cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE SPENT FUEL TEST PROJECT. CLIMAX GRANITIC STOCK, NEVADA TEST SITE*

ABSTRACT The Spent Fuel Test-Climax (SFT-C) is a test of dry geologic storage of spent nuclear reactor fuel. The SFT-C is located at a depth of 420 m in the Climax granitic stock at the Nevada Test Site of the U.S. Department of Energy. Eleven canisters of spent commercial PWR fuel assemblies are to be stored for 3 to 5 years. Additional heat is supplied by electrical heaters, and more than 800 channels of technical information are being recorded. The measurements include rock temperature, rock displacement and stress, joint motion, and monitoring of the ventilation air volume, temperature, and dewpoint.
Synthesis of protected derivatives of 3-pyrrolylalanine

Protected derivatives of 3-pyrrolylalanine (3-PA) have been synthesized starting with N-tri(isopropyl)silylpyrrole. Following formylation and Boc protection, treatment with (±)-N-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-α-phosphonoglycine trimethyl ester provided a fully protected dehydro-3-pyrrolylalanine. Reduction of the double bond and removal of the methyl ester groups yielded 3-PA protected at the α- and pyrrole nitrogens. 3-PA is only transiently stable following N-deprotection.
Performance as digital text: Capturing signals and secret messages in a media-rich experience

As libraries increasingly undertake digitization projects, it behooves us to consider the collection/capture, organization, preservation, and dissemination of all forms of documentation, including and beyond written text. While several libraries have funded projects which acknowledge the need to digitize other forms of text, few have extended the digital projects to include film, much less performed texts. Further, as more performing arts incorporate born-digital elements, use digital tools to create media-rich performance experiences, and look to the possibility for digital preservation of the performance text, the capture of the performance event and its born-digital artefacts must be considered. This article, then, presents a first look at the ARTeFACT project, undertaken at the University of Virginia Library in collaboration with an introductory course in Engineering and a student choreographer at Brenau University Women's College. Historical intersections of technology and dance are introduced, theoretical concerns of using technology in dance are considered, the processes involved in the creation, capture, and preservation of dance data are discussed along with the technologies used to produce an interactive dance performance.
Novel trityl linked drug immunoconjugates for cancer therapy

Abstract Trityl linkers were utilized in the preparation of acid labile nucleoside monoclonal antibody conjugates, COL1-N6-Trityl-207702 (1a-f). Conjugation led to high levels of drug incorporation into the MoAb with retention of good immunoreactivity. A strong correlation was found between the cytotoxicity of the constructs and substituents R and R′ on the aromatic rings of the trityl linker.
Parameters for which the Lawrence–Krammer representation is reducible

We show that the representation, introduced by Lawrence and Krammer to show the linearity of the braid group, is generically irreducible. However, for some values of its two parameters when these are specialized to complex numbers, it becomes reducible. We construct a representation of degree n(n−1)/2 of the BMW algebra of type A_(n−1). As a representation of the braid group on n strands, it is equivalent to the Lawrence–Krammer representation where the two parameters of the BMW algebra are related to those appearing in the Lawrence–Krammer representation. We give the values of the parameters for which the representation is reducible and give the proper invariant subspaces in some cases. We use this representation to show that for these special values of the parameters, the BMW algebra of type A_(n−1) is not semisimple.
Ferroelectric materials for electromechanical transducer applications

Abstract This paper explores the special characteristics of ferroelectric materials which make them highly suitable for application as both sensors and actuators in electromechanical (smart) systems. The domain structure which gives the possibility to impart a polar axis in a randomly axed polycrystal ceramic is essential for piezoelectricity, but all electromechanical behavior may be traced ultimately to the electrostrictive coupling between polarization and strain fields. Topics to be discussed will include: (1) the special advantages of materials in the lead zirconate:lead titanate solid solution systems for both sensing and actuation; (2) domain and phase switching contributions to electrical, mechanical and coupled responses; (3) scaling effects in ferroics and the origins of the relaxor ferroelectric behavior of electrostrictive ceramics; (4) composite polymer:ceramic systems and the maneuverability engendered by phase connectivity control.
Alternative Splicing of RNA Triplets Is Often Regulated and Accelerates Proteome Evolution

