cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Na2Ge2Se5: A highly nonlinear optical material

Abstract We report an integrated experimental and theoretical study of the two-dimensional polar selenogermanate compound Na2Ge2Se5, which exhibits strong nonlinear optical (NLO) second harmonic generation response in the visible and infrared region. The compound is type-I phase-matchable with a large SHG coefficient χ(2)≈290 pm V−1, which is the second highest among the phase-matchable NLO materials. It also performs as an NLO frequency mixer to produce radiation via difference frequency generation. The compound is optically transparent from the visible (0.521 μm) to the far IR (18.2 μm) and melts congruently. Ab initio density functional theory band structure calculations show that the unusually large second-order optical nonlinearity is attributed to the two-dimensional character of the crystal structure. Raman, IR and optical absorption spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis, NLO properties of derivatives of Na2Ge2Se4.55Te0.45 and Na2Ge1.64Sn0.36Se5 and thermal expansion behavior studies are also reported.
Finite-Range Electromagnetic Interaction and Magnetic Charges: Spacetime Algebra or Algebra of Physical Space?

A finite-range electromagnetic (EM) theory containing both electric and magnetic charges constructed using two vector potentials Aμ and Zμ is formulated in the spacetime algebra (STA) and in the algebra of the three-dimensional physical space (APS) formalisms. Lorentz, local gauge and EM duality invariances are discussed in detail in the APS formalism. Moreover, considerations about signature and dimensionality of spacetime are discussed. Finally, the two formulations are compared. STA and APS are equally powerful in formulating our model, but the presence of a global commuting unit pseudoscalar in the APS formulation and the consequent possibility of providing a geometric interpretation for the imaginary unit employed throughout physics lead us to prefer the APS approach.
Pairing and isospin symmetry in proton-rich nuclei

Unlike their lighter counterparts, most odd-odd N = Z nuclei with mass A > 40 have ground states with isospin T = 1, suggesting an increased role for the isovector pairing interaction. A simple SO(5) seniority-like model of this interaction reveals a striking and heretofore unnoticed interplay between like-particle and neutron-proton isovector pairing near N = Z that is reflected in the number of each kind of pair as a function of A and T. Large scale shell-model calculations exhibit the same trends, despite the simultaneous presence of isoscalar pairs, deformation, and other correlations.
Extrusion-grafting starch onto vinylic polymers

The review outlines the rationale behind starch polymer based thermoplastic resin production using reactive extrusion processing techniques, as well as characterization of these polymers. Extrusions-Pfropfung von Starke auf vinylische Polymere. Der Bericht legt die logischen Grundlagen dar, denen die Harzproduktion auf Starke-Polymerbasis und der Anwendung reaktiver Extrusions-Verarbeitungstechniken unterliegen, und charakterisiert diese Polymere im einzelnen.
Detecting evolving patterns of self-organizing networks by flow hierarchy measurement

Hierarchies occur widely in evolving self-organizing ecological, biological, technological, and social networks, but detecting and comparing hierarchies is difficult. Here we present a metric and technique to quantitatively assess the extent to which self-organizing directed networks exhibit a flow hierarchy. Flow hierarchy is a commonly observed but theoretically overlooked form of hierarchy in networks. We show that the ecological, neurobiological, economic, and information processing networks are generally more hierarchical than their comparable random networks. We further discovered that hierarchy degree has increased over the course of the evolution of Linux kernels. Taken together, our results suggest that hierarchy is a central organizing feature of real-world evolving networks, and the measurement of hierarchy opens the way to understand the structural regimes and evolutionary patterns of self-organizing networks. Our measurement technique makes it possible to objectively compare hierarchies of different networks and of different evolutionary stages of a single network, and compare evolving patterns of different networks. It can be applied to various complex systems, which can be represented as directed networks. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity, 2011 © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Quantitative Methods for Tracking Cognitive Change 3 Years After Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

The analysis and interpretation of change in cognitive function test scores after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) present considerable statistical challenges. Application of hierarchical linear statistical models can estimate the effects of a surgical intervention on the time course of multiple biomarkers. We use an "analyze then summarize" approach whereby we estimate the intervention effects separately for each cognitive test and then pool them, taking appropriate account of their statistical correlations. The model accounts for dropouts at follow-up, the chance of which may be related to past cognitive score, by implicitly imputing the missing data from individuals' past scores and group patterns. We apply this approach to a study of the effects of CABG on the time course of cognitive function as measured by 16 separate neuropsychological test scores, clustered into 8 cognitive domains. The study includes measurements on 140 CABG patients and 92 nonsurgical controls at baseline, and at 3, 12, and 36 months. Our "analyze then summarize" method allows us to identify differences between the treatment groups in individual tests as well as in aggregate measures. It takes into account the correlation structure of the data and thereby produces more precise results than summarizing before analyzing. The methods used have application to a wide range of intervention studies in which multiple biomarkers are followed over time to quantify health effects. Software to implement the methods in the R statistical package is available from the authors at http://www.biostat.jhsph.edu/∼sbarry/software/ATSrcode.pdf.
Comments on string dynamics in six-dimensions

