Another SSOR Iteration Method

Kellogg gave a version of the Peaceman-Radford method. In this paper, we introduce a SSOR iteration method which uses Kellogg’s method. The new algorithm has some advantages over the traditional SSOR algorithm. A Cyclic Reduction algorithm is introduced via a decoupling in Kellogg’s method.

What is the role of adolescent body mass index and physical activity on adult health risk behaviors?

Introduction: A high prevalence of modifiable risk factors exists among adolescents that may lead to increased levels of morbidity and mortality in adulthood. This study sought to determine whether higher levels of physical activity (PA) and/or having a healthy body weight in adolescence influences future health risk behaviors (HRB) in young adulthood. Methods: Complete data were gathered for 536 participants from a prospective study and a follow-up survey conducted 10 years apart. At both time points, the questionnaires included information about HRB, PA, and health status. Results: Males who engaged in HRB during adolescence were more likely to continue these same risk behaviors during adulthood. Using multivariate models, only HRB in adolescence predicted HRB in adulthood for drinking, binge drinking and smoking among males, and for binge drinking and smoking among females. Conclusions: It appears that for males, once a health-risk behavior is initiated, it will likely continue into young adulthood, regardless of the presence of other healthy behaviors such as the proper maintenance of body weight and higher levels of PA. Similarly for females, binge drinking and smoking in adolescence is predictive of the same behavior in adulthood.

Synthesis and Chiral Separation of Fibratol, Isopropyl 2-(4-((4-chlorophenyl)(hydroxyl) methyl)-phenoxy)-2-methylpropanoate

Practical synthetic route for the formation of enantiomeric mixture of Isopropyl 2-(4-((4-chlorophenyl)(hydroxyl)methyl)phenoxy)-2-methylpropanoate (Fibratol 2a/b) from isopropyl 2-(4-(4-chlorobenzoyl)phenoxy)-2-methylpropanoate (Fenofibrate 1) has been developed. Method has also been established for the chiral separation of enantiomers of Fibratol 2a/b that is synthesized using the route mentioned above. The optical activity determined for enantiomerically separated Fibratol (2a) and Fibratol (2b) are -5.2° and 8.0° which reflect their ability to rotate plane polarized light counterclockwise (levo) and clockwise (dextro), respectively.

Use of the stepwise progression return-to-play protocol following concussion among practicing athletic trainers

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether practicing athletic trainers(ATs) were using the stepwise progression to make return-to-play(RTP) decisions after concussion and to determine what factors influenced their decision to use the stepwise progression.Methods: A total of 166 ATs(response rate = 16.6%) completed a 21-item questionnaire that evaluated participant demographics, methods of concussion management, and RTP decision-making using the stepwise progression. Descriptive statistics and a logistic regression were completed to analyze data.Results: Factors such as education level(p = 0.05) and number of concussions treated(p = 0.05) predicted use of the stepwise progression,whereas sex(p = 0.17), employment setting(p = 0.17), state law(p = 0.86), and years practicing(p = 0.17) did not predict whether ATs were following the stepwise progression.Conclusion: The majority of the ATs from this study are employing the stepwise progression to safely return athletes to play after sustaining a concussion. This demonstrates that ATs are providing a standard of care for concussed athletes across various athletic training settings; however,having a graduate degree and treating more concussions per year are predictors of whether an AT follows all steps of the stepwise progression.

Grace at Arm＇s Length： The Cultural Importance of Utilizing ＂Expositive Puzzle＂ in Independent Film

Many independent films provide a realistic interpretation of everyday events. Passive viewing techniques used by independent scriptwriters and filmmakers require active engagement from the viewer in order to interpret characters and/or events. The following proposes that the ＂expositive puzzle＂ is an example of these techniques. It uses the fim Short Term 12 in order to demonstrate how the ＂expositive puzzle＂ works and to encourage use in real-world interactions in order to avoid interaction based on stereotypes.

Icosahedral Quasicrystal Layer Observed on λ Phase in Al-Cu-Fe Alloy

Icosahedral quasicrystals display irregular shape if it is embedded in bulk material. If it has free surface, it has well-defined facets, reflecting its unique 5-, 3-, and 2-fold rotational symmetries. In this study, an Al-Cu-Fe alloy with nominal composition of Al65Cu20Fe15 was prepared by arc melting and the microstructure was studied by using Scanning Electron Microscope, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, and Electron Back Scattering Diffraction (EBSD). On the surface of λ crystalline phase, an extra layer is found. EBSD from this layer revealed 5-, 3-, and 2-fold rotational symmetries, demonstrating the icosahedral quasicrystalline structure. Further, it has been found that the icosahedral quasicrystalline extra layer and the λ substrate have orientation relationship revealed by the coincidences of Kikuchi bands and poles on the EBSD patterns. This report is important to future studies regarding the formation of icosahedral quasicrystalline phase and thin film preparation related to icosahedral quasicrystalline phase.

