cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Proximity-Induced Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking at Josephson Junctions between Unconventional Superconductors

It is shown that a locally time-reversal symmetry breaking state can occur at Josephson junctions between unconventional superconductors due to the angular structure of their pair wave function. The origin is the order parameter induced by the proximity effect at the junction, which can combine with the bulk order parameter with a nontrivial relative phase. Experimental consequences of this effect in high-temperature superconductors are examined.
Rhodium-Catalyzed Enantioselective Hydrogenation of Oxime Acetates

Rh-catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation of oxime acetates was first reported, which afforded a new approach for chiral amine synthesis.
Palladium-catalyzed N-arylation of O-methylamidoximes

Pd-catalyzed coupling of O-methylbenzamidoximes gave N-aryl O-methylbenzamidoximes using aryl halides with electron attracting or moderate electron donating groups. Under the same conditions, benzamidoxime failed to undergo coupling and O-acetylbenzamidoxime underwent cyclization to form the corresponding [1,2,4]oxadiazole.
A family of large margin linear classifiers and its application in dynamic environments

Real-time prediction problems pose a challenge to machine learning algorithms because learning must be fast, the set of classes may be changing, and the relevance of some features to each class may be changing. To learn robust classifiers in such nonstationary environments, it is essential not to assign too much weight to any single feature. We address this problem by combining regularization mechanisms with online large-margin learning algorithms. We prove bounds on their error and show that removing features with small weights has little influence on prediction accuracy, suggesting that these methods exhibit feature selection ability. We show that such regularized learning algorithms automatically decrease the influence of older training instances and focus on the more recent ones. This makes them especially attractive in dynamic environments. We evaluate our algorithms through experimental results on real data sets and through experiments with an online activity recognition system. The results show that these regularized large-margin methods adapt more rapidly to changing distributions and achieve lower overall error rates than state-of-the-art methods. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 2: 328-345, 2009
The Politics of Financial Development - The Role of Interest Groups and Government Capabilities

Abstract Although financial development is good for long-term growth, not all countries pursue policies that render full financial development. This paper builds on an extensive political economy literature to construct a theoretical model showing that the intensity of opposition to financial development by incumbents depends on both their degree of credit dependency and the role of governments in credit markets. Empirical evidence for this claim is provided, and the results suggest that lower opposition to financial development leads to an effective increase in credit markets’ development only in those countries that have high government capabilities. Moreover, improvements in government capabilities have a significant impact on credit market development only in those countries where credit dependency is high (thus, opposition is low). This paper therefore contributes to this rich literature by providing a unified account of credit market development that includes two of its main determinants, traditionally considered in isolation.
Statistical Mechanics of Nucleosomes Constrained by Higher-Order Chromatin Structure.

Eukaryotic DNA is packaged into chromatin: one-dimensional arrays of nucleosomes separated by stretches of linker DNA are folded into 30-nm chromatin fibers which in turn form higher-order structures (Felsenfeld and Groudine in Nature 421:448, 2003). Each nucleosome, the fundamental unit of chromatin, has 147 base pairs (bp) of DNA wrapped around a histone octamer (Richmond and Davey in Nature 423:145, 2003). In order to describe how chromatin fiber formation affects nucleosome positioning and energetics, we have developed a thermodynamic model of finite-size particles with effective nearest-neighbor interactions and arbitrary DNA-binding energies. We show that both one- and two-body interactions can be extracted from one-particle density profiles based on high-throughput maps of in vitro or in vivo nucleosome positions. Although a simpler approach that neglects two-body interactions (even if they are in fact present in the system) can be used to predict sequence determinants of nucleosome positions, the full theory is required to disentangle one- and two-body effects. Finally, we construct a minimal model in which nucleosomes are positioned primarily by steric exclusion and two-body interactions rather than intrinsic histone-DNA sequence preferences. The model reproduces nucleosome occupancy patterns observed over transcribed regions in living cells.
Modeling the Effects of the Spatially Varying Sea Surface Temperature on the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Abstract A two-dimensional marine planetary boundary layer model is developed and applied to simulate the evolution of coupled dynamic, thermodynamic and cloud properties of the marine boundary layer over a zonally varying sea surface temperature field. The model incorporates a longwave radiative transfer model and a level-4, second-order closure, turbulence transfer model. The cool sea surface temperature anomally sets up an asymmetric perturbation pressure which induces a system of horizontal divergence and convergence in the boundary layer which gives rise to vertical motion and the subsequent modification of thermal and moisture fields. The isotherms slope upward towards the west (upstream) where the sea surface temperature is higher. Clouds form upstream west of the cold spot and the low-level perturbation high. Thermal radiative cooling is confined to a layer of 50 m near the cloud top. The turbulent fluxes tend to be horizontally homogeneous over the region where the gradient of sea surface tempera...
The Microwave Background Radiation

