cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Potential Geologic Hazards near the Thistle Landslide, Utah County, Utah

In mid-April, 1983, an old landslide near Thistle, in Utah County, Utah, began to move, and within days had blocked Spanish Fork Canyon. As the slide9s movement continued, construction crews gradually converted the toe of the slide into an earth-filled dam—Thistle Dam—that impounded northwest-flowing Spanish Fork River. The resultant reservoir, known as Thistle Lake, was subsequently drained because of uncertainty about the stability of the dam. Recently, officials of Utah County have explored various alternatives for a water-retention structure in the area, including utilization of Thistle Dam. The Thistle Slide Committee, established by the State of Utah to evaluate the suitability of using Thistle Dam, suggests that construction of a new dam upstream from the present one might be a more reasonable and cheaper solution than investigating the stability of the present dam. Two potential geologic hazards that could impact a dam site upstream from the Thistle Dam, however, may be in the area: the Thistle Canyon fault and the Thistle Creek diapiric fold. Uncertainty shrouds the existence of both. The Thistle Canyon fault is a postulated high-angle normal fault that trends about N20°E through Thistle. The fault, downthrown on the east, separates an erosional escarpment formed on the Charleston-Nebo thrust plate from younger overlying Cretaceous and Tertiary sedimentary rocks. The Thistle Creek diapiric fold theoretically trends about N30°E through the area. Tenuous evidence suggests that the Middle Jurassic Arapien Shale, an evaporite-rich intrusive sedimentary unit that forms the core of the fold, was overridden by the upper plate of the Charleston-Nebo thrust fault. Since then, the Arapien has welled upward, arching both the thrust plate and the overlying younger sedimentary cover. Additional field investigations should be completed to determine the existence of these and other geologic hazards prior to any final decision about a new dam. The presence of either or both of these hazards, however, does not necessarily preclude the construction of a safe and stable dam that would impound a multi-purpose reservoir.
Equations of parametric surfaces with base points via syzygies

Let S be a tensor product parametrized surface in P^3; that is, S is given as the image of @f:P^1xP^1->P^3. This paper will show that the use of syzygies in the form of a combination of moving planes and moving quadrics provides a valid method for finding the implicit equation of S when certain base points are present. This work extends the algorithm provided by Cox [Cox, D.A., 2001. Equations of parametric curves and surfaces via syzygies. In: Symbolic Computation: Solving Equations in Algebra, Geometry, and Engineering. Contemporary Mathematics vol. 286, pp. 1-20] for when @f has no base points, and it is analogous to some of the results of Buse et al. [Buse, L., Cox, D., D'Andrea, C., 2003. Implicitization of surfaces in P^3 in the presence of base points. J. Algebra Appl. 2 (2), 189-214] for the case of a triangular parametrization @f:P^2->P^3 with base points.
Polyhedral boron clusters in materials science

Robust three-dimensional structure, aromaticity, high chemical and thermal stability of polyhedral boron clusters make them promising candidates for use in materials science. Boron clusters have been used for the synthesis of luminescent materials, polymers, coordination polymers or metal–organic frameworks, dendrimers, liquid crystals, and nonlinear optical materials. Some of these clusters have been used as molecular building blocks in nanoscience. This review summarizes the applications of polyhedral boron clusters in materials science.
The Peculiar Velocity Function of Galaxy Clusters

The peculiar velocity function of clusters of galaxies is determined using an accurate sample of cluster velocities based on Tully-Fisher distances of Sc galaxies. In contrast to previous results based on samples with considerably larger velocity uncertainties, the observed velocity function does not exhibit a tail of high peculiar velocity clusters. The results indicate a low probability of 5% of finding clusters with one-dimensional peculiar velocities greater than ~600 km s-1. The rms one-dimensional cluster peculiar velocity is 293 ± 28 km s-1. The observed cluster velocity function is compared with expectations from different cosmological models. The absence of a high-velocity tail in the observed function is most consistent with a low-mass-density (Ω ~ 0.3) CDM model and is inconsistent at the 3 σ level with Ω = 1.0 CDM and HDM models. The rms one-dimensional cluster peculiar velocities in these models correspond, respectively, to 314, 516, and 632 km s-1 (when convolved with the observational uncertainties). Comparison with the observed rms cluster velocity of 293 ± 28 km s-1 further supports the low-density CDM model.
The generalized translational hull of a semigroup.

