Influence of Sm-substitution on structure and electromagnetic properties of Ba3−xSmxCo2Fe24O41 powders

Sm-substituted barium hexaferrites, Ba_3−xSm_xCo₂Fe₂₄O₄₁ (x=0-0.25), were prepared by a conventional ceramic sintering method. The microstructure, complex permittivity, complex permeability and static magnetic properties of the samples were studied using powder X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, vector network analyzer and vibrating sample magnetometry. The results reveal that by introducing a relatively small amount of Sm³⁺ instead of Ba²⁺ an important modification of both structure and high-frequency electromagnetic properties can be obtained. Doping of Sm³⁺ suppressed the grain growth and gave rise to a decrease of the grain size. As the Sm content increases, the static magnetic properties continuously increase. The real part and imaginary part of complex permittivity initially increase with Sm content, and then decreases when x>0.10. The imaginary part of complex permeability decreases after Sm³⁺ is doped. There is no obvious change in the real part of the complex permeability for different Sm contents. The reasons are discussed using electromagnetic theory.     

Electronic transport properties of carbon chains between Au and Ag electrodes: A first-principles study

We report first-principles calculations of the current-voltage characteristic and the conductance of carbon-based molecular wires with different length capped with sulfur ends between two metallic electrodes made of different metals. The optimized molecular structure of carbon chain in the junction is presented on the structure of polyyne. The conductance of the polyyne wires shows oscillatory behavior depending on the number of carbon atoms (triple bonds). Current rectification is found and rectification direction presents inversion with the odd and even number of carbon atoms.     

Phenomenological models of elastic nucleon scattering and predictions for LHC

The hitherto analyses of elastic collisions of charged nucleons involving common influence of Coulomb and hadronic scattering have been based practically on West and Yennie formula. However, this approach has been shown recently to be inadequate from experimental as well as theoretical points of view. The eikonal model enabling to determine physical characteristics in impact parameter space seems to be more pertinent. The contemporary phenomenological models admit, of course, different distributions of collision processes in the impact parameter space and cannot give any definite answer. Nevertheless, some predictions for the planned LHC energy that have been given on their basis may be useful, as well as the possibility of determining the luminosity from elastic scattering.     

A fractional partial differential equation based multiscale denoising model for texture image

Traditional integer‐order partial differential equation based image denoising approach can easily lead edge and complex texture detail blur, thus its denoising effect for texture image is always not well. To solve the problem, we propose to implement a fractional partial differential equation (FPDE) based denoising model for texture image by applying a novel mathematical method—fractional calculus to image processing from the view of system evolution. Previous studies show that fractional calculus has some unique properties that it can nonlinearly enhance complex texture detail in digital image processing, which is obvious different with integer‐order differential calculus. The goal of the modeling is to overcome the problems of the existed denoising approaches by utilizing the aforementioned properties of fractional differential calculus. Using classic definition and property of fractional differential calculus, we extend integer‐order steepest descent approach to fractional field to implement fractional steepest descent approach. Then, based on the earlier fractional formulas, a FPDE based multiscale denoising model for texture image is proposed and further analyze optimal parameters value for FPDE based denoising model. The experimental results prove that the ability for preserving high‐frequency edge and complex texture information of the proposed fractional denoising model are obviously superior to traditional integral based algorithms, as for texture detail rich images. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Make-or-buy service capacity decision in a supply chain providing after-sales service

We consider a supply chain comprising a manufacturer and a retailer. The manufacturer supplies a product to the retailer, while the retailer sells the product bundled with after-sales service to consumers in a fully competitive market. The sales volume is affected by the retailer’s service-level commitment. The retailer can build service capacity in-house at a deterministic price before service demand is realized, or buy the service from an outsourcing market at an uncertain price after service demand realization. We find that the outsourcing market encourages the retailer to make a higher level of service commitment, while prompting the manufacturer to reduce the wholesale price, resulting in more demand realization. We analyze how the expected cost of the service in the outsourcing market and the retailer’s risk attitude affect the decisions of both parties. We derive the conditions under which the retailer is willing to build service capacity in-house and under which it will buy the service from the outsourcing market. Moreover, we find that the manufacturer’s sharing with the retailer the cost to build service capacity improves the profits of both parties.     

Oscillatory traveling waves of polytropic filtration equation with generalized Fisher–KPP sources

The polytropic filtration equation with generalized Fisher–KPP sources is considered. We will show that the equation may have finite times oscillatory traveling waves, and try to give a complete classification by virtue of a singular exponent in the source according to the finiteness of the oscillatory times of traveling waves.     

On the third gap for proper holomorphic maps between balls

Let $F$ be a proper rational map from the complex ball $\mathbb B ^n$ into $\mathbb B ^N$ with $n>7$ and $3n+1 \le N\le 4n-7$ . Then $F$ is equivalent to a map $(G, 0, \dots , 0)$ where $G$ is a proper holomorphic map from $\mathbb B ^n$ into $\mathbb B ^{3n}$ .     

The Kloosterman problem for binary Hermitian lattices

A Hermitian lattice over an imaginary quadratic field $\mathbb {Q}(\sqrt{-m})$ is called almost universal if it represents all but finitely many positive integers. We investigate almost universal binary Hermitian lattices and provide a Bochnak-Oh type criterion on almost universality. In particular, all almost universal $p$ -anisotropic binary Hermitian lattices are universal, and we give the complete list of all such Hermitian lattices.     

Evolution of innovation and its strategies: from ecological niche models of supply chain clusters

Generally, supply chain cluster (SCC) evolution follows innovation and its selection strategies. To further reduce the innovation risk, SCC must seek the feasible innovation strategies to match ecological niche-matching degree; within a competing cluster, it should avoid the hazardous nature of pure competition that affects the innovation output, and within a cooperation innovation cluster it should look carefully for the cooperation innovation mechanism. This paper examines the impact of growth of SCC from a perspective of ecological niche, the innovation strategy and the expansion of ecological niche, and its matching degree on the influence of the growth in SCC; and presents the ecological niche expansion model, growth model and growth evolution model of SCC. The findings of this research suggest that there is a five-stage evolution of which the characteristic is different in different innovation strategies. The ecological niche width of SCC is connected by each member’s ecological niche, and the expansion process is constituted by the members’ ecological niche expansion. In each stage, SCC should identify ecological niche-matching degree between members and innovation modes when the SCC expands the niche width to a certain limit. Finally, a case study demonstrates the application potential of the model and its implications.