cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Energy Access, Efficiency, and Poverty : How Many Households Are Energy Poor in Bangladesh?

Access to energy, especially modern sources, is a key to any development initiative. Based on cross-section data from a 2004 survey of some 2,300 households in rural Bangladesh, this paper studies the welfare impacts of household energy use, including that of modern energy, and estimates the household minimum energy requirement that could be used as a basis for an energy poverty line. The paper finds that although the use of both traditional (biomass energy burned in conventional stoves) and modern (electricity and kerosene) sources improves household consumption and income, the return on modern sources is 20 to 25 times higher than that on traditional sources. In addition, after comparing alternate measures of the energy poverty line, the paper finds that some 58 percent of rural households in Bangladesh are energy poor, compared with 45 percent that are income poor. The findings suggest that growth in electrification and adoption of efficient cooking stoves for biomass use can lower energy poverty in a climate-friendly way by reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Reducing energy poverty helps reduce income poverty as well.
Human Rights Enforcement From Below: Private Actors and Prosecutorial Momentum in Latin America and Europe

Over the last three decades, thousands of prosecutions for human rights abuses have progressed through domestic courts, a puzzling fact considering that state leaders have little incentive to punish their own agents. Previous studies have advanced rational-choice or sociological-institutionalist accounts of this phenomenon, emphasizing the role of political coalitions or regional cultures. Few, though, have recognized the local, private struggles that lie at the root of the trend toward domestic human rights enforcement. In this article, we develop a historical-institutionalist theory of normative change centered on the notion of “prosecutorial momentum.” We contend that the rise in domestic trials against rights-abusing state agents in Europe and Latin America results in large part from the cumulative efforts of victims and human rights lawyers utilizing their rights to private criminal prosecution. Using a new data set and mixed methods, we offer a systematic analysis of how rights to private criminal prosecution, when activated in response to a legacy of repression, helps set in motion sustained efforts to pursue domestic enforcement and compliance with international law.
Regge Calculus: A Unique Tool for Numerical Relativity

The application of Regge calculus, a lattice formulation of general relativity, is reviewed in the context of numerical relativity. Particular emphasis is placed on problems of current computational interest, and the strengths and weaknesses of the lattice approach are highlighted. Several new and illustrative applications are presented, including initial data for the head on collision of two black holes, and the time evolution of vacuum axisymmetric Brill waves.
Private equity and venture capital in smes in developing countries : the role for technical assistance

This paper discusses the constraints for private equity financing of small and medium enterprises in developing economies. In addition to capital, private equity investors bring knowledge and expertise to the companies in which they invest. Through active participation on the board of directors or in partnership with management, private equity investors equip companies with critical improvements in governance, financial accounting, access to markets, technology, and other drivers of business success. Although private equity investors could help to create, deepen, and expand growth of small and medium enterprises in developing economies, the vast majority of private equity in such markets targets larger or more established enterprises. Technical assistance, when partnered with private equity, can unlock more investor commitments and considerably enhance the ability of small and medium enterprises in emerging markets to raise private equity capital. Technical assistance provides funding that allows private equity funds to extend their reach to smaller companies. Technical assistance can mitigate some level of risk and increase the probability of successful investments by funding targeted operational improvements of investee companies. Dedicated technical assistance facilities financed by third parties, such as development finance institutions, governments, or other parties, have emerged to fill this critical need. The paper discusses the provision of investment capital twinned with technical assistance, which is now more accepted by limited partners and general partners or fund managers and is becoming more of a market model for private equity finance focused on small and medium enterprises.
Defining mild, moderate, and severe pain by using the color analogue scale with children presenting to a pediatric emergency department

OBJECTIVES: To define in centimeters what constitutes mild, moderate, and severe acute pain in children by using the Color Analogue Scale (CAS) for pain. METHODS: This was a prospective study, using convenience sampling, of all children presenting to a pediatric ED between the ages of 5 and 16 years with a complaint of pain. Children were excluded if they had altered sensorium, were clinically unstable or required admission to the ICU, or were developmentally delayed. Children were asked to mark their pain severity on the standardized 10-cm CAS. To use this measure, children were asked to slide the marker to the point on the scale that best described the pain they were currently experiencing. They then were asked to describe their pain as "none," "mild," "moderate," or "severe." RESULTS: A total of 169 children were enrolled with a mean age of 10.1 years (SD +/- 3.2 years). Males accounted for 94 (55%); 89 (52.7%) were Hispanic, 63 (37.3%) were white, 8 (4.7%) were African American, and 9 (5.3%) were "others." In children who considered their pain to be mild (n = 34), the median score was 3.5 cm, and the mean score was 3.47 cm (95% CI = 2.95 to 3.99). For those with moderate pain (n = 68), the median score was 6.0 cm, the mean score was 6.04 cm (95% CI = 5.67 to 6.41), and if the pain was considered severe (n = 67) the median score was 8.5 cm, and the mean score was 8.28 cm (95% CI = 7.85 to 8.71). CONCLUSIONS: This study quantifies what constitutes mild, moderate, and severe pain on the CAS scale. This information should be used to properly triage children with painful conditions and to identify appropriate patients for enrollment in analgesic studies. Language: en
Hydroxyurea in children with sickle cell disease: practice patterns and barriers to utilization.

