A real time method for surface cleanliness measurement

The measurement of surface cleanliness is a significant problem in many industrial and technological processes. Existing methods are based on laboratory procedures, that are not performed in real time, can not be automated, and usually are restricted to a small portion of the sample. In this study we describe a new method for real time measurement of the amount of surface dirt or contamination deposited on a surface. It relies on the ablation of the surface dirt film by means of a short laser pulse, and the subsequent measurement of the emitted sound. The intensity of the sound is proportional to the amount of surface dirt and provides a direct measurement of the cleanliness of the surface. We also developed a reference sample for calibration, based on a uniform distribution of dots printed on white paper. The density and the dot size can be easily modified providing a homogeneous, uniform and reproducible standard for the measurement. Based on this method, we designed, developed and patented the first industrial instrument for on-line determination of the degree of cleanliness of manufactured cold rolled steel plate bobbins. PACS 79.20.D; 81.70.C; 42.62.     

Advances in constant-velocity Mössbauer instrumentation

A prototype of a programmable constant-velocity scaler is presented. This instrument allows the acquisition of partial Mössbauer spectra in selected energy regions using standard drivers and transducers. It can be fully operated by a remote application, thus data acquisition can be automated. The instrument consists of a programmable counter and a constant-velocity reference. The reference waveform generator is amplitude modulated with 13-bit resolution, and is programmable in a wide range of frequencies and waveforms in order to optimize the performance of the transducer. The counter is compatible with most standard SCA, and is configured as a rate-meter that provides counts per selectable time slice at the programmed velocity. As a demonstration of the instrument applications, a partial Mössbauer spectrum of a natural iron foil was taken. Only positive energies were studied in 512 channels, accumulating 20 s per channel. A line width of 0.20 mm/s was achieved, performing with an efficiency of 80%.     

Representation of Cubic Lattices by Symmetric Implication Algebras

In this paper a cubic lattice L(S) is endowed with a symmetric implication structure and it is proved that L(S) \ {0} is a power of the three-element simple symmetric implication algebra. The Metropolis–Rota’s symmetries are obtained as partial terms in the language of symmetric implication algebras.     

Fractional Hamiltonian Monodromy

We introduce fractional monodromy in order to characterize certain non-isolated critical values of the energy–momentum map of integrable Hamiltonian dynamical systems represented by nonlinear resonant two-dimensional oscillators. We give the formal mathematical definition of fractional monodromy, which is a generalization of the definition of monodromy used by other authors before. We prove that the 1:( − 2) resonant oscillator system has monodromy matrix with half-integer coefficients and discuss manifestations of this monodromy in quantum systems. Communicated by Eduard Zehnder Submitted: February 25, 2005; Accepted: November 17, 2005     

Study to improve the quality of a Mexican straight run gasoil over NiMo/γ-Al2O3 catalysts

Four NiMo catalyst supported on Al₂O₃ with different textural properties have been studied in the hydrodesulfurization (HDS), hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) and hydrodearomatization (HDA) of a Mexican straight run gasoil (SRGO). All reactions were carried out at three different temperatures 613, 633, and 653 K. Alumina supports were analysed by pyridine FTIR-TPD and nitrogen physisorption in order to determine their surface acidity and textural properties, respectively. TPR studies of the NiMo catalysts were analysed to correlate their hydrogenating properties. Metallic particles were characterized (after sulfidation) using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Catalytic activities are discussed in relation to the physicochemical properties of NiMo catalysts. The importance of textural properties on coke deposition has been emphasized. The results of catalytic activity of these materials varied depending on dispersed MoS particles and pore distribution in final catalysts. The optimum pore diameter was found around 80 Å for HDS and HDN.     

Expandable network and covering properties for uniform Eberlein compacta

In this paper we characterize the class of uniform Eberlein compact spaces through a network condition and also in terms of covering properties for the square of the space.     

Parking Capacity and Pricing in Park'n Ride Trips: A Continuous Equilibrium Network Design Problem

In this paper we consider the problem of designing parking facilities for park'n ride trips. We present a new continuous equilibrium network design problem to decide the capacity and fare of these parking lots at a tactical level. We assume that the parking facilities have already been located and other topological decisions have already been taken.The modeling approach proposed is mathematical programming with equilibrium constraints. In the outer optimization problem, a central Authority evaluates the performance of the transport network for each network design decision. In the inner problem a multimodal traffic assignment with combined modes, formulated as a variational inequality problem, generates the share demand for modes of transportation, and for parking facilities as a function of the design variables of the parking lots. The objective is to make optimal parking investment and pricing decisions in order to minimize the total travel cost in a subnetwork of the multimodal transportation system.We present a new development in model formulation based on the use of generalized parking link cost as a design variable.The bilevel model is solved by a simulated annealing algorithm applied to the continuous and non-negative design decision variables. Numerical tests are reported in order to illustrate the use of the model, and the ability of the approach to solve applications of moderate size.     

Sandwich Techniques in flow injection analysis : Part 1. Continuous recalibration techniques for process control

Flow injection methodology based on sample insertion between two different standard solutions used as carrier streams is described. This approach provides a simple system for continuous recalibration in process control; spectrophotometric and ion-selective electrode procedures are outlined.     

Dual frames in connected with generalized sampling in shift-invariant spaces

The aim of this article is to derive stable generalized sampling in a shift-invariant space by using some special dual frames in L²(0,1). These sampling formulas involve samples of filtered versions of the functions in the shift-invariant space. The involved samples are expressed as the frame coefficients of an appropriate function in L²(0,1) with respect to some particular frame in L²(0,1). Since any shift-invariant space with stable generator is the image of L²(0,1) by means of a bounded invertible operator, our generalized sampling is derived from some dual frame expansions in L²(0,1).