The microwave background radiation was first detected in 1965 by A. Penzias and R. Wilson, who received the 1978 Nobel Prize for Physics for this measurement [see Wilson (1983b) for his delightful account of this discovery].
Exploratory Synthetic Methodology Involving the Acylureas

Abstract Acylureas, a compound class easily made in reasonable yield and in high purity, are shown to undergo several useful chemical transformations including oxidative coupling of their corresponding dianions.
Dynamics and Control of Gravity Tractor Spacecraft for Asteroid Deflection

Multiple gravity tractors in halo orbits and a hovering solar sail gravity tractor are proposed as an option for deflecting a certain class of near-Earth asteroids that may not require high-energy deflection techniques employing nuclear explosions or kinetic impactors. This paper presents the preliminary dynamic modeling and control analysis of such variants of the gravity tractor for examining their practical viability as applied to asteroid Apophis; however, detailed system-level tradeoffs are not treated in this paper. A system of orbiting multiple gravity tractors has many advantages over the hovering gravity tractor. They include'its larger total ΔV capability, multispacecraft redundancy, and mission design flexibility with smaller satellites equipped with lower-risk propulsion systems. A solar sail gravity tractor concept exploits the propellantless nature of solar reflectors despite its inherent drawback of requiring a particular hovering position with a 55-deg offset angle from the target asteroid's flight direction.
Palladium-Catalyzed, Asymmetric Hetero- and Carboannulation of Allenes Using Functionally-Substituted Aryl and Vinylic Iodides

Aryl and vinylic iodides with a nucleophilic substituent in the ortho or allylic position, respectively, react with 1,2-dienes in the presence of a palladium catalyst and a chiral bisoxazoline ligand to afford five- and six-membered ring heterocycles and carbocycles in good yields and 46−88% enantiomeric excess. The generality of this process has been demonstrated by the use of nucleophilic substituents as varied as tosylamides, alcohols, phenols, carboxylic acids, and stabilized carbanions.
Chemoselective Ligation Applied to the Synthesis of a Biantennary N-Linked Glycoform of CD52

We report here a strategy for the synthesis of N-linked glycopeptide analogues that replace the glycosidic linkages extending from the core pentasaccharide with thioethers amenable to construction by chemoselective ligation. The key building block, a pentasaccharide-Asn analogue containing two thiol residues, was incorporated into CD52 by 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-based solid-phase peptide synthesis. An undecasaccharide mimetic was then readily generated by alkylation of this glycopeptide with an N-bromoacetamido trisaccharide. The rapid assembly of a complex type N-linked glycopeptide mimetic was accomplished using this technique.
Chiral algebras for trinion theories

It was recently understood that one can identify a chiral algebra in any four-dimensional $$ \mathcal{N}=2 $$ superconformal theory. In this note, we conjecture the full set of generators of the chiral algebras associated with the T n theories. The conjecture is motivated by making manifest the critical affine module structure in the graded partition function of the chiral algebras, which is computed by the Schur limit of the superconformal index for T n theories. We also explicitly construct the chiral algebra arising from the T 4 theory. Its null relations give rise to new T 4 Higgs branch chiral ring relations.
Thermomechanical Response of Shape Memory Composites

A micromechanics method based on the Mori-Tanaka averaging scheme is used to predict the effective thermomechanical properties of composite materials reinforced by Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) fibers. ...
EUVE Observations of the Magnetic Cataclysmic Variable QQ Vulpeculae

ABSTRACT We present simultaneous X‐ray ( \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage[OT2,OT1]{fontenc} \newcommand\cyr{ \renewcommand\rmdefault{wncyr} \renewcommand\sfdefault{wncyss} \renewcommand\encodingdefault{OT2} \normalfont \selectfont} \DeclareTextFontCommand{\textcyr}{\cyr} \pagestyle{empty} \DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6} \begin{document} \landscape $\lambda _{\mathrm{peak}\,}\sim 44$ \end{document} A) and EUV ( \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage[OT2,OT1]{fontenc} \newcommand\cyr{ \renewcommand\rmdefault{wncyr} \renewcommand\sfdefault{wncyss} \renewcommand\encodingdefa...
The solution chemistry of zeolite precursors

L'influence du PH, de la nature de l'ion antagoniste et la concentration en silicate sur la formation des zeolites est etudiee
Performance is dead, long live performance!

In a world of social networking, security attacks, and hot mobile phones, the importance of application performance appears to have dimin-ished. My own research agenda has shifted from looking at the performance of memory allocation to building runtime systems that are more resilient to data corruption and security attacks. In my talk, I will outline a number of areas where code-generation and runtime tech-niques can be successfully applied to areas for purposes other than performance, such as fault tolerance, reliability, and security. Along the way, I will consider such questions as "Does it really matter if this corruption was caused by a software or hardware error?" and "Is it okay to let a malicious person allocate arbitrary data on my heap?".Despite these other opportunities, the importance of performance in modern applications remains undiminished, and current hardware trends place an increasing burden on software to provide needed performance boosts. In concluding, I will suggest several important trends that I believe will help define the next 10 years of code generation and optimization research.
Quantum transport and field-induced insulating states in bilayer graphene pnp junctions.