Abstract We discuss the singularities in the moduli space of string compactifications to six dimensions with N = 1 supersymmetry. Such singularities arise from either massless particles or non-critical tensionless strings. The points with tensionless strings are sometimes phase transition points between different phases of the theory. These results appear to connect all known N = 1 supersymmetric six-dimensional vacua.
REQUEST: a testbed relational database management system for instructional and research purposes

A database management system designed for instructional use should offer facilities usually not required in a commercial environment. In particular, it should support a wide range of user interfaces, access methods, and internal organizations in a modular and flexible way, so that the effect on the system performance of choosing one of them may be illustrated.REQUEST is a relational database management system that, in addition to the usual data definition and data manipulation functions, offers facilities for use in an instructional environment. Various nonprocedural query languages are supported within a single system, using unified database dictionaries. Cross-translation between various query languages is allowed. The results of every important phase of the query transformation during its execution are available to the user.Preliminary experience with the system has shown that it can significantly facilitate teaching important concepts of the database system organization. At the same time the system has been used as a testbed in many research and development projects.
Hyperspherical close-coupling calculations for electron-capture cross sections in low-energy Ne 10+ +H(1s) collisions

We present total and partial electron-capture cross sections for ${\mathrm{Ne}}^{10+}+\mathrm{H}(1s)$ collisions at energies from $0.01\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\text{to}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}1\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{keV}$ using the hyperspherical close-coupling method. Good agreements with the previous calculations by the classical-trajectory Monte-Carlo method are found for total capture cross section, but not for partial cross sections, especially below about $200\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}∕\mathrm{amu}$. We found that the total cross section is mainly due to the population of $n=7$ channels and only at energies above $50\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}∕\mathrm{amu}$ $n=5,6$ channels begin to contribute to the total cross section.
Clouds Toward the Virgo Cluster Periphery: Gas-rich Optically Inert Galaxies

Aperture synthesis observations of two H I cloud complexes located in the periphery of the Virgo galaxy cluster are presented. These low H I-mass clouds (M H I < 109 M ☉) are seen projected on the M region of the western Virgo cluster, where the galaxy population is thought to lie behind the main A cluster surrounding M87. The kinematic measurements of both unresolved Arecibo and resolved Very Large Array (VLA)-C observations are in good agreement. The H I detections cannot be identified with any optical, IR, or UV emission from available archival imaging. They are inert at these wavelengths. The H I masses of the individual VLA detections range from 7.28 ≤ log(M H I /M ☉)≤ 7.85. The total dynamical mass estimates are several times their H I content, ranging from 7.00 ≤ log(M dyn/M ☉)≤ 9.07, with the assumption that the clouds are self-gravitating and in dynamical equilibrium. We report the observed parameters derived from the VLA observations. One of these H I clouds appears to be the most isolated optically inert detection observed in the outer reaches of Virgo.
Resolving the Submillimeter Background: The 850 Micron Galaxy Counts

Recent deep blank-field submillimeter surveys have revealed a population of luminous high-redshift galaxies that emit most of their energy in the submillimeter. The results suggest that much of the star formation at high redshift may be hidden to optical observations. In this Letter we present wide-area 850 ?m Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array data on the Hawaii Survey Fields SSA13, SSA17, and SSA22. Combining these new data with our previous deep-field data, we establish the 850 ?m galaxy counts from 2 to 10 mJy with a greater than 3 ? detection limit. The area coverage is 104 arcmin2 to 8 mJy and 7.7 arcmin2 to 2.3 mJy. The differential 850 ?m counts are well described by the function n(S)=N0/(a+S3.2), where S is the flux in mJy, N0 = 3.0 ? 104 deg-2 mJy-1, and a=0.4-1.0 is chosen to match the 850 ?m extragalactic background light. Between 20% and 30% of the 850 ?m background resides in sources brighter than 2 mJy. Using an empirical fit to our data above 2 mJy constrained by the extragalactic background light at lower fluxes, we argue that the bulk of the 850 ?m extragalactic background light resides in sources with fluxes near 1 mJy. The submillimeter sources are plausible progenitors of the present-day spheroidal population.
Origin of high-Al N-MORB by fractional crystallization in the upper mantle beneath the Galápagos Spreading Center

