Gravitational charges and the quantization of mass

Abstract is not available.

Photocatalytic activity of Ag-substituted and impregnated nano-TiO2

Ag-substituted (Ag sub) and Ag-impregnated (Ag imp), anatase phase nano-TiO2 have been synthesized by solution combustion technique and reduction technique, respectively. The catalysts were characterized extensively by powder XRD, TEM, XPS, FT-Raman, UV absorption, FT-IR, TGA, photoluminescence, BET surface area and isoelectric pH measurements. These catalysts were used for the photodegradation of dyes and for the selective photooxidation of cyclohexane to cyclohexanone. The photoactivities of the combustion-synthesized catalysts were compared with those of commercial Degussa P 25 (DP 25) TiO2, and Ag-impregnated DP 25 (Ag DP). For the photocatalytic degradation of dyes, unsubstituted combustion-synthesized TiO2 (CS TiO2) exhibited the highest activity, followed by 1% Ag imp and 1% Ag sub. For the photoconversion of cyclohexane, the total conversion of cyclohexane and the selectivity of cyclohexanone followed the order: 1% Ag sub > DP 25 > CS TiO2 > 1% Ag imp > 1% Ag DP. The kinetics of the photodegradation of dyes and of the photooxidation of cyclohexane were modeled using Langmuir–Hinshelwood rate equation and a free radical mechanism, respectively, and the rate coefficients were determined. The difference in activity values of the catalysts observed for these two reactions and the detailed characterization of these catalysts are described in this study.

Static RAM cell for ternary logic

A novel CMOS static RAM cell for ternary logic systems is described. This cell is based on the lambda diode. The operation of the cell has been simulated using the SPICE 2G program. The results of the simulation are given.

Transcriptional events during early phase of germination of rice embryos

GERMINATION transfers a metabolically inert embryo into an active state of growth and development. The presence of conserved mRNAs has been demonstrated in different species of eggs and seeds1–4. In rice embryos, germination was shown to be independent of the synthesis of RNA up to 18–24 h after the start of imbibition5, although RNA synthesis was detected as early as 9 h after the start of imbibition. In this report, the sequence of the transcriptional events taking place during the early phase of the germination of rice embryos are presented.

Free vibrations of a reservoir-foundation system

The natural frequencies of a reservoir-foundation system are calculated by treating the foundation as a system of linear springs with inertia. The reservoir is treated as consisting of compressible liquid, and the influence of waves at the free surface is included. It is shown that the natural frequencies decrease monotonically as the depth of foundation participating in the motion increases. The influence of waves at the reservoir surface is negligible for the cases normally occurring in practice. It is also shown that the wavelength of motion along the reservoir has no influence on the frequencies when the foundation depth is large compared to the reservoir depth.

New light on the optical equivalence theorem and a new type of discrete diagonal coherent state representation

In many instances we find it advantageous to display a quantum optical density matrix as a generalized statistical ensemble of coherent wave fields. The weight functions involved in these constructions turn out to belong to a family of distributions, not always smooth functions. In this paper we investigate this question anew and show how it is related to the problem of expanding an arbitrary state in terms of an overcomplete subfamily of the overcomplete set of coherent states. This provides a relatively transparent derivation of the optical equivalence theorem. An interesting by-product is the discovery of a new class of discrete diagonal representations.

Effect of viscosity on internal waves from a source in a wall

The solution for a line source of oscillatory strength kept at the origin in a wall bounding a semi-infinite viscous imcompressible stratified fluid is presented in an integral form. The behaviour of the flow at far field and near field is studied by an asymptotic expansion procedure. The streamlines for different parameters are drawn and discussed. The real characteristic straight lines present in the inviscid problem are modified by the viscosity and the solutions obtained are valid even at the resonance frequency.

Grids with multiple batch systems for performance enhancement of multi-component and parameter sweep parallel applications

In this work, we evaluate the benefits of using Grids with multiple batch systems to improve the performance of multi-component and parameter sweep parallel applications by reduction in queue waiting times. Using different job traces of different loads, job distributions and queue waiting times corresponding to three different queuing policies(FCFS, conservative and EASY backfilling), we conducted a large number of experiments using simulators of two important classes of applications. The first simulator models Community Climate System Model (CCSM), a prominent multi-component application and the second simulator models parameter sweep applications. We compare the performance of the applications when executed on multiple batch systems and on a single batch system for different system and application configurations. We show that there are a large number of configurations for which application execution using multiple batch systems can give improved performance over execution on a single system.

