cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Isolation and culture of daylily mesophyll protoplasts.

Mesophyll protoplasts were isolated from leaf tissues of a diploid daylily (Hemerocallisx‘Red Magic’) by enzymatic digestion with a solution containing 0.5% Pectolyase Y-23, 0.1% Cellulase R-10, 0.1% Driselase, 0.6 M sorbitol and half-strength MS inorganic salts. When cultured on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l NAA and 0.5 mg/l BA, the protoplasts underwent sustained division to produce multicellular colonies. The optimal plating density for cell division was 0.5 × 105 protoplasts/ml. The highest plating efficiency was obtained in cultures grown in media solidified with 0.2% Gelrite. Under these conditions, formation of colonies occurred from 14% of cultured protoplasts. Calli were recovered from 9 colonies only after the cultures were treated with a conditioned medium. Intact plants were regenerated from protoplast-derived calli through organogenesis.
A contactless electrical energy transmission system for portable-telephone battery chargers

A high-performance contactless electrical energy transmission (CEET) technique which employs the inductive energy transmission principle is described. The proposed technique enables the implementation of high-efficiency high-power-density fully regulated CEET systems suitable for applications with a wide input and load range. A high efficiency of the system is achieved by recovering the energy stored in the leakage inductances of the transformer by incorporating them in the operation of the circuit, and by employing high-frequency-inverter and controlled-rectifier topologies that allow a controlled bidirectional power flow through the transformer. In addition, a feedforward variable-switching-frequency control of the inverter is used to maintain approximately constant power transfer through the transformer with the input voltage changes, whereas the output-side rectifier employs a local pulsewidth-modulation control to achieve a tight regulation of the output in the presence of load variations. Specifically, the described CEET system is suitable for use in universal-input battery chargers.
Computational geometry column 47

A remarkable theorem is described: "It is possible to tile the plane with non-overlapping squares using exactly one square of each integral dimension." Thus, one can "square the plane."
The role of catecholamines and acetylcholine in the regulation of endocrine function.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the role of catecholamines and acetylcholine in the regulation of endocrine function. The adrenal medulla is almost completely under neural control. This gland is in effect a sympathetic ganglion in which the cells have become specialized for the secretion of norepinephrine and epinephrine into the general circulation. It is innervated by cholinergic preganglionic sympathetic neurons, and the secretion of the adrenal medullary cells is increased by impulses transversing these neurons. Glucose and certain amino acids act directly on the p cells of the pancreatic islets to increase their secretion of insulin. Stimulation of the right vagus nerve also increases insulin secretion. Sympathetic stimuli also affect g cell secretion. Stimulation of the sympathetic nerves to the pancreas produces a moderate inhibition of insulin secretion. This inhibition is increased by. Similarly, infusions of epinephrine inhibit insulin secretion and this inhibition is potentiated by g-adrenergic blockade and converted to stimulation by α-adrenergic blocking agents. It appears that catecholamines inhibit insulin secretion through an α-mediated mechanism and stimulate insulin secretion through a β-mediated mechanism.
The smallest prime that does not split completely in a number field

We study the problem of bounding the least prime that does not split completely in a number field. This is a generalization of the classic problem of bounding the least quadratic nonresidue. Here, we present two distinct approaches to this problem. The first is by studying the behavior of the Dedekind zeta function of the number field near 1, and the second by relating the problem to questions involving multiplicative functions. We derive the best known bounds for this problem for all number fields with degree greater than 2. We also derive the best known upper bound for the residue of the Dedekind zeta function in the case where the degree is small compared to the discriminant.
Multi-annual variations in winter westerly disturbance activity affecting the Himalaya

Winter westerly disturbances (WWD) are the primary climatic influence within High Mountain Asia during the boreal winter. Here we investigate variations and changes in WWD over the period 1979–2010 and relationships with heavy (85th percentile) precipitation in the Karakoram/western Himalaya (KH) and central Himalaya (CH) using multiple datasets. We show that heavy precipitation events occurring in the KH and CH are often spatiotemporally independent, suggesting differing behavior of WWD affecting each region. The wavelet power spectrum of 200 hPa geopotential height anomalies is used to characterize the frequency and magnitude of individual disturbances and to distinguish synoptic scale variability through time. Our analysis exhibits an enhancement in the strength and frequency of WWD in the KH and indicates an increase in local heavy precipitation events. In contrast, the CH is observed to experience weakening influence of these disturbances and consequently, a decrease in heavy precipitation. Furthermore, we investigate multi-annual variability of WWD and teleconnections with some known modes of climate variability affecting central Asia, including the Arctic Oscillation, Eurasian/Polar Pattern, the El Nino Southern Oscillation, and the Siberian High. Although there is clear evidence that these modes affect circulation and precipitation in High Mountain Asia, their competing influences on WWD are complex and non-linear. These results suggest that a thorough understanding of WWD and their spatiotemporal variations are crucial to improve our knowledge of the hydrologic cycle within High Mountain Asia as well as our ability to project the future status of Asia’s water resources.
Absorption voltages and insulation resistance in ceramic capacitors with cracks