Abstract The Galapagos Spreading Center (GSC) includes lavas with chemical compositions ranging from N-MORB to transitional and more enriched MORB. N-MORB dominate the region west of 95.5°W, far from the influence of the Galapagos hotspot. However, some N-MORB glass samples from the GSC have very high Al contents (> 16.0 wt.% Al2O3 at > 8.5 wt.% MgO), similar to high-Al N-MORB from other slow and intermediate spreading ridges and close to fracture zones elsewhere. GSC high-Al N-MORB are dominated mineralogically by uniform plagioclase compositions (An 80–82) with only 1–2% olivine (Fo 85–87), and have glass compositions with higher Al2O3 and lower SiO2 than is predicted by normal MORB fractionation trends. Forward modeling using the MELTS and pMELTS algorithms constrained by crustal thickness measurements indicates that high-Al, low-Si MORB can be produced by high-pressure crystallization in the upper mantle using the same source as normal (low-Al) GSC N-MORB. Although high-Al glasses can be obtained by very low extents of partial melting of this mantle source, such melting models result in significant misfits in other major element oxides, especially SiO2. Models involving significant evolution with up to 20% olivine and clinopyroxene crystallization at pressures of 0.3–0.4 GPa can account for the complete major and selected trace element compositions of these unusual MORB samples. We suggest that high-pressure fractionation is enhanced by conductive cooling of the upper mantle in this area of the GSC, consistent with other recent models correlating mantle crystallization with slow spreading mid-ocean ridges and fracture zones.
MEASURING THE OBLATENESS AND ROTATION OF TRANSITING EXTRASOLAR GIANT PLANETS

We investigate the prospects for characterizing extrasolar giant planets by measuring planetary oblateness from transit photometry and inferring planetary rotational periods. The rotation rates of planets in the solar system vary widely, reflecting the planets' diverse formational and evolutionary histories. A measured oblateness, assumed composition, and equation of state yields a rotation rate from the Darwin-Radau relation. The light curve of a transiting oblate planet should differ significantly from that of a spherical one with the same cross-sectional area under identical stellar and orbital conditions. However, if the stellar and orbital parameters are not known a priori, fitting for them allows changes in the stellar radius, planetary radius, impact parameter, and stellar limb-darkening parameters to mimic the transit signature of an oblate planet, diminishing the oblateness signature. Thus, even if HD 209458b had an oblateness of 0.1 instead of our predicted 0.003, it would introduce a detectable departure from a model spherical light curve at the level of only one part in 105. Planets with nonzero obliquity break this degeneracy because their ingress light curve is asymmetric relative to that from egress and their best-case detectability is of order 10-4. However, the measured rotation rate for these objects is nonunique due to degeneracy between obliquity and oblateness and the unknown component of obliquity along the line of sight. Detectability of oblateness is maximized for planets transiting near an impact parameter of 0.7, regardless of obliquity. Future measurements of oblateness will be challenging because the signal is near the photometric limits of current hardware and inherent stellar noise levels.
Quantum Simulation via Filtered Hamiltonian Engineering: Application to Perfect Quantum Transport in Spin Networks

We propose a method for Hamiltonian engineering that requires no local control but only relies on collective qubit rotations and field gradients. The technique achieves a spatial modulation of the coupling strengths via a dynamical construction of a weighting function combined with a Bragg grating. As an example, we demonstrate how to generate the ideal Hamiltonian for perfect quantum information transport between two separated nodes of a large spin network. We engineer a spin chain with optimal couplings starting from a large spin network, such as one naturally occurring in crystals, while decoupling all unwanted interactions. For realistic experimental parameters, our method can be used to drive almost perfect quantum information transport at room temperature. The Hamiltonian engineering method can be made more robust under decoherence and coupling disorder by a novel apodization scheme. Thus, the method is quite general and can be used to engineer the Hamiltonian of many complex spin lattices with different topologies and interactions.
The complete radiative corrections to the gaugino and Higgsino masses in the minimal supersymmetric model

Abstract We determine the radiative corrections to the masses of the gauginos and Higgsinos in the MSSM, including all sectors of the theory in a one-loop calculation in the on-mass-shell renormalization scheme. The gluino mass corrections are enhanced in the case of large squark masses and can be as large as 40% for a 125 GeV gluino. We find that a gluino which is massless at tree level receives a radiatively generated mass of between 0 and 3 GeV, primarily due to the top/stop contribution. We find that the O(5%) contributions to the neutralino and chargino mass corrections from the matter sector are generally larger than the gauge/Higgs/gaugino/Higgsino sector contributions, which are typically ±1%. The lightest neutralino, which can receive corrections larger than 25%, receives O(5%) corrections over most of the parameter space. We combine our results with the results of LEP and CDF searches to obtain the lower bounds on the neutralino and chargino masses at one-loop. We also demonstrate how the radiative corrections affect the presently excluded region of parameter space.
The determinants of entry for black-owned commercial banks

