cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Techniques And Applications Of Nonlinear Processing With Halftones

Optical analog systems which are capable of doing nonlinear processing have potential application in several areas including equidensitometry and analog-to-digital conversion. One approach to nonlinear optical processing is derived from the idea of halftone printing. This approach to nonlinear processing requires custommade halftone screens. It is important to be able to produce such screens accurately and reproducibly. This paper describes a technique of making a binary-coded halftone screen. The desired continuous-tone screen is obtained as an aerial image by spatial filtering the binary mask. Techniques of microlithography have been advanced to such a state that it is possible to produce binary masks which cannot be adequately imaged by lenses. This paper discusses a method of circumventing this limitation. This is done by a means of self-imaging which incorporates the equivalent of low-pass spatial filtering.
Revitalizing the US Trade Agenda in Latin America: Building on the FTA Platform

The United States has invested heavily in the negotiation, approval and implementation of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with 12 countries in the Americas. This existing FTA platform should be the starting point to build a more enduring economic engagement with the region, one that would enhance the market-based opportunities that have allowed for the creation of a middle class in Latin America. This group is essential not only to reduction in poverty and inequality but also to political stability and support for democracy. The FTA platform can and should be improved and revitalized through a new trade policy aimed at (i) extending the current platform by finalizing pending FTAs and providing for its potential expansion in the future, (ii) making the FTA platform fully operational, (iii) integrating all of the pieces of the FTA platform into a unified whole, (iv) expanding the universe of those who benefit from the FTA platform while minimizing transitional costs and (v) strengthening the foundations on which the FTA platform is based. Trade is a key component of the relationship with these countries. The Obama Administration must seize the opportunity to lead the revitalization of the US partnership with the region. , Oxford University Press.
Expressions to determine temperatures and emission measures for solar X-ray events from GOES measurements

Expressions which give the effective color temperatures and corresponding emission measures for solar X-ray events observed with instruments onboard any of the GOES satellites are developed. Theoretical spectra were used to simulate the solar X-ray input at a variety of plasma temperatures. These spectra were folded through the wavelength dependent transfer functions for the two GOES detectors. The resulting detector responses and their ratio as a function of plasma temperature were then fit with simple analytic curves. Over the entire range between 5 and 30 million degrees, these fits reproduce the calculated color temperatures within 2% and the calculated emission measures within 5%. With the theoretical spectra, similar expressions for any pair of broadband X-ray detectors whose sensitivities are limited to wavelengths between 0.2 and 100 A are calculable.
Absence of species doubling in finite-element quantum electrodynamics

In this Letter, it will be demonstrated explicitly that the finite-element formulation of quantum electrodynamics is free from fermion doubling. We do this by (1) examining the lattice fermion propagator and using it to compute the one-loop vacuum polarization on the lattice, and (2) by an explict computation of vector and axial-vector current anomalies for an arbitrary rectangular lattice in the Schwinger model. There it is shown that requiring that the vector current be conserved necessitates the use of a square lattice, in which case the axial-vector current is anomalous.
The tetramethylallyl cation as a surrogate for the epoxide function as an initiator of biomimetic polyene pentacyclizations. Total synthesis of sophoradiol

The tetramethylallyl cation has proven to be an effective substitute for the epoxide as an initiator for biomimetic polyene cyclizations. This methodology was applied to the total synthesis of the pentacyclic triterpenoid sophoradiol (1) whereby the key step of the strategy involved the protic acid-catalyzed pentacyclization of tetramethylallyl alcohol 9 which furnished fluoropentacycle 11 as the major product in 31 % yield. Lewis acid-catalyzed cyclization of 9 gave the dehydrofluorinated pentacycle 12 in 50 % yield.
Hf–W, Sm–Nd, and Rb–Sr isotopic evidence of late impact fractionation and mixing of silicates on iron meteorite parent bodies

Abstract We report the first Sm–Nd and Rb–Sr isotopic analyses of silicate inclusions in four IIE iron meteorites: Miles, Weekeroo Station A and B, and Watson. We also report the Hf–W isotopic composition of a silicate inclusion from Watson and 182 W/ 184 W of the host FeNi metal in all four IIEs. The host metal in Watson has a negative ϵ W value (−2.21±0.24), similar to or higher than other iron meteorites [1,35] and consistent with segregation of metal from silicate early in solar system history. However, the large silicate inclusion in the Watson IIE iron yielded a chondritic ϵ W value (−0.50±0.55), thus indicating a lack of equilibration with the FeNi host within the practical lifetime of activity of the parent 182 Hf (∼50 Ma). One of the silicate inclusions in Miles is roughly chondritic in major-element composition, has a present-day ϵ Nd of +10.3, relatively non-radiogenic 87 Sr/ 86 Sr (0.714177±13), and a T CHUR age of 4270 Ma. Two silicate inclusions from Weekeroo Station and one from Watson exhibit fractionated Sm/Nd and Rb/Sr ratios, and more radiogenic 87 Sr/ 86 Sr (0.731639±12 to 0.791852±11) and non-radiogenic ϵ Nd values (−5.9 to −13.4). The silicate inclusion in Watson has a T CHUR age of 3040 Ma, in agreement with previously determined 4 He and 40 Ar gas retention ages, indicative of a late thermal event. A later event is implied for the two silicate inclusions in Weekeroo Station, which yield indistinguishable T CHUR ages of 698 and 705 Ma. Silicate inclusions in IIE iron meteorites formed over a period of 3 billion yr by impacts, involving an H-chondrite parent body and an FeNi metal parent body. The LILE-enriched nature of some of these silicates suggests several stages of melting, mixing, and processing. However, there is little evidence to suggest that the silicates in the IIE irons were ever in equilibrium with the host FeNi metal.
Shadow Factor Price Convergence and the Response of Chinese State-Owned Construction Enterprises to Reform

