Backlund transformations and Painleve analysis: Exact solutions for a Grad--Shafranov-type magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium

The problem of plasma equilibrium in a gravitational field isinvestigated analytically. For the two-dimensional problem,the system of ideal magnetohydrodynamic equations is reducedto a single nonlinear elliptic equation of the magnetic potentialas a Grad-Shafranov-type equation. By specifying the arbitraryfunctions in this equation, the sinh-Poisson equation can beobtained. Using the Bäcklund-transformation technique andPainlevé analysis, a set of exact solutions are obtainedwhich adequately describe force-free models for solar flaresand plane-parallel filaments of a diffuse magnetized plasmasuspended horizontally in equilibrium in a uniform gravitationalfield.     

维汉机器翻译词典的结构设计与实现

机器翻译词典的设计是机器翻译系统关键之一．机器翻译词典的质量和信息量直接限定机器翻译系统的应用领域和覆盏范围．本文介绍机器翻译词典词条收集方法且讨论维汉机器翻译词典的设计原则、构造方法及其数据结构．     

Cluster ion emission in the interaction of slow highly charged ions with surfaces

Cluster ion emission from a variety of surfaces upon impact of highly charged ions is investigated by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. The yield of cluster ions as a function of cluster size for and surface follow a power law decline with exponent approaching the -2 limit of the ”equilibrium” and ”shock wave” cluster emission models. While the decline of the cluster ion emission with cluster size is an exponential decay for highly oriented pyrolytic graphite upon impact, the decline is more gradual than for impact, such that at the relative cluster yield is 1000 times higher. Received: 22 April 1997 / Revised: 29 December 1997 / Accepted: 19 January 1998     

Computing reliable energetics for conjugate addition reactions

The performance of various density functionals along with second-order perturbation treatments has been tested for a set of conjugate addition reactions relevant to stereoselective organocatalysis. It is shown that B3LYP predictions seriously underestimate the reaction energies, whereas two newly designed functionals (M05-2X and M06-2X) and the SCS-MP2 method provide very accurate data. These new methods represent promising alternative approaches in future mechanistic studies.     

The tumor inhibitor and antiangiogenic agent withaferin A targets the intermediate filament protein vimentin

The natural product withaferin A (WFA) exhibits antitumor and antiangiogenesis activity in vivo, which results from this drug's potent growth inhibitory activities. Here, we show that WFA binds to the intermediate filament (IF) protein, vimentin, by covalently modifying its cysteine residue, which is present in the highly conserved alpha-helical coiled coil 2B domain. WFA induces vimentin filaments to aggregate in vitro, an activity manifested in vivo as punctate cytoplasmic aggregates that colocalize vimentin and F-actin. WFA's potent dominant-negative effect on F-actin requires vimentin expression and induces apoptosis. Finally, we show that WFA-induced inhibition of capillary growth in a mouse model of corneal neovascularization is compromised in vimentin-deficient mice. These findings identify WFA as a chemical genetic probe of IF functions, and illuminate a potential molecular target for withanolide-based therapeutics for treating angioproliferative and malignant diseases.     

On the Mechanism of Bifunctional Squaramide‐Catalyzed Organocatalytic Michael Addition: A Protonated Catalyst as an Oxyanion Hole

A joint experimental–theoretical study of a bifunctional squaramide‐amine‐catalyzed Michael addition reaction between 1,3‐dioxo nucleophiles and nitrostyrene has been undertaken to gain insight into the nature of bifunctional organocatalytic activation. For this highly stereoselective reaction, three previously proposed mechanistic scenarios for the critical C?C bond‐formation step were examined. Accordingly, the formation of the major stereoisomeric products is most plausible by one of the bifunctional pathways that involve electrophile activation by the protonated amine group of the catalyst. However, some of the minor product isomers are also accessible through alternative reaction routes. Structural analysis of transition states points to the structural invariance of certain fragments of the transition state, such as the protonated catalyst and the anionic fragment of approaching reactants. Our topological analysis provides deeper insight and a more general understanding of bifunctional noncovalent organocatalysis.     

The age structure of population-dependent general branching processes in environments with a high carrying capacity

The age structure of populations supercritical below and subcritical above a carrying capacity is investigated, the result being a law of large numbers, as the capacity increases and time passes, provided the starting population is not little.     

Mode field distribution of an integrated-optical waveguide generated by UV-laser radiation at the surface of a planar polymer chip

An integrated-optical strip-waveguide is directly written into the surface of a planar polymer substrate by an excimer laser beam. The mode field distribution, the surface refractive index and the refractive index depth profile of the waveguide have been examined. The intensity distribution of the mode field strongly depends on the refractive index depth profile, on the light coupling conditions and on the waveguide fabrication process parameters.     

Ridge directional singular points for fingerprint recognition and matching

In this paper, a new approach to extract singular points in a fingerprint image is presented. It is usually difficult to locate the exact position of a core or a delta due to the noisy nature of fingerprint images. These points are the most widely used for fingerprint classification and matching. Image enhancement, thinning, cropping, and alignment are used for minutiae extraction. Based on the Poincaré curve obtained from the directional image, our algorithm extracts the singular points in a fingerprint with high accuracy. It examines ridge directions when singular points are missing. The algorithm has been tested for classification performance on the NIST‐4 fingerprint database and found to give better results than the neural networks algorithm. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.