Hydroxyurea (HU) is underutilized in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) despite the Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea in Sickle Cell Anemia (MSH) (1). Since little is known about HU utilization in children with SCD we sought to: 1) evaluate patterns of HU utilization; 2) elicit how providers define frequent pain when prescribing HU; and 3) identify barriers to HU use by surveying members of the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and Chi-square. Of the 350 respondents, 63% care for SCD patients. Of these providers, only 9% have 50–90% of patients on HU, while 10% have 30% of patients on HU (35.2% vs. 20%; p=0.023; Chi-square). Provider-related barriers to prescribing HU included compliance with: HU (86%), laboratory monitoring (85%), and contraception (85%). Our survey suggests substantial variation in HU utilization in children. Providers accounting for pain managed both in and out of the hospital had more patients on HU. Existing barriers to HU utilization should be addressed to optimize care for children with SCD.
Estimation of body resonances from a time-frequency analysis of violin vibrato

We present a signal-based technique for evaluating a pole-zero representation of the resonant response of a violin instrument. This technique combines time-frequency signal analysis with system identification techniques to determine the pole-zero function that would account for amplitude modulation observed on the partials of violin notes performed with vibrato. Violin vibrato signals are analyzed with the modal distribution to obtain values of instantaneous amplitude and frequency for each partial. From these, input and output functions are synthesized and used to estimate the violin body's impulse response using an infinite impulse response (IIR) system identification procedure. In each case, the input and output functions share the same instantaneous frequency of the measured partial. However, the rapid amplitude variations are present only on the output function. We report on the location and spacing of these estimated resonances and discuss their relationship to those obtained from theoretical predictions and other measurement procedures.
Phenyliodonium zwitterion as an efficient electrophile in the palladium-catalyzed suzuki-type reaction: a novel method for the synthesis of 3-aryl-4-hydroxycoumarins.

A palladium-catalyzed coupling reaction of phenyliodonium zwitterions with aryl boronic acids has been developed. The unique characteristics of the mild reaction conditions and convenient synthetic accessibility of phenyliodonium zwitterions make this method a valuable tool for generating diversified 3-aryl-4-hydroxycoumarins.
State Centralization in North Carolina

Secure greater efficieny in administration, the state has assumed historic county functions, involving shift in tax base away from general property.
The global construction of development models: the US, Japan and the East Asian miracle

During the heyday of the ‘Washington Consensus’ in the 1980s and 1990s, the Japanese government became an increasingly vocal critic of its market-liberalizing prescriptions. Drawing on documents produced by the Japanese development bureaucracy, this paper analyses the origins of the Washington-Tokyo controversy, and suggests that it provides new insights into the nature of models of economic development. Such models are based on post hoc social constructs-interpretations of past events forged in part by development experts, but also by states, which can play a major role in selecting, interpreting and packaging development facts. Washington's ‘Anglo-Saxon’ model and Tokyo's ‘East Asian’ model were based on distinct interpretations of development facts, but were not as far apart as they seemed on the surface. We conclude that although development models may draw on local materials, they are also very much global products, constructed in the context of transnational networks and organizational fields.
Collapse of flexible polyelectrolytes in multivalent salt solutions

The collapse of flexible polyelectrolytes in a solution of multivalent counterions is studied by means of a two state model. The states correspond to rodlike and spherically collapsed conformations. We focus on the very dilute monomer concentration regime where the collapse transition is found to occur when the charge of the multivalent salt is comparable (but smaller) to that of the monomers. The main contribution to the free energy of the collapsed conformation is linear in the number of monomers N, since the internal state of the collapsed polymer approaches that of an amorphous ionic solid. The free energy of the rodlike state grows as N ln N, due to the electrostatic energy associated with that shape. We show that practically all multivalent counterions added to the system are condensed into the polymer chain, even before the collapse.
Building interactive high-bandwidth photonics simulation tools from first principles

Semiconductor and fiber amplifiers and lasers are amongst the most complex and critically important components in most modern optical telecommunications systems. The ever increasing demand for bandwidth places severe constraints on component design. Active materials need to be accurately characterized in terms of their optical properties. In addition, realistic simulation tools must be capable of resolving the multi-THz bandwidths while providing a rapid turn around to the system designer. We will report on the implementation of an extremely efficient algorithm running within an object-oriented simulation environment. As an illustration, we will present results showing how a WDM-based semiconductor optical amplifier and a TDM Mach-Zehnder interferometer gate can be optimized using rigorously computed and experimentally validated semiconductor optical material properties.
Schleiermacher's sermon at Nathanael's grave

The writer provides a translation of the sermon delivered by the German theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher at the grave of his nine-year-old son Nathanael in 1829. An analysis of the sermon explores this most personal statement of Schleiermacher's attitude toward death and reveals the consonance between his theological reflections and the substance of his life.
Where is the charm quark energy loss at RHIC

