Two-dimensional cellular automata

A largely phenomenological study of two-dimensional cellular automata is reported. Qualitative classes of behavior similar to those in one-dimensional cellular automata are found. Growth from simple seeds in two-dimensiona! cellular automata can produce patterns with complicated boundaries, characterized by a variety of growth dimensions. Evolution from disordered states can give domains with boundaries that execute effectively continuous motions. Some global properties of cellular automata can be described by entropies and Lyapunov exponents. Others are undecidable.This work was supported in part by the U.S. Office of Naval Research under Contract No. N00014-80-C-0657.     

Production of hypernuclei with the reaction

We present results on the production of bound states of Θ⁺ in nuclei using the (K⁺,π⁺) reaction. By taking into account the states obtained within a wide range of strength of the Θ⁺ nucleus optical potential, plus the possibility to replace different nucleons of the nucleus, we obtain an excitation spectra with clearly differentiated peaks. The magnitude of the calculated cross sections is well within reachable range.     

Carbon dioxide activation and alkali compound formation. I. Vibrational characterization of oxalate intermediates

The activation of CO₂ in thin potassium layers adsorbed on Cu(1 1 1) has been studied with time-evolved Fourier transform-infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy. The growth of thin layers by reactive evaporation of potassium in a CO₂ atmosphere permits control of the K:CO₂ stoichiometry, which strongly affects the selectivity in the formation of intermediates and the decomposition pathways of the layer. Layers grown in a CO₂ rich atmosphere exhibit the preferential growth of stoichiometric potassium oxalate K₂C₂O₄ (D_2h). The molecular identity of oxalate with D_2h symmetry is confirmed by vibrational spectra utilizing isotopic substitution methods (¹³CO₂ and C¹⁸O₂) and by the use of isotopic mixtures of CO₂/C¹⁸O₂ and CO₂/¹³CO₂. A comparison of the isotope data with theoretical calculations gives an estimated OCO bond angle in oxalate of 132°. Far-IR spectra obtained with synchrotron radiation indicate the equivalent interaction of all oxygen atoms with the potassium. A comparison of the vibrational data with theoretical ab initio calculations confirms the structural model of an oxalate species that is bulk coordinated with no strong directional bonding and all oxygen atoms equally interacting with potassium.At medium and low CO₂:K ratios, very complex vibrational spectra are observed, indicating the formation of an oxalate surface species with C_2v symmetry in addition to D_2h⁻ oxalate, CO₂⁻ and CO₂²⁻ species.     

Non-aqueous phase liquid drop formation within a water saturated fracture

This work focuses on the mechanisms of non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) drop formation within a single fracture fed from a NAPL reservoir by way of a circular orifice, such as a pore. The fracture is assumed to be fully saturated, the relative wettability of the system is assumed water-wet, and the water velocity profile within the fracture is described by a Poiseuille flow. The size of the NAPL drops is investigated for various water flow velocities and NAPL entrance diameters. A force balancing method was used to determine the radii of detached drops. The drop sizes calculated from the model developed here are shown to be in agreement with available experimental drop size data. It is shown that at low Reynolds numbers the buoyancy force is the dominant force acting on the drop during the formation process and at high Reynolds numbers the viscous forces dominate. A simplified expression relating the geometry of the fractured system to the drop radii is developed from the model equations, and it is shown to predict drop radii that match well with both the model simulations and the available experimental data.     

Ensuring population diversity in genetic algorithms: A technical note with application to the cell formation problem

The entropy-based measure has been used in previous works to compute the population diversity in solving the cell formation problem with the genetic algorithm. Population diversity is crucial to the genetic algorithm’s ability to continue fruitful exploration as it may be used in choosing an initial population, in defining a stopping criterion, in evaluating the population convergence, and in making the search more efficient throughout the selection of crossover operators or the adjustment of various control parameters (e.g., crossover or mutation rate, population size). We show in this note that, when a non-ordinal chromosome representation corresponding to the allocation of machines to cells is used, the current way of measuring the population diversity is inaccurate. Consequently, it leads to wrong conclusions when, at various iterations, carrying out fruitful exploration or an efficient search of the solution space is guided by the perceived population diversity degree. An alternative approach based on computing the distance and the similarity between chromosomes is discussed.     

Molecular secondary ion formation under cluster bombardment: A fundamental review

A brief review is given regarding the application of cluster ion beams as desorption probes in molecular SIMS. The general observation is that the efficiency of secondary ion formation, particularly that of complex molecular species, is significantly enhanced if polyatomic projectiles are employed instead of atomic species. Apart from the sensitivity increase, cluster bombardment also appears to allow for molecular depth profiling studies without the accompanying damage accumulation normally associated with atomic projectiles. A few fundamental aspects are addressed in an attempt to highlight the physics behind these observations. It appears that much of the benefit associated with cluster bombardment is connected to the fact that these projectiles give access to very high sputter yields which are not accessible with atomic primary ions.     

Applying relational algebra and RelView to coalition formation

We present an application of relational algebra to coalition formation. This leads to specifications, which can be executed with the help of the RelView tool after a simple translation into the tool’s programming language. As an example we consider a simplification of the situation in Poland after the 2001 elections.     

Patterning by genetic networks

We consider here the morphogenesis (pattern formation) problem for some genetic network models. First, we show that any given spatio‐temporal pattern can be generated by a genetic network involving a sufficiently large number of genes. Moreover, patterning process can be performed by an effective algorithm. We also show that Turing's or Meinhardt's type reaction–diffusion models can be approximated by genetic networks. These results exploit the fundamental fact that the genes form functional units and are organized in blocks. Due to this modular organization, the genes always are capable to construct any new patterns and even any time sequences of new patterns from old patterns. Computer simulations illustrate some analytical results. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flow of optical patterns due to small lateral wave-front shifts in a nonlinear optical feedback system

Flow of a spontaneously formed optical pattern in a nonlinear optical feedback system consisting of a liquid crystal optically addressable spatial light modulator with feedback is induced by a lateral wave-front shift of the feedback light. We demonstrate the dependency of the flow speed on the wave-front shift by tilting an optical flat inserted in the feedback loop. We also demonstrate the application to real-time, high-sensitivity detection of small tilt angles of optical components.     

Thermodynamics of formation of Triiodide Complexes and Solvation of Reagents in Alkanolic Solutions of Electrolytes

The aim of this investigation was to study the influence of electrolytes on a reaction of triiodide complex formation. Investigation of the salt effect as concerns the thermodynamics of I ₃ ⁻ formation in methanol, ethanol and n-propanol solutions revealed regularities of the influence of the electrolyte on triiodide complex formation connected with a multifactorial effect of the ionic medium. The quasichemical model presented was used to calculate parameters reflecting the overall salt effect. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.