cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Stage of Development and Financial Health on Auditor Decision Behavior in the Going‐Concern Task

SUMMARY The effect of different task settings within an industry on auditor behavior is examined for the going-concern task. Using an interactive computer process-tracing method, experienced auditors from four Big 6 accounting firms examined cases based on real data that differed on two dimensions of task settings: stage of organizational development (start-up and mature) and financial health (bankrupt and nonbankrupt). Auditors made judgments about each entity’s ability to continue as a going concern and, if they had substantial doubt about continued existence, they listed evidence they would seek as mitigating factors. There are seven principal results. First, information acquisition and, by inference, problem representations were sensitive to differences in task settings. Second, financial mitigating factors dominated nonfinancial mitigating factors in both start-up and mature settings. Third, auditors’ behavior reflected configural processing. Fourth, categorizing information into financial and nonfinancial dimensions was critical to understanding how auditors’ information acquisition and, by inference, problem representations differed across settings. Fifth, Type I errors (determining that a healthy company is a going-concern problem) differed from correct judgments in terms of information acquisition, although Type II errors (determining that a problem company is viable) did not. This may indicate that Type II errors are primarily due to deficiencies in other stages of processing, such as evaluation. Sixth, auditors who were more accurate tended to follow flexible strategies for financial information acquisition. Finally, accurate performance in the going-concern task was found to be related to acquiring (1) fewer information cues, (2) proportionately more liquidity information and (3) nonfinancial information earlier in the process.
Expanding wallets and waistlines: the impact of family income on the BMI of women and men eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit

The rising rate of obesity has reached epidemic proportions and is now one of the most serious public health challenges facing the US. However, the underlying causes for this increase are unclear. This paper examines the effect of family income changes on body mass index (BMI) and obesity using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort. It does so by using exogenous variation in family income in a sample of low-income women and men. This exogenous variation is obtained from the correlation of their family income with the generosity of state and federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program benefits. Income is found to significantly raise the BMI and probability of being obese for women with EITC-eligible earnings, and have no appreciable effect for men with EITC-eligible earnings. The results imply that the increase in real family income from 1990 to 2002 explains between 10 and 21% of the increase in sample women's BMI and between 23 and 29% of their increased obesity prevalence.
THE IMPACT OF ETHNIC HETEROGENEITY ON EDUCATION SPENDING: A SPATIAL ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF UNITED STATES SCHOOL DISTRICTS

In the public finance literature it is well understood that a community's spending can be affected by neighboring communities’ spending. It is relatively straightforward to see why these spillovers exist. For example, if a school district increases its spending on public education, this could affect the spending level of neighboring school districts. This paper uses spatial analysis to test the hypothesis that a school district's ethnic heterogeneity affects support for public education. Using a Spatial Lag Model and a national panel of U.S. school districts, I find that spatial dependence does exist in the data and that ethnic heterogeneity is negatively related to school district spending.
Discovering nature's diverse pathways to vitamin B12: A 35-year odyssey

The chronology of the discoveries along the pathway of vitamin B(12) biosynthesis is reviewed from a personal perspective, including discussion of the most recent finding that two pathways to B(12) exist-one aerobic and one anaerobic-which differ mainly in the ring contraction mechanisms that convert porphyrin to corrin.
OPTIMAL BIDDING FOR TENDER OFFERS

By modeling tender offers as auctions in which bidders arrive sequentially, I show that the first bidder includes a high premium in its opening bid in an attempt to freeze out potential competitors. When expected competition goes up, the premium offered increases as does target shareholder welfare, while bidders suffer. Also, total synergy gains generated increase with competition. Including a premium in the opening bid remains optimal for the first bidder when target management is permitted to resist. Target management's ability to resist, though, benefits target shareholders even when resistance is not actually observed. When agency costs are introduced, the effect of managerial resistance on target shareholder welfare becomes ambiguous.
High yield synthesis of the parent C-unsubstituted calix[4]resorcinarene octamethyl ether

Treatment of 2,4-dimethoxybenzyl alcohol with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA, 5% in CHCl3) affords, in almost quantitative yield calix[4]resorcinarene octamethyl ether, which on demethylation and acetylation yields the derived octa-acetate.
The Effects of Debt Contracting on Voluntary Accounting Method Changes

This study examines whether the provisions of a firm's bank debt contracts affect its accounting choices. Starting with a sample of firms who have bank debt and who also voluntarily changed accounting methods, we investigate whether the likelihood that the change in accounting method increased (rather than decreased) the borrower's income depends on (1) whether the change in accounting method affects the bank debt contract calculations, (2) the expected costs of violating the bank debt covenants, (3) whether performance pricing provisions affect the interest rate on the loan, and (4) whether the bank debt contract contains accounting‐based dividend restrictions. After controlling for other motives for changing accounting methods, we find that borrowers whose bank debt contracts allow accounting method changes to affect contact calculations are more likely to make income‐increasing rather than income‐decreasing changes. This increase in likelihood of an income‐increasing change is attenuated when expected ...
Towards mirror symmetry with semi-realistic intersecting brane configurations