Time dependence of absorption voltages (V(sub abs)) in different types of low-voltage X5R and X7R ceramic capacitors was monitored for a maximum duration of hundred hours after polarization. To evaluate the effect of mechanical defects on V(sub abs)), cracks in the dielectric were introduced either mechanically or by thermal shock. The maximum absorption voltage, time to roll-off, and the rate of voltage decrease are shown to depend on the crack-related leakage currents and insulation resistance in the parts. A simple model that is based on the Dow equivalent circuit for capacitors with absorption has been developed to assess the insulation resistance of capacitors. Standard measurements of the insulation resistance, contrary to the measurements based on V(sub abs)), are not sensitive to the presence of mechanical defects and fail to reveal capacitors with cracks.
A Product of Tensor Product L -functions of Quasi-split Classical Groups of Hermitian Type

A family of global zeta integrals representing a product of tensor product (partial) L-functions: $$L^S(s, \pi \times \tau_1)L^S(s,\pi \times \tau_2)\cdots L^S(s, \pi \times \tau_r)$$ is established in this paper, where π is an irreducible cuspidal automorphic representation of a quasi-split classical group of Hermitian type and \({\tau_1,\ldots,\tau_r}\) are irreducible unitary cuspidal automorphic representations of \({{\rm GL}_{a_1},\ldots,{\rm GL}_{a_r}}\), respectively. When r = 1 and the classical group is an orthogonal group, this family was studied by Ginzburg et al. (Mem Am Math Soc 128: viii+218, 1997). When π is generic and \({\tau_1,\ldots,\tau_r}\) are not isomorphic to each other, such a product of tensor product (partial) L-functions is considered by Ginzburg et al. (The descent map from automorphic representations of GL(n) to classical groups, World Scientific, Singapore, 2011) in with different kind of global zeta integrals. In this paper, we prove that the global integrals are eulerian and finish the explicit calculation of unramified local zeta integrals in a certain case (see Section 4 for detail), which is enough to represent the product of unramified tensor product local L-functions. The remaining local and global theory for this family of global integrals will be considered in our future work.
Condensed surfaces of magnetic neutron stars, thermal surface emission, and particle acceleration above pulsar polar caps

Recent calculations indicate that the cohesive energy of condensed matter increases with magnetic field strength and becomes very significant at magnetar-like fields (e.g. 10 keV at 3 × 10 14 G for zero-pressure condensed iron). This implies that for sufficiently strong magnetic fields and/or low temperatures, the neutron star surface may be in a condensed state with little gas or plasma above it. Such surface condensation can significantly affect the thermal emission from isolated neutron stars, and may lead to the formation of a charge-depleted acceleration zone (‘vacuum gap’) in the magnetosphere above the stellar polar cap. Using the latest results on the cohesive property of magnetic condensed matter, we quantitatively determine the conditions for surface condensation and vacuum gap formation in magnetic neutron stars. We find that condensation can occur if the thermal energy kT of the neutron star surface is less than about 8 per cent of its cohesive energy Qs, and that a vacuum gap can form if Ω · Bp < 0 (i.e. the neutron star’s rotation axis and magnetic moment point in opposite directions) and kT is less than about 4 per cent of Qs. For example, at B = 3 × 10 14 G, a condensed Fe surface forms when T 10 7 K and a vacuum gap forms when T 5 × 10 6 K. Thus, vacuum gap accelerators may exist for some neutron stars. Motivated by this result, we also study the physics of pair cascades in the (Ruderman‐Sutherland type) vacuum gap model for photon emission by accelerating electrons and positrons due to both curvature radiation and resonant/non-resonant inverse-Compton scattering. Our calculations of the condition of cascade-induced vacuum breakdown and the related pulsar death line/boundary generalize previous works to the superstrong field regime. We find that inverse-Compton scatterings do not produce a sufficient number of high-energy photons in the gap (despite the fact that resonantly upscattered photons can immediately produce pairs for B 1.6 × 10 14 G) and thus do not lead to pair cascades for most neutron star parameters (spin and magnetic field). We discuss the implications of our results for the recent observations of neutron star thermal radiation as well as for the detection/non-detection of radio emission from high-B pulsars and
Practical procedures for the preparation of N-tert-butyldimethylsilylhydrazones and their use in modified Wolff-Kishner reductions and in the synthesis of vinyl halides and gem-dihalides.

