cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of certain non-conformal semigroups

A semigroup generated by two dimensional C l+α contracting maps is considered. We call a such semigroup regular if the maximum K of the conformal dilatations of generators, the maximum l of the norms of the derivatives of generators and the smoothness α of the generators satisfy a compatibility condition K < 1/l α. We prove that the shape of the image of the core of a ball under any element of a regular semigroup is good (bounded geometric distortion like the Koebe 1/4-lemma [1]). And we use it to show a lower and an upper bounds of the Hausdorff dimension of the limit set of a regular semigroup. We also consider a semigroup generated by higher dimensional maps.
Bounded-from-below solutions of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation for optimal control problems with exit times: vanishing lagrangians, eikonal equations, and shape-from-shading

We study the Hamilton-Jacobi equation for undiscounted exit time control problems with general nonnegative Lagrangians using the dynamic programming approach. We prove theorems characterizing the value function as the unique bounded-from-below viscosity solution of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation which is null on the target. The result applies to problems with the property that all trajectories satisfying a certain integral condition must stay in a bounded set. We allow problems for which the Lagrangian is not uniformly bounded below by positive constants, in which the hypotheses of the known uniqueness results for Hamilton-Jacobi equations are not satised. We apply our theorems to eikonal equations from geometric optics, shapefrom-shading equations from image processing, and variants of the Fuller Problem.
The Scalability of H. Igor Ansoff's Strategic Management Principles for Small and Medium Sized Firms

The purpose of this paper is to examine the praxis of the multi-dimensional components of H. Igor Ansoff¹s Strategic Management Systems and the efficacy of use of each of its components relative to the formulation and implementation of corporate level strategy in for-profit, not-for-profit, small and medium sized enterprises. Based on empirically validated research and industry supported journals, substantial evidence endorse both an implicit and explicit acknowledgement of its applicability and it¹s value as a whole or in part providing increased financial performance for firms competing in turbulent environments. There is a notable variance within industry and academia concerning the asymmetry of costs incurred relative to the benefits achieved of the successful implementation of Ansoffian Strategy within Small and Medium sized enterprises. Although the principles and processes of scalability are still conceptually at an embryonic stage, this paper will illuminate those features of Ansoff’s Strategic Management Systems and conditions for optimal use. Finally, we will discuss Ansoff’s Strategic Success Paradigm and principles for use by Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, which when implemented have proven empirically to increase the firm’s probability of strategic success.
Efficiency Wages and Work Incentives in Urban and Rural China

Abstract This paper examines incentive-wage effects for production and for managerial/technical workers in both urban and rural Chinese nonagricultural enterprises. We report strong evidence of productivity-enhancing wage behavior among enterprises in all ownership categories. There is also evidence that firms paying higher efficiency wages experience less shirking among their employees. We find that the profit-maximizing potential of incentive-wage setting is not fully exploited, although there is weak evidence that joint ventures come closer to profit-maximizing behavior at this margin of wage/employment behavior than do collectives or state-owned enterprises. J. Comp. Econ. , December 2001, 29 (4), pp. 645–662. The Ohio State University, 1945 North High St., Columbus, OH 43210 and University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822. © 2001 Elsevier Science Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: P23, J31, O15.
Next generation of transportation & information technologies

Transportation and Internet Technologies have evolved dramatically during the last decade, laying solid foundation for the future generation of the Ubiquitous Internet access, omnipresent web technologies and ultimate automated information cyberspace. As a result, the current efforts in the research and development in the areas of Future Transportation and Next Generation of Internet Technologies promotes formation of inter-disciplinary international teams of experts, scientists, researchers and engineers to create a new generation of applications and technologies that will facilitate the future transportation system. The author discusses the current state of the art in the world of Telecommunications and Internet Technologies, new technological trends directions in the application in the Future Transportation.
Reversible Plating and Stripping of Sodium at Inert Electrodes in Room Temperature Chloroaluminate Molten Salts

Sodium has been suggested as a possible anode in high energy‐density batteries using room temperature chloroaluminate molten salt electrolytes, but it cannot be used directly in typical melts because the reduction of Na+ falls beyond the negative voltage limit. When a neutral melt of 1‐methyl‐3‐ethylimidazolium chloride and aluminum chloride is buffered with , and excess protons are added, the negative voltage limit is extended to −2.4 V (vs. an melt reference electrode) and the reversible plating and stripping of sodium is observed. Compositional data from scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectra (SEM/EDS) verify that a layer of sodium is deposited on the surface of Pt and W electrodes. MEI+ appears to be reduced at nearly the same potential as sodium and probably forms a protective layer on top of the sodium. These plated species are fairly stable on the electrode surface as judged by a constant rest potential over several hours, but can easily be stripped off the electrode by a positive potential scan. These characteristics suggest that sodium is a good candidate for the anode in a rechargeable battery.
The Capacity of Channels With Feedback