Thousands of human genes contain introns ending in NAGNAG (N any nucleotide), where both NAGs can function as 3' splice sites, yielding isoforms that differ by inclusion/exclusion of three bases. However, few models exist for how such splicing might be regulated, and some studies have concluded that NAGNAG splicing is purely stochastic and nonfunctional. Here, we used deep RNA-Seq data from 16 human and eight mouse tissues to analyze the regulation and evolution of NAGNAG splicing. Using both biological and technical replicates to estimate false discovery rates, we estimate that at least 25% of alternatively spliced NAGNAGs undergo tissue-specific regulation in mammals, and alternative splicing of strongly tissue-specific NAGNAGs was 10 times as likely to be conserved between species as was splicing of non-tissue-specific events, implying selective maintenance. Preferential use of the distal NAG was associated with distinct sequence features, including a more distal location of the branch point and presence of a pyrimidine immediately before the first NAG, and alteration of these features in a splicing reporter shifted splicing away from the distal site. Strikingly, alignments of orthologous exons revealed a ∼15-fold increase in the frequency of three base pair gaps at 3' splice sites relative to nearby exon positions in both mammals and in Drosophila. Alternative splicing of NAGNAGs in human was associated with dramatically increased frequency of exon length changes at orthologous exon boundaries in rodents, and a model involving point mutations that create, destroy, or alter NAGNAGs can explain both the increased frequency and biased codon composition of gained/lost sequence observed at the beginnings of exons. This study shows that NAGNAG alternative splicing generates widespread differences between the proteomes of mammalian tissues, and suggests that the evolutionary trajectories of mammalian proteins are strongly biased by the locations and phases of the introns that interrupt coding sequences.
Faraday Rotation Measures in the Parsec-Scale Jets of the Radio Galaxies M87, 3C 111, and 3C 120

Parsec-scale Faraday rotation measure (RM) maps are presented for the radio galaxies M87, 3C 111, and 3C 120. These Very Long Baseline Array observations were made at 8, 12, and 15 GHz. M87 has an extreme RM distribution that varies from -4000 rad m-2 to more than 9000 rad m-2 across a projected distance of 0.3 pc in its jet. M87 has no polarized flux closer than 17 mas from the core. 3C 111 and 3C 120 both show polarized emission in their cores that is consistent with the expectations of unified schemes for these broad-line radio galaxies. 3C 111 has an RM gradient that increases from ~-200 rad m-2 4 mas from the core to ~-750 rad m-2 on the side of the jet closest to the core. 3C 120 has a more moderate RM distribution in the jet of approximately 100 rad m-2, but this increases by an order of magnitude in the core.
Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulation of Surface Heterogeneity in Graphite Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries: Passive Layer Formation

The properties and chemical composition of the solid-electrolyte-interface (SEI) layer have been a subject of intense research due to their importance in the safety, capacity fade, and cycle life of Li-ion secondary batteries. Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulation is applied to explore the formation of the passive SEI layer in the tangential direction of the lithium-ion intercalation in a graphite anode. The simulations are found to consistent with observations in the literature that the active surface coverage decreases with time slowly in the initial stages of the battery operation, and then decreases rapidly. The effects of operating parameters such as the exchange current density and temperature on the formation of the passive SEI layer are investigated. The active surface coverage at the end of each charging cycle was initially lower at higher temperature, but remained constant for more cycles. The temperature that optimizes the active surface in a lithium-ion battery at Cycle 1 can result in less active surface area for most of the battery life.
The state of Health in All policies (HiAP) in the European Union: potential and pitfalls

Health in All Policies (HiAP) was formally legitimated as a European Union (EU) approach in 2006. It resulted from more long-term efforts to enhance action on considering health and health policy implications of other policies, as well as recognition that European-level policies affect health systems and scope for health-related regulation at national level. However, implementation of HiAP has remained a challenge. European-level efforts to use health impact assessment to benefit public health and health systems have not become strengthened by the new procedures. And, as a result of the Lisbon Treaty, European-level policy-making is expected to become more important in shaping national policies. HiAP has at European level remained mostly as rhetoric, but legitimate health arguments and provides policy space for health articulation within EU policy-making. HiAP is a broader approach than health impact assessment and at European level requires consideration of mechanisms that recognise the nature of European policy-making, as well as extending from administrative tools to increased transparency, accountability and scope for health and health policy-related arguments within political decision-making in the EU.
Would People Behave Differently If They Better Understood Social Security? Evidence From a Field Experiment

Abstract This paper presents the results of a randomized field experiment that provided information about key Social Security features to older workers. The experiment was designed to examine whether it is possible to affect individual behavior using a relatively inexpensive informational intervention about the provisions of a public program and to explore the mechanisms underlying the behavior change. We find that our relatively mild intervention (sending an informational brochure and an invitation to a web-tutorial) increased labor force participation one year later by 4 percentage points relative to the control group mean of 74 percent. (JEL C93, D12, H55)
KILOPARSEC-SCALE SPATIAL OFFSETS IN DOUBLE-PEAKED NARROW-LINE ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI. I. MARKERS FOR SELECTION OF COMPELLING DUAL ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS CANDIDATES