A generalized translational hull of a semigroup is constructed. Its relationship to Ω (S) and Q(S) as well as its homological properties are demonstrated.
Theory of networks for learning

Many neural networks are constructed to learn an input-output mapping from examples. This problem is related to classical approximation techniques including regularization theory. Regularization is equivalent to a class of threelayer networks which we call regularization networks or Hyper Basis Functions. The strong theoretical foundation of regularization networks provides us with a better understanding of why they work and how to best choose a specific network and parameters for a given problem. Classical regularization theory can be extended in order to improve the quality of learning performed by Hyper Basis Functions. For example the centers of the basis functions and the norm weights can be optimized. Many Radial Basis Functions often used for function interpolation are provably Hyper Basis Functions. 1.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Optimum burn scheduling for low-thrust orbital transfers

This paper describes a method for optimizing the point at which thrust should be initiated on each passage of a low-thrust, multiple finite-duration perigee-burn ascent trajectory, with the thrust vector always oriented perpendicular to nadir. The quantity being minimized is the rotation of the line of apsides. The semianalytic method developed here requires only a simple root-finding routine for the numerical portion of the solution. A perturbation solution (two-variable expansion) is used to model the flight path during the burn, yielding a "burn-on" position with a maximum error of approximately 2%.
Changes in sleep quality, but not hormones predict time to postpartum depression recurrence

Abstract Background Poor sleep quality, dysregulation of hormones and increased inflammatory cytokines are all associated with the risk for postpartum major depression (PPMD). We evaluated change over time in sleep quality and hormones during the first 17 weeks postpartum, as well as a single cytokine measure, and their association with PPMD recurrence. Methods Participants were pregnant women (N = 56), with past histories of MDD/PPMD but not depressed in their current pregnancy. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and blood samples were collected 8 times during the first 17 weeks postpartum. Estradiol, prolactin and cortisol, and a single measure of IL-6 were assayed. Recurrence was determined by two consecutive 21-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) scores ≥ 15 and clinician interview. Results In the analyses of time to PPMD recurrence, poor sleep quality, but none of the hormones, was associated with PPMD recurrence (p 2 = 0.98, p = .32). Conclusions Poor sleep quality across the first 17 weeks post-delivery increases the risk for recurrent PPMD among women with a history of MDD. Changes in the hormonal milieu were not associated with recurrence. Further exploration of the degree to which poor sleep contributes to hormonal and cytokine dysregulation and how they are involved in the pathophysiology of PPMD is warranted.
Upper and lower bounds on gravitational entropy

The gravitational entropy of the universe is large and its calculation requires subtlety. A lower bound is obtained from supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, but other than this it is hard to establish firmly. We suggest a new upper bound due to dark matter halos, which is far below the holographic bound, yet above that of the supermassive black holes.
Test flights of the NASA ultra-long duration balloon

Abstract The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ultra-Long Duration Balloon development project is attempting to extend the potential flight durations for large scientific balloon payloads. The culmination of each of the development steps has been the fabrication and test flight of progressively larger balloons. This new super-pressure balloon is a pumpkin balloon design. This paper concentrates on the super-pressure balloon development test flights that have been, and are currently being planned by the NASA Balloon Program Office at Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility. Descriptions of two test flights from early 2001 are presented along with lessons learned. Results are also presented of a July 2002 test flight of a full-scale 610,500 m3 balloon with a 2800 kg suspended load that incorporated the lessons learned.
Neutral weak form factors and strangeness in the nucleon

Abstract Recent studies of strange quark matrix elements of the nucleon suggest that the effect of strange quarks on nucleon structure is not small. These effects can contribute to the electroweak form factors of the nucleon and can be isolated through measurement of vector and axial vector neutral weak form factors. We evaluate several past and future lepton scattering experiments in terms of their sensitivity to the strange contributions to the neutral weak form factors.
Gluon spin in the nucleon

We study the operator description of the gluon spin contribution () to the nucleon’s spin as it is measured in deep inelastic processes. can be related to the forward matrix element of a local gluon operator in A + = 0 gauge. In quark models the nucleon contains ambient color electric and magnetic fields. The latter are thought to be responsible for spin splittings among the light baryons. We show that these fields give rise to a significant negative contribution to at the quark model renormalization scale, � 2. The nonAbelian character of QCD is responsible for the sign of . In a generic nonrelativistic quark model NQM = − 8 �NQM mq h 1 i , in the bag model bag = −.1αbag. These correspond to NQM ≈ −0.7 and bag ≈ −0.4 at αQCD ≈ 1.0.
Variable-length coding with feedback: Finite-length codewords and periodic decoding

Theoretical analysis has long indicated that feedback improves the error exponent but not the capacity of single user memoryless channels. Recently Polyanskiy et al. studied the benefit of variable-length feedback with termination (VLFT) codes in the non-asymptotic regime. In that work, achievability is based on an infinite-length random code and decoding is attempted at every symbol. The coding rate backoff from capacity due to channel dispersion is greatly reduced with feedback, allowing capacity to be approached with surprisingly small expected latency. This paper is concerned with VLFT codes based on finite-length codes and decoding attempts only at certain specified decoding times. Note that with an underlying finite-length code, the transmitter may have to repeat code symbols. The penalties of using a finite block-length N and a sequence of specified decoding times are studied. This paper shows that properly scaling N with the expected latency can achieve the same performance up to second order terms as with N =∞. The penalty introduced by limiting the decoding is a constant term and hence the performance approaches capacity as expected latency increases as long as the interval between periodic decoding times grows sub-linearly with the expected latency.
Selective, Nickel-Catalyzed Hydrogenolysis of Aryl Ethers