Abstract A generalized (nonminimum or shadow) cost function is used to evaluate the response of Chinese state-owned construction enterprises to economic reforms from 1985 to 1991. Generalized cost function estimates are used to calculate the variances of the shadow factor price ratios that characterize price efficiency, and these variances are regressed against reform variables to determine whether convergence took place. There is some evidence of improved technical efficiency, and competitive bidding reforms appear to have had some effect in improving factor price efficiency. However, there is no general evidence for the convergence of factor price inefficiency, and the general response to reform is either negative, insignificant, or inconsistent. J. Comp. Econom., August 1995, 21 (1), pp.54-81. University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557-0016.
Extensive serendipitous X-ray coverage of a flare star with ROSAT

We report the serendipitous discovery of a flare star observed with the ROSAT Xray observatory. From optical spectra, which show strong and variable emission lines of the hydrogen Balmer series and neutral helium, we classify this object as a M3.0Ve star, and estimate a distance of 52 pc from published photometry. Due to the star’s close proximity (13.6 ′ ) to the calibration source and RS CVn binary AR Lacertae, long term X-ray coverage is available in the ROSAT archive (�50 hours spanning 6.5 years). Two large flare events occurred early in the mission (6-7/1990), and the end of a third flare was detected in 6/1996. One flare, observed with the Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC), had a peak luminosity LX=1.1×10 30 erg s −1 , an efolding rise time of 2.2 hours and a decay time of 7 hours. This decay time is one of the longest detected on a dMe star, providing evidence for the possibility of additional heating during the decay phase. A large HRI flare (peak LX=2.9×10 30 erg s −1 ) is also studied. The “background” X-ray emission is also variable - evidence for low-level flaring or microflaring. We find that �59% of the HRI counts and �68% of the PSPC counts are due to flares. At least 41% of the HRI exposure time and 47% of the PSPC are affected by detectable flare enhancement.
Aging of geophysicists

It has been noted that for many years science has been growing at a much faster rate than most other things in society. In fact, whether we count number of people employed or papers published, until recently science has been doubling in size about every 15 years, as disclosed in the classic work by Price [1963]. Thus, science increased much faster than the growth of the general population, or of the gross national product. But as with any biological or social system, such growth rates cannot continue indefinitely. What would it mean for science if the system entered “steady state staffing” of personnel; what would it mean for geophysics? Are we entering a “steady state” of geophysics?
An algorithmic approach to loop shaping with applications to self-tuning control systems

Abstract An algorithmic approach to feedback control design is introduced. It simplifies the existing iterative design process, which is often tedious, by reducing the design problem to solving a set of linear algebraic equations. The algorithmic nature of such an approach makes it attractive to not only off-line designs but also self-tuning control systems, where the compensators are continuously tuned on-line as the dynamics of the physical process vary with time. This is demonstrated in the example where the proposed algorithm is implemented for an industrial tension regulation system with successful simulation results. Extensions of the algorithm to multi-input and multi-output systems, as well as discrete time systems, are also introduced.
Effects of damping and damping mistuning on the forced vibration response of bladed disks

Abstract The effects of blade-to-blade variations in the damping coefficients on the forced response of a bladed disk are investigated. It is found that this non-uniformity of the disk can lead to variations in the blades' amplitudes of response which are similar, in magnitude, to those obtained with stiffness mistuning but are potentially more dangerous because of the far extending large amplitude tail of the distribution. The influence of various structural parameters on the scatter of blade amplitudes is also studied. Finally, the adequacy of the combined Closed Form—Perturbation (CFP) method is demonstrated by comparison with simulation results.
Synthesis of Resource Invariants for Concurrent Programs

Owicki and Gries have developed a proof system for conditional critical regions. In their system, logically related variables accessed by more than one process are grouped together as resources, and processes are allowed access to a resource only in a critical region for that resource. Proofs of synchronization properties are constructed by devising predicates called resource invariants which describe relationships among the variables of a resource when no process is in a critical region for the resource. In constructing proofs using the system of Owicki and Gries, the programmer is required to supply the resource invariants. Methods are developed in this paper for automatically synthesizing resource invariants. Specifically, the resource invariants of a concurrent program are characterized as least fixpoints of a functional which can be obtained from the text of the program. By the use of this fixpoint characterization and a widening operator based on convex closure, good approximations may be obtained for the resource invariants of many concurrent programs.
Global parametrices and dispersive estimates for variable coefficient wave equations

