cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Templates for design of inhibitors for serine proteases: Application of the program dock to the discovery of novel inhibitors for thrombin

The program DOCK was used to search for novel inhibitors for α-thrombin. Four among the top twelve best scoring compounds from the Cambridge Structural Data Base inhibited this enzyme, and three of them inhibited α-thrombin in a competitive mode. These molecules are expected to serve as general templates for structural elaboration in targeting diverse serine proteases for selective inhibition.
Tension and mutual support among the helping professions

When founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1751, the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia had one full-time staff member, a matron. Physicians came in for brief periods. No doubt a clergyman occasionally called on a patient. But there were no professional nurses, no occupational therapists, no social workers, no internes or resident physicians, no clinical psychologists, and no laboratory technicians. Our situation today is obviously different. It is hardly necessary to detail the numbers of physicians, social workers, clergymen, and all the others who may be called members of the helping professions, but it is necessary to discuss the precise sense in which they may be classed as belonging to the helping professions. In its premodern stages, each of the groups of practitioners we now call professions made advances by the cultivation of specialism. Each defined its function in relation to persons as partial and limited and then sought detailed or differentiated knowledge with which to help the person in this area of special concern and competence. Even the old country doctor of the previous century, with all of his often merited reputation for helping heartaches as well as headaches, did not regard his 1 Delivered at the University of Chicago as the first Florence Hammersley Walker Memorial Lecture, May 13, 1957, comfort and advice as a part of his medical function. Similarly, the minister of 1850 often spent considerable time listening to the marital and other troubles of his parishioners, but he tended not to regard such activity as part of his religious function. The newer helping professions, like social work, made their first real advance toward professional operation by cultivating differentiated knowledge of what was focal and central about their function. They developed certain technical means and specialized knowledge to be used in their helping and then sought to define the unique focus from which they operated. At this point, however, a curious thing happened. Each profession found that much of what was most vital about its work and its knowledge transcended its unique focus of function. First through psychiatry and psychoanalysis and then through study of so-called psychosomatic medicine, physicians moved toward a consideration of "the patient as a person" and not merely as a disease entity with personality attached.2 Social caseworkers denied that
Tidal heating of Ariel

During evolution through the 4:1 commensurability early in the history of the Uranian system, over 3.8 billion years ago, tidal heating may have raised the internal temperature of Ariel by up to about 20 K; the internal temperature of Ariel may already have been high in virtue of both accretional and radiogenic heating. The additional increase in Ariel's temperature could then have triggered the geological activity that led to a late resurfacing, by decreasing lithospheric thickness and exacerbating thermal stresses on it to the point where observed cracks and faults formed.
A New Process Capability Index.

In this paper a new process capability index (C pq ) has been introduced, which is easy to compute and performs well when compared with its natural competitor (C pm ).
IONIZATION-DRIVEN FRAGMENTATION OF GAS OUTFLOWS RESPONSIBLE FOR FeLoBALs IN QUASARS

We show that time variations in the UV ionizing continuum of quasars, on scales of {approx}1 yr, affect the dynamic structure of the plasmas responsible for low-ionization broad absorption lines. Variations of the ionizing continuum produce non-equilibrium photoionization conditions over a significant fraction of the absorbing clouds and supersonically moving ionization fronts. When the flux drops, the contraction of the ionized region drives a supersonic cooling front toward the radiation source and a rarefaction wave in the opposite direction. The pressure imbalance is compensated by an increased speed of the cool gas relative to the front. When the flux recovers, the cool gas is re-ionized and re-heated by a supersonic ionization front traveling away from the radiation source and a forward shock is created. The re-heated clouds equilibrate to a temperature of {approx}10{sup 4} K and are observed to have different radial velocities than the main cloud. Such fragmentation seems consistent with the multicomponent structure of troughs seen in some objects. The velocity differences measured among various components in the quasars QSO 2359-1241 and SDSS J0318-0600 can be reproduced by our model if strong magnetic fields ({approx}10 mG) are present within the clouds.
Optical multi-hysteresises and “rogue waves” in nonlinear plasma

An intense irradiation of an overdense plasma can induce standing “rogue waves” and highly-multiple hysteresises due to a relativistic electron mass-effect. Those waves can be sustained by a radiation intensity much lower their peak intensity.
Protecting-group-free synthesis as an opportunity for invention

The constant pressure to prepare compounds in a more efficient manner has placed the process by which traditional synthetic chemistry is conducted under scrutiny. Areas that have the potential to be improved must be highlighted and modified, so that we can approach the criterion of the 'ideal synthesis'. One area that offers this prospect is the minimization of the use of protecting groups in synthesis. A protection/deprotection event introduces at least two steps into a sequence, incurring costs from additional reagents and waste disposal, and generally leads to a reduced overall yield. Here we present relevant historical context and highlight recent (post-2004) total syntheses that have developed new chemistry in an effort to exclude protecting groups. The invention of chemoselective methodologies is crucial to the execution of 'protecting-group-free' synthesis, and recent advances in this area are also highlighted.
Higher criticism for detecting sparse heterogeneous mixtures

