cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Introducing the Super Consumer

The purpose of this study is to propose a new perspective on classifying or segmenting consumers by describing a minority of them who are uniquely motivated by high levels of status seeking, brand identification, and materialism. We term this segment of individuals “super consumers.” The data came from an online survey of 351 adult US consumers. A cluster analysis using these three variables as criteria produced a two-cluster solution. Comparing mean scores between these two groups of consumers on measures of market mavenism, shopping frequency, amount of spending, age, and gender showed that the super consumers were significantly more likely to be market mavens, to shop more frequently, and to spend more than the other consumers were. The super consumers were younger in age as well, but there were no gender differences between the two groups. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of flow field and diffusion layer properties on water accumulation in a PEM fuel cell

Water is the main product of the electrochemical reaction in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Where the water is produced over the active area of the cell and how it accumulates within the flow fields and gas diffusion layers, strongly affects the performance of the device and influences operational considerations such as freeze and durability. In this work, the neutron radiography method was used to obtain two-dimensional distributions of liquid water in operating 50 cm 2 fuel cells. Variations were made of flow field channel and diffusion media properties to assess the effects on the overall volume and spatial distribution of accumulated water. Flow field channels with hydrophobic coating retain more water, but the distribution of a greater number of smaller slugs in the channel area improves fuel cell performance at high current density. Channels with triangular geometry retain less water than rectangular channels of the same cross-sectional area, and the water is mostly trapped in the two corners adjacent to the diffusion media. It was also found that cells constructed using diffusion media with lower in-plane gas permeability tended to retain less water. In some cases, large differences in fuel cell performance were observed with very small changes in accumulated water volume, suggesting that flooding within the electrode layer or at the electrode-diffusion media interface is the primary cause of the significant mass transport voltage loss. 2007 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Enantioselective MSPV Reduction of Ketimines Using 2-Propanol and (BINOL)AlIII

A highly enantioselective Meerwein−Schmidt−Ponndorf−Verley (MSPV) reduction of N-phosphinoyl ketimines by (BINOL)AlIII/2-propanol is reported. Yields ranging between 79 and 85% with high enantiomeric excesses (93−98%) are observed for a wide range of structurally diverse ketimines. A [2.0.4] bicyclic chelation model is proposed to account for this high selectivity.
THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE WHITE-DWARF STARS

The secret of how white dwarf stars form and evolve is hidden in their interiors. There, gravity separates the constituent elements into layers; the lighter elements float to the top and the heavier ones sink. Consequently, a white dwarf's structure depends on the quantity of the elements present. Measuring that structure can tell us about the processes which formed white dwarfs and allow us to calculate how fast they cool. The latter is indispensable for measuring the age of our galaxy using the oldest white dwarfs as chronometers. Because some white dwarfs pulsate, we can exploit the resulting luminosity variations to measure their internal structure using "asteroseismology," a procedure analogous to terrestrial seismology. Exploring white dwarf structure via asteroseismology poses a difficult observational task: acquiring essentially uninterrupted time series measurements of the brightness changes of pulsating white dwarf stars. We have accomplished this task using an instrument we developed for this purpose, the Whole Earth Telescope. By combining data from the Whole Earth Telescope with published measurements, we have detected a common pattern in the pulsation spectra of all the variable, hydrogen spectra white dwarfs (DAVs), implying that they have similar surface hydrogen layer masses. Because we have identified the degree (l) and the radial overtone (k) of the modes in the pattern detected, we have been able to compare their periods to published pulsation models to find the mass of the hydrogen layer; it is about 10-4 times the total stellar mass. This result will require adjustments to published estimates of the age of the galaxy which use theoretical cooling times of the oldest white dwarfs as a time standard; the theoretical models typically assume much thinner hydrogen layers. We have also investigated the two classes of pulsating helium spectra white dwarfs (DOVs and DBVs). From their pulsation properties, and the mass of the hydrogen layer measured for the DAVs, we have concluded that the helium surface white dwarfs do not form via the same process as the hydrogen surface stars. There must be at least two separate channels for white dwarf formation.
A 5.2-GHz CMOS receiver with 62-dB image rejection

A 5.2-GHz CMOS receiver employs a double downconversion heterodyne architecture with a local oscillator frequency of 2.6 GHz and applies offset cancellation to the baseband amplifiers. Placing the image around the zero frequency, the receiver achieves an image rejection of 62 dB with no external components while minimizing the flicker noise upconversion in the first mixing operation. Realized in a 0.25-/spl mu/m digital CMOS technology, the circuit exhibits a noise figure of 6.4 dB, an IP/sub 3/ of -15 dBm, and a voltage conversion gain of 43 dB, while draining 29 mW from a 2.5-V supply.
Life begins at forty: Microwave tubes

