Supply network planning in the forest supply chain with bucking decisions anticipation

We consider a two-echelon timber supply chain in which the first echelon consists of several stands to be harvested and the second echelon consists of mills to be supplied with logs of different length. This problem aims at minimizing harvesting and transportation costs for one production period, while satisfying demand expressed as a mix of volumes of specific log types. Harvesting cost, which includes felling, bucking and hauling to roadside, depends upon the number of log type to be produced and sorted. Each stand to be harvested is modeled individually with a limited number of trees of various classes of diameter and total length, which affects the productivity factors of the bucking patterns to be used. To take these characteristics into account, we propose heuristics based on columns generation to solve the supply network problem at the forest level with an anticipation of bucking operations at the stand level.     

Use of graphite oxide and graphene oxide as catalysts in the synthesis of dipyrromethane and calix[4]pyrrole

Graphite oxide and graphene oxides have been used as solid catalysts for the synthesis of 5,5-dialkyldipyrromethanes and calix[4]pyrroles in organic and aqueous solutions at room temperature.     

Hamming weight distributions of multi-twisted codes over finite fields

Designs, Codes and Cryptography - Let $${\mathbb {F}}_q$$ denote the finite field of order q,  and let $$n = m_1+m_2+\cdots +m_\ell ,$$ where $$m_1,m_2,\ldots ,m_\ell $$ are arbitrary...     

Transport studies of water and aqueous—dioxane through a pyrex sintered disc impregnated with cellulose acetate

Experimental results for the measurements of hydrodynamic permeability, electroosmotic velocity and streaming potential of water and dioxane—water (DH₂O) mixtures (10, 20, 30 and 40% by mass of dioxane) using a pyrex sintered disc (G₂) impregnated with cellulose acetate at 30°C and at voltages up to 40 V are reported. The data have been analysed in the light of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. Onsager's reciprocity relation for all compositions of aqueous—dioxane has been found to hold true. It has been found that the concentration dependence of the phenomenological coefficients conform to the Spiegler's frictional model. Efficiencies of electrokinetic energy conversion, i.e. electroosmosis and streaming potential, have been determined and the results are in accordance with the theory of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. The maximum value of the efficiency of energy conversion for both the modes has been found to be independent of the input force. Membrane characteristics such as pore radius and number of pores have been determined, whereas the membrane—permeant interface is characterised in term of the zeta potential.     

Investigation of energetic ion-induced mixing in Bi/Ge system

The present study is carried out for the investigation of energetic ion beam mixing in the Bi/Ge system, induced by electronic excitation. The system Ge/Bi/C was deposited on Si substrate at room temperature in the high vacuum deposition system and irradiated using Au ions of 120?MeV at the fluences 1?×?10¹³, 5?×?10¹³ and 1?×?10¹⁴?ions/cm². The top layer of carbon was deposited as the protecting layer to avoid oxidation. The swift heavy ions (SHI)-induced interface mixing was studied by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) for depth profiles and compositions, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) for phase identification and atomic force microscopy (AFM) for surface roughness. We have calculated the mixing rate, mixing efficiency and inter-diffusion coefficient for the Bi/Ge system. We observed that the thickness of the mixed region increased with increasing fluence. In the GIXRD pattern, no new crystalline phase formation was observed after irradiation, the mixed region may be in an amorphous form. The mixing effect is explained in the framework of the thermal spike model.     

Ab initio and anion photoelectron studies of Rhn (n = 1 − 9) clusters

We present an analysis of Na-He collisional profiles at high density and very low temperature in a unified line shape semi-classical theory which contains the impact as well the quasistatic limits. Clearly understanding the variation of shape of the two fine-structure components of the 3s?3p line with increasing helium density allows us to understand experimental spectra of a Na atom attached to He nanodroplets. We compare our collisional approach to path integral Monte Carlo calculations using the same ab initio Na-He molecular potentials.     

Photocured characteristics of fast photocurable acrylic formulations and investigations by differential photo calorimeter

Nanofluids are obtained by suspending metallic or non-metallic nanoparticles in conventional base liquids and can be employed to increase heat transfer rate in various applications. In this study, the effects of adding three types of nanofluids on turbulent convective heat transfer at the entrance region of a constant wall heat flux tube were experimentally studied. The nanofluids were mixtures of aluminium oxide, copper oxide, and silicon carbide at various nanoparticle volume fractions ranging from 0.0002 to 0.002 in water. The convective heat transfer coefficient was measured at different Reynolds numbers of 10,000–50,000. At these concentrations and Reynolds numbers, a maximum of 11–18% of convection heat transfer coefficient was observed as compared to the base fluid, showing a 6–9% increase on average. In this study, it was observed that changes in the nanoparticle type had no considerable effect on heat transfer coefficient increase. According to the model proposed here, the dimensionless thickness of laminar sub-layer is specified as a functional equation of the volume fraction of nanoparticles for each material.

     

Independent measurement of the total active 8B solar neutrino flux using an array of 3He proportional counters at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) used an array of 3He proportional counters to measure the rate of neutral-current interactions in heavy water and precisely determined the total active (nu_x) 8B solar neutrino flux. This technique is independent of previous methods employed by SNO. The total flux is found to be 5.54_-0.31;+0.33(stat)-0.34+0.36(syst)x10(6) cm(-2) s(-1), in agreement with previous measurements and standard solar models. A global analysis of solar and reactor neutrino results yields Deltam2=7.59_-0.21;+0.19x10(-5) eV2 and theta=34.4_-1.2;+1.3 degrees. The uncertainty on the mixing angle has been reduced from SNO's previous results.