Predicting price-tag for customized goods

We discuss a dynamic pricing model which will aid automobile manufacturer in choosing the right price for customer segment. Though there is oligopoly market structure, the customers get "locked" into a particular technology/company which virtually makes the situation akin to a monopoly. There are associated network externalities and positive feedback. The key idea in monopoly pricing lies in extracting the customer surplus by exploiting the respective elasticities of demand. We present a Walrasian general equilibrium approach to determine the segment price. We compare the prices obtained from optimization model with that from Walrasian dynamics. The results are encouraging and can serve as a critical factor in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and thereby effectively manage the lock-in.

devovo biosynthesis of heme offers a new chemotherapeutic target in the human malarial parasite

The human malarial parasite, Image , has been found to synthesize heme Image , despite the accumulation of large quantities of polymeric heme derived from the hemoglobin of the red cell host. The parasite δ-aminolevulinate dehydrase level is significantly lower than that of the host and its inhibition by succinylacetone leads to inhibition of parasite protein synthesis and viability.

High temperature deformation and densification in alumina-yttria composites

Pinning by second phase particles offers a potent means for limiting grain growth and enhancing superplasticity in alumina-based ceramics. In the present study, a colloidal technique was used to produce green bodies of alumina-yttria composites; at elevated temperatures, the yttria particles react with alumina to produce YAG particles. The densification and high temperature deformation characteristics of alumina-YAG composites were studied using conventional free sintering and sinter-forging, which involves the application of a compressive stress without any lateral constraints. It is shown that the YAG particles retard both densification and grain growth. The experiments indicate also that the presence of YAG particles does not significantly alter the stress exponent for creep deformation.

Flow behavior of LDPE and its blends with LLDPE I and II: A comparative study

Studies on melt rheological properties of blends of low density polyethylene (LDPE) with selected grades of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), which differ widely in their melt flow indices, are reported, The data obtained in a capillary rheometer are presented to describe the effects of blend composition and shear rate on flow behavior index, melt viscosity, and melt elasticity. In general, blending of LLDPE I that has a low melt flow index (2 g/10 min) with LDPE results in a decrease of its melt viscosity, processing temperature, and the tendency of extrudate distortion, depending on blending ratio. A blending ratio around 20-30% LLDPE I seems optimum from the point of view of desirable improvement in processability behavior. On the other hand, blending of LLDPE II that has a high melt flow index (10 g/10 min) with LDPE offers a distinct advantage in increasing the pseudoplasticity of LDPE/LLDPE II blends.

Removal Of Chromium From Electroplating Effluents By The Sulfide Process

A method has been developed for the removal of chromium using ferrous sulphide generated in situ. The effects of experimental parameters such as pH, reagent dosages, interference from cations and chelating agents have been investigated. Under optimum conditions, removal efficiencies of 99 and 97% for synthetic and industrial samples have been obtained. The method offers all the advantages of sulphide precipitation process and can be adopted easily for industrial effluents.

Analysis Of The Energy Quantization Effects On Single Electron Inverter Performance Through Noise Margin Modeling

Possible integration of Single Electron Transistor (SET) with CMOS technology is making the study of semiconductor SET more important than the metallic SET and consequently, the study of energy quantization effects on semiconductor SET devices and circuits is gaining significance. In this paper, for the first time, the effects of energy quantization on SET inverter performance are examined through analytical modeling and Monte Carlo simulations. It is observed that the primary effect of energy quantization is to change the Coulomb Blockade region and drain current of SET devices and as a result affects the noise margin, power dissipation, and the propagation delay of SET inverter. A new model for the noise margin of SET inverter is proposed which includes the energy quantization effects. Using the noise margin as a metric, the robustness of SET inverter is studied against the effects of energy quantization. It is shown that SET inverter designed with CT : CG = 1/3 (where CT and CG are tunnel junction and gate capacitances respectively) offers maximum robustness against energy quantization.

Resistance Noise in Electrically Biased Bilayer Graphene

We demonstrate that the low-frequency resistance fluctuations, or noise, in bilayer graphene are strongly connected to its band structure and display a minimum when the gap between the conduction and valence band is zero. Using double-gated bilayer graphene devices we have tuned the zero gap and charge neutrality points independently, which offers a versatile mechanism to investigate the low-energy band structure, charge localization, and screening properties of bilayer graphene.

Reactivity of Cationic Terminal Borylene Complexes: Novel Mechanisms for Insertion and Metathesis Chemistry Involving Strongly Lewis Acidic Ligand Systems

The reactions of terminal borylene complexes of the type [CpFe(CO)(2)(BNR2)](+) (R = `Pr, Cy) with heteroallenes have been investigated by quantum-chemical methods, in an attempt to explain the experimentally observed product distributions. Reaction with dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (CyNCNCy) gives a bis-insertion product, in which 1 equiv of carbodiimide is assimilated into each of the Fe=B and B=N double bonds to form a spirocyclic boronium system. In contrast, isocyanates (R'NCO, R' = Ph, 2,6-wXy1, CY; XYl = C6H3Me2) react to give isonitrile complexes of the type [CpFe(CO)(2)(CNR')]+, via a net oxygen abstraction (or formal metathesis) process. Both carbodiimide and socyanate substrates are shown to prefer initial attack at the Fe=B bond rather than the B=N bond of the borylene complex. Further mechanistic studies reveal that the carbodiimide reaction ultimately leads to the bis-insertion compounds [CpFe(CO)(2)C(NCy)(2)B(NCY)(2)CNR2](+), rather than to the isonitrile system [CpFe(CO)(2)(CNCy)](+), on the basis of both thermodynamic (product stability) and kinetic considerations (barrier heights). The mechanism of the initial carbodiimide insertion process is unusual in that it involves coordination of the substrate at the (borylene) ligand followed by migration of the metal fragment, rather than a more conventional process: i.e., coordination of the unsaturated substrate at the metal followed by ligand migration. In the case of isocyanate substrates, metathesis products are competitive with those from the insertion pathway. Direct, single-step metathesis reactivity to give products containing a coordinated isonitrile ligand (i.e. [CpFe(CO)(2)(CNR')](+)) is facile if initial coordination of the isocyanate at boron occurs via the oxygen donor (which is kinetically favored); insertion chemistry is feasible when the isocyanate attacks initially via the nitrogen atom. However, even in the latter case, further reaction of the monoinsertion product so formed with excess isocyanate offers a number of facile (low energetic barrier) routes which also generate ['CpFe(CO)(2)(CNR')](+), rather than the bis-insertion product [CpFe(CO)(2)C(NR')(O)B(NR')(O)CNR2](+) (i.e., the direct analogue of the observed products in the carbodiimide reaction).

A ternary Schmitt trigger

A new ternary circuit, namely, a ternary Schmitt trigger, is presented. This novel circuit which is based on the well-known lambda diode, is suitable for integration using CMOS technology. The circuit has been simulated using the SPICE 2G Program. The results of the simulation are presented. The circuit offers a high degree of design flexibility. This circuit is expected to be a very useful functional block in the processing of ternary and pseudoternary signals.