We perform transport measurements in high quality bilayer graphene pnp junctions with suspended top gates. At a magnetic field B = 0, we demonstrate band gap opening by an applied perpendicular electric field with an On/Off ratio up to 20 000 at 260 mK. Within the band gap, the conductance decreases exponentially by 3 orders of magnitude with increasing electric field and can be accounted for by variable range hopping with a gate-tunable density of states, effective mass, and localization length. At large B, we observe quantum Hall conductance with fractional values, which arise from equilibration of edge states between differentially doped regions, and the presence of an insulating state at filling factor v = 0. Our work underscores the importance of bilayer graphene for both fundamental interest and technological applications.
Pd(II)-catalyzed phosphorylation of aryl C-H bonds.

A Pd(II)-catalyzed C–H phosphorylation reaction has been developed using heterocycle-directed ortho-palladation. Both H-phosphonates and diaryl phosphine oxides are suitable coupling partners for this reaction.
Synthesis of Functionalized Oxazolines and Oxazoles with DAST and Deoxo-Fluor

A mild and highly efficient cyclization of β-hydroxy amides to oxazolines is described using DAST and Deoxo-Fluor reagents. A one-pot protocol for the synthesis of oxazoles from β-hydroxy amides is also presented.
Rectified Synthesis of Six-Bar Mechanisms With Well-Defined Transmission Angles for Four-Position Motion Generation

This paper describes a rectified synthesis method where a rigid body of a six-bar linkage with well-defined transmission angles is guided to pass through four precision positions. The procedure includes the elimination of circuit, branch, and order defects. This is achieved by decomposing the six-bar mechanism into groups of vector pairs called dyads and groups of three vectors called triads. The algebraic method of synthesis can be applied to rectify those chains. Although these defects can be eliminated, it has been a challenging task in the past. The procedure has been implemented for a Watt I crank-driven six-bar linkage in the interactive synthesis package RECSYN.
Recent La Plata basin drought conditions observed by satellite gravimetry

[1] The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) provides quantitative measures of terrestrial water storage (TWS) change. GRACE data show a significant decrease in TWS in the lower (southern) La Plata river basin of South America over the period 2002–2009, consistent with recognized drought conditions in the region. GRACE data reveal a detailed picture of temporal and spatial evolution of this severe drought event, which suggests that the drought began in lower La Plata in around austral spring 2008 and then spread to the entire La Plata basin and peaked in austral fall 2009. During the peak, GRACE data show an average TWS deficit of ∼12 cm (equivalent water layer thickness) below the 7 year mean, in a broad region in lower La Plata. GRACE measurements are consistent with accumulated precipitation data from satellite remote sensing and with vegetation index changes derived from Terra satellite observations. The Global Land Data Assimilation System model captures the drought event but underestimates its intensity. Limited available groundwater-level data in southern La Plata show significant groundwater depletion, which is likely associated with the drought in this region. GRACE-observed TWS change and precipitation anomalies in the studied region appear to closely correlate with the ENSO climate index, with dry and wet seasons corresponding to La Nina and El Nino events, respectively.
Reaction of 2,4-disubstituted 1,3-dioxolanes with dihalocarbenes

The insertion of dihalocarbenes into the C(2)-H bond of cis- and trans-2-alkyl-4-propyl-1,3-dioxolanes leads to mixtures of stereoisomers.
Algorithms for lattice games

This paper provides effective methods for the polyhedral formulation of impartial finite combinatorial games as lattice games (Guo et al. Oberwolfach Rep 22: 23–26, 2009; Guo and Miller, Adv Appl Math 46:363–378, 2010). Given a rational strategy for a lattice game, a polynomial time algorithm is presented to decide (i) whether a given position is a winning position, and to find a move to a winning position, if not; and (ii) to decide whether two given positions are congruent, in the sense of misere quotient theory (Plambeck, Integers, 5:36, 2005; Plambeck and Siegel, J Combin Theory Ser A, 115: 593–622, 2008). The methods are based on the theory of short rational generating functions (Barvinok and Woods, J Am Math Soc, 16: 957–979, 2003).
Integer Matrix Exact Covering Systems and Product Identities for Theta Functions

In this paper, we prove that there is a natural correspondence between product identities for Ramanujan’s theta functions and integer matrix exact covering systems. We show that since can be taken as the disjoint union of a lattice generated by n linearly independent vectors in and a finite number of its translates, certain products of theta functions can be written as linear combinations of other products of theta functions. We first give a general theorem to write a product of n theta functions as a linear combination of other products of theta functions. Many known identities for products of two theta functions are shown to be special cases of our main theorem. Several entries in Ramanujan’s notebooks as well as new identities are established as applications, including theorems for products of three and four theta functions that have not been obtained by other methods.
Cadherin 99C regulates apical expansion and cell rearrangement during epithelial tube elongation

