Robust locally testable codes and products of codes

We continue the investigation of locally testable codes, i.e., error‐correcting codes for which membership of a given word in the code can be tested probabilistically by examining it in very few locations. We give two general results on local testability: First, motivated by the recently proposed notion of robust probabilistically checkable proofs, we introduce the notion of robust local testability of codes. We relate this notion to a product of codes introduced by Tanner and show a very simple composition lemma for this notion. Next, we show that codes built by tensor products can be tested robustly and somewhat locally by applying a variant of a test and proof technique introduced by Raz and Safra in the context of testing low‐degree multivariate polynomials (which are a special case of tensor codes). Combining these two results gives us a generic construction of codes of inverse polynomial rate that are testable with poly‐logarithmically many queries. We note that these locally testable tensor codes can be obtained from any linear error correcting code with good distance. Previous results on local testability, albeit much stronger quantitatively, rely heavily on algebraic properties of the underlying codes. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2006     

Improved bounds for sampling contingency tables

We study the problem of sampling contingency tables (nonnegative integer matrices with specified row and column sums) uniformly at random. We give an algorithm which runs in polynomial time provided that the row sums r_i and the column sums c_j satisfy r_i = Ω(n^3/2m log m), and c_j = Ω(m^3/2n log n). This algorithm is based on a reduction to continuous sampling from a convex set. The same approach was taken by Dyer, Kannan, and Mount in previous work. However, the algorithm we present is simpler and has weaker requirements on the row and column sums. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 21: 135–146, 2002     

Area orthogonality in normed linear spaces

A new concept of orthogonality in real normed linear spaces is introduced. Typical properties of orthogonality (homogeneity, symmetry, additivity, ...) and relations between this orthogonality and other known orthogonalities (Birkhoff, Boussouis, Unitary-Boussouis and Diminnie) are studied. In particular, some characterizations of inner product spaces are obtained.     

NONLOCAL INITIAL PROBLEM FOR NONLINEAR NONAUTONOMOUS DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS IN A BANACH SPACE

The nonlocal initial problem for nonlinear nonautonomous evolution equati-ons in a Banach space is considered. It is assumed that the nonlinearities havethe local Lipschitz properties. The existence and uniqueness of mild solutionsare proved. Applications to integro-differential equations are discussed.The main tool in the paper is the normalizing mapping (the generalizednorm).     

The components of the Wired Spanning Forest are recurrent

 We show that a.s. all of the connected components of the Wired Spanning Forest are recurrent, proving a conjecture of Benjamini, Lyons, Peres and Schramm. Our analysis relies on a simple martingale involving the effective conductance between the endpoints of an edge in a uniform spanning tree. We believe that this martingale is of independent interest and will find further applications in the study of uniform spanning trees and forests. Received: 20 April 2001 / Revised version: 23 July 2002 / Published online: 14 November     

Ca(NO3)2•4H2O-catalysed Biginelli Reaction: One-pot Synthesis of 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydropyrimidin-2-ones/pyrimidine-2-thiones under Solvent-free Conditions

The synthesis of 1,2,3,4-dihydropyrimidinone/thione derivatives was achieved in good to excellent yields using calcium(II) nitrate as catalyst to promote the Biginelli three-component condensation reaction from a diversity of aromatic aldehydes, β-keto compounds and urea or thiourea. The reaction was carried out under solvent-free conditions.     

Asymmetric hydrogenation of alkyl(vinyl)thioethers: a promising approach to α-chiral thioethers

This paper describes the enantioselective hydrogenation of vinylthioethers. We show that thioether derivatives of maleic esters can be hydrogenated with full conversion and up to 60% ee, and that α-thioether cinnamic acids can be hydrogenated in 51% ee with modest conversion.     

Study of the dehydration of Portland Cement by Mössbauer spectrometry

Egyptian Portland Cement in the form of one inch cube was hydrated at different times of hydration. Nine cubes of each period of hydration were heated for five minutes 200, 300, 400 up to 1000°C then were quenched in air. The compressive strength was measured for these samples and related to unheated ones. These cubes were ground and measured by Mössbauer spectrometry to correlate the effect of dehydration of cement pastes on the states of iron, with the decrease of compressive strength. It was observed that starting from 400°C the central doublet characteristic of the hydration process decreased as the dehydration temperature was increased. At 1000°C the dehydration process was complete, the central doublet disappeared and the compressive strength vanished. The hydration process was found to be reversible. The application of Mössbauer spectrometry to estimate the degree of fire in concrete building was demonstrated.