Abstract Heavy quark energy loss in a hot QCD plasma is computed taking into account the competing effects due to suppression of zeroth order gluon radiation below the plasma frequency and the enhancement of gluon radiation due to first order medium induced bremsstrahlung. The results suggest a surprising degree of cancellation between the two medium effects for charm quarks and provides a possible explanation for the null effect observed by PHENIX in the prompt electron spectrum in Au+Au at s =130 A GeV.
Effective field theories with instantons

Abstract We explain how nonperturbative effects can be systematically included when constructing an effective field theory. We concentrate in particular on the matching calculation, by which a low-energy theory without a heavy-particle degree of freedom is matched onto the full theory. The matching calculation requires some new formalism, because for a large class of theories, instantons occur in a continuous range of scales for far below the mass of the heavy particle to far above. We show how the complete IR finiteness of the usual matching formalism arises in this new context. As an example, we formally integrate out a heavy quark in QCD.
Simulations of Dynamo Action in Fully Convective Stars

We present three-dimensional nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the interiors of fully convective M dwarfs. Our models consider 0.3 solar-mass stars using the Anelastic Spherical Harmonic code, with the spherical computational domain extending from 0.08 to 0.96 times the overall stellar radius. Like previous authors, we find that fully convective stars can generate kG-strength magnetic fields (in rough equipartition with the convective flows) without the aid of a tachocline of shear. Although our model stars are everywhere unstably stratified, the amplitudes and typical pattern sizes of the convective flows vary strongly with radius, with the outer regions of the stars hosting vigorous convection and field amplification while the deep interiors are more quiescent. Modest differential rotation is established in hydrodynamic calculations, but—unlike in some prior work—strongly quenched in MHD simulations because of the Maxwell stresses exerted by the dynamo-generated magnetic fields. Despite the lack of strong differential rotation, the magnetic fields realized in the simulations possess significant mean (axisymmetric) components, which we attribute partly to the strong influence of rotation on the slowly overturning flows.
A partial substitution of phosphorus with the metal atom Co: the crystal structure of Hf5Co1+xP3−x

Abstract The new phosphide Hf5Co1+xP3−x has been prepared by arc melting of HfP, Hf and Co, and subsequent annealing at 1500°C in an induction furnace. It crystallizes in a new structure type, space group Pnma (No. 62), lattice constants a = 16.980(3) A, b = 3.6101(7) A, c = 10.175(1) A, V = 623.8(2) A3. This structure consists of six-membered Hf-channels, condensed to a double channel. Each channel contains one Co and one P atom, which form an infinite CoP zigzag chain. The channels are connected via short HfHf contacts to a three-dimensional network with two further P positions located in trigonal prismatic voids of the Hf sublattice. Unusually, one P site — that with the higher bond order — is partially occupied with Co, indicating that phosphorus is able to take part in delocalized metallic bonds, as well as cobalt. The partial Co/P exchange is related to the similar atomic radii and the expected negative charge for Co and P in this Hf-rich phosphide. A significant phase range is observed.
Misreporting Fundraising: How Do Nonprofit Organizations Account for Telemarketing Campaigns?

The purpose of this study is to examine the frequency, determinants, and implications of misreported fundraising activities. We compare state telemarketing campaign reports with the associated information from nonprofits' annual Form 990 filings to directly test nonprofits' revenue and expense recognition policies. Using a conservative approach that understates the extent to which nonprofit organizations violate the reporting rules, our study indicates that 74 percent of the regulatory filings from nonprofit organizations fail to properly report telemarketing expenses. Smaller nonprofits, less monitored firms, and those with less accounting sophistication are more likely to inappropriately report telemarketing costs as a component of net revenues rather than as expenses. Nonprofits that use external accounting services are more likely to properly classify the cost of their telemarketing campaigns as professional fundraising fees.
X-ray analysis of soil colloids by a modified salted paste method.

ABSTRACT Glycerol–ethanol sodium salted clay pastes prepared from clays extracted directly from the soils and not allowed to dry were found to yield superior x-ray diffraction diagrams for the identification of the major clay minerals than pastes prepared from clays that suffered dehydration after extraction. Prevention of drying of soil clays after their extraction from the soils is essential for proper identification of the clay minerals. This is particularly true for identification of hydrated halloysite and for differentiation between high exchange forms and low exchange forms of montmorillonite. This differentiation is based on the finding that glycerol–ethanol salted potassium-saturated montmorillonite pastes prepared from clay suspensions have a 001 spacing of 18.5a whenever the exchange capacity ranges between 92 and 95 meq/100 g oven-dry clay, and 14.5 a whenever the exchange capacity ranges between 115 and 135 meq/100 g. Either both these spacings or a mixed-layer spacing appears in montmorillonites having exchange capacities between 95 and 115 meq/100 g. Saturation of pure vermiculite minerals brings about contraction in the 001 spacing from 14.2a to 10.6a only after air drying in those forms with exchange capacities ranging between 200 and 207 meq/100 g water-free mineral, but in vermiculites with an exchange capacity of 250 meq/100 g this contraction occurs even without drying. Both of these forms of vermiculite are found in soils. Several sets of “ standardized ” natural clay mineral mixtures are necessary for quantitative x-ray analysis of soil clays.
Synthesis and Spectroscopic Characterization of H3CoRu3(CO)12. Crystal and Molecular Structure of the C3v Isomer