Abstract To date, no empirical account exists that explains the entry of Black-owned Commercial Banks (BCBs). This study reports an analysis based on a cross-section of banking markets in which entry is treated as a discrete variable with a Poisson distribution. Estimation of a Poisson probability model shows that for a given market BCB entry is determined by the size of the Black population, deposit market concentration, and the growth rate of U.S government deposits.
The acid-catalyzed cyclizations of unsaturated carbonyl compounds utilizing silica gel at high pressure

Abstract The ene-like cyclizations of a series of unsaturated carbonyl compounds have been studied using silica gel at high pressure (15 kbar) as a new catalytic system. This new method is general for forming 5- and 6-membered ring carbocycles. The mildness of this method was demonstrated by the successful cyclization of a vinyl cyciopropyl aldehyde.
Intimate partner violence victimization and cigarette smoking: A meta-analytic review

The current meta-analytic review represents the first comprehensive empirical evaluation of the strength of the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and cigarette smoking. Thirty-nine effect sizes, drawn from 31 peer-reviewed publications, determined the existence of a small to medium composite effect size for the victimization–smoking relationship (d = .41, 95% confidence interval = [.35, .47]). Results indicate that victims of IPV are at greater smoking risk than nonvictims. Subsequent moderator analyses indicated that the association between victimization and smoking is moderately stronger among pregnant compared to nonpregnant victims. The strength of the victimization–smoking relationship did not differ by relationship type or ethnicity. More research is needed on the smoking behavior of male victims, victims of psychological violence, and victims who identify as Latino/Latina. It would be useful for professionals working with IPV victims to assess for smoking and incorp...
Zinc-Dependent Activation of the Plasma Kinin-Forming Cascade by Aggregated β Amyloid Protein

Beta Amyloid proteins (Abeta) of 38, 40, and 42 amino acids long were assessed for their ability to activate the plasma kinin-forming cascade in vitro. Incubation with a mixture of Factor XII (Hageman Factor), prekallikrein, and high-molecular-weight kininogen (HK) led to conversion of prekallikrein to kallikrein that was dependent on zinc ion. No activation occurred if Factor XII was omitted. There was rapid generation of bradykinin equal to the molar HK input indicating complete cleavage. Incubation of aggregated Abeta with diluted human plasma also led to prekallikrein activation and HK cleavage. Activation of the cascade by Abeta (1-38) was dependent upon its preincubation time in buffer, suggesting that aggregation of Abeta is required, and studies with Abeta (1-40) revealed time-dependent aggregation by microscopy and augmented zinc-dependent binding of both Factor XII and HK to aggregated Abeta. These data demonstrate that aggregated Abeta can bind and activate proenzymes of the plasma kinin-forming cascade in a zinc-dependent reaction to release bradykinin and is of sufficient potency to do so at physiologic concentrations of each protein and in the presence of naturally occurring protease inhibitors.
Saving-investment associations and capital mobility on the evidence from Japanese regional data

Abstract The paper examines the magnitude of the ‘saving retention coefficient,’ b, in a setting of known near perfect capital mobility, Japanese regions. First, we find that on total regional saving and investment rate data, inclusive of regional government saving and investment, the estimate of b is negative. This negative relationship in the total rates across Japanese regions appears to arise from the strong negative association in the government saving and investment rates. Second, on private regional investment and saving rate data, b is insignificantly different from zero. This is evidence consistent with the hypothesis of Feldstein and Horioka (Economic Journal, 1980) that in a financially integrated economy b would be close to zero.
The WZW Model as a Dynamical System on Affine Lie Groups

Working directly on affine Lie groups, we construct several new formulations of the WZW model. In one formulation WZW is expressed as a one-dimensional mechanical system whose variables are coordinates on the affine Lie group. When written in terms of the affine group element, this formulation exhibits a two-dimensional WZW term. In another formulation WZW is written as a two-dimensional field theory, with a three-dimensional WZW term, whose fields are coordinates on the affine group. On the basis of these equivalent formulations, we develop a translation dictionary in which the new formulations on the affine Lie group are understood as mode formulations of the conventional WZW formulation on the Lie group. Using this dictionary, we also express WZW as a three-dimensional field theory on the Lie group with a four-dimensional WZW term.
Solving power flow problems with a Matlab implementation of the Power System Applications Data Dictionary

Abstract This paper implements a power flow application and variations using the IEEE Power System Application Data Dictionary (PSADD) within a Matlab environment. It describes a number of useful data and implementation techniques for a variety of applications. The techniques include the use of very compact and efficient code for the computation of Power Transfer Distribution Factors (PTDF). PTDF are an important element of present and proposed congestion management strategies for power systems, particularly when these systems must operate in a deregulated environment.
P AUTO-IONIZATION STATES OF He AND H.

