The growth of ice crystals in an electric field

Zusammenfassung Das Wachstum von Eiskristallen in einer Diffusionswolkenkammer wird durch ein elektrisches Feld von über 500 V/cm wesentlich geändert. Die Kristalle wachsen sehr schnell in Form langer, dünner Nadeln. Die Ursache des beschleunigten Wachstums ist noch nicht völlig erkannt; aber die Beobachtungen stimmen mit der Hypothese überein, dass die Kristalle durch Einbau von neutralen Wassermolekülen wachsen.     

Current fluctuations from various crystal faces of a clean tungsten field emitter

The temperature, frequency and current dependence of current fluctuations have been measured for the (310), (112) and (100) planes of a tungsten field emitter. The rms percent fluctuation of the current at 900 K was 8.7, 1.5 and 0.13% and the threshold temperature for current fluctuation was 300, 650 and 1000 K for the (310), (112) and (100) planes respectively. Based on the results reported here it is concluded that the current fluctuations arise from the generation of mobile atoms on net plane terraces.     

Notes on plane partitions VI

We consider the problem of plane partitions with given minimal differences between parts along rows and columns. We obtain a formula for the generating function in the two row case.     

The homogeneous projective transformation of general quadratic matrix equations

^** Email: vassilios.tsachouridis{at}ieee.org^*** Email: basil.kouvaritakis{at}eng.ox.ac.uk Algebraic quadratic equations are a special case of a singlegeneralized algebraic quadratic matrix equation (GQME). Hence,the importance of that equation in science and engineering isevident. This paper focus on the study of solutions of thatGQME and a unified framework for the characterization and identificationof solutions at infinity and of finite solutions of generalquadratic algebraic matrix equations is presented. The analysisis based on the concept of homogeneous projective transformationfor general polynomial systems (Morgan, 1986). In addition,a numerical error analysis for the computed solutions is providedfor the assessment of numerical accuracy, stability and conditioningof the computed solutions. The proposed framework is independentof any numerical method and therefore it can be used along withvarious possible numerical methods for the GQME solution, especiallymatrix flow-based algorithms (Chu, 1994) (e.g. continuation/homotopy,Morgan, 1989).     

Oscillation of nonlinear vector differential equations

Summary Oscillation criteria are obtained for vector partial differential equations of the type Δv+b(x, v)v=0, x∈G, v∈E^m, where G is an exterior domain in E_n, and b is a continuous nonnegative valued function in G × E^m. A solution v: G→E^m is called h-oscillatory in G whenever the scalar product [v(x), h] (|h|=1) has zeros x in G with |x| arbitrarily large. It is shown that the spherical mean of [v(x), h] over a hypersphere of radius r in Eⁿ satisfies a nonlinear ordinary differential inequality. As a consequence, the main theorems give sufficient conditions on b(x, t), depending upon the dimension n, for all solutions v to be h-oscillatory in G. Entrata in Redazione il 26 giugno 1975.     

A Stochastic Model for Bidding

Competitive bidding situations involve considering a multiplicity of factors. Organizations must be able to weigh the relative probability of potential projects based on resource usage, project duration and competitor actions to decide which of many possible bids to submit. A bidding strategy designed to maximize expected long run return is crucial, since an organization can usually submit only one bid per project.This paper presents a family of stochastic dynamic programming models considering different bidding situations. Several projects, each with several potential bids, are available for each situation. The objective is to determine what bidding strategy will maximize expected returns. Models are developed for two principle bidding situations: sequential, where projects are bid individually; and simultaneous, where several projects are bid at one time. Next, the effects of over- or under-commitment of resources are incorporated into the models. Finally, changes in project timing and the resultant effects on bidding strategy are included.A numerical example traces the changes in bidding strategy which occur as the models are expanded. The general formulation of bidding problems is also discussed, including changing the bid success probabilities due to competitor actions, the possibility of crashing projects and alternate methods of performing projects.