Abstract : The reaction of HCoRu3(CO)13 with H2 in refluxing hexane gives the new cluster H3CoRu3(CO)12 in 75% yield. Infrared and H(1) NMR spectra indicate that the cluster exists in two isomeric forms. The structure of one isomer has determined by single-crystal x-ray diffraction. The CoRu3 core of the molecule defines a distorted tetrahedron with three carbonyls terminally bound to each metal atom. The hydride ligands were located by difference Fourier techniques and bridge the three Ru-Ru bonds. The overall symmetry of the cluster is approximately C sub 3v. Spectral evidence indicates that the second isomer contains a bridging CO ligand and three non-equivalent hydrogens. The interconversion of the two isomers and the various hydrogen exchange processes have been monitored by H(1) NMR spectroscopy and the exchange mechanisms are discussed.
Chemistry of singlet oxygen : isolation and characterization of a stable allene oxide from a fulvene endoperoxide

Abstract Decomposition of the saturated endoperoxide derived from 6- t -butylfulvene at 1OO°C gives a stable allene oxide which was isolated and characterized by spectroscopy and chemical transformations. The thermal isomerization of the parent unsaturated system is also described and the decomposition mechanisms are discussed.
Doppler-shifted acoustic cyclotron resonance in tungsten

Abstract Doppler-shifted cyclotron resonances have been observed acoustically in high purity tungsten single crystals. The resulting Fermi surface area derivatives agree generally with those obtained from magnetomorphic size effect experiments and with calculations based on an empirical model fitted to de Haas-van Alphen data. Certain non-central orbit zones of the latter model are modified to fit both sets of results. The resulting correction to the hole octahedron sheet is minimal, the modified electron jack has a more spherical shape, and the necks are slightly further away from the zone center. The dimensions of the re-parameterised model agree better with the results obtained from other Fermi surface measurements.
Numerical study of heat transfer from a rotating cylinder with external longitudinal fins

Abstract Laminar flow and the associated heat transfer are computed for the situation in which a cylinder with external longitudinal fins rotates within a stationary shroud. The situation is commonly encountered in electrical motors and generators. The cylinder rotation creates a recirculating flow in the cavity between two adjacent fins and a throughflow in the clearance space between the fin tips and the shroud. Results for shear force on the shroud and heat transfer rate are presented for a range of values of the Reynolds number and geometric parameters such as the fin spacing and the fin height. Streamline and isotherm patterns are shown to provide details of the convection process.
A programmable particle system framework for shape modeling

Particle systems are an effective tool for visualizing information in a variety of contexts. This paper focuses on the use of surface-constrained particles to visualize information about the surface. We have designed a particle system programming framework consisting of behaviors, attributes and shaders that allows users to rapidly create, debug, and deploy particle systems for sensing and extracting specific surface information and displaying this information in an visually effective manner. We also introduce a simple particle system "little language" to facilitate the articulation of these particle programs. We demonstrate the flexibility and power of this framework for surface visualization with the applications of singularity detection and display, non-photorealistic surface illustration, and surface mesh algorithm visualization.
Noble gas films on a decagonal AlNiCo quasicrystal

Thermodynamic properties of Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe adsorbed on an Al–Ni–Co quasicrystalline (QC) surface are studied with the grand canonical Monte Carlo technique by employing Lennard-Jones interactions with parameter values derived from experiments and traditional combining rules. In all the gas/QC systems, a layer-by-layer film growth is observed at low temperature. The monolayers have regular epitaxial fivefold arrangements which evolve toward sixfold close-packed structures as the pressure is increased. The final states can contain either considerable or negligible amounts of defects. In the latter case, there occurs a structural transition from fivefold to sixfold symmetry which can be described by introducing an order parameter, whose evolution characterizes the transition to be continuous or discontinuous as in the case of Xe/QC (first-order transition with associated latent heat). By simulating fictitious noble gases, we find that the existence of the transition is correlated with the size mismatch between adsorbate and substrate characteristic lengths. A simple rule is proposed to predict the phenomenon.
An examination of firms' employment costs

The existence of quasi-fixed costs of work may affect firms' desired employee hours and number of workers, which has important implications for the estimation of labour supply parameters. Firm-level data from the 1982 Employment Opportunity Pilot Project is used to estimate the importance to firms of employee quasi-fixed costs related to searching, hiring, training, and firing. Specifically, this paper examines how these costs affect number of workers and hours per worker, turnover, and vacancies, to the extent that the costs are determined by the firm's presumably exogenous industrial classification. An attempt is made to control for biases due to employee heterogeneity as well. Results show that higher costs are associated with lower turnover, fewer vacancies, and longer hours as predicted by a model of labour demand.
REDUCED-ORDER MULTIRATE COMPENSATOR SYNTHESIS