In this article we consider variable coefficient time dependent wave equations in $${\mathbb {R} \times \mathbb {R}^n}$$ . Using phase space methods we construct outgoing parametrices and prove Strichartz type estimates globally in time. This is done in the context of C 2 metrics which satisfy a weak asymptotic flatness condition at infinity.
Observation of the slow, Debye-like relaxation in hydrogen-bonded liquids by dynamic light scattering

The slow, Debye-like relaxation in hydrogen-bonded liquids has largely remained a dielectric phenomenon and has thus far eluded observation by other experimental techniques. Here we report the first observation of a slow, Debye-like relaxation by both depolarized dynamic light scattering (DLS) and dielectric spectroscopy in a model hydrogen-bonded liquid, 2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole (2E4MIm). The relaxation times obtained by these two techniques are in good agreement and can be well explained by the Debye model of rotational diffusion. On the one hand, 2E4MIm is analogous to the widely studied monohydroxy alcohols in which transient chain-like supramolecular structure can be formed by hydrogen bonding. On the other hand, the hydrogen-bonded backbone of 2E4MIm is much more optically polarizable, making it possible to apply light scattering to study the dynamics of the supramolecular structure. These findings provide the missing evidence of the slow, Debye-like relaxation in DLS and open the venue for the application of dynamic light scattering to the study of supramolecular structures in hydrogen-bonded liquids.
High rate and stable cycling of lithium metal anode

Lithium metal is an ideal battery anode. However, dendrite growth and limited Coulombic efficiency during cycling have prevented its practical application in rechargeable batteries. Herein, we report that the use of highly concentrated electrolytes composed of ether solvents and the lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide salt enables the high-rate cycling of a lithium metal anode at high Coulombic efficiency (up to 99.1%) without dendrite growth. With 4 M lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide in 1,2-dimethoxyethane as the electrolyte, a lithium|lithium cell can be cycled at 10 mA cm(-2) for more than 6,000 cycles, and a copper|lithium cell can be cycled at 4 mA cm(-2) for more than 1,000 cycles with an average Coulombic efficiency of 98.4%. These excellent performances can be attributed to the increased solvent coordination and increased availability of lithium ion concentration in the electrolyte. Further development of this electrolyte may enable practical applications for lithium metal anode in rechargeable batteries.
Splitting of e2g ground state fundamentals in D2h deuterium benzenes. Tests of benzene force fields

Abstract We report supersonic jet multiphoton ionization (resonant to the 1 B 2u state) measurements of the ground state fundamental frequencies for e 2g vibrations 6 and 8 in 13 C 6 H 6 , and in para-C 6 H 4 D 2 , and para-C 6 H 2 D 4 where 6a and 6b, and 8a and 8b are not degenerate. The splittings for para-C 6 H 4 D 2 are |ω 6a -ω 6b | = 6.6±0.3, and |ω 8a -ω 8b | = 2.9±0.3 cm − ; for para-C 6 H 2 D 4 , |ω 6a -ω 6b | = 3.9±0.3, and |ω 8a -ω 8b | = 8.1 ± 0.5 cm −1 . Comparison of the measured and predicted vibrational energy separations for various force fields shows that only complete force fields (no interactive force constants neglected) can even qualitatively reproduce these splittings. Accurate reproduction of 6a–6b energy splittings by the recent Ozkabak-Goodman complete harmonic force field suggests a mechanism for Rosman and Rice's recent observations that in the 1 B 2u excited state the higher lying component of the split 6a,b vibrational level has the longer lifetime and that the lifetime difference is correlated with the splitting energy. The lifetime difference is mainly due to kinematic effects arising from harmonic features in the 1 B 2u potential surface.
Models of Quantum Turing Machines

Quantum Turing machines are discussed and reviewed in this paper. Most of the paper is concerned with processes defined by a step operator T that is used to construct a Hamiltonian H according to Feynman's prescription. Differences between these models and the models of Deutsch are discussed and reviewed. It is emphasized that the models with H constructed from T include fully quantum mechanical processes that take computation basis states into linear superpositions of these states. The requirement that T be distinct path generating is reviewed. The advantage of this requirement is that Schr{umlt o}dinger evolution under H is one dimensional along distinct finite or infinite paths of nonoverlapping states in some basis B{sub C}. It is emphasized that B{sub C} can be arbitrarily complex with extreme entanglements between states of component systems. The new aspect of quantum Turing machines introduced here is the emphasis on the structure of graphs obtained when the states in the B{sub C} paths are expanded as linear superpositions of states in a reference basis such as the computation basis B{sub C}. Examples are discussed that illustrate the main points of the paper. For one example the graph structures of the paths in B{sub C}more » expanded as states in B{sub C} include finite stage binary trees and concatenated finite stage binary trees with or without terminal infinite binary trees. Other examples are discussed in which the graph structures correspond to interferometers and iterations of interferometers.« less
The Oxidation of Secondary Alcohols to Ketones with Trichloroisocyanuric Acid

