Cooperative Cover of Uniform Demand

Networks and Spatial Economics - We investigate the total covered area by multiple facilities applying the cooperative cover model. We found that the cooperative cover area is much larger than the...     

Simulation of bioremediation of chlorophenols in a sandy aquifer

Bioremediation of consecutive spills of phenol, 2-chlorophenol (2-MCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) and pentachlororphenol as single pollutants was investigated in eight pilot plant scale sand columns system (100 cm l, 6 cm ID), simulating the conditions, which could be created in the saturated zone of a pristine aquifer following an accidental spill. Bioremediation in this study consisted of re-circulating local groundwater through the polluted site in a controlled manner following a closed-loop configuration. Intrinsic microbial development was enhanced by adding the necessary nutrients. Consecutive accidental spills of 480-mg phenol/kg soil; 140-mg 2-MCP/kg; 14-mg 2,4,6-TCP/kg soil and 17-mg pentachlorophenol (PCP)/kg soil under saturated conditions and a continuous specific discharge of 0.56 cm min(-1) were simulated. Degradation curves demonstrated first-order kinetics. Biodegradation rates (k1) were influenced by consecutive exposures. Calculated rate constants for biodegradation for sole substrate experiments were in the range of 0.06-0.15 day(-1), 0.21-1.20 day(-1), 0.04-2.28 day(-1) and 0.01-0.03 day(-1) for phenol, 2-MCP, 2,4,6-TCP and PCP, respectively. The acclimation of the aquifer to simulated consecutive accidental spills was found to be directly proportional to the cumulative load of each single chlorophenol. A relationship between the octanol water partitioning (Kow) values and the experimental degradation rates (k1) was found.     

Enhancing the performance of hybrid genetic algorithms by differential improvement

A differential improvement modification to Hybrid Genetic Algorithms is proposed. The general idea is to perform more extensive improvement algorithms on higher quality solutions. Our proposed Differential Improvement (DI) approach is of rather general character. It can be implemented in many different ways. The paradigm remains invariant and can be easily applied to a wider class of optimization problems. Moreover, the DI framework can also be used within other Hybrid metaheuristics like Hybrid Scatter Search algorithms, Particle Swarm Optimization, or Bee Colony Optimization techniques.     

Association of personal, process, and outcome variables in group counseling: Testing an exploratory model.

This study measured relationships among personal, process, and outcome variables in a student population (n = 205) participating in group counseling. Personal variables included intention to disclose, self-esteem, risk taking, and interpersonal relationships. Process variables included bonding with group members, bonding with leader, impression of therapy, self-disclosure, and resistance. Analyses were conducted with hierarchical models and Mplus. Results indicated gains in interpersonal relationships, which were associated with their own initial scores, with intention to disclose mediated by impression of therapy, and with self-disclosure. Three of the four personal variables (risk taking being the exception) were associated with the process variables of bonding with group and leader and impression of therapy, all moderately interrelated. Self-disclosure was unrelated to any personal or process variables. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Controlled telescopic reinforcement system of fabric-cement composites — Durability concerns

The study objective was to modify the microstructure of AR glass strand to induce a controlled mode of telescopic bonding during service life, by using sub-micron particles absorbed between the filaments of the strand. Two groups of fillers were used: (i) pozzolanic fillers (silica fume) with 50 nm and 200 nm particle sizes; and (ii) polymeric fillers (polystyrene-based polymers), with two glass transition temperatures (− 6 °C and 100 °C). Composites were prepared using fabric reinforcement and tested for tensile behavior. Composite properties could be controlled by addition of fillers into the glass bundle, and the magnitude and efficiency of the modification was highly dependent on the filler type, structure, and properties. The best performance was obtained with silica fume fillers having relatively large 200 nm particles.     

Thermoelastic properties and conductivity of carbon/carbon fiber composites

Unidirectional carbon/carbon composites are modeled as fiber composites with cylindrically orthotropic fibers and matrix. All of the thermoelastic properties and the conductivities are evaluated on the basis of the composite cylinder assemblage (CCA) and the generalized self consistent scheme (GSCS) models. The former for axisymmetric elastic properties, axial shear modulus, thermal expansion coefficients and conductivities; the latter for transverse shear and Young's moduli and Poisson's ratio. Numerical results are given for onion skin, radial and transversely isotropic phase graphitic structures.     

Thiocyanate Ion Promoted E ⇌ Z Isomerization of a-Bromo-β,β-Diactivated Electrophilic Olefins: An Apparent High Nucleofugality of NCS−

(E)-β-Chloro-α-phenylcinnamaldehyde and (E)- and (Z)-methyl α-tert-butoxycarbonyl-p-nitro-β-bromocinnamates in the presence of NCS⁻ ion in acetonitrile undergo an (E) ⇌ (Z) isomerization which is faster than the vinylic substitution. (E)- and (Z)-methyl α-cyano-β-mesyloxy- (and β-chloro-) p-nitrocinnamates undergo substitution under similar conditions without preceding isomerization. MO calculations gave the energy differences between the eclipsed and the perpendicular conformers of carbanions ⁻CH₂CH₂X and (NC)₂ČH₂X (X = Cl, NCS). These rotational barriers denote the hyperconjugation stabilization energy resulting from interaction of the C-X bond and the 2p(C⁻) orbital. Both HCA values are high, those for X = Cl being 15–20% higher than for X = NCS. The limited literature data on the nucleofugality of NCS⁻ suggests that it can have a nucleofugality which is not much lower than that of Cl⁻ or Br⁻. Consequently, NCS⁻-catalyzed isomerizations of electrophilic vinyl chlorides and bromides, which involve a 180° internal rotation followed by a faster expulsion of NCS⁻ than of Cl⁻ from the initially formed intermediate carbanion Y'Y⁻C-C(R)(Cl)SCN, are not unreasonable, especially if solvation, which was not included in the calculations, plays an important role in the nucleofuge expulsion process.     

Chattering linear systems: A model of rapidly oscillating coefficients

We introduce linear control systems, termed chattering systems, which model instantaneous oscillations in the control parameters. Such systems serve as a limit case of systems with rapidly oscillating control parameters, which can be analyzed as perturbations from the chattering model. Several optimization and regulation problems for chattering systems are examined, along with the robustness property: the possibility of employing the solutions of the chattering case in the rapidly oscillating approximations. The theory is demonstrated on an example of an armature-controlled dc motor.     

Ski rental with two general options

We define and solve a simple extension of the ski-rental problem [A.R. Karlin, M.S. Manasse, L. Rudolph, D.D. Sleator, Competitive snoopy caching, Algorithmica 3 (1) (1988) 77-119]. In the classical version, the algorithm needs to decide when to switch from renting to buying. In our version, no pure buy option is available: even after switching to the buy option, the algorithm needs to pay some reduced rent.     

Grid emulation for managing random sensor networks

A common assumption in sensor networks is that sensors are located according to a uniform random distribution. In this paper, we show that uniform random points on the two dimensional unit square are almost a “grid”. In particular, for a synchronous geographic sensor network we show how to emulate any grid protocol on random sensor networks, with high probability.This suggests the following framework. In order to solve a problem on a random sensor network, we solve the same problem on a grid. Then we use our emulation to make the obtained solution suitable for random sensor network. We analyze the cost of the emulation in terms of consumed energy and time. Finally, we provide some examples that illustrate our method.