Merger-remnant galaxies with kiloparsec (kpc) scale separation dual active galactic nuclei (AGNs) should be widespread as a consequence of galaxy mergers and triggered gas accretion onto supermassive black holes, yet very few dual AGNs have been observed. Galaxies with double-peaked narrow AGN emission lines in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) are plausible dual AGN candidates, but their double-peaked profiles could also be the result of gas kinematics or AGN-driven outflows and jets on small or large scales. To help distinguish between these scenarios, we have obtained spatial profiles of the AGN emission via follow-up long-slit spectroscopy of 81 double-peaked narrow-line AGNs in SDSS at 0.03 ≤ z ≤ 0.36 using Lick, Palomar, and MMT Observatories. We find that all 81 systems exhibit double AGN emission components with ~kpc projected spatial separations on the sky (0.2 h^(–1)_(70) kpc < Δx < 5.5 h^(–1)_(70) kpc; median Δx = 1.1 h^(–1)_(70) kpc), which suggests that they are produced by kiloparsec-scale dual AGNs or kiloparsec-scale outflows, jets, or rotating gaseous disks. Further, the objects split into two subpopulations based on the spatial extent of the double emission components and the correlation between projected spatial separations and line-of-sight velocity separations. These results suggest that the subsample (58^(+5)_(–6)%) of the objects with spatially compact emission components may be preferentially produced by dual AGNs, while the subsample (42^(+6)_(–5)%) with spatially extended emission components may be preferentially produced by AGN outflows. We also find that for 32^(+8)_(–6)% of the sample the two AGN emission components are preferentially aligned with the host galaxy major axis, as expected for dual AGNs orbiting in the host galaxy potential. Our results both narrow the list of possible physical mechanisms producing the double AGN components, and suggest several observational criteria for selecting the most promising dual AGN candidates from the full sample of double-peaked narrow-line AGNs. Using these criteria, we determine the 17 most compelling dual AGN candidates in our sample.
The Importance of Group Coverage: How Tax Policy Shaped U.S. Health Insurance.

In 1954, the Internal Revenue Service stipulated that employer contributions to the health insurance plans of their employees were to be excluded from employee taxable income. Today, the tax subsidy is major feature of the U.S. health care market. This paper examines the initial effects of the tax subsidy on the demand for health insurance using previously unexamined data from 1953 and 1958. Results suggest that the tax subsidy increased the growth of group insurance, particularly among union members and employed persons. This is a critical effect because group insurance is not only less expensive than individual insurance, but it is also easier to obtain, and households with access to group health insurance are far more likely to purchase health insurance coverage than those without similar access. By increasing access to group insurance, the tax subsidy fostered an increase in the purchase of group health insurance by people who may not have purchased individual coverage, and generated institutional change as it cemented an employment-based system of group health insurance in the United States.
INTERPOLATING MASKED WEAK-LENSING SIGNAL WITH KARHUNEN-LOÈVE ANALYSIS

We explore the utility of Karhunen-Lo?ve (KL) analysis in solving practical problems in the analysis of gravitational shear surveys. Shear catalogs from large-field weak-lensing surveys will be subject to many systematic limitations, notably incomplete coverage and pixel-level masking due to foreground sources. We develop a method to use two-dimensional KL eigenmodes of shear to interpolate noisy shear measurements across masked regions. We explore the results of this method with simulated shear catalogs, using statistics of high-convergence regions in the resulting map. We find that the KL procedure not only minimizes the bias due to masked regions in the field, it also reduces spurious peak counts from shape noise by a factor of ~3 in the cosmologically sensitive regime. This indicates that KL reconstructions of masked shear are not only useful for creating robust convergence maps from masked shear catalogs, but also offer promise of improved parameter constraints within studies of shear peak statistics.
Unitary Interpolants and Factorization Indices of Matrix Functions

Abstract For an n×n bounded matrix function Φ we study unitary interpolants U, i.e., unitary-valued functions U such that U(j)=Φ(j), j
Axes in Outer Space

The authors develop a notion of axis in the Culler-Vogtmann outer space $\mathcal{X}_r$ of a finite rank free group $F_r$, with respect to the action of a nongeometric, fully irreducible outer automorphism $\phi$. Unlike the situation of a loxodromic isometry acting on hyperbolic space, or a pseudo-Anosov mapping class acting on Teichmuller space, $\mathcal{X}_r$ has no natural metric, and $\phi$ seems not to have a single natural axis. Instead these axes for $\phi$, while not unique, fit into an ""axis bundle"" $\mathcal{A}_\phi$ with nice topological properties: $\mathcal{A}_\phi$ is a closed subset of $\mathcal{X}_r$ proper homotopy equivalent to a line, it is invariant under $\phi$, the two ends of $\mathcal{A}_\phi$ limit on the repeller and attractor of the source-sink action of $\phi$ on compactified outer space, and $\mathcal{A}_\phi$ depends naturally on the repeller and attractor. The authors propose various definitions for $\mathcal{A}_\phi$, each motivated in different ways by train track theory or by properties of axes in Teichmuller space, and they prove their equivalence.
The homotopy category of N-complexes is a homotopy category

We show that the category of \(N\)-complexes has a Strom model structure, meaning the weak equivalences are the chain homotopy equivalences. This generalizes the analogous result for the category of chain complexes (\(N = 2\)). The trivial objects in the model structure are the contractible \(N\)-complexes which we necessarily study and derive several results.
Dynamic skin triangulation