In this paper, we introduce a general framework for treating channels with memory and feedback. First, we prove a general feedback channel coding theorem based on Massey's concept of directed information. Second, we present coding results for Markov channels. This requires determining appropriate sufficient statistics at the encoder and decoder. We give a recursive characterization of these sufficient statistics. Third, a dynamic programming framework for computing the capacity of Markov channels is presented. Fourth, it is shown that the average cost optimality equation (ACOE) can be viewed as an implicit single-letter characterization of the capacity. Fifth, scenarios with simple sufficient statistics are described. Sixth, error exponents for channels with feedback are presented.
Creating a Green Brand for Competitive Distinction

This research examines the question of how an environmentally proactive hotel can gain competitive distinction by way of ‘green’ branding. It demonstrates that not all green branding options are created equal. The two most widely recognized options, unilateral commitments and participation in voluntary environmental programs, have significant variations in their ability to inform relevant constituencies, achieve external legitimacy and add firm value. To illustrate these points, this research systematically evaluates the efforts of Damai Lovina Villas, a small boutique Indonesian hotel, to promote its environmental activities by way of developing a green brand. Further, this study develops a framework that other companies can use to assess their green branding options.
An Analytical Approximation of the Joint Distribution of Aggregate Queue-Lengths in an Urban Network

Abstract Traditional queueing network models assume infinite queue capacities due to the complexity of capturing interactions between finite capacity queues. Accounting for this correlation can help explain how congestion propagates through a network. Joint queue-length distribution can be accurately estimated through simulation. Nonetheless, simulation is a computationally intensive technique, and its use for optimization purposes is challenging. By modeling the system analytically, we lose accuracy but gain efficiency and adaptability and can contribute novel information to a variety of congestion related problems, such as traffic signal optimization. We formulate an analytical technique that combines queueing theory with aggregation-disaggregation techniques in order to approximate the joint network distribution, considering an aggregate description of the network. We propose a stationary formulation. We consider a tandem network with three queues. The model is validated by comparing the aggregate joint distribution of the three queue system with the exact results determined by a simulation over several scenarios. It derives a good approximation of aggregate joint distributions.
A one-step procedure for the selective trifluoroacetylation of primary amino groups of polyamines

Abstract The reaction of polyamines with ethyl trifluoroacetate in wet acetonitrile results in the selective trifluoroacetylation of primary amino groups. This reaction is shown to be applicable to a range of polyamines.
Parallel graph decompositions using random shifts

We show an improved parallel algorithm for decomposing an undirected unweighted graph into small diameter pieces with a small fraction of the edges in between. These decompositions form critical subroutines in a number of graph algorithms. Our algorithm builds upon the shifted shortest path approach introduced in [Blelloch, Gupta, Koutis, Miller, Peng, Tangwongsan, SPAA 2011]. By combining various stages of the previous algorithm, we obtain a significantly simpler algorithm with the same asymptotic guarantees as the best sequential algorithm.
Pattern-Shift Visual, Brainstem Auditory and Short-Latency Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Multiple Sclerosis

Pattern shift visual (PSVER), brainstem auditory (BAER), and short-latency somatosensory (SER) evoked potentials are practical and reliable clinical tests that provide objective measures of impulse conduction in the respective central nervous system (CNS) white matter tracts. In large groups of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), the abnormality rates were 56, 32, and 60% (PSVER, BAER, and SER, respectively). Evidence of clinically unsuspected lesions was found in 42, 21, and 51%, respectively. Abnormality rates for a definite MS group alone were higher. The tests provide confirmatory and additional evidence for multiple lesions in CNS white matter. They may also provide an objective assessment of the efficacy of therapeutic regimens.
Low-temperature approach to synthesize iron nitride from amorphous iron.