Abstract Secondary alcohols are rapidly oxidized to ketones by a solution of trichloroisocyanuric acid in acetone.
Renormalization of massive lattice fermions

Abstract The renormalization of a general action for massive lattice fermions is discussed. The analysis applies for all mqa. Preliminary results for the self energy at one loop in perturbation theory are presented.
Fermion Masses, Mixings and Proton Decay in a Randall-Sundrum Model

We consider a Randall–Sundrum model in which the Standard Model fermions and gauge bosons correspond to bulk fields. We show how the observed charged fermion masses and CKM mixings can be explained, without introducing hierarchical Yukawa couplings. We then study the impact on the mass scales associated with non-renormalizable operators responsible for proton decay, neutrino masses, and flavor changing neutral currents. Although mass scales as high as 1011–1012 GeV are in principle possible, dimensionless couplings of order 10−8 are still needed to adequately suppress proton decay. Large neutrino mixings seem to require new physics beyond the Standard Model.
Compatible transformations for a qudit decoherence-free/noiseless encoding

The interest in decoherence-free, or noiseless subsystems (DFS/NSs) of quantum systems is both of fundamental and of practical interest. Understanding the invariance of a set of states under certain transformations is mutually associated with a better understanding of some fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics as well as the practical utility of invariant subsystems. For example, DFS/NSs are potentially useful for protecting quantum information in quantum cryptography and quantum computing as well as enabling universal computation. Here we discuss transformations which are compatible with a DFS/NS that is composed of d-state systems which protect against collective noise. They are compatible in the sense that they do not take the logical (encoded) states outside of the DFS/NS during the transformation. Furthermore, it is shown that the Hamiltonian evolutions derived here can be used to perform universal quantum computation on a three qudit DFS/NS. Many of the methods used in our derivations are directly applicable to a large variety of DFS/NSs. More generally, we may also state that these transformations are compatible with collective motions.
Augmentation of protein degradation by l-triiodothyronine in uremia

Abstract To ascertain if excessive protein catabolism is a feature of uremia, we determined leucine flux and nitrogen balance in 11 stable chronic dialysis patients and in 7 normal subjects. Leucine flux was determined during primed constant infusion of 2 H 3 and 15 N leucine. Nitrogen balance was determined by measurement of nitrogen in the food, dialysate, and urine, and in the dialysis patients by correcting for the changing urea nitrogen pool. To assess if thyroid hormone adversely affects protein metabolism, the above-mentioned studies were done once in the basal state and once after a 7-day course of l -triiodothyronine (T 3 ) treatment. Leucine carbon flux (μmol/kg/min) was 1.22 ± 0.05 in the controls and 1.40 ± 0.09 in the renal patients in the basal state ( P = NS). Following T 3 treatment, leucine carbon flux was increased to 1.40 ± 0.05 and 1.72 ± 0.09, respectively, in the controls and the renal patients ( P P P = NS), and increased to 2.48 ± 0.14 and 3.44 ± 0.22, respectively, in controls and renal patients after T 3 administration ( P P 3 treatment, nitrogen output increased by 5% in the controls and by 16.4% in the renal patients ( P
A Convenient and Versatile Route to Hydroquinolines by Inter- and Intramolecular Aza-Diels-Alder Pathways.

Surprisingly, thesimplestmethodpossibleforo-azaxylyleneproduction, base-induced elimination of hydrogen chloride from amide or sulfonamide derivatives of o-(chloromethyl)aniline, has never been reported. This powerful approach provides easy and stereoselective access to polycyclic hydroquinolines, as shown for an example in Equation (1).
Numerical simulation of blast flowfields using a high resolution TVD finite volume scheme

Abstract Numerical simulations of the time-dependent behavior of the blast flow environment from an open cylindrical shock tube are presented. Results obtained using a total variation diminishing (TVD) finite-volume inviscid scheme are compared to detailed measurements made by Schmidt and Duffy. Excellent agreement with measured pressure time histories was obtained. The major features of the blast flow environment are reproduced very well. Excellent results were obtained using either a constant or highly variable (zonal) cell distribution. Sensitivity studies define the effect of various flux correction parameters on the computed results. Wave arrival, rise time, and the peak pressure value at each measurement location agree very well with data using the current form of artificial compression and dissipation parameters. The initial evolution of the vortex formation and movement was investigated. Numerical results are in very good agreement with the measurements of Schmidt and Duffy and Skews. The current numerical results verify the adequacy of using an accurate inviscid approach to describe the features of the near-field vortex flow and time evolution of blast flowfields.
Singularity formation in the Yang-Mills flow

It is shown that, for the Yang-Mills flow, a sequence of blow-ups of a rapidly forming singularity will converge, modulo the gauge group, to a non-trivial homothetically shrinking soliton. Explicit examples of homothetically shrinking solitons are given in the case of trivial bundles over Rn for \(5 \le n \le 9\).
A modular sydnone cycloaddition/Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling strategy to unsymmetrical 3,5-bis(hetero)aromatic pyrazoles

