Technical Analysis as a Method of Risk Management

While the academic world is still discussing if charting works or if it is more or less something like "Voodoo finance", the practical orientated world has been using technical analysis for decades. One argument of practitioners is, that technical analysis is useful to "disciplinate" the trader and consequently is a method of risk reduction. We discuss this argument theoretically and empirically and show, that it is not always right. --

Efficient Synthesis of Rigid, Functional Macrocycles via Reversible Reactions

Rigide Makrozyklen zeigen aufgrund ihrer einzigartigen Struktur und den daraus resultierenden besonderen Eigenschaften Potential für viele Anwendungen. Allerdings erschwert die rigide Struktur die Löslichkeit, weshalb der Einbau löslichkeitsvermittelnder Gruppen nötig ist. Diese werden meist am äußeren Rand eines Ringes angebracht; bei einer großen Kavität können diese auch im Innern angebracht werden. Simulationen zeigen, dass löslichkeitsvermittelnde Gruppen auch im Innern kleiner Kavitäten genug Platz hätten, da sie sich so anordnen können, dass sie alternierend nach oben und unten zeigen. Damit stünde der äußere Rand der Zyklen für den Einbau funktioneller Gruppen zur Verfügung und der Zyklus wäre trotzdem löslich. Aufgrund ihrer Planarität sind rigide Makrozyklen geeignete Bausteine für 2D-Polymere. Momentan werden 2D Polymere entweder mittels Oberflächen/Grenzflächen oder aufwendigen, modularen Synthesen in Lösung hergestellt. Die Anwendung von rigiden Makrozyklen als Monomere könnte beide Ansätze miteinander verbinden. Einerseits sollte durch die löslichkeitsvermittelnden Gruppen die wachsende 2D-Spezies in Lösung verbleiben, andererseits erzwingt die Planarität der rigiden Makrozyklen eine zwei-dimensionale Struktur. Ziel dieser Arbeit war die Synthese von Makrozyklen mit löslichkeitsvermittelnden Gruppen verschiedener Größe im Innern, um die Simulationen experimentell zu belegen. Weiteres Ziel war der Einbau funktioneller Gruppen am äußeren Rand um zu zeigen, dass Folgereaktionen der Makrozyklen möglich sind. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden zunächst Monomere mit verschieden langen Alkylketten als löslichkeitsvermittelnden Gruppen synthetisiert, sowie mit unterschiedlichen funktionellen Gruppen, wie Brom und Vinyl, welche die Makrozyklen zugänglich für Weiterreaktionen machen sollen. Aus diesen Monomeren wurde versucht, durch Cyclooligomerisation mittels Olefinmetathese bzw. Imin-Kondensation rigide Makrozyklen herzustellen, was eine thermodynamische Kontrolle der Reaktion aufgrund ihrer Reversibilität ermöglicht. Während der Olefin-Metathese-Ansatz nicht so funktionierte wie erwartet, konnte mittels Imin-Kondensation eine Reihe rigider Makrozyklen mit verschiedenen löslichkeitsvermittelnden Gruppen im Innern und verschiedenen funktionellen Gruppen am äußeren Rand synthetisiert werden. Eine kürzlich erfolgte Literaturrecherche ergab, dass diese funktionalen, sechsgliedrigen Makrozyklen, welche aus Monomeren mit Aminen bzw. Aldehyde in meta-Position bestehen, bisher nicht veröffentlicht wurden. Die erhaltenen Makrozyklen bzw. Gemische aus linearen und zyklischen Oligomeren wurden mittels SEC, SEC-ESI Massenspektrometrie und NMR-Spektroskopie untersucht. Weiterhin wurde versucht die Makrozyklen zu isolieren. Entgegen der Erwartungen begründet durch die Simulation wurde die Zyklisierung durch größere löslichkeitsvermittelnde Gruppen deutlich erschwert. Außerdem zeigten die Makrozyklen eine niedrige Löslichkeit, was den Einsatz als Monomere für 2D Polymere nicht möglich macht. Selbst nach Reduktion der Iminmakrozyklen zu den entsprechenden Aminen, also die Auflösung des durchkonjugierten, rigiden Systems, zeigten sie eine geringe Löslichkeit in gängigen Lösungsmitteln

Eight Obstacles to Overcome in the Theory Testing Genre

Theory testing work is popular in information systems (IS), with many studies using questionnaires, experiments, or other methods to gather quantitative data and test hypotheses with statistical techniques. This editorial note highlights some of the obstacles that theory testing researchers face, and assists authors so that their papers will not be rejected outright on submission, nor slowed unnecessarily in the review process. In particular, we identify three obstacles relating to theorizing and five related to methods. We provide guidance on how authors can deal with each obstacle, and include examples of studies that have successfully addressed the obstacle. We hope that our editorial will encourage authors to take better note of these obstacles and to give further consideration to avoiding them when they plan and conduct their research studies

