Electronic structure of Ti metal and TiO2 powder studied by hard and soft (Cu Kα1 and Al Kα1) X-ray photoelectron and Auger spectroscopy

High-energy X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is of particular importance for minimizing the effects of surface contamination by increasing photoelectron escape depths. In this study high-resolution high-energy Cu Kα₁ and soft Al Kα₁ XPS and Auger electron spectroscopy were used to compare the electronic structure of Ti in TiO₂ powder and Ti metal. The Ti 1s in TiO₂ XPS line is narrower and more symmetric than in Ti metal. A comparison of the relative intensities of the L₂₃M₂₃M₄₅ and L₂₃M₂₃M₂₃ Auger transitions in Ti metal and TiO₂ is consistent with the expected transfer of Ti 3d electrons away from the Ti site in the oxide. The satellites accompanying the Ti 1s XPS line excited by Cu Kα₁ X-rays occur at the same energies as the satellites accompanying the Ti 2s and 2p XPS lines excited by Al Kα₁ X-rays indicating that they do not depend on the core-level, the experimental resolution or inelastic scattering processes.     

The statement and numerical solution of an optimization problem in X-ray tomography

A nonclassical problem is considered for the transport equation with coefficients depending on the energy of radiation. The task is to find the discontinuity surfaces for the coefficients of the equation from measurements of the radiation flux leaving the medium. For this tomography problem, an optimization problem is stated and numerically analyzed. The latter consists in determining the radiation energy that ensures the best reconstruction of the unknown medium. A simplified optimization problem is solved analytically.     

On some properties of linear and nonlinear waves in pair-ion plasmas

It is pointed out that the observation of the electrostatic ion acoustic wave frequency can be a suitable check to determine whether the produced plasma is a pure pair-ion plasma or whether it comprises some concentration of electrons. A theoretical model for the pair-ion plasma dynamics is presented along with a new electrostatic mode which can exist only in such systems. It can become unstable in the presence of shear flow and it can give rise to vortex structures in the nonlinear regime. The possibility of shocks and solitons, due to nonlinear drift waves in a pair-ion plasma comprising electrons, is also discussed. The relevance of this investigation to both laboratory and astrophysical plasmas is pointed out.     

The promoting role of silver on the supported silver salt of dodecatungstosiliticic acid in the methanol-to-hydrocarbon conversion

The conversion of methanol into light olefins has been studied using the silver salt of dodecatungstosilicic acid supported on serosil. Special attention has been paid to the process of the acid sites formation during the initial reaction period and to the role of hydrogen. The significantly higher activity and stability of the supported silver salt compared with the supported free heteropoly acid is explained by a controlled formation process of acidic sites and their additional generation from hydrogen on the metallic silver surface.     

Multirobot-Based Nanoassembly Planning with Automated Path Generation

In this paper, a novel approach of automated multirobot nanoassembly planning is presented. This approach uses an improved self-organizing map to coordinate assembly tasks of nanorobots while generating optimized motion paths at run time with a modified shunting neural network. It is capable of synchronizing multiple nanorobots working simultaneously and efficiently on the assembly of swarms of objects in the presence of obstacles and environmental uncertainty. Operation of the presented approach is demonstrated with experiments at the end of the paper.     

Some conformally flat spin manifolds, Dirac operators and automorphic forms

In this paper we study Clifford and harmonic analysis on some examples of conformal flat manifolds that have a spinor structure, or more generally, at least a pin structure. The examples treated here are manifolds that can be parametrized by U/Γ where U is a subdomain of either Sn or Rn and Γ is a Kleinian group acting discontinuously on U. The examples studied here include RPn and the Hopf manifolds S¹×Sn−1. Also some hyperbolic manifolds will be treated. Special kinds of Clifford-analytic automorphic forms associated to the different choices of Γ are used to construct explicit Cauchy kernels, Cauchy integral formulas, Green's kernels and formulas together with Hardy spaces and Plemelj projection operators for Lp spaces of hypersurfaces lying in these manifolds.     

Bounds for the positive eigenvalues of the p-Laplacian with decaying potential

An upper bound is obtained for the positive eigenvalues of the p-Laplacian with decaying potential on [0,∞). The bound is expressed in terms of the potential and is shown to be the best possible of its kind.     

OR and the challenge to improve the NHS: modelling for insight and improvement in in-patient flows

This paper considers efforts to improve in-patient flows, a particularly urgent issue in the National Health Service (NHS). The context is described and related to reasons why OR has been making relatively little contribution. The paper argues that large complex models may often be unnecessary and even get in the way of providing clear insight and guidance for problem owners. The importance of understanding the generic working of systems to lead to improvement, and the limitations of simply describing them, is stressed. It is demonstrated that some very simple models can be of significant practical value in understanding and managing complex systems, changing mindsets and driving collection and use of operationally valuable data. Recommendations for more effective engagement with the NHS are offered.     

Elastic-stress relaxation in heteroepitaxial structures investigated by computer simulation

Atomic mechanisms of elastic-stress relaxation in heteroepitaxial structures are investigated by computer simulation. A 2D model of a heteroepitaxial structure with an empirical interatomic potential is considered. Advanced methods of saddle-point search in a multidimensional space are used to identify main mechanisms of structural change involving the formation of a structural imperfection, and to estimate energy characteristics of the processes.