Pd-Si binary bulk metallic glass

Pd_80+x Si_20−x (x = 0, 1, and 2) binary metallic glasses with the diameter ranging from 7 to 8 mm were prepared by a combination of fluxing and water quenching or air cooling. Thermal analysis results show that with increasing Si content, the glass transition temperature T _g, the initial crystallization temperature T _x and the onset crystallization temperature T _p of Pd-Si binary glassy alloys increase. Moreover, the supercooled liquid region reaches 61 K. It indicates that Pd-Si binary alloys possess large glass forming ability, which can be greatly improved by fluxing treatment. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB613905) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 50671050 and 50431030)     

A Communication Multiplexer Problem: Two Alternating Queues with Dependent Randomly-Timed Gated Regime

Two random traffic streams are competing for the service time of a single server (multiplexer). The streams form two queues, primary (queue 1) and secondary (queue 0). The primary queue is served exhaustively, after which the server switches over to queue 0. The duration of time the server resides in the secondary queue is determined by the dynamic evolution in queue 1. If there is an arrival to queue 1 while the server is still working in queue 0, the latter is immediately gated, and the server completes service there only to the gated jobs, upon which it switches back to the primary queue. We formulate this system as a two-queue polling model with a single alternating server and with randomly-timed gated (RTG) service discipline in queue 0, where the timer there depends on the arrival stream to the primary queue. We derive Laplace–Stieltjes transforms and generating functions for various key variables and calculate numerous performance measures such as mean queue sizes at polling instants and at an arbitrary moment, mean busy period duration and mean cycle time length, expected number of messages transmitted during a busy period and mean waiting times. Finally, we present graphs of numerical results comparing the mean waiting times in the two queues as functions of the relative loads, showing the effect of the RTG regime.     

A Polynomial Time Approximation Scheme for the Grade of Service Steiner Minimum Tree Problem

In this paper, we present the design of a Polynomial Time Approximation Scheme (PTAS) for the Grade of Service Steiner Minimum Tree (GOSST) problem, which is known to be NP-Complete. Previous research has focused on geometric analyses and different approximation algorithms have been designed. We propose a PTAS that provides a polynomial time, near-optimal solution with performance ratio 1+. The GOSST problem has some important applications. In network design, a fundamental issue for the physical construction of a network structure is the interconnection of many communication sites with the best choice of the connecting lines and the best allocation of the transmission capacities over these lines. Good solutions should provide paths with enough communication capacities between any two sites, with the least network construction costs. Also, the GOSST problem has applications in transportation, for road constructions and some potential uses in CAD in terms of interconnecting the elements on a plane to provide enough flux between any two elements.     

Brane Cosmology, Varying Speed of Light and Inflation in Models with One or More Extra Dimensions

We summarize the approach to brane cosmology known as mirage cosmology and use it to determine the Friedmann equation on a 3-brane embedded in different bulk spacetimes all with one or more extra dimensions. Usually, when there is more than one extra dimension the junction conditions, central to the usual brane world scenarios, are difficult to apply. This problem does not arise in mirage cosmology because the brane is treated as a test particle in the background spacetime. We discuss in detail the dynamics of a brane embedded in two specific 10D bulk spacetimes, namely Sch-AdS₅ × S₅ and a rotating black hole, and from the dynamics—which are now rather more complicated since the brane can move in all the extra dimensions—determine the new dark fluid terms in the brane Friedmann equation. Some of these, such as the cosmological constant term, are seen to be bulk dependent. We then show explicitly how this mirage cosmology approach matches with the familiar junction condition approach when there is just one extra dimension. The issue of a varying speed of light in mirage cosmology is addressed and we find a scenario in which c _eff always increases, tending asymptotically to c ₀ as the universe expands. Finally some comments are made regarding brane inflation and limitations of the mirage cosmology approach are also discussed.     

Functional Analysis of Tube Chain Conveyors

This paper describes some of the aspects necessary for the design and use of tube chain conveyors. It is based on the reports of experienced experts and recent tube chain conveyor experimental results. The aim of the research work is the formulation of general technical regulations for tube chain conveyors. Theoretical models were developed, which allow the calculation of the motion resistances in all parts of the conveyor by the use of empirical extracted correction factors. Specially designed measurement equipment enabled the measurement of the important chain tractive force from the closed tube system. The measurements show the influence of the major operational parameters and the bulk solid properties.     

