Characterization of nickel manganite NTC thermistor films prepared by aerosol deposition at room temperature

NiMn₂O_4+δ thermistor thick films have been successfully deposited by the so-called Aerosol Deposition Method (ADM) at room temperature on alumina substrates, Si-wafers, as well as on special planar four-wire interdigital electrode structures for high-precision electrical characterization. The NTCR films are homogeneous, completely dense and scratch resistant. Both as-deposited and tempered, the NTCR films exhibit a cubic spinel structure. Between 25 °C and 90 °C, the NTCR film resistance behaves as it is typical for variable range hopping (VRH) with parabolic density of states. As a result of moderate film tempering, the thermistor constant B and the specific resistance at 25 °C (ρ₂₅) decrease from 4250 K to 4020 K and 65 Ω·m to 40 Ω·m respectively, and are close to bulk values. In combination with the excellent reproducibility of the ρ₂₅ and B values, AD processing of films appears to be a promising alternative for classical ceramic bulk processes.     

Palm oil deodorizer distillate as toughening agent in polylactide packaging films

Polylactide (PLA) is the most used biodegradable and biobased food packaging polymer for rigid containers and films. However, its low ductility is a hurdle for increasing its applications in flexible food packaging. A solution is the use of additives. Palm oil deodorizer distillate (PODC) is revealed to be an excellent additive promoting PLA ductility. PODC is a by‐product of vegetable oil refining, which is available in stable quality and in sufficient amounts. Amorphous PLA/PODC blends had an elongation at break of around 130% and that of semi‐crystalline blends was still around 55% compared to the initial 5% of neat PLA. At the same time the PLA rigidity and high glass transition temperatures were kept. PODC was also a very efficient processing aid, allowing for film blow extrusion. The blends were stable in properties during six months without exudation. They complied with legal norms of Food Contact Materials (EU 10/2011) and induced no sensorial alteration of packed food. Therefore PODC is a very interesting alternative to common plasticizers for the production of flexible PLA packaging films. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry     

Poly(butylene succinate‐co‐butylene adipate)/polyethylene oxide blends for controlled release materials: A morphological study

Varying the formulation and processing conditions of polymer blends allows the design of materials with a large range of morphologies. Active materials embedding active compounds in a devoted phase are promising applications of such blends, offering possible various transport properties. In this study, 13 poly(butylene succinate‐co‐butylene adipate) (PBSA)/polyethylene oxide (PEO) blends were extruded in a slit die. Their morphologies were characterized by water extraction (selective PEO dissolution), FTIR spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Transport properties were assessed by water vapor permeation and fluorescein release as model migrant. Indeed, the desorption in water of fluorescein (previously entrapped in PEO) was monitored to preliminary investigate the release properties of these materials: two morphologies were obtained (i) pseudo multilayer films made of PEO‐rich layer/PBSA‐rich layer/PEO‐rich layer and (ii) PEO nodules dispersed in the PBSA‐rich matrix for the highest PBSA contents. The first systems were erodible ones with an uncontrolled fast delivery by PEO dissolution whereas the second ones showed a controlled release by permeation through the PBSA matrix from PEO nodules. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 42874.     

A Taxonomy of Spatial Data Integrity Constraints

Spatial data quality has become an issue of increasing concern to researchers and practitioners in the field of Spatial Information Systems (SIS). Clearly the results of any spatial analysis are only as good as the data on which it is based. There are a number of significant areas for data quality research in SIS. These include topological consistency; consistency between spatial and attribute data; and consistency between spatial objects representation and their true representation on the ground. The last category may be subdivided into spatial accuracy and attribute accuracy. One approach to improving data quality is the imposition of constraints upon data entered into the database. This paper presents a taxonomy of integrity constraints as they apply to spatial database systems. Taking a cross disciplinary approach it aims to clarify some of the terms used in the database and SIS fields for data integrity management. An overview of spatial data quality concerns is given and each type of constraint is assessed regarding its approach to addressing these concerns. Some indication of an implementation method is also given for each.     

