cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DIRECT PHOTON MEASUREMENT AT RHIC-PHENIX.

Results on direct photon measurements from the PHENIX experiment at RHIC are presented. The direct photon yields for PT>6GeV/c as a function of centrality in Au+Au collisions at \(\sqrt {s_{NN} } = 200\) GeV are found to be consistent with NLO pQCD calculation scaled by the number of binary collisions. The results suggest that the photons observed are emitted from the initial stage of hard scattering. Comparisons with several theoretical calculations are also presented.
Artificial Metalloenzymes and Metallopeptide Catalysts for Organic Synthesis

Transition metal catalysts and enzymes possess unique and often complementary properties that have made them important tools for chemical synthesis. The potential practical benefits of catalysts that combine these properties and a desire to understand how the structure and reactivity of metal and peptide components affect each other have driven researchers to create hybrid metal–peptide catalysts since the 1970s. The hybrid catalysts developed to date possess unique compositions of matter at the inorganic/biological interface that often pose significant challenges from design, synthesis, and characterization perspectives. Despite these obstacles, researchers have developed systems in which secondary coordination sphere effects impart selectivity to metal catalysts, accelerate chemical reactions, and are systematically optimized via directed evolution. This perspective outlines fundamental principles, key developments, and future prospects for the design, preparation, and application of peptide- and protei...
A simple and advantageous protocol for the oxidation of alcohols with O-iodoxybenzoic acid (IBX).

An efficient, user-friendly procedure for the oxidation of alcohols using IBX is described. Simply heating a solution of the alcohol in the presence of suspended IBX followed by filtration and removal of the solvent gives excellent yields of the corresponding carbonyl compounds. We illustrate this procedure with a panel of primary and secondary alcohol substrates and note that it allows recycling and reuse of the oxidant.
Studying job stress: Are we making mountains out of molehills?

Job stress researchers are urged to examine job conditions which threaten workers' experienced quality of life. The relationship between measures of job-related strains and well-being is discussed. Past theorizing and research suggests that it is not safe to assume that job conditions which have an adverse impact on affective reactions to the job (a frequently used indicator of job strain) will also have a negative impact on overall subjective well-being. One set of job conditions which may be particularly relevant for well-being is identified and discussed, namely those conditions related to the economic instrumentality of work. Finally, some methodological suggestions for future research in the job stress area are offered.
Testing closed string field theory with marginal fields

We study the feasibility of level expansion and test the quartic vertex of closed string field theory by checking the flatness of the potential in marginal directions. The tests, which work out correctly, require the cancellation of two contributions: one from an infinite-level computation with the cubic vertex and the other from a finite-level computation with the quartic vertex. The numerical results suggest that the quartic vertex contributions are comparable or smaller than those of level four fields.
From Fibonacci numbers to central limit type theorems

A beautiful theorem of Zeckendorf states that every integer can be written uniquely as a sum of non-consecutive Fibonacci numbers {F"n}"n"="1^~. Lekkerkerker (1951-1952) [13] proved the average number of summands for integers in [F"n,F"n"+"1) is n/(@f^2+1), with @f the golden mean. This has been generalized: given non-negative integers c"1,c"2,...,c"L with c"1,c"L>0 and recursive sequence {H"n}"n"="1^~ with H"1=1, H"n"+"1=c"1H"n+c"2H"n"-"1+...+c"nH"1+1 (1==L), every positive integer can be written uniquely as @?a"iH"i under natural constraints on the a"i@?s, the mean and variance of the numbers of summands for integers in [H"n,H"n"+"1) are of size n, and as n->~ the distribution of the number of summands converges to a Gaussian. Previous approaches used number theory or ergodic theory. We convert the problem to a combinatorial one. In addition to re-deriving these results, our method generalizes to other problems (in the sequel paper (Gaudet et al., preprint [2]) we show how this perspective allows us to determine the distribution of gaps between summands). For example, it is known that every integer can be written uniquely as a sum of the +/-F"n@?s, such that every two terms of the same (opposite) sign differ in index by at least 4 (3). The presence of negative summands introduces complications and features not seen in previous problems. We prove that the distribution of the numbers of positive and negative summands converges to a bivariate normal with computable, negative correlation, namely -(21-2@f)/(29+2@f)~-0.551058.
Na3Ga3Te2O12: Synthesis, single crystal structure and characterization

Abstract Colorless, polyhedral single crystals of Na 3 Ga 3 Te 2 O 12 have been synthesized for the first time by supercritical hydrothermal techniques using NaOH, Ga 2 O 3 , TlNO 3 and TeO 2 as reagents. Na 3 Ga 3 Te 2 O 12 was characterized by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffractions, IR, Raman, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopies and thermogravimetric analysis. Na 3 Te 2 Ga 3 O 12 crystallizes in the cubic space group Ia -3 d (No. 230) with a = 12.3604(14) A, V = 1888.4(4) A 3 , and Z = 8. Na 3 Ga 3 Te 2 O 12 exhibits a garnet structure-type with the Te 6+ and Ga 3+ cations occupying the octahedral and tetrahedral sites, respectively.
Needling the early universe

