On outer automorphism groups of coxeter groups

Summary It is shown that the outer automorphism group of a Coxeter groupW of finite rank is finite if the Coxeter graph contains no infinite bonds. A key step in the proof is to show that if the group is irreducible andΠ ₁ andΠ ₂ any two bases of the root system ofW, thenΠ ₂ = ±ωΠ ₁ for some ω εW. The proof of this latter fact employs some properties of the dominance order on the root system introduced by Brink and Howlett. This article was processed by the author using the Springer-Verlag TEX PJour1g macro package 1991.     

Success and survival of operational research groups—A review

Operational Research groups were established in private and public sector organizations following on from their success supporting the military in the Second World War. In the early years their numbers grew rapidly but by the mid-1970s evidence started to accumulate that they were being viewed less favourably. Many organizations chose not to set up OR groups. Established groups were closed down or dispersed to operating units in organizations, particularly during the recessionary periods. In 1993 following on the closures of some major OR groups in the UK, the Operational Research Society decided to fund research to examine those factors influencing a group's success and survival. This review, which forms part of the research, first examines the history of OR groups in the UK and North America, arguing that in practice they were one of a number of internal organizational consultancies. As such they were judged by their competitive performance. Despite the intent of the founding fathers of OR many groups found their scope was limited to mainly tactical problems using analytical model based approaches although there were exceptions that were successful in making major contributions at the strategic level also. Within their chosen fields of activity however many groups flourished whilst some failed. This review presents a comprehensive list of influences on success and survival. They include changes in the external environment, together with shifts in managerial style and culture, organizational factors, and the OR group itself. The review concludes that, while OR groups can do much to protect themselves from closure, organizational changes within a hostile managerial culture demand a creative response that acknowledges new requirements. Areas where an OR group has greatest influence over its effectiveness include its leadership and personnel, project balance and management. In addition, to be successful OR groups need to positively develop and market their services in an increasingly competitive managerial climate.     

The Characterisation of the Products of Reduction of Chinkombe Ilmenite

The characterisation of iron-containing species in Chinkombe ilmenite and its reduction products was undertaken using Mössbauer Spectroscopic techniques. The ore was reduced by graphite in an inert atmosphere. The effects of such variables as quantity of reductant, temperature and preoxidation were investigated. The ore was completely reduced to alpha-iron and titanium dioxide with 20% carbon for a period of one hour at 1373 K. Chemical mechanisms are proposed for the reduction and oxidation of Chinkombe ilmenite. In the processing of ilmenite to obtain synthetic rutile, the ultimate desire is to separate the Fe phase from the TiO₂. Mössbauer Spectroscopy has unambiguously confirmed the desired transformation of the iron phase according to thermodynamic predictions. The information gained would be used to choose the conditions of the reduction process. The alpha-iron could be separated physically or chemically from the completely reduced product mass to obtain synthetic titanium dioxide suitable for the paint industry.     

Microencapsulation of DNA Within alginate microspheres and crosslinked chitosan membranes for in vivo application

Calf thymus DNA was microencapsulated within crosslinked chitosan membranes, or immobilized within chitosan-coated alginate microspheres. Microcapsules were prepared by interfacial polymerization of chitosan, and alginate microspheres formed by emulsification/ internal gelation. Diameters ranged from 20 to 500 Μm, depending on the formulation conditions. Encapsulated DNA was quantifiedin situ by direct spectrophotometry (260 nm) and ethidium bromide fluorimetry, and compared to DNA measurements on the fractions following disruption and dissolution of the microspheres. Approximately 84% of the DNA was released upon core dissolution and membrane disruption, with 12% membrane bound. The yield of encapsulation was 96%. Leakage of DNA from intact microspheres/capsules was not observed. DNA microcapsules and microspheres were recovered intact from rat feces following gavage and gastrointestinal transit. Higher recoveries (60%) and reduced shrinkage during transit were obtained with the alginate microspheres. DNA was recovered and purified from the microcapsules and microspheres by chromatography and differential precipitation with ethanol. This is the first report of microcapsules or microspheres containing biologically active material (DNA) being passed through the gastrointestinal tract, with the potential for substantial recovery.     

Thickness and temperature dependence of subsidiary absorption thresholds in yttrium-iron-garnet thin films

The microwave subsidiary absorption threshold in tangentially magnetized yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG) films was measured as a function of the static magnetic field, film thickness and decrease in the 0.3–3 μm range is observed. The effect is explained quantitatively by using modified Damon-Eshbach dispersion relations which take into account exchange interactions.

The effect of temperature on h_crit, the smallest threshold field amplitude, in the 250<T< 450 K temperature range can be expressed by an empirical relationship h_crit M_s(T)^-1.6 where M_s is the saturation magnetization. This h_crit vs M_s relationship is similar to that obtained for the magnetization dependence of parallel pump thresholds in Li-Ti ferrite compounds.     

The anomalous 3-boson couplings as an implication of the Higgs sector

We discuss the possible new electroweak interactions which may be generated by the Higgs sector at the scale of theZ mass. For this purpose, we give a set ofSU(2)×U(1) gauge invariant operators constructed in terms ofW, Z, γ and Higgs fields which in the unitary gauge describe all possible γWW andZWW anomalous couplings. The dimension of these operators varies from 6 to 12. This fact allows us to consider various scenaria for the manifestations of the New Physics. We conclude that the underlying dynamics induced by the Higgs sector can be tested through a model-independent amplitude analysis of gauge boson pair production at LEP2 and future colliders.     

Observation of ionic thermocurrents in zirconia-based solid electrolytes

In ionic conductors, long range-migrating charges are a main cause of polarization processes. This has complicated, up to date, the study of ionic thermocurrents (ITC) in solid electrolytes. However, the method is appealing, as it probes directly charge-formation phenomena that are important both from a scientific point of view and for applications. This work reports on the observation of ITC in solid electrolytes. Under appropriate experimental conditions, the ITC response of a zirconia sample electroded with platinum is a reproducible one, thus opening the way to a new characterization method that may complement other well established methods, such as Impedance Spectroscopy and a number of electrochemical techniques. The general trends of the response, which is composed of two well resolved ITC peaks, is discussed. One of them, taking place at higher temperatures, conforms to the standard shape of a first order kinetics depolarization process. Paper presented at the 2nd Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, Sept. 10–16, 1995     

Inclusive production of neutral vector mesons in hadronic Z decays

A data sample of about 3.0 million hadronicZ decays collected by the ALEPH experiment at LEP in the years 1991 through 1994 is used to make an inclusive selection of B hadron events. In this event sample 4227±140±252B* mesons in the decayB*→Bγ and 1944±108±161B** _u,d mesons decaying into a B meson and a charged pion are reconstructed. Here and in the followingB** _u,d denotes the eightL=1(bū) and (bd) states and their charge conjugate. For the well establishedB* meson the following quantities are obtained:ΔM=M _B*−M_B=(45.30±0.35±0.87) MeV/c² andN _B*/(N _B+N _B*)=(77.1±2.6±7.0)%. The angular distribution of the photons in theB* rest frame is used to measure the relative contribution of longitudinalB* polarization states to beσ _L/(σ _L+σ _T)=(33±6±5)%.