Molecular and electronic structure of several 2,3-dithienylquinoxalines and their 2:1 complexes with silver(I) nitrate

We have synthesized three bis (thienyl) quinoxalinesilver(I) complexes;however, unlike analogous silver(I) complexes of pyridylquinoxaline that utilize (N, N) bidentate behavior from the quinoxaline and pyridyl ring nitrogens, the bis(thienyl) quinoxaline ligands did not utilize the bonding potential of the thienyl rings to give (N, S) bonding modes. PES spectra modeling of these ligands indicates that the preferential metal bonding via only the quinoxaline nitrogen atoms is due to the N-rich, but S-poor, characters of the frontier orbitals.

Chemoselective Reduction of Fenofibric Acid to Alcohol in the Presence of Ketone by Mixed Anhydride and Sodium Borohydride

A highly efficient and facile protocol for the selective reduction of carboxylic acid of Fenofibric acid to corresponding alcohol was developed. The selective reduction was carried out by activation of carboxylic acid by mixed anhydride followed by the reaction of sodium borohydride in presence of methanol. This is the first example of chemoselective reduction of carboxylic acid to alcohol in presence of a ketone without any external catalyst or ligand in a single step. The reaction offers wide applicability for the selective carboxylic group reduction methodology. The chemoselective reduction was demonstrated by the reduction of Fenofibric acid, an active metabolite of the drug Fenofibrate, to corresponding alcohol in excellent selectivity, yield, and purity.

Pistachio genomes provide insights into nut tree domestication and ZW sex chromosome evolution

Pistachio is a nut crop domesticated in the Fertile Crescent and a dioecious species with ZW sex chromosomes.We sequenced the genomes of Pistacia vera cultivar(cv.)Siirt,the female parent,and P.vera cv.Bagyolu,the male parent.Two chromosome-level reference genomes of pistachio were generated,and Z and W chromosomes were assembled.The ZW chromosomes originated from an autosome following the first inversion,which occurred approximately 8.18 Mya.Three inversion events in the W chromosome led to the formation of a 12.7-Mb(22.8%of the W chromosome)non-recombining region.These W-specific sequences contain several genes of interest that may have played a pivotal role in sex determination and contributed to the initiation and evolution of a ZW sex chromosome system in pistachio.The W-specific genes,including defA,defA-like,DYT1,two PTEN1,and two tandem duplications of six VPS13A paralogs,are strong candidates for sex determination or differentiation.Demographic history analysis of resequenced genomes suggest that cultivated pistachio underwent severe domestication bottlenecks approximately 7640 years ago,dating the domestication event close to the archeological record of pistachio domestication in Iran.We identified 390,211,and 290 potential selective sweeps in 3 cultivar subgroups that underlie agronomic traits such as nut development and quality,grafting success,flowering time shift,and drought tolerance.These findings have improved our understanding of the genomic basis of sex determination/differentiation and horticulturally important traits and will accelerate the improvement of pistachio cultivars and rootstocks.

A PURCHASING DECISION: SELECTING A SUPPLIER FOR A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

Supplier selection is one of the most crucial activities performed by organizations because of its strategic importance. Supplier selection is a multi-objective problem involving both quantitative and qualitative criteria. Over the years a number of quantitative approaches have been tried. Although the Analytic Hierarchy Process （AHP） has previously been used in supplier selection problems, one major weakness of the application-oriented AHP literature is that it tends to focus on the mechanics of AHP instead of on the theoretical and practical implications associated with finding a solution. Though it is one of the most extensively used Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis methodologies, our literature search indicated that most studies found the best solution and stopped there, ignoring sensitivity analysis. Performing sensitivity analysis is very important for practical decision making, sometimes even as important as finding the best solution. In this paper for the first time a comprehensive application of AHP for a real-world case is presented along with sensitivity analysis in choosing the best suppliers for a Turkish construction company. As a result of this study the company decided to allocate the order quantities between the two top suppliers.

Assessment of climate change impact on high flows in a watershed characterized by flood regulating reservoirs