Apical and basolateral determinants specify and maintain membrane domains in epithelia. Here, we identify new roles for two apical surface proteins – Cadherin 99C (Cad99C) and Stranded at Second (SAS) – in conferring apical character in Drosophila tubular epithelia. Cad99C, the Drosophila ortholog of human Usher protocadherin PCDH15, is expressed in several embryonic tubular epithelial structures. Through loss-of-function and overexpression studies, we show that Cad99C is required to regulate cell rearrangement during salivary tube elongation. We further show that overexpression of either Cad99C or SAS causes a dramatic increase in apical membrane at the expense of other membrane domains, and that both proteins can do this independently of each other and independently of mislocalization of the apical determinant Crumbs (Crb). Overexpression of Cad99C or SAS results in similar, but distinct effects, suggesting both shared and unique roles for these proteins in conferring apical identity.
Fermion ensembles that show statistical bunching

Abstract Contrary to the general expectation that Fermi-Dirac statistics limit fermion clustering behaviour to that of antibunching, it is shown that particular fermion ensembles can give rise to fermion bunching. These ensembles comprise correlated multifermion states entering both input ports of an SU (2) fermion interferometer. The beams leaving the two output ports exhibit a positive cross-correlation under appropriate conditions.
The performance of VIX option pricing models: Empirical evidence beyond simulation

We examine the pricing performance of VIX option models. Such models possess a wide-range of underlying characteristics regarding the behavior of both the S&P500 index and the underlying VIX. Our tests employ three representative models for VIX options: Whaley (1993), Grunbichler and Longstaff (1996), Carr and Lee (2007), Lin and Chang (2009), who test four stochastic volatility models, as well as to previous simulation results of VIX option models. We find that no model has small pricing errors over the entire range of strike prices and times to expiration. In particular, out-of-the-money VIX options are difficult to price, with Grunbichler and Longstaff's mean-reverting model producing the smallest dollar errors in this category. Whaley's Black-like option model produces the best results for in-the-money VIX options. However, the Whaley model does under/overprice out-of-the-money call/put VIX options, which is opposite the behavior of stock index option pricing models. VIX options exhibit a volatility skew opposite the skew of index options. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark31:251–281, 2011
MAPPING OF FORESTED WETLAND: USE OF SEASAT RADAR IMAGES TO COMPLEMENT CONVENTIONAL SOURCES

Distinguishing forested wetland from dry forest using aerial photographs is handicapped because photographs often do not reveal the presence of water below tree canopies. Radar images obtained by the Seasat satellite reveal forested wetland as highly reflective patterns on the coastal plain between Maryland and Florida. Seasat radar images may complement aerial photographs for compiling maps of wetland. A test with experienced photointerpreters revealed that interpretation accuracy was significantly higher when using Seasat radar images than when using only conventional sources.
Exact Static and Dynamic Stiffness Matrices for General Variable Cross Section Members

This paper concerns the formulation of a new finite-element method for the solution of beams with variable cross section. Using only one element, it is possible to derive the exact static and dynamic stiffness matrices (up to the accuracy of the computer) for any polynomial variation of axial, torsional, and bending stiffnesses along the beam. Examples are given for the accuracy and efficiency of the method.
Analysis of mapping coverage obtained from spacecraft

An exact analysis of the coverage obtained by spacecraft using cross-track scanning and nadir-centered conical imaging, under imposed viewing obliqueness and resolution requirements, is presented. In addition to exact expressions for the area acquired and the area acquisition rate, envelope theory is introduced to obtain the boundary of the imaged area. These expressions are relatively compact, allowing rapid machine computation. The effects of the sun phase angle, and of imaging system limitations are also examined. The Galileo mission encounter with Callisto is used as a numerical example, from which certain general conclusions are drawn regarding optimal imaging trajectories.
Application of principal component analysis to multisensor classification

We are currently exploring the relationship between spatial statistical parameters of various geophysical phenomena and those of the remotely sensed image by way of principle component analysis (PCA) of radar and optical images. Issues being explored are the effects of incorporating PCA into land cover classification in an attempt to improve its accuracy. Preliminary results of using PCA in comparison with unsupervised land cover classification are presented.
Stereochemistry of Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions Depending upon Substituent: Evidence for Electrostatic Stabilization of Pseudoaxial Conformers of Oxocarbenium Ions by Heteroatom Substituents

