Non-Stationary Ordering Policies for Multi-Item Inventory Systems Subject to a Single Resource Constraint

This paper studies the multi-item inventory problem with a single constraint. Two well-known approaches to this problem are the Lagrangian method and the fixed-cycle approach. Both of these methods generate stationary ordering policies. A competing approach is presented here that generates non-stationary ordering policies, with order quantities that vary over time. These non-stationary policies are, in all cases, preferred to those generated by the Lagrangian approach, and in some cases preferred to those generated by the fixed-cycle approach. Computational results comparing the three methods are also given.     

A variational analysis of single mode graded-index fibers

A variational method is presented to obtain the transverse electric field and the propagation constant of the fundamental mode of weakly guiding graded-index fibers. A comparison has also been made with results obtained by using other approximate methods and it has been shown that the present method gives extremely accurate results (in comparison to other methods) in the practical region of single mode operation and does not involve much computational effort.     

Neutron emission from a 100 joule plasma focus

A neutron yield of } 5×10⁵ D-D neutrons/discharge was obtained when 0.1 KJ of energy was pumped into a plasma focus of Mather type. The neutron yield was measured by a high sensitivity silver activation counter. The results are compared with those of other laboratories and it is found that neutron yield scales asE ^1.73 orI ^4.29 in the 0.1–500 KJ region.     

Elemental analysis of phosphate rocks: For sustainable agriculture in Pakistan

The concentration of 32 elements was determined in phosphate rock samples from the Hazara phosphate deposits of Pakistan using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) technique employing different irradiation protocols. These included 23 major, minor and trace elements (Al, As, Ba, Br, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, Ga, Hf, K, Mn, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sn, Ta, Th, U, V, Zn and Zr) and 9 rare earth elements (REEs) namely Ce, Eu, Ho, La, Lu, Nd, Sm, Tb and Yb. The results have been compared with the global values of these elements. The concentrations for most of the elements studied are lower than the concentrations reported in the literature whereas the concentrations of As, Co, Fe, K, Mn, Na and Sb are comparable. Two samples namely HR-4 and HR-5 have the highest concentrations for majority of the REFs with high enrichment factors. The quality assurance of data was performed through the concurrent use of Lake Sediment (SL-1) and GSJ-JR-1 (Rhyolite) reference materials. The acquired data will serve as a reference for the follow-up studies to assess the agronomic effectiveness of the Hazara phosphate rocks.     

Artificial Neural Network-Genetic Algorithm Approach to Optimize Media Constituents for Enhancing Lipase Production by a Soil Microorganism

Results of lipase production by a soil microorganism, expressed in terms of lipolytic activities of the culture were modeled and optimized using artificial neural network (ANN) and genetic algorithm (GA) techniques, respectively. ANN model, developed based on back propagation algorithm, were highly accurate in predicting the system with coefficient of determination (R ²) value being close to 0.99. Optimization using GA, based on the ANN model developed, resulted in the following values of the media constituents: 9.991 ml/l oil, 0.100 g/l MgSO₄ and 0.009 g/l FeSO₄. And a maximum value of 7.69 U/ml of lipolytic activity at 72 h of culture was obtained using the ANN-GA method, which was found to be 8.8% higher than the maximum values predicted by a statistical regression-based optimization technique-response surface methodology.     

A connectedness result in positive characteristic

Let be a complete local ring of dimension at least two, which contains a separably closed coefficient field of positive characteristic. Using a vanishing theorem of Peskine-Szpiro, Lyubeznik proved that the local cohomology module is Frobenius-torsion if and only if the punctured spectrum of is connected in the Zariski topology. We give a simple proof of this theorem and, more generally, a formula for the number of connected components in terms of the Frobenius action on .