Higher criticism, or second-level significance testing, is a multiple-comparisons concept mentioned in passing by Tukey. It concerns a situation where there are many independent tests of significance and one is interested in rejecting the joint null hypothesis. Tukey suggested comparing the fraction of observed significances at a given α-level to the expected fraction under the joint null. In fact, he suggested standardizing the difference of the two quantities and forming a z-score; the resulting z-score tests the significance of the body of significance tests. We consider a generalization, where we maximize this z-score over a range of significance levels 0<α≤α0. We are able to show that the resulting higher criticism statistic is effective at resolving a very subtle testing problem: testing whether n normal means are all zero versus the alternative that a small fraction is nonzero. The subtlety of this “sparse normal means” testing problem can be seen from work of Ingster and Jin, who studied such problems in great detail. In their studies, they identified an interesting range of cases where the small fraction of nonzero means is so small that the alternative hypothesis exhibits little noticeable effect on the distribution of the p-values either for the bulk of the tests or for the few most highly significant tests. In this range, when the amplitude of nonzero means is calibrated with the fraction of nonzero means, the likelihood ratio test for a precisely specified alternative would still succeed in separating the two hypotheses. We show that the higher criticism is successful throughout the same region of amplitude sparsity where the likelihood ratio test would succeed. Since it does not require a specification of the alternative, this shows that higher criticism is in a sense optimally adaptive to unknown sparsity and size of the nonnull effects. While our theoretical work is largely asymptotic, we provide simulations in finite samples and suggest some possible applications. We also show that higher critcism works well over a range of non-Gaussian cases.
RHODIUM(I)-CATALYZED REGIO- AND STEREOSELECTIVE CHLOROESTERIFICATION OF FURANOSE-DERIVED TERMINAL ALKYNES WITH ETHYL CHLOROFORMATE

Treatment of ribose-, xylose- and homologated ribose-derived terminal alkynes with ethyl chloroformate in the presence of a catalytic amount of RhCl(CO)(PPh3)2 in toluene effected syn chloroalkoxycarbonylation to give doubly functionalized vinylic derivatives.
Semiparametric additive transformation model under current status data

We consider the efficient estimation of the semiparametric additive transformation model with current status data. A wide range of survival models and econometric models can be incorporated into this general transformation framework. We apply the B-spline approach to simultaneously estimate the linear regression vector, the nondecreasing transformation function, and a set of nonparametric regression functions. We show that the parametric estimate is semiparametric efficient in the presence of multiple nonparametric nuisance functions. An explicit consistent B-spline estimate of the asymptotic variance is also provided. All nonparametric estimates are smooth, and shown to be uniformly consistent and have faster than cubic rate of convergence. Interestingly, we observe the convergence rate interfere phenomenon, i.e., the convergence rates of B-spline estimators are all slowed down to equal the slowest one. The constrained optimization is not required in our implementation. Numerical results are used to illustrate the finite sample performance of the proposed estimators.
Sol‐Gel‐Derived Soda Lime‐High Silica Glass

Des sols contenant bien melanges, de l'orthosilicate tetraethyle, du methylate de sodium (CH 3 ONa) et du Ca metallique dissous dans HClO 4 ont ete hydrolyses a faible pH. Apres gelification, sechage controle et chauffage consecutif a 600°C le melange produit des morceaux de verre clair. Par cette technique on peut obtenir des verres contenant de 85% a presque 100% SiO 2 , qui sont tres difficiles a obtenir par les techniques classiques de fusion
Enantioselective epoxidation of cyclic 1,3-dienes catalyzed by a sterically and electronically optimized (salen)Mn complex

Abstract Chiral (salen)Mn(III)Cl complexes catalyze epoxidation of cyclic 1,3-dienes with moderate-to-good enantioselectivity. A new catalyst ( 2 ), bearing sterically hindered and electron donating OSi( i Pr) 3 (OTIPS) substituents, induces up to 12% higher selectivity than the previously-reported tert -butyl substituted analog 1 .
Rigid and differential rotation of the solar corona

The rotation of the solar corona has been studied using recurrence properties of the green coronal line (5303 A) for the interval 1947–1970. Short-lived coronal activity is found to show the same differential rotation as short-lived photospheric magnetic field features. Long-lived recurrences show rigid rotation in the latitude interval ±57°.5. It is proposed that at least part of the variability of rotational properties of the solar atmosphere may be understood as a consequence of coexistence of differential and rigid solar rotation.
"Reverse" carbocyclic fleximers: synthesis of a new class of adenosine deaminase inhibitors.