This paper describes an algorithm for maintaining an approximating triangulation of a deforming surface in R3. The triangulation adapts dynamically to changing shape, curvature, and topology of the surface.
Interpretation of a Long-Term In Situ Borehole Test in a Deep Salt Formation

Long-term in situ measurements of volume change were carried out in a borehole test drilled in a salt formation 6,000 ft (1,850 m) deep. Well closures were monitored through a total period of 11 months. Three different pressures equal to 3,000 psi (20.7 MPa), 2,200 psi (15.2 MPa), and 1,300 psi (9.0 MPa) were induced in the well; each pressure level was maintained constant for an approximate period of 3½ months while well closures were measured on a daily basis. Test measurements indicated rather conclusively that steady-state creep does not develop around the well. Therefore a time-hardening expression like the power law will represent the creep phenomena of salt better than other empirical relationships that include “steady-state creep” terms. Test measurements also indicate that the decelerating of creep deformations around the opening depended on the magnitude of the shear stress level applied to the salt mass (difference between the overburden pressure and the internal pressure of the well). Thus the parameter n in the empirical power law is not a constant for all stress levels; the magnitude of n is larger for higher shear stress levels. A finite element analysis was carried out to simulate the behavior of the salt mass around the borehole opening. The power law was used as the material creep model, and creep parameters obtained from test measurements were used in the analysis. The results from this analysis reproduced fairly closely the behavior of the salt materials measured in the test. Finally, a non-dimensional analysis of the power law relationship, resulted in a definition of constant parameter K, which turned out to be dependent on the time units used in the power law equation.
The value of SmartMoney's stock recommendations

We examine the value of expert picks published by SmartMoney, a popular investment periodical. Most can be described as ‘hot’ stocks – those that have experienced run-ups in price before publication. However, these stocks subsequently underperform the market by 0.45% per month in the 6-month post-publication period. We also observe that market risk-adjusted abnormal returns (AR) are −1.18% per month over the same time period, which is significantly below expectations. Results suggest SmartMoney’s recommendations have negative value to its subscribers.
On finite alphabet compressive sensing

This paper considers the problem of compressive sensing over a finite alphabet, where the finite alphabet may be inherent to the nature of the data or a result of quantization. We show that there are significant benefits to analyzing the problem while incorporating its finite alphabet nature, versus ignoring it and employing a conventional real alphabet based toolbox. Specifically, when the alphabet is finite, our techniques have a lower sample complexity compared to real-valued compressive sensing for low levels of sparsity, facilitate constructive designs of sensing matrices based on coding-theoretic techniques, and allow for lesser amount of data storage.
In Situ Fluorescence Imaging of Localized Corrosion with a pH-Sensitive Imaging Fiber

A fiber-optic pH-imaging sensor array capable of both visualizing remote corrosion sites and measuring local chemical concentrations at these sites was applied to real-time corrosion monitoring. The imaging fiber's distal face, containing an immobilized pH-sensitive fluorescent dye, was brought into contact with metal surfaces submerged in aqueous buffers and fluorescence images were acquired as a function of time. Heterogeneous fluorescence signals were observed due to both pH increases at cathodic surface sites and pH decreases at anodic surface sites. These fluorescence signals showed both localization and rates of corrosion activity. Three corrosion processes were investigated, galvanic corrosion at a copper/aluminum interface and crevice corrosion and pitting at a stainless steel surface. The spatial resolution of the technique was limited by proton/hydroxide diffusion and the diameter of the individually clad optical fibers comprising the imaging bundle.
Self‐avoiding walks over adaptive unstructured grids

In this paper, we present self-avoiding walks as a novel technique to “linearize” a triangular mesh. Unlike space-filling curves which are based on a geometric embedding, our algorithm is combinatorial since it uses the mesh connectivity only. We also show how the concept can be easily modified for adaptive grids that are generated in a hierarchical manner based on a set of simple rules, and made amenable for efficient parallelization. The proposed approach should be very useful in the run-time partitioning and load balancing of adaptive unstructured grids.
Soft Computing in Design and Manufacturing of Advanced Materials

The goal of this paper is to show the potential of fuzzy sets and neural networks, often referred to as soft computing, for aiding in all aspects of manufacturing of advanced materials like ceramics. In design and manufacturing of advanced materials it is desirable to find which of the many processing variables contribute most to the desired properties of the material. There is also interest in real-time quality control of parameters that govern material properties during processing stages. This paper briefly introduces the concepts of fuzzy sets and neural networks and shows how they can be used in the design and manufacturing processes. These two computational methods are alternatives to other methods such as the Taguchi method. The two methods are demonstrated by using data collected at NASA Lewis Research Center. Future research directions are also discussed
An Infrared Einstein Ring in the Gravitational Lens PG 1115+080*