P autoionization states of helium and hydrogen negative ions, calculating widths and shifts
An Introduction to Atmospheric Thermodynamics

1. Preface 2. Some useful mathematical and physical topics 3. Early experiments and laws 4. The first law of thermodynamics 5. The second law of thermodynamics 6. Water and its transformations 7. Moist air (or all these temperatures!) 8. Vertical stability in the atmosphere 9. Thermodynamic diagrams 10. Beyond this book Bibliography 11. Appendix.
Poly(p-phenyleneethynylene)s by alkyne metathesis.

Alkyne metathesis was effected by mixtures of Mo(CO)6 and phenols at elevated temperatures based on an improved version of the method reported by Mortreux and Mori. When propynylated arenes are subjected to these reaction conditions, the formation of diarylalkynes is often quantitative and likewise allows the synthesis of alkyne-bridged macrocycles and polymers of high molecular weight. Alkyne metathesis made high-molecular weight poly[p-(dialkylphenylene)ethynylene]s (PPEs) accessible that show promise as active layers in organic semiconductor devices.
On a family of non-unitarizable ribbon categories

We consider several families of categories. The first are quotients of H. Andersen’s tilting module categories for quantum groups of Lie type B at odd roots of unity. The second consists of categories of type BC constructed from idempotents in BMW-algebras. Our main result is to show that these families coincide as braided tensor categories using a recent theorem of Tuba and Wenzl. By appealing to similar results of Blanchet and Beliakova we obtain another interesting equivalence with these two families of categories and the quantum group categories of Lie type C at odd roots of unity. The morphism spaces in these categories can be equipped with a Hermitian form, and we are able to show that these categories are never unitary, and no braided tensor category sharing the Grothendieck semiring common to these families is unitarizable.
A mathematical model of a catalytic membrane reactor for the decomposition of NH3

Abstract Catalytic NH 3 decomposition in the gas feed to the turbine is a potential method for reducing NO x emissions in coal gasification power plants. Since the decomposition reaction is equilibrium limited at gasification conditions, a membrane reactor is necessary to achieve a high conversion of NH 3 to N 2 and H 2 . The objective of this study was to use a mathematical model to investigate catalytic NH 3 decomposition in a membrane reactor for both countercurrent and cocurrent flow configurations. The concurrent flow configuration was generally better in membrane reactors with Knudsen diffusion selectivities. The choice between concurrent and countercurrent flow for membranes that are more selective for H 2 depends on operating conditions. To achieve the high NH 3 conversion desired in this study, a membrane with a selectivity for H 2 over N 2 of greater than 50 is needed. The model used in this study accounts for the influence of interphase and intraparticle mass transfer resistance on membrane reactor performance. These mass transfer resistances are a concern in this study because NH 3 is present at dilute concentrations.
Finite and infinite symmetries in (2+1)-Dimensional field theory☆

These days, Franco Iachello is the eminent practitioner applying classical and finite groups to physics. In this he is following a Yale tradition, established by the late Feza Gursey, and he has succeeded Gursey in the Gibbs chair; Gursey in turn, had Pauli as a mentor. Iachello’s striking achievement has been to find an actual realization of arcane supersymmetry within mundane adjacent even-odd nuclei. Thus fax this is the only physical use of supersymmetry, and its fans surely must be surprised at the venue.
Negative entanglement measure, and what it implies

In this paper, we extract from concurrence its variable part, denoted Λ, a function of density matrix ρ, either positive or negative. We use it to investigate entanglement dynamics of two isolated but initially entangled qubits, each coupled to its own environment. In particular, we show that it can signal whether the disentanglement of an entangled state occurs in a finite time.
An Impossibility Theorem for Spatial Models

This paper examines the implications for social welfare functions of restricting the domain of individual preferences to type-one preferences. Type-one preferences assume that each person has a most preferred alternative in a euclidean space and that alternatives are ranked according to their euclidean distance from this point. The result is that if we impose Arrow's conditions of collective rationality, IIA, and the Pareto principle on the social welfare function, then it must be dictatorial. This result may not seem surprising, but it stands in marked contrast to the problem considered by Gibbard and Satterthwaite of finding a social-choice function. With unrestricted domain, under the Gibbard-Satterthwaite hypotheses, choices must be dictatorial. With type-one preferences this result has been previously shown not to be true. This finding identifies a significant difference between the Arrow and Gibbard-Satterthwaite problems.
Energy-minimization approach to the atomic geometry of semiconductor surfaces

Abstract A brief review of the main results obtained from applications of a quantum mechanical total-energy-minimization approach to surface structural determination of tetrahedral semiconductors is given. The tight-binding based method has proved quite reliable in providing information on the atomic and electronic structure of a variety of surfaces including the (110), (111), and (100) surfaces of zincblende and elemental semiconductors. For the Si(100) surface, a breaking of the mirror symmetry at the surface was predicted and this led to a natural explanation for the c-4 × 2 unit cells observed at this surface. The first quantitative estimates for the anisotropic monolayer and bilayer step formation energies on Si(100) surfaces were derived.
Stochastic optimal control with dynamic, time-consistent risk constraints

