A perturbation-based heuristic for the capacitated multisource Weber problem

This paper proposes a perturbation-based heuristic for the capacitated multisource Weber problem. This procedure is based on an effective use of borderline customers. Several implementations are considered and the two most appropriate are then computationally enhanced by using a reduced neighbourhood when solving the transportation problem. Computational results are presented using data sets from the literature, originally used for the uncapacitated case, with encouraging results.     

On uniform propagation of chaos

In this paper we obtain a time-uniform propagation estimate for a system of interacting diffusion processes. Using a well defined metric function h , our result guarantees a time-uniform estimate for the convergence of a class of interacting stochastic differential equations towards their mean field limit, under conditions that ensure that the decay associated to the internal dynamics term dominates the interaction and noise terms. Our result should have diverse applications, particularly in neuroscience, and allows for models more elaborate than the one of Wilson and Cowan. In particular, the internal dynamics need not be that of linear decay.     

Hybrid Materials Based on Conducting Polymers for Nitrite Sensing: A Mini Review

Well-known as a hazardous compound, nitrite constitute a real threat to the public health. So, there is a pressing need to detect and quantify them in different matrix. Even though conventional analytical methods can be used to address this issue, electrochemistry allows a fast, sensitive, and efficient analysis. Conducting polymers continue to raise great interest among scientific communities due to their properties. Moreover, their combination with carbon nanomaterials, or metallic nanoparticles improves their properties, and provides great results. In this paper, we will focus on some revealing works devoted to the electrochemical detection of nitrite using this kind of materials.     

Nested Heuristic Methods for the Location-Routeing Problem

The concept of ‘nested methods’ is adopted to solve the location-routeing problem. Unlike the sequential and iterative approaches, in this method we treat the routeing element as a sub-problem within the larger problem of location. Efficient techniques that take into account the above concept and which use a neighbourhood structure inspired from computational geometry are presented. A simple version of tabu search is also embedded into our methods to improve the solutions further. Computational testing is carried out on five sets of problems of 400 customers with five levels of depot fixed costs, and the results obtained are encouraging.     

Characterization of an ytterbium-doped double-clad fiber laser passively mode-locked by nonlinear polarization rotation

The properties of an ytterbium-doped double-clad fiber laser, passively mode-locked by nonlinear polarization rotation are investigated in this work. Cartographies of mode-locking regime versus halfwave plates orientations are presented for several values of the total cavity dispersion and for different pump powers. Bistability between the continuous and the mode-locking regimes is pointed out. The effect of the total group velocity dispersion is described with a master mode-locking equation. PACS 42.55.Wd; 42.65.Re     

Constructive heuristics for the uncapacitated continuous location-allocation problem

The multisource location-allocation problem in continuous space is investigated. Two constructive heuristic techniques are proposed to solve this problem. Both methods are based on designing suitable schemes for the generation of the initial solutions. The first considers the furthest distance rule and is enhanced by schemes borrowed from tabu search such as constructing the forbidden regions and freeing strategy. The second considers the discrete solutions found when solving the p-median problem. Some results on existing test problems are presented.     

Similarities Between Rotation and Stratification Effects on Homogeneous Shear Flow

Linear theory is applied to examine rotation and buoyancy effects on homogeneous turbulent shear flows with given vertical velocity shear, S=d/dx ₃. In the rotating shear case (where the rotation vector is perpendicular to the plane of the mean flow, Ω _i =Ωδ _{i 2}), general solutions for the Fourier components of the fluctuating velocity are proposed. These solutions are compared with those proposed in the literature for the Fourier components of the fluctuating velocity and density in the case of a homogeneous stratified shear flow with vertical density gradient, S _ρ=d/dx ₃. It is shown that from the normal mode stability stand point the Bradshaw parameter B=2Ω/S(1+2Ω/S) (in the rotating shear case) and the Richardson number R _i (in the statified shear case) play similar roles in identifying the stability for all the wave components except in the case where Ω·k=0, for which rotation has no effects on the flow. Analysis of the long-time behavior of the non-dimensional spectral density of energy, e ^g , is carried out. In the stable case, e ^g has decaying oscillations or undergoes a power law decay in time. Analytical solutions for the streamwise two-dimensional energy ℰ _ii ¹/2 (i.e. the limit at k ₁=0 of the one-dimensional energy spectra) are proposed. At large time, ℰ _ii ¹(t)/ℰ _ii ¹(0) oscillates around the value (3R _i +1)/(4R _i ) except at R _i =1 it stays constant in time. Similar behavior for ℰ _ii ¹(t)/ℰ _ii ¹(0) is also observed in the rotating shear case (ℰ _ii ¹(t)/ℰ _ii ¹(0) oscillates around the value (1+4B)/(4B)). Due to the behavior of the dimensionless spectral density of energy in both flow cases, the turbulent kinetic energy, /2, the production rate, ?, and the rate due to the buoyancy forces, ℬ, are split into two parts, , ?=?₁+?₂, ℬ=ℬ₁+ℬ₂ (in the stratified shear case, both ?₁ and ℬ₁ vanish when R _i >?, while in the rotating shear case one has ℬ=0). It is shown that when rotation is “cyclonic” (i.e. Ω/S>0), part reaches maximum magnitudes at St ≈2, independent of the B value, and the first time to a zero crossing of ?₂ occurs at this particular value. When rotation is “anticyclonic” (i.e. Ω/S<0) one finds St ≈1.6 instead of St ≈2. In the stratified shear case, both ?₂ and ℬ₂ cross zero at Nt=St ≈2, and part reaches maximum magnitudes at this particular value. These results and in particular those for the turbulent kinetic energy are compared with previous direct numerical simulation (DNS) results in homogeneous stratified shear flows. Received 30 July 2001 and accepted 19 February 2002     

Oxidation of propane over ammonium-transition metal mixed keggin phosphomolybdate salts

Mixed ammonium-transition metal salts with formula of (NH4)xMyHzPMo12O40 (M = Ni2+, Co2+ or Fe 3+) denoted as MPMo12 have been investigated for the oxidation of propane, with molecular oxygen, at temperature range between 380℃ and 420℃ after in-situ pre-treatment performed at two heating rate of 5 or 9℃/min. They were characterized by BET method, XRD, UV-Vis and IR techniques. The catalysts were found to be active in the propane oxidation and selective to propene or acrolein, in particular for samples pre-t...     

Influence of deposition conditions on the optical properties of erbium-doped yttrium oxide films grown by aerosol-UV assisted MOCVD

Erbium-doped Y₂O₃ films were prepared by aerosol-UV assisted metal-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) at 410 °C. The effects of humidity of carrier gas and UV-assistance on their structure and optical properties were investigated on the as-deposited and thermal annealed films using infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the as-deposited Er:Y₂O₃ films crystallise in the Y₂O₃ cubic structure and present a very low organic contamination when the deposition takes place under high air humidity and, even better, with UV-assistance. After annealing, two different structural phases are observed corresponding to the cubic and the monoclinic structures of Y₂O₃. The Er³⁺ luminescence analysed in the visible and IR regions, shows the classical green transitions. The best optical properties were obtained with as-deposited and annealed Er:Y₂O₃ films grown under high air humidity with UV-assistance. Under such deposition conditions, ⁴I_13/2 lifetimes was found to be 3.07 and 6.1 ms for films annealed at 800 and 1000 °C, respectively, and up-conversion phenomena were underlined. This indicates that the deposition conditions, in particular air humidity, play an important role in the luminescent properties even after annealing.