the existence of common memory access behavior among fine-grained threads. For hardware MT-prefetching, we describe a scalable prefetcher training algorithm along with a hardware-based inter-thread prefetching mechanism. In some cases, blindly applying prefetching degrades performance. To reduce such negative effects, we propose an adaptive prefetch throttling scheme, which permits automatic GPGPU application- and hardware-specific adjustment. We show that adaptation reduces the negative effects of prefetching and can even improve performance. Overall, compared to the state-of-the-art software and hardware prefetching, our MT-prefetching improves performance on average by 16%(software pref.) / 15% (hardware pref.) on our benchmarks.
Control of Oligomerization and Oxidation Steps in the Synthesis of Tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole

The mechanistic features of oligomerization and oxidative cyclization steps in the synthesis of tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole (1) have been thoroughly studied. Separation of the intermediates by preparative HPLC and analysis by NMR spectroscopy and high resolution mass spectrometry allowed for the identification of product-forming intermediates and monitoring of undesired byproducts. Conditions for complete end-capping with pyrrole were optimized for improved yields of oligomers leading to the desired corrole 1. A yield of 84 % was achieved during oxidation of an isolated precursor; the overall yield of 1 was 17.0 %.
Role of GAC63 in transcriptional activation mediated by beta-catenin

1016 β-catenin is a key mediator in the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, which plays important roles in multiple developmental processes. Inappropriate activation of this pathway leads to developmental defects and development of certain cancers. Upon Wnt signaling, β-catenin binds TCF/LEF transcription factors. The TCF/LEF-β-catenin complex then recruits a variety of transcriptional coactivators to the promoter/enhancer region of Wnt-responsive genes and activates target gene transcription. In this report, we demonstrate that GRIP1 associated coactivator 63 (GAC63), a recently identified nuclear receptor (NR) coactivator, interacts with β-catenin. The N-terminus of GAC63 is the binding site for β-catenin, whereas a C-terminal fragment of β-catenin including armadillo repeats 10-12 binds to GAC63. Overexpression of GAC63 enhanced the transcriptional activity of β-catenin, and also greatly enhanced TCF/LEF-regulated reporter gene activity in a β-catenin-dependent manner. Endogenous GAC63 was recruited to TCF/LEF-responsive enhancer elements when β-catenin levels were induced by LiCl. In addition, reduction of endogenous GAC63 level by small interfering RNA (siRNA) inhibited TCF/LEF-regulated cyclin D1 gene transcription. Our findings reveal a new function of GAC63 in transcriptional activation of Wnt-responsive genes.
Workers in Transition

The outlook is bright for transition economies that are fully embracing market-based reform, including appropriate, coherently applied labor policies. In other transition economies, a mix of paternalism and populism could produce partial, timid reform that makes them increasingly unproductive and corrupt. Workers will suffer tremendously in countries without credible, consistent policies, as private capital will not invest there. After Central and Eastern European and Central Asian economies abandoned central planning, nearly 195 million workers had to adjust to new rules of work and life. Most transition economies have not yet fully committed themselves to the rules of the marketplace. A few that have are already enjoying growth in wages and employment; in other countries, labor income growth is still to come. Not all workers have a bad memory of life under central planning. Some earned huge rents, and most enjoyed job security. But the initial good performance of centrally planned economies led to stagnation in wages, productivity, and intersectoral employment shifts, and ultimately the crash. The crash coincided with the start of market-oriented reform - but most countries suffered not from the reforms themselves but from shocks from trade losses and energy price increases as the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance collapsed (CMEA). Since the CMEA`s collapse, the people of countries such as Estonia and Slovenia have generally accepted rapid reform as the only way to increase wages and incomes. Reform has not been so well accepted in countries that were forced to enter the transition. Transition brought increasing differentiation in wages, incomes, and employment status. But there is a positive relationship between stabilization, structural reform, and private sector development on the one hand, and labor incomes on the other. The balance between the benefits of such a path (dynamic growth of private employment and wages) and the drawbacks (labor force withdrawal, increasing unemployment, income differentiation, and poverty) improves every year in the leading reform countries. Continued stagnation in the countries resisting reform could result in persistently low labor income. But there could also be a positive demonstration effect from macroeconomic stabilization followed by privatization and coherent structural reform, including new types of labor contracts that enhance worker mobility across jobs, occupations, and regions. Such contracts must be supported by help to the most vulnerable as well as active labor market policies designed to increase the effective labor supply, to maintain labor force participation, and to effectively match jobs and workers. The OECD experience with active labor market policies has not been entirely encouraging but in the transition economies such policies - if well designed - could help build social acceptance of reform and smooth the labor force's adjustment to new demands. This paper - a product of the Office of the Vice President, Development Economics - was prepared as a background paper for World Development Report 1995 on labor.
On the Structure of Sets with Few Three-Term Arithmetic Progressions

Fix a prime p ≥ 3, and a real number 0 < α ≤ 1. Let S ⊂ Fp be any set with the least number of solutions to x + y = 2z (note that this means that x, z, y is an arithmetic progression), subject to the constraint that |S| ≥ αp. What can one say about the structure of such sets S? In this paper we show that they are “essentially” the union of a small number of cosets of some large-dimensional subspace of Fp . ∗Supported by NSA and NSF grants.
Market Impacts of Adopting Herbicide-Resistant Rice in the Southern United States