Lewis acid-mediated nucleophilic substitution reactions of substituted tetrahydropyran acetates reveal that the conformational preferences of six-membered-ring cations depend significantly upon the electronic nature of the substituent. Nucleophilic substitutions of C-3 and C-4 alkyl-substituted tetrahydropyran acetates proceeded via pseudoequatorially substituted oxocarbenium ions, as would be expected by consideration of steric effects. Substitutions of C-3 and C-4 alkoxy-substituted tetrahydropyran acetates, however, proceeded via pseudoaxially oriented oxocarbenium ions. The unusual selectivities controlled by the alkoxy groups were demonstrated for a range of other heteroatom substituents, including nitrogen, fluorine, chlorine, and bromine. It is believed that the pseudoaxial conformation is preferred in the ground state of the cation because of an electrostatic attraction between the cationic carbon center of the oxocarbenium ion and the heteroatom substituent. This analysis is supported by the observation that selectivity diminishes down the halogen series, which is inconsistent with electron donation as might be expected during anchimeric assistance. The C-2 heteroatom-substituted systems gave moderately high 1,2-cis selectivity, while small alkyl substituents showed no selectivity. Only in the case of the tert-butyl group at C-2 was high 1,2-trans selectivity observed. These studies reinforce the idea that ground-state conformational effects need to be considered along with steric approach considerations.
Pharmaceutical marketing and the new social media.

Facebook and Twitter, the largest social media Web sites, have more than 350 million users worldwide, and surveys indicate that 60% of Americans turn first to the Internet when seeking health-related information.1 It is therefore surprising that the pharmaceutical and medical-device industries have been slow to establish a social media presence. The drug industry allocated less than 4% of the more than $4 billion it spent on direct-to-consumer advertising to Internet outlets in 2008, and only a tiny fraction of that was for social networking sites.2 In the next year, however, the proportion may change substantially. Since the Pure Food . . .
Do the Broad Emission Line Clouds See the Same Continuum That We See

Recent observations of quasars, Mrk 335 and the HST quasar composite spectrum, have indicated that many of them have remarkably soft ionizing continua (f� / � 2 , 13.6 eV – 100 eV). We point out that the number of h� > 54.4 eV photons is insufficient to create the observed strengths of the He ii emission lines. While the numbers of photons which energize C iv �1549 and O vi �1034 are sufficient, even the most efficiently emitting clouds f or these two lines must each cover at least 20% – 40% of the source. If the typical quasar ionizing continuum is indeed this soft, then we must conclude that the broad emission line clouds must see a very different (harder) continuum than we see. The other viable possibility is that the UV – EUV SED is double-peaked, with the second peaking near 54 eV, its Wien tail the observed soft X-ray excess. Subject headings: line: formation — quasars: emission lines and general — ultraviolet
Cellular disco: resource management using virtual clusters on shared-memory multiprocessors

Despite the fact that large-scale shared-memory multiprocessors have been commercially available for several years, system software that fully utilizes all their features is still not available, mostly due to the complexity and cost of making the required changes to the operating system. A recently proposed approach, called Disco, substantially reduces this development cost by using a virtual machine monitor that laverages the existing operating system technology. In this paper we present a system called Cellular Disco that extends the Disco work to provide all the advantages of the hardware partitioning and scalable operating system approaches. We argue that Cellular Disco can achieve these benefits at only a small fraction of the development cost of modifying the operating system. Cellular Disco effectively turns a large-scale shared-memory multiprocessor into a virtual cluster that supports fault containment and heterogeneity, while avoiding operating system scalability bottlenecks. Yet at the same time, Cellular Disco preserves the benefits of a shared-memory multiprocessor by implementing dynamic, fine-grained resource sharing, and by allowing users to overcommit resources such as processors and memory. This hybrid approach requires a scalable resource manager that makes local decisions with limited information while still providing good global performance and fault containment. In this paper we describe our experience with a Cellular Disco prototype on a 32-processor SGI Origin 2000 system. We show that the execution time penalty for this approach is low, typically within 10% of the best available commercial operating system formost workloads, and that it can manage the CPU and memory resources of the machine significantly better than the hardware partitioning approach.
Explaining Speculative Expansions

In this paper we use a modified neoclassical business cycle model to test two competing explanations of the expansion of the 1990s. The model can have indeterminate, multiple equilibria that give rise to expectation-driven business cycles. We fit into the model series of estimated speculative and productivity shocks and compare its predictions with empirical data. Our results suggest that the speculation hypothesis has more explanatory power than the productivity hypothesis in terms of matching the data. Speculative behavior of investors, therefore, may have contributed to the investment boom, the prolonged expansion, and the subsequent recession of the period 1991-2001.
New advances in the use of infrared absorption spectroscopy for the characterization of heterogeneous catalytic reactions