Iron nitride was prepared by a nitridation reaction in NH3 using amorphous iron as precursor. The precursor was prepared at ambient temperature through the process of reducing ferrous sulfate by potassium borohydride, followed by the nitridation at different temperatures. The nitridation reaction occurred at 548 K, and ϵ-Fe2−3N was formed at 573 K. The reaction temperature was much lower than that using crystallized iron because of the characteristics of the amorphous materials. The existence of a small quantity of boron (1.6 wt.%) improved the stability of the amorphous precursor, which guaranteed an amorphous iron precursor at nitriding temperatures in excess of 548 K.
Biocentrism and Human Health

Biocentrists endorse the equality of species. But is endorsing the equality of species compatible with maintaining the health of humans, or should at least sometimes the health of humans be sacrificed for the sake of other species? In this article, I argue for the compatibility of biocentrism and human health. I argue that maintaining the equality of species, correctly understood, is in no way in conflict with maintaining human health. In fact, I will argue that there is a mutually supporting relationship between the requirements of biocentrism and the requirements for human health.
The Interaction of Stellar Objects within a Common Envelope

We use high-resolution, three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations to study the hydrodynamic and gravitational interaction between stellar companions embedded within a differentially rotating common envelope. We evaluate the contributions of the nonaxisymmetric gravitational tides and ram pressure forces to the drag force and, hence, to the dissipation rate and the mass accumulated onto the stellar companion. We find that the gravitational drag dominates the hydrodynamic drag during the inspiral phase, implying that a simple prescription based on a gravitational capture radius significantly underestimates the dissipation rate and overestimates the inspiral decay timescale. Although the mass accretion rate fluctuates significantly, we observe a secular trend leading to an effective rate that is significantly less than the rate based on a gravitational capture radius. We discuss the implications of these results within the context of accretion by compact objects in the common-envelope phase.
Holographic read-only memories accessed by light-emitting diodes

Though it has been recognized for some time that photographic material has the highest information packing density of any present storage medium, preholographic techniques to utilize this capacity required a lens system. Lenses were necessary to use the fine detail storable on film, and precise mechanisms were needed to place this fine detail before a photodetector. Such photographic systems provided an easily made, very large, fixed store in a small size at low cost, but suffered from two major drawbacks:1. Long access time due to the mechanical nature of the access, and2. Sensitivity to dust and scratches due to the easily obscured nature of the fine detail carrying the information.
Modifications of Hodge bundles and enumerative geometry: the stable hyperelliptic locus

We study the stable hyperelliptic locus, i.e. the closure, in the Deligne–Mumford moduli of stable curves, of the locus of smooth hyperelliptic curves. Working on a suitable blowup of the relative Hilbert scheme (of degree 2) associated with a family of stable curves, we construct a bundle map (‘degree-2 Brill–Noether’) from a modification of the Hodge bundle to a tautological bundle, whose degeneracy locus is the natural lift of the stable hyperelliptic locus plus a simple residual scheme. Using intersection theory on Hilbert schemes and Fulton–MacPherson residual intersection theory, the class of the structure sheaf and various other sheaves supported on the stable hyperelliptic locus can be computed by the Porteous formula and similar tools.
A Spitzer IRAC Census of the Asymptotic Giant Branch Populations in Local Group Dwarfs. I. WLM

We present Spitzer IRAC observations at 3.6 and 4.5 ?m along with optical data from the Local Group Galaxies Survey to investigate the evolved stellar population of the Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy WLM. These observations provide a nearly complete census of the AGB stars. We find that 39% of the infrared-detected AGB stars are not detected in the optical data, even though our 50% completeness limit is 3 mag fainter than the red giant branch tip. An additional 4% of the infrared-detected AGBs are misidentified in the optical, presumably due to reddening by circumstellar dust. We also compare our results with those of a narrowband optical carbon star survey of WLM and find the latter study sensitive to only 18% of the total AGB population. We detect objects with infrared fluxes consistent with them being mass-losing AGB stars and derive a present-day total mass-loss rate from the AGB stars of = (0.7-2.4) ? 10-3 M? yr-1. The distributions of mass-loss rates and bolometric luminosities of AGBs and red supergiants are very similar to those in the LMC and SMC, and the empirical maximum mass-loss rate observed in the LMC and SMC is in excellent agreement with our WLM data.
Disorder-induced rounding of certain quantum phase transitions.

We study the influence of quenched disorder on quantum phase transitions in systems with over-damped dynamics. For Ising order-parameter symmetry disorder destroys the sharp phase transition by rounding because a static order parameter can develop on rare spatial regions. This leads to an exponential dependence of the order parameter on the coupling constant. At finite temperatures the static order on the rare regions is destroyed. This restores the phase transition and leads to a double-exponential relation between critical temperature and coupling strength. We discuss the behavior based on Lifshitz-tail arguments and illustrate the results by simulations of a model system.
Mild Arming and Derivatization of Natural Products via an In(OTf)3-Catalyzed Arene Iodination

Iodination of arene-containing natural products employing N-iodosuccinimide catalyzed by In(OTf)3 at ambient temperature is reported as a versatile and mild method for natural product derivatization amenable to small scale. This process facilitates natural product derivatization of arene moieties for SAR studies, homo- and heterodimerization of natural products, and also conjugation with reporters such as biotin via subsequent metal-mediated coupling reactions.
Hierarchical weighted vector quantization (HWVQ) for embedded wavelet coding

