Computing optimal scalings by parametric network algorithms

Asymmetric scaling of a square matrixA 0 is a matrix of the formXAX ^–1 whereX is a nonnegative, nonsingular, diagonal matrix having the same dimension ofA. Anasymmetric scaling of a rectangular matrixB 0 is a matrix of the formXBY ^–1 whereX andY are nonnegative, nonsingular, diagonal matrices having appropriate dimensions. We consider two objectives in selecting a symmetric scaling of a given matrix. The first is to select a scalingA of a given matrixA such that the maximal absolute value of the elements ofA is lesser or equal that of any other corresponding scaling ofA. The second is to select a scalingB of a given matrixB such that the maximal absolute value of ratios of nonzero elements ofB is lesser or equal that of any other corresponding scaling ofB. We also consider the problem of finding an optimal asymmetric scaling under the maximal ratio criterion (the maximal element criterion is, of course, trivial in this case). We show that these problems can be converted to parametric network problems which can be solved by corresponding algorithms.This research was supported by NSF Grant ECS-83-10213.     

Fabrication of "hairy" colloidosomes with shells of polymeric microrods

Novel colloidosome microcapsules with aqueous gel cores and integral shells of rodlike polymeric particles have been prepared and characterized. The synthesis is based on templating water-in-oil emulsions stabilized by rodlike particles followed by gelling of the aqueous phase, dissolution of the oil phase in ethanol, and redispersion of the obtained colloidosome capsules in water. Such capsules may find applications as vehicles for delivery and controlled release of drugs, cosmetics, and food supplements.     

Interaction of ester functional groups with aluminum oxide surfaces studied using infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy

The bonding of two types of ester group-containing molecules with a set of different oxide layers on aluminum has been investigated using infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy. The different oxide layers were made by giving typical surface treatments to the aluminum substrate. The purpose of the investigation was to find out what type of ester-oxide bond is formed and whether this is influenced by changes in the composition and chemistry of the oxide. The extent by which these bonded ester molecules resisted disbondment in water or substitution by molecules capable of chemisorption was also investigated. The ester groups were found to show hydrogen bonding with hydroxyls on the oxide surfaces through their carbonyl oxygens. For all oxides, the ester groups showed the same nu(C = O) carbonyl stretching vibration after adsorption, indicating very similar bonding occurs. However, the oxides showed differences in the amount of molecules bonded to the oxide surface, and a clear relation was observed with the hydroxyl concentration present on the oxide surface, which was determined from XPS measurements. The two compounds showed differences in the free to bonded nu(C = O) infrared peak shift, indicating differences in bonding strength with the oxide surface between the two types of molecules. The bonding of the ester groups with the oxide surfaces was found to be not stable in the presence of water and also not in the presence of a compound capable of chemisorption with the aluminum oxide surface.     

Photodisintegration of Pb isotopes

Yields of photonucleon reactions of different multiplicity of natural isotopic mixture of Pb were measured on a bremsstrahlung photon beam with a maximum energy of 67.7 MeV using gamma-activation methods. Cross-sections of photonucleon reactions of different multiplicity were calculated on stable Pb isotopes within the bounds of the combined model. The calculated cross sections are compared to those measured in experiments on quasimonochromatic photon beams. They are also used to split the measured yields into yields of particular photonucleon reactions.     

Generalized model of giant-dipole-resonance splitting

A simple semimicroscopic model that makes it possible to take into account the deformation, configuration, and isospin splitting of a giant dipole resonance is formulated and is used to describe the gross structure of the photoabsorption cross section in spherical, deformed, and transition nuclei over the mass range 10 ? A ? 240.     

Advantages of Odd Random Phase Multisine Electrochemical Impedance Measurements

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is a powerful technique to study electrochemical processes and to perform screening tasks. Recently an integrated measuring and modeling methodology for EIS based on a multisine excitation signal was developed. A key issue in this methodology is the data analysis, allowing us to rapidly quantify the reliability of the measured data. In this paper, a comparison is made between classical single‐sine and the proposed multisine measurements on the same system. The fitting of the impedance data obtained by single‐or multisine excitation and using different weighting factors is also discussed. In addition to the advantages reported in earlier work, it is concluded that, of all investigated frequencies, the odd random phase multisine excitation yields the highest quality data in the shortest measurement time.     

Photonuclear reactions on mercury isotopes in the region of the giant-dipole-resonance energy

The induced-activity method is used to measure yields of photonuclear reactions induced in stable mercury isotopes by beams of bremsstrahlung photons whose spectra have the endpoint energies of 19.5 and 29.1 MeV. On the basis of a collective model, the partial cross sections and yields are calculated for photoproton and photoneutron reactions on these isotopes. The yields calculated theoretically are compared with their measured counterparts. The possibility for the production in photonuclear reactions of the bypassed nucleus ¹⁹⁶Hg, which cannot be formed in astrophysical r and s processes, is analyzed.     

A technique for speeding up the solution of the Lagrangean dual

We propose techniques for the solution of the LP relaxation and the Lagrangean dual in combinatorial optimization and nonlinear programming problems. Our techniques find the optimal solution value and the optimal dual multipliers of the LP relaxation and the Lagrangean dual in polynomial time using as a subroutine either the Ellipsoid algorithm or the recent algorithm of Vaidya. Moreover, in problems of a certain structure our techniques find not only the optimal solution value, but the solution as well. Our techniques lead to significant improvements in the theoretical running time compared with previously known methods (interior point methods, Ellipsoid algorithm, Vaidya's algorithm). We use our method to the solution of the LP relaxation and the Langrangean dual of several classical combinatorial problems, like the traveling salesman problem, the vehicle routing problem, the Steiner tree problem, thek-connected problem, multicommodity flows, network design problems, network flow problems with side constraints, facility location problems,K-polymatroid intersection, multiple item capacitated lot sizing problem, and stochastic programming. In all these problems our techniques significantly improve the theoretical running time and yield the fastest way to solve them.