Automated inspection of aircraft parts using a modified ICP algorithm

The application of computer-aided inspection integrated with the coordinate measuring machine and laser scanners to inspect manufactured aircraft parts using robust registration of two-point datasets is a subject of active research in computational metrology. This paper presents a novel approach to automated inspection by matching shapes based on the modified iterative closest point (ICP) method to define a criterion for the acceptance or rejection of a part. This procedure improves upon existing methods by doing away with the following, viz., the need for constructing either a tessellated or smooth representation of the inspected part and requirements for an a priori knowledge of approximate registration and correspondence between the points representing the computer-aided design datasets and the part to be inspected. In addition, this procedure establishes a better measure for error between the two matched datasets. The use of localized region-based triangulation is proposed for tracking the error. The approach described improves the convergence of the ICP technique with a dramatic decrease in computational effort. Experimental results obtained by implementing this proposed approach using both synthetic and practical data show that the present method is efficient and robust. This method thereby validates the algorithm, and the examples demonstrate its potential to be used in engineering applications.

Temperature and Stress Controlled Surface Manipulation in Ni-Al Nano-Layers

In the present paper the effects of temperature and high strain rate loading on the formation of various surface patterns in Ni-Al nano-layers are discussed. Effects of boundary conditions on the B2 -> BCT phase transformation in the nano-layer are also discussed. This study is aimed at developing several interesting patterned surface structures in Ni-Al nanolayer by controlling the phase transformation temperature and mechanical loading.

Conflict-Tolerant Features

We consider systems composed of a base system with multiple “features” or “controllers”, each of which independently advise the system on how to react to input events so as to conform to their individual specifications. We propose a methodology for developing such systems in a way that guarantees the “maximal” use of each feature. The methodology is based on the notion of “conflict-tolerant” features that are designed to continue offering advice even when their advice has been overridden in the past. We give a simple priority-based composition scheme for such features, which ensures that each feature is maximally utilized. We also provide a formal framework for specifying, verifying, and synthesizing such features. In particular we obtain a compositional technique for verifying systems developed in this framework.

Electric Field–Enhanced Sensitivity of Grafted Ligands and Receptors

BACKGROUND: Particle-based agglutination tests consisting of receptors grafted to colloidal microparticles are useful for detecting small quantities of corresponding ligands of interest in fluid test samples, but detection limits of such tests are limited to a certain concentration and it is most desirable to lower the detection limits and to enhance the rate of recognition of ligands. METHODS: A mixture of receptor-coated colloidal microparticles and corresponding ligand was sandwiched between 2 indium tin oxide-coated glass plates. Electrohydrodynamic drag from an alternating-current electric field applied perpendicular to the plates increased the local concentration of the colloidal particles, improving the chances of ligand-receptor interaction and leading to the aggregation of the colloidal particles. RESULTS: With this technique the sensitivity of the ligand-receptor recognition was increased by a factor as large as 50. CONCLUSIONS: This method can improve the sensitivity of particle-based agglutination tests used in immuno-assays and many other applications such as immunoprecipitation and chemical, sniffing. (C) 2007 American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

Phosphorus Partition between Liquid Steel and CaO-SiO2-P2O5-MgO Slag Containing Low FeO

CaO-SiO2-FeOx-P2O5-MgO bearing slags are typical in the basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS) process. The partition ratio of phosphorus between slag and steel is an index of the phosphorus holding capacity of the slag, which determines the phosphorus content achievable in the finished steel. The influences of FeO concentration and basicity on the equilibrium phosphorus partition ratios were experimentally determined at temperatures of 1873 and 1923 K, for conditions of MgO saturation. The partition ratio initially increased with basicity but attained a constant value beyond basicity of 2.5. An increase in FeO concentration up to approximately 13 to 14 mass pet was beneficial for phosphorus partition.