A T6 orbifold compactification is discussed from the somewhat unconventional perspective as the large radius limit of a Landau-Ginzburg model. The features of the model are in principle familiar, but the way they enter here is different from the way they enter when using more commonly used methods. It is hoped that the point of view presented here can supplement the understanding of the features used in string compactifications, notably in terms of naturalness and completeness. More precisely, the analyzed T64 × 4 features two different kinds of O-planes, branes in the bulk as well as fractional branes, continuous and discrete Wilson lines as well as an orientifold action which can act in different ways on the Wilson lines. The D-branes are desribed by matrix factorizations. This work is also intended to be a showcase for the potentials of matrix factorizations which are for the first time geared to their full level of sophistication in this paper. Throughout the analyis everything is mapped from the B-model side of the LG-model to the A side by mirror symmetry. The work could be extended straightforwardly yet tediously to perform mirror symmetry on a general intersecting brane configuration and to compute Yukawa couplings. The analysis presented here can also be applied to non-toroidal backgrounds with an intersecting brane configuration on it, so I hope that it will be a helpful basis for later applications of mirror symmetry to models exhibiting real world properties.
Does fact-finding promote settlement? Theory and a test

Nonbinding recommendations, such as provided by fact-finders, are shown to significantly increase voluntary settlements in bargaining. Theoretically, it is unclear whether recommendations will increase settlement rates. A recommendation may reduce outcome uncertainty, thereby "chilling" bargaining and increasing dispute rates. On the other hand, a recommendation may give the parties a focal point around which an agreement is made. Which of these effects dominates is a question that we consider using theory and data from controlled bargaining experiments. The data show the dominance of a focal point effect for suggestions, highlighting their potential role in improving dispute settlement procedures.
A methodology for computing and comparing implied equity and corporate-debt Sharpe Ratios

This paper presents a macro-economic methodology for evaluating the forward-looking Sharpe Ratios of the equity and debt components of the United States public company capital structure. Using this framework, it is shown that the equity and debt Sharpe Ratios are both time variant and disparate. The methodology is used to review the risk aversion behavior of equity and debt market participants surrounding the past three major market events, the 1987 crash, the 2000–2001 Internet bubble and the 2008–2009 credit crisis. The forward-looking Sharpe Ratios are used to construct a dynamic portfolio of stocks and corporate bonds that outperforms a static portfolio on a risk-adjusted basis. This paper then offers market segmentation and the differing behavior of equity and corporate bond investors as an explanation for the observed Sharpe Ratios.
SirT3 suppresses hypoxia inducible factor 1α and tumor growth by inhibiting mitochondrial ROS production

It has become increasing clear that alterations in cellular metabolism have a key role in the generation and maintenance of cancer. Some of the metabolic changes can be attributed to the activation of oncogenes or loss of tumor suppressors. Here, we show that the mitochondrial sirtuin, SirT3, acts as a tumor suppressor via its ability to suppress reactive oxygen species (ROS) and regulate hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α). Primary mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) or tumor cell lines expressing SirT3 short-hairpin RNA exhibit a greater potential to proliferate, and augmented HIF-1α protein stabilization and transcriptional activity in hypoxic conditions. SirT3 knockdown increases tumorigenesis in xenograft models, and this is abolished by giving mice the anti-oxidant N-acetyl cysteine. Moreover, overexpression of SirT3 inhibits stabilization of HIF-1α protein in hypoxia and attenuates increases in HIF-1α transcriptional activity. Critically, overexpression of SirT3 decreases tumorigenesis in xenografts, even when induction of the sirtuin occurs after tumor initiation. These data suggest that SirT3 acts to suppress the growth of tumors, at least in part through its ability to suppress ROS and HIF-1α.
Sulfur and oxygen isotope insights into sulfur cycling in shallow-sea hydrothermal vents, Milos, Greece