Infrared absorption spectroscopy has proven to be one of the most powerful spectroscopic techniques available for the characterization of catalytic systems. Although the history of IR absorption spectroscopy in catalysis is long, the technique continues to provide key fundamental information about a variety of catalysts and catalytic reactions, and to also offer novel options for the acquisition of new information on both reaction mechanisms and the nature of the solids used as catalysts. In this review, an overview is provided of the main contributions that have been derived from IR absorption spectroscopy studies of catalytic systems, and a discussion is included on new trends and new potential directions of research involving IR in catalysis. We start by briefly describing the power of Fourier-transform IR (FTIR) instruments and the main experimental IR setups available, namely, transmission (TIR), diffuse reflectance (DRIFTS), attenuated total reflection (ATR-IR), and reflection–absorption (RAIRS), for advancing research in catalysis. We then discuss the different environments under which IR characterization of catalysts is carried out, including in situ and operando studies of typical catalytic processes in gas-phase, research with model catalysts in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) and so-called high-pressure cell instruments, and work involving liquid/solid interfaces. A presentation of the type of information extracted from IR data follows in terms of the identification of adsorbed intermediates, the characterization of the surfaces of the catalysts themselves, the quantitation of IR intensities to extract surface coverages, and the use of probe molecules to identify and titrate specific catalytic sites. Finally, the different options for carrying out kinetic studies with temporal resolution such as rapid-scan FTIR, step-scan FTIR, and the use of tunable lasers or synchrotron sources, and to obtain spatially resolved spectra, by sample rastering or by 2D imaging, are introduced.
Generalization of a Suffix Tree for RNA Structural Pattern Matching

In molecular biology, it is said that two biological sequences tend to have similar properties if they have similar three-dimensional structures. Hence, it is very important to find not only similar sequences in the string sense, but also structurally similar sequences from databases. In this paper we propose a new data structure that is a generalization of a parameterized suffix tree (p-suffix tree for short) introduced by Baker. We call it the structural suffix tree or s-suffix tree for short. The s-suffix tree can be used for finding structurally related patterns of RNA or single-stranded DNA. Furthermore, we propose an O(n(log|Σ| + log|Π|)) on-line algorithm for constructing it, where n is the sequence length, |Σ| is the size of the normal alphabet, and |Π| is that of the alphabet called “parameter,” which is related to the structure of the sequence. Our algorithm achieves linear time when it is used to analyze RNA and DNA sequences. Furthermore, as an algorithm for constructing the p-suffix tree, it is the first on-line algorithm, though the computing bound of our algorithm is the same as that of Kosaraju’s best-known algorithm. The results of computational experiments using actual RNA and DNA sequences are also given to demonstrate our algorithm’s practicality.
Dual Catalyst Control in the Enantioselective Intramolecular Morita−Baylis−Hillman Reaction

The intramolecular Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) reaction has been achieved with unprecedented levels of enantioselectivity. Using a co-catalyst system involving pipecolinic acid and N-methylimidazole, cyclic MBH products have been obtained with enantiomer ratios of 92:8 (84% ee). In addition, reactions may be carried out with a "kinetic resolution quench" involving acetic anhydride and an asymmetric acylation catalyst such that ee enhancement occurs to deliver products with >98% ee with an isolated yield of 50%. [reaction: see text]
Cryopreservation of sperm from patients with leukemia: is it worth the effort?

BACKGROUND Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) allows pregnancies to be established with a single sperm, improving the chances for men with severely impaired sperm quality to cause a pregnancy. Men with leukemia typically are of reproductive age and their fertility is threatened by initially impaired semen quality and cytotoxic chemotherapy. The authors examined the feasibility of sperm cryopreservation in men with leukemia before treatment and whether the type of leukemia is related to prefreeze or postthaw semen quality. METHODS Records of 25 patients with acute (n = 13) or chronic (n = 12) leukemia who banked their sperm were reviewed. Semen characteristics were compared with those of normal donors (n = 50) and between the 2 patient groups before and after cryopreservation. Motile sperm count (MSC), motility, curvilinear velocity (VCL), linearity, and amplitude of lateral head movement were compared between patients and healthy donors. No patient had undergone chemotherapy before sperm banking. The nitrogen vapor technique was used for sperm cryopreservation. RESULTS Patients with leukemia had significantly lower prefreeze and postthaw MSC (P = 0.0001), motility (P < 0.05), and VCL (P < 0.05) compared with healthy donors. The percentage change from prefreeze to postthaw in MSC and motility (P < 0.05) was significantly greater in patients than in healthy donors. The effect of cryopreservation on semen quality was similar in patients with both acute and chronic leukemia. CONCLUSIONS Patients with leukemia have poor prefreeze and postthaw semen quality compared with healthy donors. In this study the type of leukemia did not appear to affect prefreeze or postthaw semen quality and the postthaw MSC was sufficient for use with ICSI. Sperm cryopreservation should be offered to all men of reproductive age before the initiation of therapy for leukemia. Cancer 1999;85:1973–8. © 1999 American Cancer Society.
Myocardial electrical impedance responds to ischemia and reperfusion in humans

