Sortability of Multi-partitions

Recently, the theory of sortability of partition property has been shown to be an effective tool to prove the existence of an optimal partition with that property. In this paper, we extend the theory to multi-partition where the partition is on t types of components. We apply our results to settle an optimal assignment problem whose proof was incomplete as given in the literature.     

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of N-substituted 2-[(2-imidazolylsulfinyl)methyl]anilines as a new class of gastric H+/K(+)-ATPase inhibitors.

A series of N-substituted 2-[(2-imidazolylsulfinyl)methyl]anilines (3) was synthesized and evaluated for its biological activity against gastric H+/K(+)-ATPase prepared from rabbit stomach and gastric acid secretions in Heidenhain pouch dogs. Monoalkyl substituents on the nitrogen atom of the aniline moiety markedly inhibited the enzyme activity to the same degree as omeprazole, a representative H+/K(+)-ATPase inhibitor. Most of these compounds, administered at 3 mg/kg i.v. inhibited histamine-stimulated gastric acid secretion. The inhibitory activity of these derivatives on the enzymes at pH 6.0 was more potent than that at pH 7.4, and was distinctly correlated to stability in aqueous solution at pH 5.0.     

Symmetries of space-time,conservation laws and forbidden motion i: General discussion

The classical (first integral) methods of studying restrictions on the possible motion of gravitationally interacting bodies are reviewed. The simple and flexible inequality method is extended to a similar approach to the relationship between possible forbidden motion and (asymptotic) symmetries in the relativistic few-body problem. This extended method is used to reproduce the standard results of bounded motion for a test particle in a Schwarzschild geometry. The existence of bounded motion is shown for the general relativistic few-body problem and the difficulties in determining such bounded motion is analysed. The use of this approach to obtaining a relativistic alternative to the classical Roche lobe analysis in contact binaries is discussed.     

High-density plasma etching of indium-zinc oxide films in Ar/Cl2 and Ar/CH4/H2 chemistries

The dry etching characteristics of transparent and conductive indium-zinc oxide (IZO) films have been investigated using an inductively coupled high-density plasma. While the Cl₂-based plasma mixture showed little enhancement over physical sputtering in a pure argon atmosphere, the CH₄/H₂/Ar chemistry produced an increase of the IZO etch rate. On the other hand, the surface morphology of IZO films after etching in Ar and Ar/Cl₂ discharges is smooth, whereas that after etching in CH₄/H₂/Ar presents particle-like features resulting from the preferential desorption of In- and O-containing products. Etching in CH₄/H₂/Ar also produces formation of a Zn-rich surface layer, whose thickness (∼40 nm) is well-above the expected range of incident ions in the material (∼1 nm). Such alteration of the IZO layer after etching in CH₄/H₂/Ar plasmas is expected to have a significant impact on the transparent electrode properties in optoelectronic device fabrication.     

Surface and interfacial properties of PVDF/acrylic copolymer blends before and after UV exposure

Morphological and chemical properties of both the surface and interface of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/poly(methyl methacrylate)-co-poly(ethyl acrylate) (PVDF/PMMA-co-PEA) blend films have been investigated before and after the samples were exposed to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation using a xenon arc lamp at 50 °C and 9% relative humidity (RH) for 7 months. Surface and interfacial morphologies were studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Chemical composition information was obtained by confocal Raman microscopy, attenuated total reflection-FTIR spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and contact angle measurements. Results show an enrichment of the PVDF material at the air surface, while the acrylic copolymer enriches the interface. Blends having greater than 50% mass fraction of PVDF show little change in the surface morphology after UV exposure for 7 months. However, for a lower PVDF content, blends exhibit significant degradation of PMMA-co-PEA copolymer and a much rougher surface after UV exposure. Microstructural changes in the PVDF spherulites are also observed after UV degradation. It is found that the surface and interfacial morphologies are correlated with the chemical properties.     

Scheduling orders for multiple product types to minimize total weighted completion time

We consider the problem of scheduling orders for multiple different product types in an environment with m dedicated machines in parallel. The objective is to minimize the total weighted completion time. Each product type is produced by one and only one of the m dedicated machines; that is, each machine is dedicated to a specific product type. Each order has a weight and may also have a release date. Each order asks for certain amounts of various different product types. The different products for an order can be produced concurrently. Preemptions are not allowed. Even when all orders are available at time 0, the problem has been shown to be strongly NP-hard for any fixed number (?2) of machines. This paper focuses on the design and analysis of efficient heuristics for the case without release dates. Occasionally, however, we extend our results to the case with release dates. The heuristics considered include some that have already been proposed in the literature as well as several new ones. They include various static and dynamic priority rules as well as two more sophisticated LP-based algorithms. We analyze the performance bounds of the priority rules and of the algorithms and present also an in-depth comparative analysis of the various rules and algorithms. The conclusions from this empirical analysis provide insights into the trade-offs with regard to solution quality, speed, and memory space.     

双奇核188Au的准粒子带结构研究

利用在束γ谱学实验技术, 通过¹⁷³Yb(¹⁹F,4nγ)反应 布居了¹⁸⁸Au的高自旋态, 并对其准粒子带结构进行了研究. 基于实验测量结果, 对原有的双奇核¹⁸⁸Au能级纲图做了较大的修改. 通过系统性比较, 对15⁺以上的能级结构进行了讨论.     

Coverage dependent magnetic properties of Co chain-coated carbon nanotube

Magnetic properties of Co chain-coated carbon nanotube (CNT) were investigated using a first-principles calculation. Binding energy between Co chain and CNT increased with the coverage ratio, and the adsorption of Co chains on CNT enhanced the conductance channel. Total magnetic moment of Co chains coated on CNT increased with the coverage ratio, while the magnetic moment per Co atom decreased due to spin flip of majority spin states in Co atoms. Spin polarization at the Fermi level of the Co chains was calculated to converge to that of bulk fcc Co.     

Adhesion measurement of thin films by a modified laser spallation technique: theoretical analysis and experimental investigation

Laser driven shocks can lead to a dynamic failure, called film spallation. Here, we use a modified laser spallation set-up to measure the dynamic adhesion of thin films and we propose a novel diagnostic technology. Based on correlation theory, new spallation criteria for characterizing the progressive damage at the interface between the film and the substrate are established, such as interface delamination, film spallation and film expulsion. With the help of the theory, the degree of damage and the dimension of damage (i.e. fracture), such as the minimum width of delamination radius, the thickness of the film etc., are estimated. Experiments are carried out on epoxy/stainless steel and epoxy/Al, and the experimental results show that their dynamic bonding strengths are about 25 MPa and 20 MPa, respectively. The detailed results, analyses and discussions are presented in this paper. Received: 6 February 2001 / Accepted: 3 December 2001 / Published online: 11 February 2002