Shallow-sea (5 m depth) hydrothermal venting off Milos Island provides an ideal opportunity to target transitions between igneous abiogenic sulfide inputs and biogenic sulfide production during microbial sulfate reduction. Seafloor vent features include large (>1 m2) white patches containing hydrothermal minerals (elemental sulfur and orange/yellow patches of arsenic-sulfides) and cells of sulfur oxidizing and reducing microorganisms. Sulfide-sensitive film deployed in the vent and non-vent sediments captured strong geochemical spatial patterns that varied from advective to diffusive sulfide transport from the subsurface. Despite clear visual evidence for the close association of vent organisms and hydrothermalism, the sulfur and oxygen isotope composition of pore fluids did not permit delineation of a biotic signal separate from an abiotic signal. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the free gas had uniform δ34S values (2.5 ± 0.28‰, n = 4) that were nearly identical to pore water H2S (2.7 ± 0.36‰, n = 21). In pore water sulfate, there were no paired increases in δ34SSO4 and δ18OSO4 as expected of microbial sulfate reduction. Instead, pore water δ34SSO4 values decreased (from approximately 21‰ to 17‰) as temperature increased (up to 97.4°C) across each hydrothermal feature. We interpret the inverse relationship between temperature and δ34SSO4 as a mixing process between oxic seawater and 34S-depleted hydrothermal inputs that are oxidized during seawater entrainment. An isotope mass balance model suggests secondary sulfate from sulfide oxidation provides at least 15% of the bulk sulfate pool. Coincident with this trend in δ34SSO4, the oxygen isotope composition of sulfate tended to be 18O-enriched in low pH ( 75°C) pore waters. The shift toward high δ18OSO4 is consistent with equilibrium isotope exchange under acidic and high temperature conditions. The source of H2S contained in hydrothermal fluids could not be determined with the present dataset; however, the end-member δ34S value of H2S discharged to the seafloor is consistent with equilibrium isotope exchange with subsurface anhydrite veins at a temperature of ~300°C. Any biological sulfur cycling within these hydrothermal systems is masked by abiotic chemical reactions driven by mixing between low-sulfate, H2S-rich hydrothermal fluids and oxic, sulfate-rich seawater.
Projective geometry and special relativity

Some concepts of real and complex projective geometry are applied to the fundamental physical notions that relate to Minkowski space and the Lorentz group. In particular, it is shown that the transition from an infinite speed of propagation for light waves to a finite one entails the replacement of a hyperplane at infinity with a light cone and the replacement of an affine hyperplane – or rest space – with a proper time hyperboloid. The transition from the metric theory of electromagnetism to the pre-metric theory is discussed in the context of complex projective geometry, and ultimately, it is proposed that the geometrical issues are more general than electromagnetism, namely, they pertain to the transition from point mechanics to wave mechanics.
A property of Petrov's diffusion

Petrov constructed a diffusion process in the Kingman simplex whose unique stationary distribution is the two-parameter Poisson-Dirichlet distribution of Pitman and Yor. We show that the subset of the simplex comprising vectors whose coordinates sum to 1 is the natural state space for the process. In fact, the complementary set acts like an entrance boundary.
Optimal sensor placement for agent localization

In this article we consider deploying a sensor network to help an agent navigate in an area. In particular the agent uses range measurements to the sensors to localize itself. We wish to place the sensors in order to provide optimal localization accuracy to the agent. We begin by considering the problem of placing sensors in order to optimally localize the agent at a single location. The Position Error Bound (PEB), a lower bound on the localization accuracy, is used to measure the quality of sensor configurations. We then present RELOCATE, an iterative algorithm that places the sensors so as to minimize the PEB at that point. When the range measurements are unbiased and have constant variances, we introduce a coordinate transform that allows us to obtain a closed-form solution to minimizing the PEB along one coordinate. We also prove that RELOCATE converges to the global minimum, and we compute the approximate expected rate of convergence of the algorithm. We then apply RELOCATE to the more complex case where the variance of the range measurements depends on the sensors location and where those measurements can be biased. We finally apply RELOCATE to the case where the PEB must be minimized not at a single point, but at multiple locations, so that good localization accuracy is ensured as the agent moves through the area. We show that, compared to Simulated Annealing, the algorithm yields better results faster on these more realistic scenarios. We also show that by optimally placing the sensors, significant savings in terms of number of sensors used can be achieved. Finally we illustrate that the PEB is not only a convenient theoretical lower bound, but that it can actually be closely approximated by a maximum likelihood estimator.
Octopus: A Secure and Anonymous DHT Lookup

Distributed Hash Table (DHT) lookup is a core technique in structured peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. Its decentralized nature introduces security and privacy vulnerabilities for applications built on top of them, we thus set out to design a lookup mechanism achieving both security and anonymity, heretofore an open problem. We present the design of Octopus, which uses attacker identification mechanisms to discover and remove malicious nodes, severely limiting an adversary's ability to carry out active attacks, and splits lookup queries over separate anonymous paths and introduces dummy queries to achieve high levels of anonymity. We analyze the security of Octopus by developing an event-based simulator to show that the attacker discovery mechanisms can rapidly identify malicious nodes with low error rate. We calculate the anonymity of Octopus using probabilistic modeling and show that Octopus can achieve near-optimal anonymity. We evaluate Octopus's efficiency on Planet lab and show that Octopus has reasonable lookup latency and low bandwidth overhead.
Productivity in manufacturing and the length of the working day: evidence from the 1880 census of manufactures

