The vehicle routing problem with restricted mixing of deliveries and pickups

The vehicle routing problem with deliveries and pickups is one of the main problems within reverse logistics. This paper focuses on an important assumption that divides the literature on the topic, namely the restriction that all deliveries must be completed before pickups can be made. A generalised model is presented, together with a mathematical formulation and its resolution. The latter is carried out by adopting a suitable implementation of the reactive tabu search metaheuristic. Results show that significant savings can be achieved by allowing a mixture of delivery and pickup loads on-board and yet not incurring delays and driver inconvenience.     

P distribution in different sediment fraction of a constructed wetland

The aim of this work was to study the accumulation and fractionation of P in the inlet and outlet sediment of a constructed wetland for the wastewater treatment of a metallurgic plant in Argentina. It was important to predict whether P could be released into the water again by changing environmental conditions or retained over time. P-fractionation was performed using a sequential extraction method. Sediment cores were sliced at depths of: 0-3; 3-7 and 7-10 cm. Sediment showed high pH values and anoxic conditions. In the inlet area, P was principally bound to the carbonate fraction, whereas in the outlet area, it was mainly bound in the residual fraction. This behavior was justified by the effluent composition, which is rich in Ca2+ and Fe3+ and presents high values of pH and conductivity. These conditions favor CaCO3 and Fe(OOH)n precipitation and the subsequent sorption of P to their surface. The sediment active layer involved in the exchange reactions was the superficial one (0-3 cm). The wetland is highly efficient in P retention. P was retained by sediment in fractions that will not release it to the water while chemical and environmental conditions of the system are maintained.     

Plasma-enhanced fluorination of YBa2Cu3O7−δ ceramics

The radiofrequency plasma technique involving mixtures of CF₄+O₂ gases has been applied to the surface treatment of high T_c superconducting oxides (YBa₂Cu₃O_7–). Investigation of the various experimental parameters of the process has shown that the improvement of the critical current density, J _c, mainly depends on the inlet precursor composition CF₄+%O₂, on the total pressure and on the reaction time. The presence of fluorine in the bulk of the ceramics has been observed from electron microprobe analysis, together with an increase of the Cu³⁺ content. The plasma-enhanced fluorination (PEF) treatment improves the superconducting properties of the materials: both values of the resistivity in the normal state and of the superconducting transition width are reduced and the critical transition temperature is improved by about 1 K.     

Phosphofructokinase from mantle tissue of Mytilus galloprovincialis. Purification and effects of phosphorylation on the enzymatic activity

Phosphofructokinase purified from mantle tissue of the sea mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, was phosphorylated "in vitro" by the catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. The incorporation of phosphate gave rise to an activation of the enzyme by increasing its affinity for fructose-6-phosphate, by decreasing its sensitivity to the inhibition by ATP and by enhancing the effect of allosteric activators (5'-AMP and fructose-2,6-bisphosphate). In addition, the effects of phosphorylation on the catalytic activity are pH-dependent.     

Valence band density of states of small cobalt particles on Si(111) substrate

Small Co particles were prepared by sputter etching of a 4–5 nm thick island-like Co film deposited on Si(111) substrate. The density of states (DOS) of the valence band was measured by means of ultraviolet photoemission (UPS) during the sputter etching to monitor the formation of small Co particles. It was found that at a given thickness of the Co island the Fermi level was shifted by 1.8-1.9 eV toward higher binding energy and theDOS decreased or no states were detectable at the Fermi level. This effect was explained by the formation of small Co particles with electronic structure which is significantly different from that of the bulk Co.     

Models of Ballistic Propagation of Heat at Low Temperatures

Heat conduction at low temperatures shows several effects that cannot be described by the Fourier law. In this paper, the performance of various theories is compared in case of wave-like and ballistic propagation of heat pulses in NaF.     

Ronchi test with a square grid

We use a square grid in the Ronchi test. This grid allows processing of both the X and the Y directions when calculating optical path difference. We use trapezoidal integration to analyze the new patterns, since it does not have the smoothing drawback at the edges of the wave front.     

Large deformation measurement by holographic interferometry

Summary The use of holographic interferometry for the measurement of large deformations is described. From the nature of holographic interferometry it is evident that large deformations exceed the wave length of the light source used by at least ten times of this size. To obtain holographically identifiable values of large deformations, a method of successive partial lighting is used. It shows how it is possible to keep all the advantages of the holographic method and use it even under conditions which apparently exceed its possibilities of application.     

Fractional-Fourier-transform calculation through the fast-Fourier-transform algorithm

A method for the calculation of the fractional Fourier transform (FRT) by means of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm is presented. The process involves mainly two FFT's in cascade; thus the process has the same complexity as this algorithm. The method is valid for fractional orders varying from -1 to 1. Scaling factors for the FRT and Fresnel diffraction when calculated through the FFT are discussed.