Duality and the cosmological constant

A dynamical theory is studied in which a scalar field ϕ in Einstein-Minkowski space is coupled to the four-velocityN _μ of a preferred inertial observer in that space. As a consistent requirement on this coupling we study a principle of duality invariance of the dynamical mass term of ϕ at some universal length in the small-distance regime. In the large-distance regime duality breaking can be introduced by giving a background value to ϕ and a background direction toN _μ. It is shown that, in an appropriate approximation, duality breaking can be related to the emergence of a characteristic phase in which the condensation of the ground state allows massive excitations with a characteristic scale of squared mass which agrees with the present observational bound for the cosmological constant.     

A new approach based on the surrogating method in the project time compression problems

This paper develops a mathematical model for project time compression problems in CPM/PERT type networks. It is noted this formulation of the problem will be an adequate approximation for solving the time compression problem with any continuous and non-increasing time-cost curve. The kind of this model is Mixed Integer Linear Program (MILP) with zero-one variables, and the Benders' decomposition procedure for analyzing this model has been developed. Then this paper proposes a new approach based on the surrogating method for solving these problems. In addition, the required computer programs have been prepared by the author to execute the algorithm. An illustrative example solved by the new algorithm, and two methods are compared by several numerical examples. Computational experience with these data shows the superiority of the new approach.     

Controlling a bunch of multiple filaments by means of a beam diameter

We demonstrate a three orders of magnitude increase and stability in the backscattered fluorescence signal from nitrogen molecules by terawatt femtosecond laser pulse induced air filaments using a new method. The method is based on squeezing the initial beam diameter using a telescope. The effect of laser shot-to-shot fluctuations was included in numerical simulations by a random distribution of the initial intensity in both squeezed and non-squeezed beams. Statistical processing of the simulation results shows that the average diameter of plasma channels as well as the total amount of free electrons generated in a bunch of multiple filaments in air is larger in the squeezed beam. Shot-to-shot stability of the simulated plasma density increases in the squeezed beam. The change of this plasma density with propagation distance is in good qualitative agreement with the change of the range-corrected nitrogen fluorescence signal with distance. PACS 42.65.Jx; 42.60.Jf; 42.68.Ay; 42.68.Wt     

Fabrication and Determination of Refractive Index Profile of the Planar Waveguides by Wedge Technique

Several planar waveguides have been fabricated. The waveguides have been polished for determination of their refractiveindex profiles (RIP) by wedge method. The RIP determined by inserting the sample in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer andapplying fringe analysis methods.     

Microwave Assisted Conversion of Oximes and Semicarbazones to Carbonyl Compounds Using Benzyltriphenylphosphonium Peroxymonosulfate

Summary.  Benzyltriphenylphosphonium peroxymonosulfate in the presence of catalytic amounts of bismuth chloride was found to be an efficient and mild reagent for the oxidative cleavage of oximes and semicarbazones to the corresponding carbonyl compounds under microwave irradiation. Corresponding author. E-mail: haji@cc.iut.ac.ir Received March 4, 2002; accepted (revised) April 8, 2002     

Headspace solvent microextraction of trihalomethane compounds into a single drop

Headspace solvent microextraction (HSME) into a single drop is developed for the determination of six trihalomethanes, CH2Cl2, CHCl3, C4H9Cl, CCl4, C2HCl3, and C2Cl4, in aqueous solution. A drop of benzyl alcohol containing bromoform, as an internal standard, is used for extraction. The analytes are extracted by suspending a 3-microL drop directly from the needle of a microsyringe. The needle passes through the septum of a vessel, and the needle tip appears above the surface of the solution. After the prescribed extraction time, the drop is drawn back into the syringe. The syringe is then removed, and its content is injected directly into a gas chromatography column for analysis. The main parameters affecting the HSME process, such as stirring speed, microdrop volume, sample solution temperature, microsyringe needle temperature, sample volume, solution pH, extracting solvent, and ionic strength of the solution, are studied. Also, the linear range and precision of the method are examined.     

Potentiometric determination of ultratrace amounts of fluoride enriched by zirconia in a flow system

A satisfactory method was described for separation and preconcentration of ultratrace amounts of fluoride ions enriched by zirconia (ZrO₂) as an inorganic ion exchanger. Fluoride ions can be adsorbed rapidly and selectively on zirconia from an acidic solution (pH 4.8) then reversibly desorbed by increasing pH up to 13. A flow system consisting of a column packed with zirconia impregnated on cellulose fibers and an ion-selective electrode was used for the determination of fluoride. The RSD was found to be 1.6% and the detection limit defined by S/N = 3 was 3 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹. The interference effects of various ions, such as nitrate, sulfate, halides, alkaline, and alkaline earth ions, which may be found in the environmental water, were studied, and it was found that they were tolerated even at high concentrations. The method was applied to determine fluoride in drinking water, which contains ultratrace amounts of fluoride. The concentration of fluoride was found to be 42 μg L⁻¹, which is confirmed by spiking 2 μmol fluoride to the drinking water with a recovery of 99%. Published in Russian in Zhurnal Analiticheskoi Khimii, 2006, Vol. 61, No. 2, pp. 179–183. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Synthesis and Spectroscopic Study of Some New Phosphoramidates,Crystal Structures of N‐Benzoyl‐N′,N″‐bis(azetidinyl)phosphoric Triamide and N‐Benzoyl‐N′,N″‐bis(hexamethylenyl)phosphoric Triamide

Some new N‐carbonyl, phosphoramidates with formula C₆H₅C(O)N(H)P(O)R₂ (R = NC₃H₆ ( 1 ), NC₆H₁₂ ( 2 ), NHCH₂CH=CH₂ ( 3 ), N(C₃H₇)₂ ( 4 )) and CCl₃C(O)N(H)P(O)R′₂ (R′ = NC₃H₆ ( 5 ), NHCH₂CH=CH₂ ( 6 )) were synthesized and characterized by ¹H, ¹³C, ³¹P NMR and IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The structures were determined for compounds 1 and 2 . Compound 1 exists as two crystallographically independent molecules in crystal lattice. Both compounds 1 and 2 produced dimeric aggregates via intermolecular ‐P=O…H‐N‐ hydrogen bonds, which in compound 2 is a centrosymmetric dimer. In compounds with four‐membered ring amine groups, ³J(P,C)>²J(P,C), in agreement with our previous studies about five‐membered ring amine groups. Also, ³J(P,C) values in compounds 1 and 5 are greater than in compounds with five‐, six‐ and seven‐membered ring amine groups.