Abstract Using micro-level data from the 1880 Census of Manufacturing, we estimate the elasticity of annual output with respect to the length of the working day. Holding labor and capital inputs constant and controlling for days of operation per month and months per year, this elasticity was positive but less than one, indicating diminishing returns. We also find diminishing returns to days per month and months per year, but these elasticities were significantly larger. Thus, decreases in daily hours coupled with an offsetting rise in annual days of operation would increase productive efficiency—precisely the kinds of changes then actually taking place.
Sequential testing algorithms for multiple fault diagnosis

We consider the problem of constructing optimal and near-optimal test sequences for multiple fault diagnosis. The computational complexity of solving the optimal multiple-fault isolation problem is super exponential, that is, it is much more difficult than the single-fault isolation problem, which, by itself, is NP-hard. By employing concepts from information theory and AND/OR graph search and by exploiting the single fault testing strategies of Pattipati et al. (1990), we present several test sequencing algorithms for the multiple fault isolation problem. These algorithms provide a trade-off between the degree of suboptimality and computational complexity. Furthermore, we present novel diagnostic strategies that generate a diagnostic directed graph, instead of a traditional diagnostic tree, for multiple fault diagnosis. Using this approach, the storage complexity of the overall diagnostic strategy reduces substantially. The algorithms developed herein have been successfully applied to several real-world systems.
Advances in Bounding Techniques for Aircraft Structures

Recentimprovements in mathematical techniqueswarrant areview ofthe bestsystemprobability-of-failure bounds foruseonaircraftstructures.Advancesincomputationalpowerhavealsoallowedmoresophisticatedmethods,such as linear programming, to be incorporated into the bounds calculations. While second-order Ditlevsen bounds are treated as the standard for structural systems, other techniques are presented that may provide a marked improvement in accuracy. The results indicate that a more recent second-order lower bound that is ordering independent and Ditlevsen bounds using an optimal ordering should be standard computational methods. These methods serve as an alternative to sampling methods and direct numerical integration to estimate the system probability of failure. Structural examples are presented; however, these techniques can be used on any series systems.
The wobble motor: an electrostatic, planetary-armature, microactuator

A variety of micromotor concepts has been evaluated, with the wobble motor (WM) approach being one of those selected for extensive study. Various WM configurations have been analytically evaluated using finite-element methods and closed-form solutions. Important performance characteristics have been estimated such as stall torque and free speed, and alternate strategies for motor control have been examined. Five motor configurations and a variety of silicon-based and non-silicon-based fabrication techniques have been examined in detail. In exploratory exercises, motors have been fabricated using direct mechanical assembly, electro-discharge machining (EDM), cylindrical photolithographic etching, and coextrusion of metal and plastic. The EDM approach was selected as the motor alternative which could function as an experimental testbed. Fifteen EDM WMs have been constructed and utilized for experimental purposes. Experiments aimed at generating simple preliminary data have been conducted, and results compare reasonably to analytical studies. >
Activation of the nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) mediates upregulation of CCR2 chemokine receptors in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons: A possible mechanism for activity- dependent transcription in DRG neurons in association with neuropathic pain

Upregulation of CCR2 chemokine receptor expression by dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons is an important process in the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain. CCR2 is not expressed by DRG neurons under normal conditions but is upregulated in several animal models of neuropathic pain where its signaling is excitatory. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal upregulation of CCR2 have not been investigated. We examined the promoter region of the CCR2 gene and found that a binding site for the nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) was conserved among species. The NFAT element was functional since the CCR2 promoter was activated by a constitutively active form of calcineurin A, whereas a point mutation in the NFAT binding site abrogated it. Activation of the NFAT pathway in the DRG neuronal cell line F11 increased CCR2 promoter activity and induced CCR2 transcription. Moreover, depolarization of cultured DRG neurons induced de novo synthesis of CCR2 mRNA, which was blocked by the calcineurin inhibitors cyclosporin A and FK506. These data indicate that CCR2 is a target of the NFAT pathway and suggest that tonic excitation of DRG neurons in association with chronic pain may lead to neuronal CCR2 upregulation via activation of the NFAT pathway.
[P6Se12](4-): A phosphorus-rich selenophosphate with low-valent P centers

The new selenophosphate Rb 4 P 6 Se 12 features the frans-decalin-like, [P 6 Se 12 ] 4- anion, a phosphorus-rich species that possesses three parallel P-P bonds and formally P 2+ and P 4+ centers. The synthesis of Rb 4 P 6 Se 12 was accomplished with the reductive addition of P to RbPSe 6 and represents an interesting example of how alkali chalcophosphates can serve as starting materials to produce new compounds under mild reaction conditions.
Expandable rigidizable solar shields for protection of cryogenic propellants in space

A lightweight inflatable shield has been developed to protect cryogenically fueled space vehicles from solar heating by reflecting and reradiating the energy to space. This shield can be folded and stowed in a small volume for transport into space, then deployed, inflated, and rigidized in the space environment to form a stable structure after loss of pressurant gases. An expandable balloon (f-mil-thick aluminized Mylar trilaminate) is reinforced in the areas of high-inertial loading with a flexible polyurethane foam that is bonded to the expandable envelope and impregnated with a tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate monomer solution that can be polymerized on command. Exterior and interior surfaces of the shield are covered with appropriately distributed thermal-control coatings. Operational, structural, and thermal performance tests conducted with spherical models verified the feasibility of the expandable, rigidizable shield concept. Resistance of the rigidizable material to simulated solar wind and to nuclear and ultraviolet radiation was also demonstrated.
Cigarette Taxes and Older Adult Smoking: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study.