In this work we develop practical chemistry for the preparation of N-tert-butyldimethylsilylhydrazone (TBSH) derivatives from carbonyl-containing compounds and show that these products serve as superior alternatives to simple hydrazones in Wolff−Kishner-type reduction reactions, in the Barton vinyl iodide preparation, in the synthesis of vinyl bromides, and in the synthesis of gem-diiodides, gem-dibromides, and gem-dichlorides. In our new procedure for silyl hydrazone synthesis, aliphatic and aromatic ketones and aldehydes are shown to undergo highly efficient coupling (typically >95% yield) to form the corresponding TBSH derivatives when combined with equimolar amounts of 1,2-bis(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)hydrazine (BTBSH) and a catalytic quantity of scandium trifluoromethanesulfonate (typically, 0.01 mol %), neat, or in solvent. Optimized procedures are provided for the use of TBSH derivatives in a Wolff−Kishner-type reduction protocol that proceeds at low temperature (23−100 °C) and in a single reaction ...
In orbifolds, small isoperimetric regions are small balls

In a compact orbifold, for small prescribed volume, an isoperimetric region is close to a small metric ball; in a Euclidean orbifold, it is a small metric ball.
Regio- and Stereoselective Metal-Catalyzed Reactions and Their Application to a Total Synthesis of (−)-Dactylolide

Abstract Relying on the prowess of metal-catalyzed carbon–oxygen and carbon–carbon bond-forming reactions, a concise asymmetric total synthesis of (−)-dactylolide was achieved in a 13 step longest linear sequence. The formation of a 2,6-disubstituted tetrahydropyran core via sequential Alder-ene reaction and palladium-catalyzed π-allyl etherification, construction of Z -trisubstituted vinylboronate by Alder-ene reaction of a borylated alkyne and rhenium oxide-mediated unidirectional allylic transposition, are the salient features of this convergent synthesis. The macrocyclization by late stage ring-closing metathesis with concomitant installation of the trisubstituted double bond is another distinctive feature. Overall, this synthesis highlights a new strategy involving unparalleled bond disconnections compared with other reported approaches.
Investor Reaction to Going Concern Audit Reports

ABSTRACT: The literature provides mixed evidence on whether investors find audit reports modified for going concern reasons to be useful. Using a substantially larger sample than previous studies, we observe negative excess returns when the going concern audit report (GCAR) is disclosed. We find that the reaction is more negative if the GCAR cites a problem with obtaining financing, suggesting that the GCAR provides new information to investors. Also, the reaction is more adverse if the GCAR triggers a technical violation of a debt covenant that restricts the firm from getting a GCAR. The evidence suggests that institutional investors drive the reaction to the GCAR, since there is no detectable reaction at low levels of institutional ownership. The market reaction gets more negative as the level of institutional ownership increases, and there is a decline in institutional ownership after the GCAR is issued. We attribute these results to sophisticated investors’ awareness of the firm’s financing needs and ...
Distributed contextual data fusion with ACIPL

A system for controlling smart sensor networks is described. The system is called the Adaptive Context Information Processing Language (ACLPL) which will allow explicit use of states of context inferred from sensor readings and algorithmic output for distributed control of data fusion in sensor networks. The detailed description of the language including its use for sensor information separation into raw sensor data, feature, objects, and events by the language is described. Furthermore, the concept of context which aids the modeling of sensor data with the data fusion hierarchy is introduced, including its types, properties, and applications. ACIPL loosely follows the Joint Directors of Laboratories' Data Fusion Hierarchy and provides a powerful tool to facilitate the use of smart sensor networks for the purpose of sensor data fusion.
Attosecond timing in optical-to-electrical conversion

The most frequency-stable sources of electromagnetic radiation are produced optically, and optical frequency combs provide the means for high-fidelity frequency transfer across hundreds of terahertz and into the microwave domain. A critical step in this photonic-based synthesis of microwave signals is the optical-to-electrical conversion process. Here, we show that attosecond (as) timing stability can be preserved across the opto-electronic interface of a photodiode, despite an intrinsic temporal response that is more than six orders of magnitude slower. The excess timing noise in the photodetection of a periodic train of ultrashort optical pulses behaves as flicker noise (1/f) with amplitude of 4 as/√Hz at 1 Hz offset. The corresponding fractional frequency fluctuations are 1.4×10−17 at 1 s and 5.5×10−20 at 1000 s. These results demonstrate that direct photodetection, as part of frequency-comb-based microwave synthesis, can support the timing performance of the best optical frequency standards, and thereby opens the possibility for generating microwave signals with significantly better stability than any existing source.
Symmetry classes of spanning trees of Aztec diamonds and perfect matchings of odd squares with a unit hole