The history of microwave tubes is reviewed from a philosophical viewpoint. An interesting part of this historical assessment is an examination of roles of technical forecasting and management planning. The definition of the microwave frequency range is presented and shown to support the primacy of tubes, or electron-beam devices, in a frequency range between those dominated by discrete solid-state devices and lasers. A generalized device theory is shown to be useful in assessing limitations and potentials. The magnetron has a unique place as the microwave component of by-far greatest production volume associated with microwave-oven boom. New elements in the long-range future of microwave tubes include expanding power applications, cross-fertilization with other device disciplines, the controversial millimeter-wave potential, and increasing attention to the potential for RFI and radiation hazards. If history is any guide, we can expect some further surprises in this field.
MAKING NEW FRANCHISE SYSTEMS WORK

This paper argues that new franchise systems are more likely to survive if they are structured to economize on agency costs. After controlling for industry effects, and firm age and size, this paper shows empirical support for six of nine hypotheses about the linkage between mechanisms for economizing on agency costs and the survival of new franchise systems. © 1998 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Acceleration of Landweber-type algorithms by suppression of projection on the maximum singular vector

A procedure that speeds up convergence during the initial stage (the first 100 forward and backward projections) of Landweber-type algorithms, for iterative image reconstruction for positron emission tomography (PET), which include the Landweber, generalized Landweber, and steepest descent algorithms, is discussed. The procedure first identifies the singular vector associated with the maximum singular value of the PET system matrix, and then suppresses projection of the data on this singular vector after a single Landweber iteration. It is shown that typical PET system matrices have a significant gap between their two largest singular values; hence, this suppression allows larger gains in subsequent iterations, speeding up convergence by roughly a factor of three. >
Bank Lending Margins in China and the Effects of the June 2012 Liberalization

Financial liberalization in China has begun to allow more flexibility in bank interest rate setting but may threaten bank profit margins. This paper documents the initial response to the June 2012 initiative that, for the first time, allowed Chinese banks to meaningfully depart from the benchmark rates laid down by the People's Bank. We use an event study to assess the initial effects on bank share prices and compare the response of the larger state-owned banks to the smaller commercial banks. We identify significant reactions in both the Shanghai and Hong Kong markets.
Percolative theories of strongly disordered ceramic high-temperature superconductors

Optimally doped ceramic superconductors (cuprates, pnictides, etc.) exhibit transition temperatures T(c) much larger than strongly coupled metallic superconductors like Pb (T(c) = 7.2 K, E(g)/kT(c) = 4.5) and exhibit many universal features that appear to contradict the Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer theory of superconductivity based on attractive electron-phonon pairing interactions. These complex materials are strongly disordered and contain several competing nanophases that cannot be described effectively by parameterized Hamiltonian models, yet their phase diagrams also exhibit many universal features in both the normal and superconductive states. Here we review the rapidly growing body of experimental results that suggest that these anomalously universal features are the result of marginal stabilities of the ceramic electronic and lattice structures. These dual marginal stabilities favor both electronic percolation of a dopant network and rigidity percolation of the deformed lattice network. This "double percolation" model has previously explained many features of the normal-state transport properties of these materials and is the only theory that has successfully predicted strict lowest upper bounds for T(c) in the cuprate and pnictide families. Here it is extended to include Coulomb correlations and percolative band narrowing, as well as an angular energy gap equation, which rationalizes angularly averaged gap/T(c) ratios, and shows that these are similar to those of conventional strongly coupled superconductors.
Identified hadron production and light quark fragmentation in Z0 decays

Abstract We have measured the differential cross sections for the production of π + , K + , K 0 , K ∗0 , φ, p, Λ and their corresponding antiparticles in separate samples of flavor-tagge Z 0 → light-flavor ( u u − , d d − , or s s − ), Z 0 → c c − and Z 0 → b b − events. Clear flavor dependences are observed, and the results are compared with the predictions of three fragmentation models. We have also performed a direct measurement of A s , the parity-violating coupling of the Z 0 to strange quarks, by measuring the left-right-forward-backward production asymmetry in polar angle of the tagged s quark. Our preliminary result is A s = 0.82 ± 0.10( stat .) ± 0.07( syst .).
Localized partial evaluation of belief networks

Most algorithms for propagating evidence through belief networks have been exact and exhaustive: they produce an exact (point-valued) marginal probability for every node in the network. Often, however, an application will not need information about every node in the network nor will it need exact probabilities. We present the localized partial evaluation (LPE) propagation algorithm, which computes interval bounds on the marginal probability of a specified query node by examining a subset of the nodes in the entire network. Conceptually, LPE ignores parts of the network that are "too far away" from the queried node to have much impact on its value. LPE has the "anytime" property of being able to produce better solutions (tighter intervals) given more time to consider more of the network.
Dynamic micro-targeting: fitness-based approach to predicting individual preferences

