Towards molecular-scale electronics and biomolecular self-assembly

This paper provides an overview of recent research developments in the field of nanoelectronics with organic materials such as carbon nanotubes and DNA-templated nanowires. Carbon nanotubes and gold electrodes are chemically functionalized in order to contact carbon nanotubes by self-assembly. The transport properties of these nanotubes are dominated by charging effects and display clear Coulomb blockade behaviour. A different approach towards nanoscale electronics is based on the molecular recognition properties of biomolecules such as DNA. As an example, DNA is stretched between electrodes using a molecular combing technique. A two-step metallization procedure leads to the formation of highly conductive gold nanowires.     

Backward–forward algorithms for structured monotone inclusions in Hilbert spaces

In this paper, we study the backward–forward algorithm as a splitting method to solve structured monotone inclusions, and convex minimization problems in Hilbert spaces. It has a natural link with the forward–backward algorithm and has the same computational complexity, since it involves the same basic blocks, but organized differently. Surprisingly enough, this kind of iteration arises when studying the time discretization of the regularized Newton method for maximally monotone operators. First, we show that these two methods enjoy remarkable involutive relations, which go far beyond the evident inversion of the order in which the forward and backward steps are applied. Next, we establish several convergence properties for both methods, some of which were unknown even for the forward–backward algorithm. This brings further insight into this well-known scheme. Finally, we specialize our results to structured convex minimization problems, the gradient-projection algorithms, and give a numerical illustration of theoretical interest.     

App-based scaffolds for writing two-column proofs

This paper presents apps designed to assist students in understanding and developing proofs in geometric theorems. These technologies focus on triangle congruence, triangle similarity and properties of parallelograms. Focus group discussions and initial testing of the apps revealed that the apps offered a more engaging medium for learning proving and were capable of facilitating proof-writing skills in geometry.     

Periodic points of algebraic functions and Deuring’s class number formula

The Ramanujan Journal - In this paper, transformation formulas for the function $$\begin{aligned} A_{1}\left( z,s:\chi \right) =\sum \limits _{n=1}^{\infty }\sum \limits _{m=1} ^{\infty }\chi...     

Micromixing models for turbulent flows

In transported probability density function and filtered density function methods, micromixing models are required to close the molecular mixing term. The accuracy and computational efficiency of improved versions of the parameterized scalar profile (PSP) model are assessed and compared with commonly used mixing models such as Curl, modified Curl, interaction by exchange with the mean and Euclidean minimum spanning tree. Different generalizations of the PSP mixing model for spatially inhomogeneous flow configurations are presented. The selected test cases focus on molecular mixing and avoid interference with other models. Simulation results for a three-stream problem, involving two inert scalars, and a multi-scalar test case with mean-scalar-gradients are presented.     

Renormalization of polygon exchange maps arising from corner percolation

We describe a family {Ψ _α,β } of polygon exchange transformations parameterized by points (α,β) in the square $[0, {\frac{1}{2}}]\times[0, {\frac{1}{2}}]$ . Whenever α and β are irrational, Ψ _α,β has periodic orbits of arbitrarily large period. We show that for almost all parameters, the polygon exchange map has the property that almost every point is periodic. However, there is a dense set of irrational parameters for which this fails. By choosing parameters carefully, the measure of non-periodic points can be made arbitrarily close to full measure. These results are powered by a notion of renormalization which holds in a more general setting. Namely, we consider a renormalization of tilings arising from the Corner Percolation Model.     

Formalizing and solving the problem of clustering in MCDA

The topic of clustering has been widely studied in the field of Data Analysis, where it is defined as an unsupervised process of grouping objects together based on notions of similarity. Clustering in the field of Multi-Criteria Decision Aid (MCDA) has seen a few adaptations of methods from Data Analysis, most of them however using concepts native to that field, such as the notions of similarity and distance measures. As in MCDA we model the preferences of a decision maker over a set of decision alternatives, we can find more diverse ways of comparing them than in Data Analysis. As a result, these alternatives may also be arranged into different potential structures. In this paper we wish to formally define the problem of clustering in MCDA using notions that are native to this field alone, and highlight the different structures which we may try to uncover through this process. Following this we propose a method for finding these structures. As in any clustering problem, finding the optimal result in an exact manner is impractical, and so we propose a stochastic heuristic approach, which we validate through tests on a large set of artificially generated benchmarks.     

Mathematics teacher training at the State Technical University in Chile

During the fifties and sixties in Chile many mathematics graduates of Pedagogical Institutes became university instructors rather than high school teachers as intended. In the late sixties Masters level programmes began giving more advanced training for university mathematics instructors. A ‘modern’ mathematics curriculum including computer science was introduced in the high schools. The first significant attempt to adapt the training of Chilean high school mathematics teachers to the new academic and social realities was begun in 1976 at the State Technical University with the cooperation of Teachers College, Columbia University, and the support of the Organization of American States.

The four‐year programme leads to Licenciatura (Bachelors) in Mathematics and Computer Education. All courses are taught by faculty members of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. The three basic areas of instruction are mathematics, computer science, and mathematics education. Funds provided by the O.A.S. have helped to make possible the development of curricular materials in Spanish, and the acquisition of computing and video tape equipment.     

Computing transitive closure of bipolar weighted digraphs

We define a bipolar weighted digraph as a weighted digraph together with the sign function on the arcs such that the weight of each arc lies between 0 and 1, and no two parallel arcs have the same sign. Bipolar weighted digraphs are utilized to model so-called fuzzy cognitive maps, which are used in science, engineering, and the social sciences to represent the causal structure of a body of knowledge. It has been noted in the literature that a transitive closure of a bipolar weighted digraph contains useful new information for the fuzzy cognitive map it models.In this paper we ask two questions: what is a sensible and useful definition of transitive closure of a bipolar weighted digraph, and how do we compute it? We give two answers to each of these questions, that is, we present two distinct models. First, we give a review of the fuzzy digraph model, which has been, in a different form and less rigorously, studied previously in the fuzzy systems literature. Second, we carefully develop a probabilistic model, which is related to the notion of network reliability.This paper is intended for a mathematical audience.     

Collective properties of excitons in the presence of a two-dimensional electron gas

We have studied the collective properties of two-dimensional (2D) excitons immersed within a quantum well which contains 2D excitons and a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). We have also analyzed the excitations for a system of 2D dipole excitons with spatially separated electrons and holes in a pair of quantum wells (CQWs) when one of the wells contains a 2DEG. Calculations of the superfluid density and the Kosterlitz–Thouless (K–T) phase transition temperature for the 2DEG-exciton system in a quantum well have shown that the K–T transition temperature increase with increasing exciton density and that it might be possible to have fast long-range transport of excitons. The superfluid density and the K–T transition temperature for dipole excitons in CQWs in the presence of a 2DEG in one of the wells increases with increasing inter-well separation.