A method for synthesizing reduced order multirate compensators is presented. Necessary conditions for which the compensator parameter values minimize an infinite time quadratic cost function are derived. An algorithm for finding compensator parameter values which satisfy the necessary conditions is described. This algorithm is then used to design several tip position controllers for a two link robot arm.
When are venture capital projects initiated

Abstract This paper examines how public market information relates to the initiation of venture capital projects. Analysis of venture capital investments in the U.S. between 1980 and 2007 indicates that venture capitalists tend to defer new investment projects in target industries with substantial market volatility. This delay effect of market volatility is reduced if the target industry experiences high sales growth or if competition among venture capitalists is intense in the target industry. The paper provides further evidence to corroborate the view that venture capitalists rationally respond to market shifts in their investment decisions.
Enantiospecific Synthesis of (R)-4-Amino-5-oxo-1,3,4,5-tetrahydrobenz[cd]indole, an Advanced Intermediate Containing the Tricyclic Core of the Ergots.

We report a new strategy for the enantiospecific synthesis of (R)-4-amino-5-oxo-1,3,4,5-tetrahydrobenz[cd]indole. This compound is an advanced intermediate which contains the tricyclic core of many of the tetracyclic ergot alkaloids. Our method involves the initial synthesis of d-4-bromotryptophan from the coupling of an indolyllithium species with a masked serinal. The α-amino position was protected with an N-trityl group, ensuring the enantiomeric integrity of this position during the ensuing organometallic cyclization reaction. Stabilization of the tricycle was accomplished by protecting the indole nitrogen with a BOC group or by reducing the α-amino ketone to the corresponding β-amino alcohol.
Reduced Mass-Weighted Proper Decomposition for Modal Analysis

A method of modal analysis by proper orthogonal decomposition for large-order systems of arbitrary mass distribution is outlined. The method involves reduced-order modeling of the system mass distribution so that the discretized mass matrix dimension matches the number of sensed quantities, and hence the dimension of the response ensemble and correlation matrix. In this case, the linear interpolation of unsensed displacements is used to perform an effective lumped mass homogenization. The idea is applied to the modal identification of a mass-spring system and an exponential rod.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Three-Dimensional and Rotational Aerodynamics on the NREL Phase VI Wind Turbine Blade

This work undertakes an aerodynamic analysis of the NREL NASA Ames wind tunnel data, namely the Phase VI Unsteady Aerodynamic Experiment. The experimental sequences selected here for this study respond to the parked blade and the rotating configuration, both for the upwind two-bladed wind turbine operating at non yawed conditions. The objective is to bring some light into the nature of the flow field and especially the type of stall behaviour observed when compared the 2D aerofoil steady measurements to the parked blade and the later to the rotating data. From averaged and instantaneous pressure coecients together with their standard deviations values, the corresponding trailing edge flow separation and leading edge reattachment points had been pinpointed, with the limitations of the repeatability of the flow encountered on the blade. Results for the 3D parked blade show the progressive delay of the trailing edge separation process, with respect to the 2D profile, and also reveal a local region of leading edge bubble separated flow, at the inner parts 30% and 47 % of the blade. For the 3D rotating blade, results at inboard stations 30% and 47 % show a dramatic suppression of the trailing edge separation, and the development of a quasi-steady leading edge separation phenomena responsible for the extra lift. At the 63% and 80 % rotating blade sections, the averaged pressure coecients are not representative anymore of a steady behaviour, and their instantaneous pressures values for a given incidence are highly unstable, showing gross changes in an oscillating flow pattern.
The Asymmetric Synthesis of Fused Cyclopentenone Ring Systems: A formal asymmetric total synthesis of (−)‐isocomene

Optically active tricyclic oxazolidine lactams 10 have been prepared using two different routes (Scheme 1). They can be obtained by acid-mediated intramolecular cyclization of bicyclic lactams 13via their acyliminium intermediates producing appended five-, six-, and seven-membered tricyclic systems. Alternatively, 10 can be prepared by cyclocondensation of chiral amino alcohols with cyclopentane-1,2-dicarboxylic acids 12 to give the imide which is reduced or alkylated to the amino alcohols and cyclized to a diastereoisomer mixture of 10. Alkylation of 10 (R″ = H) via its enolate gives stereospecifically α-quaternary products 10 (R″ = alkyl). Degradation of the latter with MeLi or Red-Al® followed by mild acid hydrolysis and aldol cyclization produces the bicyclic ketones 14 and 15 as 1:1 mixtures, readily separated and isolated in > 99% ee. This sequence produced a known non-racemic intermediate 69 for the synthesis of (−)-isocomene.
Selective reduction of carboxylic acids to aldehydes catalyzed by B(C6F5)3.