     

Azoheteroarene and Diazocine Molecular Photoswitches: Self-Assembly,Responsive Materials and Photopharmacology

Aromatic units tethered with an azo (−N=N−) functionality comprise a unique class of compounds, known as molecular photoswitches, exhibiting a reversible transformation between their E- and Z-isomers in response to photo-irradiation. Photoswitches have been explored extensively in the recent past to prepare dynamic self-assembled materials, optoelectronic devices, responsive biomaterials, and more. Most of such materials involve azobenzenes as the molecular photoswitch and to date, SciFinder lists more than 7000 articles and 1000 patents. Subsequently, a great deal of effort has been invested to improve the photo-isomerization efficiency and related mesoscopic properties of azobenzenes. Recently, azoheteroarenes and cyclic azobenzenes, such as arylazopyrazoles, arylazoisoxazoles, arylazopyridines, and diazocines, have emerged as second generation molecular photoswitches beyond conventional azobenzenes. These photoswitches offer distinct photoswitching behavior and responsive properties which make them highly promising candidates for multifaceted applications ranging from photoresponsive materials to photopharmacophores. In this minireview, we introduce the structural refinement and photoresponsive properties of azoheteroarenes and diazocines and summarize the state-of-the-art on utilizing these photoswitches as responsive building blocks in supramolecular assembly, material science and photopharmacology, highlighting their versatile photochemical behavior, enhanced functionality, and latest applications.     

Atomistic Simulations of Hydrated Sulfonated Polybenzophenone Block Copolymer Membranes

We present a classical molecular dynamics simulations study on the nanostructures of the sulfonated polybenzophenone (SPK) block copolymer membranes at 300 K and 353 K. The results of the radial distribution function (RDF) show that the interactions of the sulfonate groups of the membrane with the hydronium ions are more significant than those of water due to the strong electrostatic attraction over the hydrogen bonding. However, the effect of temperatures on the RDF profile seems insignificant. Furthermore, the spatial distribution function (SDF) portrays that the sulfonate groups of the hydrophilic components are preferential binding sites for hydronium ions against the hydrophobic counterpart of the SPK membrane. The mobility of the H₃O⁺ ions at 300 K and 353 K is two (or three) times lower than that of Nafion/Aciplex. However, the diffusion coefficients for water molecules closely agree with Nafion/Aciplex. This study suggests that water clusters are more localized around the sulfonate groups in the SPK membranes. Thus, the molecular modeling study of SPK block copolymer membranes is warranted to design better-performing membrane electrolytes.     

Organic functionalization of thermally reduced graphene oxide nanoplatelets by adsorption: structural and morphological characterization

Adsorption of chlorinated poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate)-g-maleic anhydride copolymer and in situ-generated polyaniline (PANI) on thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRGO) platelets was studied in the current study. The adsorption was characterized structurally and morphologically through thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), elemental analysis, infra-red and Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and microscopy. The amount of copolymer adsorption reached a plateau of 0.22 g per g of TRGO, when the initial copolymer to TRGO weight ratio of 1 was used. In the case of PANI modification, much higher extent of adsorption of 0.92 g/g of TRGO (without reaching plateau) was observed due to in situ polymer synthesis and the absence of any steric hindrance to the chains. Shift in the DSC melting transition temperatures of copolymer also indicated that some change in the polymer chain morphology took place after immobilization of polymer on TRGO. PANI modification led to significant reduction in peak melting point from 175C to 140 °C owing to the hindrance in polymer crystallization. The basal plane spacing in the TRGO platelets increased the copolymer adsorption as the 0?0?1 basal plane diffraction shifted from 27° 2Θ for pristine TRGO to 22.5° 2Θ for modified TRGO. For the PANI modified TRGO, no diffraction signal corresponding to TRGO was observed due to extensive adsorption of polymer on the surface. A much thicker polymer phase wrapping the TRGO platelets was observed for PANI modified TRGO. This was also observed through EFTEM and EDX, where the presence of Cl and N (along with other atoms) indicated layer of copolymer and PANI, respectively on the surface of the platelets. EELS analysis also confirmed the semi-crystalline nature of the modified TRGO resulting from the adsorption of semi-crystalline polymers on TRGO. The adsorption approaches used in the study demonstrate successful generation of the functional nanomaterials with tunable extent of surface coverage and potential of employing diverse surface modifications.