A series of flexible carbocyclic pyrimidine nucleosides has been designed and synthesized. In contrast to previously reported “fleximers” from our laboratory, these analogues have the connectivity of the heterocyclic base system “reversed”, where the pyrimidine ring is attached to the sugar moiety, rather than the five membered imidazole ring. As was previously seen with the ribose fleximers, their inherent flexibility should allow them to adjust to enzyme binding site mutations, as well as increase the affinity for atypical enzymes. Preliminary biological screening has revealed surprising inhibition of adenosine deaminase, despite their lack of resemblance to adenosine.
Using airborne lidar to predict Leaf Area Index in cottonwood trees and refine riparian water-use estimates

Estimation of riparian forest structural attributes, such as the Leaf Area Index (LAI), is an important step in identifying the amount of water use in riparian forest areas. In this study, small-footprint lidar data were used to estimate biophysical properties of young, mature, and old cottonwood trees in the Upper San Pedro River Basin, Arizona, USA. Canopy height and maximum and mean laser heights were derived for the cottonwood trees from lidar data. Linear regression models were used to develop equations relating lidar height metrics with corresponding field-measured LAI for each age class of cottonwoods. Four metrics (tree height, height of median energy, ground return ratio, and canopy return ratio) were derived by synthetically constructing a large-footprint lidar waveform from small-footprint lidar data which were compared to ground-based high-resolution Intelligent Laser Ranging and Imaging System (ILRIS) scanner images. These four metrics were incorporated into a stepwise regression procedure to predict field-derived LAI for different age classes of cottonwoods. This research applied the Penman-Monteith model to estimate transpiration of the cottonwoods using lidar-derived canopy metrics. These transpiration estimates compared very well to ground-based sap flux transpiration estimates indicating lidar-derived LAI can be used to improve riparian cottonwood water-use estimates.
The supernova relic neutrino backgrounds at KamLAND and Super-Kamiokande

We calculate the supernova relic neutrino (SRN) background flux for the KamLAND and Super-Kamiokande (Super-K) detectors, motivated by the reduction in background at Super-K and new results for the star formation history (e.g., from the Sloan digital sky survey (SDSS)). Our best estimate for the flux at Super-K is slightly below, but very close to, the current Super-K upper limit. The Super-K upper limit is already inconsistent with a range of star formation histories allowed by the SDSS data. We estimate that the SRN background should be detected (at 1σ) at Super-K in a total of about 9 years (including the existing 4 years) of data. While KamLAND is a much smaller detector compared to Super-K, it profits from being practically background free and from its sensitivity to the lower energy supernova neutrinos. KamLAND could make a 1σ detection of the SRNs with a total of about 5 years of data. Given the small expected SRN event rate, we also consider the detection of the SRNs in a modified Super-K detector with a lower threshold and reduced background where the time to detection can be reduced by a factor of ten relative to the existing Super-K estimate.
Value Creation and Governance Structure in Reit Mergers

The Umbrella Partnership REIT (UPREIT) structure has become the dominant form of organization for U.S. REITs. We examine the utility of this corporate structure from a new perspective, finding evidence that convertible securities issued by UPREITs in payment for properties acquired from private sellers often function as instruments of corporate control, aligning the interests of new executives acquired in the transaction with those of the purchasing REIT’s shareholders. We also find evidence that these financial arrangements are used to signal information regarding the firm’s future prospects. We use a sample of 53 public–private mergers 1995–2001, in which the acquirer is a publicly traded REIT. We find that wealth effects from central managerial changes are positively related to the degree to which payment takes the form of convertible equity units of UPREIT subsidiaries, and to the minimum lock-up period for those units prior to conversion. The positive effects of longer lock-ups are evidence that financing structure can be used to reduce agency and information costs related to managerial restructuring in public–private mergers.
c-axis conduction in graphite intercalation compounds.

In an earlier paper, we introduced the concepts of phonon-assisted and impurity-assisted hopping processes to explain the c-axis resistivity in graphite intercalation compounds (GIC's). A different theory was proposed by Shimamura. Both theories provide a qualitative explanation for the observed behaviors in low-stage compounds but they cannot account for the high-temperature behavior in high-stage compounds. In this paper two new mechanisms are introduced. One is the interaction of the carriers with the LO phonons polarized along the c axis. This is important in low-stage compounds with large charge transfer. The other mechanism is the scattering of the carriers by stacking faults, which is important in high-stage compounds. By considering the mechanisms proposed previously by us and by Shimamura together with the new mechanism, we obtain a qualitative explanation for the temperature and stage dependences of the c-axis resistivity in GIC's.
Monthly Variations of Low-Energy Ballistic Transfers to Lunar Halo Orbits

The characteristics of low-energy transfers between the Earth and Moon vary from one month to the next largely due to the Earth's and Moon's non-circular, non-coplanar orbits in the solar system. This paper characterizes those monthly variations as it explores the trade space of low-energy lunar transfers across many months. Mission designers may use knowledge of these variations to swiftly design desirable low-energy lunar transfers in any given month.
Hidden algebra of the N-body Calogero problem

