Upper limit on the flux of gravitational wave bursts

Summary The data obtained with three highly sensitive gravitational wave antennas have been used to establish an improved observational upper limit on the flux of impulsive gravitational waves. Preliminary results under the assumption of a source located in the center of the Galaxy are also reported. To speed up publication, the proofs were not sent to the authors and were superised by the Scientific Committee.     

盐酸溶液中氯代十六烷基吡啶在锌表面上的吸附及其缓蚀作用

盐酸溶液中氯代十六烷基吡啶在锌表面上的吸附及其缓蚀作用杨春芬，白宇新（云南大学化学系昆明６５００９１）关键词锌，氯代十六烷基吡啶，吸附，缓蚀作用在抑制金属腐蚀的方法中，缓蚀剂的应用是最受重视的一种，因为它具有用量少，不需附加设备和不改变金属制品本性等...     

Subgame-consistent cooperative solutions in randomly furcating stochastic differential games

The paradigm of randomly-furcating stochastic differential games incorporates additional stochastic elements via randomly branching payoffs in stochastic differential games. This paper considers dynamically stable cooperative solutions in randomly furcating stochastic differential games. Analytically tractable payoff distribution procedures contingent upon specific random realizations of the state and payoff structure are derived. This new approach widens the application of cooperative differential game theory to problems where the evolution of the state and future environments are not known with certainty. Important cases abound in regional economic cooperation, corporate joint ventures and environmental control. An illustration in cooperative resource extraction is presented.     

Preparation and spectroscopic characterization of surface‐enriched (with active sites) polymer‐supported phase‐transfer catalysts and their efficiency in organic addition reactions: A kinetic study

We prepared two batches of surface‐enriched (with active sites) polymer‐supported phase‐transfer catalysts (SE‐PSPTC) by fixing the crosslinking monomer divinylbenzene (DVB) at 2% (first batch) and 6% (second batch) through a free‐radical suspension copolymerization method with vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC; 25%) as a functionality and with styrene (St) as a supporting monomer, followed by the quaternization of the resulting terpolymer beads with triethylamine. The enrichment of the active sites on the surfaces of the beads was accomplished by a surface‐grafting technique through the delayed addition of the functional monomer (VBC) to the partially polymerized copolymer beads of poly(St/DVB). To bring the active sites fully onto the surfaces, we prepared six different types of terpolymer beads in each batch by varying the partial polymerization time (PPT) of St/DVB—0 h [0 VBC (conventional)], 3 h (3 VBC), 6 h (6 VBC), 9 h (9 VBC), 12 h (12 VBC), and 15 h (15 VBC)—and then gradually adding the functional monomer (VBC) to the partially polymerized poly(St/DVB) system. The resulting terpolymer beads, containing different concentrations of pendant benzyl chloride (? CH₂Cl) on the surface in each batch, underwent facile quaternization [? CH₂N⁺(C₂H₅)₃Cl^?] with an increase in the PPT of St/DVB and remained constant at 12 VBC and 15 VBC. To asses the superiority of the catalysts according to the surface enrichment of the active sites, particularly between conventional (0 VBC) catalysts and other PPT‐based SE‐PSPTCs, we characterized all the catalysts by estimating the chloride‐ion concentration, by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), EDAX, and ESCA, and by carrying out the dichlorocarbene addition to olefins. The chloride‐ion concentration by the Volhard method and the peak intensity of the C? N stretching absorbance concentration, that is, the quaternary onium group in the FTIR spectra of both batches, increased with the PPT of St/DVB in both batches of catalysts. In particular, the chloride concentration of a first‐batch catalyst of a representative mesh size (?120 + 140) had a twofold enhancement between the conventional catalyst (0 VBC; 1.88 m equiv g^?1) and 9 VBC/SE‐PSPTC (3.74 m equiv g^?1), although the same amount of the functional monomer was added in both preparations. These results showed the higher enrichment of the active site on the surface of 9 VBC, and the same trend was also maintained for second‐batch catalysts, regardless of the catalyst mesh size. SEM images of both batches showed that there was a higher concentration of nodules [due to the grafting of poly(VBC)] on the surfaces of the beads of 9 VBC/SE‐PSPTC and the aforementioned PPT catalysts than on the surfaces of the conventional catalysts (0 VBCs), which exhibited smooth surfaces (because of the simultaneous addition of all three monomers). This observation confirmed the enrichment of active sites on the surfaces. In the EDAX analysis, up to a depth of 0.5–1 μm, the surface chloride concentration increased from 0 VBC to 9 VBC/SE‐PSPTC and remained constant in 12 VBC and 15 VBC, first‐batch catalysts of a representative mesh size (?120 + 140). The same trend was also observed in second‐batch catalysts, indicating the enrichment of the onium group more on the surface in 9 VBC/SE‐PSPTCs. The ESCA analysis, to a depth of about 20–30Å, proved that the concentration of covalent chloride on the surface had increased from 0 VBC (15%) to 9 VBC/SE‐PSPTCs (29%) and remained constant thereafter in first‐batch catalyst; the trend was the same for second‐batch catalysts, also confirming the strong evidence of surface enrichment of the active sites. Similarly, the rate constants of different olefin addition reactions catalyzed by both batches of catalysts also increased from 0 VBC to 9 VBC and remained constant with 12 VBC and 15 VBC catalysts. The twofold increase of the rate constants, regardless of the olefins, for conventional catalysts to 9 VBC/SE‐PSPTCs confirmed the enrichment of the active sites on the surfaces. All these experimental observations proved that 50% of the active sites were successfully brought out from inside the poly(St/DVB) networks to the exterior surfaces, although same amount of VBC was added for the preparation of all the catalyst types. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 347–364, 2003     