We say that two graphs are similar if their adjacency matrices are similar matrices. We show that the square grid G n of order n is similar to the disjoint union of two copies of the quartered Aztec diamond QAD n?1 of order n?1 with the path P n (2) on n vertices having edge weights equal to 2. Our proof is based on an explicit change of basis in the vector space on which the adjacency matrix acts. The arguments verifying that this change of basis works are combinatorial. It follows in particular that the characteristic polynomials of the above graphs satisfy the equality P(G n )=P(P n (2) )[P(QAD n?1)]2. On the one hand, this provides a combinatorial explanation for the "squarishness" of the characteristic polynomial of the square grid--i.e., that it is a perfect square, up to a factor of relatively small degree. On the other hand, as formulas for the characteristic polynomials of the path and the square grid are well known, our equality determines the characteristic polynomial of the quartered Aztec diamond. In turn, the latter allows computing the number of spanning trees of quartered Aztec diamonds. We present and analyze three more families of graphs that share the above described "linear squarishness" property of square grids: odd Aztec diamonds, mixed Aztec diamonds, and Aztec pillowcases--graphs obtained from two copies of an Aztec diamond by identifying the corresponding vertices on their convex hulls. We apply the above results to enumerate all the symmetry classes of spanning trees of the even Aztec diamonds, and all the symmetry classes not involving rotations of the spanning trees of odd and mixed Aztec diamonds. We also enumerate all but the base case of the symmetry classes of perfect matchings of odd square grids with the central vertex removed. In addition, we obtain a product formula for the number of spanning trees of Aztec pillowcases.
Solar trade tariffs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to survey the growth of solar energy worldwide, analyze US-China trade dispute in the solar industry, and evaluate the merits of US trade tariffs. Design/methodology/approach – The study surveyed archival data, publications by international organizations, government agencies, industry groups, and some academic research papers. Findings – Global demand for solar energy has been rising steadily and is projected to generate growing source of electric power. There is worldwide consensus that public support for solar industry in the development stages is necessary. The US Government provides generous support programs and subsidies to US solar industry. Accordingly, US punitive tariffs against China's solar industry on grounds of government subsidies are of questionable merit. Originality/value – This paper presents a concise profile of global solar energy and evaluates US trade policy toward China. The findings can be of value to government officials as they consider trad...
Activist Arbitrage, Lifeboats, and Closed-End Funds

We present a dynamic rational expectations model of closed-end fund discounts that incorporates feedback effects from activist arbitrage and lifeboats. Both activist arbitrage and lifeboats distort closed-end fund prices and lead to narrower discounts. Furthermore, both activist arbitrage and lifeboats effectuate an ex post wealth transfer from managers to investors but an ex ante wealth transfer from low-ability managers to high-ability managers. On average, investor wealth is unaffected by either activist arbitrage or lifeboats because their potential benefits are factored into higher fund prices. Although lifeboats can reduce takeover attempts, they do not increase expected managerial wealth.
Work and Development.

Are workers' interests regarding working conditions adequately refelcted in workplace outcomes during the process of development? This paper spells out a framework of analysis -- based on the criteria of efficiency, justice, and well-being-- by which we might arrive ar answers to this question. It discusses empirical evidence that bears on the central analytical insights of the framework, and offers policy prescriptions based on the analytical insights and empirical evidence.
Synthesis of cyclopropane-fused dideoxycarbocyclic nucleosides structurally related to neplanocin C

Abstract The syntheses of five novel carbocyclic dideoxynucleosides with a bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane skeleton was accomplished via a Mitsunobu-type coupling reaction with various heterocyclic bases. These compounds appear to prefer a typical nucleoside northern conformation.
Ultra-high-energy Cosmic Rays and the Large-scale Structure of the Galactic Magnetic Field

We study the deflection of ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray protons in different models of the regular Galactic magnetic field. Such particles have gyroradii well in excess of 1 kpc and their propagation in the Galaxy is not affected by the small-scale structure of the field. Their trajectories, however, reflect the large-scale structure. A future large experimental statistics of cosmic rays of energy above 1019 eV could be used for a study of the large-scale structure of the Galactic magnetic field if such cosmic rays are indeed charged nuclei accelerated at powerful astrophysical objects and if the distribution of their sources is not fully isotropic. We also show the corrections of the arrival directions resulting from the deflection in the Galactic magnetic field of a subsample of the world statistics of cosmic rays of energy above 2 × 1019 eV and discuss the implications for the search for the sources of these events.
Distribution of Eigenvalues of Real Symmetric Palindromic Toeplitz Matrices and Circulant Matrices

Consider the ensemble of real symmetric Toeplitz matrices, each independent entry an i.i.d. random variable chosen from a fixed probability distribution p of mean 0, variance 1, and finite higher moments. Previous investigations showed that the limiting spectral measure (the density of normalized eigenvalues) converges weakly and almost surely, independent of p, to a distribution which is almost the standard Gaussian. The deviations from Gaussian behavior can be interpreted as arising from obstructions to solutions of Diophantine equations. We show that these obstructions vanish if instead one considers real symmetric palindromic Toeplitz matrices, matrices where the first row is a palindrome. A similar result was previously proved for a related circulant ensemble through an analysis of the explicit formulas for eigenvalues. By Cauchy’s interlacing property and the rank inequality, this ensemble has the same limiting spectral distribution as the palindromic Toeplitz matrices; a consequence of combining the two approaches is a version of the almost sure Central Limit Theorem. Thus our analysis of these Diophantine equations provides an alternate technique for proving limiting spectral measures for certain ensembles of circulant matrices.
Performance factors in associative learning: Assessment of the sometimes competing retrieval model