The possibility that the whole microwave background can be produced by a bright population of pregalactic stars at a redshift of a few hundred is explored. The radiation is thermalized by a combination of amorphous silicate, amorphous carbon, graphite, and needle-shaped conducting grains which give rise to the opacity needed at wavelengths greater than 3 cm. The occurrence of distortion in a primordial microwave background spectrum due to its interaction with Population III stars and dust is investigated. The possibility of producing deviations small enough to be consistent with the best available observations, but still detectable by COBE, is considered.
Development of an aluminum sheet alloy with improved formability

Aluminum auto-body sheet alloys with enhanced formability have been developed in the Al-Mn-Mg-Si system. The improvement in formability is due to a fine grain size, a precise control of solute elements (especially Si), and virtual elimination of coarse second-phase particles. These refined features, achieved in part from the use of a high casting cooling rate, result in a fine deformed dislocation substructure which resists strain localization. The absence of coarse particles delays final fracture. The experimental alloys had a positive strain-rate sensitivity which is not normally observed in alloys containing Mg.
Dimensions of some binary codes arising from a conic in PG(2,q)

Let O be a conic in the classical projective plane PG(2,q), where q is an odd prime power. With respect to O, the lines of PG(2,q) are classified as passant, tangent, and secant lines, and the points of PG(2,q) are classified as internal, absolute and external points. The incidence matrices between the secant/passant lines and the external/internal points were used in Droms et al. (2006) [6] to produce several classes of structured low-density parity-check binary codes. In particular, the authors of Droms et al. (2006) [6] gave conjectured dimension formula for the binary code L which arises as the F"2-null space of the incidence matrix between the secant lines and the external points to O. In this paper, we prove the conjecture on the dimension of L by using a combination of techniques from finite geometry and modular representation theory.
Coupling Constants for Scalar Glueball Decay

We evaluate the partial decay widths of the lightest scalar glueball to pairs of pseudoscalar quark-antiquark states. The calculation is done in the valence (quenched) approximation on a 163 lattice at β = 5.7. These predictions and values obtained earlier for the infinite volume continuum limit of the scalar glueball's mass are in good agreement with the observed properties of ƒJ(1710) and inconsistent with all other observed meson resonances.
Algorithms for Calibrating Roadside Traffic Cameras and Estimating Mean Vehicle Speed

In this paper we present a simplified model for traffic management cameras and a calibration method based on a known distance along the road. We then describe how to estimate this interval from the images using an autocorrelation method applied to lane marker features. Assuming the camera has been calibrated and the vehicle lanes have been identified, we also present a method to track a group of vehicles in a lane and estimate the space mean speed using a cross-correlation technique. The algorithm is appropriate fofur building a speed sensor with fine time resolution (i.e., 200 ms); 20-second averages are shown to be equivalent to data from two different inductance loops. The results for several test cases show that the speed estimation method performs well under a variety of challenging weather, lighting, and traffic conditions.
Computerization and Structural Change

I develop three measures of structural change on the basis of U.S. data: changes in occupational composition, changes in input–output technical coefficients, and changes in capital coefficients. Using pooled cross-section, time-series data for 44 industries over the period from 1970 to 1990, I find that computer investment per worker has had a positive and significant effect on the degree of occupational change and changes in input and capital coefficients.
On the Linear Convergence of the Approximate Proximal Splitting Method for Non-smooth Convex Optimization

Consider the problem of minimizing the sum of two convex functions, one being smooth and the other non-smooth. In this paper, we introduce a general class of approximate proximal splitting (APS) methods for solving such minimization problems. Methods in the APS class include many well-known algorithms such as the proximal splitting method, the block coordinate descent method (BCD), and the approximate gradient projection methods for smooth convex optimization. We establish the linear convergence of APS methods under a local error bound assumption. Since the latter is known to hold for compressive sensing and sparse group LASSO problems, our analysis implies the linear convergence of the BCD method for these problems without strong convexity assumption.
Segregation and Racial Preferences: New Theoretical and Empirical Approaches

Ce papier s'interesse au role des preferences dans les interactions sociales et leur implication en termes de segregation raciale. Le modele theorique suggere que les menages de couleur peuvent habiter dans des endroits a majorite blanche, et contrairement aux precedents modeles de segregation, ce modele est coherent avec soit la segregation ou l'integration raciale. En utilisant les donnees de l'American Housing Survey, l'analyse empirique montre que les differences raciales dans les preferences pour l'education peuvent expliquer une partie substantielle de la segregation raciale observee a Philadelphie en 1985.
Damage-Mitigating Control of a Reusable Rocket Engine: Part II—Formulation of an Optimal Policy