Regularities of triplet-triplet annihilation of aromatic hydrocarbons in aqueous micellar solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate

Investigation of deactivation processes in triplet states of a series of aromatic hydrocarbon molecules (antracene, 1,2-benzantracene, and 3,4-benzpyrene) made it possible to reveal the presence of triplet-triplet annihilation of the molecules in aqueous micellar solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate. It is shown that the effect of microheterogeneous solutions on the process of triplet-triplet annihilation manifests itself in an increase in the probability of excimerization upon dissociation of triplet pairs of 1,2-benzantracene and 3,4-benpyrene molecules compared to one-component solutions. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 64, No. 5, pp. 626–628, September–October, 1997.     

The current status of observational cosmology

Observational cosmology has indeed made very rapid progress in recent years. The ability to quantify the universe has largely improved due to observational constraints coming from structure formation. The transition to precision cosmology has been spear-headed by measurements of the anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) over the past decade. Observations of the large scale structure in the distribution of galaxies, high red-shift supernova, have provided the required complementary information. We review the current status of cosmological parameter estimates from joint analysis of CMB anisotropy and large scale structure (LSS) data. We also sound a note of caution on overstating the successes achieved thus far.     

What's Wrong with These Observables?

An imprecise measurement of a dynamical variable (such as a spin component) does not, in general, give the value of another dynamical variable (such as a spin component along a slightly different direction). The result of the measurement cannot be interpreted as the value of any observable that has a classical analogue.     

Interactive Statistical Mechanics and Nonlinear Filtering

This paper connects non-equilibrium statistical mechanics and optimal nonlinear filtering. The latter concerns the observation-conditional behaviour of Markov signal processes, and thus provides a tool for investigating statistical mechanics with partial observations. These allow entropy reduction, illustrating Landauer’s Principle in a quantitative way. The joint process comprising a signal and its nonlinear filter is irreversible in its invariant distribution, which therefore corresponds to a non-equilibrium stationary state of the associated joint system. Macroscopic entropy and energy flows are identified for this state. Since these are driven by observations internal to the system, they do not cause entropy increase, and so the joint system makes statistical mechanical sense in reverse time. Time reversal yields a dual system in which the signal and filter exchange roles. Despite the structural similarity of the original and dual systems, there is a substantial asymmetry in their complexities. This reveals the direction of time, despite the systems being in stationary states that do not produce entropy. This work was partially supported by Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship 2003/0426, by MURI Grant F49620-02-1-0325 (Complex Adaptive Networks for Co-operative Control), by ARO-MURI Grant DAAD19-00-1-0466 (Data Fusion in Large Arrays of Microsensors (sensor web)) and by NSF-ITR Grant CCR-0325774 Collaborative Research: New Approaches to Experimental Design and Statistical Analysis of Genomic and Structural Biological Data from Multiple Sources.     

Infinite-horizon investment consumption model with a nonterminal bankruptcy

This paper solves a general continuous-time consumption and portfolio decision problem for a single agent for whom there exists, upon bankruptcy, a possibility of recovery from his bankruptcy. The main contribution of the paper is in the modeling of the recovery process. Moreover, it is shown that the model with recovery has a one-to-one correspondence with the model with terminal bankruptcy treated in the literature.This research was supported by Grants SSHRC-410-83-9888 and NSERC-A4619 to the first author and by Grants NSF-DMS-86-01510 and AFOSR-88-0183 to the second author. Comments from E. Presman are gratefully acknowledged.     

Estimation of frequency by random sampling

Summary We consider the estimation of frequency ω of a sinusoidal oscillation contaminated by a stationary noise under a random sampling scheme according to a stationary point processN. We prove the strong consistency and the asymptotic normality for a certain estimator of ω. Then we apply these results to the case whereN is a stationary delayed renewal process.