The [3 + 2] dipolar cycloaddition of 4-halosydnones with 1-haloalkynes opens a straightforward access to 3,5-dihalopyrazoles, valuable scaffolds for the elaboration of unsymmetrically 3,5-substituted pyrazole derivatives via site-selective Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. For instance, the flexible introduction of different (hetero)aryl substituents at the C-5 and C-3 positions of the PMP-protected pyrazole nucleus was achieved in a one-pot operation via sequential reactions with various boronic acids.
Crystallization kinetics of oriented polymers

The increase in the rate of polymer crystallization brought about by mechanical deformation above the polymer glass-transition temperature is examined. For flexible macromolecules, this deformation results in alignment and extension of polymer chains. By hypothesizing that the instantaneous growth rate at a given constant temperature depends uniquely on the polymer chain orientation in the surrounding melt, an explicit expression is obtained for the growth rate of a spherulite in terms of experimentally measurable quantities. Isothermal meltspinning experiments were conducted with poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) using a laboratory setup. Very large values of the total crystallinity and significantly enhanced values of the crystallization rate were generated by operating at different temperatures that straddle the temperature of maximum crystallization rate for the quiescent melt. Measured rates of crystallization do, indeed, correlate with the instantaneous amorphous orientation. Furthermore, a masterplot, independent of temperature, is obtained by normalizing the crystallization rate under spinning conditions with that under quiescent conditions. This is the first time that such data have become available, and, given the processing history, such a master plot should be of use in predicting the crystallinity levels in actual nonisothermal industrial experiments.
Tin-directed nazarov cyclizations: A versatile route to cyclopentenoids

Abstract The preparation of 1-(tri-butylstanniyl-1,4-pentadien-3-ones and their efficient Nazarov cyclizations to cyclopentenones, including a PGA analogue, are described.
Precipitation kinetics in an air-cooled aluminum alloy: A comparison of scanning and isothermal calorimetry measurement methods

Abstract The purpose of this work is to establish for the first time the equivalence of determinations of both precipitation time constants, τ , and activation energies, E act , by two calorimetric techniques: differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and differential isothermal calorimetry (DIC). To accomplish this, kinetics and energetics of precipitation in air-cooled (ACO) aluminum alloy 339 were determined by both methods, using Perkin–Elmer instruments. The ACO alloy was chosen as the subject of the study because of its calorimetric simplicity: a single precipitation exotherm dominates each DSC scan. The DSC data were analyzed using a modified Kissinger equation, from which both time constants and activation energies were derived. From differential isothermal calorimetry experiments, we determined precipitation time constants by fitting the almost exponential decay of DIC heat release curves, using analyses developed in our laboratory. Arrhenius plots of the time constants then yielded values of E act . Both activation energies and time constants from the DSC/Kissinger analysis agreed rather well with those from DIC provided DSC temperature scan rates were slow compared to the calorimeter's instrumental equilibration time (lag time). Thus, the equivalence of the DSC and DIC techniques has been established, at least for this test case.
FKN Theorem on the biased cube

In this note we consider Boolean functions dened on the discrete cubef ; 1 g n equipped with a product probability measure n , where = + 1 and = p = . We prove that if the spectrum of such a function is concentrated on the rst two Fourier levels, then the function is close to a certain function of one variable. Moreover, in the symmetric case = = 1 we prove that if
Toward personalized medicine: Does genetic diagnosis of pediatric cardiomyopathy influence patient management?

A goal of personalized medicine is to provide increasingly sophisticated, individualized approaches to management and therapy for disease. Genetics is the engine that drives personalized medicine, holding the promise of therapeutics directed toward the unique needs of each patient. The 3rd International Conference on Cardiomyopathy in Children provided a forum to discuss the current status of personalized approaches to diagnosis, management, and therapy in the pediatric cardiomyopathy population. This review will focus on the importance of genetic diagnosis in this population as a necessary first step toward understanding the best approach to management and influencing disease outcome. The genetic heterogeneity of cardiomyopathy in children, the implications of specific genotypes, the ability to risk stratify based on genotype, and the impact on cascade screening in family members will be discussed.
How Judges Work: Thinking about Social Science and Law

