A partial adjustment valuation approach with stochastic and dynamic speeds of partial adjustment to measuring and evaluating the business value of information technology

This paper extends previous studies to develop a partial adjustment valuation (PAV) approach in which the speeds of partial adjustment are assumed to be stochastic and dynamic over time in measuring and evaluating the values of information technology and others (e.g., e-commerce or EC, brand name, etc.). A practical application is presented to demonstrate the application of the proposed PAV approach and it is compared to the other two existing PAV approaches.     

Sterols from the Stems of Momordica charantia

A new sterol, 5α,6α‐epoxy‐3β‐hydroxy‐(22E,24R)‐ergosta‐8,22‐dien‐7‐one ( 1 ), together with eight known sterols, 5α,6α‐epoxy‐(22E,24R)‐ergosta‐8,22‐diene‐3β,7α‐diol ( 2 ), 5α,6α‐epoxy‐(22E,24R)‐ergosta‐8,22‐diene‐3β,7β‐diol ( 3 ), 5α,6α‐epoxy‐(22E,24R)‐ergosta‐8(14),22‐diene‐3β,7α‐diol ( 4 ), 3β‐hydroxy‐(22E,24R)‐ergosta‐5,8,22‐trien‐7‐one ( 5 ), ergosterol peroxide ( 6 ), clerosterol ( 7 ), decortinol ( 8 ), and decortinone ( 9 ), were isolated from the stems of Momordica charantia. Their structures were elucidated by mean of extensive spectroscopic methods, including ¹H, ¹³C, 2D‐NMR and HR‐EI‐MS, as well as comparison with the literature data. Compounds 1 , 4 , 5 , 8 , and 91 were not cytotoxic against the SK‐Hep 1 cell line.     

Photocatalytic Degradation of Michler's Ketone in Water by UV Light Illumination Using TiO2 Photocatalyst: Identification of Intermediates and the Reaction Pathway

The TiO₂/UV photocatalytic degradation of Michler's Ketone (MK) has been investigated in aqueous heterogeneous suspensions. Results obtained show rapid and complete oxidation of MK after 24‐h, and more than 97.5% of MK was mineralized after a 32‐h exposure to UV‐365 nm irradiation. Establishment of the reaction pathway was made possible by a thorough analysis of the reaction mixture identifying the main intermediate products generated. Nine intermediates have been detected by HPLC/ESI‐MS and GC/MS techniques. The photocatalytic degradation of MK proceeds through competitive reactions such as N‐de‐methylation and destruction of the bis‐aminobenzophenone structure. The former reaction took place in a stepwise manner to yield mono‐, di‐, tri‐, tetra‐demethylated species, while the latter reaction yielded N‐methylaminobenzene and aminobenzene. The reaction mechanisms of TiO₂/UV proposed in this study should shed some light on future applications of the technology to the destruction of organic pollutants.     

Quadruples in the four-number game with large termination times

The discrete dynamical system of absolute differences defined by the map Ψ(x ₁, x ₂, x ₃, x ₄) = (| x ₂ - x ₁ |, | x ₁ - x ₁|, |x ₁ - x ₁ |, |x ₁ - x ₄ |) has been studied by many authors and one of the interesting questions is how to locate quadruples which converge to the fixed point (0, 0, 0, 0) in large numbers of steps. An elementary method is offered for obtaining such quadruples. The method is also able to find quadruples that will not converge to (0, 0, 0, 0).     

Optical demonstration of shift-, rotation- and limited size-invariant pattern recognition using a circular harmonic-synthetic discrimination function filter

Optical means of performing pattern recognition possessing shift-, rotation- and limited size-invariance is demonstrated. The experimental set-up is a standard Fourier transform correlator with a binary circular harmonic (CGH) filter. The filtering function of the filter is obtained by the synthetic discriminant functions (SDF) method. In the process of synthesizing the filtering function, circular harmonic functions are chosen as the basic functions. Both optical results and computer simulation results demonstrate that the filter is able to recognize the target in every rotational orientation and in the relative size range of 1–1.82.     

Four New Lignans with a Bicyclo[3.3.1]nonadienemethanol Skeleton from Cunninghamia lanceolata

Four unique bicyclo[3.3.1]nonadienemethanol lignans, designated lanceolatanins A ( 1 ), B ( 2 ), C ( 3 ), and D ( 4 ), along with one previously known compound, isolariciresinol ( 5 ), were isolated from the MeOH extracts of the heartwood of Cunninghamia lanceolata. Their structures were elucidated by application of various spectroscopic methods, including 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR techniques, to their acetylated derivatives 1a, 2a, 3a , and 4a . Their possible biosynthetic formations are also discussed.     

Flavonoids from the Roots of Scutellaria Luzonica Rolfe

Seventeen flavonoids were isolated from the roots of Scutellaria luzonica Rolfe. These compounds in elude thirteen flavones ( 1–13 ), two flavanones ( 14–15 ), a chalcone ( 16 ) and a flavone glucoside ( 17 ).     

Compton scattering opacity

We show first that there is an error in the literature in the evaluation of the Compton scattering opacity; second, we compare the corrected values with the published ones and, third, we show that two commonly made approximations are inaccurate in the case of electron degeneracy.     

Influence of channel-width ratio on solvent extraction through a double-pass parallel-plate membrane module

The effect of the location of an impermeable barrier, which is placed for double pass in the raffinate phase, on solvent extraction through a parallel-plate membrane module, has been investigated. Theoretical predictions are in fairly good agreement with the experimental results. Considerable improvement in performance is obtainable if the subchannel width, as well as the mass-transfer area, of concurrent flow is as large as possible than that of concurrent flow, especially for low flow rate operation. It has been also checked that the hydraulic dissipated power due to the friction loss of fluid flow is very small and generally, the operating cost in all devices may be ignored.     

Separation and Determination of Chemical Constituents in the Roots of Rhus Javanica L. Var. Roxburghiana

From the roots of Rhus javanica L. var. roxburghiana, totally thirty‐seven known compounds have been isolated and identified. Their structures were elucidated based on their spectral analysis as well as comparison with authentic samples. These compounds were grouped to be fifteen triterpenoids, five steroids, two lignans, two flavonoids, nine phenolics, and four other aromatic derivatives. Their cytotoxicities toward two cell lines NUGC‐3 and HONE‐1 were also evaluated.