It is crucial to segment customers intelligently in order to offer more targeted and personalized products and services. Traditionally, customer segmentation is achieved using statistics-based methods that compute a set of statistics from the customer data and group customers into segments by applying clustering algorithms. Recent research proposed a direct grouping-based approach that combines customers into segments by optimally combining transactional data of several customers and building a data mining model of customer behavior for each group. This paper proposes a new micro-targeting method that builds predictive models of customer behavior not on the segments of customers but rather on the customer-product groups. This micro-targeting method is more general than the previously considered direct grouping method. We empirically show that it outperforms the direct grouping and statistics-based segmentation methods across multiple experimental conditions and that it generates predominately small-sized segments, thus providing additional support for the micro-targeting approach to personalization.
An α-metalloamine synthetic equivalent from N-Boc-allylamine

Abstract Treatment of N-Boc-allylamine (1) with 2 equivalents of sec-butyllithium followed by 1 equivalent of ZnCl2 provides a reagent that reacts readily with aldehydes and ketones at the α-position to form N-Boc-2-amino-3-buten-1-ol derivatives (7).
On estimating the impulse response between receivers in a controlled ultrasonic experiment

A controlled ultrasonic laboratory experiment provides a detailed analysis of retrieving a band-limited estimate of the Green's function between receivers in an elastic medium. Instead of producing a formal derivation, this paper appeals to a series of intuitive operations, common to geophysical data processing, to understand the practicality of seismic interferometry. Whereas the retrieval of the full Green's function is based on the crosscorrelation of receivers in the presence of equipartitioned signal, an estimate of the impulse response is recovered successfully with 40 sources in a line covering six wavelengths at the surface.
Cold-water marine natural products

Marine natural products isolated from organisms collected from cold-water habitats are described. Emphasis is on bioactive compounds from tunicates, sponges, microbes, bryozoans, corals, algae, molluscs and echinoderms. Synthetic studies of several important classes of cold-water compounds are highlighted.
Rare isotope research capabilities at the NSCL today and at RIA in the future

Abstract The new (2002) Long Range Plan for Nuclear Science in the US finds that “the exciting new scientific opportunities offered by research with rare isotopes are compelling”. The NSCL’s recently completed coupled cyclotron upgrade can provide fast beams of rare isotopes with 2–3 orders of magnitude higher intensities than previously available in the US. Large additional gains, especially for medium-mass and heavy elements, will be possible with the rare isotope accelerator (RIA), the highest priority recommendation for major new construction in the 2002 Long Range Plan for Nuclear Science.
Arterial access in the pediatric emergency department.

Arterial catheters are used frequently to monitor critically ill children in ICUs, but their role in the emergency department has not been described. The medical records of all patients admitted to the ICU from the ED of a children's hospital during a 30-month period were reviewed retrospectively. Forty-one patients were identified as having arterial catheters placed in the ED. Catheterization was performed for serial blood gas determinations (59%) or continuous blood pressure monitoring (41%). The radial artery was catheterized in 73% of the 41 patients, and a 22-gauge catheter was used in 78% of the patients. The original catheter was discontinued before the end of medical indication in only 24% of cases — 17% were discontinued for failure to draw and 7% for vascular changes at the site of the catheter. We conclude that arterial access can be used for children in the ED to monitor blood pressure and that blood gas tensions and complications are few and generally minor.
Lorentz space estimates and Jacobian convergence for the Ginzburg-Landau energy with applied magnetic field

In this paper, we continue the study of Lorentz space estimates for the Ginzburg-Landau energy started in [15]. We focus on getting estimates for the Ginzburg-Landau energy with external magnetic field hex in certain interesting regimes of hex. This allows us to show that for configurations close to minimizers or local minimizers of the energy, the vorticity mass of the configuration (u, A) is comparable to the L2, ∞ Lorentz space norm of ∇Au. We also establish convergence of the gauge-invariant Jacobians (vorticity measures) in the dual of a function space defined in terms of Lorentz spaces.
Control of large 1D networks of double integrator agents: Role of heterogeneity and asymmetry on stability margin

