Multicriteria Analysis Represented by Artificial Intelligence Techniques

This paper presents a possible representation of multicriteria analysis by means of artificial intelligence techniques. The decision process activities characterized by the existence of formal and technical knowledge were identified and attention was focused on the area of multicriteria outranking methods. The knowledge characteristics suggested the use of artificial intelligence techniques, based on a conceptualization in which the domain of discourse is the set of the multicriteria methodology concepts used in the analysed area of activities, and the relational set is the union of the admissible relations among the concepts and the relations elicited from experience. The suitable AI techniques were tested by implementing a knowledge-based interface between the outranking methods and a user who was not very familiar with this approach.     

Mass-spectrometric study of 6-methyl-2-aryl-7-benzylindolizines

The mass-spectral behavior of 15 compounds from the 6-methyl-2-aryl-7-benzylindolizine series was investigated, and it was shown that the peculiarities of their dissociative ionization are due to the formation of stable resonance-stabilized ions that contain a quaternized nitrogen atom in the heteroring.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 10, pp. 1368–1373, October, 1981.     

Optical symmetry in liquid crystal displays

Some authors include in their articles polar plots showing the directional dependence of either transmission or contrast ratio of a liquid crystal display (LCD). In some cases those plots have a symmetry axis; here we explain when and why it occurs.     

Membrane-Permeant 3-OH-Phosphorylated Phosphoinositide Derivatives

No Abstract     

Composition and morphological characteristics of chemically sprayed fluorine-doped zinc oxide thin films deposited on Si(1 0 0)

Fluorine-doped zinc oxide thin films (ZnO:F) were deposited on Si(1 0 0) substrates by the chemical spray technique (CST) from an aged-solution. The effect of the substrate temperature on the morphology and composition of the ZnO:F thin films was studied. The films were polycrystalline, with a preferential growth along the ZnO (0 0 2) plane, irrespective of the deposition temperature. The average crystal size within the films was ca. 35 nm and the morphology of the surface was found to be dependent on the substrate temperature. At low substrate temperatures irregular-shaped grains were observed, whereas at higher temperatures uniform flat grains were obtained. Elemental analysis showed that the composition of the films is close to stoichiometric ZnO and that samples contain quite a low fluorine concentration, which decreases as a function of the deposition temperature.     

Atomic force microscopy characterization of the surface wettability of natural fibres

Natural fibres represent a readily available source of ecologically friendly and inexpensive reinforcement in composites with degradable thermoplastics, however chemical treatments of fibres are required to prepare feasible composites. It is desirable to characterize the surface wettability of fibres after chemical treatment as the polarity of cellulose-based fibres influences compatibility with a polymer matrix. Assessment of the surface wettability of natural fibres using conventional methods presents a challenge as the surfaces are morphologically and chemically heterogeneous, rough, and can be strongly wicking. In this work it is shown that under atmospheric conditions the adhesion force between an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip and the fibre surface can estimate the water contact angle and surface wettability of the fibre. AFM adhesion force measurements are suitable for the more difficult surfaces of natural fibres and in addition allow for correlations between microstructural features and surface wettability characteristics.