We propose a coding scheme that performs vector quantization (VQ) of the wavelet transform coefficients of an image. The proposed scheme uses different vector dimensions for different wavelet subbands and also different codebook sizes so that more bits are assigned to those subbands that have more energy. Another element of the proposed method is that the vector codebooks used are obtained recursively from the image that is to be compressed. By ordering the bit-stream properly, we can maintain the embedding property, since the wavelet coefficients are ordered according to their energy. Preliminary numerical experiments are presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Consequences of using nonlinear particle trajectories to compute spatial diffusion coefficients

The propagation of charged particles through interstellar and interplanetary space has often been described as a random process in which the particles are scattered by ambient electromagnetic turbulence. In general, this changes both the magnitude and direction of the particles' momentum. Some situations for which scattering in direction (pitch angle) is of primary interest were studied. A perturbed orbit, resonant scattering theory for pitch-angle diffusion in magnetostatic turbulence was slightly generalized and then utilized to compute the diffusion coefficient for spatial propagation parallel to the mean magnetic field, Kappa. All divergences inherent in the quasilinear formalism when the power spectrum of the fluctuation field falls off as K to the minus Q power (Q less than 2) were removed. Various methods of computing Kappa were compared and limits on the validity of the theory discussed. For Q less than 1 or 2, the various methods give roughly comparable values of Kappa, but use of perturbed orbits systematically results in a somewhat smaller Kappa than can be obtained from quasilinear theory.
Impact of Radiographic Findings on Prognosis for Skin Carcinoma with Clinical Perineural Invasion

BACKGROUND The objective of the current study was to correlate pretreatment computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging studies with outcomes for patients with squamous or basal cell carcinoma of the skin and clinical perineural invasion. METHODS Between 1986 and 2002, 45 patients were treated with radiotherapy alone (21 patients) or combined with surgery (24 patients), and 4 patients received concomitant chemotherapy. Follow-up ranged from 0.85 years to 17.4 years (median, 3.8 years). Patients were stratified as follows: imaging negative, 10 patients; minimal or moderate peripheral disease, 14 patients; and central and/or macroscopic disease, 21 patients. RESULTS The 5-year local control rates were as follows: imaging negative, 76%; minimal or moderate peripheral disease, 57%; and central and/or macroscopic disease, 25%. The 5-year absolute and cause-specific survival rates were as follows: imaging negative, 90% and 100%, respectively; minimal or moderate peripheral disease, 50% and 56%, respectively; and central and/or macroscopic disease, 58% and 61%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Patients who had symptomatic but imaging-negative perineural invasion had a relatively good prognosis after receiving definitive radiotherapy alone or combined with surgery. Patients who had imaging-positive minimal or moderate peripheral disease had a better local control rate but a similar survival rate compared with patients who had central and/or macroscopic disease. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
Hypnotic Intervention With School Phobic Children

Case studies are used to illustrate the use of hypnosis in working with children who exhibit symptoms of “school phobia.” Responses obtained during and after hypnosis are utilized to uncover underl...
Approximately optimal auctions for selling privacy when costs are correlated with data

We consider a scenario in which a database stores sensitive data of users and an analyst wants to estimate statistics of the data. The users may suffer a cost when their data are used in which case they should be compensated. The analyst wishes to get an accurate estimate, while the users want to maximize their utility. We want to design a mechanism that can estimate statistics accurately without compromising users' privacy.Since users' costs and sensitive data may be correlated, it is important to protect the privacy of both data and cost. We model this correlation by assuming that a user's unknown sensitive data determines a distribution from a set of publicly known distributions and a user's cost is drawn from that distribution. We propose a stronger model of privacy preserving mechanism where users are compensated whenever they reveal information about their data to the mechanism. In this model, we design a Bayesian incentive compatible and privacy preserving mechanism that guarantees accuracy and protects the privacy of both cost and data.
Drilling for Micro-Foundations of Human Capital–Based Competitive Advantages

From the origins of resource-based theory, scholars have emphasized the importance of human capital as a source of sustained competitive advantage, and recently there has been great interest in gaining a better understanding of the micro-foundations of strategic capabilities. Along these lines, there is little doubt that heterogeneous human capital is often a critical underlying mechanism for capabilities. Here, the authors explore how individual-level phenomena underpin isolating mechanisms that sustain human capital–based advantages but also create management dilemmas that must be resolved in order to create value. The solutions to these challenges cannot be found purely in generic human resource policies that reflect best practices. These are not designed to mitigate idiosyncratic dilemmas that arise from the very attributes that hinder imitation (e.g., specificity, social complexity, and causal ambiguity). The authors drill down deeper to identify individual- and firm-level components that interact to...
The Structure of Neutral Monotonic Social Functions

