Rapid Analysis of Interval Value Ordering

Two models of ranking the interval-defined objects were described. They are based on the principles of domination in probability and utility. Proposed was a two-stage ranking procedure where the objects are first ranked according to the model of domination in probability and then this ranking is corrected using the model of domination in utility.     

Two Models in Optimization and Control

The phase space of a controllable system was considered as the space of indices partially ordered by the domination cone. It was shown in what way the cone varies with increasing number of indices or interacting systems. Approaches to constructing on the domination cone of a metric enabling numerical evaluation of the cone elements were analyzed.     

Evaluating software reuse alternatives: a model and its application to an industrial case study

We propose a model that enables software developers to systematically evaluate and compare all possible alternative reuse scenarios. The model supports the clear identification of the basic operations involved and associates a cost component with each basic operation in a focused and precise way. The model is a practical tool that assists developers to weigh and evaluate different reuse scenarios, based on accumulated organizational data, and then to decide which option to select in a given situation. The model is currently being used at six different companies for cost-benefit analysis of alternative reuse scenarios; we give a case study that illustrates how it has been used in practice.     

Progress in the development of polymer cholesteric liquid crystal flakes for display applications

Polymer cholesteric liquid crystal (PCLC) flake technology is being developed as an alternative display technology for flexible, reflective particle displays. The motion of PCLC flakes suspended in a host fluid can be controlled with an electric field, creating a way to electrically control the flakes' ability to brightly reflect light that is circularly polarized. The PCLC flake/host fluid dispersion has been successfully microencapsulated both in a polymer matrix and in gelatin micro-capsules. Microencapsulation will not only expand the applications scope of the technology, but also may aid in addressing some potential problem areas that are inherent to many forms of particle display technology. A second important development in PCLC flake technology involves the manufacture of shaped flakes based on soft lithography techniques. The size and shape of a flake impact its reorientation, and uniformly shaped flakes respond in a similar manner. The unique reflective properties of PCLC flakes also provide possible applications in areas such as optics and photonics, switchable ‘smart windows’ or conformal coatings, and information displays such as ‘electronic paper.’     

Boundedness properties of nonlinear quasi-dissipative systems

Boundedness results for feedback interconnections of quasi-dissipative systems are presented. A classical result due to Hill and Moylan is generalized to the case of finite power gain stability of feedback interconnection of quasi-dissipative systems. It is also shown that under the assumption of strong finite-time detectability, such an interconnection has uniformly ultimately bounded trajectories for any uniformly bounded input.     

Weak coin flipping with small bias

This paper presents a quantum protocol that demonstrates that weak coin flipping with bias ≈0.239, less than 1/4, is possible. A bias of 1/4 was the smallest known, and followed from the strong coin flipping protocol of Ambainis in [33rd STOC, 2001] (also proposed by Spekkens and Rudolph [Phys. Rev. A 65 (2002) 012310]). Protocols with yet smaller bias ≈0.207 have independently been discovered by Ambainis (2001) and Spekkens and Rudolph [Phys. Rev. Lett. 89 (2002) 227901]. We also present an alternative strong coin flipping protocol with bias 1/4 with analysis simpler than that of Ambainis [33rd STOC, 2001].     

GLU♮ embedded in C++: a marriage between multidimensional and object‐oriented programming

The embedding of a small but expressive language of multidimensional functional programming in a well known and widely used language of object‐oriented programming leads to the combination of two radically different programming models. In this paper, we formally define the syntax and semantics of GLU^?, which can be thought of as the multidimensional core of Lucid and GLU, and we describe its implementation as a language embedded in C++. With the aid of a few examples, we argue that the marriage of the two programming models is not only compatible and natural, but also that it produces a new and interesting hybrid language. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Radiation consequences of seawater contamination during floating storage of reactor-compartment units from salvaged nuclear-powered submarines

The storage time before salvaging of decommissioned nuclear-powered submarines and the floating storage time of reactor units from salvaged submarines can total decades. During this time, radioactive contamination of seawater occurs as a result of the corrosion of the pressure hull in the region of the reactor system and rupturing of the pressure hull - as a result of corrosion of the components of the reactor system. A computational analysis shows that under standard storage conditions the specific activity of water is 10⁵–10⁶ times lower than the intervention level. In the case when the hull and the reactor system are destroyed even with remaining fuel, the specific activity of the sea water near the point of sinking also does not exceed the intervention level because of the slow emission of fission products and transuranium nuclides.Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 97, No. 3, pp. 210–218, September, 2004.     

SVBR-75/100 Multipurpose Modular Low-Power Fast Reactor with Lead–Bismuth Coolant

The results of development work on the SVBR-75/100 modular fast reactor cooled by lead–bismuth coolant are presented. The design is based on the experience gained operating reactors in nuclear-powered submarines. The SVBR-75/100 reactor is inherently safe because of its low power, the chemical inertness and high boiling point of the lead–bismuth coolant, and the integrated basin-type arrangement of the first-loop equipment. This eliminates the conflict between the safety and economic requirements that is characteristic of conventional-type reactors. The lower power makes it possible to build the reactor in a factory and deliver the reactor using any form of transportation to the nuclear power plant site. All safety systems operate passively. Most of these systems are used as normal-operating systems. This creates conditions for multipurpose applications of such reactor modules in developed and developing countries.