Abstract A certain generalization of the algebra gl(N, R ) of first-order differential operators acting on a space of inhomogeneous polynomials in R N−1 is constructed. The generators of this (non-) Lie algebra depend on permutation operators. It is shown that the Hamiltonian of the N-body Calogero model can be represented as a second-order polynomial in the generators of this algebra. The representation given implies that the Calogero Hamiltonian possesses infinitely-many finite-dimensional invariant subspaces with explicit bases, which are closely related to the finite-dimensional representations of the above algebra. This representation is an alternative to the standard representation of the Bargmann-Fock type in terms of creation and annihilation operators.
SimPL: An Effective Placement Algorithm

We propose a self-contained, flat, quadratic global placer that is simpler than existing placers and easier to integrate into timing-closure flows. It maintains lower-bound and upper-bound placements that converge to a final solution. The upper-bound placement is produced by a novel look-ahead legalization algorithm. Our placer SimPL outperforms mPL6, FastPlace3, NTUPlace3, APlace2, and Capo simultaneously in runtime and solution quality, running 7.10 times faster than mPL6 (when using a single thread) and reducing wirelength by 3% on the ISPD 2005 benchmark suite. More significant improvements are achieved on larger benchmarks. The new algorithm is amenable to parallelism, and we report empirical studies with SSE2 instructions and up to eight parallel threads.
Local Control of Reactive Power by Distributed Photovoltaic Generators

High penetration levels of distributed photovoltaic (PV) generation on an electrical distribution circuit may degrade power quality due to voltage sags and swells caused by rapidly varying PV generation during cloud transients coupled with the slow response of existing utility compensation and regulation equipment. Fast-reacting, VAR-capable PV inverters may provide the necessary reactive power injection or consumption to maintain voltage regulation under difficult transient conditions. As side benefit, the control of reactive power injection at each PV inverter provides a new tool for distribution utilities to minimize the thermal losses in circuit. We suggest a local control scheme that dispatches reactive power from each PV inverter based on local instantaneous measurements of the real and reactive components of the consumed power and the real power generated by the PVs. Using one adjustable parameter per circuit, we balance the requirements on power quality and desire to minimize thermal losses. The performance of the proposed control scheme is evaluated via numerical simulations of realistic rural lines in several generation/consumption scenarios. Simultaneous improvement of both the power quality and the magnitude of losses is observed for all the scenarios, even when the renewable generation in excess of the circuit own load.
Color diffusion and conductivity in a quark-gluon plasma

Abstract Color diffusion is shown to be an important dissipative property of quark-gluon plasmas that rapidly damps collective color modes. We derive the characteristic color relaxation time scale, t c ≈[3α s T log ( m E m M )] −1 , showing its sensitivity to the ratio of the static color electric and magnetic screening masses. This leads to a surprisingly small color conductivity, σ c ≈2T log ( m E m M ) which in fact vanishes in the semi-classical (one-loop) limit.
The anemia of chronic renal failure: pathophysiology and the effects of recombinant erythropoietin.

A 40-year-old man has undergone chronic hemodialysis for 7 years. He had nephrotic syndrome from age 2 to 5 years but was apparently well until age 18, when proteinuria was detected again. At age 28, hypertension was noted. Hematocrit was 36%; white blood cell count, 6700/mm3; and creatinine clearance, 69 mI/mm. Chest x-ray and intravenous pyelogram were normal. A renal biopsy disclosed chronic glomerulonephritis. At age 31, a grade lI/VI holosystolic cardiac murmur was noted. Hematocrit was 29%; serum creatinine, 9.8 mg/dl; BUN, 83 mg/dl; phosphate, 5.6 mg/dl; and calcium, 7.2 mg/dl. Calcium carbonate, aluminum hydroxide, dihydrotachysterol, and folic acid were prescribed. At age 32, his blood pressure was 145/90 mm Hg. The hematocrit was 20.5%; serum creatinine, 12.1 mg/dl; and BUN, 87 mg/dl. Fluoxymesterone, 40 mg daily, was prescribed. At age 33, uremic symptoms were evident. The hematocrit was 14%; white blood cell count, 7000/mm3; serum creatinine, 22 mg/dl; BUN, 140 mg/dl; serum bicarbonate, 14 mEq/liter; and serum potassium, 4.3 mEq/Iiter. Serum ferritin was 218 ng/ml. Hepatitis B surface antibody was positive and hepatitis B antigen negative. A plain chest film showed generalized cardiomegaly, and an electrocardiogram revealed anterolateral ischemia. Two units of red blood cells were transfused and hemodialysis was begun. He improved and returned to his home in Alaska to continue chronic hemodialysis. Because his hematocrit fell repeatedly to levels of
Price and frequency competition in freight transportation