In this paper, we show that neutral monotonic social functions and their specializations to social decision functions, quasi-transitive social decision functions, and social welfare functions can be uniquely represented as a collection of overlapping simple games, each of which is defined on a nonempty set of concerned individuals. Moreover, each simple game satisfies certain intersection conditions depending on the number of social alternatives; the number of individuals belonging to the concerned set under consideration; and the collective rationaly assumption.
Electron‐phonon interactions and superconductivity

One of Frohlich’s major achievements was to point out [1], in 1950, the significance of the electron-phonon interaction in superconductivity. Earlier, interactions between electrons and phonons (the quanta of the lattice vibrations) were taken into account for scattering and resistance; FRoHLICH showed that the same interaction should modify the energy of the electrons and proposed it as the basis for a theory of superconductivity. He suggested using a Hamiltonian, now called the Frohlich Hamiltonian, in which Coulomb interactions are disregarded except as they may modify the energies of the individual electrons, but which includes the interaction between electrons and phonons. An effective attractive interaction between the electrons results from exchange of virtual phonons. Strong confirmation of the importance of electron-phonon interactions in superconductivity came from the independent experimental discovery of the isotope effect. Although the theory given at that time was unsuccessful in accounting for superconductivity, FRoHLICH’S formulation of the problem has been the basis for nearly all subsequent theoretical developments.
Aggregation in Production Functions: What Applied Economists should Know

This paper surveys the theoretical literature on aggregation of production functions. The objective is to make neoclassical economists aware of the insurmountable aggregation problems and their implications. We refer to both the Cambridge capital controversies and the aggregation conditions. The most salient results are summarized, and the problems that economists should be aware of from incorrect aggregation are discussed. The most important conclusion is that the conditions under which a well-behaved aggregate production function can be derived from micro production functions are so stringent that it is difficult to believe that actual economies satisfy them. Therefore, aggregate production functions do not have a sound theoretical foundation. For practical purposes this means that while generating GDP, for example, as the sum of the components of aggregate demand (or through the production or income sides of the economy) is correct, thinking of GDP as GDP=F(K, L), where K and L are aggregates of capital and labor, respectively, and F(•) is a well-defined neoclassical function, is most likely incorrect. Likewise, thinking of aggregate investment as a well-defined addition to ‘capital’ in production is also a mistake. The paper evaluates the standard reasons given by economists for continuing to use aggregate production functions in theoretical and applied work, and concludes that none of them provides a valid argument.
Information Embedding and the Triple Role of Control

We consider the problem of information embedding where the encoder modifies a white Gaussian host signal in a power-constrained manner to encode a message, and the decoder recovers both the embedded message and the modified host signal. This partially extends the recent work of Sumszyk and Steinberg to the continuous-alphabet Gaussian setting. Through a control-theoretic lens, we observe that the problem is a minimalist example of what is called the triple role of control actions. We show that a dirty-paper-coding strategy achieves the optimal rate for perfect recovery of the modified host and the message for any message rate. For imperfect recovery of the modified host, by deriving bounds on the minimum mean-square error (MMSE) in recovering the modified host signal, we show that Dirty-Paper Coding-based strategies are guaranteed to attain within a uniform constant factor of 16 of the optimal weighted sum of power required in host signal modification and the MMSE in the modified host signal reconstruction for all weights and all message rates. When specialized to the zero-rate case, our results provide the tightest known lower bounds on the asymptotic costs for the vector version of a famous open problem in decentralized control: the Witsenhausen counterexample. Numerically, this tighter bound helps us characterize the asymptotically optimal costs for the vector Witsenhausen problem to within a factor of 1.3 for all problem parameters, improving on the earlier best known bound of 2.
Social teaching: Being informative vs. being right in sequential decision making

We consider sequential Bayesian binary hypothesis testing where each individual agent makes a binary decision motivated only by minimization of her own perception of the Bayes risk. The information available to each agent is an initial belief, a private signal, and decisions of all earlier-acting agents; it is follows that each agent should apply a standard Bayesian update of her belief as in social learning. The effect of the set of initial beliefs on the decision-making performance of the last agent is studied. In general, the optimal initial beliefs are not equal to the actual prior probability. When the private signals are described by Gaussian likelihoods, they also are not haphazard, but rather follow a systematic pattern: The earlier-acting agents should act as if the prior probability is larger than it is in reality when the true prior probability is small, and vice versa. We interpret this as being open-minded toward the unlikely hypothesis. Such open-mindedness increases but does not maximize the mutual information between the true hypothesis and a decision.
On diagonally preconditioning the truncated Newton method for super-scale linearly constrained nonlinear programming