We consider the distributed control of a network of heterogeneous agents with double integrator dynamics to maintain a rigid formation in 1D. The control signal at a vehicle is allowed to use relative position and velocity with its immediate neighbors. We examine the effect of heterogeneity and asymmetry on the closed loop stability margin, which is measured by the real part of the least stable eigenvalue. By using a PDE approximation, we show that heterogeneity has little effect while asymmetry has a significant effect on the stability margin. When control is symmetric, in which information from front and back neighbors are weighted equally, the stability margin decays to 0 as O(1/N2), where N is the number of agents, even when the agents are heterogeneous in their masses and control gains. In contrast, we show that arbitrarily small amount of asymmetry in the velocity feedback gains can improve the decay of the stability margin to O(1/N). With equal amount of asymmetry in both velocity and position feedback gains, the closed loop is stable for arbitrary N. Numerical computations of the eigenvalues are provided that corroborate the PDE-based analysis.
Folding transitions of the square-diagonal lattice

Abstract We address the problem of “phantom” folding of the tethered membrane modeled by the two-dimensional square lattice, with bonds on the edges and diagonals of each face. Introducing bending rigidities K1 and K2 for respectively long and short bonds, we derive the complete phase diagram of the model, using transfer matrix calculations. The latter displays two transition curves, one corresponding to a first-order (ferromagnetic) folding transition, and the other to a continuous (anti-ferromagnetic) unfolding transition.
Computing SQL Queries with Boolean Aggregates

We introduce a new method for optimization of SQL queries with nested subqueries. The method is based on the idea of Boolean aggregates, aggregates that compute the conjunction or disjunction of a set of conditions. When combined with grouping, Boolean aggregates allow us to compute all types of non-aggregated subqueries in a uniform manner. The resulting query trees are simple and amenable to further optimization. Our approach can be combined with other optimization techniques and can be implemented with a minimum of changes in any cost-based optimizer.
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis

While rapid cell proliferation, migration, and subsequent differentiation are necessary during development, such rapid expansion is in general not desirable in the adult. The balance of cell production must be equal to cell loss. Perturbations of the normal regulatory mechanisms governing cell turnover may lead to uncontrolled cell growth and the development of cancer. Over the last several decades, our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cancer of the gastrointestinal tract has increased dramatically: this article reviews current understanding in the field. Using both cell culture and animal models, researchers have gained insight into important genetic and epigenetic pathways regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, and death. Increased understanding of these molecular pathways will lead to further advances in the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal cancer.
When punishment fails: Research on sanctions, intentions and non-cooperation

People can become less cooperative when threatened with sanctions, and previous research has pointed to both "intentions" and incentives as sources of this effect. This paper reports data from a novel experiment aimed at determining the relative importance of intentions and incentives in producing non-cooperative behavior in a personal exchange environment. Subjects play a one-shot investment game in pairs. Investors send an amount to trustees and request a return on this investment and, in some treatments, are given the option to threaten sanctions to enforce this return request. The decisions of trustees who face credible threats intentionally imposed (or not) by their investors are compared to the decisions of trustees who face credible threats randomly imposed (or not) by nature. When not threatened, trustees typically decide to return a positive amount that is less than the investor requested. When threatened with sanctions this decision becomes least common. In particular, under severe sanction threats most trustees return the desired amount, while under weak threats the most common decision is to return nothing. These results do not depend on whether trustees are threatened intentionally by their investors or randomly by nature. We suggest that credible sanction threats generate a "cognitive shift" that crowd-out norm-based social behaviors and increase the likelihood of income-maximizing decisions.
An Integrated Genomic and Epigenomic Approach Predicts Therapeutic Response to Zebularine in Human Liver Cancer

Epigenomic changes such as aberrant hypermethylation and subsequent atypical gene silencing are characteristic features of human cancer. Here, we report a comprehensive characterization of epigenomic modulation caused by zebularine, an effective DNA methylation inhibitor, in human liver cancer. Using transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling, we identified a zebularine response signature that classified liver cancer cell lines into two major subtypes with different drug responses. In drug-sensitive cell lines, zebularine caused inhibition of proliferation coupled with increased apoptosis, whereas drug-resistant cell lines showed up-regulation of oncogenic networks (for example, E2F1, MYC, and TNF) that drive liver cancer growth in vitro and in preclinical mouse models. Assessment of zebularine-based therapy in xenograft mouse models demonstrated potent therapeutic effects against tumors established from zebularine-sensitive but not zebularine-resistant liver cancer cells, leading to increased survival and decreased pulmonary metastasis. Integration of the zebularine gene expression and demethylation response signatures allowed differentiation of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma according to their survival and disease recurrence. This integrated signature identified a subclass of patients within the poor-survivor group that is likely to benefit from therapeutic agents that target the cancer epigenome.
Graphene-enhanced hybrid phase change materials for thermal management of Li-ion batteries

