Critical Stability Effects in Epidemiology

Basic properties of the epidemic and endemic version of the SIR model are described and the stability behaviour of the deterministic equilibria under random perturbations is studied. Domain restrictions of the dynamical variables lead to stochastic differential equations with boundary conditions, for which some characteristic numerical results are presented.     

Decomposition mechanism of triethylindium (TEI) on a GaP(0 0 1)-(2×1) surface studied by LEED, AES, TPD and HREELS

Adsorption and decomposition of triethylindium (TEI: (C₂H₅)₃In) on a GaP(0 0 1)-(2×1) surface have been studied by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). It is found from the TPD result that ethyl radical and ethylene are evolved at about 300–400 and 450–550 K, respectively, as decomposition products of TEI on the surface. This result is quite different from that on the GaP(0 0 1)-(2×4) surface. The activation energy of desorption of ethyl radical is estimated to be about 93 kJ/mol. It is suggested that TEI is adsorbed molecularly on the surface at 100 K and that some of TEI molecules are dissociated into C₂H₅ to form P–C₂H₅ bonds at 300 K. The vibration modes related to ethyl group are decreased in intensity at about 300–400 and 450–550 K, which is consistent with the TPD result. The TEI molecules (including mono- and di-ethylindium) are not evolved from the surface. Based on the TPD and HREELS results, the decomposition mechanism of TEI on the GaP(0 0 1)-(2×1) surface is discussed and compared with that on the (2×4) surface.     

Characterization of phospho-olivines as materials for Li-ion cell cathodes

Solid State Reaction was employed to prepare phospho-olivines LiMPO₄ (where M=Fe, Co) as pure phase and LiNiPO₄ in presence of foreign phases, as cathodic materials for lithiumions batteries. The relationship between structural, morphological and electrochemical properties were investigated in the case of LiFePO₄. Structural investigation has been carried out by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and Rietveld refinement. The influence on the morphology of annealing temperature, different flowing gas mixture and addition of ascorbic acid during the synthesis, has been analysed via scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical cycling performances on LiFePO₄ showed to be positively affected by the modifications of the experimental conditions. Cyclic voltammetry showed a good reversibility during insertion-extraction mechanism, in particular in presence of additives. LiCoPO₄ and LiNiPO₄ are interesting as high voltage cathode materials for Li-ion batteries and have been taken into account, but their electrochemical operating conditions are still to be optimised. In the case of LiNiPO₄ it is very difficult to obtain, by solid state synthesis, suitable purity powders, having a grain size small enough to exploit it usefully as cathodic material for Li-ion cells. Paper presented at the 8th EuroConference on Ionics, Carvoeiro, Algarve, Portugal, Sept. 16 – 22, 2000.     

Analysis of Static Simulated Annealing Algorithms

Generalized hill climbing (GHC) algorithms provide a framework for modeling local search algorithms to address intractable discrete optimization problems. This paper introduces a measure for determining the expected number of iterations to visit a predetermined objective function level, given that an inferior objective function level has been reached in a finite number of iterations. A variation of simulated annealing (SA), termed static simulated annealing (S²A), is analyzed using this measure. S²A uses a fixed cooling schedule during the algorithm execution. Though S²A is probably nonconvergent, its finite-time performance can be assessed using the finite-time performance measure defined in this paper.     

Optical spectroscopy of Yb/Er codoped NaY(WO4)2 crystal

Erbium and ytterbium codoped double tungstates NaY(WO₄)₂ crystals were prepared by using Czochralski (CZ) pulling method. The absorption spectra in the region 290-2000 nm have been recorded at room temperature. The Judd-Ofelt theory was applied to the measured values of absorption line strengths to evaluate the spontaneous emission probabilities and stimulated emission cross sections of Er³⁺ ions in NaY(WO₄)₂ crystals. Intensive green and red lights were measured when the sample were pumped by a 974 nm laser diode (LD), especially, the intensities of green upconversion luminescence are very strong. The mechanism of energy transfer from Yb³⁺ to Er³⁺ ions was analyzed. Energy transfer and nonradiative relaxation played an important role in the upconversion process. Photoexcited luminescence experiments are also fulfilled to help analyzing the transit processes of the energy levels.     