This sequence of papers in two parts investigates the feasibility of damage-mitigating control of a reusable rocket engine similar to the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) where the objective is to increase structural durability without any significant loss of performance. To this effect, a fatigue damage model of the turbine blades has been reported in earlier publications, and a creep damage model of the main thrust chamber coolant channel has been formulated and tested in the first part. This paper, which is the second part, synthesizes an optimal policy for open loop control of up-thrust transients of the rocket engine. Optimization is based on the integrated model of the plant, structural and damage dynamics under the constraints of fatigue and creep damage in the critical components. The results are presented to demonstrate the potential of life extension of reusable rocket engines via damage mitigating control. The concept of damage mitigation, as presented in this paper, is not restricted to control of rocket engines. It can be applied to any system where structural durability is an important issue.
A Semi-Parametric Bayesian Approach to the Instrumental Variable Problem

We develop a Bayesian semi-parametric approach to the instrumental variable problem. We assume linear structural and reduced form equations, but model the error distributions non-parametrically. A Dirichlet process prior is used for the joint distribution of structural and instrumental variable equations errors. Our implementation of the Dirichlet process prior uses a normal distribution as a base model. It can therefore be interpreted as modeling the unknown joint distribution with a mixture of normal distributions with a variable number of mixture components. We demonstrate that this procedure is both feasible and sensible using actual and simulated data. Sampling experiments compare inferences from the non-parametric Bayesian procedure with those based on procedures from the recent literature on weak instrument asymptotics. When errors are non-normal, our procedure is more efficient than standard Bayesian or classical methods.
Flexible and publicly verifiable aggregation query for outsourced databases in cloud

For securing databases outsourced to the cloud, it is important to allow cloud users to verify that their queries to the cloud-hosted databases are correctly executed by the cloud. Existing solutions on this issue suffer from a high communication cost, a heavy storage overhead or an overwhelming computational cost on clients. Besides, only simple SQL queries (e.g., selection query, projection query, weighted sum query, etc) are supported in existing solutions. For practical considerations, it is desirable to design a client-verifiable (or publicly verifiable) aggregation query scheme that supports more flexible queries with affordable storage overhead, communication and computational cost for users. This paper investigates this challenging problem and proposes an efficient publicly verifiable aggregation query scheme for databases outsourced to the cloud. By designing a renewable polynomial-based authentication tag, our scheme supports a wide range of practical SQL queries including polynomial queries of any degrees, variance query and many other linear queries. Remarkably, our proposed scheme only introduces constant communication and computational cost to cloud users. Our scheme is provably secure under the Static Diffie-Hellman problem, the t-Strong Diffie-Hellman problem and the Computational Diffie-Hellman problem. We show the efficiency and scalability of our scheme through extensive numerical analysis.
Two Different Long-Term Behaviors in Black Hole Candidates: Evidence for Two Accretion Flows?

We discuss the results of long-term hard X-ray monitoring of Galactic black hole candidates 1E 1740.7-2942, GRS 1758-258, Cyg X-1, GX 339-4, and Cyg X-3 with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer. The objects divide into two classes. In the first class, exemplified by Cyg X-1, luminosity and spectral hardness evolve simultaneously. In the second class, the relation is more complicated: the softest spectra occur while the count rate is dropping. Most models of accretion, tailored to Cyg X-1, do not predict the second sort of behavior. One interpretation is a simple model with two simultaneous, independent accretion flows: a thin disk and a hot halo. A drop in the accretion rate affecting both flows would propagate through the halo immediately but might take up to several weeks to propagate through the disk. While the inner halo is thus temporarily depleted compared to the disk, a temporary soft state is expected. This picture is supported by the observation that those sources that show delays (1E 1740.7-2942, GRS 1758-258, and GX 339-4) are expected to have low-mass companions, and those that do not (Cyg X-1, Cyg X-3) are known or thought to have high-mass companions. Low-mass companions imply accretion by Roche lobe overflow, with a high specific angular momentum in the accreting material, and therefore a large disk with a long viscous timescale. Wind accretion from massive companions is expected to result in a much smaller disk and thus little viscous delay.
The Calcia–Zirconia Phase Diagram Revisited: Stability of the Ordered Phases φ1 and φ2

Single crystals of CaO-stabilized ZrO{sub 2} containing between 15.3 and 18.9 mol% CaO were heat-treated for 5000 h at 1200{degrees}C to study the stability of the ordered defect-fluorite phase, CaZr{sub 4}O{sub 9} ({phi}{sub 1}). Subsequent TEM analysis of the equiaxed {phi}{sub 1} domains in samples richer than approximately 18 mol% in CaO showed a random distribution of {phi}{sub 1} variants, with no preferred interfacial habit planes. A critical review of the literature, combined with the new data, supports the Stubican-Hellmann-Hannon version of the phase diagram in the region 15 to 26 mol% CaO and 1000{degrees} to 1400{degrees}C and strongly suggests that {phi}{sub 1} is a stable phase in the ZrO{sub 2}-CaO systems.
Novel isomeric dideoxynucleosides as potential antiviral agents