Selective hydrogenolysis of the aromatic carbon-oxygen (C-O) bonds in aryl ethers is an unsolved synthetic problem important for the generation of fuels and chemical feedstocks from biomass and for the liquefaction of coal. Currently, the hydrogenolysis of aromatic C-O bonds requires heterogeneous catalysts that operate at high temperature and pressure and lead to a mixture of products from competing hydrogenolysis of aliphatic C-O bonds and hydrogenation of the arene. Here, we report hydrogenolyses of aromatic C-O bonds in alkyl aryl and diaryl ethers that form exclusively arenes and alcohols. This process is catalyzed by a soluble nickel carbene complex under just 1 bar of hydrogen at temperatures of 80 to 120°C; the relative reactivity of ether substrates scale as Ar-OAr>>Ar-OMe>ArCH2-OMe (Ar, Aryl; Me, Methyl). Hydrogenolysis of lignin model compounds highlights the potential of this approach for the conversion of refractory aryl ether biopolymers to hydrocarbons.
Unification-based Multimodal Integration

Recent empirical research has shown conclusive advantages of multimodal interaction over speech-only interaction for map-based tasks. This paper describes a multimodal language processing architecture which supports interfaces allowing simultaneous input from speech and gesture recognition. Integration of spoken and gestural input is driven by unification of typed feature structures representing the semantic contributions of the different modes. This integration method allows the component modalities to mutually compensate for each others' errors. It is implemented in Quick-Set, a multimodal (pen/voice) system that enables users to set up and control distributed interactive simulations.
Control of flexible joint robots

Abstract In this paper we describe a switching control scheme for flexible joint robots which does not use link jerk or acceleration feedback. Our control scheme does not require the numerical differentiation of the velocity signal or the inversion of the inertial matrices. Simulations are presented to verify the validity of the control scheme and its superiority over existing rigid robot controllers when applied to flexible joint robots with extremely flexible joints.
From HIV protein sequences to viral fitness landscapes: a new paradigm for in silico vaccine design

Background An inexpensive prophylactic vaccine offers the best hope to curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic gripping sub-Saharan Africa. Systematic means to guide the design of an effective immunogen for this, and other, infectious diseases are not available. What is required is a method to chart the peaks and valleys of viral fitness as a function of amino acid sequence. An efficacious vaccine would eject the virus from the high fitness peaks, and drive it into the valleys where its compromised fitness impairs its ability to replicate and inflict damage to the host. Methods Appealing to spin glass models in statistical physics, we present a novel approach to translate viral sequence databases into landscapes of viral fitness. These inferred models furnish a quantitative description of viral replicative capacity as a function of amino acid sequence. We illustrate this approach in the development of landscapes for the proteins of HIV-1 clade B Gag. Results In comparisons to experimental and clinical data, our inferred landscapes demonstrate excellent agreement with: 1) in vitro replicative fitness measurements, 2) clinically observed high-fitness circulating viral strains, 3) documented HLA associated CTL escape mutations, and 4) intrahost temporal adaptation pathways revealed by deep sequencing. These favorable comparisons support our landscapes as reflections of intrinsic viral fitness. We illustrate the value of such descriptions in the computational design of a CTL Gag immunogen. Conclusion We present a novel methodology to translate viral sequence data into quantitative landscapes of viral fitness. In an application to HIV-1 Gag, we illustrate excellent agreement of our model predictions with experimental and clinical data, and demonstrate a powerful new approach for HIV immunogen design. We anticipate that this approach may represent a heretofore unprecedented means to synthesize fitness landscapes for diverse pathogens, and may provide the basis for the design of improved prophylactic and therapeutic strategies.
Low Mach number fluctuating hydrodynamics of multispecies liquid mixtures