Myocardial electrical impedance (MEI) is correlated to ischemia and reperfusion of the heart muscle. The entire body of work with MEI to this point has been carried out in animal subjects in vivo and excised tissue samples. In this study, we measured MEI clinically for the first time in human patients who were undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery. MEI was measured with a monitor designed in this laboratory and approved by the FDA for use on human subjects. Our patient population (n=18) had a 70%-100% stenosis of the diseased coronary artery targeted for bypass. We measured MEI continuously during surgery and at 3, 6, 24, and 72 h postoperatively from two temporary pacing electrodes attached to the heart muscle. Absolute baseline impedance ranged from 173 to 729 /spl Omega/. MEI increased with occlusion of the diseased artery prior to bypass. The percent increase from baseline was inversely correlated to the percent stenosis of the diseased artery. MEI decreased below baseline immediately on reperfusion following bypass in all patients and continued decreasing over the measurement period. MEI is a reliable clinical indicator of ischemia and reperfusion in humans and may indicate the effectiveness of coronary artery surgery. The parameter may have monitoring and diagnostic value in heart disease in humans.
Recent advances in catalytic asymmetric reactions promoted by transition metal complexes

Revue sur les reactions asymetriques utilisant des complexes des metaux de transition comme catalyseurs
The Emerging Role of Minimally Invasive Surgical Techniques for the Treatment of Lung Malignancy in the Elderly

As a consequence of the general aging of the population, improved diagnostic techniques, and preoperative interventions to enhance the efficacy of surgical therapy, increasing numbers of elderly patients are presenting for pulmonary resection. Clear association between advanced age and the perioperative morbidity and mortality associated with lung cancer surgery has generated considerable interest in applying minimally invasive operative techniques in the geriatric population under the belief that this approach will improve outcome. This review examines the available data regarding video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy and concludes that this technique for the surgical treatment of early-stage lung cancer may parallel conventional thoracotomy in terms of oncologic efficacy while decreasing perioperative morbidity in the elderly.
Static meson correlators in 2+1 flavor QCD at non-zero temperature

We study correlation functions of various static meson operators of size r at non-zero temperature in 2+1 flavor QCD, including Coulomb gauge fixed operators and Wilson loops with smeared spatial parts. The numerical calculations are performed on 243 × 6 lattices using highly improved staggered quark action. We discuss possible implications of our findings on the temperature dependence of the static energy of $$Q\bar Q$$ pair.
Narrow beam radiation from a CMOS compatible leaky wave optical antenna

CMOS compatible leaky wave optical antennas are proposed and analyzed for electronically controlled radiation pattern generation. Very directive far field radiation pattern (>15dB) is generated from a Si 3 N 4 leaky wave antenna with silicon periodic perturbations.
Scale Effects in the Dynamic Transfer Functions for Cavitating Inducers

Dynamic transfer functions for two cavitating inducers of the same geometry but different size are presented, compared, and discussed. The transfer functions for each inducer indicate similar trends as the cavitation number is decreased. The nondimensional results for the two sizes are compared with themselves and with theoretical calculations based on the Bubbly Flow Model (reference [2]). All three sets of results compare well and lend further credance to the theoretical model. The best values of the two parameters in the model (K and M) and evaluated recommended for use in applications.
How Does Cost‐Sharing Affect Drug Purchases? Insurance Regimes in the Private Market for Prescription Drugs

Insurance for prescription drugs is characterized by two types of cost-sharing: flat copayments and variable coinsurance. We develop a theoretical model to show that refill purchases of drugs are lower under coinsurance due to the consumer’s exposure to variation in drug prices. We test this empirically using claims data from eight large firms. Propensity score methods are used to create matchedsamplesforthetwoinsuranceregimes.Wefindthatwhencoinsurance and copayments have the same expected out-of-pocket of $9, at least 34% of patients under copayments would fully refill their medication over 90 days, compared to only 24% under coinsurance.
Digital mammography: observer performance study of the effects of pixel size on radiologists' characterization of malignant and benign microcalcifications

A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of pixel size on the characterization of mammographic microcalcifications. Digital mammograms were obtained by digitizing screen-film mammograms with a laser film scanner. One hundred twelve two-view mammograms with biopsy-proven microcalcifications were digitized at a pixel size of 35 micrometer X 35 micrometer. A region of interest (ROI) containing the microcalcifications was extracted from each image. ROI images with pixel sizes of 70 micrometers, 105 micrometers, and 140 micrometers were derived from the ROI of 35 micrometer pixel size by averaging 2 X 2, 3 X 3, and 4 X 4 neighboring pixels, respectively. The ROI images were printed on film with a laser imager. Seven MQSA-approved radiologists participated as observers. The likelihood of malignancy of the microcalcifications was rated on a 10-point confidence rating scale and analyzed with ROC methodology. The classification accuracy was quantified by the area, Az, under the ROC curve. The statistical significance of the differences in the Az values for different pixel sizes was estimated with the Dorfman-Berbaum-Metz (DBM) method for multi-reader, multi-case ROC data. It was found that five of the seven radiologists demonstrated a higher classification accuracy with the 70 micrometer or 105 micrometer images. The average Az also showed a higher classification accuracy in the range of 70 to 105 micrometer pixel size. However, the differences in A(subscript z/ between different pixel sizes did not achieve statistical significance. The low specificity of image features of microcalcifications an the large interobserver and intraobserver variabilities may have contributed to the relatively weak dependence of classification accuracy on pixel size.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Enantioselective synthesis of natural (+)-dactyloxene-B and -C by actuation of oxonium ion-initiated pinacol rearrangement