In this study, we use the Health and Retirement Study to test whether older adult smokers, defined as those 50 years and older, respond to cigarette tax increases. Our preferred specifications show that older adult smokers respond modestly to tax increases: a $1.00 (131.6%) tax increase leads to a 3.8–5.2% reduction in cigarettes smoked per day (implied tax elasticity = −0.03 to −0.04). We identify heterogeneity in tax elasticity across demographic groups as defined by sex, race/ethnicity, education, and marital status and by smoking intensity and level of addictive stock. These findings have implications for public health policy implementation in an aging population. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Recent developments in perturbation analysis

Summary form only given. The purpose of this study is to review some of the more recent developments in perturbation analysis (PA) from a unified viewpoint. Concepts such as aggregation, statistical equivalence, smoothing, uniformization, and representation of stochastic processes take on more concrete meanings when viewed in the unified PA mind-set. The richness of the subject matter will become apparent and may thus attract more researchers to this fertile area. It is the authors' thesis that these concepts, combined with the basic approach of perturbation analysis, enable them to develop a general approach to the problem of performance evaluation of discrete event dynamic systems. >
Batch is back: CasJobs, serving multi-TB data on the Web

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) science database describes over 230 million objects and is over 1.6 TB in size. The SDSS Catalog Archive Server (CAS) provides several levels of query interface to the SDSS data via the SkyServer website. Most queries execute in seconds or minutes. However, some queries can take hours or days, either because they require non-index scans of the largest tables, or because they request very large result sets, or because they represent very complex aggregations of the data. These "monster queries" not only take a long time, they also affect response times for everyone else - one or more of them can clog the entire system. To ameliorate this problem, we developed a multiserver multiqueue batch job submission, execution, and tracking system for the CAS called CasJobs. The transfer of very large result sets from queries over the network is another serious problem. Statistics suggested that much of this data transfer is unnecessary; users would prefer to store results locally in order to allow further joins and filtering. To allow local analysis, a system was developed that gives users their own personal databases (MyDB) at the server side. Users may transfer data to their MyDB, and then perform further analysis before extracting it to their own machine. MyDB tables also provide a convenient way to share results of queries with collaborators without downloading them. CasJobs is built using SOAP XML Web services and has been in operation since May 2004.
The term structure of interest rates in a pure exchange economy where investors have heterogeneous recursive preferences

Abstract This paper presents an equilibrium model of the term structure of interest rates when investors have heterogeneous recursive preferences. We consider a pure exchange economy with two classes of investors who have different relative risk aversions and different elasticities of intertemporal substitution. The RRA and the EIS can be varied independently for each investor. We use the model to examine the effects that the heterogeneity in preferences of investors has on their portfolio-consumption choices as well as on the instantaneous interest rate and bond yield. We find that the heterogeneity only in the RRA affects the cross-sectional as well as intertemporal variations of the consumption rate, the portfolio allocations for each investor and the instantaneous interest rate. However, the heterogeneity only in the EIS matters only for the intertemporal variations of these processes.
Improved Synthesis of (–)-Agelastatin A

Abstract Optimization of key steps in the synthesis of the architecturally unique tetracyclic antitumor alkaloid (–)-agelastatin A (1) improved the overall yield of the 11-step process (eight operations) from 9% to 23%. Changing the solvent and using a more efficient N-benzyl deprotecting-group procedure enhanced the yields of the C-ring and D-ring intermediates, (–)-4 and (–)-7, respectively. Bromination of (–)-7 with 1,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin, rather than N-bromosuccinimide (NBS), increased the yield of (–)-1 from 69% to more than 94% yield.
An error-compensation A/D conversion technique

An architecture for a successive-approximation analog-to-digital (A/D) converter using switched-capacitor techniques is described. The converter design consists of a comparator, two operational amplifiers, and several unit capacitors. The simplicity of the circuit is comparable to that of cyclic A/D converters. An error-compensation technique for reference generation is also proposed that improves the resolution of the converter with relatively few operations. Based on the principle of charge redistribution, the capacitor mismatch error is first stored in an analog manner and the necessary voltage references are generated accurately. The error is then compensated in subsequent conversions. Since this is done in a parallel manner, the speed of the converter is not compromised. The converter has been realized using a 1- mu m CMOS technology. The test results indicate that with a conversion time of 20 mu s, the chip performs as a monotonic 11-b converter with +or-0.9 least significant bit (LSB) differential and +or-1.4 LSB integral nonlinearity. >
The remarkable effect of methanol on sulfide photooxidations. Evidence for its dual reactivity.