We develop a low Mach number formulation of the hydrodynamic equations describing transport of mass and momentum in a multispecies mixture of incompressible miscible liquids at specified temperature and pressure, which generalizes our prior work on ideal mixtures of ideal gases [Balakrishnan et al., “Fluctuating hydrodynamics of multispecies nonreactive mixtures,” Phys. Rev. E 89 013017 (2014)] and binary liquid mixtures [Donev et al., “Low mach number fluctuating hydrodynamics of diffusively mixing fluids,” Commun. Appl. Math. Comput. Sci. 9(1), 47-105 (2014)]. In this formulation, we combine and extend a number of existing descriptions of multispecies transport available in the literature. The formulation applies to non-ideal mixtures of arbitrary number of species, without the need to single out a “solvent” species, and includes contributions to the diffusive mass flux due to gradients of composition, temperature, and pressure. Momentum transport and advective mass transport are handled using a low Mach number approach that eliminates fast sound waves (pressure fluctuations) from the full compressible system of equations and leads to a quasi-incompressible formulation. Thermal fluctuations are included in our fluctuating hydrodynamics description following the principles of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. We extend the semi-implicit staggered-grid finite-volume numerical method developed in our prior work on binary liquid mixtures [Nonaka et al., “Low mach number fluctuating hydrodynamics of binary liquid mixtures,” arXiv:1410.2300 (2015)] and use it to study the development of giant nonequilibrium concentration fluctuations in a ternary mixture subjected to a steady concentration gradient. We also numerically study the development of diffusion-driven gravitational instabilities in a ternary mixture and compare our numerical results to recent experimental measurements [Carballido-Landeira et al., “Mixed-mode instability of a miscible interface due to coupling between Rayleigh–Taylor and double-diffusive convective modes,” Phys. Fluids 25, 024107 (2013)] in a Hele-Shaw cell. We find that giant nonequilibrium fluctuations can trigger the instability but are eventually dominated by the deterministic growth of the unstable mode, in both quasi-two-dimensional (Hele-Shaw) and fully three-dimensional geometries used in typical shadowgraph experiments.
Effective vanishing order of the Levi determinant

On a smooth domain in \({{\mathbb {C}}^n}\) of finite D’Angelo q-type at a point, an effective upper bound for the vanishing order of the Levi determinant \({{\rm coeff}\{\partial r \wedge {\bar \partial} r \wedge (\partial {\bar \partial} r)^{n-q}\}}\) at that point is given in terms of the D’Angelo q-type, the dimension of the space n, and q itself. The argument uses Catlin’s notion of a boundary system as well as techniques pioneered by John D’Angelo.
Chain recurrence rates and topological entropy

Abstract We investigate the properties of chain recurrent, chain transitive, and chain mixing maps (generalizations of the well-known notions of non-wandering, topologically transitive, and topologically mixing maps). We describe the structure of chain transitive maps. These notions of recurrence are defined using e-chains, and the minimal lengths of these e-chains give a way to measure recurrence time (chain recurrence and chain mixing times). We give upper and lower bounds for these recurrence times and relate the chain mixing time to topological entropy.
EMP Coupling to Power Lines

A transmission line model of coupling to power lines has been developed that shows the effect of ground conductivity, angle of arrival, polarization, and power line geometry on the open-circuit voltage at the end of the line. With this information, and the characteristic impedance of the line, the current and voltage to any termination may be calculated. This theory has been checked with experimental measurements and shows quite good agreement with measured values of current. The measurements were performed on scale models of power lines. The soil conductivity was scaled appropriately. The results show that, although the transmission-line model is not strictly applicable at the highest frequencies of interest, the error introduced by this approximation is less than the experimental error (? ± 10 percent). Measurements have also been made of the propagation of pulses down lines showing effects of attenuation, dispersion, junctions, bends, and spurs. Where available, theoretical calculations have been compared to measured results. From these measurements it is concluded that transmission-line models can adequately be used to predict propagation effects.
Integrative Erectile Biology: The Role of Signal Transduction and Cell-To-Cell Communication in Coordinating Corporal Smooth Muscle Tone and Penile Erection

The contractility of corporal smooth muscle plays a critical role in the entire erectile process in man. Moreover, in the absence of severe vascular disease, or congenital or other structural abnormalities/malformations, relaxation of the corporal smooth muscle is both necessary and sufficient to elicit a sustained erection. As such, understanding the initiation, maintenance and modulation of corporal smooth muscle tone is an absolute prerequisite to the improved understanding, diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction. Despite this fact, identification of both the precise mechanistic basis by which endogenous and exogenous vasomodulators exert their effects on individual corporal smooth muscle cells, and moreover, the process by which these signals are spread among the diverse array of parenchymal cells in the paired corpora, remains somewhat of a physiological enigma. Therefore, the goal of this report is two-fold: first, to review current knowledge of the regulation of corporal smooth muscle tone at the cellular and molecular level; and second, to outline a cogent explanation for the rapid and syncytial integration of the effects of diverse stimuli among corporal smooth muscle cells in the human penis.
Tip Clearance Flow-Shock Interaction in a Transonic Compressor Rotor

