Incorporating expertise into decision analysis based DSS

Artificial Intelligence/Expert Systems (AI/ES) techniques are proposed as means of combining the expertise of the experienced decision analyst with the computational methods of Decision Analysis (DA) to provide a user-friendly problem structuring, solution and querying environment which can be accessed directly by those responsible for managerial decisions.Such a system can be implemented as an Expert System shell. The key features of the shell are the inclusion of knowledge from previous problems through problem templates and the use of a combination of natural language and influence diagrams to communicate with users.This shell has the potential to further expand the use of DA by helping to overcome the DA skill shortage and to address some of the difficulties associated with purely AI/ES approaches to complex business problem solving. The greatest benefit of an Expert Decision Analyst is through integration with organisational DSS to support valuable information processing activities such as strategic decision-making.     

Semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of trimedlure isomers

Summary Semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatographic procedures on 5 m silica were developed for the isolation of gram quantities of eight trimedlure isomers (trans: A, B₁, B₂, and C;cis: V, W, X, and Y) for comparative biological evaluation and NMR studies. Isolations were made from an eight-component 21cis: trans-trimedlure mixture, a four-componentcis-trimedlure mixture, trimedlure-B₂:X and trimedlure-C:W epimerization merization mixtures, a trimedlure-B₁:Y:B₂ mixture, and a trimedlure-A concentrate.     

Molecular rectification and conductance switching in carbon-based molecular junctions by structural rearrangement accompanying electron injection

Molecular junctions were fabricated consisting of a 3.7 nm thick layer of nitroazobenzene (NAB) molecules between a pyrolyzed photoresist substrate (PPF) and a titanium top contact which was protected from oxidation by a layer of gold. Raman spectroscopy, XPS, and AFM revealed that the NAB layer was 2-3 molecules thick and was bonded to the two conducting contacts by C-C and N-Ti covalent bonds. The current/voltage behavior of the PPF/NAB(3.7)/Ti junctions showed strong and reproducible rectification, with the current at +2 V exceeding that at -2 V by a factor of 600. The observed current density at +3 V was 0.71 A/cm(2), or about 10(5) e(-)/s/molecule. The i/V response was strongly dependent on temperature and scan rate, with the rectification ratio decreasing for lower temperature and faster scans. Junction conductivity increased with time over several seconds at room temperature in response to positive voltage pulses, with the rate of increase larger for more positive potentials. Voltage pulses to positive potentials and back to zero volts revealed that electrons are injected from the Ti to the NAB, to the extent of about 0.1-1 e(-)/molecule for a +3 V pulse. These electrons cause an activated transition of the NAB into a more conductive quinoid state, which in turn causes an increase in conductivity. The transition to the quinoid state involves nuclear rearrangement which occurs on a submillisecond to several second time scale, depending on the voltage applied. The quinoid state is stable as long as the applied electric field is present, but reverts back to NAB within several minutes after the field is relaxed. The results are interpreted in terms of a thermally activated, potential dependent electron transfer into the 3.7 nm NAB layer, which brings about a conductivity increase of several orders of magnitude.     

A balancing method and genetic algorithm for disassembly line balancing

Disassembly activities take place in various recovery operations including remanufacturing, recycling and disposal. The disassembly line is the best choice for automated disassembly of returned products. It is therefore important that the disassembly line be designed and balanced so that it works as efficiently as possible. The disassembly line balancing problem seeks a sequence which: is feasible, minimizes workstations, and ensures similar idle times, as well as other end-of-life specific concerns. However finding the optimal balance is computationally intensive with exhaustive search quickly becoming prohibitively large even for relatively small products. In this paper the problem is mathematically defined and proven NP-complete. Additionally, a new formula for quantifying the level of balancing is proposed. A first-ever set of a priori instances to be used in the evaluation of any disassembly line balancing solution technique is then developed. Finally, a genetic algorithm is presented for obtaining optimal or near-optimal solutions for disassembly line balancing problems and examples are presented to illustrate implementation of the methodology.     

Feebly projectable ℓ-groups

In the article [17], we introduced and investigated feebly and flatly projectable frames. In this article, we apply these two properties to lattice-ordered groups. An example is constructed to illustrate that the two properties are distinct, which solves a question from [17]. We also investigate these properties with respect to archimedean ℓ-groups with weak order unit, as well as commutative semiprime f-rings.     

Reduction of dipyrido-[3,2-a:2',3'-c]-phenazine (dppz) by photolysis in ethanol solution

Photolysis of dipyrido-[3,2-a:2',3'-c]-phenazine (dppz) (1) in ethanol solution leads to the formation of 9,14-dihydrodipyridophenazine (2), which has been characterised by detailed NMR analysis, UV/VIS absorption spectroscopy, and theoretical calculations which reveal that its red colour is due to a low-lying intramolecular charge transfer state.