Determination/estimation of an optimal replacement interval under minimal repair

In this paper the problem of estimation of an optimal replacement interval for a system which is minimally repaired at failures is studied. The problem is investigated both under a parametric and a nonparametric form of the failure intensity of the system. It is assumed that observational data from n systems are available. Some asymptotic results are shown. A graphical procedure for determining/estimating an optimal replacement interval is presented. The procedure is particularly valuable for sensitivity analyses, for example with respect to the costs involved.     

Splitting‐characterizations of the Papangelou process

For point processes we establish a link between integration‐by‐parts‐ and splitting‐formulas which can also be considered as integration‐by‐parts‐formulas of a new type. First we characterize finite Papangelou processes in terms of their splitting kernels. The main part then consists in extending these results to the case of infinitely extended Papangelou and, in particular, Pólya and Gibbs processes.     

Enantioconvergent Biocatalytic Redox Isomerization

Alcohol dehydrogenases can act as powerful catalysts in the preparation of optically pure γ‐hydroxy‐δ‐lactones by means of an enantioconvergent dynamic redox isomerization of readily available Achmatowicz‐type pyranones. Imitating the traditionally metal‐mediated “borrowing hydrogen” approach to shuffle hydrides across molecular architectures and interconvert functional groups, this chemoinspired and purely biocatalytic interpretation effectively expands the enzymatic toolbox and provides new opportunities in the assembly of multienzyme cascades and tailor‐made cellular factories.     

Time‐resolved in situ tomography for the analysis of evolving metal‐foam granulates

An experimental setup has been developed that allows for capturing up to 25 tomograms s^?1 using the white X‐ray beam at the experimental station EDDI of BESSY II, Berlin, Germany. The key points are the use of a newly developed, precise and fast rotation stage, a very efficient scintillator and a fast CMOS camera. As a first application, the foaming of aluminium alloy granules at 923 K was investigated in situ. Formation and growth of bubbles in the liquid material were observed and found to be influenced by the limited thermal conductivity in the bulk granules. Changes that took place between two tomographic frames separated in time by 39 ms could be detected and analysed quantitatively.     

Necessary and sufficient conditions for Hölder continuity of Gaussian processes

The continuity of Gaussian processes is an extensively studied topic and it culminates in Talagrand’s notion of majorizing measures that gives complicated necessary and sufficient conditions. In this note we study the Hölder continuity of Gaussian processes. It turns out that necessary and sufficient conditions can be stated in a simple form that is a variant of the celebrated Kolmogorov–Čentsov condition.     

Über diskrete alternierende entseheidungsprozesse

A stationary altering Markovian decision model (SAMDM) with the discrete state and action spaces is defined and investigated. It is a special non-stationary MDM in which the characteristics of the model reiterate in two periods. Methods for solving stationary Markovian decision problems are modified for SAMDM.     

Multi-Step Continuous-Flow Organic Synthesis: Opportunities and Challenges

Continuous-flow multi-step synthesis takes the advantages of microchannel flow chemistry and may transform the conventional multi-step organic synthesis by using integrated synthetic systems. To realize the goal, however, innovative chemical methods and techniques are urgently required to meet the significant remaining challenges. In the past few years, by using green reactions, telescoped chemical design, and/or novel in-line separation techniques, major and rapid advancement has been made in this direction. This minireview summarizes the most recent reports (2017–2020) on continuous-flow synthesis of functional molecules. Notably, several complex active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) have been prepared by the continuous-flow approach. Key technologies to the successes and remaining challenges are discussed. These results exemplified the feasibility of using modern continuous-flow chemistry for complex synthetic targets, and bode well for the future development of integrated, automated artificial synthetic systems.     

The Coordinate Reaction Model: An Obstacle to Interpreting the Emergence of Chemical Complexity

The way chemical transformations are described by models based on microscopic reversibility does not take into account the irreversibility of natural processes, and therefore, in complex chemical networks working in open systems, misunderstandings may arise about the origin and causes of the stability of non-equilibrium stationary states, and general constraints on evolution in systems that are far from equilibrium. In order to be correctly simulated and understood, the chemical behavior of complex systems requires time-dependent models, otherwise the irreversibility of natural phenomena is overlooked. Micro reversible models based on the reaction-coordinate model are time invariant and are therefore unable to explain the evolution of open dissipative systems. The important points necessary for improving the modeling and simulations of complex chemical systems are: a) understanding the physical potential related to the entropy production rate, which is in general an inexact differential of a state function, and b) the interpretation and application of the so-called general evolution criterion (GEC), which is the general thermodynamic constraint for the evolution of dissipative chemical systems.     

Two stage electrostatic separator for the recycling of plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment

The aim of study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new facility for recycling of plastics from granular waste electrical and electronic equipment. The installation consists of two sections, the products of a first tribo-aero-electrostatic separator being subsequently treated in two free-fall electrostatic separators. The tests were performed on a mixture of polycarbonate (PC) and polyamide (PA). Analysis of the purity of the products obtained was performed using a program of image processing in MATLAB. Products of very high purity (roughly 95% for both PC and PA) were obtained at a recovery rate higher than 70%.     

Cathodoluminescence from deformed doped MgO crystals

The cathodoluminescence (CL) from indented Fe doped MgO single crystals has been studied with the scanning electron microscope and the results have been compared with the CL from undoped crystals. As in the undoped crystals, the iron doped crystals show in the deformed regions an enhanced luminescence emission but it has been found that iron acts as a quencher of luminescence. The results indicate that in the blue emission of the deformed crystals there is not a noticeable contribution of iron. From the evolution of CL with the irradiation time in the electron microscope it is concluded that the total Fe content influences the CL emission more than the Fe³⁺ content.