A combination of experimental, computational, and analytical efforts were used to describe the phenomenological features of the interaction between the tip clearance e ow and the passage shock in a transonic, axial compressor rotor. Unsteady static pressure was measured at the casing over the rotor, and steady measurements of total pressure and total temperature were made at the rotor exit. A fully three-dimensional, steady, Navier ‐ Stokes computational e uid dynamics technique was used to obtain a solution to the e owe eld at design conditions that compared favorably with the experimental measurements. Finally, a simple model was developed that predicts the kinematic and thermodynamic properties within the pre- and postshock vortex. Analysis of the numerical results revealed a wake-like nature of the vortex both upstream and downstream of the shock. The upstream character was strongly ine uenced by the injection of mass into the vortex via the clearance e ow. The success of the simplie ed model’ s ability to predict the properties of the vortex within the interaction region allows two important conclusions to be drawn. First, the vortical character of the vortex upstream of the shock is not a signie cant factor in driving the interaction. Second, the interaction between the clearance e ow and the shock is fundamentally the result of the change in momentum brought about by the shock-induced pressure rise. The interaction can therefore be viewed as an inviscid phenomenon.
FDI policies under shared factor markets

Abstract We examine the consequences of foreign direct investment (FDI) policies in a general equilibrium setting with several oligopolistic industries. By shifting labor demand across countries, FDI raises the wage in the host country and lowers the wage in the source country, thereby raising profits of source country firms at the expense of host country firms. The extent of cross-ownership of firms, the relative number of firms and the relative supply of skilled labor alter the impact of FDI policy on national welfare. The tension between profits and wages determines whether the optimal policy is designed to encourage FDI.
BMSweep: Locating Interior Nodes During Sweeping

BMSweep is a new algorithm to determine the location of interior nodes while generating hexahedral meshes using the volume sweeping method. Volume sweeping is performed on two and one half-dimensional volumes by identifying a ‘source’ surface which is meshed with quadrilaterals. These quadrilaterals are then swept through the volume towards a ‘target’ surface generating layers of hexahedra along the way. BMSweep uses background mesh interpolation to locate interior nodes during sweeping. The interpolation method provides for quality element creation, while allowing the volume boundary to vary. The cross-section of the volume can vary along the length of the sweep, the sweep path need not be linear, and the source and target areas need not be flat. Three dimensional volumes can be swept using BMSweep after being decomposed into two and one half-dimensional subvolumes.
Party Government and the “Cohesive Power of Public Plunder”

We argue that party government in the U.S. House of Representatives rests on two pillars: the pursuit of policy goals and the disbursement of particularistic benefits. Existing theories of party government argue that the majority party in the House is often successful in biasing policy outcomes in its favor. In the process, it creates “policy losers” among its own members who nevertheless support their party on procedural votes. We posit that the majority party creates an incentive for even the policy losers to support a procedural coalition through judicious distribution of particularistic benefits that compensates policy losers at a rate commensurate with the policy losses that they suffer. We evaluate our theory empirically using the concept of “roll rates” in conjunction with federal domestic outlays data for the period 1983–96. We find that, within the majority party, policy losers are favored in the distribution of “pork barrel” spending throughout this period.
Content based similarity of geographic classes organized as partition hierarchies

In this paper we propose a method to measure the semantic similarity of geographic classes organized as partition hierarchies within Naive Geography. The contribution of this work consists in extending and integrating the information content approach, and the method for comparing concept attributes in the ontology management system SymOntos developed at IASI. As a result, this proposal allows us to address both the concept similarity within the partition hierarchy, and the attribute similarity of geographic classes and, therefore, to reduce the gap among the different similarity approaches defined in the literature.
Trapping of waves and null geodesics for rotating black holes

We present dynamical properties of linear waves and null geodesics valid for Kerr and Kerr--de Sitter black holes and their stationary perturbations. The two are intimately linked by the geometric optics approximation. For the null geodesic flow the key property is the $r$-normal hyperbolicity of the trapped set and for linear waves it is the distribution of quasinormal modes: the exact quantization conditions do not hold for perturbations but the bounds on decay rates and the statistics of frequencies are still valid.
Optimal taxation and debt in an open economy

Abstract We characterize the time profile of the optimal consumption tax in a small open economy under foreseen fluctuations in the taste for current consumption, productivity, or external interest rates. We give conditions for the efficient tax to be lowered or raised when productivity rises. Taste fluctuations are parameterized to be equivalent to effective consumption price fluctuations. We give conditions under which the optimal tax rises or falls with the effective price. In contrast, the optimal tax rate is invariant to changes in the interest rate. The associated behavior of optimal debt is also characterized.
A mathematical model of character string manipulation

Every insert and delete operation on a string of characters causes it to expand or contract in memory. If on the other hand, these commands are saved, the character string can be updated at the end of the editing session. The advantage of doing this is to move any character at the most once in memory. This is possible because the final position of a character in the string can be determined from the saved edit functions. In Figure 1 below it is shown that a "Delete character in position 3" and then an "Insert a character X before the 3rd character position" can be combined into a single edit function, "Replace the character in position 3 by the character X."
In Defense of Exclusionary Deliberation: Communication and Voting with Private Beliefs and Values