Hubble Space Telescope observations of the gravitational lens PG 1115+080 in the infrared show the known zl = 0.310 lens galaxy and reveal the zs = 1.722 quasar host galaxy. The main lens galaxy G is a nearly circular (ellipticity < 0.07) elliptical galaxy with a de Vaucouleurs profile and an effective radius of Re = 059 ? 006 (1.7 ? 0.2 h-1 kpc for ?0 = 1 and h = H0/100 km s-1 Mpc-1). G is part of a group of galaxies that is a required component of all successful lens models. The new quasar and lens positions (3 mas uncertainty) yield constraints for these models that are statistically degenerate, but several conclusions are firmly established. (1) The principal lens galaxy is an elliptical galaxy with normal structural properties, lying close to the fundamental plane for its redshift. (2) The potential of the main lens galaxy is nearly round, even when not constrained by the small ellipticity of the light of this galaxy. (3) All models involving two mass distributions place the group component near the luminosity-weighted centroid of the brightest nearby group members. (4) All models predict a time delay ratio rABC 1.3. (5) Our lens models predict H0 = 44 ? 4 km s-1 Mpc-1 if the lens galaxy contains dark matter and has a flat rotation curve and H0 = 65 ? 5 km s-1 Mpc-1 if it has a constant mass-to-light ratio. (6) Any dark halo of the main lens galaxy must be truncated near 15 (4 h-1 kpc) before the inferred H0 rises above ~60 km s-1 Mpc-1. (7) The quasar host galaxy is lensed into an Einstein ring connecting the four quasar images, whose shape is reproduced by the models. Improved near-infrared camera multiobject spectrograph (NICMOS) imaging of the ring could be used to break the degeneracy of the lens models.
Separation of dideoxyribonucleosides in trace amounts by automated liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis

No satisfactory high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method is currently available for the separation of the major dideoxyribonucleosides (ddNs) and their derivatives. A method involving HPLC has been developed for the separation of five major ddNs [ddA, ddC, ddI, azT and 2',3'-dideoxy-2',3'-didehydrothymidine (d4T)]. Elution of the common and modified components of DNA was also examined under the selected separation conditions of HPLC. The elution characteristics of these compounds were studied using serum plasma samples spiked with ddN derivatives. In addition, capillary electrophoresis (CE) was investigated for the separation of ddNs and their derivatives. Picomolar amounts of the five major ddNs and the metabolic product of azT [5'-O-glucuronide-3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (Glo-azT)] were satisfactorily resolved in 10 min by using a modification of CE. The spectral properties of the ddNs were characterized under different pH conditions and compared with those of their parent deoxyribonucleosides (dNs) because these compounds are commonly measured in HPLC by their spectral properties. The spectra of ddC and ddT derivatives resemble very closely those of dC and dT, but those of ddA and ddI differ to some extent from their parent dNs. The HPLC method was extensively examined for satisfactory resolutions of these compounds. For example, an isocratic elution method, although simple, failed to resolve these compounds and ion-pair chromatography did not offer any advantage. Gradient elution involving buffered solutions and increasing amounts of an organic modifier yielded satisfactory results. Methanol appeared to be the organic modifier of choice. A reversed-phase matrix with smaller than octadecyl alkyl chains did not produce the necessary interactions. Uniform spherical beads of smaller diameter produced superior resolutions. The separation of these compounds on three commercially available columns is discussed. The separation of human plasma samples spiked with dideoxynucleoside derivatives by HPLC was accomplished in ca. 16 min. The presence of the dNs did not interfere in their separations.
A unified theory of shared memory consistency

The traditional assumption about memory is that a read returns the value written by the most recent write. However, in a shared memory multiprocessor several processes independently and simultaneously submit reads and writes resulting in a partial order of memory operations. In this partial order, the definition of most recent write may be ambiguous. Memory consistency models have been developed to specify what values may be returned by a read given that memory operations may only be partially ordered. Before this work, consistency models were defined independently. Each model followed a set of rules which was separate from the rules of every other model. In our work, we have defined a set of four consistency properties. Any subset of the four properties yields a set of rules which constitute a consistency model. Every consistency model previously described in the literature can be defined based on our four properties. Therefore, we present these properties as a unfied theory of shared memory consistency.Our unified theory provides several benefits. First, we claim that these four properties capture the underlying structure of memory consistency. That is, the goal of memory consistency is to ensure certain declarative properties which can be intuitively understood by a programmer, and hence allow him or her to write a correct program. Our unified theory provides a uniform, formal definition of all previously described consistency models, and in addition some combinations of properties produce new models that have not yet been described. We believe these new models will prove to be useful because they are based on declarative properties which programmers desire to be enforced. Finally, we introduce the idea of selecting a consistency model as an on-line activity. Before our work, a shared memory program would run start to finish under a single consistency model. Our unified theory allows the consistency model to change as the program runs while maintaining a consistent definition of what values may be returned by each read.
A Model of Asymmetric Employer Learning With Testable Implications