Abstract We present an algorithm for super-scale linearly constrained nonlinear programming (LCNP) based on Newton's method. In large-scale programming solving the Newton equation at each iteration can be expensive and may not be justified when far from a local solution. For super-scale problems, the truncated Newton method (where an inaccurate solution is computed by using the conjugate-gradient method) is recommended; a diagonal BFGS preconditioning of the gradient is used, so that the number of iterations to solve the equation is reduced. The procedure for updating that preconditioning is described for LCNP when the set of active constraints or the partition of basic, superbasic and nonbasic (structural) variables have been changed.
Overdispersion in nuclear statistics

Abstract The modern statistical distribution theory is applied to the development of the overdispersion theory in ionizing-radiation statistics for the first time. The physical nuclear system is treated as a sequence of binomial processes, each depending on a characteristic probability, such as probability of decay, detection, etc. The probabilities fluctuate in the course of a measurement, and the physical reasons for that are discussed. If the average values of the probabilities change from measurement to measurement, which originates from the random Lexis binomial sampling scheme, then the resulting distribution is overdispersed. The generating functions and probability distribution functions are derived, followed by a moment analysis. The Poisson and Gaussian limits are also given. The distribution functions belong to a family of generalized hypergeometric factorial moment distributions by Kemp and Kemp, and can serve as likelihood functions for the statistical estimations. An application to radioactive decay with detection is described and working formulae are given, including a procedure for testing the counting data for overdispersion. More complex experiments in nuclear physics (such as solar neutrino) can be handled by this model, as well as distinguishing between the source and background.
Open p-branes

Abstract It is shown that many of the p -branes of type II string theory and d = 11 supergravity can have boundaries on other p -branes. The rules for when this can and cannot occur are derived from charge conservation. For example it is found that membranes in d = 11 supergravity and IIA string theory can have boundaries on fivebranes. The boundary dynamics are governed by the self-dual d = 6 string. A collection of N parallel fivebranes contains 1 2 N(N − 1) self-dual strings which become tensionless as the fivebranes approach one another.
Offset word-line architecture for scaling DRAMs to the gigabit level

An alternative to the boosted word-line DRAM architecture is described that is scalable to the gigabit level and avoids the problems of poor performance and high gate fields of conventional boosted word-line circuits. The alternative is called an offset word-line architecture, because the cell switch is changed to depletion mode and the word line is pulled beyond the cell switch device's source voltage rather than boosted beyond its drain voltage. The large voltage swing for the word line does not cause large fields across the gate dielectric in the word-line driver or array access device because the gates of some devices use materials with modified work functions. The word-line voltage swing can be greater than the bit-line voltage swing plus the required threshold voltage even for gigabit-scale integration DRAM technologies. >
Program generalization for software reuse: from C to C++

We consider the problem of software generalization: Given a program component C, create a parameterized program component C′ such that C′ is usable in a wider variety of syntactic contexts than C. Furthermore, C′ should be a semantically meaningful generalization of C; namely, there must exist an instantiation of C′ that is equivalent in functionality to C.In this paper, we present an algorithm that generalizes C functions via type inference. The original functions operate on specific data types; the result of generalization is a collection of C++ function templates that operate on parameterized types. This version of the generalization problem is useful in the context of converting existing C programs to C++.
Dividend Omissions and Intraindustry Information Transfers

We examine potential information transfers from companies that announce dividend omissions to their industry rivals. Specifically, we examine the abnormal stock returns and abnormal earnings forecast revisions of rivals after a company makes a dividend-omission announcement. Our results show negative and significant abnormal stock returns and negative and significant abnormal forecast revisions for rival companies in response to the announcement, and a significant and positive relation between the two. We conclude that a dividend-omission announcement transmits unfavorable information across the announcing company's industry that affects cash flow expectations and ultimately stock prices.
Liquid Management in Low Gravity Using Baffled Rotating Containers

Possible static configurations of liquids in rotating cylindrical containers with baffles evenly spaced in the axial direction are found. The force balance is among surface tension, centrifugal force and gravity. Two instabilities are found in this parameter space: type 1 is the inability of the liquid to form an interface attached to the baffles; type 2 is the inability for multi-baffled configurations to sustain interfaces between each pair of baffles. The type 1 analysis is confirmed through laboratory based equipment. Applications to orbiting containers are discussed.
Compactification of M(atrix) theory on noncommutative toroidal orbifolds