udge Patricia Wald identifies several impediments to judges' making greater use of social science: they lack time to find, read, and make sense of the research; the research is inaccessible to nonspecialists and fails to identify clearly the policy implications; too much exists, and only occasionally does one work stand out; and most research findings are qualified and ambiguous rather than certain. Just as the flukish order in which cases appear and the idiosyncrasies of their fact patterns shape precedent, the timing of research determines whether judges notice it. Judges are more likely to incorporate social science research into their opinions if it fulfills a pressing need and addresses an important shift in thinking. Judge Wald does not debate whether judges do or should make public policy, since she sees making policy choices as inescapable in appellate decision making. Judge Wald further explains that judges are skittish because (1) they fear that higher courts will overturn them for going "beyond the law" and (2) procedural fairness necessitates that all parties be able to dispute the "facts" on which judges base their policy choices. A retreat to the myth of legal positivism would defy trends elsewhere. Despite the rhetoric of judicial restraint and states' rights dominant in the United States, from South Africa to Hungary and from the European Court of Justice to the newly established International Criminal Court, polities are granting more, not less, power to judges worldwide to decide contested matters of public policy. I was surprised that Judge Wald gave so little weight to the value of amicus curiae briefs for synthesizing, digesting, and presenting social science data for judges. As one who studies other jurisdictions, particularly the United Kingdom and the European Union, I have argued that English courts' unwillingness to mirror
Hydrogen Transfer Hydrozirconation of Alkenes with iBuZrCp2Cl Catalyzed by Lewis-Acidic Metal Compounds Containing Al, Zn, Si, Ag, and Pd

The hydrozirconation reaction of monosubstituted alkenes with iBuZrCp2Cl can be significantly accelerated by catalytic amounts of various Lewis acidic metal compounds, most notably AlCl3, Me3SiI, and Pd complexes, such as Li2PdCl4 and Cl2Pd(PPh3)2.
Does the Measure Matter in the Mutual Fund Industry

A frequent comment is that investment funds with a nonnormal return distribution cannot be adequately evaluated by using the classic Sharpe ratio. Research on hedge fund data that compared the Sharpe ratio with other performance measures, however, found virtually identical rank ordering by the various measures. The study reported here analyzed a dataset of 38,954 funds investing in seven asset classes over 1996–2005 and found that the previous result is true not only for hedge funds but also for mutual funds investing in stocks, bonds, real estate, funds of hedge funds, commodity trading advisers, and commodity pool operators. In short, choosing a performance measure is not critical to fund evaluation and the Sharpe ratio is generally adequate.
Assessing the contribution of natural sources to the global mercury cycle: the importance of intercomparing dynamic flux measurements.

In order to constrain the contribution of natural sources of mercury to the global atmospheric cycle we need to: 1. assess the methods used to measure mercury flux, 2. characterize those factors most important in controlling emissions, 3. develop a database of emissions from representative locations, and 4. develop a means of scaling up measured emissions to estimate fluxes on a regional basis. This paper describes how an international multi-collaborator project, the Nevada SToRMS Project, held September 1997 in Reno, Nevada, USA, contributed to our ability to constrain natural source mercury emissions. This study entailed a field intercomparison of those methods typically applied to measure mercury flux from substrate combined with evening workshops and roundtable discussions. The project was unique in that it focused on assessing our ability to measure the flux of an environmental contaminant. This is more difficult than measurement of the concentration of a contaminant because of the number and nature of the variables which influence the field flux measurements, including experimental design, spatial heterogeneity, and temporally changing environmental conditions. As a result of the Nevada SToRMS Project, rapid and significant advances in our understanding of how to constrain emission fluxes from large areas of mercury enrichment were realized. Because this intercomparison was a multi-investigator project, the results and implications of the project have been broadly circulated. The sincere scientific collaboration that evolved amongst those working on the study has led to significant advancements in our understanding of the fate and transport of mercury in the environment.
The Impact of Incomplete Information on Games in Parallel Relay Networks

This paper considers the impact of incomplete information on incentives for node cooperation in parallel relay networks with one source node, one destination node, and multiple relay nodes. All nodes are selfish and strategic, interested in maximizing their own profit instead of the social welfare. The paper considers the practical situation where the channel state on any given relay path is not observable to the source or to the other relays. Different bargaining relationships between the source and the relays are considered, and a framework for studying the efficiency loss induced by incomplete information is proposed. The source of the efficiency loss is analyzed, and the amount of inefficiency which results is quantified.
Professional Ethical Standards, Corporate Social Responsibility, and the Perceived Role of Ethics and Social Responsibility

This study explored several proposed relationships among professional ethical standards, corporate social responsibility, and the perceived role of ethics and social responsibility. Data were collected from 313 business managers registered with a large professional research association with a mailed self-report questionnaire. Mediated regression analysis indicated that perceptions of corporate social responsibility partially mediated the positive relationship between perceived professional ethical standards and the believed importance of ethics and social responsibility. Perceptions of corporate social responsibility also fully mediated the negative relationship between perceived professional ethical standards and the subordination of ethics and social responsibility. The results suggested that professions should develop ethical standards to encourage social responsibility, since these actions are associated with enhanced employee ethical attitudes.
Identification of new M dwarfs in the solar neighborhood