This paper helps close the gap between theory and empirical evidence in the literature on asymmetric employer learning. If an employer's private learning is reflected in a worker's wage and one employer's private information is transmitted to the next when the worker makes a job-to-job transition, then asymmetric employer learning will appear in wage regressions as learning over an employment spell. Extending previous work that assumes all learning takes place publicly, this paper develops wage regressions that test for both asymmetric employer learning and public learning. The empirical results, including tests of alternative explanations, are consistent with asymmetric employer learning's having at least as much of an effect on wages during an employment spell as does public learning. The model developed in this paper illustrates how the story suggested by the empirical work might unfold. It shows that outside firms can profitably compete with a better-informed employer through bidding wars, even when the worker is equally productive in all firms. Furthermore, this competition results in different wages for workers with the same publicly observable characteristics, a result that previous models of asymmetric learning have not produced. Copyright , Wiley-Blackwell.
Framing online promotions: shipping price inflation and deal value perceptions

Purpose – This research seeks to examine differences in perceived shipping charge inflation associated with online promotions presented as reducing base product price, reducing shipping surcharge, or reducing all‐inclusive price and its impact on deal values for shipping charge skeptics and non‐skeptics.Design/methodology/approach – Drawing from research on multi‐component pricing and mental accounting, a laboratory experiment investigates if shipping charge skeptics differ in their perceptions of shipping charge inflation for different presentations of online promotions from non‐skeptics, and if they differ in perceived deal value of economically equivalent promotions presented as reduced product price, reduced shipping charge promotion, or reduced all‐inclusive price for high and low priced items with small or large shipping fees at retail websites.Findings – Analyses show that shipping charge skeptics differ from non‐skeptics in their perceptions of shipping charge inflation and deal values for differe...
On some aspects of the management of a stochastically developing forest

Abstract In this paper I focus on some important biological aspects of the forest management problem. I model a stochastically developing forest as a multi-dimensional, continuous-time Markov chain. Next, I pose three questions concerning the long-run characteristics of a stationary forest, the stochastic process followed by dying species, and the age of an arbitrary species in the forest. I then (a) characterize a stationary forest probabilistically, (b) describe the stochastic process governing the demise of species in this forest, and (c) provide a method for determining the age of an arbitrary species in the forest. Finally, I discuss the forest management implications of the issues raised in this paper.
Castles in the air revisited

We show that the total number of faces bounding any one cell in an arrangement ofn (d?1)-simplices in ?d isO(nd?1 logn), thus almost settling a conjecture of Pach and Sharir. We present several applications of this result, mainly to translational motion planning in polyhedral environments. We than extend our analysis to derive other results on complexity in arrangements of simplices. For example, we show that in such an arrangement the total number of vertices incident to the same cell on more than one "side" isO(nd?1 logn). We, also show that the number of repetitions of a "k-flap," formed by intersectingd?k given simplices, along the boundary of the same cell, summed over all cells and allk-flaps, isO(nd?1 log2n). We use this quantity, which we call theexcess of the arrangement, to derive bounds on the complexity ofm distinct cells of such an arrangement.
THE JONES POLYNOMIAL AND BOUNDARY SLOPES OF ALTERNATING KNOTS

We show for an alternating knot the minimal boundary slope of an essential spanning surface is given by the signature plus twice the minimum degree of the Jones polynomial and the maximal boundary slope of an essential spanning surface is given by the signature plus twice the maximum degree of the Jones polynomial. For alternating Montesinos knots, these are the minimal and maximal boundary slopes.
Preliminary design of a space propulsion system utilizing stored thermal energy

A space propulsion system utilizing stored thermal energy is analyzed with emphasis on the preliminary design of the heat exchanger and on the general performance of engines incorporating this concept. A highenergy propellant is developed by heat transfer from a phase-change material (Si) to a low-density gas (H2) through a concentric cylinder heat exchanger. The phase-change material is heated by a radioisotope (PoGd) over a period of time which is significantly longer than the firing time. It is shown that such an engine can most efficiently operate just above and just below a propellant flow regime defined by gradual flow transition in the heat exchanger. Two designs are developed to illustrate each distinct operating scenario. A 10-N engine utilizing laminar flow is shown to be an attractive alternative to chemical and electric systems for the maneuvering of a vehicle in the vicinity of a larger space structure. A 450-N engine utilizing primarily turbulent heat transfer is shown to be an alternative to other systems for orbit transfer. Rapid cooling of the thermal storage material in the entrance region of the heat exchanger, which can be mitigated by varying the flow area or increasing the length of the engine, is a primary limitation on an engine utilizing thermal storage.
Comparative Study of Selected Coupling Reagents in Dipeptide Synthesis