Abstract The addition of small amounts of methanol to photooxidation mixtures of sulfides dramatically enhances sulfone in preference to sulfoxide formation. High concentrations of methanol on the other hand have the opposite effect of promoting sulfoxide in preference to sulfone formation.
Packet switching with satellites

The first computer-communication networks put into operation were designed around the communications provided by the existing worldwide telephone network. Lucky has given a convincing rationale for that decision.
Progressive trellis-coded space-frequency quantization for wavelet image coding

This paper addresses progressive wavelet image coding within the trellis-coded space-frequency quantization (TCSFQ) framework (Xiong et al., 1999). A method similar to that in Bilgin et al. (1999), is used to approximately invert TCSFQ when decoding at rates lower than the encoding rate. Our experiments show that the loss incurred for progressive transmission is within 1 dB in peak signal-to-noise ratio and that the progressive coding performance of TCSFQ is competitive with that of the celebrated SPIHT coder (Said et al., 1996) at all rates.
Rational design of chiral stationary phases for capillary supercritical fluid chromatography.

Abstract A new class of chiral copolymers consisting of chiral organic and dimethylsiloxane units is described. One example of such copolymers, containing alternating diamide and dimethylsiloxane units, has been synthesized. Using these chiral materials as stationary phases in capillary columns, chiral diols can be efficiently resolved by supercritical fluid chromatography.
Metal Complexes of Carbaporphyrinoid Systems

The cavities of carbaporphyrinoid systems provide unique environments for the formation of organometallic species. These systems commonly act as either dianionic or trianionic ligands, and may stabilize unusual oxidation states such as silver(III). Although the metalation of N-confused porphyrins has been explored in great detail, the formation of metallo-derivatives of other carbaporphyrinoids remains far less well explored. Nevertheless, exciting advances have been made on the metalation of carbaporphyrins, azuliporphyrins, benziporphyrins and related macrocycles.
On a Class of Shrinkage Priors for Covariance Matrix Estimation

We propose a flexible class of models based on scale mixture of uniform distributions to construct shrinkage priors for covariance matrix estimation. This new class of priors enjoys a number of advantages over the traditional scale mixture of normal priors, including its simplicity and flexibility in characterizing the prior density. We also exhibit a simple, easy to implement Gibbs sampler for posterior simulation, which leads to efficient estimation in high-dimensional problems. We first discuss the theory and computational details of this new approach and then extend the basic model to a new class of multivariate conditional autoregressive models for analyzing multivariate areal data. The proposed spatial model flexibly characterizes both the spatial and the outcome correlation structures at an appealing computational cost. Examples consisting of both synthetic and real-world data show the utility of this new framework in terms of robust estimation as well as improved predictive performance. Supplement...
The XPL compiler generator system

The development of the system described here was originally motivated by the need to develop a good student language compiler for a large IBM System/360. An examination of the tools and methods available caused us to establish the subgoal of developing a translator writing system in which we could prepare the student compiler. In our opinion, then and now, the total effort was smaller, and the end product better, for the combined project than for the original project using previously available tools.
A simple and fast procedure for efficient synthesis of β- and γ-azidoarylketones

A simple and efficient method for preparing β- and γ-azido substituted arylketones has been achieved by short microwave irradiation of the corresponding halo arylketones and sodium azide in DMSO.
Magmatic rifting of Pangaea linked to onset of South American plate motion

Abstract The causes of the transition from amagmatic to magmatic rifting during continental break-up are not always clear and have been often linked to the break-through of a plume. However, stress fields recorded in the crust may offer new insights into the relationship between changes in the stress field and the onset of magmatism. In this paper stress fields recorded in the crust of North America are used to test possible causes of the break-up of Pangaea and the transition from amagmatic to magmatic rifting. Finite element models reveal that the most likely scenario for the break-up involves the initial northwest motion of North America at 230 Ma, followed by a south-southeast motion of South America at 200 Ma with the initiation of magmatism, and finally a weakened area between North and South America sometime soon after 200 Ma which resulted in North America being dominated by northwest motion once again. It was also determined that plate boundary structure and orientation play a large part in the recorded stress fields and must be taken into consideration when modeling continental break-ups and rifting.
Automated monitoring functions for improved power system operation and control

This paper describes how new functions can be developed for automated analysis of data collected in substations of an electric power system. The new functions are first defined and architecture of the integrated substation application is proposed. Database and user interfacing needs are also presented. Once fully implemented, this solution will serve both local and remote functions allowing further benefits to be drawn from the concept of substation data integration and information exchange.
How Forward-Looking is Optimal Monetary Policy?