Abstract Novel isomeric dideoxynucleosides with S,S absolute stereochemistry and involving the transposition of the base moiety from the normal 1′- to the 2′-position have been regiospecifically and stereospecifically synthesized. The synthetic approaches involved either direct coupling with inversion at the 2-position of a preformed dideoxygenated sugar using the base moiety as nucleophile (for purine isodideoxynucleosides) or construction of the base moiety onto a stereochemically defined amino sugar precursor (pyrimidine isodideoxynucleosides). These compounds possess extremely high stability with respect to “glycosidic” bond cleavage and enzymatic deamination. Antiviral data suggest that the most active compound was levorotatory S,S-isodideoxyadenosine.
“Marking‐to‐Market” and Treasury‐Bill Futures Prices: Some Empirical Evidence

Financial economists have not found empirical evidence of a “marking-to-market” effect in Treasury-bill futures contracts, despite a firm theoretical basis for its existence. Therefore, we speculate that confounding effects, possibly due to liquidity preferences, influence futures-forward price spreads. By using an empirical specification that allows for both effects, we present empirical evidence that Treasury-bill futures-forward price spreads are sensitive to the volatility of the underlying commodity in ways predicted by the theory of the marking-to-market effect.
The comprehensive microbial resource

The Comprehensive Microbial Resource or CMR (http://cmr.jcvi.org) provides a web-based central resource for the display, search and analysis of the sequence and annotation for complete and publicly available bacterial and archaeal genomes. In addition to displaying the original annotation from GenBank, the CMR makes available secondary automated structural and functional annotation across all genomes to provide consistent data types necessary for effective mining of genomic data. Precomputed homology searches are stored to allow meaningful genome comparisons. The CMR supplies users with over 50 different tools to utilize the sequence and annotation data across one or more of the 571 currently available genomes. At the gene level users can view the gene annotation and underlying evidence. Genome level information includes whole genome graphical displays, biochemical pathway maps and genome summary data. Comparative tools display analysis between genomes with homology and genome alignment tools, and searches across the accessions, annotation, and evidence assigned to all genes/genomes are available. The data and tools on the CMR aid genomic research and analysis, and the CMR is included in over 200 scientific publications. The code underlying the CMR website and the CMR database are freely available for download with no license restrictions.
Forecasting Andean rainfall and crop yield from the influence of El Niño on Pleiades visibility

Farmers in drought-prone regions of Andean South America have historically made observations of changes in the apparent brightness of stars in the Pleiades around the time of the southern winter solstice in order to forecast interannual variations in summer rainfall and in autumn harvests. They moderate the effect of reduced rainfall by adjusting the planting dates of potatoes, their most important crop. Here we use data on cloud cover and water vapour from satellite imagery, agronomic data from the Andean altiplano and an index of El Nino variability to analyse this forecasting method. We find that poor visibility of the Pleiades in June-caused by an increase in subvisual high cirrus clouds-is indicative of an El Nino year, which is usually linked to reduced rainfall during the growing season several months later. Our results suggest that this centuries-old method of seasonal rainfall forecasting may be based on a simple indicator of El Nino variability.
Unbiased regression trees for longitudinal and clustered data

A new version of the RE-EM regression tree method for longitudinal and clustered data is presented. The RE-EM tree is a methodology that combines the structure of mixed effects models for longitudinal and clustered data with the flexibility of tree-based estimation methods. The RE-EM tree is less sensitive to parametric assumptions and provides improved predictive power compared to linear models with random effects and regression trees without random effects. The previously-suggested methodology used the CART tree algorithm for tree building, and therefore that RE-EM regression tree method inherits the tendency of CART to split on variables with more possible split points at the expense of those with fewer split points. A revised version of the RE-EM regression tree corrects for this bias by using the conditional inference tree as the underlying tree algorithm instead of CART. Simulation studies show that the new version is indeed unbiased, and has several improvements over the original RE-EM regression tree in terms of prediction accuracy and the ability to recover the correct tree structure.
Complex Singularity Analysis for a Nonlinear PDE

ABSTRACT We introduce a method of rigorous analysis of complex singularities for nonlinear higher order partial differential equations (PDEs) with prescribed initial data. The method is applied to determine rigorously the asymptotic structure of singularities of the modified Harry–Dym equation for small time at the boundaries of the sector of analyticity. Previous work (Costin and Tanveer, 2000; submitted) shows existence, uniqueness, and Borel summability of solutions of general PDEs. It is shown that the solution to the above initial value problem is represented convergently by a series in a fractional power of t down to a small annular neighborhood of a singularity of the leading order equation. We deduce that the exact solution has a singularity nearby having, to leading order, the same type.
Hybridization as a stimulus for the evolution of invasiveness in plants