MULTI-MODE TRIMMING OF IMPERFECT THIN RINGS USING MASSES AT PRE-SELECTED LOCATIONS

This paper presents a practical method for trimming the natural frequencies of an initially imperfect ring to simultaneously eliminate certain of the frequency splits present. Compared with previous work, the novel feature of this method is that the trimming masses are positioned at pre-selected locations on the ring. The basis for the proposed method is the concept of equivalent imperfection mass, which allows any imperfect ring to be considered as a perfect ring with equivalent imperfection masses attached. By considering this trimming problem it is deduced that it is possible to trim N pairs of modes simultaneously by removing (a minimum of) 2 N trimming masses at particular locations around the ring. By positioning the trimming masses at pre-selected locations, it is shown that a simple set of trimming masses can be calculated easily, and from this set an infinite number of solution sets can be found. Methods for generating these sets are outlined for the trimming of both a single and a dual pair of modes. In practice, it is likely that the trimming masses will be spaced regularly. For this special case, it is found that it is not possible to trim all single- and dual-mode pairs with any arrangement of masses. Validation of the derived simple solution set and the proposed procedure to generate further sets is achieved by studying a number of theoretical examples.     

On the Numerical Range of Operator Polynomials

An upper bound for the number of components of the numerical range of matrix polynomials is established. We also establish a necessary condition and a sufficient condition for the connectedness of the numerical range of a quadratic selfadjoint matrix polynomial. The boundary of the numerical range of linear matrix polynomials is also considered.     

Statistical study of nanosecond electric breakdowns in n-hexane

Methods for analyzing statistical distributions of the breakdown delay time are generalized. A statistical approach is used to study electric breakdown in n-hexane in a 2.1-MV/cm quasi-uniform electric field at a pulse duration of ∼5×10⁻⁸ s. Two different mechanisms for the anode breakdown are shown to coexist and compete with each other. One of them incorporates the “bubble” stage, whereas the other one is related to ionization in the liquid itself. It is found that the weaker influence of the external pressure on the pulsed electric strength of liquids in the nanosecond range is caused by a transition to the ionization mechanism for the anode breakdown at elevated pressures.     

Observation of hydrogen induced intermediate borides in PrFeB based alloys by Mössbauer effect spectroscopy

In the present work, a quantitative analysis of the phase compositions by Mössbauer effect spectroscopy of solid and conventional hydrogen disproportionated Pr_13.7Fe_80.3B_6.0 and Pr_13.7Fe_63.5Co_16.7Zr_0.1B_6.0 alloys was carried out. Significant amounts of intermediate borides t-Fe₃B and Pr(Fe, Co)₁₂B₆ were detected after solid hydrogen disproportionation treatment in Pr_13.7Fe_80.3B_6.0 and Pr_13.7Fe_63.5Co_16.7Zr_0.1B_6.0 alloys, respectively. After conventional hydrogenation–disproportionation–desorption–recombination treatment these phases were not detected and in no case residual Pr₂Fe₁₄B-phase was found. It was observed that the amount of intermediate borides after disproportionation can be correlated with the degree of texture after recombination at various temperatures.     

Cooperative Strategies for Solving the Bicriteria Sparse Multiple Knapsack Problem

For hard optimization problems, it is difficult to design heuristic algorithms which exhibit uniformly superior performance for all problem instances. As a result it becomes necessary to tailor the algorithms based on the problem instance. In this paper, we introduce the use of a cooperative problem solving team of heuristics that evolves algorithms for a given problem instance. The efficacy of this method is examined by solving six difficult instances of a bicriteria sparse multiple knapsack problem. Results indicate that such tailored algorithms uniformly improve solutions as compared to using predesigned heuristic algorithms.