We calculate optimal monetary policy rules for several variants of a simple optimizing model of the monetary transmission mechanism with sticky prices and/or wages. We show that robustly optimal rules can be represented by interest-rate feedback rules that generalize the celebrated proposal of Taylor (1993). Optimal rules, however, require that the current interest rate operating target depend positively on the recent past level of the operating target, and its recent rate of increase, in a way that is characteristic of estimated central bank reaction functions, but not of Taylor's proposal. We furthermore find that a robustly optimal policy rule is almost inevitably an implicit rule that requires the central bank to use a structural model to project the economy's evolution under the contemplated policy action. However, calibrated examples suggest that optimal rules place less weight on projections of inflation or output many quarters in the future than do rules often discussed in the literature on inflation targeting, or in the current practice of inflation-forecast targeting central banks.
2-bromo-3,3,3-trifluoropropene: A facile trifluoromethylacetylene anion synthon

Abstract The introduction of trifluoromethylacetylene units into organic compounds has been further studied and extended. The direct reaction of two equivalents of Lithium Diisopropylamide with 2-bromo-3,3.3-trifluoropropene gave lithium trifluoromethylacetylide, the anion of which was trapped in greater than 90% overall yield with a variety of electrophiles.
Peak values of conductivity in integer and fractional quantum hall effect

Abstract The diagonal conductivity σxx was measured in the Corbino geometry in both integer and fractional quantum Hall effect (QHE). We find that peak values of σxx are approximately equal for transitions in a wide range of integer filling factors 3
Large-Scale, Long-Term Stable Femtosecond Timing Distribution and Synchronization Systems

We demonstrate large-scale, long-term stable, and femtosecond-precision timing distribution and synchronization systems based on optical pulse trains generated from ultralow-noise mode-locked lasers.
Composite antisymmetric-tensor Nambu-Goldstone bosons in a four-fermion interaction model and the Higgs mechanism

Starting from the Fierz transform of the two-flavour 't Hooft interaction (a four-fermion Lagrangian with antisymmetric Lorentz tensor interaction terms augmented by an NJL type Lorentz scalar interaction responsible for dynamical symmetry breaking and quark mass generation), we show that: (1) antisymmetric tensor Nambu-Goldstone bosons appear provided that the scalar and tensor couplings stand in the proportion of two to one, which ratio appears naturally in the Fierz transform of the two-flavour 't Hooft interaction; (2) non-Abelian vector gauge bosons coupled to this system acquire a non-zero mass. Axial-vector fields do not mix with antisymmetric tensor fields, so there is no mass shift there.
The Use of Gamma-Ray Imaging to Improve Portal Monitor Performance

We have constructed a prototype, rapid-deployment portal monitor that uses visible-light and gamma-ray imaging to allow simultaneous monitoring of multiple lanes of traffic from the side of a roadway. Our Roadside Tracker uses automated target acquisition and tracking (TAT) software to identify and track vehicles in visible light images. The field of view of the visible camera overlaps with and is calibrated to that of a one-dimensional gamma-ray imager. The TAT code passes information on when vehicles enter and exit the system field of view and when they cross gamma-ray pixel boundaries. Based on this information, the gamma-ray imager ldquoharvestsrdquo the gamma-ray data specific to each vehicle, integrating its radiation signature for the entire time that it is in the field of view. In this fashion we are able to generate vehicle-specific radiation signatures and avoid source confusion problems that plague nonimaging approaches to the same problem.
When Katrina hit California

[1] Beamforming of seismic noise recorded on 150 Southern California stations was used to identify body and surface waves generated by Katrina. Surface wave microseisms are commonly associated with oceanic storms; there are no previous comprehensive body wave observations. The temporal evolution of the surface and body waves was different, indicating a different source mechanism for the two wave types. The body-waves originated in shallow water east of New Orleans and propagated deep inside the Earth. The surface waves have source location that varies with frequency with the lowest frequency surface waves originating west of the hurricane track and the higher frequency ones to the east. The seismic observations are consistent with ocean wave hindcasts and provide clear association of microseism noise with storm activity.
Stabilization of Organometallic Species Achieved by the Use of N‐Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) Ligands

This review describes the stabilization of various coordinatively unsaturated metal centers through the incorporation of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands. Such species are more thermally stable compared to the more ubiquitous tertiary phosphane systems. Although NHCs can be considered as phosphane mimics it has become apparent that there are substantial differences between the two ligand families. In general, NHC ligands are much more electron-donating and sterically demanding than bulky phosphane ligands. We also discuss the various thermochemical and infrared studies of metal carbene species that have provided insight into NHC ligands properties, and at last allowed meaningful comparison to tertiary phosphane ligands. While NHCs are generally viewed as strong binding low reactive ligands, in some instances they have been found to be not so innocent and can undergo facile intramolecular C–H activation as well as abnormal ligand binding [C-5(4) vs. C-2]. Here we highlight such reactions with late-transition metal centers that have allowed the isolation of various unsaturated LTM species. These have so far eluded isolation in analogous phosphane-based systems. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2005)
Migration of comets to the terrestrial planets