We present the results from a spectroscopic study of 1080 nearby active M dwarfs, selected by correlating the Two Micron All Sky Survey and ROSAT catalogs. We have derived the spectral types and estimated distances for all of our stars. The spectral types range between K5 and M6. Nearly half of our stars lie within 50 pc. We have measured the equivalent width of the Hα emission line. Our targets show an increase in chromospheric activity from early to midspectral types, with a peak in activity around M5. Using the count rate and hardness ratios obtained from the ROSAT catalog, we have derived the X-ray luminosities. Our stars display a "saturation-type" relation between the chromospheric and coronal activity. The relation is such that log LX/Lbol remains "saturated" at a value of approximately -3 for varying Hα equivalent width. We have found 568 matches in the USNO-B catalog and have derived the tangential velocities for these stars. There is a slight trend of decreasing chromospheric activity with age, such that the stars with higher vtan have lower Hα equivalent widths. The coronal emission, however, remains saturated at a value of log LX/Lbol ~ -3 for varying tangential velocities, suggesting that the coronal activity remains saturated with age. We do not find any break in the saturation-type relation at the spectral type at which stars become fully convective (~M3.5). Most of the stars in our sample show more coronal emission than the dMe stars in the Hyades and Praesepe and have vtan < 40 km s-1, suggesting a young population.
Endogenous timing in duopoly games: Stackelberg or cournot equilibria

Abstract Simultaneous versus sequential play is studied in an extended game. In a preplay stage, players decide whether to select actions in the basic game at the first opportunity or to wait until observing their rivals' first period actions. In one extended game, players first decide when to select actions without committing to actions in the basic game. The equilibrium has a simultaneous play subgame unless payoffs in a sequential play subgame Pareto dominate those payoffs. In another extended game, deciding to select at the first turn requires committing to an action. Both sequential play outcomes are the equilibria only in undominated strategies.
Biochemical Assessment of Cellular Damage after Adipocyte Harvest

Free fat transplantation for soft tissue augmentation yields variable results, which may be related to the technique of fat harvest. To compare the viability of adipocytes harvested by liposuction (sal) or by excision (exc), fat harvested by both techniques from seven lipectomy patients was analyzed by glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH) enzyme assay. Leakage of this lipogenic enzyme through the plasma membrane is a potential indicator of fat cell damage. Preliminary experiments showed this assay to be sensitive and specific for adipocyte G3PDH activity. Treatment of fat tissue with collagenase H resulted in complete release of the component fat cells for analysis with less loss of G3PDH activity, compared to other collagenase preparations. Each sample was digested and separated into three compartments: mature adipocytes-floating layer (F), acellular supernatant (S), and stromal pellet (P). Samples from each compartment were assayed for G3PDH activity, normalized to DNA content, and represented as a percentage of the whole (F + S + P). Within the subgroups, the fat cell fraction of the liposuction samples (Fsal) showed statistically more activity than the excised samples (Fexc) by paired Student's t test (P = 0.004). The supernatant (representing leaked G3PDH) and pellet fractions of excised samples revealed more G3PDH activity than the same fractions from liposuctioned tissue; the former (Sexc) to a significant degree (P = 0.036). Using this assay, the results indicate that liposuction fat harvest does not result in increased fat cell damage compared to fat harvested by excision.
Unsteady flowfield simulation of ducted prop-fan configurations

A technique for the simulation of unsteady flows in and around complex rotating machinery is presented. Additional domain decomposition mechanisms are introduced which extend the range of applicability of software developed for the time-accurate simulation of rotating machinery flowfields. The flow models uses the unsteady 3D Euler equations, discretized as a finite-volume method, utilizing a high-resolution approximate Riemann solver for cell interface flux definitions. Multiblock domain decomposition is used to partition the field radially, axially, as well as circumferentially into an ordered arrangement of blocks which exhibit varying degrees of similarity. A general high-order numerical scheme is applied to satisfy the geometric conservation law. Two configurations are presented - ducted single rotation prop-fan and a rotor-deswirl vane combination which form a single stage fan. Comparisons are made to other numerical solutions for these geometries and to available experimental data.
EM-based channel estimation from crowd-sourced RSSI samples corrupted by noise and interference

We propose a method for estimating channel parameters from RSSI measurements and the lost packet count, which can work in the presence of losses due to both interference and signal attenuation below the noise floor. This is especially important in the wireless networks, such as vehicular, where propagation model changes with the density of nodes. The method is based on Stochastic Expectation Maximization, where the received data is modeled as a mixture of distributions (no/low interference and strong interference), incomplete (censored) due to packet losses. The PDFs in the mixture are log-Gamma, according to the commonly accepted model for wireless signal and interference power expressed in dBm. This approach leverages the loss count as additional information, hence outperforming maximum likelihood estimation, which does not use this information (ML-), for a small number of received RSSI samples. Hence, it allows inexpensive on-line channel estimation from ad-hoc collected data. The method also outperforms ML- on uncensored data mixtures, as ML- assumes that samples are from a single-mode PDF.
The crystal and molecular structure of bis(2,2′-dipyridylamine-N,N′)di(nitrato-O)cadmium(II); Solid state 113Cd NMR, components and orientation of the chemical shift tensor relative to the donor ligands