Li-ion batteries are crucial components for progress in mobile communications and transport technologies. However, Li-ion batteries suffer from strong self-heating, which limits their life-time and creates reliability and environmental problems. Here we show that thermal management and the reliability of Li-ion batteries can be drastically improved using hybrid phase change material with graphene fillers. Conventional thermal management of batteries relies on the latent heat stored in the phase change material as its phase changes over a small temperature range, thereby reducing the temperature rise inside the battery. Incorporation of graphene to the hydrocarbon-based phase change material allows one to increase its thermal conductivity by more than two orders of magnitude while preserving its latent heat storage ability. A combination of the sensible and latent heat storage together with the improved heat conduction outside of the battery pack leads to a significant decrease in the temperature rise inside a typical Li-ion battery pack. The described combined heat storageeheat conduction approach can lead to a transformative change in thermal management of Li-ion and other types of batteries.
The Pro‐Poorness, Growth and Inequality Nexus: Some Findings From a Simulation Study

A widely accepted criterion for pro-poorness of an income growth pattern is that it should reduce a (chosen) measure of poverty by more than if all incomes were growing equiproportionately. Inequality reduction is not generally seen as either necessary or sufficient for pro-poorness. As shown in Lambert (2010), in order to conduct nuanced investigation of the pro-poorness, growth and inequality nexus, one needs at least a 3parameter model of the income distribution. In this paper, we explore in detail the properties of inequality reduction and pro-poorness, using the Watts poverty index and Gini inequality index, when income growth takes place within each of the following models: the displaced lognormal, Singh-Maddala and Dagum distributions. We show by simulation, using empirically relevant parameter estimates, that distributional change preserving the form of each of these income distributions is, in the main, either pro-poor and inequality reducing, or pro-rich and inequality exacerbating. Instances of pro-rich and inequality reducing change do occur, but we find no evidence that distributional change could be both pro-poor and inequality exacerbating.
A geostatistical framework for incorporating transport information in estimating the distribution of a groundwater contaminant plume

[1] The goal of groundwater contaminant plume interpolation is to provide an accurate representation of the spatial distribution of the plume given the data limitations associated with sparse monitoring networks with irregular geometries. Currently available methods for plume estimation cannot fully take advantage of prior knowledge of flow and transport information or the location of a contaminant source. This paper presents two new geostatistical tools for incorporating transport information in estimating the spatial distribution of groundwater contaminant plumes. The methods account for the spatial/temporal covariance of the contaminant plume in defining a best estimate of the plume distribution and its associated uncertainty. Overall, the methods require that the estimated plume distribution be physically feasible given both the available concentration measurements and the flow and transport in the affected aquifer. Sample applications in homogeneous and heterogeneous formations are presented. Even with relatively few observations, the new methods yield results that are superior to those obtained by kriging, with a better reproduction of the true plume shape and lower uncertainty.
Universal screening increases the representation of low-income and minority students in gifted education.

Low-income and minority students are substantially underrepresented in gifted education programs. The disparities persist despite efforts by many states and school districts to broaden participation through changes in their eligibility criteria. One explanation for the persistent gap is that standard processes for identifying gifted students, which are based largely on the referrals of parents and teachers, tend to miss qualified students from underrepresented groups. We study this hypothesis using the experiences of a large urban school district following the introduction of a universal screening program for second graders. Without any changes in the standards for gifted eligibility, the screening program led to large increases in the fractions of economically disadvantaged and minority students placed in gifted programs. Comparisons of the newly identified gifted students with those who would have been placed in the absence of screening show that Blacks and Hispanics, free/reduced price lunch participants, English language learners, and girls were all systematically “underreferred” in the traditional parent/teacher referral system. Our findings suggest that parents and teachers often fail to recognize the potential of poor and minority students and those with limited English proficiency.
Design and analysis of an NoC architecture from performance, reliability and energy perspective

Network-on-Chip (NoC) architectures employing packet-based communication are being increasingly adopted in System-on-Chip (SoC) designs. In addition to providing high performance, the fault tolerance and reliability of these networks is becoming a critical issue due to several artifacts of deep sub-micron technologies. Consequently, it is important for a designer to have access to fast methods for evaluating the performance, reliability, and energy-efficiency of an on-chip network. Towards this end, first, we propose a novel path-sensitive router architecture for low-latency applications. Next, we present a queuing-theory-based model for evaluating the performance and energy behavior of on-chip networks. Then the model is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed router. The performance (average latency) and energy consumption results from the analytical model are validated with those obtained from a cycle-accurate simulator. Finally, we explore error detection and correction mechanisms that provide different energy-reliability- performance tradeoffs and extend our model to evaluate the on-chip network in the presence of these error protection schemes. Our reliability exploration culminates with the introduction of an array of transient fault protection techniques, both architectural and algorithmic, to tackle reliability issues within the router's individual hardware components. We propose a complete solution safeguarding against both the traditional link faults and internal router upsets, without incurring any significant latency, area and power overhead.
Two-stage, high power X-band amplifier experiment