B(C6F5)3 efficiently catalyzes hydrosilylation of aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic acids to produce disilyl acetals under mild conditions. Catalyst loadings can be as low as 0.05 mol %, and bulky tertiary silanes are favored to give selectively the acetals. Acidic workup of the disilyl acetals results in the formation of aldehydes in good to excellent yields.
Studies in Optimal Configuration of the LTP

Brightness preservation requirements for ever brighter synchrotron radiation and free electron laser beamlines require surface slope tolerances of x-ray optics on the order of 0.2 μrad, or better. Hence, the accuracy of dedicated surface slope metrology must be 0.1 μrad, or even less. Achieving this level of measurement accuracy with the flagship instrument at synchrotron radiation metrology laboratories, the Long Trace Profiler (LTP), requires all significant sources of systematic, random, and instrumental drift errors to be identified, and reduced or eliminated. In this respect, the performance of certain components of the Advanced Light Source LTP-II design [Kirschman, et al., Proc. SPIE, 7077, 70770A-12 (2008)] is analyzed, considering the principal justification for inclusion of each component, possible systematic error due to the quality of its optical material, and drift effects due to generated heat, etc. We investigate the effects of replacement of the existing diode laser with a fiber-coupled laser light source, and demonstrate that reducing the number of components by using a single beam on the surface under test (SUT), rather than an original double beam maintains, or even improves the accuracy of measurement with our LTP. Based on the performance of the upgraded LTP, we trace the further steps for improving of the LTP optical system.
Executive rank, pay and project selection

Abstract This paper extends the literature on executive compensation by developing and testing a principal-agent model in the context of project selection. The model's focus on executive project selection decisions highlights the multidimensional nature of executive choices that affect the value of the firm. An executive not only makes an effort choice that determines the quality of information on which to base a decision but also sets the decision criteria for selecting projects. A project selection framework is also shown to introduce endogenous uncertainty into compensation that can influence the executive's effort choice. Using an extensive data set, our empirical work supports the main hypotheses of the model, including the significance of executive rank in determining the extent of use of incentive pay in general and equity-based incentive pay in particular.
Poverty in Poland, 1978-88

The economic crisis that began in Poland in 1978 significantly reduced the population's average incomes and increased the proportion of the population living below the poverty line by 10 percentage points. The composition of the poor has also changed. Before the crisis, most of the poor lived in rural areas; now 70 percent of them live in cities. This change occurred because of a sharp jump in poverty among workers in the socialized sector, whose real wages declined. The most important direct cause of increased poverty in the second half of the 1980s was increased poverty in workers' households. The second most important cause was demographic: in shifting to retirement, some workers' households joined the ranks of the poor. The only groups for which the incidence of poverty decreased was mixed households. Until the end of the period studied, no unemployment appeared. The wage bill was reduced by uniform cuts in real wages - so the wage and the overall distribution of income remained practically unchanged. The real income of pensioners' households decreased almost as much as that of workers' households. Farm and mixed households weathered the crisis better than workers and pensioners. This was because farmers and mixed households had more flexibility about economic decisions. Farmers could change the composition of their crops and mixed households could also vary their labor inputs between work in socialized industry and private agriculture.
Formation of Bicyclic Pyrroles from the Catalytic Coupling Reaction of 2,5-disubstituted Pyrroles with Terminal Alkynes, Involving the Activation of Multiple C-H bonds

Substituted bicyclic pyrroles are produced directly from the coupling reaction of 2,5-disubstituted pyrroles with terminal alkynes, involving the activation of multiple C–H bonds and regioselective cyclisation.
Prediction of pressure fluctuation in sounding rockets and manifolded recovery systems

The determination of altitude by means of barometric sensors in sounding rocket applications is discussed. A method for predicting the performance of such sensing systems is needed. A method is developed for predicting the pressure-time response of a volume subjected to subsonic air flow through from one to four passages. The pressure calculation is based on one-dimensional gas flow with friction. A computed program has been developed which solves the differential equations using a self-starting predictor-corrector integration technique. The input data required are the pressure sensing system dimensions, pressure forcing function(s) at the inlet port(s), and a trajectory over the time of analysis (altitude-velocity-time), if the forcing function is trajectory dependent. The program then computes the pressure-temperature history of the gas in the manifold over the time interval specified.
Cooperative-ring-exchange theory of the fractional quantized Hall effect

Calcul, par une methode semi-classique, des contributions des echanges d'anneaux correles a l'energie d'un cristal de Wigner bidimensionnel dans un champ magnetique fort; mise en evidence de points de rebroussement dans la variation de l'energie de correlation pour certains remplissages, fractionnaires, du niveau de Landau le plus bas; conditions d'instabilite locale. Prevision de l'existence de quasi particules a charge fractionnaire
Efficient assembly of 2, 5, 6-substituted pyrimidines via MgI2 mediated Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction

A mild and efficient protocol for the synthesis of a 2,6-disubstituted pyrimidine-5-carboxylate library via a Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) adduct is described. Herein, the three step methodology involves the use of substituted alpha-iodomethylene beta-keto ester intermediates obtained after oxidation of the MBH adducts, which are condensed with various types of amidine or guanidine derivatives, to generate the 2, 6-disubstituted pyrimidines-5-carboxylate libraries.
Planetary Nebulae as Standard Candles. XI. Application to Spiral Galaxies