Previous simulations revealed that the sometimes competing retrieval model (SOCR; Stout & Miller, Psychological Review, 114, 759–783, 2007), which assumes local error reduction, can explain many cue interaction phenomena that elude traditional associative theories based on total error reduction. Here, we applied SOCR to a new set of Pavlovian phenomena. Simulations used a single set of fixed parameters to simulate each basic effect (e.g., blocking) and, for specific experiments using different procedures, used fitted parameters discovered through hill climbing. In simulation 1, SOCR was successfully applied to basic acquisition, including the overtraining effect, which is context dependent. In simulation 2, we applied SOCR to basic extinction and renewal. SOCR anticipated these effects with both fixed parameters and best-fitting parameters, although the renewal effects were weaker than those observed in some experiments. In simulation 3a, feature-negative training was simulated, including the often observed transition from second-order conditioning to conditioned inhibition. In simulation 3b, SOCR predicted the observation that conditioned inhibition after feature-negative and differential conditioning depends on intertrial interval. In simulation 3c, SOCR successfully predicted failure of conditioned inhibition to extinguish with presentations of the inhibitor alone under most circumstances. In simulation 4, cue competition, including blocking (4a), recovery from relative validity (4b), and unblocking (4c), was simulated. In simulation 5, SOCR correctly predicted that inhibitors gain more behavioral control than do excitors when they are trained in compound. Simulation 6 demonstrated that SOCR explains the slower acquisition observed following CS–weak shock pairings.
Dynamics of three dimensional ionospheric plasma clouds.

The first self-consistent, three-dimensional analysis of plasma cloud evolution in the ionosphere is presented. It is demonstrated that there is a preferred perpendicular scale size associated with 3D plasma clouds given by ${\mathrm{r}}_{\mathrm{c}}$\ensuremath{\sim}c(${\mathrm{T}}_{\mathrm{e}}$+${\mathrm{T}}_{\mathrm{i}}$)/${\mathrm{eB}}_{\mathrm{z}}$${\mathrm{V}}_{\mathrm{n}}$${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{\mathrm{c}}$, where ${\mathrm{r}}_{\mathrm{c}}$ is the cloud radius, ${\mathrm{T}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\alpha}}}$ is the temperature of the \ensuremath{\alpha} species, ${\mathrm{B}}_{\mathrm{z}}$ is the ambient magnetic field, and ${\mathrm{V}}_{\mathrm{n}}$ is the neutral wind speed, and ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{\mathrm{c}}$1/ \ensuremath{\surd}2 .
Differences in prostate size between patients from University and Veterans Affairs Medical Center populations.

BACKGROUND Numerous studies on prostatic disease have been performed at Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers. Recent investigations evaluating early detection of prostate cancer provide insight that the average prostate volume may be different between patients with similar clinical findings who are from different hospital settings. The objective of this study was to compare prostate size between men from University and VA Medical Centers. METHODS Patients were enrolled retrospectively from 1989–1996 from the Urology Clinics at a University and a VA Medical Center. All men underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided sextant biopsy of the prostate owing to either an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level and/or abnormal digital rectal examination (DRE) detected prior to biopsy. Prostate volume was calculated using the ellipsoid three-diameter formula based on transrectal ultrasound measurements. RESULTS There were 1,311 men included in the analysis: 717 were from the VA, and 594 were from the University. The average prostate volume was significantly smaller among VA patients both for men with cancer (P = 0.0004) and for men with no evidence of malignancy (P < 0.0001). Overall, the average prostate volume was 38.5 cm3 (median, 32.5 cm3) among men from the VA compared to 46.8 cm3 (median, 39.3 cm3) among men from the University Medical Center. Men from the VA were older (mean ± SD = 68 ± 7.3) than men from the University (mean ± SD = 66 ± 7.7) (P = 0.004) and there was no significant difference in PSA levels between the two groups of patients (P = 0.11). Intriguingly, the incidence of cancer was significantly lower at the VA (24.5%) compared to the University (35.9%) (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS The variance in prostate size suggests that there are significant differences between the two patient populations. Proposed factors leading to this discrepancy include differences in socioeconomic factors, environmental factors, and changes in hormonal milieu related to alcohol and tobacco use. These results may have significant implications regarding the interpretation and extrapolation of results from previous studies performed at a single hospital setting. Prostate 38:144–150, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
An FTIR spectroscopic study of the kinetics and mechanism for the NO2-initiated oxidation of tetramethyl ethylene at 298 K

The kinetics and mechansim for the NO2-initiated oxidation of tetramethyl ethylene (TME) have been studied using the FTIR spectroscopic method in mixtures containing NO2 and TME (0.1−1.0 Torr) and N2O2 (700 Torr) at 298 ± 2 K. While TME decayed according to -d[TME]/dt = kobs[NO2][TME], NO2 exhibited a complex kinetic behavior. Furthermore, values of kobs were dependent on [O2]. Among the products were (CH3)2CO and at least three NO2-containing compounds. These results indicate the formation of a nitro-alkylperoxy radical via reactions (1), (−1), and (2), and its subsequent reactions leading to the observed products. The [O2]-dependence of kobs yielded k1 = (1.07 ± 0.15) × 10−20 cm3 molecule−1 S−1 and k−1/k2 = (3.54 ± 0.61) × 1018 molecule cm−3.
Pathway Development and Pilot Library Realization in Diversity-Oriented Synthesis: Exploring Ferrier and Pauson-Khand Reactions on a Glycal Template