At output powers in excess of 100 MW we have noted the development of sidebands in many TWT structures. To address this problem an experiment using a narrow bandwidth, two-stage TWT is in progress. The TWT amplifier consists of a dielectric (/spl epsiv/=5) slow-wave structure, a 30 dB sever section and a 8.8-9.0 GHz passband periodic, metallic structure. The electron beam used in this experiment is a 950 kV ,1 kA, 50 ns pencil beam propagating along an applied axial field of 9 kG. The dielectric first stage has a maximum gain of 30 dB measured at 8.87 GHz, with output powers of up to 50 MW in the TM/sub 01/ mode. In these experiments the dielectric amplifier output power is about 3-5 MW and the output power of the complete two-stage device is /spl sim/160 MW at the input frequency. The sidebands detected in earlier experiments have been eliminated. We also report measurements of the energy spread of the electron beam resulting from the amplification process. These experimental results are compared with MAGIC code simulations and analytic work we have carried out on such devices. >
Lewis base activation of lewis acids : Catalytic, enantioselective vinylogous aldol addition reactions

The generality of Lewis base catalyzed, Lewis acid mediated, enantioselective vinylogous aldol addition reactions has been investigated. The combination of silicon tetrachloride and chiral phosphoramides is a competent catalyst for highly selective additions of a variety of α,β-unsaturated ketone-, 1,3-diketone-, and α,β-unsaturated amide-derived dienolates to aldehydes. These reactions provided high levels of γ-site selectivity for a variety of substitution patterns on the dienyl unit. Both ketone- and morpholine amide-derived dienol ethers afforded high enantio- and diastereoselectivity in the addition to conjugated aldehydes. Although α,β-unsaturated ketone-derived dienolate did not react with aliphatic aldehydes, α,β-unsaturated amide-derived dienolates underwent addition at reasonable rates affording high yields of vinylogous aldol product. The enantioselectivities achieved with the morpholine derived-dienolate in the addition to aliphatic aldehydes was the highest afforded to date with the silicon t...
Resolution analysis of geophysical images: Comparison between point spread function and region of data influence measures

Practical decisions are often made based on the subsurface images obtained by inverting geophysical data. Therefore it is important to understand the resolution of the image, which is a function of several factors, including the underlying geophysical experiment, noise in the data, prior information and the ability to model the physics appropriately. An important step towards interpreting the image is to quantify how much of the solution is required to satisfy the data observations and how much exists solely due to the prior information used to stabilize the solution. A procedure to identify the regions that are not constrained by the data would help when interpreting the image. For linear inverse problems this procedure is well established, but for non-linear problems the procedure is more complicated. In this paper we compare two different approaches to resolution analysis of geophysical images: the region of data influence index and a resolution spread computed using point spread functions. The region of data influence method is a fully non-linear approach, while the point spread function analysis is a linearized approach. An approximate relationship between the region of data influence and the resolution matrix is derived, which suggests that the region of data influence is connected with the rows of the resolution matrix. The point-spread-function spread measure is connected with the columns of the resolution matrix, and therefore the point-spread-function spread and the region of data influence are fundamentally different resolution measures. From a practical point of view, if two different approaches indicate similar interpretations on post-inversion images, the confidence in the interpretation is enhanced. We demonstrate the use of the two approaches on a linear synthetic example and a non-linear synthetic example, and apply them to a non-linear electromagnetic field data example.
Robust Decentralized State Estimation and Tracking for Power Systems via Network Gossiping

This paper proposes a fully decentralized adaptive re-weighted state estimation (DARSE) scheme for power systems via network gossiping. The enabling technique is the proposed Gossip-based Gauss-Newton (GGN) algorithm, which allows to harness the computation capability of each area (i.e. a database server that accrues data from local sensors) to collaboratively solve for an accurate global state. The DARSE scheme mitigates the influence of bad data by updating their error variances online and re-weighting their contributions adaptively for state estimation. Thus, the global state can be estimated and tracked robustly using near-neighbor communications in each area. Compared to other distributed state estimation techniques, our communication model is flexible with respect to reconfigurations and resilient to random failures as long as the communication network is connected. Furthermore, we prove that the Jacobian of the power flow equations satisfies the Lipschitz condition that is essential for the GGN algorithm to converge to the desired solution. Simulations of the IEEE-118 system show that the DARSE scheme can estimate and track online the global power system state accurately, and degrades gracefully when there are random failures and bad data.
Stereospecific and efficient alkynylation at the more hindered carbon of trisubstituted epoxides