We studied the orbital evolution of objects with initial orbits close to those of Jupiter-family comets (JFCs), Halley-type comets (HTCs), and long-period comets, and the probabilities of their collisions with the planets. In our runs the probability of a collision of one object with the Earth could be greater than the sum of probabilities for thousands of other objects. Even without the contribution of such a few objects, the probability of a collision of a former JFC with the Earth during the dynamical lifetime of the comet was greater than 4×10−6. This probability is enough for delivery of all the water to Earth's oceans during the formation of the giant planets. The ratios of probabilities of collisions of JFCs and HTCs with Venus and Mars to the mass of the planet usually were not smaller than that with Earth. Among 30,000 considered objects with initial orbits close to those of JFCs, a few objects got Earth-crossing orbits with semimajor axes a<2 AU and aphelion distances Q<4.2 AU, or even got inner-Earth (Q<0.983 AU), Aten, or typical asteroidal orbits, and moved in such orbits for more than 1 Myr (up to tens or even hundreds of Myr). From a dynamical point of view, the fraction of extinct comets among near-Earth objects can exceed several tens of percent, but, probably, many extinct comets disintegrated into mini-comets and dust during a smaller part of their dynamical lifetimes.
Rhodium-Catalyzed Annulation of N-Benzoylsulfonamide with Isocyanide through C ? H Activation

Isocyanide insertion: the first rhodium-catalyzed annulation of N-benzoylsulfonamide incorporating with isocyanide via C-H activation is described. The transformation is broadly compatible with N-benzoylsulfonamides bearing various electron-properties as well as isocyanides. From practical point of view, this methodology provides the most straightforward approach to a series of 3-(imino)isoindolinones.
Vortex modeling of gaseous jets in a compressible crossflow

This paper discusses an analytical/numerical model developed to describe the behavior of gaseous jets injected transversely into a subsonic (but compressible) crossflow. The cross section of the jet is modeled as an inviscid, compressible vortex pair, consistent with experimental observations of the transverse jet cross section. The numerically computed behavior of the vortex pair is used as an input to mass and momentum balances along the jet, forming a model that describes the trajectory, entrainment, and mixing of jets injected into subsonic crossflows in the range 0.15 < Mx < 0.8. Theoretical predictions of jet trajectories are compared with limited experimental data, yielding accuracy within 10%. Because very short computational times are required for this model, it could serve as an excellent design tool for perfectly expanded or slightly underexpanded jets in subsonic crossflow. Nomenclature B = constant used in defining jet cross-sectional area d = jet orifice diameter Fy = dimensionless force tending to separate vortices due to compressibility associated with vortex pair Fyp = dimensionless force tending to separate vortices due to
Refocusing Electrical Safety

Electrical safety needs to be refocused. Over the last few years, there has been tremendous attention given to the arc flash hazard phenomenon. Even though this hazard needs attention to reduce the number of injuries occurring because of it, in some ways, it has become the predominate focus of electrical safety. Electrical safety is more than just the arc flash hazard. Electrical safety needs to be a holistic approach that includes all aspects of electrical safety. The Electrical Safety Program, which proved to be a good tool, is defined in NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces. However, even this falls short of what is needed to make a step change in electrical safety performance. This paper will attempt to identify the voids in electrical safety and focus attention on the items that need to be addressed to take a more holistic approach to electrical safety
Modular and p -adic cyclic codes

This paper presents some basic theorems giving the structure of cyclic codes of lengthn over the ring of integers modulop a and over thep-adic numbers, wherep is a prime not dividingn. An especially interesting example is the 2-adic cyclic code of length 7 with generator polynomialX 3 +λX 2 +(λ−1)X−1, where λ satisfies λ2 - λ + 2 = 0. This is the 2-adic generalization of both the binary Hamming code and the quaternary octacode (the latter being equivalent to the Nordstrom-Robinson code). Other examples include the 2-adic Golay code of length 24 and the 3-adic Golay code of length 12.
The Behavior of Ion-Implanted Hydrogen in Gallium Nitride

Hydrogen was ion-implanted into wurtzite-phase GaN, and its transport, bound states, and microstructural effects during annealing up to 980°C were investigated by nuclear-reaction profiling, ion-channeling analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and infrared (IR) vibrational spectroscopy. At implanted concentrations ∧1 at.%, faceted H2 bubbles formed, enabling identification of energetically preferred surfaces, examination of passivating N-H states on these surfaces, and determination of the diffusivity-solubility product of the H. Additionally, the formation and evolution of point and extended defects arising from implantation and bubble formation were characterized. At implanted H concentrations ∧0.1 at.%, bubble formation was not observed, and ion-channeling analysis indicated a defect-related H site located within the [0001] channel.