This paper develops a simple analytical model of price and frequency competition among freight carriers. In the model, the full price faced by a shipper (a goods producer) includes the actual shipping price plus an inventory holding cost, which is inversely proportional to the frequency of shipments offered by the freight carrier. Taking brand loyalty on the part of shippers into account, competing freight carriers maximize profit by setting prices, frequencies and vehicle carrying capacities. Assuming tractable functional forms, long- and short-run comparative-static results are derived to show how the choice variables are affected by the model’s parameters. The paper also provides an efficiency analysis, comparing the equilibrium to the social optimum, and it attempts to explain the phenomenon of excess capacity in the freight industry.
Mexican Migration Networks in the United States, 1980–2000

Between 1980 and 2000, about 1.2 million Mexican immigrants settled in 47 new settlement states. In the past, these immigrants would have settled in California, Texas, or Illinois, the three traditional states for Mexican settlement. Explaining this dispersion, the network saturation theory claims that high-volume migration of Mexicans finally saturated the housing and job opportunities of Mexicans in traditional states and especially in Los Angeles. High rents and low wages then encouraged Mexican immigrants to select new states for settlement. This article subjects the network saturation theory to a rigorous reanalysis using new evidence. The empirical results tend to confirm the network saturation theory.
Compensation of shear waves in photoacoustic tomography with layered acoustic media

An image reconstruction formula is presented for photoacoustic computed tomography (PCT) that is valid for a layered medium in which some of the layers may be solids and detection is performed on a planar measurement surface. It is assumed that the optical absorber is embedded in a single fluid layer and any elastic solid layers present are separated by one or more fluid layers. Computer-simulation studies are used to validate the proposed reconstruction formula.
Two-Way Networks: When Adaptation is Useless

Most wireless communication networks are two-way, where nodes act as both sources and destinations of messages. This allows for adaptation at or interaction between the nodes-a node's channel inputs may be functions of its message(s) and previously received signals allowing for potentially larger rates than those achievable in feedback-free one-way channels where inputs are functions of messages only. However, examples exist of channels where adaptation is not beneficial from a capacity perspective. We ask whether analogous results hold for several multiuser two-way networks. We first consider deterministic two-way channel models: the binary modulo-2 addition channel and a generalization of this, and the linear deterministic channel, which models Gaussian channels at high SNR. For these deterministic models, we obtain the capacity region for the two-way multiple access/broadcast channel (MAC/BC), the two-way Z channel, and the two-way interference channel (under certain partial adaptation constraints in some regimes). We permit all nodes to adapt their channel inputs to past outputs (except for portions of the linear high-SNR two-way interference channel where we only permit two of the four nodes to fully adapt). However, we show that the two-way fully or partially adaptive capacity region consists of two parallel one-way regions operating simultaneously in opposite directions, i.e., adaptation is useless. We next consider two noisy channel models: 1) the Gaussian two-way MAC/BC, where we show that adaptation can at most increase the sum-rate by (1/2) bit in each direction and 2) the two-way interference channel, where partial adaptation is shown to be useless when the interference is very strong. In the strong and weak interference regimes, we show that the nonadaptive Han and Kobayashi scheme utilized in parallel in both directions achieves to within a constant gap for the symmetric rate of the fully (for some regimes) or partially (for the remaining regimes) adaptive models. The central technical contribution is the derivation of new, computable outer bounds which allow for adaptation.
Molecular rearrangements of superelectrophiles

Superelectrophiles are multiply charged cationic species (dications, trications, etc.) which are characterized by their reactions with weak nucleophiles. These reactive intermediates may also undergo a wide variety of rearrangement-type reactions. Superelectrophilic rearrangements are often driven by charge–charge repulsive effects, as these densely charged ions react so as to maximize the distances between charge centers. These rearrangements involve reaction steps similar to monocationic rearrangements, such as alkyl group shifts, Wagner–Meerwein shifts, hydride shifts, ring opening reactions, and other skeletal rearrangements. This review will describe these types of superelectrophilic reactions.
Light reflection is nonlinear optimization

In this paper, we show that the near field reflector problem is a nonlinear optimization problem. From the corresponding functional and constraint function, we derive the Monge–Ampere type equation for such a problem.
Synthesis and investigations of enetetraynes

Abstract Several enetetrayne containing compounds have been synthesized and their chemistry explored vis-a-vis the Bergman cycloaromatization. With one exceptio
Minimal conditions for the creation of a Friedman-Robertson-Walker universe from a ''bounce''

Abstract In this Letter we investigate the minimal conditions under which the creation of our universe might arise due to a “bounce” from a previous collapse, rather than an explosion from a big-bang singularity. Such a bounce is sometimes referred to as a Tolman wormhole . We subject the bounce to a general model-independent analysis along the lines of that applied to the Morris–Thorne traversable wormholes , and show that there is always an open temporal region surrounding the bounce over which the strong energy condition (SEC) must be violated. On the other hand, all the other energy conditions can easily be satisfied. In particular, we exhibit an inflation-inspired model in which a big bounce is “natural”.
Alternative date entry technologies and settings: Impact on worker attitudes and behavior