Invasive species are of great interest to evolutionary biologists and ecologists because they represent historical examples of dramatic evolutionary and ecological change. Likewise, they are increasingly important economically and environmentally as pests. Obtaining generalizations about the tiny fraction of immigrant taxa that become successful invaders has been frustrated by two enigmatic phenomena. Many of those species that become successful only do so (i) after an unusually long lag time after initial arrival, and/or (ii) after multiple introductions. We propose an evolutionary mechanism that may account for these observations. Hybridization between species or between disparate source populations may serve as a stimulus for the evolution of invasiveness. We present and review a remarkable number of cases in which hybridization preceded the emergence of successful invasive populations. Progeny with a history of hybridization may enjoy one or more potential genetic benefits relative to their progenitors. The observed lag times and multiple introductions that seem a prerequisite for certain species to evolve invasiveness may be a correlate of the time necessary for previously isolated populations to come into contact and for hybridization to occur. Our examples demonstrate that invasiveness can evolve. Our model does not represent the only evolutionary pathway to invasiveness, but is clearly an underappreciated mechanism worthy of more consideration in explaining the evolution of invasiveness in plants.
The equivalent circuits of shells used in airframe construction

In discussing elastic shells one must be careful to state clearly the type of shell being discussed. Although a complete description together with restrictive assumptions will be given later, it is well to state at the outset that the type of shell discussed in this paper is the type to be found in aircraft fuselage construction. Such a shell has an elongated shape and consists of a thin skin supported by rings and longitudinal members. In analyzing such shells it is the universal practice to replace the elastic supporting rings by rigid bulkheads in order to simplify the analysis. This assumption will not be made in this paper.
Turbulent and transitional velocity measurements in a rectangular microchannel using microscopic particle image velocimetry

Abstract Microscopic particle image velocimetry (microPIV) experiments were performed on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannel with a cross-section measuring 320 μm × 330 μm for Reynolds numbers between 272 and 2853. Care was taken to ensure that the seed particle density was great enough that accurate instantaneous velocity vector fields could be obtained for all the Reynolds numbers investigated. Velocity fluctuations were calculated from ensembles of microPIV velocity fields. The 〈u′〉/umax fluctuation showed an increase at Re = 1535 and a further increase as Reynolds numbers were increased, suggesting that transition to turbulence began near Re = 1535, a Reynolds number lower than predicted by classical theory. The 〈u′〉/umax data also suggest the flow was fully-developed at a Reynolds number between 2630 and 2853, also lower than classical results. This finding was confirmed in plots of the mean velocity profile. For the fully developed flow, the measured 〈 u′ 〉/umax fluctuation agreed well with classical results for turbulent duct flow, but the 〈 v′ 〉/umax fluctuation was 25–40% lower than turbulent duct flow results. Finally, spatial correlations of velocity fluctuations were calculated to lend some insights into the characteristics of the large-scale turbulent structures observed in the turbulent microchannel flow.
Forty years of Umpolung in organometallic chemistry: from carbanionic nucleophiles to metallic electrophiles

Abstract The evolution of mechanistic insight into the nature of organometallic reactions over the last forty years is recounted from the personal perspective of a chemist trained in the empirical tradition of organometallic chemistry. Starting from the viewpoint prevailing in the 1950s of organometallics as potential carbanionic nucleophiles, this investigator has become persuaded by his researches with Group 13 organometallics of the merits of treating these reagents as organometallic electrophiles. The profound effects that a tricoordinate boron center can exert on the structure and reactivity of boracyclopolyenes is a telling illustration of such boron electrophilicity operating in an intramolecular fashion. The elucidation of the mechanisms of both the carbalumination and the hydroalumination of olefins and acetylenes has adduced cogent evidence for the rate-determining step being the electrophilic attack of tricoordinate aluminum on the carbon-carbon π-electron cloud of the substrate. Finally, in an investigation of the molecular basis for Ziegler-Natta catalysis, the Breslow-Natta soluble catalyst for the polymerization of ethylene, Cp2TiCl2-RnAlCl3−n, was examined in detail and compelling evidence has been adduced that the active catalyst site is the solvent-separated ion-pair, [Cp2TiR]+ [RnAlCl4−n]−.. Here again, the polymerization reaction is initiated by an organometallic electrophile, indeed by an even more powerful cationic electrophile. The net effect of these studies has been an Umpolung in the manner with which this chemist and many of his colleagues view organometallic reaction mechanisms.
Disparities in uptake of BRCA1/2 genetic testing in a randomized trial of telephone counseling

Disparities in uptake of BRCA1/2 genetic testing in a randomized trial of telephone counseling
HST images of the eclipsing pulsar B1957+20

We have obtained images of the eclipsing pulsar binary PSR B1957+20 using the Planetary Camera of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The high spatial resolution of this instrument has allowed us to separate the pulsar system from a nearby background star which has confounded ground-based observations of this system near optical minimum. Our images limit the temperature of the backside of the companion to T less than or approximately = 2800 K, about a factor of 2 less than the average temperature of the side of the companion facing the pulsar, and provide a marginal detection of the companion at optical minimum. The magnitude of this detection is consistent with previous work which suggests that the companion nearly fills its Roche lobe and is supported through tidal dissipation.
The Fries Reaction

The Fries reaction consists in the conversion of an ester of a phenol to an ortho- or para-hydroxyketone, or a mixture of both, by treatment with aluminum chloride. Three different mechanisms for the fries rearrangement have received serious consideration.: the ester is assumed to react with aluminum chloride to give an acid chloride and a phenoxyaluminum chloride which combine to form a derivative of the hydroxyketone; one molecule of the phenyl ester is acylated by another molecule; the Fries reaction is considered ti be a true intramolecular rearrangement in which the acyl group shifts directly from the oxygen atom to the carbon atom of the ring. Keywords: Fries reaction; temperature; solvents; acyl radical; phenoxy group; ester-reagent ration; experimental conditions
The prevalence of strabismus in unilateral coronal synostosis.

