Receiver set partitioning and sequencing for multicasting traffic in a WDM lightwave single-hop network

This paper considers a receiver set partitioning and sequencing problem in a wavelength division multiplexing single-hop lightwave network for multicasting traffic. The problem is analysed in the approach of uncapacitated single batch-processing machine scheduling. In the analysis, several solution properties are characterized with respect to a mean flow time measure, based upon which two heuristic algorithms are developed, along with a dynamic programming algorithm. Several numerical experiments show that the heuristic algorithms generate good schedules. The problem is extended to consider two measures simultaneously including the mean flow time and the number of transmissions, for which the proposed algorithms also perform well.     

Effects of diamines and their fluorinated groups on the color lightness and preparation of organosoluble aromatic polyimides from 2,2‐bis[4‐(4‐amino‐2‐trifluoromethylphenoxy)phenyl]‐hexafluoropropane

To investigate the position and amount of the CF₃ group affecting the coloration of polyimides (PIs), we prepared 2,2‐bis[4‐(4‐amino‐2‐trifluoromethylphenoxy)phenyl]hexafluoropropane ( 2 ) with four CF₃ groups with 2‐chloro‐5‐nitrobenzotrifluoride and 2,2‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenol)hexafluoropropane. A series of soluble and light‐colored fluorinated PIs ( 5 ) were synthesized from 2 and various aromatic dianhydrides ( 3a – 3f ). 5a – 5f had inherent viscosities ranging from 0.80 to 1.19 dL/g and were soluble in amide polar solvents and even in less polar solvents. The glass‐transition temperatures of 5 were 221–265 °C, and the 10% weight‐loss temperatures were above 493 °C. Their films had cutoff wavelengths between 343 and 390 nm, b* values (a yellowness index) ranging from 5 to 41, dielectric constants of 2.68–3.01 (1 MHz), and moisture absorptions of 0.03–0.29 wt %. In a comparison of the PI series 6 – 8 based on 2,2‐bis[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]hexafluoropropane, 2,2‐bis[4‐(4‐amino‐2‐trifluoromethylphenoxy)phenyl]propane, and 2,2‐bis[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]propane, we found that the CF₃ group close to the imide group was more effective in lowering the color; this means that CF₃ of 5 , 7 , and 8f was more effective than that of 6c . The color intensity of the four PI series was lowered in the following order: 5 > 7 > 6 > 8 . The PI 5f , synthesized from diamine 2 and 4,4′‐hexafluoroisopropylidenediphthalic anhydride, had six CF₃ groups in a repeated segment, so it exhibited the lightest color among the four series. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 922–938, 2003     

The influence of Na<Superscript>+</Superscript> on the anilinepropylsilica xerogel synthesis by using the fluoride nucleophilic catalyst

Anilinepropylsilica xerogel was obtained by using an appropriate organosilane and tetraethyl orthosilicate as precursor reagents. The gelation was carried out using HF and NaF as catalysts. The presence of Na⁺ (when NaF was used) resulted in a decrease in the final organic content of the materials. This effect was interpreted as an inhibition of the organosilane polycondensation possibly due to the Na⁺ interaction with the SiO^- groups of the hydrolyzed organosilane. The presence of Na⁺ also results in morphological changes in the xerogels.     

Local Minimizers of the Ginzburg-Landau Energy with Magnetic Field in Three Dimensions

We establish the existence of locally minimizing vortex solutions to the full Ginzburg-Landau energy in three dimensional simply-connected domains with or without the presence of an applied magnetic field. The approach is based upon the theory of weak Jacobians and applies to nonconvex sample geometries for which there exists a configuration of locally shortest line segments with endpoints on the boundary.Research partially supported by NSERC grant number 261955     

Continuously coupled parametric generators and their quantum statistics

In this paper the quantum-statistical properties of light beams propagating in a directional nonlinear coupler are investigated. This device is composed of a pair of linearly coupled nonlinear waveguides operating by means of degenerate parametric downconversion. The possibility of generation of nonclassical states of light in single and compound modes, using the short-length approximation, is discussed. Influence of linear and nonlinear mismatches for generation of nonclassical light is taken into account. This work was supported by Project LN00A015, Research Project No. CEZ: J14/98 and the COST project OC P11.003 of the Czech Ministry of Education.     

Loading aircraft for military operations

In this paper, we describe an aircraft loading problem submitted by the French military agency (DGA) as part of a more general military airlift planning problem. It can be viewed as a kind of bi-dimensional bin-packing problem, with heterogeneous bins and several additional constraints. We introduce two-phase methods for solving this NP-hard problem. The first phase consists in building good initial solutions, thanks to two fast algorithms: a list-based heuristic and a loading pattern generation method. Both algorithms call a constraint-based subroutine, able to determine quickly if the items already loaded can be reshuffled to accommodate a new object. The second phase improves these preliminary solutions using local search techniques. Results obtained on real data sets are presented.     

ON THE RATE OF WEIGHTED Lp CONVERGENCE BY THE GRUENWALD INTERPOLATORY OPERATORS

This paper gives the weighted Lp convergence rate estimations of the Gruenwald interpolatory polynomials based on the zeros of Chebyshev polymomials of the first kind,and proves that the order of the estimations is optimal for p≥1.     

Reply to Nathan: How to reconstruct the causal argument

Nicholas Nathan tries to resist the current version of the causal argument for sense-data in two ways. First he suggests that, on what he considers to be the correct re-construction of the argument, it equivocates on the sense of proximate cause. Second he defends a form of disjunctivism, by claiming that there might be an extra mechanism involved in producing veridical hallucination, that is not present in perception. I argue that Nathan’s reconstruction of the argument is not the appropriate one, and that, properly interpreted, the argument does not equivocate on proximate cause. Furthermore, I claim that his postulation of a modified mechanism for hallucinations is implausibly ad hoc.     

On the bounded version of Hilbert's tenth problem

 The paper establishes lower bounds on the provability of 𝒟=NP and the MRDP theorem in weak fragments of arithmetic. The theory I ⁵ E ₁ is shown to be unable to prove 𝒟=NP. This non-provability result is used to show that I ⁵ E ₁ cannot prove the MRDP theorem. On the other hand it is shown that I ¹ E ₁ proves 𝒟 contains all predicates of the form (∀i≤|b|)P(i,x)^Q(i,x) where ^ is =, <, or ≤, and I ⁰ E ₁ proves 𝒟 contains all predicates of the form (∀i≤b)P(i,x)=Q(i,x). Here P and Q are polynomials. A conjecture is made that 𝒟 contains NLOGTIME. However, it is shown that this conjecture would not be sufficient to imply 𝒟=N P. Weak reductions to equality are then considered as a way of showing 𝒟=NP. It is shown that the bit-wise less than predicate, ≤₂, and equality are both co-NLOGTIME complete under FDLOGTIME reductions. This is used to show that if the FDLOGTIME functions are definable in 𝒟 then 𝒟=N P. Received: 13 July 2001 / Revised version: 9 April 2002 / Published online: 19 December 2002 Key words or phrases: Bounded Arithmetic – Bounded Diophantine Complexity