In this paper we present a dynamic programming approach to stochastic optimal control problems with dynamic, time-consistent risk constraints. Constrained stochastic optimal control problems, which naturally arise when one has to consider multiple objectives, have been extensively investigated in the past 20 years; however, in most formulations, the constraints are formulated as either risk-neutral (i.e., by considering an expected cost), or by applying static, single-period risk metrics with limited attention to “time-consistency” (i.e., to whether such metrics ensure rational consistency of risk preferences across multiple periods). Recently, significant strides have been made in the development of a rigorous theory of dynamic, time-consistent risk metrics for multi-period (risk-sensitive) decision processes; however, their integration within constrained stochastic optimal control problems has received little attention. The goal of this paper is to bridge this gap. First, we formulate the stochastic optimal control problem with dynamic, time-consistent risk constraints and we characterize the tail subproblems (which requires the addition of a Markovian structure to the risk metrics). Second, we develop a dynamic programming approach for its solution, which allows to compute the optimal costs by value iteration. Finally, we present a procedure to construct optimal policies.
Dissipation and Extra Light in Galactic Nuclei: I. Gas-Rich Merger Remnants

We study the origin and properties of extra or excess central light in the surface brightness profiles of remnants of gas-rich mergers. By combining a large set of hydrodynamical simulations with data on observed mergers that span a broad range of profiles at various masses and degrees of relaxation, we show how to robustly separate the physically meaningful extra light (i.e., the stellar population formed in a compact central starburst during a gas-rich merger) from the outer profile established by violent relaxation acting on stars already present in the progenitor galaxies prior to the final stages of the merger. This separation is sensitive to the treatment of the profile, and we demonstrate that certain fitting procedures can yield physically misleading results. We show that our method reliably recovers the younger starburst population, and examine how the properties and mass of this component scale with the mass, gas content, and other aspects of the progenitors. We consider the time evolution of the profiles in different bands, and estimate the biases introduced by observational studies at different phases and wavelengths. We show that, when appropriately quantified, extra light is ubiquitous in both observed and simulated gas-rich merger remnants, with sufficient mass (~3%-30% of the stellar mass) to explain the apparent discrepancy in the maximum phase-space densities of ellipticals and their progenitor spirals. The nature of this central component provides a powerful new constraint on the formation histories of observed systems and can inform both our studies of their progenitors and our understanding of the global kinematics and structure of spheroids.
Looking ahead: attending to anticipatory locations increases perception of control.

Abstract When people manipulate a moving object, such as writing with a pen or driving a car, they experience their actions as intimately related to the object’s motion, that is they perceive control. Here, we tested the hypothesis that observers would feel more control over a moving object if an unrelated task drew attention to a location to which the object subsequently moved. Participants steered an object within a narrow path and discriminated the color of a flash that appeared briefly close to the object. Across two experiments, participants provided higher ratings of perceived control when an object moved over a flash’s location than when an object moved away from a flash’s location. This result suggests that we use the location of spatial attention to determine the perception of control. If an object goes where we are attending, we feel like we made it go there.
Syntheses and biological studies of marine terpenoids derived from inorganic cyanide

Covering up to 2014 Isocyanoterpenes (ICTs) are marine natural products biosynthesized through an unusual pathway that adorns terpene scaffolds with nitrogenous functionality derived from cyanide. The appendage of nitrogen functional groups – isonitriles in particular – onto stereochemically-rich carbocyclic ring systems provides enigmatic, bioactive molecules that have required innovative chemical syntheses. This review discusses the challenges inherent to the synthesis of this diverse family and details the development of the field. We also present recent progress in isolation and discuss key aspects of the remarkable biological activity of these compounds.
Fiscal Decentralization in the Soviet Economy

This paper surveys local public finance developments in the former Soviet Union during perestroika. We argue that there was a significant decentralization of taxation power and responsibility to the oblast and city levels between 1985 and 1990. This decentralization, accompanied by more pressure on local organizations to spend, led to the breakdown of a coordinated all-Union fiscal system.
Secondary-electron yields of solar system ICES

Abstract The charging dynamics of ice particles in plasmas (e.g. for planetary ring dynamics) is highly dependent upon the secondary-electron yields of the ices. To this end, the secondary-electron yields of H 2 O, CO 2 , NH 3 (ammonia) and CH 3 OH (methanol) ices have been measured in a scanning electron microscope as a function of the electron-beam energy in the 2–30 keV energy range. Estimates are given for the maximum secondary-electron yield Y max of each ice and the energy E max at which this maximum yield occurs and the implications of these estimates are discussed in terms of solar system ices. Based on these results and a general literature review of Y max values for nonconducting materials, it is suggested that a typical range to quote for the secondary-electron yield of ices should be about 1–10. This is much lower than the range of 1–30 that is presently quoted in the space physics community.
A New Palladium Precatalyst Allows for the Fast Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling Reactions of Unstable Polyfluorophenyl and 2-Heteroaryl Boronic Acids