Through a correlation of the ability of small molecules to bind biological macromolecules and their ability to modulate cellular and organismal processes, chemistry can inform biology and vice versa. Diversity-oriented organic synthesis (DOS), which aims to provide structurally complex and diverse small molecules efficiently, can play a key role in such chemical genetic studies. Here we illustrate the trial-and-error experimentation that can refine an initial pathway-planning exercise and result eventually in an effective diversity pathway. By exploring Ferrier and Pauson-Khand reactions on a glycal template, we have developed efficient and stereoselective syntheses of tricyclic compounds. In this pathway, diversity results from the substituents and their spatial relationships about the tricyclic rings. A pilot split-pool library synthesis of 2500 tricyclic compounds highlights the use of planning considerations in DOS and a "one-bead, one-stock solution" technology platform. Additionally, it illustrates a promising synthetic pathway for future chemical genetic studies.
Near horizon superspace

The adSp+2 × Sd−p−2 geometry of the near horizon branes is promoted to a supergeometry: the solution of the supergravity constraints for the vielbein, connection and form superfields are found. This supergeometry can be used for the construction of new superconformal theories. We also discuss the Green-Schwarz action for a type IIB string on adS5 × S5.
Andean Ores, Bronze Artifacts, and Lead Isotopes: Constraints on Metal Sources in Their Geological Context

With a focus on bronze production in the south-central Andes during the Middle Horizon, this study reports the first archaeological use of lead isotope analysis to investigate metallic ores and metal artifacts in the Andean zone of South America. Because the vast majority of metal deposits in the Andean cordillera formed in a convergent plate boundary setting, lead isotope compositions of most Andean ore sources are not unique. Lead isotope ratios of central and south-central Andean ores define four geographically distinct ore lead isotope provinces, oriented and elongated parallel or sub-parallel to the trend of the Andean cordilleras. Consequently, ore lead isotope ratios vary strongly from west to east along transects through the coast, highlands, and altiplano, but they exhibit much less variation from north to south. The strong west-to-east variation in ore lead isotope signatures allows discrimination between ore bodies, and ultimately between metal artifacts, as a function of macro-ecozone location: coast, junga-qiswa, puna, and altiplano. We present the most up-to-date database of ore lead isotope signatures for the south-central Andes including those determined for ores we sampled over an approximate 250,000-km2 region within Bolivia, northern Chile, and northwest Argentina. Lead isotope signatures of Cu-As-Ni bronze artifacts from Tiwanaku (altiplano capital) and San Pedro de Atacama (desert oasis entrepot) establish that altiplano and high sierra ore bodies provided the metal for both assemblages. Conchopata (Wari) arsenic bronze artifacts exhibit lead isotope ratios compatible with the Julcani (Huancavelica) copper sulfarsenide deposit.
Rapid Acceleration Leads to Rapid Weakening in Earthquake-Like Laboratory Experiments

After nucleation, a large earthquake propagates as an expanding rupture front along a fault. This front activates countless fault patches that slip by consuming energy stored in Earth’s crust. We simulated the slip of a fault patch by rapidly loading an experimental fault with energy stored in a spinning flywheel. The spontaneous evolution of strength, acceleration, and velocity indicates that our experiments are proxies of fault-patch behavior during earthquakes of moment magnitude (Mw) = 4 to 8. We show that seismically determined earthquake parameters (e.g., displacement, velocity, magnitude, or fracture energy) can be used to estimate the intensity of the energy release during an earthquake. Our experiments further indicate that high acceleration imposed by the earthquake’s rupture front quickens dynamic weakening by intense wear of the fault zone.
The human infrastructure impact statement (HIIS) A tool for managing the effective implementation of advanced manufacturing technology

Abstract This paper introduces the human infrastructure impact statement (HIIS), a tool intended to help practitioners and researchers assess the socio-organizational impacts of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) before the final equipment selection decisions are made. The tool will help selection of equipment to ensure that the new technology will be compatible with existing and evolving organizational, personnel, job design and training practices. Use of HIIS should help to identify equipment parameters that create incompatibility problems as well as practices that need to be changed before the equipment arrives.
A Composite Seyfert 2 X-Ray Spectrum: Implications for the Origin of the Cosmic X-Ray Background

We present a composite 1-10 keV Seyfert 2 X-ray spectrum derived from ASCA observations of a distance-limited sample of nearby galaxies. All 29 observed objects were detected. Above ~3 keV, the composite spectrum is inverted, confirming that Seyfert 2 galaxies as a class have the spectral properties necessary to explain the flat shape of the cosmic X-ray background spectrum. Integrating the composite spectrum over redshift, we find that the total emission from Seyfert 2 galaxies, combined with the expected contribution from unabsorbed type 1 objects, provides an excellent match to the spectrum and intensity of the hard X-ray background. The principal uncertainty in this procedure is the cosmic evolution of the Seyfert 2 X-ray luminosity function. Separate composite spectra for objects in our sample with and without polarized broad optical emission lines are also presented.
Shopping-Related Attitudes: A Factor and Cluster Analysis of Northern California Shoppers

