Untersuchungen zur Sulfochlorierung von Paraffinen. I Kinetische Untersuchungen über die Erstsulfochlorierung der n-Paraffine C6–C16

Studies on Sulphochlorination of Paraffins. I. Kinetic Studies on the Monosulphochlorination of the n-Paraffins C₆ C₁₆ The monosulphochlorides in the reaction mixtures of the sulphochlorination of n-paraffins may be transformed into the gaschromatographic separable sulphonic acid dimethyl amides by reaction with dimethylamine in ether. So the analysis of the isomers in the mixtures from sulphochlorination of n-paraffins C₅ C₁₆ becomes possible. The results together with the relative rates of sulphochlorination of n-paraffins C₆ C₁₆ (determined by competitive reaction) allow the calculation of sulphochlorination rates of the different C H-bonds in the n-paraffins C₆ C₁₆ relative to one primary C H-bond in n-octane. For the n-paraffins C₆ C₈ the relative rates of sulphochlorination of different C H-bonds agree with the corresponding relative rates of chlorination.     

Maverick picking: the impact of modifications in work schedules on manual order picking processes

Order picking, the process of retrieving items from their storage locations to fulfil customer orders, ranks among the most labour- and time-intensive processes in warehousing. Prior research in this area had a strong focus on the development of operating policies that increase the efficiency of manual order picking, for example by calculating optimal routes for the order pickers or by assigning products to storage locations. One aspect that poses a major challenge to many warehouse managers in practice has, curiously enough, remained largely unexplored by academic research: modifications in workflows (i.e. workplace deviance in a positive or negative sense) in order picking, which we define as ‘maverick picking’. The purpose of this paper is to characterise maverick picking and to study its causes, its forms of appearance and its potential impact on order picking performance. To gain insights into maverick picking, we first survey the literature to illustrate the state-of-knowledge of maverick picking. Subsequently, we report the results of a multi-case study on maverick picking and deduct a related content framework. The results of our case study support the proposition that maverick picking is highly relevant in practice and that it is a major determinant of order picking performance.     

Strategies and perspectives in ion-channel engineering

Membranes form natural barriers that need to be permeable to diverse matter like ions and substrates. This permeability is controlled by ion-channel proteins, which have attracted great interest for pharmaceutical applications. Ion-channel engineering (ICE) modifies biological ion channels by chemical/biological synthetis means. The goal is to obtain ion channels with modified or novel functionality. Three functional strategies exist. The first is the manipulation of the wider pores with robust β-barrel structures, such as those of α-hemolysin and porins. The second engineering approach focuses on the modification of narrow (mostly α-helical) pores to understand selectivity and modes of action. A third functional approach addresses channel gating by (photo)triggering the biological receptor that controls the channel. Several synthetis strategies have been developed and successfully utilized for the synthetic modification of biological ion-channels: the S-alkylation of specifically introduced Cys, protein semisynthesis by native chemical ligation, protein semisynthesis by protein trans-splicing, as well as nonsense-suppression methods. Structural studies (X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy) are necessary to support the functional studies and to afford predictable engineering. The reprogramming and re-engineering of channels can be used for sensing applications, treatment of channelopathies, chemical neurobiology, and providing novel lead compounds for targeting ion channels.     

Network processors applied to IPv4/IPv6 transition

We describe a high-speed IPv6-IPv4 gateway on an experimental board containing a pair of Intel IXP network processor chips, an FPGA, and a pair of TCAMs. The device is capable of supporting several hundreds of thousands of concurrent TCP/UDP sessions and sustaining close to the line rate on a GbE link. It provides an order of magnitude improvement in packet throughput over an implementation of the same functionality on a commodity PC. IPv6 is beginning to be adopted by organizations and countries that expect to run critically short of IPv4 addresses. Small-scale trials can rely on dual-stock transition mechanisms, in which both an IPv4 and an IPv6 address are assigned to new hosts, which can therefore talk directly to old and new networks. But full deployment must use network address/port/protocol translation (NAPT-PT), in which new hosts are given only IPv6 addresses and must talk through a gateway in order to speak to old networks. The natural location for these NAPT-PT gateways will gradually shift from very local subnets to the edge of a provider network as IPv6 becomes more widely deployed, increasing the demands on the capacity and availability of such gateways. Network processors have the flexibility custom silicon lacks and the speed generic microprocessors lack, and hence are especially well suited for early implementation of network elements such as this gateway between IPv6 islands and the IPv4 ocean. A major challenge in building a scalable middlebox is redundancy support for stateful failover and load balancing, again putting a premium on programmability.     

Strained InGaAs quantum well vertical cavity surface emitting lasers emitting at 1.3 /spl mu/m

Results on strained InGaAs quantum well vertical cavity surface emitting lasers for optical interconnection applications are reported. Fundamental mode continuous-wave lasing at wavelengths beyond 1300 nm is demonstrated at room temperature. The metal-organic vapour-phase epitaxy grown structure was processed as top p-type distribute Bragg reflector oxide-confined devices.     

How does tooth cusp radius of curvature affect brittle food item processing?

Tooth cusp sharpness, measured by radius of curvature (RoC), has been predicted to play a significant role in brittle/hard food item fracture. Here, we set out to test three existing hypotheses about this relationship: namely, the Blunt and Strong Cusp hypotheses, which predict that dull cusps will be most efficient at brittle food item fracture, and the Pointed Cusp hypothesis, which predicts that sharp cusps will be most efficient at brittle food item fracture using a four cusp bunodont molar. We also put forth and test the newly constructed Complex Cusp hypothesis, which predicts that a mixture of dull and sharp cusps will be most efficient at brittle food item fracture. We tested the four hypotheses using finite-element models of four cusped, bunodont molars. When testing the three existing hypotheses, we assumed all cusps had the same level of sharpness (RoC), and gained partial support for the Blunt Cusp hypotheses. We found no support for the Pointed Cusp or Strong Cusp hypotheses. We used the Taguchi sampling method to test the Complex Cusps hypothesis with a morphospace created by independently varying the radii of curvature of the four cusps in the buccolingual and mesiodistal directions. The optimal occlusal morphology for fracturing brittle food items consists of a combination of sharp and dull cusps, which creates high stress concentrations in the food item while stabilizing the food item and keeping the stress concentrations in the enamel low. This model performed better than the Blunt Cusp hypothesis, suggesting a role for optimality in the evolution of cusp form.     

Measuring the change in ultrasonic p-wave energy transmitted in fresh mortar with additives to monitor the setting

Research on ultrasonic methods to monitor the setting of concrete has mainly focussed on the wave velocity as a useful quantity. To investigate the application of also the wave energy as a parameter, an experimental program was set up to apply the ultrasonic wave transmission technique on several mortar samples containing air entrainer, blast-furnace slag or fly ash causing clearly different setting behaviour.The increase of the relative energy E/E_ref during setting is generally retarded if ordinary Portland cement is replaced by blast-furnace slag or fly ash. The mixtures with cement of a lower strength class or with large air content were difficult to test with the energy measurements since they were more sensitive to poor sensor contact due to shrinkage. For the other samples, the thresholds E/E_ref = 0.02 and 0.13 are proposed to easily determine respectively initial and final setting based on the ultrasonic energy measurements.