Abstract Changes in technology and the movement of key entry functions into user areas are altering the traditional work environment. These changes can effect worker attitudes and associated behaviors, such as absenteeism and productivity. This study examines the effect of differences in key entry settings and technologies on perceived job characteristics and worker attitudes and behaviors. The results are based upon a study of 350 operators working in 87 key entry environments drawn from 29 organizations. It is found that new technologies and the movement of key entry into user areas affect perceived task characteristics, including task significance, autonomy, and feedback from the job. Job satisfaction, worker motivation, absenteeism, and productivity are also influenced (but to a lesser degree) by changes in key entry technology and setting. The implications of the findings for the design of key entry equipment and jobs are discussed. The conclusion is drawn that designers of key entry technologies and environments will benefit from a knowledge of the dimensions comprising meaningful work.
On estimating the mean of the selected population with unknown variance

This paper compares four estimators of the mean of the selected population from two normal populations with unknown means and common but unknown variance. The selection procedure is that the population yielding the largest sample mean is selected. The four estimators considered are invariant under both location and scale transformations. The bias and mean square errors of the four estimators are computed and compared. The conclusions are close to those reported by Dahiya ‘1974’, even for small sample sizes
The role of beliefs in inference for rational expectations models

Abstract This paper discusses inference for rational expectations models estimated via minimum distance methods by characterizing the probability beliefs regarding the data generating process (DGP) that are compatible with given moment conditions. The null hypothesis is taken to be rational expectations and the alternative hypothesis to be distorted beliefs. This distorted beliefs alternative is analyzed from the perspective of a hypothetical semiparametric Bayesian who believes the model and uses it to learn about the DGP. This interpretation provides a different perspective on estimates, test statistics, and confidence regions in large samples, particularly regarding the economic significance of rejections in rational expectations models. A suggestive application to the equity premium puzzle is examined.
THE DIFFUSE GAMMA-RAY BACKGROUND FROM TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE

The origin of the diffuse extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGB) has been intensively studied but remains unsettled. Current popular source candidates include unresolved star-forming galaxies, starburst galaxies, and blazars. In this paper we calculate the EGB contribution from the interactions of cosmic rays accelerated by Type Ia supernovae, extending earlier work which only included core-collapse supernovae. We consider Type Ia events in star-forming galaxies, but also in quiescent galaxies that lack star formation. In the case of star-forming galaxies, consistently including Type Ia events makes little change to the star-forming EGB prediction, so long as both supernova types have the same cosmic-ray acceleration efficiencies in star-forming galaxies. Thus our updated EGB estimate continues to show that star-forming galaxies can represent a substantial portion of the signal measured by Fermi. In the case of quiescent galaxies, conversely, we find a wide range of possibilities for the EGB contribution. The dominant uncertainty we investigated comes from the mass in hot gas in these objects, which provides targets for cosmic rays: total gas masses are as yet poorly known, particularly at larger radii. Additionally, the EGB estimation is very sensitive to the cosmic-ray acceleration efficiency and confinement, especially in quiescent galaxies. In the most optimistic allowed scenarios, quiescent galaxies can be an important source of the EGB. In this case, star-forming galaxies and quiescent galaxies together will dominate the EGB and leave little room for other contributions. If other sources, such as blazars, are found to have important contributions to the EGB, then either the gas mass or cosmic-ray content of quiescent galaxies must be significantly lower than in their star-forming counterparts. In any case, improved Fermi EGB measurements will provide important constraints on hot gas and cosmic rays in quiescent galaxies.
Measurements of |Vub| and |Vcb| from CLEO

I report results from the CLEO collaboration on semileptonic B decays, highlighting measurements of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements |Vub| and |Vcb|. I describe the techniques used to obtain the recent improvements in precision for these measurements, notably the use of the b → sγ photon spectrum to constrain non-perturbative hadronic effects in semileptonic B decays.
The Strange Case of the Botulinum Neurotoxin: Using Chemistry and Biology to Modulate the Most Deadly Poison

In the classic novella "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", Robert Louis Stevenson paints a stark picture of the duality of good and evil within a single man. Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), the most potent known toxin, possesses an analogous dichotomous nature: It shows a pronounced morbidity and mortality, but it is used with great effect in much lower doses in a wide range of clinical scenarios. Recently, tremendous strides have been made in the basic understanding of the structure and function of BoNT, which have translated into widespread efforts towards the discovery of biomacromolecules and small molecules that specifically modulate BoNT activity. Particular emphasis has been placed on the identification of inhibitors that can counteract BoNT exposure in the event of a bioterrorist attack. This Review summarizes the current advances in the development of therapeutics, including vaccines, peptides, and small-molecule inhibitors, for the prevention and treatment of botulism.
On the history of the lunar orbit