Background While there is a clear correlation between unilateral coronal synostosis (UCS) and ocular motility abnormalities, the literature provides little information as to the true epidemiology of strabismus, or the underlying etiology of these paralleled pathologies. The purpose of this study is to investigate the rate of oculomotor abnormalities associated with UCS and its management.
Overview and perspectives on Japanese manufacturing strategies and production practices in machinery industry

Abstract Japan has been a world leader in manufacturing in the past several decades. Undoubtedly, this leadership will persist well into the 21st century. It is, therefore, very important to understand the status of Japan's manufacturing technologies as well as its projected manufacturing strategies for the future, especially, those technologies which would generate substantial impact on the manufacturing industries in the next five years. This paper gives an overview and perspectives on Japanese manufacturing strategies and production practices in machinery industry.
Copper-Catalyzed Intramolecular C–H Amination

The amino-functionalization of tertiary, secondary and benzylic C–H bonds of tethered carbamates and sulfamates by iodosobenzene is catalyzed by CuI-diimine complexes in moderate to good yield. Employing homochiral imine-Cucatalysts affords oxazolidinones and oxathiazinanes with modest enantioselectivity.
From Agape to Organs: Religious Difference between Japan and America in Judging the Ethics of the Transplant

This essay argues that Japan's resistance to the practice of transplanting organs from persons deemed "brain dead" may not be the result, as some claim, of that society's religions being not yet sufficiently expressive of love and altruism. The violence to the body necessary for the excision of transplantable organs seems to have been made acceptable to American Christians at a unique historical "window of opportunity" for acceptance of that new form of medical technology. Traditional reserve about corpse mutilation had weakened and, especially as presented by the theologian Joseph Fletcher, organ donation was touted as both expressive of agape and a way of "updating" Christianity via the ethics of Utilitarianism. Many Japanese, largely Buddhist and Confucian in their orientation, view these changed valorizations as neither necessary nor patently more ethical than those of their own traditions.
Sensing Cellular Function and Molecular Activity in vivo Using Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM)

We present design features and applications of a novel UV-visible-NIR FLIM system with optical sectioning, high resolution (50ps), and large temporal dynamic range (750ps-1µs) to probe cellular metabolism and detect molecular interactions in vivo.
A Bayesian approach to sensitivity analysis.

This work was supported by funding from the Decision, Risk and Management Science Program at the National Science Foundation.
Flexsplit : A workload-aware, adaptive load balancing strategy for media clusters

A number of technology and workload trends motivate us to consider a new request distribution and load balancing strategy for streaming media clusters. First, in emerging media workloads, a significant portion of the content is short and encoded at low bit rates. Additionally, media workloads display a strong temporal and spatial locality. This makes modern servers with gigabytes of main memory well suited to deliver a large fraction of accesses to popular files from memory. Second, a specific characteristic of streaming media workloads is that many clients do not finish playing an entire media file which results from the browsing nature of a large fraction of client accesses. In this paper, we propose and evaluate two new load-balancing strategies for media server clusters. The proposed strategies, FlexSplit and FlexSplitLard aim to efficiently utilize the combined cluster memory by exploiting specific media workload properties by "tuning" their behavior to media file popularity changes. The ability of the proposed policies to self-adapt to changing workloads across time while maintaining high performance makes these strategies an attractive choice for load balancing in media server clusters.
Efficient scheduling algorithms for robot inverse dynamics computation on a multiprocessor system

The problem of scheduling the robot inverse dynamics computation consisting of m computational modules to be executed on a multiprocessor system consisting of p identical homogeneous processors to achieve a minimum-schedule length is examined. This scheduling problem is known to be NP-complete. To achieve the minimum computation time, the Newton-Euler equations of motion are expressed in the homogeneous linear recurrence form that results in achieving maximum parallelism. To speed up the searching for a solution, a heuristic search algorithm called dynamical highest-level-first/most-immediate-successors-first (DHLF/MISF) is proposed to find a fast but suboptimal schedule. For an optimal schedule the minimum-schedule-length problem can be solved by a state-space search method, the A* algorithm coupled with an efficient heuristic function derived from the Fernandez and Bussell bound. >
3D framework structure of a new lithium thiophosphate, LiTi2(PS4)(3), as lithium insertion hosts