A climate-induced extreme flow event such as flooding is one of the most devastating natural hazards,which can significantly damage human lives and properties.This study examined the effects of climate change on the high flow conditions in the Great Miami River Watershed in Ohio under two emission scenarios(RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5).Streamflow for the 21st century was simulated by utilizing a watershed model-SWAT(Soil and Water Assessment Tool)and 10 different climate outputs from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5(CMIP5).The future streamflow was divided into three equal periods:2016-2043(early century),2044-2071(mid-century),and 2072-2099(late century)and independently analyzed to compare high flows of respective intervals with baseline periods(1988-2015).The analysis predicted that 7-day,10-year high-flow(7Q10)would increase by 38%under RCP 4.5 and 44%under RCP 8.5.Similarly,the annual peak flows for study periods were predicted to increase by 26%under RCP 4.5 and 38%under RCP 8.5 from the base period.However,the analysis demonstrated an erratic response for monthly peaks indicating that the peak flow would increase in summer months-May and July to October.Meanwhile,the result did not show any significant increase during the winter season,especially from November to April.The analysis of the four major dams located in the watershed showed that the dam’s peak discharges increase in January,May,and September.Even though increasing peaks were projected in September for the 21st century,the monthly peaks from the watershed outlet were found to be lowest in September as compared to other months.The frequency of future flooding compared to the historical record was found to be increasing in the mid-century under RCP 4.5 and the late century under RCP 8.5.As the future flood is projected to increase,this study finds the reasonable impact of climate change on flood regulating reservoirs/dams in monthly flows.However,daily high flows(90th percentile flow)would be increasing significantly(44%to 250%)under RCP 8.5.

Impact of global climate change on stream low flows:A case study of the great Miami river watershed, Ohio, USA

Climate change will profoundly affect hydrological processes at various temporal and spatial scales.This study is focused on assessing the alteration of water resources availability and low flows frequencies driven by changing climates in different time periods of the 21st century.This study evaluates the adaptability of prevailing Global Circulation Models(GCMs)on a particular watershed through streamflow regimes.This analysis was conducted in the Great Miami River Watershed,Ohio by analyzing historical and future simulated streamflow using 10 climate model outputs and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT).The climate change scenarios,consisting of ten downscaled Coupled Model Intercomparision Project Phase 5(CMIP5)climate models in combination with two Representative Concentration Pathways(RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5)were selected based on the correlation between observed records and model outputs.Streamflow for three future periods,2016-2043,2044-2071 and 2072-2099,were independently analyzed and compared with the baseline period(1988-2015).Results from the average of ten models projected that 7-day low flows in the watershed would increase by 19%in the 21st century under both RCPs.This trend was also consistent for both hydrological(7Q10,1Q10)and biological low flow statistics(4B3,1B3).Similarly,average annual flow and monthly flows would also increase in future periods,especially in the summer.The flows simulated by SWAT in response to the majority of climate model projections showed a consistent increase in low flow patterns.However,the flow estimates using the Max-Planck-Institute Earth System Model(MPI-ESM-LR)climate output resulted in the biological based low flows(4B3,1B3)decreasing by 22.5%and 33.4%under RCP 4.5 and 56.9%and 63.7%under RCP 8.5,respectively,in the future when compared to the baseline period.Regardless,the low flow ensemble from the 10 climate models for the 21st century seemed to be slightly higher than that of historical low flows.

Synthesis, crystal structure, magnetic properties and second harmonic generation of a new noncentrosymmetric coordination compound：Triaqua(4-amino-6-methoxypyrimidine) cuprate(Ⅱ)sulfate

The chemical preparation, crystal structure and infrared spectroscopic characterization of the triaqua（4-amino-6-methoxypyrimidine） cuprate（II） sulfate, [Cu（C5H7N3）（H2O）3]SO4, is reported. The compound crystallizes in the noncentrosymmetric orthorhombic space group P212121 with lattice parameters a = 7.9025（3）, b = 11.1189（4）, c = 12.9720（4） , V = 1139.81（7） ~3 and Z = 4. The Cu（II） cation is fivecoordinated, in an early half-way between square pyramidal and trigonal bipyramidal fashion, by two nitrogen atoms of the 4-amino-6-methoxypyrimidine ligand and three water oxygen atoms. In the atomic arrangement, the organic ligands and the 5-connected Cu centers are linked with each other to give a 1-D corrugated hybrid chain running along the b-axis direction. The chains are interconnected by the SO4^（2-） anions via O–H...O, O–H...S, C–H...O and N–H...O hydrogen bonds to form layers spreading parallel to the（011） plane. The vibrational absorption bands were identified by infrared spectroscopy. Quantitative measurements of the second harmonic generation（SHG） of a powdered sample at 1064 nm were performed and a relative efficiency of 5.2 times the KDP standard was observed. Magnetic properties were also defined to characterize the complex. Magnetic measurements revealed that this material had a onedimensional antiferromagnetic character. The magnetic parameters were g = 2.11 and 2J/k B = -36 K.

On Huppert＇s Conjecture for Alternating Groups of Low Degrees

Bertram Huppert conjectured in the late 1990s that the nonabelian simple groups are determined up to an abelian direct factor by the set of their character degrees. Although the conjecture has been established for various simple groups of Lie type and simple sporadic groups, it is expected to be difficult for alternating groups. In [5], Hup- pert verified the conjecture for the simple alternating groups AN of degree up to 11. In this paper, we continue his work and verify the conjecture for the alternating groups of degrees 12 and 13.