Abstract A frequency-dependent model of tidal friction is used in the determination of the time rate of change of the lunar orbital elements and the angular velocity of the Earth. The variational equations consider eccentricity, the solar tide on the Earth, Earth oblateness, and higher-order terms in the Earth's tidal potential. A linearized solution of the equations governing the precission of the Earth's rotational angular momentum and the lunar ascending node is found. This allows the analytical averaging of the variational equations over the period of relative precession which, though large, is necessarily small in comparison to the time step of the numerical integrator that yields the system history over geological time. Results for this history are presented and are identified as consistent with origin of the Moon by capture. This model may be applied to any planet-satellite system where evolution under tidal friction is of interest.
A Model of Quasi-Stellar Radio Sources

Theoretical model for quasars characterizes them as galactic flares, based on study of high energy phenomena associated with solar flares
Vortex-pair unbinding in the normal state of two-dimensional short-coherence-length superconductors

We study the superconducting transition in the attractive Hubbard model in two dimensions using the self-consistent T-matrix approximation. We demonstrate that for large systems, this approximate method produces XY critical scaling in the correlation length and pair susceptibility. Our data also exhibits XY finite-size scaling. For the parameters considered, the critical regime is quite large, extending beyond 5 times TKTB. We discuss the role of vortex-pair unbinding in the normal state in the context of pseudogap behaviour and the relevance to the physics of underdoped cuprates.
A short stereoselective synthesis of (+)- and (−)-2-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]oct-6-en-3-one by intramolecular carbon–hydrogen insertion catalyzed by chiral dirhodium(II) carboxamidates

Abstract The synthesis of (1 S ,5 R )-(−)-2-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]oct-6-en-3-one, a useful synthetic precursor en route to various prostaglandins, from divinylcarbinol via catalytic metathesis and CH insertion of 3-cyclopentenyl diazoacetate is described. Enantioselectivities of 90±1% have been achieved in the insertion process.
Engineering lipase B from Candida antarctica

Abstract The lipase B from Candida antarctica (CAL-B) displays high enantioselectivity on a broad range of substrates, making it an accepted biocatalyst for asymmetric organic chemistry. In recent years, a number of rational and combinatorial protein engineering projects have focused on extending and tailoring CAL-B’s catalytic and physical properties. Beyond generating customized catalysts, these studies have helped to elucidate the enzyme’s structure–function relationship and illuminate its enantioselectivity. Potential directions for future studies, taking into consideration results from engineering efforts on related lipases, are discussed.
E-commerce: the role of familiarity and trust

Abstract Familiarity is a precondition for trust, claims Luhmann [28: Luhmann N. Trust and power. Chichester UK: Wiley, 1979. (translation from German)], and trust is a prerequisite of social behavior, especially regarding important decisions. This study examines this intriguing idea in the context of the E-commerce involved in inquiring about and purchasing books on the Internet. Survey data from 217 potential users support and extend this hypothesis. The data show that both familiarity with an Internet vendor and its processes and trust in the vendor influenced the respondents’ intentions to inquire about books, and their intentions to purchase them. Additionally, the data show that while familiarity indeed builds trust, it is primarily people’s disposition to trust that affected their trust in the vendor. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
The validity and clinical utility of binge eating disorder

Objective: This review attempted to examine the validity and clinical utility of the DSM-IV binge eating disorder (BED) diagnosis across a wide range of validating strategies. Method: Various electronic databases (Pub Med, Psych Info) were searched for terms relevant to the diagnosis of BED (e.g., binge eating disorder, binge eating) in order to identify papers. Additionally, published papers were reviewed in order to locate additional manuscripts and papers that were presented at meetings. Results: The validity and utility of BED varied substantially according to the validator chosen. There is reasonable evidence that BED can be differentiated from other existing eating disorders and is associated with significant impairment and clinical levels of eating disorder psychopathology. The relationship of BED to obesity is complex, and in spite of some positive findings, further research examining the predictive power of BED, beyond the simple presence of obesity and associated psychopathology, in relationship to clinically relevant outcomes is needed. Discussion: Binge eating disorder is being considered for inclusion in the DSM-V and various options regarding this decision are reviewed based upon the empirical findings in the paper. © 2009 American Psychiatric Association.
Securities Lending Activities in Mutual Funds and ETFs: Ethical Considerations

Securities lending has been a lucrative business for mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) over the past decade. Unfortunately for investors, the sponsors of these funds have not been very transparent with the details of their securities lending programs, and consequently most investors in these funds are unaware of their exposure to the risks inherent in securities lending. Interestingly, most funds do not return the full profits from securities lending activities to their investors. In this paper, we examine and discuss the ethical considerations related to the securities lending activities of mutual funds and ETFs and offer a series of best practices that we believe will provide better transparency of these activities to fund investors.
Abstract error groups via Jones unitary braid group representations at q = i