Herbicide-resistant (HR) rice varieties offer U.S. rice producers a powerful tool for control of red rice infestations. However, improved weed control can shorten crop rotations and boost yields, resulting in expanded rice production and lower domestic market prices. Declining market returns diminish the benefits of HR rice adoption and substantially reduce net returns for nonadopters. More competitive prices increase U.S. rice exports, causing a slight decline in world rice prices. The dependence of the rice marketing loan program on world prices prevents loan deficiency payments from adequately offsetting producers' market revenue losses. U.S. consumers gain from lower rice prices.
Space fed subarray synthesis using displaced feed location

This paper presents a new technique producing overlapped subarrays by means of a transform feed displaced from the focal planes. The results indicate that the method avoids the focusing problem associated with conventional feeds, while producing radiation behavior that is nearly as high quality as that from the focal plane feed.
Factor Analysis: Multiple Groups

The general factor model, when extended to include mean-level information, is a very powerful tool for cross-group and longitudinal comparisons. The multiple-group mean and covariance structures (MACS) approach is particularly useful for making cross-group (or cross-time) comparisons because it allows for (a) simultaneous estimation of all parameters in each group (or at each occasion) and (b) direct statistical comparisons of the estimated parameters across the groups (or occasions). Because the means of measured indicators are included explicitly in the analyses, they provide a basis to make a very strong test of the validity of construct comparisons (i.e., measurement equivalence) across groups and across time. Specifically, strong factorial invariance indicates that constructs are fundamentally similar in each group or across time (i.e., comparable) and hypotheses about the nature of possible group- or time-related influences can be meaningfully tested on any of the constructs' basic moments (means, variances, or covariances) across time or across each group whether the groups are defined on the basis of culture, gender, or any other grouping criteria. Keywords: invariance; factorial invariance; measurement equivalence; construct comparability; cross-group comparisons; mean and covariance structures (MACS) analyses; selection theorem; identification constraints
Zebra: A Striped Network File System

This paper presents the design of Zebra, a striped network file system. Zebra applies ideas from log-structured file system (LFS) and RAID research to network file systems, resulting in a network file system that has scalable performance, uses its servers efficiently even when its applications are using small files, and provides high availability. Zebra stripes file data across multiple servers, so that the file transfer rate is not limited by the performance of a single server. High availability is achieved by maintaining parity information for the file system. If a server fails its contents can be reconstructed using the contents of the remaining servers and the parity information. Zebra differs from existing striped file systems in the way it stripes file data: Zebra does not stripe on a per-file basis; instead it stripes the stream of bytes written by each client. Client write to the servers in units called stripe fragments, which are analogous to segments in an LFS. Stripe fragments contain file blocks that were written recently, without advantages over per-file striping, including increased server efficiency, efficient parity computation, and elimination of parity update.
Increasing Risk: Some Direct Constructions

This article extends the classic RothschildNStiglitz characterization of comparative risk ("increasing risk") in two directions. By adopting a more general definition of "mean preserving spread" (MPS), it provides a direct construction of a sequence of MPS's linking any pair of distributions that are ranked in terms of comparative risk. It also provides a direct, explicit construction of a zero-conditional-mean "noise" variable for any such pair of distributions. Both results are extended to the case of second order stochastic dominance.
SCC of Alloy 690 and its Weld Metals

Alloy 690 base metal, HAZ and weld metal were tested in representative PWR primary water at 290 to 360°C. Intergranular cracking was observed in all materials. Growth rates as high as 1.2 × 10−6 mm/s were observed in the S-L orientation with micro structural banded material after cold rolling or forging to align the planes of banding, rolling and cracking. However, not all banded material has exhibited such high growth rates. Growth rates on homogeneous Alloy 690, including extruded CRDM tubing, often showed growth rates in the range of 2 − 8 × 10−8 mm/s in cold worked condition and an S-L orientation. Crack growth rates in some Alloy 690 tests were in the range of 1 to 10 × 10−9 mm/s, primarily in orientations other than S-L. For cracks aligned along the HAZ, growth rates as high as 1.2 × 10−8 mm/s were observed. Alloy 152/52/52i weld metals always exhibited low growth rates, apart from a weld that was further cold worked by 20%, which grew at 7 × 10−9 mm/s.
Credit Rating Enhancement Norms and Ratings-Based Bank Capital and Deposit Insurance Premium

The standard asset pricing paradigm is applied to measure a credit rating agency's implied rating standards, such as leverage and asset volatility, from observed bond yield spread data. A methodology is proposed to measure the amount of debt that a firm needs to reduce to enhance its credit quality (bond rating) without changing its asset risk and size. This methodology is applied to develop implementable bank capital and deposit insurance premium standards based on ratings of pools of bonds held by banks in equilibrium within a paradigm (an alternative to narrow banking and consistent with universal banking) in which regulators act like private surrogates of bank debtholders, insuring debt for a price but not for profit, and banks choose their asset composition.