Percentile residual life orders

In this paper we study a family of stochastic orders of random variables defined via the comparison of their percentile residual life functions. Some interpretations of these stochastic orders are given, and various properties of them are derived. The relationships to other stochastic orders are also studied. Finally, some applications in reliability theory and finance are described. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stability and irreducibility of queueing systems with finite capacity

In this paper, we obtain a readily verifiable condition of stability for GI/G/1 queueing systems with finite capacity. A necessary and sufficient condition of irreducibility of the queueing size process is involved. Under this assumption, we derive general conditions of recurrence (positive recurrence) for the general process describing the state of the system. The conditions of irreducibility and recurrence are based on restrictions over the supports of the interarrival and the service distributions, which are easy to check in practice. The positive recurrence is also connected to the first moments of both distributions. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Half-line solutions of a nonlinear heat conduction problem

We solve a half-line problem for a nonlinear diffusion equation with a given time-dependent thermal conductivity at the origin. The problem reduces to a linear Volterra integral equation, which is solvable by Picard’s process of successive approximations. We analyze some explicit examples numerically. __________ Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Matematicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 152, No. 1, pp. 58–65, July, 2007.     

A dimerization "switch" in the internalization mechanism of a cell-penetrating peptide

The internalization mechanism of a cell-penetrating peptide has been explored through combinatorial selection of a phage-displayed peptide dimer library, chemical synthesis, and biophysical characterization. Both energy-dependent and energy-independent modes for peptide uptake by the target mammalian cells were observed, suggesting a role for higher-order structure in modulating the action of this novel cell-penetrating peptide.     

Segmentation algorithm for non-stationary compound Poisson processes

We introduce an algorithm for the segmentation of a class of regime switching processes. The segmentation algorithm is a non parametric statistical method able to identify the regimes (patches) of a time series. The process is composed of consecutive patches of variable length. In each patch the process is described by a stationary compound Poisson process, i.e. a Poisson process where each count is associated with a fluctuating signal. The parameters of the process are different in each patch and therefore the time series is non-stationary. Our method is a generalization of the algorithm introduced by Bernaola-Galván, et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 168105 (2001)]. We show that the new algorithm outperforms the original one for regime switching models of compound Poisson processes. As an application we use the algorithm to segment the time series of the inventory of market members of the London Stock Exchange and we observe that our method finds almost three times more patches than the original one.     

Preparation and characterization of ZrO2:Sm amorphous thin films by solid state photochemical deposition method

Thin films of ZrO₂ loaded with 10, 30 and 50 mol% Sm were prepared by a photochemical method using thin films of metal acetylacetonate complexes as precursors. The photolysis of these films induces the fragmentation of the acetylacetonate ligand and the partial reduction of metal ion together with volatile organic compounds. When the metallic complex is exposed to air, the product of the reaction is metal oxide. The photoreactivity of these films was monitored by FT-IR spectroscopy, followed by a post-annealing treatment process. The obtained films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy.Photoluminescense studies of the films employed 400 nm radiation for excitation of the Sm ions present. The emission spectra showed signals arising from the ⁴G_5/2→⁶H_J (J=3/2, 7/2, 9/2) transitions, where the ⁴G_5/2→⁶H_3/2 transition has the highest intensity. The concentration dependence of the PL intensity was also studied. A maximum PL intensity was observed with 10 mol% Sm content but then diminished with higher Sm concentrations.     

Detecting and classifying outliers in big functional data

Advances in Data Analysis and Classification - We propose two new outlier detection methods, for identifying and classifying different types of outliers in (big) functional data sets. The proposed...     

Towards Enzyme‐like,Sustainable Catalysis: Switchable,Highly Efficient Asymmetric Synthesis of Enantiopure Biginelli Dihydropyrimidinones or Hexahydropyrimidinones

Organocatalysts displaying a network of cooperative hydrogen bonds (NCHB) have been employed in an enzyme‐like manner for a direct, switchable synthesis of enantiopure hexahydropyrimidinones (HHPMs) or dihydropyrimidinones (DHPMs), which starts at a common, easily accessible α‐ureidosulfone stage. The NCHB organocatalyst exploits all its potential as a pure hydrogen‐bond biomimetic catalyst even in the presence of organic bases. This one‐pot, diastereo‐ and enantioselective synthetic procedure has been proven to be robust, scalable, highly efficient, and environmentally benign. A straightforward and truly practical entry to enantiopure HHPMs is reported for the first time.