In this paper, we classify a type of abstract groups by the central products of dihedral groups and quaternion groups. We recognize them as abstract error groups which are often not isomorphic to the Pauli groups in the literature. We show the corresponding nice error bases equivalent to the Pauli error bases modulo phase factors. The extension of these abstract groups by the symmetric group are finite images of the Jones unitary representations (or modulo a phase factor) of the braid group at q = i or r = 4. We hope this work can finally lead to new families of quantum error correction codes via the representation theory of the braid group.
RETROCAM: A VERSATILE OPTICAL IMAGER FOR SYNOPTIC STUDIES

We present RETROCAM, an auxiliary CCD camera that can be rapidly inserted into the optical beam of the MDM 2.4 m telescope. The speed and ease of reconfiguring the telescope to use the imager and a straightforward user interface permit the camera to be used during the course of other observing programs. This in turn encourages RETROCAM's use for a variety of monitoring projects.
New supersymmetric solutions of N = 2, D = 5 gauged supergravity with hyperscalars

We construct new supersymmetric solutions, including AdS bubbles, in an N = 2 truncation of five-dimensional N = 8 gauged supergravity. This particular trun- cation is given by N = 2 gauged supergravity coupled to two vector multiples and three incomplete hypermultiplets, and was originally investigated in the context of obtaining reg- ular AdS bubble geometries with multiple active R-charges. We focus on cohomogeneity- one solutions corresponding to objects with two equal angular momenta and up to three independent R-charges. Curiously, we find a new set of zero and negative mass solitons asymptotic to AdS5/Zk, for k ≥ 3, which are everywhere regular without closed timelike curves.
Distribution of REE between clinopyroxene and basaltic melt along a mantle adiabat: effects of major element composition, water, and temperature

The distribution of rare earth elements (REE) between clinopyroxene (cpx) and basaltic melt is important in deciphering the processes of mantle melting. REE and Y partition coefficients from a given cpx-melt partitioning experiment can be quantitatively described by the lattice strain model. We analyzed published REE and Y partitioning data between cpx and basaltic melts using the nonlinear regression method and parameterized key partitioning parameters in the lattice strain model (D 0, r 0 and E) as functions of pressure, temperature, and compositions of cpx and melt. D 0 is found to positively correlate with Al in tetrahedral site (Al T ) and Mg in the M2 site (MgM2) of cpx and negatively correlate with temperature and water content in the melt. r 0 is negatively correlated with Al in M1 site (AlM1) and MgM2 in cpx. And E is positively correlated with r 0. During adiabatic melting of spinel lherzolite, temperature, Al T , and MgM2 in cpx all decrease systematically as a function of pressure or degree of melting. The competing effects between temperature and cpx composition result in very small variations in REE partition coefficients along a mantle adiabat. A higher potential temperature (1,400°C) gives rise to REE partition coefficients slightly lower than those at a lower potential temperature (1,300°C) because the temperature effect overwhelms the compositional effect. A set of constant REE partition coefficients therefore may be used to accurately model REE fractionation during partial melting of spinel lherzolite along a mantle adiabat. As cpx has low Al and Mg abundances at high temperature during melting in the garnet stability field, REE are more incompatible in cpx. Heavy REE depletion in the melt may imply deep melting of a hydrous garnet lherzolite. Water-dependent cpx partition coefficients need to be considered for modeling low-degree hydrous melting.
Skilled or Unskilled, but Still Unaware of It: How Perceptions of Difficulty Drive Miscalibration in Relative Comparisons

People are inaccurate judges of how their abilities compare to others'. J. Kruger and D. Dunning (1999, 2002) argued that unskilled performers in particular lack metacognitive insight about their relative performance and disproportionately account for better-than-average effects. The unskilled overestimate their actual percentile of performance, whereas skilled performers more accurately predict theirs. However, not all tasks show this bias. In a series of 12 tasks across 3 studies, the authors show that on moderately difficult tasks, best and worst performers differ very little in accuracy, and on more difficult tasks, best performers are less accurate than worst performers in their judgments. This pattern suggests that judges at all skill levels are subject to similar degrees of error. The authors propose that a noise-plus-bias model of judgment is sufficient to explain the relation between skill level and accuracy of judgments of relative standing.
Local Edge Modes in Doped Cuprates with Checkerboard Polaronic Heterogeneity

We study a periodic polaronic system, which exhibits a nanoscale superlattice structure, as a model for hole-doped cuprates with checkerboard-like heterogeneity, as has been observed recently by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Within this model, the electronic and phononic excitations are investigated by applying an unrestricted Hartree–Fock and a random phase approximation (RPA) to a multiband Peierls–Hubbard Hamiltonian in two dimensions.
Bifunctional Catalyst Control of Alkene Isomerization

The ability to control the formation and chemistry of alkenes is of central importance to organic synthesis in both industry and academia. Progress in using catalysts with bifunctional (heteroaryl)phosphines to control positional and/or geometric selectivity in alkene isomerization and related chemistry is summarized.