George Mason University

About: George Mason University is a education organization based out in Fairfax, Virginia, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Politics. The organization has 12490 authors who have published 39989 publications receiving 1301688 citations. The organization is also known as: Mason & George Mason.

The inference problem: a survey

Abstract: Access control models protect sensitive data from unauthorized disclosure via direct accesses, however, they fail to prevent indirect accesses. Indirect data disclosure via inference channels occurs when sensitive information can be inferred from non-sensitive data and metadata. Inference channels are often low-bandwidth and complex; nevertheless, detection and removal of inference channels is necessary to guarantee data security. This paper presents a survey of the current and emerging research in data inference control and emphasizes the importance of targeting this so often overlooked problem during database security design.

Combinatorial auction design

Abstract: Combinatorial auctions allow for more expressive bidding in which participants can submit package bids with logical constraints that limit allowable outcomes. This type of auction can be useful when participants' values are complementary or when participants have production and financial constraints. However, combinatorial auctions are currently rare in practice. The main problems confronted in implementing these auctions are that they have computational uncertainty (i.e., there is no guarantee that the winning bids for such an auction can be found in a “reasonable” amount of time when the number of bidders and items becomes larger) and that the auction is cognitively complex and can lead participants to pursue perverse bidding strategies. This article describes a type of combinatorial auction that, during laboratory testing, eliminated these problems and produced extremely efficient outcomes.

Entrepreneurship and development: cause or consequence?

Abstract: This paper discusses the inherent tension in the notion of entrepreneurship as developed by Ludwig von Mises and Israel Kirzner. Given that entrepreneurship is an omnipresent aspect of human action, it cannot also be the “cause” of economic development. Rather, for economic development to take place, certain institutions must be present in order for the entrepreneurial aspect of human action to flourish. After further developing this theoretical insight, an in-depth analysis of the institutions necessary for entrepreneurship is considered.

Thermodynamical scaling of the glass transition dynamics.

Abstract: Classification of glass-forming liquids based on the dramatic change in their properties upon approach to the glassy state is appealing, since this is the most conspicuous and often-studied aspect of the glass transition. Herein, we show that a generalized scaling, $\mathrm{log}(\ensuremath{\tau})\ensuremath{\propto}{T}^{\ensuremath{-}1}{V}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\gamma}}$, where $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ is a material constant, yields superpositioning for ten glass formers, encompassing van der Waals molecules, associated liquids, and polymers. The exponent $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ reflects the degree to which volume governs the temperature and pressure dependence of the relaxation times.

Democracy and Development in Africa

Abstract: 1 The Facts: A Summary Scorecard A short three years ago, the African continent was dominated by unrepresentative, mostly predatory regimes that had lost whatever legitimacy they may have initially possessed In 1992, although unrepresentative regimes still outnumber democrative governments, a dramatic process is underway to restore the fundamentals of political legitimacy Because of Africa's poverty, observers who perceive economic progress as logically and chronologically superordinate to political pluralism see this process as anomalous The experience of a few Asian countries (eg Korea) appears to support their view But in Africa this proposition is counterfactual: predatory authoritarianism has been a central cause of Africa's economic underdevelopment not its handmaiden Correspondingly, political pluralism is a necessary (though not sufficient condition for African economic recovery and not a luxury to be postponed until middle-income Nirvana is achieved In the table below, the 52 African countries are classified in 2 x 2 matrices according to 'stability' and 'representativeness' in March 1989 and 1992, respectively1 This classification contains some inevitable simplifications Stability and representativeness are difficult concepts Both of them are continuous variables, although the figures present them as dichotomous Also, the evaluation of any given country as stable or unstable, representative or unrepresentative, has a subjective and arbitrary element The discussion of the content of African democracy, below, may help to clarify the rationale for the classification The trend, however, is unmistakable Just 4 of the 52 African countries (Botswana, Gambia, Mauritius and Senegal) could be considered stable democracies in March 1989; three more (Madagascar, Tanzania and Zimbabwe) were moving in that direction; 40 countries almost 4 out of 5 were ruled by unrepresentative and unaccountable governments