Flying solo and solar to Mars

This paper describes the work done by the Autonomous Systems Lab of Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) on the global design of an unmanned solar airplane that can fly continuously over days and night. Part of the Sky-Sailor Project, a first prototype was designed and demonstrated to have very good flight characteristics. The prototype achieved an autonomous flight of five hours with its energy only from the sun. A lightweight control and navigation system was also designed for the aircraft.     

A special case of the single-machine total tardiness problem is NP-hard

In this paper, it is shown that the special case B-1 of the single-machine total tardiness problem 1 ∥ ΣT _j is NP-hard in the ordinary sense. For this case, there exists a pseudo-polynomial algorithm with run time O(n σp _j). Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Teoriya i Sistemy Upravleniya, 2006, No. 3, pp. 120–128. Article was translated by the authors.     

An analysis of the coupling of an injection laser diode to a planar LiNbO3waveguide

Calculated butt coupling efficiency between a GaAlAs double heterostructure laser and a single-mode LiNbO3Ti-diffused optical waveguide is presented in this paper as a function of the transverse displacement, the angular alignment, the longitudinal separation between the laser and the waveguide end surfaces, the radiation field of the laser diode and its dependence on the laser diode structure, and the mode profile of the waveguide and its dependence on experimental diffusion parameters. The maximum efficiency is less than 40 percent because of the mismatch between the waveguide mode and the laser radiation, caused primarily by the experimental limitations in their structures. The effect of the reflection of the waveguide end surface on the laser oscillation has also been estimated.     

Temperature control of buildings by adobe wall design

The adobe house developed in the hot arid climate of the American Southwest has the virtue of being cool in the day and warm in the night. The adobe wall acts as a filter giving nearly a 12-hr phase lag in the outside temperature oscillation. However, on reaching the inside, the oscillation suffers a strong attenuation in amplitude. In a previous paper it was shown that if the resistivity of the wall could be varied in a certain way from outside to inside, thenthe attenuation would be considerably reduced. In this paper a formula is given for the minimum possible attenuation under given design restrictions. Then it is shown how to make an optimum wall by suitably proportioning two or three layers of different materials. Numerical illustrations are given.     

A variational approach to magnetoelastic buckling problems for systems of superconducting tori

A variational principle for the magnetoelastic stability problem of superconductors is constructed. Independently, a pair of integral equations is derived, from which the initial and the perturbed field can be computed. The integral equations are solved for in-plane buckling of a slender pair of concentric tori, and out-of-plane buckling of a slender pair of equal coaxial tori. By using the variational principle, it is shown that both cases can become unstable when the currents on the two tori are equally directed, and the pertinent buckling values are calculated. The thus obtained buckling values are compared with the results of an alternative, mathematically less rigorous, method. A good correspondence between the two methods is found (at least as long as the two tori are not too near).     

Investigation of amorphous Ni0.60Nb0.40 diffusion barriers

Interactions of Ni_0.60Nb_0.40 amorphous alloys with polycrystalline overlayers of gold and copper and single-crystal substrates of silicon. GaAs and GaP were observed with Auger depth profiling. The Ni-Nb layer was deposited by r.f. sputtering and was approximately 5000 Å thick. The overlayers were evaporated to a thickness of 1000 Å. The amorphous metal reacted with the gold overlayers and the GaAs and GaP substrates at temperatures well below the nominal crystallization temperature of 650 °C. The Cu/Ni-Nb/Si system, in contrast, was stable at 600 °C for at least 1 h. Samples were also measured that had been contaminated with approximately 5–10 at.% O. Complete separation of the niobium and nickel into distinct layers was seen. For the samples on silicon substrates this separation was accompanied by the formation of a nickel silicide layer.     

Photostability of polyetherurethaneureas

Polyetherurethaneureas (PEUUs) were synthesised from polyethylene-glycols (PEGs) of molecular weight 400, 600 and 1000, 4,4′-diphenylmethanediisocyanate (MDI) and aliphatic diamine chain extenders, 1,3-propanediamine (PDA) and 1,6-hexanediamine (HDA). Polymer films were irradiated with 365 nm light at 293 K and the effects of polyether soft segment length and urea hard segment on photo-oxidative stability were studied by following the variation in weight-average molecular weight (M _w), gel formation and stress-strain properties. Changes in ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy were monitored on photo-oxidation and hydroperoxide content determined. The soft segment length was increased by increasing the molecular weight of PEG from 400 to 1000 and hard segment structure was changed by variation of diamine. It was noted that the structure of urea and polyether soft segment length plays an important role in photostability of PEUUs. PDA chain extended PEUUs were more stable than HDA chain extended PEUUs.     

Organizational computer security policy: the reality

Computer security issues are normally addressed from a technical perspective. Increasingly, however, organizations and computer specialists are coming to realise that applying more technology as the basis of an answer to a problem that derives from technology cannot, in the long term, be a viable solution. This paper shows how it is important that other considerations are taken into account, such as business and management requirements, and practical user issues. In order for this approach to make any progress, we must first establish the current situation in ordinary organizations. This paper describes key results from research carried out to determine the status of computer security in organizations today.     

Physical and chemical characterization of thermosoftened bases for molten filled hard gelatin capsule formulations

Dynafill, Dynasan-114, Lutrol-F68, PEG-10000 and PEG-20000 have been examined as potential bases for the preparation of fusion formed solid dispersions for molten filling into hard gelatin capsules. Investigations included, an examination of thermal effects on crystal structure by DSC and XRD, a theological study to evaluate capsule filling characteristics, dissolution studies on drug/base formulations, chemical analysis for free fatty acid impurities in Dynafill and Dynasan-114, and detailed studies on selected drug/base formulations. PEG-20000 and Dynasan-114 were not examined in detail, after preliminary investigations had shown high viscosity and poor filling characteristics for PEG-20000 and poor dissolution characteristics for Dynasan-114. Dynafill provided good release profiles when formulated with a variety of model drugs (Acetohexamide, Ibuprofen, Indomethacin, Quinidine sulphate and Theophylline). Results from hot stage photomicrography supported by DSC and XRD were used to construct a phase diagram of the Ibuprofen/Lutrol-F68 system. The evidence from the phase diagram indicated the formulation of a simple eutectic system with no solid solubility and a eutectic composition at approximately 35% w/w Ibuprofen.