We report the results of an [O III] λ5007 survey for planetary nebulae (PNs) in three spiral galaxies: M101 (NGC 5457), M51 (NGC 5194/5195), and M96 (NGC 3368). By comparing on-band/off-band [O III] λ5007 images with images taken in Hα and broadband R, we identify 65, 64, and 74 PN candidates in each galaxy, respectively. From these data, an adopted M31 distance of 770 kpc, and the empirical planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF), we derive distances to M101, M51, and M96 of 7.7 ± 0.5, 8.4 ± 0.6, and 9.6 ± 0.6 Mpc. These observations demonstrate that the PNLF technique can be successfully applied to late-type galaxies and can provide an important overlap between the Population I and Population II distance scales. We also discuss some special problems associated with using the PNLF in spiral galaxies, including the effects of dust and the possible presence of [O III] bright supernova remnants.
A Physical Mechanism to Explain the Delivery of Chemical Penetration Enhancers into Skin during Transdermal Sonophoresis - Insight into the Observed Synergism

The synergism between low-frequency sonophoresis (LFS) and chemical penetration enhancers (CPEs), especially surfactants, in transdermal enhancement has been investigated extensively since this phenomenon was first observed over a decade ago. In spite of the identifying that the origin of this synergism is the increased penetration and subsequent dispersion of CPEs in the skin in response to LFS treatment, to date, no mechanism has been directly proposed to explain how LFS induces the observed increased transport of CPEs. In this study, we propose a plausible physical mechanism by which the transport of all CPEs is expected to have significantly increased flux into the localized-transport regions (LTRs) of LFS-treated skin. Specifically, the collapse of acoustic cavitation microjets within LTRs induces a convective flux. In addition, because amphiphilic molecules preferentially adsorb onto the gas/water interface of cavitation bubbles, amphiphiles have an additional adsorptive flux. In this sense, the cavitation bubbles effectively act as carriers for amphiphilic molecules, delivering surfactants directly into the skin when they collapse at the skin surface as cavitation microjets. The flux equations derived for CPE delivery into the LTRs and non-LTRs during LFS treatment, compared to that for untreated skin, explain why the transport of all CPEs, and to an even greater extent amphiphilic CPEs, is increased during LFS treatment. The flux model is tested with a non-amphiphilic CPE (propylene glycol) and both nonionic and ionic amphiphilic CPEs (octyl glucoside and sodium lauryl sulfate, respectively), by measuring the flux of each CPE into untreated skin and the LTRs and non-LTRs of LFS-treated skin. The resulting data shows very good agreement with the proposed flux model.
Intravenous clonidine hydrochloride toxicity in pregnant ewes.

Summary Administration of intravenous clonidine hydrochloride has been advocated to rapidly control blood pressure in severe preeclampsia. To examine clonidine's acute maternal and fetal effects we intravenously injected 300 μg clonidine in eight chronically prepared normotensive near term ewes. Unlike intravenous saline solution injection, clonidine produced significant toxicity-intraamniotic pressure increased 97 ± 27% ( p p p 2 decreased to 44 mm Hg ± 4 mm Hg and 13 mm Hg ± 1 mm Hg, respectively ( p 2 levels, although heart rates decreased and serum glucose levels increased. The multiple effects of clonidine infusion are best explained by actions on α 2 -adrenergic receptors. These results suggest that intravenous administration of clonidine may adversely affect the fetus by direct actions and by alterations in maternal physiology. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1988;160:471-6.)
Viscoelastic and ultimate tensile properties of styrene‐butadiene‐styrene block copolymers

A study was made of the stress–strain and ultimate properties in simple tension of an elastomeric styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (Kraton 101) and also of a similar material (Thermolastic 226) that contains about 35% plasticizer as well as inorganic pigments. Stress–strain data were obtained at crosshead speeds from 0.02 to 20 in./min at temperatures from -40 to 60°C. The relaxation rate, derived from the data at constant extension rates, was about 8% per decade of time for both materials at temperatures from −40 to about 40°C and at extensions from about 20% up to 400%. Above −30°C, the shift factor log aT was found to vary linearly with temperature. These findings indicate that the time and temperature dependence of the mechanical properties results primarily from the plastic (or viscoelastic) characteristics of the styrene domains. The tensile strength for Kraton 101 below 40°C is somewhat greater than 4000 psi, sensibly independent of extension rate and temperature. For the highly plasticized Thermolastic 226, the tensile strength at an extension rate of 1.0 min−1 increases from 2200 psi at 0°C to 3600 psi at −40°C. Above 40°C for Kraton 101 and above 0°C for Thermolastic 226, the tensile strengths are quite dependent on extension rate and temperature owing to the increased ductility of the styrene domains. The high strength of these materials results from the uniformly dispersed styrene domains of colloidal dimensions. To obtain a crack of sufficient size to satisfy an energetic criterion for self-sustained high-speed propagation, domains must be disrupted. The plastic characteristics of the domains have a controlling effect on crack growth and thus on the ultimate properties of the materials. The strength and extensibility of other elastomers are considered in relation to those of the block copolymers.
Uptake of acetone, acetaldehyde and ethanol in cold sulfuric acid solutions containing organic material: Carbon accretion mechanisms

