A note on conservation laws for a multiclass service queueing system with setup times

This paper derives a conservation law for mean waiting times in a single-server multi-class service queueing system (M ^X/G/1 type queue) with setup times which may be dependent on multiple customer classes and its arrival batch size by using the work decomposition property in the queueing system with vacations.     

High-quality hydroxyapatite coating on biocompatible materials by laser-assisted laser ablation method

A new method for high-quality hydroxyapatite (HAp) coating is developed, the laser-assisted laser ablation method. In this method, two lasers are used. One is used for ablation of a HAp target. The other, the assist laser, is used to irradiate a Ti substrate surface. The effects of the assist laser irradiation are to anneal the HAp coating and to improve its adhesive strength to the Ti substrate. The quality of the HAp coating depends on the delay time of the assist-laser irradiation. HAp coatings obtained at a delay time of 10 microseconds or more are more amorphous. It was confirmed that the amorphous part of a coating dissolves in simulated body fluid, while the crystalline part does not. The value of the Ca/P ratio in a coating obtained at a delay time of a few microseconds is close to the stoichiometric value. PACS 81.16.Mk     

Bis(pentafluorophenyl) disulfide as a hydrogen abstractor and an electron acceptor from the resulting radical intermediate

The pentafluorobenzenethiyl radical is an efficient hydrogen abstractor from an activated methylene or methine group and bis(pentafluorophenyl) disulfide is an efficient electron acceptor from the resulting radical intermediate. Thus benzyl-OTBS ether was easily converted into the corresponding pinacol, and 2-phenyl-1,3-dioxanes are converted into the monobenzoates of diols.     

Permeability,permselectivity, and penetrant‐induced plasticization in fluorinated polyimides studied by positron lifetime measurements

The ortho‐positronium (o‐Ps) lifetime τ₃ and its intensity I₃ in various fluorinated polyimides were determined by the positron annihilation technique and were studied with the spin–lattice relaxation time T₁ and the propylene permeability, solubility, diffusivity, and permselectivity for propylene/propane in them. τ₃, I₃, and the distribution of τ₃ changed when the bulky moieties in the polyimides were changed. The polyimides, having both large τ₃ and I₃ values, exhibited a short T₁ and a high permeability with a low permselectivity. The propylene permeability and diffusivity were exponentially correlated with the product of I₃ and the average free‐volume hole size estimated from τ₃. In highly plasticized states induced by the sorption of propylene, the permeability increased with the propylene pressure in excellent agreement with the change in the free‐volume hole properties probed by o‐Ps. The large and broad distribution of the free‐volume holes and increased local chain mobility for the 2,2‐bis(3,4‐decarboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane dianhydride‐based polyimides are thought to be important physical properties for promoting penetrant‐induced plasticization. These results suggest that o‐Ps is a powerful probe of not only the free‐volume holes but also the corresponding permeation mechanism and penetrant‐induced plasticization phenomenon. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 308–318, 2003     

Structure induced by irradiation of femtosecond laser pulse in dyed polymeric materials

We investigated the structures induced by an irradiation of a near‐infrared (NIR) femtosecond laser pulse in dye‐doped polymeric materials {poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), thermoplastic epoxy resin (Epoxy), and a block copolymer of methyl methacrylate and ethyl acrylate‐butyl acrylate [p(MMA/EA‐BA) block copolymer]}. Dyes used were classified into two types—type 1 with absorption at 400 nm and type 2 with no absorption at 400 nm. The 400‐nm wavelength corresponds to the two‐photon absorption region by the irradiated NIR laser pulse at 800 nm. Type 1 dye‐doped PMMA and p(MMA/EA‐BA) block copolymer showed a peculiar dye additive effect for the structures induced by the line irradiation of a NIR femtosecond laser pulse. On the contrary, dye‐doped Epoxy did not exhibit a dye additive effect. The different results among PMMA, p(MMA/EA‐BA) block copolymer, and Epoxy matrix polymers are supposed to be related to the difference of electron‐acceptor properties. The mechanism of this type 1 dye‐additive‐effect phenomenon for PMMA and p(MMA/EA‐BA) block copolymer is discussed on the basis of two‐photon absorption of type 1 dye at 400 nm by the irradiation of a femtosecond laser pulse with 800 nm wavelength and the dissipation of the absorbed energy to the polymer matrix among various transition processes. Dyes with a low‐fluorescence quantum yield favored the formation of thicker grating structures. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2800–2806, 2002     

Effect of adsorbed water on the electrorheology of silica suspensions

Monodisperse silica particles were formed by hydrolyzing tetraethylorthosilicate in an ethanol solution and the silica suspensions dispersed in a silicone oil were prepared by a different procedure. The effects of adsorbed water on the electrorheological (ER) behavior were studied under oscillatory shear. The amounts of adsorbed water and surface silanol groups were determined by thermogravimetric analysis. The magnitude of the complex viscosity, |η^*|, increases with the application of electric fields. The physically adsorbed water is primarily responsible for the ER effect. However, the fluids containing large amounts of adsorbed water do not always show excellent ER performance. The surface silanol groups have an important role in promoting the ER effect. Not only the amount but also the situation of silanol groups determines the ER activity of adsorbed water.     

A fluorescent-labeled oligopeptide for monitoring PKA-mediated phosphorylation

A fluorescent-labeled oligopeptide (DACM-CLRRASLK-fluorescein), containing a consensus amino acid sequence (RRXSL) of cyclic AMP (cAMP) dependent protein kinase A (PKA) substrate-proteins, was designed. The fluorescent peptide was a good substrate of PKA, and the phosphorylation of its serin residue caused an intensive change in fluorescent intensity. We expect that the peptide will be useful as a fluorescent indicator for monitoring PKA activity in living cells.