El Naschie’s structures in the electrodynamics of polarizable media

Using the concept of ‘combined field’, an electrodynamics of polarizable media on a fractal space–time is constructed. In this context, using the scale relativity theory, the permanent electric moment, the induced electric moment, the vacuum fluctuations, the paraelectrics, the diaelectrics, the electric Zeeman-type effect, the electric Einstein–de Haas-type effect, the electric Aharonov–Bohm-type effect, the superconductors in the ‘combined field’, the double layers as coherent structures, the magnetic Aharonov–Casher-type effect, are analyzed. Correspondence with the ε^(∞) space–time is accomplished either by admitting an anomal electric Zeeman-type effect, or through a fractal string as in the case of a superconductor in ‘combined field’, or, by phase coherence of the electron–ion pairs from the electric double layers (El Naschie’s coherence). Moreover, the electric double layer or multiple layer may be considered as two-dimensional projections of the same El Naschie’s fractal strings (higher-dimensional strings in ε^(∞) space–time).     

Specialization, inequality and the social stability of economies with collective property rights

Many, if not most, economies are observed to exhibit some form of collective ownership with some goods. These economies may fail to be socially stable, in the sense that the economy has an empty core; some groups may have an incentive to ‘recontract out’. We show that, for a class of economies with collective ownership, sufficient ‘specialization’ in the endowment holdings of these economies gives rise to a non-empty core, so achieving social stability. It is shown, moreover, that reductions in income inequality are consistent with social stability, to the extent that these reductions preserve or increase ‘specialization’ in the economy. Finally, we show that our notion of specialization is not limited to the privatized sector of the economy. Even in economies in which there is no privately held property, sufficient specialization guarantees that the economy is socially stable.     

The zone of flow establishment for plumes with significant buoyancy

The self-similar assumption used in jet and plume models is only valid for distances of greater than about six stack diameters downstream, in the zone of established flow (ZEF). The ‘Gaussian’ profile, observed at the beginning of the ZEF, must be related to source ‘top hat’ parameter values. However, previously used formulae are shown here to be approximations, being valid only for non-buoyant sources (‘pure jets’). Extensions to sources of significant buoyancy are described in terms of the densimetric Froude number, based on recently published experimental work.     

Some existence and construction results of polygonal designs

This paper revisits the existence and construction problems for polygonal designs (a special class of partially balanced incomplete block designs associated with regular polygons). We present new polygonal designs with various parameter sets by explicit construction. In doing so we employ several construction methods — some conventional and some new. We also establish a link between a class of polygonal designs of block size 3 and the cyclically generated ‘λ-fold triple systems’. Finally, we show that the existence question for a certain class of polygonal designs is equivalent to the existence question for ‘perfect grouping systems’ which we introduce.     

Characterizing properties of approximate solutions for optimization problems

Approximate solutions for optimization problems become of interest if the ‘true’ optimum cannot be found: this may happen for the simple reason that an optimum does not exist or because of the ‘bounded rationality’ (or bounded accuracy) of the optimizer. This paper characterizes several approximate solutions by means of consistency and additional requirements. In particular we consider invariance properties. We prove that, where the domain contains optimization problems without maximum, there is no non-trivial consistent solution satisfying non-emptiness, translation and multiplication invariance. Moreover, we show that the class of ‘satisficing’ solutions is obtained, if the invariance axioms are replaced with Chernoff’s Choice Axiom.     

A correction to the definition of local center

It is known that in order to solve the minimax facility location problem on a graph with a finite set of demand points, only a finite set of possible location points, called ‘local centers’ must be considered.It has been shown that the continuous m-center problem on a graph can be solved by using a series of set covering problems in which each local center covers the demand points at a distance not greater than a corresponding number called ‘the range’ of the local center.However, all points which are at the same distance from more than two demand points, and from which there is no direction where all these distances are decreasing, must also be considered as local centers. This paper proves that, in some special cases, it is not sufficient to consider only the points where this occurs with respect to pairs of demand points. The definition of local center is corrected and the corresponding results and algorithms are revised.     

Non-parametric efficiency, progress and regress measures for panel data: Methodological aspects

This purely methodological paper deals with the rôle of time in non-parametric efficiency analysis. Using both FDH and DEA technologies, it first shows how each observation in a panel can be characterized in efficiency terms vis-à-vis three different kinds of frontiers: (i) ‘contemporaneous’, (ii) ‘sequential’, and (iii) ‘intertemporal’. These are then compared with window analysis. Next, frontier shifts ‘outward’ and ‘inward’, interpreted as progress or regress are considered for the two kinds of technologies, and computational methods are described in detail for evaluating such shifts in either case. These are also contrasted with what is measured by the ‘Malmquist’ productivity index. Finally, an alternative way of identifying progress and regress, independent of the frontier notion and referring instead to some ‘benchmark’ notion, is extended here to panel data.     

The monotonicity of the probability of return into the source in models of branching random walks

The paper discusses two models of a branching random walk on a many-dimensional lattice with birth and death of particles at a single node being the source of branching. The random walk in the first model is assumed to be symmetric. In the second model an additional parameter is introduced which enables “artificial” intensification of the prevalence of branching or walk at the source and, as the result, violating the symmetry of the random walk. The monotonicity of the return probability into the source is proved for the second model, which is a key property in the analysis of branching random walks.     

El Naschie’s ε theory and effects of nanoparticle clustering on the heat transport in nanofluids

Effects of nanoparticle clustering on the heat transfer in nanofluids using the scale relativity theory in the topological dimension D_T = 3 are analyzed. In the one-dimensional differentiable case, the clustering morphogenesis process is achieved by cnoidal oscillation modes of the speed field. In such conjecture, a non-autonomous regime implies a relation between the radius and growth speed of the cluster while, a quasi-autonomous regime requires El Naschie’s ε^(∞) theory through the cluster–cluster coherence (El Naschie global coherence). Moreover, these two regimes are separated by the golden mean. In the one-dimensional non-differentiable case, the fractal kink spontaneously breaks the ‘vacuum symmetry’ of the fluid by tunneling and generates coherent structures. This mechanism is similar to the one of superconductivity. Thus, the fractal potential acts as an energy accumulator while, the fractal soliton, implies El Naschie’s ε^(∞) theory (El Naschie local coherence). Since all the properties of the speed field are transferred to the thermal one, for a certain conditions of an external load (e.g. for a certain value of thermal gradient) the soliton and fractal one breaks down (blows up) and release energy. As result, the thermal conductibility in nanofluids unexpectedly increases. Here, El Naschie’s ε^(∞) theory interferes through El Naschie global and local coherences.     

Deterministic random walks on the integers

Jim Propp’s P-machine, also known as the ‘rotor router model’, is a simple deterministic process that simulates a random walk on a graph. Instead of distributing chips to randomly chosen neighbors, it serves the neighbors in a fixed order.We investigate how well this process simulates a random walk. For the graph being the infinite path, we show that, independent of the starting configuration, at each time and on each vertex, the number of chips on this vertex deviates from the expected number of chips in the random walk model by at most a constant c₁, which is approximately 2.29. For intervals of length L, this improves to a difference of O(logL), for the L₂ average of a contiguous set of intervals even to . All these bounds are tight.