Pricing and distributed QoS control for elastic network traffic

We study a processor-sharing model in which users choose between a high- and a low-priority service, based on their utility functions and prices charged by the service provider. The latter aims at revenue maximization. The model is motivated by file transmissions in data networks with distributed congestion control.     

Magnetic silica colloids for catalysis

Monodisperse magnetizable colloidal silica particles in a stable dispersion have been functionalized with a homogeneous catalyst: a PCP–pincer Pd-complex. In a proof-of-principle experiment we demonstrate the catalytic activity of the colloids in a C–C bond formation reaction. Advantages of the magnetic silica carriers are the large surface-to-volume ratio and the easy recovery by magnetic separation. After magnetic separation, the catalyst-loaded particles are readily redispersed for further use.     

Least-Squares Fitting of Algebraic Spline Surfaces

We present an algorithm for fitting implicitly defined algebraic spline surfaces to given scattered data. By simultaneously approximating points and associated normal vectors, we obtain a method which is computationally simple, as the result is obtained by solving a system of linear equations. In addition, the result is geometrically invariant, as no artificial normalization is introduced. The potential applications of the algorithm include the reconstruction of free-form surfaces in reverse engineering. The paper also addresses the generation of exact error bounds, directly from the coefficients of the implicit representation.     

Studies on the chemical constituents of the South China Sea sponge Phacellia fusca

Three pyrrololactam alkaloids have been isolated from the marine sponge Phacellia fusca Schmidt collected from the South China Sea, and their structures were determined as 1–3 , on the grounds of spectral data. This is the first report of these compounds from this sponge. The structure of 1 was confirmed by X-ray analysis.     

Total absolute curvature and tightness of noncompact manifolds

In the first part we prove an extension of the Chern-Lashof inequality for noncompact immersed manifolds with finitely many ends. For this we give a lower bound of the total absolute curvature in terms of topological invariants of the manifold. In the second part we discuss tightness properties for such immersions. Finally, we give an upper bound for the substantial codimension.