Abstract A comparative study of the effectiveness of selected coupling reagents in dipeptide synthesis was conducted. Included in the study were a new coupling reagent, pentafluorophenyl diphenylphosphinate (FDPP, 1), benzotriazol-1-yl-oxytris(dimethylamino) phosphonium hexafluorophosphate (BOP, 2), 2-(1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate (HBTU, 3), and isobutyl chloroformate (IBCF, 4). We found that BOP (2) afforded the highest yields and lowest limits of racemization.
Voltage stabilization in microgrids via quadratic droop control

Motivated by the growing interest in energy technology and smart grid architectures, we consider the problem of voltage stability and reactive power balancing in low-voltage electrical networks equipped with DC/AC inverters (“microgrids”). It is generally believed that high-voltage equilibria of such networks are stable, but the locations of these equilibria are unknown, as is the critical network load where stability is lost. Inspired by the “control by interconnection” paradigm developed for port-Hamiltonian systems, we propose a novel droop-like inverter controller which is quadratic in the local voltage magnitude. Remarkably, under this controller the closed-loop network is again a well-posed electrical circuit. We find that the equilibria of the quadratic droop-controlled network are in exact correspondence with the solutions of a reduced power flow equation. For general network topologies, we study some simple yet insightful solutions of this equation, and for the frequently-encountered case of a parallel microgrid, we present a concise and closed-form condition for the existence of an exponentially stable high-voltage network equilibrium. Our condition establishes the existence of a critical inductive load for the network, which depends only on the network topology, admittances, and controller gains. We compare and contrast our design with the conventional droop controller, investigate the relationship between the two, and validate the robustness of our design through simulation.
Seleniranium Ion-Triggered Reactions: New Aspects of Friedel−Crafts and N-Detosylative Cyclizations

Seleniranium ions at low temperatures (-90 to -78 °C) will initiate effective Friedel-Carfts cyclization if a suitably placed arene is allowed to react even when the arene is unactivated. These intermediates generated from N-aryl-N-tosylamides, undergo a novel, surprisingly efficient, detosylative cyclization to form 5- or 6-membered nitrogen heterocycles. A debenzylation route is preferred if both benzyl and tosyl groups are present in the substrate.
Knee-jerk formalism: The higher education reports

The United States has made a major effort to understand and improve its schools over the past few years. In 1983, The National Commission on Excellence in Education alleged that the decline in the quality of education “had put the nation at risk.” This was followed by a half dozen reports telling us how to rejuvenate American education, and through it, American society. At first the reports focused on primary and secondary education, but late in 1984 the first of a number of reports on higher education appeared (Study Group on the Conditions of Excellence in American Higher Education, 1984). Though all reports touched on a variety of education issues and had different emphases, they shared a deep faith in the power of education to improve society. Anyone familiar with the research in education over the past fifty years knows how misplaced this faith is. Study after study has revealed that education has little causal impact in its own right. The main finding in educational research is that causation flows from society to education not the other way around. This does not mean that education does not count or that it does not have potential for improving itself or society. Education certainly helped American power groups create the American nation state, diffuse ethnicreligious tension, and provide mobility and legitimation for America’s middle and upper middle classes (Tyack, 1976). But however useful to America’s various elites, education has consistently failed to solve such problems as unemployment, poverty, delinquency, and declining industrial competitiveness. This perspective on education can be illustrated by the relation between health and medicine. The medical establishment did not cause the better health of the American people, which came from better food, water, and sanitation (McKeown, 1976; Powles, 1980). This does not mean that doctors are not useful nor that we should stop trying to improve our health-care system. And medical education can certainly be improved (fewer years, fewer specialists, more attention to the patient as a total being). But if we
Improved parameter estimation by noise compensation in the time-scale domain

It was shown recently that parameter estimation can be performed directly in the time-scale domain by isolating regions wherein the prediction error can be attributed to the error of individual dynamic model parameters [1]. Based on these single-parameter equations of the prediction error, individual model parameters error can be estimated for iterative parameter estimation. An added benefit of this parameter estimation method, besides its unique convergence characteristics, is the added capacity for direct noise compensation in the time-scale domain. This paper explores this benefit by introducing a noise compensation method that estimates the distortion by noise of the prediction error in the time-scale domain and incorporates that as a confidence factor to bias the estimation of individual parameters error. This method is shown to improve the precision of the estimated parameters when the confidence factors accurately represent the noise distortion of the prediction error.
Magnetic complexity in eruptive solar active regions and associated eruption parameters

[1] Using an efficient magnetic complexity index in the active-region solar photosphere, we quantify the preflare strength of the photospheric magnetic polarity inversion lines in 23 eruptive active regions with flare/CME/ICME events tracked all the way from the Sun to the Earth. We find that active regions with more intense polarity inversion lines host statistically stronger flares and faster, more impulsively accelerated, CMEs. No significant correlation is found between the strength of the inversion lines and the flare soft X-ray rise times, the ICME transit times, and the peak Dst indices of the induced geomagnetic storms. Corroborating these and previous results, we speculate on a possible interpretation for the connection between source active regions, flares, and CMEs. Further work is needed to validate this concept and uncover its physical details.
Collaborative Relay Beamforming for Secure Broadcasting