We analyze strategic communication and voting when agents do not necessarily have common beliefs and values. The potential for some pairs of participants to have opposed preferences makes truthful revelation difficult to support. Nonetheless, truthful equilibria are shown to exist for some parameterizations in which non-common values are likely. Truthful equilibria exist if and only if participants of all possible preference types are optimistic that a majority of the group has their preference type. In settings in which truthful equilibria exist for all population sizes, asymptotic efficiency attains. The probability that the collective choice corresponds to that which a majority would choose with full-information approaches one as population size tends to infinity. In many settings, however, truthful equilibria exist only for small groups. In these cases, we characterize a natural partially revealing equilibrium; asymptotic efficiency fails in these equilibria. Interestingly, we find that larger groups ...
The electronic spectroscopy of the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine in a supersonic jet

Abstract The electronic spectra of the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine have been measured in a supersonic jet using laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. Through power-dependent studies we have shown that tyrosine and phenylalanine have multiple conformers, and we have assigned spectral features produced by the individual conformers. Dispersed emission spectra of the conformers following excitation of their respective electronic origins reveal that the major vibrational activity occurring in tyrosine and phenylalanine originates from the ring vibrational modes of their respective chromophores. In contrast with previous tryptophan studies, no evidence of intramolecular exciplex formation was observed in any of the tyrosine and phenylalanine dispersed emission spectra. The lack of broad, red-shifted emission characteristic of intramolecular exciplex formation was attributed to the large energy difference between the 1 L a and 1 L b states.
A General Method for the Synthesis of Enantiomerically Pure β-Substituted, β-Amino Acids through α-Substituted Succinic Acid Derivatives

A general procedure for the synthesis of enantiopure β-substituted, β-amino acids is presented. Alkylation of the sodium enolates derived from chiral N-acyloxazolidinone imides 2 (R = Me, i-Pr, t-Bu, Ph, Bn) with tert-butyl bromoacetate afforded the 2-substituted succinate derivatives 3 in good yields (82−89%) and with high selectivity (≥93:7). Following hydrolysis, Curtius rearrangement of the resulting carboxylic acid provided the enantiopure benzyloxycarbonyl (Cbz)-protected β-amino esters 6 in good yields (74−79%).
A new derivative type-curve for pressure buildup analysis with boundary effects

Abstract This study investigates pressure buildup behavior of wells with wellbore storage and skin in bounded circular reservoirs, when inner and outer boundary effects interact to fully or partially dominate the well pressure response. Using dimensionless pressure derivative as the dependent variable, we show that early time response is governed by C D e 2 S and late time response by r eD 2 / C D . Equations are provided to estimate the limits of the intermediate time period, which corresponds to infinite acting radial flow and a semi-log straight line on a pressure-time graph. We present a new buildup derivative type-curve, incorporating inner boundary (early-time) and outer boundary (late-time) effects. Applications of this type-curve in buildup test design and interpretation are discussed.
On the Criminal Culpability of Successful and Unsuccessful Psychopaths

The psychological literature now differentiates between two types of psychopath: successful (with little or no criminal record) and unsuccessful (with a criminal record). Recent research indicates that earlier findings of reduced autonomic activity, reduced prefrontal grey matter, and compromised executive activity may only be true of unsuccessful psychopaths. In contrast, successful psychopaths actually show autonomic and executive function that exceeds that of normals, while having no difference in prefrontal volume from normals. We argue that many successful psychopaths are legally responsible for their actions, as they have the executive capacity to choose not to harm (and thus are legally rational). However, many unsuccessful psychopaths have a lack of executive function that should at least partially excuse them from criminal culpability. Although a successful psychopath's increased executive function may occur in conflict with, rather than in consonance with their increased autonomic activity—producing a cognitive style characterized by selfdeception and articulate-sounding, but unsound reasoning—they may be capable of recognizing and correcting their lack of autonomic data, and thus can be held responsible.
Responses of circulating urea cycle and branched-chain amino acids to feeding in adult and aged Fischer-344 rats

Amino acid concentrations in plasma and blood were compared between adult (6 months) and aged (22 months) male rats in fed and fooddeprived (fasted) states. Since feeding is known to elevate plasma amino acids, rats were sampled after food had been freely available to them and after food was withheld for 20 hours. Fourteen amino acids increased (8 to 74%) in blood and plasma in fed rats compared to food-deprived rats. Blood concentrations of four amino acids (cystine, aspartate, threonine, and phosphoserine) were increased in aged compared to adult rats, while tyrosine was 10% lower. The interaction between fed state and age was significant for the branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) as they increased 23% in the blood and plasma of fed compared to food-deprived adult rats; however, BCAA were not affected by feeding state in the aged rats. Plasma arginine concentration was 12% lower (p<0.001) and citrulline was 20% higher (p<0.005) in aged compared to adult rats, and consequently the citrulline:arginine ratio was elevated by 36% in aged rats. Our results demonstrate that, although the total arginine in whole blood is not altered or is increased with aging, less of the arginine is transported in the plasma of aged compared to adult rats. Furthermore, these results indicate altered metabolism of the urea cycle amino acids and BCAA with aging in the rat.
Strong altruism can evolve in randomly formed groups

