Optimization techniques for planning highway pavement improvements

In this paper, two different decision models for the planning of highway pavement improvements are presented. In the first model, we want to get a prescribed improvement in the state of the highway network with minimal agency cost. In the second model, a given amount of money is distributed between the highway sections in different states in such a way that the achieved improvements should be the best in some sense. The first model helps the administration in the estimation of the necessary cost for the annual highway improvements. The second model in addition gives an objective tool to the administration for the distribution of the total amount of money between the different regions of the country. We present the construction of the models in detail. Both of them use Markov transition probabilities according to the states of the highway sections and produce a special structure, large-scale, linear programming problem. Some numerical results are presented on the data from Hungarian highways.This work was supported by the National Research Fund, Grant No. 816 and the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunication.     

Stability for Quadratic K1

The general quadratic group GQ _2n and its elementary subgroup EQ _2n are analogs in the theory of quadratic forms of the general linear group GL _n and its elementary subgroup E _n . This article proves that the stabilization map GQ _2n /EQ _2n GQ _2(n+1) /EQ _2(n+1) is an isomorphism whenever n +1 and S denotes the -stable rank of rings with anti-involution. As a corollary, a result is obtained which has been anticipated since the late 1960s: over rings of finite Bass–Serre dimension d, the stabilization map is an isomorphism whenever n d + 2.     

Toward sustainable energy: photocatalysis of Cr-doped TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>: 2. effect of defect disorder

The present chain of five papers considers the concept of solar-to-chemical energy conversion using TiO₂-based semiconductors. The series reports the effect of chromium on the key performance-related properties of polycrystalline TiO₂ (rutile), including electronic structure, photocatalytic activity, intrinsic defect disorder, electrochemical coupling and surface versus bulk properties. In this work, we show that the effect of chromium on photocatalytic performance of TiO₂ depends on its elemental content and the related defect disorder that is determined by oxygen activity in the oxide lattice. At high oxygen activity, chromium leads to enhanced photocatalytic performance only for dilute solid solutions (up to 0.04–0.043 at.% Cr). Higher chromium content results in a decrease of photocatalytic activity below that for pure TiO₂, despite the observed substantial decrease of the band gap. The photocatalytic performance of Cr-doped TiO₂ annealed in reducing conditions is low within the entire studied range of compositions. The obtained results led to derivation of a theoretical model representing the mechanism of the light-induced reactivity of TiO₂ with water and the related charge transfer. The photocatalytic performance is considered in terms of a competitive effect of several key performance-related properties. The performance is predominantly influenced by the concentration of titanium vacancies acting as reactive surface sites related to anodic charge transfer.

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Laser welding of polymers using unsymmetrical squaraine dyes

Transmission laser welding of plastic is typically achieved by incorporating a laser absorbing dye into one of the two pieces of plastic one wishes to weld together and mediating the welding process using a laser emitting light at a suitable wavelength. Desirable properties of laser absorbing dyes include: (1) the dye is colorless in the visible region but absorbs strongly in the region at the wavelength where the laser emits, (2) the dye has a good conversion of the energy from the laser to heat, (3) the dye is stable enough to be incorporated into the molten plastic, (4) the dye is soluble in the plastic of choice to give an even distribution in the plastic, and (5) the dye is nontoxic. Here, we explore an alternative approach to achieve laser welding of colorless plastics using a laser dye that is colored, but that can be bleached after the welding process. Nonsymmetrical squaraine dyes were prepared by condensation of squaric acid and two equivalents of various 3,5-dimethoxy-N,N-dialkylanilines. After the incorporation into polyethylene and laser welding, the plastic was bleached either by heat treatment or by irradiation with a high pressure Xe-lamp giving colorless polyethylene. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 2245–2254     

Orbital connections for perturbation-dependent basis sets

Summary The use of perturbation-dependent basis sets is analysed with emphasis on the connection between the basis sets at different values of the perturbation strength. A particular connection, the natural connection, that minimizes the change of the basis set orbitals is devised and the second quantization realization of this connection is introduced. It is shown that the natural connection is important for the efficient evaluation of molecular properties and for the physical interpretation of the terms entering the calculated properties. For example, in molecular Hessian calculations the natural connection reduces the size of the relaxation term, leading to faster convergence of the response equations. The physical separation of the terms also means that first-order non-adiabatic coupling matrix elements can be obtained in a very simple way from a molecular Hessian calculation.     

Auditory evoked magnetic fields from the human brain. Source localisation in a single-dipole approximation

Experimental results on late auditory evoked magnetic fields from the right side of the human brain are presented. It is shown that the results can be described by means of a source model consisting of a single, equivalent current-dipole with a dipole moment of ≈ 10^?8 A m and a location close to the electrode position T₄ and between 10 and 25 mm below the surface of the skull.