In this paper, collaborative use of relays to form a beamforming system with the aid of perfect channel state information (CSI) and to provide communication in physical-layer security between a transmitter and two receivers is investigated. In particular, we describe decode-and-forward based null space beamforming schemes and optimize the relay weights jointly to obtain the largest secrecy rate region. Furthermore, the optimality of the proposed schemes is investigated by comparing them with the outer bound secrecy rate region.
Preferential decarboxylation of diazonium carboxylates in the thiophene series. The first conclusive evidence for the coupling of unsubstituted thiophenediazonium salts with β-naphthol

Abstract Preferential decarboxylation has been clearly established with the diazonium carboxylate 1 , and evidence has been provided for the preliminary loss of CO 2 from the diazonium carboxylate 5 . The resulting unsubstituted diazonium salts have been successfully coupled with β-naphthol.
The synthesis of substituted (4S)-4-(hydroxymethyl)imidazolidin-2-ones as novel protein kinase C modulators

Abstract The total synthesis of substituted (4S)-4-(hydroxymethyl)imidazolidin-2-ones from D-serine methyl ester is described. The key step in the synthesis is a reductive amination reaction which is brought about using titanium(IV) isopropoxide and sodium cyanoborohydride, followed by the cyclization to urea using triphosgene after deprotection.
Analytic Forms of the Perpendicular Diffusion Coefficient in Magnetostatic Turbulence

Recently, a nonlinear theory for perpendicular diffusion of charged particles was presented. This theory is called the nonlinear guiding center theory and provides an integral equation for the perpendicular mean free path. In this paper we consider analytical solutions of this equation in the case of magnetostatic turbulence. The resulting formulas for the perpendicular mean free path are discussed. We also compare these new results with results of the quasi-linear theory for parallel diffusion and with observational results.
Hyperfine fields at impurity sites in iron

Abstract Controversy has recently revived concerning the correlation of hyperfine fields at impurity atom sites in ferromagnetic iron with atomic volume or with valence. Using a scheme to normalize to the free atom hyperfine field, we inspect the correlations of volume, valence and electronegativity with new normalized values.
Core–Shell Assembled Nanoparticles as Catalysts

The deliberate tailoring of nanoparticles supported on oxides, dispersed in dendrimers and encapsulated in monolayer shells could lead to novel catalytic applications. The study of core–shell assembled gold or alloy nanoparticles for electrocatalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide and methanol stems, in part, from recent insights in core–shell reactivities and, in part, from surprising findings of catalytic activities of oxide-supported gold nanoparticles. Monolayer-encapsulated metallic nanoparticles serve as intriguing model building blocks towards catalysts. Whether such core–shell nanoparticles can in general be developed into aggregation- and poison-resistant catalysts of high catalytic activities rests with our capabilities in catalytic activation and structural manipulation.
Sahel rainfall in multimodel CMIP5 decadal hindcasts

This study assesses the capability of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) decadal hindcasts to represent Sahel rainfall and a relative sea surface temperature (SST) index (RSI). The RSI measures the relative difference between subtropical North Atlantic SST and tropical SST and is highly correlated with Sahel rainfall. Ten year predictions from 15 models initialized every 5 years (six initialized every year) beginning in 1960 are evaluated. The hindcasts show increased decadal variability compared to the uninitialized historical simulations, with a larger magnitude drought and smaller RSI in the 1970s and 1980s. The multimodel ensemble mean shows skillful predictions that are more accurate than persistence and historical simulations. Models that were able to realistically simulate the correlation between the RSI and Sahel rainfall in uninitialized historical simulations produced more skillful decadal hindcasts of Sahel rainfall as these models were able to successfully translate the SST that was improved through initialization to more skillful Sahel rainfall predictions.
Expedient access to α,β-difunctionalized azepenes using α-halo eneformamides: application to the one-pot synthesis of 2-benzazepanes

The regioselective synthesis of α,β-difunctionalized (alkenyl, aryl, sulfonyl, allyl, or alkynyl) azepenes has been accomplished through α-halo eneformamides. A successful implementation of the vicinal functionalization strategy has led to a one-pot synthesis of 2-benzazepanes whose benzenoid portion is highly functionalized.
Phonon-drag thermoelectric power in high magnetic fields in heterojunctions

Abstract A theory is presented for the low-temperature phonon-drag thermopower S xx in a strong magnetic field. Gigantic quantum oscillations (much larger than electron-diffusion contributions) are obtained. The temperature and field dependences of S xx agree well with recent data in GaAs/Al x Ga 1− x As heterojunctions. Effects of localized states on S xx are discussed.
Supersymmetry and localization

We study conditions under which an odd symmetry of the integrand leads to localization of the corresponding integral over a (super)manifold. We also show that in many cases these conditions guarantee exactness of the stationary phase approximation of such integrals.