Optimal assignment of servers to tasks when collaboration is inefficient

Consider a Markovian system of two stations in tandem with finite intermediate buffer and two servers. The servers are heterogeneous, flexible, and more efficient when they work on their own than when they collaborate. We determine how the servers should be assigned dynamically to the stations with the goal of maximizing the system throughput. We show that the optimal policy depends on whether or not one server is dominant (i.e., faster at both stations) and on the magnitude of the efficiency loss of collaborating servers. In particular, if one server is dominant then he must divide his time between the two stations, and we identify the threshold policy the dominant server should use; otherwise each server should focus on the station where he is the faster server. In all cases, servers only collaborate to avoid idleness when the first station is blocked or the second station is starved, and we determine when collaboration is preferable to idleness as a function of the efficiency loss of collaborating servers.     

The Fields of Real and Complex Numbers with a Small Multiplicative Group

We consider the model theory of the real and complex fieldswith a multiplicative group having the Mann property. Amongthese groups are the finitely generated multiplicative groupsin these fields. As a by-product we obtain some results on groupswith the Mann property in rings of Witt vectors and in fieldsof positive characteristic.k 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification03C10, 03C35, 03C60, 03C64, 03C98, 13K05.     

Comparison of different extraction and detection methods for sugars using amino-bonded phase HPLC

In this study, different methods are compared in order to quantitate individual sugars extracted from apple samples using methanol and water. Glucose, fructose, and sucrose are separated in 20 min using an amino-bonded carbohydrate column and a 75:25 acetonitrile-water mobile phase, followed by UV (190 nm) and refractive index detection. Variations in the sugar profiles are observed using different extraction or detection methods (or both) at a 1.4-mL/min flow rate. The data obtained show differences (p < 0.01) from both extraction or detection methods. The highest contents of free sugars studied occur in samples extracted with water.     

Intersystem Crossing and Electron Spin Selectivity in Anthracene-Naphthalimide Compact Electron Donor-Acceptor Dyads Showing Different Geometry and Electronic Coupling Magnitudes

Anthracene-naphthalimide (An-NI) compact electron donor-acceptor dyads were prepared, in which the orientation and distance between the two subunits were varied by direct connection or with intervening phenyl linker. Efficient intersystem crossing (ISC) and long triplet state lifetime (Φ_Δ=92 %, τ_T=438 μs) were observed for the directly connected dyads showing a perpendicular geometry (81°). This efficient spin-orbit charge transfer ISC (SOCT-ISC) takes 376 fs, inhibits the direct charge recombination (CR) to ground state (¹CT→S₀, takes 3.04 ns). Interestingly, efficient SOCT-ISC for dyads with intervening phenyl linker (Φ_Δ=40 % in DCM) was also observed, although the electron donor and acceptor adopt almost coplanar geometry (dihedral angle: 15°). Time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) spectroscopy shows that the electron spin polarization of the triplet state, i. e. the electron spin selectivity of ISC, is highly dependent on the dihedral angle and the linker. For the dyads showing weaker coupling between the donor and acceptors, the charge separation and the intramolecular triplet energy transfer are inhibited at 80 K (frozen solution), because both the ³An and ³NI states were observed and the ESP are same as compared to the native anthracene and naphthalimide, which unravel their origin. The dyads were used as triplet photosensitizers for triplet−triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA UC). High UC quantum yield (Φ_UC=12.9 %) as well as a large anti-Stokes shift (0.72 eV) was attained by excitation into the CT absorption band.     

Electronic,optical, and charge transfer properties of porphyrin and metallated porphyrins in different media

Porphyrin and M-Porphyrin (M = Fe²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Zn²⁺) complexes were designed to examine their organic light-emitting diode (OLED) properties. All calculations were performed in different media, which are gas, benzene, DMSO, and water phases. The calculations of both porphyrin and its metal complexes as a monomer form were performed at B3LYP/6-31G(d) level by using the Gaussian 16 and GaussView 6 package programs. On the other hand, emission calculations for the monomer form and dimer form computations of the studied compounds were carried out at PBE0/TZP and B3LYP/TZP levels, respectively, by using Amsterdam density functional (ADF) 2019 package program. The OLED tensors of the mentioned molecules, which are emission energies, reorganization energies (λ_e and λ_h), the ionization potentials and the electron affinities (adiabatic and vertical), the effective transfer integrals (V_e and V_h), and the charge transfer rates (W_e and W_h), were calculated to evaluate the OLED behaviors and determine the best OLED structure.     

PEG crosslinked poly(vinylbenzene boronic acid) polymer electrolytes for Li-ion batteries

Poly(4-vinylbenzeneboronic acid), PVBBA was synthesized via free-radical polymerization of 4-vinylbenzeneboronic acid (4-VBBA) and followed by crosslinking with polyethylene glycol (PEG) with different molecular weights to produce boron containing crosslinked polymers. Prior to crosslinking, the materials were doped with CF₃SO₃Li at several stoichiometric ratios to get PVBBAPEGX-Y where X is the molecular weight of PEG and Y is the EO/Li ratio. The materials were characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The ionic conductivity of these novel crosslinked electrolytes was studied by dielectric-impedance spectroscopy. Li-ion conductivity of these polymer electrolytes depends on the length of the side units as well as the doping ratio. PVBBAPEG200-10 illustrated a satisfactory ionic conductivity of 3.1 × 10^?5 S/cm at 20 °C and 1.8 × 10^?3 S/cm at 100 °C.     

Chemical vapor deposition of graphene on silver foil as a tarnish‐resistant coating

Here, we demonstrate the synthesis of graphene on Ag foil by an atmospheric‐pressure (AP) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process as tarnish‐resistant coating. Synthesis of a continuous graphene film on Ag foil is achieved using the solid camphor as carbon precursor in a gas mixture of Ar and H₂. Tarnishing of the Ag surface through sulfidation is investigated with and without coating of the graphene film. It is observed that the bare Ag surface immediately reacts with sulfur vapor to turn black, whereas graphene coating passivates the Ag surface robustly and thereby restrains the sulfur reaction to preserve from tarnishing. Our findings show that a large‐area graphene film can be effectively grown on Ag surface by a CVD process as a tarnish and corrosion resistance barrier.

     

Self-assembly of an organocatalyst for the enantioselective synthesis of Michael adducts and α-aminoxy alcohols in a nonpolar medium

A proline–thiourea host–guest complex is described as a self-assembled organocatalyst for the enantioselective Michael addition of aldehydes to nitroolefins and for the asymmetric α-aminoxylation of both aldehydes and ketones. The Michael adducts were obtained in good yields of up to 80%, high diastereoselectivities of up to 5:95, and high enantiomeric excesses of up to 98%. The optically active aminoxy alcohols were synthesized in 60–85% yields with 94–99% enantiomeric excesses after reduction of the α-oxidation products using NaBH₄.