The M2(PS4)3 (M = transition metal) structure has been investigated as a new open 3D-framework structure for electrode materials for lithium rechargeable batteries. One of these compounds, LiTi2(PS4)3, was synthesized from solid state reaction. From the single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, it was observed that the LiTi2(PS4)3 crystallizes in the hexagonal space group P6cc (No. 184) with a = 19.8978 (4) A, c = 11.5198(3) A, and Z = 8. The resemblance of the powder X-ray diffraction pattern and the lattice parameters obtained from single crystal X-ray diffraction measurement indicates that the crystal structure is isomorphous with NaTi2(PS4)3. This structure is built of TiS6 octahedra linked by edges to PS4 tetrahedra and vice versa to build a 3D framework. Most attractively, very wide tunnels are obtained along the c-axis where lithium ions are mobile. Electrochemical insertion of lithium into LiTi2(PS4)3 was carried out. The initial structure of LiTi2(PS4)3 was changed with initial insertion of lith...
Clock Synchronization Errors in Circuits: Models, Stability and Fault Detection

This paper models and analyzes the effect of multiple sub-systems that are driven by the same clock signal with active clock edges reaching subsystems at different time instants. This type of problem appears in high speed circuits and systems where the clock signal propagation delays differ significantly and the global system properties of the ideally synchronously switching system are changed. Fault detection and identification methods for this type of system are provided, by using a state-space approach to asynchronously switching systems
Conformal Proton Therapy for Prostate Carcinoma

Abstract Background: The role and optimum dose of radiation to eradicate prostate cancer continues to be evaluated. Protons offer an opportunity to increase the radiation dose to the prostate while minimizing treatment toxicity. Methods: Six hundred forty-three patients with localized prostate cancer were treated with protons, with or without photons. Treatments were planned with a 3D planning system; patients received 74–75 CGE (Cobalt Gray Equivalent) at 1.8–2.0 CGE per fraction. Patients were evaluated for response to therapy and treatment-related toxicity. Results: The overall clinical disease-free survival rate was 89% at 5 years. When post-treatment prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was used as an endpoint for disease control, the 4.5-year disease-free survival rate was 100% for patients with an initial PSA of 20.0, respectively. Patients in whom the post-treatment PSA nadir was below 0.5 ng/ml did significantly better than those whose nadir values were between 0.51–1.0 or > 1.0 ng/ml: the corresponding 5-year disease-free survival rates were 91%, 79%, and 40%, respectively. Minimal radiation proctitis was seen in 21% of patients; toxicity of greater severity was seen in less than 1%. Conclusion: Proton therapy to 74–75 CGE produced minimal treatment-related toxicity and excellent PSA normalization and disease-free survival in patients with low initial PSA levels. A prospective randomized dose-escalation trial is now underway to help define the optimum dose of radiation for patients with early stage prostate cancer.
Visualizing the Role of Bi 6s “Lone Pairs” in the Off-Center Distortion in Ferromagnetic BiMnO3

Results of first-principles electronic structure calculations on the low-temperature monoclinic phase of the ferromagnetic perovskite BiMnO3 [Atou et al. J. Solid State Chem. 1999, 145, 639] are presented. In agreement with experiments, the calculations obtain an insulating ferromagnetic ground state for this material. The role of Bi 6s “lone pairs” in stabilizing the highly distorted perovskite structure is examined using real-space visualization of the electronic structure. Comparisons are drawn with the electronic structures of hypothetical cubic BiMnO3 and with the electronic structure of the prototypical perovskite manganite, LaMnO3. The exploitation of s electron lone pairs in the design of new ferroic materials is suggested.
Ab initio pseudopotential calculations of dopant diffusion in Si

The ab initio pseudopotential method is used to study transient enhanced diffusion (TED) related processes. The electronic degrees of freedom are included explicitly, together with the fully self-consistent treatment of the electron charge density. A large supercell and a fine k-point mesh are used to ensure numerical convergence. Such method has been demonstrated to give quantitative description of defect energetics. We will show that boron diffusion is significantly enhanced in the presence of the Si interstitial due to the substantial lowering of the migrational barrier through a kick-out mechanism. The resulting mobile boron can also be trapped by another substitutional boron, forming an immobile and electrically inactive two-boron pair. Similarly, carbon diffusion is also enhanced significantly due to the pairing with Si interstitials. However, carbon binds to Si interstitials much more strongly than boron does, taking away most Si interstitials from boron at sufficiently large carbon concentration, which causes the suppression of the boron TED. We will also show that Fermi level effect plays an important role in both Si interstitial and boron diffusion.
Intramolecular C-H Amination Reactions: Exploitation of the Rh2(II)-Catalyzed Decomposition of Azidoacrylates

Rhodium(II) perfluorobutyrate-mediated decomposition of vinyl azides provides a new, mild entry into Rh2(II) nitrenoid chemistry. This methodology allows rapid access to a variety of complex, functionalized N-heterocycles in two steps from commercially available starting materials.
Acidities and homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies of 4‐substituted‐2,6‐di‐tert‐butylphenols