This paper presents an analysis of general shopping and travel-related attitudes collected from a custom-designed Internet-based survey conducted in the spring of 2006, of randomly selected residents of two communities in Northern California. These and other data collected in the survey will eventually lead to models of shopping mode (channel) choice, intention, and frequency among other analyses. In this early examination of the data (N = 966), exploratory factor analysis is performed to identify the conceptual constructs underlying a group of forty-two general shopping-related attitudinal statements, with which respondents agreed or disagreed on a five-point Likert-type scale. From the nineteen potential constructs identified in the design stage, thirteen dimensions emerged empirically: shopping and store enjoyment, price and time consciousness, impulse buying, materialism, trust, caution, trendsetting, and opinions with respect to credit card usage, technology, exercise, and the environment. Cluster an...
Synthesis and functionalization of (Z)-1,2-difluoro-1-tri-n-butylstannyl-1,4-pentadiene

Abstract The Zn reagent prepared from (E)-1,2-difluoro-1-iodo-2-triethylsilylethene followed by reaction with allyl bromide gave (Z)-1,2-difluoro-1-triethylsilyl-1,4-pentadiene. Further reaction of (Z)-1,2-difluoro-1-triethylsilyl-1,4-pentadiene with KF, n-Bu3SnCl, in DMF at 70 °C gave (Z)-1,2-difluoro-1-tri-n-butylstannyl-1,4-pentadiene. Coupling of (Z)-1,2-difluoro-1-tri-n-butylstannyl-1,4-pentadiene with substituted aryl iodides under Stille–Libeskind (Pd(PPh3)4/Cu(I)I) conditions gave the arylated product. Similar coupling of perfluorovinyl iodides stereospecifically gave the corresponding trienes. Hydroboration/oxidation with 9-BBN and H2O2 of (Z)-1,2-difluoro-1-tri-n-butylstannyl-1,4-pentadiene gave (Z)-4,5-difluoro-5-tri-n-butylstannyl-4-penten-1-ol. Additional couplings of (Z)-4,5-difluoro-5-tri-n-butylstannyl-4-penten-1-ol with substituted aryl iodides under Stille–Libeskind conditions gave the corresponding difunctionalized molecule.
Set theory and C*-algebras

We survey the use of extra-set-theoretic hypotheses, mainly the continuum hypothesis, in the C*-algebra literature. The Calkin algebra emerges as a basic object of interest.
Gemcat: A general multivariate methodology for estimating catastrophe models

This paper presents a methodology for empirically estimating any specified univariate or multivariate catastrophe theory model. As such, the paper is appropriate for those interested in modeling virtually all levels of living systems and subsystems which can be described by catastrophe theory models, as well as those interested in testing cross-level hypotheses about such systems and subsystems. The lack of such flexible estimation procedures has limited the potential application of catastrophe modeling in the social and behavioral sciences. More specifically, a methodology called GEMCAT is presented, using the cusp model for expositional convenience, which allows the traditional canonical catastrophe model variables to be described as latent constructs of univariate or multivariate observable variable sets. A Monte Carlo analysis is presented demonstrating the performance of the methodology under various conditions. Furthermore, it is shown how this method is superior to the common practice of generating univariate composites (e.g., by summing, averaging, etc.) which has been traditionally used because of either computational convenience or the lack of such a methodology.
An Analysis of Random-Walk Cuckoo Hashing

In this paper, we provide a polylogarithmic bound that holds with high probability on the insertion time for cuckoo hashing under the random-walk insertion method. Cuckoo hashing provides a useful methodology for building practical, high-performance hash tables. The essential idea of cuckoo hashing is to combine the power of schemes that allow multiple hash locations for an item with the power to dynamically change the location of an item among its possible locations. Previous work on the case where the number of choices is larger than two has analyzed breadth-first search, which is both inefficient in practice and currently has only a polynomial upper bound on the insertion time that holds with high probability. On the other hand, it does have expected constant amortized insertion time. Here we significantly advance the state of the art by proving a polylogarithmic bound that holds with high probability on the more efficient random-walk method, where items repeatedly kick out random blocking items until a free location for an item is found.
Entrepreneurship and corporate governance

In his “closing salvo” in the socialist calculation debate, Mises (1949, pp. 705–10) argued that the market socialists failed to understand the role of financial markets in an industrial economy. Even with markets for consumer goods, he explained, socialism would fail because it substituted collective ownership of the means of production for private capital markets. Through these markets, owners of financial capital decide which firms, and which industries, receive resources to make consumer goods. In a modern economy, most production takes place in publicly held corporations. Of prime importance, then, is the problem of corporate governance: How do owners of financial capital structure their agreements with those who receive that capital, to prevent its misuse? Unfortunately, there exists little research in this area from an Austrian perspective. In this article, I focus on the financial-market entrepreneur—what Rothbard (1962, 1985) calls the capitalist–entrepreneur—to outline some features of an Austrian theory of corporate governance. I begin by reviewing the traditional, production-function theory of the firm and suggesting two alternative perspectives: that of the entrepreneur and that of the capitalist. I next discuss the Coasian, or “contractual” approach to the firm and argue that it provides a useful organizing framework for Austrian research on the firm. The subsequent section proposes entrepreneurship and economic calculation as building blocks for an Austrian theory of the firm. Finally, after a brief review of capital-market behavior and the disciplinary role of takeovers, I outline four areas for Austrian research in corporate governance: firms as investments, internal capital markets, comparative corporate governance, and financiers as entrepreneurs.
Predicting magnetorheological fluid flow behavior using a multiscale kinetic theory-based model

