Finite groups acting 2-transitively on their sylow subgroups

In this paper we have completely determined: (1) all almost simple groups which act 2-transitively on one of their sets of Sylow p-subgroups. (2) all non-abelian simple groups T whose automorphism group acts 2-transitively on one of the sets of Sylow p-subgroups of T. (3) all finite groups which are 2-transitive on all their sets of Sylow subgroups. The first author acknowledges the support of OPR Scholarship of Australia The second author is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Thanks are also due to the Department of Mathematics, the University of Western Australia, where he did his part of this work for its hospitality     

Perturbation method for determining the group of invariance of hierarchical models

We propose a perturbation method for determining the (largest) group of invariance of a toric ideal defined in [S. Aoki, A. Takemura, The largest group of invariance for Markov bases and toric ideals, J. Symbolic Comput. 43 (5) (2008) 342–358]. In the perturbation method, we investigate how a generic element in the row space of the configuration defining a toric ideal is mapped by a permutation of the indeterminates. Compared to the proof by Aoki and Takemura which was based on stabilizers of a subset of indeterminates, the perturbation method gives a much simpler proof of the group of invariance. In particular, we determine the group of invariance for a general hierarchical model of contingency tables in statistics, under the assumption that the numbers of the levels of the factors are generic. We prove that it is a wreath product indexed by a poset related to the intersection poset of the maximal interaction effects of the model.     

Threshold control of mutual insurance with limited commitment

We study the optimal premium policy of mutual insurance when the charged premium cannot be higher than a preset rate. We provide a complete solution to the problem and use numerical simulations to illustrate how the optimal premium policy responds to changes of outside factors. The results are useful for mutual insurance firms to design premium policies and can be used to test the behavior of these firms in empirical studies.     

Isovariant maps from free -manifolds to representation spheres

The isovariant version of Borsuk–Ulam type theorems has been studied by Wasserman and the first author. In this paper, first we consider the relation between the existence of C_n-isovariant maps from free C_n-manifolds to representation spheres and Borsuk–Ulam type inequalities for their dimensions. Our main result classifies the C_n-isovariant maps by C_n-isovariant homotopy types when a Borsuk–Ulam type inequality holds. For proving it, we use the multidegree of a C_n-equivariant map developed by the first author.     

Multicriteria Optimal Design of a Rectangular Composite Plate Subjected to Biaxial and Thermal Loading

Multicriteria optimization of the structure and geometry of a laminated anisotropic composite plate subjected to the thermal and biaxial action is considered. From known properties of the monolayer and the given values of variable structural parameters, the thermoelastic properties of the layered composite are determined. The criteria to be optimized—the transverse critical load and the longitudinal thermal stresses—depend on two variable design parameters of composite properties and temperature. In the space of the optimization criteria, the domain of allowable solutions and the Pareto-optimal subdomain are found. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 41, No. 5, pp. 683–690, September–October, 2005.     

Compromise optimization of a rectangular composite plate subjected to biaxial thermal loading and buckling under the action of shear

The compromise optimization of the structure and geometry of a laminated anisotropic composite plate subjected to biaxial thermal shear loading is considered. From the known properties of the monolayer and given values of a variable structural parameter, the thermoelastic properties of the layered composite are determined. The optimization criteria — the critical shear load and the longitudinal and transverse thermal stresses — depend on two variable design parameters of composite properties and temperature. In the space of optimization criteria, the domain of allowable solutions and the Pareto-optimal subregion are found. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 471–478, July–August, 2008.     

Deformation measurements using mutual information: principle and applications

The paper presents a new method applied to measure displacement fields using mutual information concept. Based on analysis of digital image sequences, we propose the formulation derived from the mutual information between subsets in the un-deformed and deformed image. The quantity of the mutual information between two subsets establishes a criterion of their mutual dependence based on the notion of information connection between them. We can obtain the integer pixel displacement for the corresponding subset. And the accurate displacement field is obtained by using sub-pixel technique. In the experiments, the method is validated and the resulting solution can show accuracy to 0.02 pixels. This method was also applied successfully to determine the displacement fields of laminated composites of AS4/PEEK[0/±45/90]_7s under uniaxial compression.     

Quadratic characters in groups of odd order

We prove that in a finite group of odd order, the number of irreducible quadratic characters is the number of quadratic conjugacy classes.     

Toxicity and the cardiovascular activity of organotin compounds: a review

A comprehensive review on toxicity of organotin compounds including sources of their intake and mode of action, and cardiovascular activity of organotin compounds is presented. Further research to develop novel useful organotin compounds having hypertensive activity needs to be carried out. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Causal Intuition and Delayed-Choice Experiments

The conventional explanation of delayed-choice experiments appears to violate our causal intuition at the quantum level. I reanalyze these experiments using time-reversed and time-symmetric formulations of quantum mechanics. The time-reversed formulation does not give the same experimental predictions. The time-symmetric formulation gives the same experimental predictions but actually violates our causal intuition at the quantum level. I explore the reasons why our causal intuition may be wrong at the quantum level, suggest how conventional causation might be recovered in the classical limit, propose a quantum analog to the classical block universe viewpoint, and speculate on implications of the time-symmetric formulation for cosmological boundary conditions.