Loss of the DNA methyltransferase MET1 Induces H3K9 hypermethylation at PcG target genes and redistribution of H3K27 trimethylation to transposons in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Dimethylation of histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9m2) and trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27m3) are two hallmarks of transcriptional repression in many organisms. In Arabidopsis thaliana, H3K27m3 is targeted by Polycomb Group (PcG) proteins and is associated with silent protein-coding genes, while H3K9m2 is correlated with DNA methylation and is associated with transposons and repetitive sequences. Recently, ectopic genic DNA methylation in the CHG context (where H is any base except G) has been observed in globally DNA hypomethylated mutants such as met1, but neither the nature of the hypermethylated loci nor the biological significance of this epigenetic phenomenon have been investigated. Here, we generated high-resolution, genome-wide maps of both H3K9m2 and H3K27m3 in wild-type and met1 plants, which we integrated with transcriptional data, to explore the relationships between these two marks. We found that ectopic H3K9m2 observed in met1 can be due to defects in IBM1-mediated H3K9m2 demethylation at some sites, but most importantly targets H3K27m3-marked genes, suggesting an interplay between these two silencing marks. Furthermore, H3K9m2/DNA-hypermethylation at these PcG targets in met1 is coupled with a decrease in H3K27m3 marks, whereas CG/H3K9m2 hypomethylated transposons become ectopically H3K27m3 hypermethylated. Our results bear interesting similarities with cancer cells, which show global losses of DNA methylation but ectopic hypermethylation of genes previously marked by H3K27m3

Performance Control in Wireless Sensor Networks

Most of the currently deployed wireless sensor networks applications do not require performance control. The goal of the GINSENG project is sensor networks that meet application-specific performance targets, in particular with respect to latency and reliability. We present scenarios within the GALP oil re¿nery where the system will be deployed and some initial technical insights with respect to deterministic communication

Orographic Effects and Evaporative Cooling along a Subtropical Cold Front: The Case of the Spectacular Saharan Dust Outbreak of March 2004

On 2 March 2004 a marked upper-level trough and an associated surface cold front penetrated into the Sahara. High winds along and behind this frontal system led to an extraordinary, large-scale, and long-lived dust out reak, accompanied by significant precipitation over parts of Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. This paper uses sensitivity simulations with the limited-area model developed by the Consortium for Small-Scale Modeling (COSMO) together with analysis data and surface observations to test several hypotheses on the dynamics of this case proposedin previous work. It is demonstrated that air over central Algeria is cooled by evaporation of frontal precipitation, substantially enhancing winds at the leading edge of the cold front. This process is supported by very drylow-level air in the lee of the Atlas Mountains associated with a foehn situation. Flattening the mountain chain in a sensitivity experiment, however, has complex effects on the wind. While reduced evaporative cooling weakens the front, the elimination of the orographic blocking accelerates its penetration into the Sahara. The simulations also indicate high winds associated with a hydraulic jump at the southern slopes of the Tell Atlas. Feedingthe simulated winds into a dust emission parameterization reveals reduced emissions on the order of 20%-30% for suppressed latent heating and even more when effects of the increased precipitation on soil moisture are considered. In the experiment with the Atlas removed, effects of the overall increase in high winds are compensated by an increase in precipitation. The results suggest that a realistic representation of frontal precipitation is an important requisite to accurately model dust emission in such situations

Enabling Technologies for Silicon Microstrip Tracking Detectors at the HL-LHC

While the tracking detectors of the ATLAS and CMS experiments have shown excellent performance in Run 1 of LHC data taking, and are expected to continue to do so during LHC operation at design luminosity, both experiments will have to exchange their tracking systems when the LHC is upgraded to the high-luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) around the year 2024. The new tracking systems need to operate in an environment in which both the hit densities and the radiation damage will be about an order of magnitude higher than today. In addition, the new trackers need to contribute to the first level trigger in order to maintain a high data-taking efficiency for the interesting processes. Novel detector technologies have to be developed to meet these very challenging goals. The German groups active in the upgrades of the ATLAS and CMS tracking systems have formed a collaborative "Project on Enabling Technologies for Silicon Microstrip Tracking Detectors at the HL-LHC" (PETTL), which was supported by the Helmholtz Alliance "Physics at the Terascale" during the years 2013 and 2014. The aim of the project was to share experience and to work together on key areas of mutual interest during the R&D phase of these upgrades. The project concentrated on five areas, namely exchange of experience, radiation hardness of silicon sensors, low mass system design, automated precision assembly procedures, and irradiations. This report summarizes the main achievements