Products of mixed covering arrays of strength two

A covering array CA(N;t,k, v is an N × k array such that every N × t subarray contains all t‐tuples from v symbols at least once, where t is the strength of the array. Covering arrays are used to generate software test suites to cover all t‐sets of component interactions. The particular case when t = 2 (pairwise coverage) has been extensively studied, both to develop combinatorial constructions and to provide effective algorithmic search techniques. In this paper, a simple “cut‐and‐paste” construction is extended to covering arrays in which different columns (factors) admit different numbers of symbols (values); in the process an improved recursive construction for covering arrays with t = 2 is derived. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 14: 124–138, 2006     

The many proofs of an identity on the norm of oblique projections

Given an oblique projector P on a Hilbert space, i.e., an operator satisfying P ²=P, which is neither null nor the identity, it holds that ||P|| = ||I –P||. This useful equality, while not widely-known, has been proven repeatedly in the literature. Many published proofs are reviewed, and simpler ones are presented.     

High pressure X-ray diffraction study of CdAl2Se4 and Raman study of AAl2Se4 (A=Hg, Zn) and CdAl2X4 (X=Se, S)

We report the results of an X-ray diffraction study of CdAl₂Se₄ and of Raman studies of HgAl₂Se₄ and ZnAl₂Se₄ at room temperature, and of CdAl₂S₄ and CdAl₂Se₄ at 80 K at high pressure. The ambient pressure phase of CdAl₂Se₄ is stable up to a pressure of 9.1 GPa above which a phase transition to a disordered rock salt phase is observed. A fit of the volume pressure data to a Birch-Murnaghan type equation of state yields a bulk modulus of 52.1 GPa. The relative volume change at the phase transition at ∼9 GPa is about 10%. The analysis of the Raman data of HgAl₂Se₄ and ZnAl₂Se₄ reveals a general trend observed for different defect chalcopyrite materials. The line widths of the Raman peaks change at intermediate pressures between 4 and 6 GPa as an indication of the pressure induced two stage order-disorder transition observed in these materials. In addition, we include results of a low temperature Raman study of CdAl₂S₄ and CdAl₂Se₄, which shows a very weak temperature dependence of the Raman-active phonon modes.     

Effects of sputter deposition parameters and post-deposition annealing on the electrical characteristics of LaAlO3 dielectric films on Si

The influence of processing parameters on the electrical characteristics of RuO₂/LaAlO₃/Si metal-oxide-semiconductor structures was investigated. In particular, the sputtering regime during deposition of LaAlO₃ on Si and the atmosphere used in the post-deposition annealing step were addressed by determining capacitance-voltage and gate current-voltage characteristics. These results were correlated with compositional information obtained by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and nuclear reaction analysis. A post-deposition annealing step in oxygen at 600 °C resulted in better electrical characteristics of the final structure as compared to the same treatment performed in nitrogen. This result is explained by oxygen ability to heal oxygen vacancies in the LaAlO₃ film, especially at the dielectric/semiconductor interface region. A thermalized sputtering regime during deposition of LaAlO₃ on Si leads to capacitors with electrical characteristics superior to those deposited in ballistic regime. PACS 77.84.Dy; 81.15.Cd; 81.40.Gh; 73.40.Qv; 82.80.Yc     

Full-relativistic calculation of electronic structure of Zr2AlC and Zr2AlN

We have employed a full-relativistic version of an all-electron full-potential linearized-augmented plane-wave method in the local density approximation to investigate the electronic structure of nanolaminate Zr₂AlX (X=C and N). The Zr 4d electrons are treated as valence electrons. We have investigated the lattice parameters, bulk moduli, band structures, total and partial densities of states and charge densities. It is demonstrated that the strength and electrical transport properties in these materials are principally governed by the metallic planes.     

Primal cutting plane algorithms revisited

Dual fractional cutting plane algorithms, in which cutting planes are used to iteratively tighten a linear relaxation of an integer program, are well-known and form the basis of the highly successful branch-and-cut method. It is rather less well-known that various primal cutting plane algorithms were developed in the 1960s, for example by Young. In a primal algorithm, the main role of the cutting planes is to enable a feasible solution to the original problem to be improved. Research on these algorithms has been almost non-existent.  In this paper we argue for a re-examination of these primal methods. We describe a new primal algorithm for pure 0-1 problems based on strong valid inequalities and give some encouraging computational results. Possible extensions to the case of general mixed-integer programs are also discussed.     

Generalized Longo–Rehren Subfactors and α-Induction

We study the recent construction of subfactors by Rehren which generalizes the Longo–Rehren subfactors. We prove that if we apply this construction to a non-degenerately braided subfactor N⊂M and α^±-induction, then the resulting subfactor is dual to the Longo–Rehren subfactor M⊗M ^opp⊂R arising from the entire system of irreducible endomorphisms of M resulting from α^plusmn;-induction. As a corollary, we solve a problem on existence of braiding raised by Rehren negatively. Furthermore, we generalize our previous study with Longo and Müger on multi-interval subfactors arising from a completely rational conformal net of factors on S ¹ to a net of subfactors and show that the (generalized) Longo–Rehren subfactors and α-induction naturally appear in this context. Received: 11 September 2001 / Accepted: 7 October 2001     

Complete ideals and singularities of space curves

We consider complete ideals supported on finite sequences of infinitely near points, in regular local rings with dimensions greater than two. We study properties of factorizations in Lipman special *-simple complete ideals. We relate it to a type of proximity, linear proximity, of the points, and give conditions in order to have unique factorization. Several examples are presented. Received: 2 February 2000 / in final form: 14 March 2001 / Published online: 18 January 2002