It was shown by A. Connes, M. Douglas and A. Schwarz that noncommutative tori arise naturally in consideration of toroidal compactifications of M(atrix) theory. A similar analysis of toroidal Z2 orbifolds leads to the algebra Bθ that can be defined as a crossed product of noncommutative torus and the group Z2 . Our paper is devoted to the study of projective modules over Bθ ( Z2-equivariant projective modules over a noncommutative torus). We analyze the Morita equivalence (duality) for Bθ algebras working out the two-dimensional case in detail.
Highly fluorinated fullerenes as oxidizers and fluorinating agents.

Contrary to the chemistry of “standard” fluorocarbons, highly fluorinated fullerenes (C60F44 - C60F46) display distinct oxidizing and fluorinating properties. They liberate iodine from NaI solutions, oxidize isopropanol to acetone, and fluorinate aromatic compounds in the presence of acid catalysts such as BF3·Et2O. Fluoroaromatic products are also generated in the reaction of these fluorofullereness with organolithium reagents. Even the relatively unreactive heterocycle pyridine is fluorinated by the higher fluorofullerenes. Reaction mechanisms are proposed to explain these observations.
Theoretical interpretations of anomalous Cepheid pulsations

Anomalous Cepheids are variable stars found in metal poor systems, with a low mass main sequence turnoff, that are significantly brighter (0.4 to 1.0 magnitude) than the RR Lyrae variables in the same system. They do have similar periods and effective temperatures. In dwarf spheroidal systems such as Draco, Leo II, Sculptor and Ursae Major, they are quite common, but they are rare in globular clusters. Only one is well known in the globular cluster NGC 5466 (Zinn and Dahn, 1976), but there are other possible candidates in M15 and omega Cen. Similar objects are found in the SMC, but none are seen in the LMC.
meso-Pyridyl BODIPYs with tunable chemical, optical and electrochemical properties

A series of meso-pyridyl substituted BODIPY molecules has been synthesized, characterized and their optical and electrochemical properties compared. By utilizing ethanol and dichloromethane during the initial condensation reactions, there is a significant increase in the isolated yields compared to standard protocols. The properties of the highly fluorescent BODIPYs could be tuned by modifying the substituents of the pyridine, leading to pyridyl BODIPY as prospective ligands for future metal complexes. Furthermore, the presented BODIPY derivatives are shown to be applicable for fluorescence pH sensing over selective pH ranges.
Ligand-assisted liquid crystal templating in mesoporous niobium oxide molecular sieves

A systematic study of the factors governing the formation of Nb-TMS1, a niobium-based mesoporous hexagonally-packed transition metal oxide molecular sieve, is reported. The synthesis of this material was achieved through a novel ligand-assisted liquid crystal templating mechanism in which a discrete covalent bond is used to direct the templating interaction between the organic and inorganic phases. In general, the synthesis of Nb-TMS1 is more strongly affected by starting conditions such as temperature, surfactant-to-metal ratio, pH, and solvent than by temperature and time of aging after the initial hydrolysis step. The results also show that Nb-TMS1 can be synthesized under conditions which strongly disfavor the formation of micelles. This suggests that Nb-TMS1 is formed via a mechanism involving self-assembly with concomitant condensation. It was found that with increasing surfactant-to-metal ratios, new hexagonal P63/mmc (Nb-TMS2) and layered (Nb-TMS4) phases could be formed, while increasing the surfactant chain length led to a new cubic phase (Nb-TMS3). Crystals of Nb-TMS1 of up to several mm in dimensions were also grown. These crystals are larger than the biggest mesoporous crystals reported by a factor of 3 orders of magnitude. These crystals retain their structure on micelle removal by acid treatment and are thus of great interest as hosts for quantum wires.
Children With Chronic Conditions: Perspectives on Condition Management

This qualitative study described children's (8-13 years old) perspectives of their chronic health conditions (e.g., asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis): how they perceived their condition, its management, and its implications for their future. The study used the family management style framework (FMSF) to examine child perspectives on the joint venture of condition management between the child and family. Children within this age group viewed condition management in ways similar to their parents and have developed their own routines around condition management. Future studies of this phenomenon comparing child and parent perspectives would further our understanding of the influence of family management.
Strangeness contributions to nucleon form factors

We review a recent theoretical determination of the strange quark content of the electromagnetic form factors of the nucleon. These are compared with a global analysis of current experimental measurements in parity-violating electron scattering.
The Atomic Hydrogen Maser