Abstract A direct route is described for assembling the spirocyclic framework of two sesquiterpene ethers derived biogenetically from the cyclization of farnesol with rearrangement of a methyl group.
Partisan business cycles under variable election dates

Abstract This paper develops a model where rational economic agents face uncertainty regarding the timing of elections and which party will emerge victorious should an election occur. This electoral uncertainty affects the macroeconomy, where the size and direction of the impacts are dependent on the party in power in the current and previous period, time elapsed since the last election, and party popularity. Leftist governments are expected to sustain higher output levels throughout their electoral term compared to right-wing governments, and the partisan differences will continue to increase until the next election.
Topological conjugacy of circle diffeomorphisms

The classical criterion for a circle diffeomorphism to be topologically conjugate to an irrational rigid rotation was given by Denjoy [1]. In [5] one of us gave a new criterion. There is an example satisfying Denjoy's bounded variation condition rather than the Zygmund condition of [5], and vice versa. This paper will give the third criterion which is implied by either of the above criteria.
Low energy planes for tilt grain boundaries in gold

Abstract Thin film bicrystals of gold were annealed to create a large variety of grain boundaries of controlled crystal misorientation. The faceting of these boundaries has been studied and some low energy boundary planes identified. Tilt boundaries with a 〈110〉 misorientation axis have been found to facet more readily than those with a 〈100〉 axis. The results have been considered in terms of O -lattices and coincident site lattices but neither of these approaches is able to explain all the observations. Consquently no simple and general criteria, based on geometrical considerations, have been found for the occurrence of grain boundary planes of low energy. A further set of observations relates to the dissociation of some specific high angle grain boundaries into a twin and another low energy boundary. Boundaries with a σ33 coincidence site lattice relationship frequently appear to be characterized by a relatively low energy.
Why restrict the modelling capability of CODASYL data structure sets

Several issues have been raised concerning changes to the capabilities of the CODASYL Data Description Language specifications for data structure sets. The paper argues against new restrictions suggested and for removal of existing restrictions. The issues are:allow recursive set declarationkeep multiple member declarationallow alternate owner declarationsThe concept of "record-roles" is introduced to justify the need for these capabilities. The expanded capabilities described offer an alternate means of achieving the same end result without the need to introduce the "record-role" into the CODASYL Data Description Language.
Comparison of Coherent and Incoherent Optical Spectrum Analysis Techniques in Image Evaluation

The application of communication theory and linear systems concepts to the analysis of photographic images and imaging systems is well established. These techniques include the use of the Wiener spectrum to characterize photographic granularity and to determine the transfer functions for photographic imaging and printing; the standard methods of measurement that have been developed use essentially incoherent optical techniques. Recently, however, coherent optical processors have been applied to image analysis. A series of experiments is described which allows comparison of the spectra and the transfer functions generated by the incoherent and the coherent techniques.
Study of the Schottky barrier and determination of the energetic positions of band edges at the n-and p-type gallium indium phosphide electrode | electrolyte interface

Abstract The ternary semiconductor GaInP2 (or Ga0.5In0.5P) was studied as a single-crystal electrode in contact with various aqueous electrolyte solutions (pH range 2.0–12.0). The photoelectrochemical properties of the epitaxially grown GaInp2 layers were characterized using techniques of current—voltage, capacitance—voltage and photocurrent spectroscopy. The results of capacitance—voltage measurements carried out at discrete frequencies from 100 Hz to 10 kHz demonstrate the presence of a depletion zone over the voltage range studied. This allowed the experimental determination of both the flat-band potential and the energetic positions of the band edges for both n- and p-doped GaInP 2 at the semiconductor | electrolyte interface. These studies reveal the applicability of this relatively new material for the photoelectrochemical decomposition of water.
A Polycyclic Quotient Algorithm

This paper describes a generalization of the Grobner basis method to the integral group ring of a polycyclic group. A polycyclic quotient algorithm is developed using this method. SupposeGis a group given by a finite presentation andG(n)is thenth term in the derived series ofG. A polycyclic quotient algorithm computes the quotientG/G(n)if it is polycyclic. An implementation of this algorithm in C has been developed and its efficiency is encouraging.