Demand variability and incentives in inventory-based contracts

We present some results on the impact of demand variability on stocking policies and incentives to forecast, in the context of single period inventory-based contracts in a manufacturer-retailer channel.     

Minimizing makespan on a single machine subject to random breakdowns

We investigate optimal sequencing policies for the expected makespan problem with an unreliable machine, where jobs have to be reprocessed in their entirety if preemptions occur because of breakdowns. We identify a class of uptime distributions under which LPT minimizes expected makespan.     

Nonnegative curvature and cobordism type

We show that in each dimension n = 4k, k≥ 2, there exist infinite sequences of closed simply connected Riemannian n-manifolds with nonnegative sectional curvature and mutually distinct oriented cobordism type. W. Tuschmann’s research was supported in part by a DFG Heisenberg Fellowship.     

Determination of the gamma self-attenuation correction factors using intensity ratios

Summary The possible correlation between the self-attenuation correction in gamma-spectrometric assay of uranyl nitrate samples and spectral line intensity ratios was investigated experimentally and simulated numerically using MCNP code. The characteristic gamma- and X-lines of uranium were measured using a low energy Ge gamma-spectrometer. The simulation results agreed with the experimental data and showed obvious correlation between the self-attenuation correction and the intensity ratios [(185.7 keV)/(143.8 keV), (98.44 keV)/(185.7 keV) and (185.7 keV)/(63.23 keV)]. This correlation greatly simplifies the determination of the self-attenuation correction and reduces the troublesome traditional procedures used to determine this coefficient.     

Photonic crystals--a step towards integrated circuits for photonics.

The field of photonic crystals has, over the past few years, received dramatically increased attention. Photonic crystals are artificially engineered structures that exhibit a periodic variation in one, two, or three dimensions of the dielectric constant, with a period of the order of the pertinent light wavelength. Such structures in three dimensions should exhibit properties similar to solid-state electronic crystals, such as bandgaps, in other words wavelength regions where light cannot propagate in any direction. By introducing defects into the periodic arrangement, the photonic crystals exhibit properties analogous to those of solid-state crystals. The basic feature of a photonic bandgap was indeed experimentally demonstrated in the beginning of the 1990s, and sparked a large interest in, and in many ways revitalized, photonics research. There are several reasons for this attention. One is that photonic crystals, in their own right, offer a proliferation of challenging research tasks, involving a multitude of disciplines, such as electromagnetic theory, nanofabrication, semi-conductor technology, materials science, biotechnology, to name a few. Another reason is given by the somewhat more down-to-earth expectations that photonics crystals will create unique opportunities for novel devices and applications, and contribute to solving some of the issues that have plagued photonics such as large physical sizes, comparatively low functionality, and high costs. Herein, we will treat some basics of photonic crystal structures and discuss the state-of-the-art in fabrication as well give some examples of devices with unique properties, due to the use of photonic crystals. We will also point out some of the problems that still remain to be solved, and give a view on where photonic crystals currently stand.     

Julia sets of permutable Holomorphic maps

Let f and g be two permutable transcendental holomorphic maps in the plane. We shall discuss the dynamical properties of f, g and f o g and prove, among other things, that if either f has no wandering domains or f is of bounded type, then the Julia sets of f and f(g) coincide. Dedicated to Professor Sheng GONG on the occasion of his 75th birthday     

Tracing of interference fringes using average gray value and simultaneous row and column scan

An algorithm for computer tracing of interference fringes is reported. The method uses the average gray-level value for thresholding, row and column scans for determining the type of the scan and simultaneous row and column scan for tracing. The proposed method yield good result even for low-contrast and high-noise images. The program for the interferogram tracing was written using MATLAB6.     

A comparative study of ruthenium(III) catalysed oxidation of L-leucine and L-isoleucine by alkaline permanganate. A kinetic and mechanistic approach

The kinetics of the Ru^III-catalysed oxidation of L-leucine and L-isoleucine by alkaline permanganate were studied and compared, spectrophotometrically using a rapid kinetic accessory. The reaction is first order with respect to [oxidant] and [catalyst] with an apparently less than unit order in [substrate] and [alkali] respectively. The results suggest the formation of a complex between the amino acid and the hydroxylated species of ruthenium(III). The complex reacts further with the alkaline permanganate species in a rate-determining step, resulting in the formation of a free radical, which again reacts with the alkaline permanganate species in a subsequent fast step to yield the products. The reaction constants involved in the mechanism were calculated. There is a good agreement between observed and calculated rate constants under different experimental conditions. The activation parameters with respect to the slow step of the mechanism for both the amino acids were calculated and discussed. Of the two amino acids, leucine is oxidised at a faster rate than isoleucine.     

Comparative Photophysical Study of Disulfonated Aluminum Phthalocyanine in Unilamellar Vesicles and Leukemic K562 Cells

Abstract— The photophysical properties of cis -disulfonated aluminum phthalocyanine (AlPcS₂) in unilamellar vesicles (liposomes) of DL-a-dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine have been measured. Both the fluorescence and triplet quantum yields decreased with increasing sensitizer concentration. The time-resolved fluorescence decays, analyzed by both the sum of exponentials and decay time distribution analyses, are compared with those reported for AlPcS₂ in leukemic K562 cells. Information on the pho-todynamic transport and localization mechanism has been obtained by drawing correlations between the two systems, indicating active transport of the phthalocyanine into tumor cells involving lysosomal accumulation.