The stereospecific and regioselective C(3) alkynylation of trisubstituted epoxides has been achieved with lithium alkynyl trimethylaluminium ate complexes in the presence of BF3·OEt2.
Using Shared-Resource Capacity for Robust Control of Failure-Prone Manufacturing Systems

Deadlock-free resource allocation has been an active area of research in flexible manufacturing. Most researchers have assumed that allocated resources do not fail, and thus, little research has addressed the discrete-event supervision of manufacturing systems that are subject to resource failure. In our previous work, we developed supervisory controllers to ensure robust deadlock-free operation for systems with unreliable resources. These controllers guarantee that parts requiring failed resources do not block the production of parts that are not requiring failed resources. This previous work assumes that parts requiring failed resources can be advanced into failure-dependent (FD) buffer space (buffer space exclusively dedicated to parts requiring unreliable resources). Supervisors admit only states for which a sequence of such part advancements is feasible. The research presented in this paper relaxes this assumption because, in some systems, providing FD buffer space might be too expensive or it might be desirable to load the system more heavily with FD parts. In this paper, we concentrate on distributing parts requiring failed resources throughout the buffer space of shared resources so that these distributed parts do not block the production of part types that are not requiring failed resources. The approach presented here requires no state enumeration and is polynomial in stable measures of system size. We also present results from simulation experiments that compare system performance under these new policies with system performance under our previously published supervisors. These results show that our new policies allow better performance if the required part mixes favor FD part types. The systems of interest are single-unit resource allocation systems.
Power electronics and motion control-technology status and recent trends

Power electronics and motion control have emerged as very important technologies in the recent trend of industrial automation. This work reviews the technology status and trends in power electronics and motion control with emphasis on AC machine drives. A comprehensive review of power semiconductor devices, power converter circuits, machine drives, and various motion control techniques is included. The effect of expert systems, fuzzy logic, and neural networks on intelligent motion control is also discussed. >
Earthquake source parameters and fault kinematics in the eastern California shear zone

Based on waveform data from a profile of aftershocks following the north-south trace of the 28 June 1992 Landers rupture across the Mojave desert, we construct a new velocity model for the Mojave region that features a thin, slow crust. Using this model, we obtain source parameters, including depth and duration, for each of the aftershocks in the profile and, in addition, any significant (M > 3.7) Joshua Tree-Landers aftershock between April 1992 and October 1994 for which coherent TERRAscope data were available. In all, we determine source parameters and stress drops for 45 significant (M_w > 4) earthquakes associated with the Joshua Tree and Landers sequences, using a waveform grid-search algorithm. Stress drops for these earthquakes appear to vary systematically with location, with respect to previous seismic activity, proximity to previous rupture (i.e., with respect to the Landers rupture), and with tectonic province. In general, for areas north of the Pinto Mountain fault, stress drops of aftershocks located off the faults involved with the Landers rupture are higher than those located on the fault, with the exception of aftershocks on the newly recognized Kickapoo (Landers) fault. Stress drops are moderate south of the Pinto Mountain fault, where there is a history of seismic swarms but no single throughgoing fault. In contrast to aftershocks in the eastern Transverse ranges, and related to the 1992 Big Bear, California, sequence, Landers events show no clear relationship between stress drop and depth. Instead, higher stress-drop aftershocks appear to correlate with activity on nascent faults or those that experienced relatively small slip during mainshock rupture.
The critical random graph, with martingales

We give a short proof that the largest component C 1 of the random graph G(n, 1/n) is of size approximately n 2/3. The proof gives explicit bounds for the probability that the ratio is very large or very small. In particular, the probability that n −2/3|C 1| exceeds A is at most $${e^{ - c{A^3}}}$$ for some c > 0.
Exchange Rate Policies

A debate has continued over many years on the desirable degree of foreign exchange rate flexibility. One side of the debate has sometimes made the case that the exchange rate should be freely determined by market forces, independently of any foreign exchange intervention or targeting by central bank monetary policy. This argument takes the stance that the market can best determine the appropriate level of the exchange rate.
Promoting Access to Primary Equity Markets : A Legal and Regulatory Approach

