Lower Bounds from State Space Relaxations for Concave Cost Network Flow Problems

In this paper we obtain Lower Bounds (LBs) to concave cost network flow problems. The LBs are derived from state space relaxations of a dynamic programming formulation, which involve the use of non-injective mapping functions guaranteing a reduction on the cardinality of the state space. The general state space relaxation procedure is extended to address problems involving transitions that go across several stages, as is the case of network flow problems. Applications for these LBs include: estimation of the quality of heuristic solutions; local search methods that use information of the LB solution structure to find initial solutions to restart the search (Fontes et al., 2003, Networks, 41, 221–228); and branch-and-bound (BB) methods having as a bounding procedure a modified version of the LB algorithm developed here, (see Fontes et al., 2005a). These LBs are iteratively improved by penalizing, in a Lagrangian fashion, customers not exactly satisfied or by performing state space modifications. Both the penalties and the state space are updated by using the subgradient method. Additional constraints are developed to improve further the LBs by reducing the searchable space. The computational results provided show that very good bounds can be obtained for concave cost network flow problems, particularly for fixed-charge problems.     

Excimer Laser Processing of Grey Cast Iron: Microstructural and Tribological Characterization

Pearlitic grey iron was treated by means of a XeCl laser to remelt only a shallow layer. This process allows to modify the heteregeneous surfaces of cast irons in order to improve their tribological behaviour. The energy density ranged from 0.3 to 3 J/cm² and the number of shots from 4 to 40. It is shown that after laser irradiation austenite is formed in the melted layer; compressive stresses at the surface were exhibited as well as the deposition of graphite and the formation of carbides. It is shown that excimer laser processing highly decreases the coefficient of friction and the wear rate. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Phase separation of p53 precedes aggregation and is affected by oncogenic mutations and ligands

Mutant p53 tends to form aggregates with amyloid properties, especially amyloid oligomers inside the nucleus, which are believed to cause oncogenic gain-of-function (GoF). The mechanism of the formation of the aggregates in the nucleus remains uncertain. The present study demonstrated that the DNA-binding domain of p53 (p53C) underwent phase separation (PS) on the pathway to aggregation under various conditions. p53C phase separated in the presence of the crowding agent polyethylene glycol (PEG). Similarly, mutant p53C (M237I and R249S) underwent PS; however, the process evolved to a solid-like phase transition faster than that in the case of wild-type p53C. The data obtained by microscopy of live cells indicated that transfection of mutant full-length p53 into the cells tended to result in PS and phase transition (PT) in the nuclear compartments, which are likely the cause of the GoF effects. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) experiments revealed liquid characteristics of the condensates in the nucleus. Mutant p53 tended to undergo gel- and solid-like phase transitions in the nucleus and in nuclear bodies demonstrated by slow and incomplete recovery of fluorescence after photobleaching. Polyanions, such as heparin and RNA, were able to modulate PS and PT in vitro. Heparin apparently stabilized the condensates in a gel-like state, and RNA apparently induced a solid-like state of the protein even in the absence of PEG. Conditions that destabilize p53C into a molten globule conformation also produced liquid droplets in the absence of crowding. The disordered transactivation domain (TAD) modulated both phase separation and amyloid aggregation. In summary, our data provide mechanistic insight into the formation of p53 condensates and conditions that may result in the formation of aggregated structures, such as mutant amyloid oligomers, in cancer. The pathway of mutant p53 from liquid droplets to gel-like and solid-like (amyloid) species may be a suitable target for anticancer therapy.

Mutant p53 tends to form aggregates with amyloid properties, especially amyloid oligomers inside the nucleus, which are believed to cause oncogenic gain-of-function (GoF).     

Chemical synthesis and firefly luciferase produced dehydroluciferyl-coenzyme A

Dehydroluciferyl-coenzyme A (L-CoA) was chemically synthesized and characterized by MS, UV-vis spectrometry and RP-HPLC. The identity of the chemically synthesized compound with the one that was produced by firefly luciferase was confirmed. Moreover, the reversibility of the enzymatic conversion of dehydroluciferin ? dehydroluciferyl-adenylate ? L-CoA was also confirmed. The chemical synthesis of L-CoA, described here, may help the clarification of the activator effect of CoA on luciferase bioluminescent assays, in which the enzyme catalyzed formation of L-CoA and the consequent destruction of L-AMP is one of the possible explanations for that effect.     