Equilibrium acidities and estimates of homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) in DMSO of the O–H bondsfor α-tocopherol, 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol, six 4-substituted-2,6-di-tert-butylphenols, and ten related phenols are reported. The presence of a 2,6-di-tert-butyl group in a phenol increases its acidity and makes substituent effects on the acidity caused by a para electron-withdrawing group larger. The BDEs of the O–H bonds in 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenol, 4-methoxy-2,6-di-tert-butylphenol, 4-methyl-2,6-di-tert-butylphenol and α-tocopherol, estimated by combining their pKHA values with the oxidation potentials of the conjugate anions, Eox(A−), according to the equation BDE = 1·37pKHA + 23·1Eox(A−) + C have been found to agree to within 2 kcal mol−1 with literature values (1 kcal = 4·184 kJ). Introduction of 2,6-di-tert-butyl groups into phenol and six 4-substituted phenols weakens the O–H bonds by amounts ranging from 3·6 to 10·3 kcal mol−1. These effects are attributed to increases in ground-state energies which introduce strains that are relieved when homolytic cleavage of the O–H bond forms an oxygen-centered radical where the odd electron can be delocalized into the benzene ring.
The Effects of Laterite and Associated Terrain Components on PBMR Response in HAPEX-Sahel

Abstract Terrain characteristics such as roughness and vegetation have been shown to significantly affect the interpretation of microwave brightness temperatures ( T B s ) for mapping soil moisture. This study, a part of the 1992 HAPEX-Sahel experiment (Hydrologic Atmospheric Pilot Experiment in the Sahel), aimed to determine the effects of laterite and associated terrain components (i.e. vegetation, soil, and exposed water bodies) on the T B of the Pushbroom Microwave Radiometer (PBMR, L-band, 21 cm wavelength), using the NS001 Thematic Mapper Simulator data as a surrogate for ground data. Coincident PBMR and NS001 data acquired from the high altitude (about 1500 m) long transect flights were processed to obtain T B s and radiances, respectively. The transects covered a range of moisture conditions. For this preliminary evaluation, no atmospheric corrections were applied, and the data sets were aligned by matching the acquisition times of the data records. NS001 pixels (about 4 m) were averaged to approximate the resolution of the PBMR (about 450 m), before their flight line data were compared. The laterite plateaux were found to have a surprisingly strong effect on the PBMR T B response. T B variations along the flight line could largely be explained by a combination of density and dielectric properties of laterite. The effect of surface moisture was distinguishable from the laterite effect, with the distinction apparently related to the occurrence of ephemeral pools of water after rainfall. Model simulated T B s agreed reasonably well with the observed T B s .
Integrating diverse knowledge sources in text recognition

The capabilities of present commercial machines for producing correct text by recognizing words in print, handwriting and speech are very limited. For example, most optical character recognition [OCR] machines are limited to a few fonts of machine print, or text that is handprinted under certain constraints; any deviation from these constraints will produce highly garbled text. This paper describes an algorithm for text recognition/correction that effectively merges a bottom-up refinement process that is based on the utilization of transitional probabilities and letter confusion probabilities, known as the Viterbi algorithm [VA], together with a top-down process based on searching a trie structure representation of a lexicon. The algorithm is applicable to text containing an arbitrary number of character substitution errors such as that produced by OCR machines.
Orbit compensation for the time-varying elliptically polarized wiggler operating at 100 Hz

Abstract The time-varying elliptically polarized wiggler, installed in the X13 straight section of the NSLS X-ray ring, generates circularly polarized photons in the energy range of 0.1–10 keV, with AC modulation of polarization helicity. The DC vertical magnetic field is produced by a hybrid permanent magnet structure, and the AC horizontal magnetic field is generated by an electromagnet capable of switching at frequencies up to 100 Hz. Here, we discuss the compensation of the residual vertical and horizontal orbit motion utilizing a time-domain algorithm employing a function generator to drive trim coils at the wiggler ends, and the wideband, high precision orbit measurement system of the X-ray ring. The residual orbit motion at 100 Hz has been reduced to a level below 1 μm, and the device has been run in regular operations with no negative effect on other users.
Energy-efficient, utility accrual scheduling under resource constraints for mobile embedded systems

We present an energy-efficient, utility accrual, real-time scheduling algorithm called ReUA. ReUA considers an application model where activities are subject to time/utility function time constraints, mutual exclusion constraints on shared non-CPU resources, and statistical performance requirements on individual activity timeliness behavior. The algorithm targets mobile embedded systems where system-level energy consumption is also a major concern. For such a model, we consider the scheduling objectives of (1) satisfying the statistical performance requirements and (2) maximizing the system-level energy efficiency, while respecting resource constraints. Since the problem is NP-hard, ReUA allocates CPU cycles using statistical properties of application cycle demands, and heuristically computes schedules with a polynomial time cost. We analytically establish several timeliness and nontimeliness properties of the algorithm. Further, our simulation experiments illustrate ReUA's effectiveness and superiority.