Bulk and microscopic properties of copolymer networks in mixed aqueous solvents

Amphiphilic films and hydrogels have been prepared from ethanol/water solutions containing a hydrocarbon-grafted water-soluble cellulose ether. These materials are characterized by dispersed hydrophobic microdomains which form spontaneously in the solvent due to the inherent incompatibility of the side chains with water. At low applied shear stress, the microdomains behave as temporary linkages of finite lifetimes, imparting viscoelastic properties to the networks. The molecular weight between microdomains was found to be independent of the volume fraction of polymer in the gel, and the number of linkages per backbone ranges from 22.8 ± 1.3 to 26.2 ± 1.5 over the frequency range 30–50 rad/s. The behavior of the solutions and gels was characterized using fluorescence and dynamic rheological measurements. It was demonstrated that the microdomains are capable of sequestering water-insoluble solutes. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On the discrete-time regulator problem in infinite-dimensional spaces

The linear, discrete-time regulator problem is considered in infinite-dimensional spaces without posing in advance any positivity conditions on quadratic criterion. The convergence of the finite-time optimum solution is studied, when time increases to infinity with a stable, stabilizable, and detectable system.The author thanks Professors P. Karttunen and H. Koivo for helpful discussions regarding this note.     

Elastic constants of lead-bismuth alloys

A study of ultrasonic velocities and internal friction has been carried out in Pb-Bi alloys in the concentration range of 0 to 49.5 atomic % Bi using the composite oscillator technique. From the velocity and density data a set of elastic constants namely, Young’s modulus, rigidity modulus, bulk modulus and Poisson’s ratio are estimated. The results are interpreted in terms of the phase changes occurring in the alloy system. Internal friction is found to be more sensitive than the elastic constants to the phase changes.     

Optical properties of the quasi-two-dimensional dichalcogenides 2H-TaSe and 2H-NbSe

We present a comprehensive analysis of the optical constants of the two-dimensional dichalcogenide materials 2 H - TaSe ₂ and 2 H - NbSe ₂ , in an attempt to address the physics of two-dimensional correlated systems. The title compounds were studied over several decades in frequency, from the far-infrared to the ultraviolet. Measurements with linearly polarized light have allowed us to obtain both the in-plane and out-of-plane components of the conductivity tensor. Although the electromagnetic response of dichalcogenides is strongly anisotropic, both the in-plane and out-of-plane components of the conductivity tensor share many common features, including the presence of a well-defined metallic component, as well as a “mid-infrared band”. We discuss the implications of these results in the context of the spectroscopic results of other classes of low-dimensional conductors such as the high-temperature superconducting cuprates. In particular, the analysis of the redistribution of the spectral weight as a function of temperature, as well as the behavior of the quasiparticles relaxation rate, points to significant distinctions between the charge dynamics of dichalcogenides and other classes of low dimensional conductors. Received 28 October 2002 / Received in final form 10 March 2003 Published online 23 May 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: degiorgi@solid.phys.ethz.ch     

Studies on CdS nanoparticles dispersed in silica matrix prepared by sol-gel technique

SiO₂/CdS-nanoparticle composite films (SiO₂:CdS=85:15, 80:20, 75:25 and 70:30) were prepared by the sol-gel route. The films were characterized by studying microstructural (XRD and TEM) and optical (transmittance and photoluminescence) properties. Band gaps of these films annealed at different temperatures (373-473 K) for different times (10-120 min) indicated that the signature of nanocrystallinity is retained throughout the range of our experimental conditions. A thermal diffusion process controlled growth in the crystallite size with increasing annealing time and temperature. The average radii of the nanoparticles varied as the cube root of the annealing time but showed exponential dependence on the inverse of annealing temperature. Photoluminescence (PL) studies of the composite films indicated excitonic transitions. Theoretical analysis of the line shapes of the PL peaks recorded at 300 K and 80 K could be accounted for by the combined effects of size distribution and phonon broadening. It was observed that the deformation potential (E _d) effectively controlled the line shapes of the PL measurements. Received 24 May 2002 Published online 27 January 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: msakp@mahendra.iacs.res.in