Phase uniqueness and correlation length in diluted-field Ising models

The diluted-field Ising model, a random nonnegative field ferromagnetic model, is shown to have a unique Gibbs measure with probability I when the field mean is positive. Our methods involve comparisons with ordinary uniform field Ising models. They yield as a corollary a way of obtaining spontaneous magnetization through the application of a vanishing random magnetic field. The correlation lengths of this model defined as (lim _n-(1/n) log ₀; _n)^-1, wheren is the site on the first coordinate axis at distancen from the origin and ₀; _n is the origin ton two-point truncated correlation function, is non-random. We derive an upper bound for it in terms of the correlation length of an ordinary nonrandom model with uniform field related to the field distribution of the diluted model.     

Microstructure of nodular cast iron after excimer laser surface processing

Nodular iron of martensitic structure was treated by means of a XeCl laser prototype. The energy density varied from 0.3 to 5 J/cm² and the number of shots from 4 to 40. Conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy, conversion X-ray Mössbauer spectroscopy and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction were used to characterize the irradiated surface. Some Rutherford backscattering spectrometry measurements were performed to control surface oxidation and carbon distribution. It is shown that after irradiation austenite formed in a rather deep heat affected zone (10–20 m) compared to the thickness of the melted zone ( 1 m). The austenite amount as well as its carbon content increase with energy density and number of shots up to a threshold of carbide formation. Beyond the threshold Fe₂C, Fe₃C and Fe₅C₂ formed only in the melted zone. The carbon content as a function of depth is constant in the melted layer, then decreases quickly from the melted layer-heat affected zone interface down its initial value. The carbon content is shown to govern the evolution of phases content in the melted layer depending on the laser treatment conditions.     

Shock fluctuations in the asymmetric simple exclusion process

Summary We consider the one dimensional nearest neighbors asymmetric simple exclusion process with ratesq andp for left and right jumps respectively;q<p. Ferrari et al. (1991) have shown that if the initial measure isv _, , a product measure with densities and to the left and right of the origin respectively, <, then there exists a (microscopic) shock for the system. A shock is a random positionX _t such that the system as seen from this position at timet has asymptotic product distributions with densities and to the left and right of the origin respectively, uniformly int. We compute the diffusion coefficient of the shockD=lim _t t ^–1(E(X _t )²–(EX _t )²) and findD=(p–q)(–)^–1((1–)+(1–)) as conjectured by Spohn (1991). We show that in the scale the position ofX _t is determined by the initial distribution of particles in a region of length proportional tot. We prove that the distribution of the process at the average position of the shock converges to a fair mixture of the product measures with densities and . This is the so called dynamical phase transition. Under shock initial conditions we show how the density fluctuation fields depend on the initial configuration.     

Sugar cane bagasse-lignin as photo-stabilizer for butadiene rubber

In this work we have studied the stabilizing effect of a natural antioxidant, sugar cane bagasse-lignin, on the photo-oxidation of a commercial sample of butadiene rubber. This stabilizer was investigated in various concentrations, in the pure form, and associated with a diamine or a phosphite stabilizer. Stabilization of butadiene rubber with this lignin associated with the diamine produced a material with a photo-chemical stability comparable to that of a stabilized commercial sample.     

Chromatographic and column stability at pH 7 of a C18 dimethylurea polar stationary phase

Chromatographic evaluations of a C18 dimethylurea phase in 150 mm x 3.9 mm HPLC columns were performed using the Tanaka and Engelhardt test mixtures. The applicability of the new C18 dimethylurea phase was also evaluated with a mixture of some herbicides and their metabolites. An artificial aging procedure was also performed by passing a potassium phosphate mobile phase buffered at pH 7.0 through C18 50 mm x 3.9 mm dimethylurea columns. The column stability was evaluated by means of the chromatographic parameters obtained for the separation of some compounds from the Neue test mixture, using apolar, polar and highly basic analytes.