Commutative association schemes

Association schemes were originally introduced by Bose and his co-workers in the design of statistical experiments. Since that point of inception, the concept has proved useful in the study of group actions, in algebraic graph theory, in algebraic coding theory, and in areas as far afield as knot theory and numerical integration. This branch of the theory, viewed in this collection of surveys as the "commutative case," has seen significant activity in the last few decades. The goal of the present survey is to discuss the most important new developments in several directions, including Gelfand pairs, cometric association schemes, Delsarte Theory, spin models and the semidefinite programming technique. The narrative follows a thread through this list of topics, this being the contrast between combinatorial symmetry and group-theoretic symmetry, culminating in Schrijver's SDP bound for binary codes (based on group actions) and its connection to the Terwilliger algebra (based on combinatorial symmetry). We propose this new role of the Terwilliger algebra in Delsarte Theory as a central topic for future work.Comment: 36 page

The Influence of Federal Procedural Reform

The recent reforms of procedure in the federal courts are unique not merely be- cause of their advanced features, but also because they were professional reforms accomplished under professional auspices. This fact would not seem strange, did we not recall that in the past such changes have been forced upon the profession either by aroused lay feeling or by the determined sponsorship of some lone leader or by both. The century-long struggle in England, where the names of Bentham and Dickens figure so prominently, was largely lay-inspired. In American code reform-the foundation for modern civil procedure in England and America-the name of David Dudley Field towers in lonely eminence. His accomplishment, indeed, seems almost a tour de force, so quickly was it achieved; but then it had to run the gauntlet of court adjudication and unfortunate emasculation. In the classic statement of Chief Justice Winslow of Wisconsin, The cold, not to say inhuman, treatment which the infant Code received from the New York judges is matter of history. Lawyers look to precedent and to the past; the habit of violent reaction against change is too firmly ingrained not to be recognized as a natural condition of procedural reform. But it is still possible for the profession to supply both effective leadership and expert execution of such projects. This was recognized by the leading figures of the American bar who conducted the long doubtful, but ultimately successful, campaign for court rule-making in the federal courts. And the reforms when secured now stand as successful models of practice systems developed by professional efforts and according to professional standards. This achievement, therefore, is an event in American judicial history. Interest in it in the states, with a view to its possible emulation, makes desirable some account of the way it occurred, and the teachings it may offer for other attempts

The Malvinas (Falkland) Plateau derived from Africa?: Constraints for its tectonic evolution

The latest studies on the tectonic evolution of the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands and their adjacent continental plateau further east are analyzed to assess a long controversy regarding the origin of these islands. Although there has been a controversy for several decades on this subject, new technologies and exploratory drilling have brought new data, however the debate of the geological evolution of this area remains open. The two dominant hypotheses are analyzed by assessing the eventual collision between the islands and the South American continent, the presence of a large transcontinental fault such as Gastre, the potential 180º rotation of the Malvinas Islands, and the occurrence of a mega-decollement with opposite vergence. These hypotheses are contrasted with the processes that have occurred in Patagonia, especially those based on the new isotopic data on the Maurice Ewing Bank at the eastern end of the Malvinas Plateau, and the current knowledge of the adjacent Malvinas Basin. The new data highlights the inconsistencies of certain models that proposed these islands migrated from the eastern African coasts near Natal, to their current position and rotated 180º on a vertical axis. The new observations are consolidating the hypothesis that postulates that the islands have been part of the South American continent since before the Paleozoic.Fil: Ramos, Victor Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber"; ArgentinaFil: Chemale, Farid. Universidad de Vale do Rio dos Sinos; BrasilFil: Lovecchio, Juan Pablo. Yacimiento Petroliferos Fiscal S.a.; ArgentinaFil: Naipauer, Maximiliano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotópica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotópica; Argentin

Does Quantum Mechanics Breed Larger, More Intricate Quantum Theories? The Case for Experience-Centric Quantum Theory and the Interactome of Quantum Theories

We pose and address the radical question that whether quantum mechanics, known for its firm internal structure and enormous empirical success, carries in itself the genome of larger quantum theories which have higher internal intricacies and phenomenological versatilities. That is, on the basic level of closed quantum systems and regardless of interpretational aspects, whether standard quantum theory (SQT) harbors quantum theories with context-based deformed principles or structures, having definite predictive power within broader scopes. We answer the question in affirmative following complementary evidence and reasoning arising from quantum-computation-based quantum simulation and fundamental, general, abstract rationales in the frameworks of information theory, fundamental or functional emergence, and participatory agency. In this light, as we show, one is led to the recently proposed experience-centric quantum theory (ECQT), which is a larger and richer theory of quantum behaviors with drastically generalized quantum dynamics. ECQT allows the quantum information of the closed quantum system's developed state history to continually contribute to defining manybody interactions, Hamiltonians, and even internal elements and ``particles'' of the total system. Hence the unitary evolutions are continually impacted and become guidable by the agent-system's experience. The intrinsic interplay of unitarity and non-Markovianity in ECQT brings about a host of diverse behavioral phases, which concurrently infuse closed and open quantum system characteristics and even surpasses the theory of open systems in SQT. In the broader perspective, an upshot of our investigation is the existence of the quantum interactome--the interactive landscape of all coexisting, independent context-based quantum theories which emerge from inferential participatory agencies--and its predictive phenomenological utility.Comment: 54 page

"Rotterdam econometrics": publications of the econometric institute 1956-2005

This paper contains a list of all publications over the period 1956-2005, as reported in the Rotterdam Econometric Institute Reprint series during 1957-2005.

Frozen Embryos: New Technology Meets Family Law

This article addresses the various reasons and legal arguments for treating embryos as life, or in the alternative as property. In particular, this article analyzes the legal status of frozen embryos in a marital dissolution proceeding from a custodial point of view and a marital property point of view. Part I sets forth a broad policy perspective on the doctrinal choices that must be made in determining the legal status of the embryo. Part II first explores the possibility of classifying frozen embryos as human life and then presents a legal analysis, derived from the general principles of family law, for treating frozen embryos as minor children in a marital dissolution proceeding. Part III explores the possibility of classifying frozen embryos as property and then more specifically as marital property in a marital dissolution proceeding. Part IV concludes that state legislation is needed stating that embryos should be treated as property and not as human life