Boronic acids which quickly deboronate under basic conditions, such as polyfluorophenylboronic acid and five-membered 2-heteroaromatic boronic acids, are especially challenging coupling partners for Suzuki−Miyaura reactions. Nevertheless, being able to use these substrates is highly desirable for a number of applications. Having found that monodentate biarylphosphine ligands can promote these coupling processes, we developed a precatalyst that forms the catalytically active species under conditions where boronic acid decomposition is slow. With this precatalyst, Suzuki−Miyaura reactions of a wide range of (hetero)aryl chlorides, bromides, and triflates with polyfluorophenyl, 2-furan, 2-thiophene, and 2-pyrroleboronic acids and their analogues proceed at room temperature or 40 °C in short reaction times to give the desired products in excellent yields.
The physics of ion decoupling in magnetized plasma expansions

[1] The coupling of a super-Alfvenic plasma expansion in a magnetized background plasma is examined. Such coupling plays an important role in several high-energy, quasi-neutral, plasma configurations; the focus here is on High Altitude Nuclear Explosions (HANEs). Fully 3-D Kinetic Ion Simulation Modeling (KISM) reveals, for some initial conditions, strong coupling of the debris to the magnetized background ionosphere even though all collision processes between the ions have been neglected. The interaction dynamics are found to be altered dramatically for small changes in initial conditions. A slight increase in the ion charge density of the background plasma allows the debris ions to decouple and slip through the magnetized background. These decoupled ions in the expanding plasma then follow trajectories typical of single particle motion. The salient features of this process, guided by 1-D simulations, lead to two thresholds for the onset of decoupling. The first threshold depends on the ratio of the charge density of the expanding plasma to that of the background plasma. The second threshold is evident when the expanding plasma has a finite pulse length comparable to the gyroradius of the energized background ions.
Full Potential LMTO Study of TiAl Alloy

We have used a full potential all electron LMTO total energy calculation with a true interstitial to establish a baseline understanding of pure γ-TiAl. The c and a lattice parameters, Bulk modulus and the Young's modulus are calculated and found to be in excellent agreement with reported experimental values.
Lagrangian Approach to Sheaves of Vertex Algebras

We explain how sheaves of vertex algebras are related to mathematical structures encoded by a class of Lagrangians. The exposition is focused on two examples: the WZW model and the (1,1)-supersymmetric σ-model. We conclude by showing how to construct a family of vertex algebras with base the Barannikov-Kontsevich moduli space thus furnishing the B-model moduli for Witten’s half-twisted model.
Baryons from quarks in the 1/N expansion

We present a new formalism for treating baryons in the 1N expansion, where N is the number of QCD colors, based on an analysis of quark-level diagrams. This method allows us to derive known results on the large-N limit in a very efficient and transparent manner: we show that there are an infinite number of degenerate baryon states in the large-N limit, and that forward matrix elements of quark bilinear operators satisfy the static quark-model relations. We also derive new results: we enumerate the corrections to the large-N relations to all orders in 1N, and write an explicit effective lagrangian for baryon chiral perturbation theory which respects chiral symmetry to all orders in 1N. These results give a simple algorithm to apply the 1N expansion for baryons at N = 3. Finally, we compare our results for the corrections to the large -N relations to what is expected from a chiral constituent quark model.
Toward the recovery of common sense in a post-critical intellectual ethos

This article attempts to articulate what philosopherscientist Michael Polanyi meant by a post-critical intellectual ethos and to explore its implications for concrete academic practice. The modern critical tradition’s strategy for defeating the demon of self-doubt and for securing certainty, as Hannah Arendt has written, restricts serious candidates for belief to those whose conditions of truth can be rendered wholly immanent to focal consciousness within a point of view that is simply taken for granted. Thereby it forecloses the possibility of recognizing the partiality of its own perspective vis-a-vis that of others, taking into account the relevant perspectives of other persons, and reaching any kind of sense in common between perspectives. The institutionalization of this strategy in 20th century academic life is amply and insightfully documented in Bruce Wilshire’s Moral Collapse of the University. Michael Polanyi, in his writings, adumbrates a post-critical intellectual ethos in which the making of sense in common between persons of differing perspective is central to the enterprise of teaching, learning, and research.
New diagnostic tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia

Abstract Genitourinary infections caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis pose significant public health problems in this country. Our ability to effectively screen for, and prevent the spread of, these organisms depends on the availability of accurate and efficient detection methods. Culture has been the traditional reference standard for both organisms and has the advantage of 100% specificity. Gonorrhea culture is very inexpensive, while chlamydia culture is moderately expensive. The disadvantages of culture include variable sensitivity, complex logistics, and slow turnaround times. Antigen detection methods, such as direct fluorescent antibody testing and enzyme immunoassay, have fast turnaround times and simplified logistics but lower sensitivity than culture. Recently developed tests using nucleic acid technology offer the potential for improved sensitivity, ease of handling, and rapid processing at costs comparable to, or less than, antigen detection methods. Hybridization techniques utilize fluorescent DNA probes which bind directly to species-specific ribosomal RNA. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and ligase chain reaction (LCR) amplify species-specific DNA sequences before detection. The hybridization techniques are the least expensive and appear to have similar accuracy to PCR and LCR. Polymerase chain reaction and LCR may be performed on urine and vaginal swab samples which are easier to collect and may provide a greater yield of organisms. Urine and vaginal samples typically contain organisms inhabiting both the urethra and endocervix, while endocervical specimens do not contain organisms in women who are colonized solely in the urethra. Endogenous inhibitors limit the sensitivity of the amplification techniques. If their effect could be eliminated, PCR and LCR would provide clear clinical advantages over any of the other methods in use.
Capacity Optimization for Surviving Double-Link Failures in Mesh-Restorable Optical Networks

Most research to date in survivable optical network design and operation, focused on the failure of a single component such as a link or a node. A double-link failure model in which any two links in the network may fail in an arbitrary order was proposed recently in literature [1]. Three loop-back methods of recovering from double-link failures were also presented. The basic idea behind these methods is to pre-compute two backup paths for each link on the primary paths and reserve resources on these paths. Compared to protection methods for single-link failure model, the protection methods for double-link failure model require much more spare capacity. Reserving dedicated resources on every backup path at the time of establishing primary path itself would consume excessive resources. Moreover, it may not be possible to allocate dedicated resources on each of two backup paths around each link, due to the wavelength continuous constraint. In M. Sridharan et al., [2,3] we captured the various operational phases in survivable WDM networks as a single integer programming based (ILP) optimization problem. In this work, we extend our optimization framework to include double-link failures. We use the double-link failure recovery methods available in literature, employ backup multiplexing schemes to optimize capacity utilization, and provide 100% protection guarantee for double-link failure recovery. We develop rules to identify scenarios when capacity sharing among interacting demand sets is possible. Our results indicate that for the double-link failure recovery methods, the shared-link protection scheme provides 10–15% savings in capacity utilization over the dedicated link protection scheme which reserves dedicated capacity on two backup paths for each link. We provide a way of adapting the heuristic based double-link failure recovery methods into a mathematical framework, and use techniques to improve wavelength utilization for optimal capacity usage.
Tracer Equivalent Latitude: A Diagnostic Tool for Isentropic Transport Studies

Abstract Area equivalent latitude based on potential vorticity (PV) is a widely used diagnostic for isentropic transport in the stratosphere and upper troposphere. Here, an alternate method for calculating equivalent latitude is explored, namely, a numerical synthesis of a PV-like tracer from a long-term integration of the advection–diffusion equation on isentropic surfaces. It is found that the tracer equivalent latitude (TrEL) behaves much like the traditional PV equivalent latitude (PVEL) despite the simplified governing physics; this is evidenced by examining the kinematics of the Arctic lower stratospheric vortex. Yet in some cases TrEL performs markedly better as a coordinate for long-lived trace species such as ozone. These instances include analysis of lower stratospheric ozone during the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE) campaign and three-dimensional reconstruction of total column ozone during November–December 1999 from fitted ozone...
Social isolation and inequality

There is an increasing interest in the concept of social exclusion and the related concept of social isolation and their potential role in understanding inequality. We examine the degree to which voluntary separation from social activities during adolescence affects adult wages. It is well-known that participation in high school athletic programs leads to higher adult wages. We present empirical evidence that this premium is not primarily due to selection on predetermined characteristics valued in the labor market.
Performance Metrics for Soil Moisture Retrievals and Application Requirements

Abstract Quadratic performance metrics such as root-mean-square error (RMSE) and time series correlation are often used to assess the accuracy of geophysical retrievals (satellite measurements) with respect to true fields. These metrics are related; nevertheless, each has advantages and disadvantages. In this study the authors explore the relation between the RMSE and correlation metrics in the presence of biases in the mean as well as in the amplitude of fluctuations (standard deviation) between estimated and true fields. Such biases are common, for example, in satellite retrievals of soil moisture and impose constraints on achievable and meaningful RMSE targets. Last, an approach is introduced for converting a requirement in an application’s product into a corresponding requirement for soil moisture accuracy. The approach can help with the formulation of soil moisture measurement requirements. It can also help determine the utility of a given retrieval product for applications.