This paper examines legal and regulatory measures that can be taken to promote access to the primary market in emerging market economies. While capital market development depends on many factors including, primarily, a favorable macroeconomic environment, an appropriately designed and effective legal and regulatory framework can help to encourage market growth and to increase access to finance for all companies, including small and medium sized enterprises. In this paper author identify the basic necessities that underpin a regulatory regime that is cost effective and strikes an appropriate balance between, on the one hand, laws and regulations that may be too restrictive to achieve a supply of capital and, on the other, those that may be so relaxed that investors feel that there is an unacceptable level of risk and do not care to venture into the market. The author explores the legal foundations for the successful operation of a primary market for securities and identify disclosure and effective monitoring and enforcement as essential elements of legal protection. The authors then examines different legal and regulatory approaches for improving access to finance. The author discuss measures that can be used by traditional stock exchanges to attract smaller enterprises to their lists as well as recent initiatives to create second boards or divide the main board into different market segments. The author also discusses different mechanisms for companies to raise funds outside of a formal stock market listing, including private placements and private equity. Finally, author proposes some recommendations for a simple legal and regulatory framework that will help promote access to primary equity markets, via both the traditional exchange as well as other alternatives.
Copper-Catalyzed Domino Halide Exchange-Cyanation of Aryl Bromides

An efficient copper-catalyzed domino halogen exchange-cyanation procedure for aryl bromides was developed utilizing 10 mol % CuI, 20 mol % KI, 1.0 equiv of the inexpensive N,N'-dimethylethylenediamine as ligand, and 1.2 equiv of NaCN in toluene at 110 degrees C. The new method represents a significant improvement over the traditional Rosenmund-von Braun reaction: the reaction conditions are much milder, and the use of stoichiometric amounts of copper(I) cyanide and polar solvents is avoided; therefore the isolation and purification of the aromatic nitrile products is greatly simplified. In addition, the new method exhibits excellent functional group compatibility comparable to that of the analogous Pd-catalyzed cyanation methodology.
Dijet mass spectrum limits on flavor-universal colorons

Abstract Using recent DO data on the dijet mass spectrum, we present a limit on flavor-universal colorons. At 95% CL we find M c /cot θ >837 GeV. We discuss the implications of this limit for models of quark compositeness, non-standard gluon interactions, and dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking. In addition, we place a lower bound Λ A8 >2.1 TeV on the scale of color-octet axial-vector contact interactions among quarks which could arise in models of quark compositeness.
The Evolution of Comparative Advantage: Measurement and Welfare Implications

Using an industry-level dataset of production and trade spanning 75 countries and 5 decades, and a fully specied multi-sector Ricardian model, we estimate productivities at sector level and examine how they evolve over time in both developed and developing countries. We nd that in both country groups, comparative advantage has become weaker: productivity grew systematically faster in sectors that were initially at the greater comparative disadvantage. The global welfare implications of this phenomenon are signicant. Relative to the counterfactual scenario in which an individual country’s comparative advantage remained the same as in the 1960s, and technology in all sectors grew at the same country-specic average rate, welfare today is 1.9% lower at the median. The welfare impact varies greatly across countries, ranging from 0.5% to 6% among OECD countries, and from 9% to 27% among non-OECD countries. Remarkably, for the OECD countries, nearly all of the welfare impact is driven by changes in technology in OECD countries, and for the non-OECD countries, nearly all of the welfare impact is driven by changes in technology in non-OECD countries.
Using genetic information from candidate gene and genome-wide association studies in risk prediction for alcohol dependence.

Family-based and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of alcohol dependence (AD) have reported numerous associated variants.The clinical validity of these variants for predicting AD compared with family history information hasnotbeenreported.UsingtheCollaborativeStudyontheGeneticsof Alcoholism(COGA)andtheStudyof Addiction: Genes and Environment (SAGE) GWAS samples, we examined the aggregate impact of multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on risk prediction. We created genetic sum scores by adding risk alleles associated in discovery samples, and then tested the scores for their ability to discriminate between cases and controls in validation samples. Genetic sum scores were assessed separately for SNPs associated with AD in candidate gene studies and SNPs from GWAS analyses that met varying P-value thresholds. Candidate gene sum scores did not exhibit significant predictive accuracy. Family history was a better classifier of case-control status, with a significant area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.686 in COGA and 0.614 in SAGE. SNPs that met less stringent P-value thresholds of 0.01-0.50 in GWAS analyses yielded significant AUC estimates, ranging from mean estimates of 0.549 for SNPs with P < 0.01 to 0.565 for SNPs with P < 0.50.This study suggests that SNPs currently have limited clinical utility, but there is potential for enhanced predictive ability with better understanding of the large number of variants that might contribute to risk.
A NEW APPROACH TO ISOLEVOGLUCOSENONE VIA THE 2,3-SIGMATROPIC REARRANGEMENT OF AN ALLYLIC SELENIDE

A convenient method is described for the synthesis of isolevoglucosenone 5, via allylic selenide 3, and its rearrangement to allylic alcohol 4, followed by oxidation with manganese oxide. Isolevoglucosenone 5, is produced in 62% overall yield.
Oxygen-17 Labeling of Oxides and Zeolites'

Preparation de composes marques a l'oxygene 18 pour des etudes spectrometriques de masse et de RMN