Abstract Although the conditions under which altruistic behaviors evolve continue to be vigorously debated, there is general agreement that altruistic traits involving an absolute cost to altruists (strong altruism) cannot evolve when populations are structured with randomly formed groups. This conclusion implies that the evolution of such traits depends upon special environmental conditions or additional organismic capabilities that enable altruists to interact with each other more than would be expected with random grouping. Here we show, using both analytic and simulation results, that the positive assortment necessary for strong altruism to evolve does not require these additional mechanisms, but merely that randomly formed groups exist for more than one generation. Conditions favoring the selection of altruists, which are absent when random groups initially form, can naturally arise even after a single generation within groups—and even as the proportion of altruists simultaneously decreases. The gains made by altruists in a second generation within groups can more than compensate for the losses suffered in the first and in this way altruism can ratchet up to high levels. This is true even if altruism is initially rare, migration between groups allowed, homogeneous altruist groups prohibited, population growth restricted, or kin selection precluded. Until now random group formation models have neglected the significance of multigenerational groups—even though such groups are a central feature of classic “haystack” models of the evolution of altruism. We also explore the important role that stochasticity (effectively absent in the original infinite models) plays in the evolution of altruism. The fact that strong altruism can increase when groups are periodically and randomly formed suggests that altruism may evolve more readily and in simpler organisms than is generally appreciated.
A model of random matching

This paper presents a model of random matching between individuals chosen from large populations. We assume that the populations and the set of encounters are infinite but countable and that the encounters are i.i.d. random variables. Furthermore, the probability distribution on individuals according to which they are chosen for each encounter is ‘uniform’, which also implies that it is only finitely additive. Although the probability measure which governs the whole matching process also fails to be (fully) sigma-additive, it still retains enough continuity properties to allow for the use of the law of large numbers. This, in turn, guarantees that the aggregate process will (almost surely) behave ‘nicely’, i.e., that there will be no aggregate uncertainty.
Identifying Best Practices in Financing Next Generation Networks

Governments throughout the world have determined that next generation network NGN development serves the national interest. The strategies used to achieve progress vary greatly, as does the extent to which governments perceive the need to get actively involved through direct ownership or subsidization of carriers. No government has unlimited funds to invest in new networks, or to subsidize private ventures promising to improve access to essential services at affordable rates. Accordingly, nations must determine whether and how to use limited taxpayer funds to expedite the access to inexpensive and ubiquitous wired and wireless broadband networks. Baseline factors such as geography, income, demographics, and market penetration of existing networks have a significant impact on what works best. However, nations with similar physical and economic characteristics have pursued significantly different strategies. This article identifies best practices in NGN development using both case studies and a review of the current literature assessing government strategies. While it cannot confirm a theoretical basis for achieving success in NGN development, the article provides a toolkit of confirmed best practices.
Ethics and Compliance Officer Profile: Survey, Comparison, and Recommendations

© 2005 Center for Business Ethics at Bentley College. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA, and 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK. Blackwell Publishing, Ltd. Oxford, UK ASR usiness and Society Review 0045-3609 © 2005 Ce ter f r Busin ss Ethics at Bentley College ??? 2005 12 rigi al Article U INESS and SOCIETY REVIEW WEBER an FORTUN Ethics and Compliance Officer Profile: Survey, Comparison, and Recommendations
Extremal and nonextremal Kerr/CFT correspondences

I rederive the Kerr/CFT correspondence without first taking the near-horizon extremal Kerr limit. This method extends easily to nonextremal black holes, for which the temperature and central charge behave poorly at the horizon but the entropy remains finite. A computation yields one-half of the standard Bekenstein-Hawking entropy, with hints that the other half may be related to a conformal field theory at the inner horizon. I then present an alternative approach, based on a stretched Killing horizon, in which the full entropy is obtained and the temperature and central charge remain well-behaved even in the nonextremal case.
Invertibility of Matrices Over Subrings

Given rings R ⊆ S, consider the division closure &#x1d49f;(R, S) and the rational closure ℛ(R, S) of R in S. If S is commutative, then &#x1d49f;(R, S) = ℛ(R, S) = RT −1, where T = {t ∈ R | t −1 ∈ S}. We show that this is also true if we assume only that R is commutative.
Borderplex menu evidence for the law of one price: a convergence approach.