Abstract The structure of the titled compound has been determined and refined. The structure consists of isolated molecules separated by ordinary Van der Waals' distances. The Cd atom is on a crystallographic center of symmetry. The coordination polyhedron of the Cd atom is distorted octahedral with four pyridine nitrogen donors in the equatorial plane and with axial oxygen atoms from the nitrate groups. The CdO distance is 2.599(4) A, the CdN distances are 2.310(4) and 2.316(3) A, and the NCdN bite angle is 79.0(1)°. The solid state magic angle spinning/cross polarization 113 Cd NMR isotropic chemical shift is +51.4 ppm and the components of the chemical shift tensor are: S 11 = −92 ppm, S 33 = +208 ppm and S 22 = +39 ppm and their directions are: in the CdN 4 plane and bisecting the NCdN bite angle, perpendicular to the CdN 4 plane and the third perpendicular to the other two, respectively. This permits the assignment of contributions to the chemical shift tensor of 50 ppm from pyridine nitrogen and of −50 ppm from nitrate oxygen. From the tensor components, atomic nitrogen can be distinguished from aliphatic nitrogen donors. Crystal data: C 20 H 18 O 6 N 8 Cd; M r = 578.8, F (000) = 580, monoclinic, P 2 1 / c , a = 8.591(1), b = 16.496(2), c = 7.878(1) A, β = 95.97°, λ = 0.71073 A, Mo Kα, V = 1110(1) A 3 . Z = 2, D m = 1.73(2), D x = 1.73 g/cm 3 , μ = 10.3 cm −1 , R f = 0.039, 1834 reflections, 160 parameters, T ∼ 298 K. Refinement was by full matrix least-squares with anisotropic temperature factors.
Nonlinear osmotic properties of the cell nucleus.

In the absence of active volume regulation processes, cell volume is inversely proportional to osmolarity, as predicted by the Boyle Van’t Hoff relation. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that nuclear volume has a similar relationship with extracellular osmolarity in articular chondrocytes, cells that are exposed to changes in the osmotic environment in vivo. Furthermore, we explored the mechanism of the relationships between osmolarity and nuclear size and shape. Nuclear size was quantified using two independent techniques, confocal laser scanning microscopy and angle-resolved low coherence interferometry. Nuclear volume was osmotically sensitive but this relationship was not linear, showing a decline in the osmotic sensitivity in the hypo-osmotic range. Nuclear shape was also influenced by extracellular osmolarity, becoming smoother as the osmolarity decreased. The osmotically induced changes in nuclear size paralleled the changes in nuclear shape, suggesting that shape and volume are interdependent. The osmotic sensitivity of shape and volume persisted after disruption of the actin cytoskeleton. Isolated nuclei contracted in response to physiologic changes in macromolecule concentration but not in response to physiologic changes in ion concentration, suggesting solute size has an important influence on the osmotic pressurization of the nucleus. This finding in turn implies that the diffusion barrier that causes osmotic effects is not a semi-permeable membrane, but rather due to size constraints that prevent large solute molecules from entering small spaces in the nucleus. As nuclear morphology has been associated previously with cell phenotype, these findings may provide new insight into the role of mechanical and osmotic signals in regulating cell physiology.
Peak quasisymmetric functions and Eulerian enumeration

Abstract Via duality of Hopf algebras, there is a direct association between peak quasisymmetric functions and enumeration of chains in Eulerian posets. We study this association explicitly, showing that the notion of cd -index, long studied in the context of convex polytopes and Eulerian posets, arises as the dual basis to a natural basis of peak quasisymmetric functions introduced by Stembridge. Thus Eulerian posets having a nonnegative cd -index (for example, face lattices of convex polytopes) correspond to peak quasisymmetric functions having a nonnegative representation in terms of this basis. We diagonalize the operator that associates the basis of descent sets for all quasisymmetric functions to that of peak sets for the algebra of peak functions, and study the g -polynomial for Eulerian posets as an algebra homomorphism.
Progress toward free-electron lasers for applications

Using an electron beam in a magnetic field as the gain medium, free-electron lasers offer a powerful new source of tunable, coherent radiation. Results are just becoming available from several new experiments, but they are confirming the theoretical promise of these devices. Backed up by a strong base of accelerator technology, free-electron lasers are expected to become important in applications requiring wavelengths from the far infrared part of the spectrum to the vacuum ultraviolet.
A highly enantioselective catalytic intramolecular Stetter reaction

A family of chiral triazolium salts has been developed for inducing the asymmetric intramolecular Stetter reaction. The use of an aminoindanol-derived catalyst affords optimal results, with the product keto esters formed in 82-97% ee and very good chemical yield. Aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes are equally competent substrates for this reaction. The reaction conditions are reasonably mild and allow the isolation of the newly formed stereocenter without epimerization, although the presumed carbenic intermediates are strong bases.
Scaling functions for baby universes in two-dimensional quantum gravity

Abstract We apply the recently proposed transfer matrix formalism to two-dimensional quantum gravity coupled to (2, 2 k − 1) minimal models. We find that the propagation of a parent universe in geodesic (euclidean) time is accompanied by continual emission of baby universes and derive a distribution function describing their sizes. The k → ∞ ( c → −∞) limit is generally thought to correspond to classical geometry, and we indeed find a classical peak in the universe distribution function. However, we also observe dramatic quantum effects associated wiht baby universes at finite length scales.