On Hyperbolic Variational Inequalities of First Order and Some Applications

This paper presents further developments in the study of strong solutions and their coincidence sets to the obstacle problem for linear transport operators. Under natural mild assumptions, the strong convergence of the solutions and the characteristic functions of their coincidence sets is obtained in the passage of second order to first order problems. An application to a steady-state chemotaxis problem is given. The extension to the two obstacles problem of first order is also presented, having in view an application to a porous media model in presence of saturation arising in petroleum engineering.     

New heuristics for over-constrained flight to gate assignments

We consider the over-constrained Airport Gate Assignment Problem where the number of flights exceed the number of gates available, and where the objectives are to minimize the number of ungated flights and the total walking distances. The problem is formulated as a binary quadratic programming problem. We design a greedy algorithm and use a Tabu Search meta-heuristic to solve the problem. The greedy algorithm minimizes ungated flights while we devise a new neighbourhood search technique, the Interval Exchange Move, which allows us flexibility in seeking good solutions, especially when flight schedules are dense in time. Experiments conducted give good results.     

Crossdocking—JIT scheduling with time windows

In this paper, we study a problem central to crossdocking that aims to eliminate or minimize storage and order picking activity using JIT scheduling. The problem is modelled naturally as a machine scheduling problem. As the problem is NP-hard, and for real-time applications, we designed and implemented two heuristics. The first uses Squeaky Wheel Optimization embedded in a Genetic Algorithm and the second uses Linear Programming within a Genetic Algorithm. Both heuristics offer good solutions in experiments where comparisons are made with the CPLEX solver.     

Upon the removal of the edges of a 1-factor from an even circuit in a 2-connected graph

Let G be a 2-connected graph with minimum degree at least 3. We prove that there exists an even circuit C in G with factorization F={F₁,F₂} such that G−E(F₁) is 2-connected.     

Dirac-Hestenes spinor fields on Riemann-Cartan manifolds

In this paper we study Dirac-Hestenes spinor fields (DHSF) on a four-dimensional Riemann-Cartan spacetime (RCST). We prove that these fields must be defined as certain equivalence classes of even sections of the Clifford bundle (over the RCST), thereby being certain particular sections of a new bundle named the spin-Clifford bundle (SCB). The conditions for the existence of the SCB are studied and are shown to be equivalent to Geroch's theorem concerning the existence of spinor structures in a Lorentzian spacetime. We introduce also the covariant and algebraic Dirac spinor fields and compare these with DHSF, showing that all three kinds of spinor fields contain the same mathematical and physical information. We clarify also the notion of (Crumeyrolle's) amorphous spinors (Dirac-Kähler spinor fields are of this type), showing that they cannot be used to describe fermionic fields. We develop a rigorous theory for the covariant derivatives of Clifford fields (sections of the Clifford bundle, CB) and of Dirac-Hestenes spinor fields. We show how to generalize the original Dirac-Hestenes equation in Minkowski spacetime for the case of RCST. Our results are obtained from a variational principle formulated through the multiform derivative approach to Lagrangian field theory in the Clifford bundle.     

BELENE nuclear power plant numerical and experimental bedrock,layers and surface signals

An investigation of BELENE Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) free field signal is presented in the current study. An SH wave propagation trough multilayer geological media in the region is considered. An original structural model of the geological column has been developed. The investigated layers are isotropic, with constant depth and skyline parallel. The SH rays are with an arbitrary angle as far as the layers are concerned. The seismic SH waves have been generated by a special detonation device. The main results of the study are graphically illustrated. A comparison between the original BELENE NPP experimental and the numerical surface (free field) signals (obtained by the formulated direct problem) for the investigated geological column has been carried out and its results are hereby shown.     

Consequence for Wavefunction Collapse Model of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory Experiment

It is shown that data on the dissociation rate of deuterium obtained in an experiment at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory provides evidence that the Continuous Spontaneous Localization wavefunction collapse model should have mass–proportional coupling to be viable.     

Second harmonic generation and polar order in thin films of polyesters

A series of optically active main chain polyesters were synthesized by high temperature polycondensation from biphenolic azo chromophores with azobenzene-4,4'-dicarbonylchloride and 1,4:3,6-dianhydro-D-sorbitol ([!]_D²⁵=+42.5°). The second harmonic generation of the polyesters is studied in thin films. The polar order in films is determined from the UV-visible absorption spectra. The variation in SHG intensity with chiral monomer concentration is explained as a function of polar order. The polymers with chiral units showed good second harmonic efficiency. The intensity of second harmonic light (532 nm) increased with angle of incidence and indicated the polar order in the plane of the film. The SH signal also showed good temporal stability.     

Mixed methods on quadrilaterals and hexahedra

We describe a new family of discrete spaces suitable for use with mixed methods on certain quadrilateral and hexahedral meshes. The new spaces are natural in the sense of differential geometry, so all the usual mixed method theory, including the hybrid formulation, carries over to these new elements with proofs unchanged. Because transforming general quadrilaterals into squares introduces nonlinearity and because mixed methods involve the divergence operator, the new spaces are more complicated than either the corresponding Raviart-Thomas spaces for rectangles or corresponding finite element spaces for quadrilaterals. The new spaces are also limited to meshes obtained from a rectangular mesh through the application of a single global bilinear transformation. Despite this limitation, the new elements may be useful in certain topologically regular problems, where initially rectangular grids are deformed to match features of the physical region. They also illustrate the difficulties introduced into the theory of mixed methods by nonlinear transformations.