The atomic hydrogen maser is described. In this device hydrogen atoms in the upper hyperfine state are focused onto the entrance aperture of a teflon coated quartz bulb in which the atoms are stored for about a second. This bulb is surrounded by a cylindrical radiofrequency cavity. When the cavity is tuned to the hyperfine frequency of atomic hydrogen, maser radiation is produced. Due to the large line Q resulting from the long storage time, the radiation is highly stable in frequency. Results are given of theoretical calculations on the threshold flux of atoms required for maser oscillations, on the various relaxation processes that limit the effective storage time, and on the possible sources of frequency shifts of the maser. Results are given on the relative stability of two hydrogen masers. Measurements of the atomic hyperfine frequency of atomic hydrogen and deuterium give ΔH = 1,420,405,751.800 ± 0.028 cps and ΔD = 327,384,352.5 ± 1.0 cps on the A.1 time scale with ΔCs = 9,192,631,770.0 cps. The method by which the deuterium has been measured depends upon the effect of a deuterium magnetic resonance transition upon the intensity of the hydrogen maser oscillation amplitude when a mixture of hydrogen and deuterium is used. This method should be capable of extension to a number of different atoms. The hydrogen maser apparatus has been used to measure the spin exchange collision cross section between atomic hydrogen and a number of different gases. Results of some of these measurements are reported. Measurements of the dependence of the hydrogen hyperfine frequency upon a strong externally applied electrostatic field are given.
Low temperature swelling of Argonne premium coal samples: effect on micropore shape and size

Abstract Changes in the pore structure of Argonne premium coal samples (APCS) upon slurrying at different temperatures with either toluene, nitrobenzene or pyridine were followed using an electron paramagnetic resonance (e.p.r.)-spin probe method. Coals swelled in toluene at 298 K and 333 K exhibited both spherical and cylindrical pores. Upon swelling with polar solvents, spherical pores disappeared due to pore elongation. The degree of pore elongation increased with swelling temperature and swelling solvent polarity. This change in pore structure was attributed to break-up of the hydrogen bonding network in coal by polar solvents. The change in pore shape from spherical to cylindrical was attributed to anisotropy in hydrogen bond densities, and a model was developed to show this change.
Topological crystalline insulator nanostructures.

Topological crystalline insulators are topological insulators whose surface states are protected by the crystalline symmetry, instead of the time reversal symmetry. Similar to the first generation of three-dimensional topological insulators such as Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3, topological crystalline insulators also possess surface states with exotic electronic properties such as spin-momentum locking and Dirac dispersion. Experimentally verified topological crystalline insulators to date are SnTe, Pb1−xSnxSe, and Pb1−xSnxTe. Because topological protection comes from the crystal symmetry, magnetic impurities or in-plane magnetic fields are not expected to open a gap in the surface states in topological crystalline insulators. Additionally, because they have a cubic structure instead of a layered structure, branched structures or strong coupling with other materials for large proximity effects are possible, which are difficult with layered Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3. Thus, additional fundamental phenomena inaccessible in three-dimensional topological insulators can be pursued. In this review, topological crystalline insulator SnTe nanostructures will be discussed. For comparison, experimental results based on SnTe thin films will be covered. Surface state properties of topological crystalline insulators will be discussed briefly.
Observers and Locality in Everett Quantum Field Theory

A model for measurement in collapse-free nonrelativistic fermionic quantum field theory is presented. In addition to local propagation and effectively-local interactions, the model incorporates explicit representations of localized observers, thus extending an earlier model of entanglement generation in Everett quantum field theory (Rubin in Found. Phys. 32:1495–1523, 2002). Transformations of the field operators from the Heisenberg picture to the Deutsch-Hayden picture, involving fictitious auxiliary fields, establish the locality of the model. The model is applied to manifestly-local calculations of the results of measurements, using a type of sudden approximation and in the limit of massive systems in narrow-wavepacket states. Detection of the presence of a spin-1/2 system in a given spin state by a freely-moving two-state observer illustrates the features of the model and the nonperturbative computational methodology. With the help of perturbation theory the model is applied to a calculation of the quintessential “nonlocal” quantum phenomenon, spin correlations in the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen-Bohm experiment.
On the Performance of Finite Journal Bearings Lubricated with Micropolar Fluids.

A study of the performance parameters for a journal bearing of finite length lubricated with micropolar fluids is undertaken. Results indicate that a significantly higher load carrying capacity than the Newtonian fluids may result depending on the size of material characteristic length and the coupling number. It is also shown that although the frictional force associated with micropolar fluid is in general higher than that of a Newtonian fluid, the friction coefficient of micropolar fluids tends to be lower than that of the Newtonian.