A convergence approach is utilized to examine deviations from the law of one price. Sample data are menu prices for eight identical products sold by international restaurant franchises in Mexico and the United States. The results suggest mean reverting behaviour in real exchange rate movements in response to recent information.
Effects of high-dose cholecalciferol on serum markers of inflammation and immunity in patients with early chronic kidney disease

Vitamin D has anti-inflammatory and immune-regulating properties. We aimed to determine if high-dose cholecalciferol supplementation for 1 year in subjects with early chronic kidney disease (CKD) improved circulating markers of inflammation and immunity. In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 46 subjects with early CKD (stages 2 and 3) were supplemented with oral cholecalciferol (50 000 IU weekly for 12 weeks followed by 50 000 IU every other week for 40 weeks) or a matching placebo for 1 year. Serum tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interferon gamma-induced protein-10 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin were measured at baseline, 12 weeks and 1 year. Serum cathelicidin (LL-37) was measured at baseline and 12 weeks. An in vitro experiment was performed to investigate the effect of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) treatment on MCP-1 secretion in THP-1 monocytes activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. By 12 weeks, serum MCP-1 decreased in the cholecalciferol group (66.2±2.5 to 60.8±2.6 pg/ml, group-by-time interaction P=0.02) but was not different from baseline at 1 year. Other markers of inflammation and immunity did not change. In vitro, LPS- and Pseudomonas-activated monocytes treated with 1,25(OH)2D3 had significantly less MCP-1 secretion compared with untreated cells. High-dose cholecalciferol decreased serum MCP-1 concentrations by 12 weeks in patients with early CKD, although the decrease was not maintained for the remainder of the year. In vitro results confirm an MCP-1-lowering effect of vitamin D. Future studies should determine if vitamin D-mediated reductions in MCP-1 concentrations reflect improved clinical outcomes.
An Improbable Solution to the Underluminosity of 2M1207B: A Hot Protoplanet Collision Afterglow

We introduce an alternative hypothesis to explain the very low luminosity of the cool (L-type) companion to the ~25 MJup, ~8 Myr old brown dwarf 2M1207A. Recently, Mohanty et al. found that effective temperature estimates for 2M1207B (1600 ± 100 K) are grossly inconsistent with its lying on the same isochrone as the primary, being a factor of ~10 underluminous at all bands between I (0.8 μm) and L' (3.6 μm). Mohanty et al. explain this discrepancy by suggesting that 2M1207B is an 8 MJup object surrounded by an edge-on disk comprised of large dust grains producing 2.5 mag of achromatic extinction. We offer an alternative explanation: the apparent flux reflects the actual source luminosity. Given the temperature, we infer a small radius (~49,000 km), and for a range of plausible densities, we estimate a mass < MJup. We suggest that 2M1207B is a hot protoplanet collision afterglow and show that the radiative timescale for such an object is 1% the age of the system. If our hypothesis is correct, the surface gravity of 2M1207B should be an order of magnitude lower than that predicted by Mohanty et al.
The shifted plactic monoid

We introduce a shifted analog of the plactic monoid of Lascoux and Schutzenberger, the shifted plactic monoid. It can be defined in two different ways: via the shifted Knuth relations, or using Haiman’s mixed insertion. Applications include: a new combinatorial derivation (and a new version of) the shifted Littlewood–Richardson Rule; similar results for the coefficients in the Schur expansion of a Schur P-function; a shifted counterpart of the Lascoux–Schutzenberger theory of noncommutative Schur functions in plactic variables; a characterization of shifted tableau words; and more.
Giant gravitons from holomorphic surfaces

We introduce a class of supersymmetric cycles in spacetimes of the form AdS times a sphere or T 1;1 which can be considered as generalizations of the giant gravitons. Branes wrapped on these cycles preserve 1=2, 1= 4o r 1 = 8o f the supersymmetry. On the CFT side these congurations correspond to superpositions of the large number of BPS states.
Efficient and Inefficient Sales of Corporate Control

This paper develops a framework for analyzing transactions that transfer a company's controlling block from an existing controller to a new controller. This framework is used to compare the market rule, which is followed in the United States, with the equal opportunity rule, which is used in many other countries. The market rule is superior to the equal opportunity rule in facilitating efficient transfers of control but inferior to it in discouraging inefficient transfers. Conditions under which one of the two rules is overall superior are identified; for example, the market rule is superior if existing and new controllers draw their characteristics from the same distributions. Finally, the rules' effects on surplus division are analyzed, and this examination reveals a rationale for mandatory rules.
Static Options Replication

This article presents a practical and useful method for replicating or hedging a target stock option with a portfolio of other options. It shows how to construct a replicating portfolio of standard options with varying strikes and maturities and fixed portfolio weights. Once constructed, this portfolio will replicate the value of the target option for a wide range of stock prices and times before expiration, without requiring further weight adjustments. We call this method static replication. It makes no assumptions beyond those of standard options theory. You can use the technique to construct static hedges for exotic options, thereby minimizing dynamic hedging risk and costs. You can use it to structure exotic payoffs from standard options. Finally, you can use it as an aid in valuing exotic options, since it lets you decompose the exotic option into a portfolio of standard options whose market prices and bid-ask spreads may be better known.