A Simple Approach for Multi‐fidelity Experimentation Applied to Financial Engineering

In practical applications, information about the accuracy or ‘fidelity’ of alternative surrogate systems may be ambiguous and difficult to determine. To address this problem, we propose to treat surrogate system fidelity level as a categorical factor in optimal response surface design. To design the associated experiments, we apply the Expected Integrated Mean Squared Error optimal design criterion, which takes into account both variance and bias errors. The performance of the proposed design was compared using three test cases to four types of alternatives using the Empirical Integrated Squared Error. Because of its ability to foster relatively accurate predictions, the proposed design is recommended in fidelity experimental design, particularly when the experimenters lack sufficient information about the fidelity levels of surrogate systems. The method was applied to the case of intraday trading optimization in which data were collected from the Taiwan Futures Exchange. We also calculated the implied volatility from the Merton's Jump‐diffusion model via the fast Fourier transform algorithm with three different models of varying fidelity levels. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

One‐Pot Synthesis of Highly Substituted Polyheteroaromatic Compounds by Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed Multiple C?H Activation and Annulation

A new method for the synthesis of highly substituted naphthyridine‐based polyheteroaromatic compounds in high yields proceeds through rhodium(III)‐catalyzed multiple C H bond cleavage and C C and C N bond formation in a one‐pot process. Such highly substituted polyheteroaromatic compounds have attracted much attention because of their unique π‐conjugation, which make them suitable materials for organic semiconductors and luminescent materials. Furthermore, a possible mechanism, which involves multiple chelation‐assisted ortho C H activation, alkyne insertion, and reductive elimination, is proposed for this transformation.     

Ultrasound Microbubbles Enhance the Efficacy of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Therapy for the Treatment of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

The application of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) to the round window membrane (RWM) is an emerging treatment for inner ear diseases. RWM permeability is the key factor for efficient IGF-1 delivery. Ultrasound microbubbles (USMBs) can increase drug permeation through the RWM. In the present study, the enhancing effect of USMBs on the efficacy of IGF-1 application and the treatment effect of USMB-mediated IGF-1 delivery for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) were investigated. Forty-seven guinea pigs were assigned to three groups: the USM group, which received local application of recombinant human IGF-1 (rhIGF-1, 10 µg/µL) following application of USMBs to the RWM; the RWS group, which received IGF-1 application alone; and the saline-treated group. The perilymphatic concentration of rhIGF-1 in the USM group was 1.95- and 1.67- fold of that in the RWS group, 2 and 24 h after treatment, respectively. After 5 h of 118 dB SPL noise exposure, the USM group had the lowest threshold shift in auditory brainstem response, least loss of cochlear outer hair cells, and least reduction in the number of synaptic ribbons on postexposure day 28 among the three groups. The combination of USMB and IGF-1 led to a better therapeutic response to NIHL. Two hours after treatment, the USM group had significantly higher levels of Akt1 and Mapk3 gene expression than the other two groups. The most intense immunostaining for phosphor-AKT and phospho-ERK1/2 was detected in the cochlea in the USM group. These results suggested that USMB can be applied to enhance the efficacy of IGF-1 therapy in the treatment of inner ear diseases.     

Shangjr (Felix) Gwo Assumes NSRRC Directorship

Shangjr (Felix) Gwo, a professor of physics at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), assumed directorship of the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC), Taiwan, on August 1, 2014. The handover ceremony was hosted by the chairman of the NSRRC Board of Trustees, Lih J. Chen. Chen commented positively on Gwo's comprehensive administrative experience, outstanding scientific research, and superb talent in industrial cooperation and leadership.     

Orientations of ZnO grown on GaN

On semipolar epitaxial ZnO grown by chemical vapor deposition consists of two distinct orientations as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction. The initially grown ZnO on GaN follows the GaN lattice with the epitaxial relationship of // and The other oriented ZnO domains then grow on faceted with and with good coherency with the ‐oriented grains. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Vorticity-streamfunction formulation of unsteady incompressible flow past a cylinder: Sensitivity of the computed flow field to the location of the outflow boundary

The influence of the location of the outflow computational boundary on the unsteady incompressible flow past a circular cylinder at Reynolds number 100 is examined. The vorticity-streamfunction formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations is used in all computations. Two types of outflow boundary conditions are subjected to a series of tests in which the domain length is gradually reduced. The traction-free condition performs well in most cases and allows the outflow boundary to be located as close as 6.5 cylinder diameters from the body. The other boundary condition type is not as forgiving, but has the advantage of being simpler to implement and can still provide reasonably accurate solutions. It is also observed that both condition types can influence the flow field strongly and globally when the boundary is brought closer than 2.5 diameters from the body. In such cases the temporal periodicity of the solution is lost.     

Improved Synthesis of Asymmetric Curcuminoids and Their Assessment as Antioxidants

In this paper, the syntheses of twelve asymmetric curcumin analogs using Pabon’s method are reported. Generally, the previously reported yields of asymmetric curcuminoids, such as 9a (53%), 9c (38%), and 9k (38%), have been moderate or low. Herein, we propose that the low yields were due to the presence of water and n-BuNH₂ in the reaction media. To prove this formulated hypothesis, we have demonstrated that the yields can be improved by adding molecular sieves (MS) (4 Å) to the reaction mixture, thus reducing the interference of water. Therefore, improved yields (41–76%) were obtained, except for 9b (36.7%), 9g (34%), and 9l (39.5%). Furthermore, compounds 9b, 9d, 9e, 9f, 9g, 9h, 9i, 9j, and 9l are reported herein for the first time. The structures of these synthetic compounds were determined by spectroscopic and mass spectrometry analyses. The free radical scavenging ability of these synthetic asymmetric curcuminoids was evaluated and compared to that of the positive control butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Among the synthesized asymmetric curcuminoids, compounds 9a (IC₅₀ = 37.57 ± 0.89 μM) and 9e (IC₅₀ = 37.17 ± 1.76 μM) possessed effective 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging abilities, and compounds 9h (IC₅₀ = 11.36 ± 0.65 μM) and 9i (IC₅₀ = 10.91 ± 0.77 μM) displayed potent 2,2’-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS) radical scavenging abilities comparable to that of curcumin (IC₅₀ = 10.14 ± 1.04 μM). Furthermore, all the synthetic asymmetric curcuminoids were more active than BHT.     

Tens of GHz Tantalum pentoxide‐based micro‐ring all‐optical modulator for Si photonics

A tantalum pentoxide‐based (Ta₂O₅‐based) micro‐ring all‐optical modulator was fabricated. The refractive index inside the micro‐ring cavity was modified using the Kerr effect by injecting a pumped pulse. The transmittance of the ring resonator was controlled to achieve all‐optical modulation at the wavelength of the injected probe. When 12 GHz pulses with a peak power of 1.2 W were coupled in the ring cavity, the transmission spectrum of the Ta₂O₅ resonator was red‐shifted by 0.04 nm because of the Kerr effect. The relationship between the modulation depth and gap of the Ta₂O₅ directional coupler is discussed. An optimized gap of 1100 nm was obtained, and a maximum buildup factor of 11.7 with 84% modulation depth was achieved. The nonlinear refractive index of Ta₂O₅ at 1.55 μm was estimated as 3.4 × 10^?14 cm²/W based on the Kerr effect, which is almost an order of magnitude higher than that of Si₃N₄. All results indicate that Ta₂O₅ has potential for use in nonlinear waveguide applications with modulation speeds as high as tens of GHz.