Magnetorheological (MR) fluids have rheological properties, such as the viscosity and yield stress that can be altered by an external magnetic field. The design of novel devices utilizing the MR fluid behavior in multi-degree of freedom applications require three dimensional models characterizing the coupling of magnetic behavior to mechanical behavior in MR fluids. A 3-D MR fluid model based on multiscale kinetic theory is presented. The kinetic theory-based model relates macroscale MR fluid behavior to a first-principle description of magnetomechanical coupling at the microscale. A constitutive relation is also proposed that accounts for the various forces transmitted through the fluid. This model accounts for the viscous drag on the spherical particles as well as Brownian forces. Interparticle forces due to magnetization and external magnetic forces applied to ferrous particles are considered. The tunable rheological properties of the MR fluids are studied using a MR rheological instrument. High and low viscosity carrier fluids along with small and large carbonyl iron particles are used to make and study the behavior of four different MR fluids. Experiments measuring steady, and dynamic oscillatory shear response under a range of magnetic field strengths are performed. The rheological properties of the MR fluid samples are investigated and compared to the proposed kinetic theory-based model. The storage (G') and loss (G") moduli of the MR fluids are studied as well.
B-meson and neutrino oscillation: A unified treatment

We present a unified treatment of the quantum mechanics of B-factory and neutrino oscillation experiments. While our approach obtains the usual phenomenological predictions for these experiments, it does so without having to invoke perplexing Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen correlations or non-intuitive kinematical assumptions.
Jovian large-scale stratospheric circulation

An attempt is made to diagnose the annual-average mean meridional residual Jovian large-scale stratospheric circulation from observations of the temperature and reflected sunlight that reveal the morphology of the aerosol heating. The annual mean solar heating, total radiative flux divergence, mass stream function, and Eliassen-Palm flux divergence are shown. The stratospheric radiative flux divergence is dominated the high latitudes by aerosol absorption. Between the 270 and 100 mbar pressure levels, where there is no aerosol heating in the model, the structure of the circulation at low- to midlatitudes is governed by the meridional variation of infrared cooling in association with the variation of zonal mean temperatures observed by IRIS. The principal features of the vertical velocity profile found by Gierasch et al. (1986) are recovered in the present calculation.
Optimizing the production of hydrogen and 1,3- propanediol in anaerobic fermentation of biodiesel glycerol

Abstract The conversion of glycerol in biodiesel waste streams to valuable products (e.g. hydrogen and 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD)) was studied through batch-mode anaerobic fermentation with organic soil as inoculum. The production of hydrogen in headspace and 1,3-PD in liquid phase was examined at different hydrogen retention times (HyRTs), which were controlled by gas-collection intervals (GCIs) and initial gas-collection time points (IGCTs). Two purification stages of biodiesel glycerol (P2 and P3) were tested at three concentrations (3, 5 and 7 g/L). Longer HyRT (longer GCI and longer IGCT) led to lower hydrogen yield but higher 1,3-PD yield. The P3 glycerol at the concentration of 7 g/L had the highest 1,3-PD yield (0.65 mol/mol glycerol consumed ) at the GCI/IGCT of 20 h/65 h and the highest hydrogen yield (0.75 mol/mol glycerol consumed ) at the GCI/IGCT of 2.5 h/20 h), respectively. A mixed-order kinetic model was developed to simulate the effects of GCI/IGCT on the production of hydrogen and 1,3-PD. The results showed that the production of hydrogen and 1,3-PD can be optimized by adjusting HyRT in anaerobic fermentation of glycerol.
Regulatory governance and the informal economy: cross-national comparisons

This article examines the relationship between state regulation and the informal economy at the macro-level across a broad set of countries. The analysis shows (a) that countries have different types of regulatory environments—varying by the degree of state regulation of economic activity—and the degree to which the state implements and enforces the existing regulations—and (b) that this variation helps explain why some nations have more informal economic activity than others. The findings also suggest that (c) contrary to what the neoliberal orthodoxy has prescribed over the past few decades, decreasing the degree of state regulation in the economy will not necessarily formalize the economy. The degree of regulation seems to have a significant association with the size of the informal economy only in nations with effective law enforcement. Where this is not the case—as in many developing nations—deregulatory policies are likely to be counter-productive in formalizing the economy.
Rateless Coding for Wireless Relay Channels

We propose a novel coding framework for wireless relay channels based on rateless codes, which allows for a natural extension to multiple antenna and multiple relay settings. The relaying protocol is half-duplex, and relays independently choose when to collaborate, if at all. With a simulated fountain code based implementation of this framework, we show that the use of rateless codes is both robust and efficient when the channel state information is not available at the transmitters