Abstract The solubilities of acetone, ethanol and acetaldehyde in cold ternary solutions composed of 38.4–75.0 wt% sulfuric acid in water with additional dissolved organic material have been measured over the temperature range 214.4–238.5 K using a Knudsen cell reactor. The solubility of acetaldehyde in H2SO4/H2O is enhanced by an order of magnitude by the presence of ethanol or acetone. The reactive uptake of acetaldehyde is enhanced by the presence of formaldehyde in acid solution. No significant formation of acetals from ethanol with carbonyl partners was observed. The solubility of acetone is unaffected by the presence of ethanol in solution and vice versa. Only polymerization of small aldehydes offers a potentially significant route to the accretion of organic material into acidic particles in the upper troposphere. The acid-catalyzed polymerization of aldehydes, RC(H) O + R′C(H) O, proceeds through the hydrated forms of the aldehydes, is optimized at acidities around 40 wt% H2SO4, and can potentially accumulate significant amounts (>20%) of organic material by mass in upper tropospheric particles.
A shock tube study of the reactions of NH with NO, O2, and O

The reactions of NH(X3Σ−) with NO, O2, and O have been studied in reflected and incident shock wave experiments. The source of NH in all the experiments was the thermal dissociation of isocyanic acid, HNCO. Time-histories of the NH(X3Σ) and OH(X2Π) radicals were measured behind the shock waves using cw, narrow-linewidth laser absorption at 336 nm and 307 nm, respectively. The second-order rate coefficients of the reactions: were determined to be: and cm3 mol−1 s−1, where ƒ and F define the lower and upper uncertainty limits, respectively. The branching fraction of channel defined as k3b/k3total, was determined to be 0.19 ± 0.10 over the temperature range of 2940 K to 3040 K.
Algorithm and architecture for hybrid decoding of polar codes

Polar codes are the first provable capacity-achieving forward error correction (FEC) codes. In general polar codes can be decoded via either successive cancellation (SC) or belief propagation (BP) decoding algorithm. However, to date practical applications of polar codes have been hindered by the long decoding latency and limited error-correcting performance problems. In this paper, based on our recent proposed early stopping criteria for the BP algorithm, we propose a hybrid BP-SC decoding scheme to improve the decoding performance of polar codes with relatively short latency. Simulation results show that, for (1024, 512) polar codes the proposed approach leads to at least 0.2dB gain over the BP algorithm with the same maximum number of iterations for the entire SNR region, and also achieves 0.2dB decoding gain over the BP algorithm with the same worst-case latency in the high SNR region. Besides, compared to the SC algorithm, the proposed scheme leads to 0.2dB gain in the medium SNR region with much less average decoding latency. In addition, we also propose the low-complexity unified hardware architecture for the hybrid decoding scheme, which is able to implement SC and BP algorithms using same hardware.
Fabrication and Microstructures of MoSi2 Reinforced–Si3N4 Matrix Composites

Details of the fabrication and microstructures of hot-pressed MoSi2 reinforced–Si3N4 matrix composites were investigated as a function of MoSi2 phase size and volume fraction, and amount of MgO densification aid. No reactions were observed between MoSi2 and Si3N4 at the fabrication temperature of 1750°C. Composite microstructures varied from particle–matrix to cermet morphologies with increasing MoSi2 phase content. The MgO densification aid was present only in the Si3N4 phase. An amorphous glassy phase was observed at the MoSi2–Si3N4 phase boundaries, the extent of which decreased with decreased MgO level. No general microcracking was observed in the MoSi2–Si3N4 composites, despite the presence of a substantial thermal expansion mismatch between the MoSi2 and Si3N4 phases. The critical MoSi2 particle diameter for microcracking was calculated to be 3 μm. MoSi2 particles as large as 20 μm resulted in no composite microcracking; this indicated that significant stress relief occurred in these composites, probably because of plastic deformation of the MoSi2 phase.
Self-Consistent System of Equations for a Kinetic Description of the Low-Pressure Discharges Accounting for the Nonlocal and Collisionless Electron Dynamics

In low-pressure discharges, where the electron mean free path is larger or comparable with the discharge length, the electron dynamics is essentially nonlocal. Moreover, the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) deviates considerably from a Maxwellian. Therefore, an accurate kinetic description of the low-pressure discharges requires knowledge of the nonlocal conductivity operator and calculation of the non-Maxwellian EEDF. The previous treatments made use of simplifying assumptions: a uniform density profile and a Maxwellian EEDF. In the present study, a self-consistent system of equations for the kinetic description of nonlocal, nonuniform, nearly collisionless plasmas of low-pressure discharges is derived. It consists of the nonlocal conductivity operator and the averaged kinetic equation for calculation of the non-Maxwellian EEDF. The importance of accounting for the nonuniform plasma density profile on both the current density profile and the EEDF is demonstrated.