Gambling versus Designing: Organizing for the Design of the Probability Space in the Energy Sector

The objective of this paper is to elucidate an organizational process for the design of generic technologies (GTs). While recognizing the success of GTs, the literature on innovation management generally describes their design according to evolutionary strategies featuring multiple and uncertain trials, resulting in the discovery of common features among multiple applications. This random walk depends on multiple market and technological uncertainties that are considered exogenous: as smart as he can be, the ‘gambler’ must play in a given probability space. However, what happens when the innovator is not a gambler but a designer, i.e., when the actor is able to establish new links between previously independent emerging markets and technologies? Formally speaking, the actor designs a new probability space. Building on a case study of two technological development programmes at the French Center for Atomic Energy, we present cases of GTs that correspond to this logic of designing the probability space, i.e. the logic of intentionally designing common features that bridge the gap between a priori heterogeneous applications and technologies. This study provides another example showing that the usual trial‐and‐learning strategy is not the only strategy to design GTs and that these technologies can be designed by intentionally building new interdependences between markets and technologies. Our main result is that building these interdependences requires organizational patterns that correspond to a ‘design of exploration’ phase in which multiple technology suppliers and application providers are involved in designing both the probability space itself and the instruments to explore and benefit from this new space.     

Anti-windup strategies for discrete-time switched systems subject to input saturation

This paper deals with the design of anti-windup compensator for discrete-time switched systems subject to input saturation. The cases of static and dynamic anti-windup controllers are addressed aiming at maximising the estimate of the basin of attraction of the origin for the closed-loop system. Two aspects of the switching law are taken into account during the design: either it is arbitrary or it is a part of the complete control law. Theoretical conditions allowing to synthesise the anti-windup compensator are mainly described through linear matrix inequalities. Computational oriented conditions are then provided to solve convex optimisation problems that are able to give a constructive solution.     

Surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) as an alternative technique for rapid and quantitative screening of small molecules, useful in drug discovery

Surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) is a label free technology for biomolecular interaction, which gives access to binding kinetic parameters from real time acquisition. It offers the possibility to test in a single run a large number of interactions, allowing rapid identification of the most suitable compounds toward a given biological entity. Until now, this technique has proven to be relevant for interaction between relatively large molecules (protein, antibodies, DNA) but has not been challenged yet for the screening of small molecules that can be of interested in the field of drug discovery. As a proof a principle, we have used SPRi to screen for interaction of several small molecules, referred to as G4-ligands on G-quadruplex DNA. This technology allowed to easy discrimination of the binding properties of four G4-ligands on quadruplex DNA models.     

Combined planning and scheduling in a divergent production system with co-production: A case study in the lumber industry

Many research initiatives carried out in production management consider process planning and operations scheduling as two separate and sequential functions. However, in certain contexts, the two functions must be better integrated. This is the case in divergent production systems with co-production (i.e. production of different products at the same time from a single product input) when alternative production processes are available. This paper studies such a context and focuses on the case of drying and finishing operations in a softwood lumber facility. The situation is addressed using a single model that simultaneously performs process planning and scheduling. We evaluate two alternative formulations. The first one is based on mixed integer programming (MIP) and the second on constraint programming (CP). We also propose a search procedure to improve the performance of the CP approach. Both approaches are compared with respect to their capacity to generate good solutions in short computation time.     

Reviews

MARK FRESKO CONSULTANCY. Sources of digital information. British Library R&D Report 6102. London: British Library Research and Development Department, 1994. No ISBN given. No price indicated. 260 pp.

CHRIS CLARE and GORDON STUTELEY. Information systems — strategy to design. London: Chapman and Hall, 1995. ISBN 0 412 576708. £16.99.

POPE, IVAN. Internet UK. Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall International, 294 pp. ISBN 013 190950, £19.95. SCHOFIELD, SUE. UK Internet book. Wokingham: Addison‐Wesley, 301 pp. ISBN 0201 42766 4, £19.95.

RIMMER, STEVE. Planet Internet. New York: Windcrest, 1995. ISBN 0 8306 24724. £22.95 (pbk).

JILL H. ELLSWORTH and MATTHEW V. ELLSWORTH. The Internet business book. London: John Wiley & Sons, 1994. $22.95, 376pp. ISBN 0 471058092.

JOHN S. QUARTERMAN and SMOOT CARL‐MITCHELL. The e‐mail companion: communicate effectively via the Internet and other global networks. Addison‐Wesley, 1994. 318 pp. ISBN 0 201 40658 6. $19.95.

McCLURE, C.R., MOEN, W.E. and RYAN, J. Libraries and the Internet/NREN: perspectives, issues and challenges. London: Mecklermedia 1994. $35.00. ISBN 0 89736 824 7. McCLURE, C.R., BERTOT, J.C., and ZWEIZIG, D.L. Public libraries and the Internet: study results, policy issues and recommendations. Washington: National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, 1994. No price or ISBN given.

FRANCES BLOMELEY. Networks and network services: a user's guide. Immediate Publishing, 1994. ISBN 1–89831–00–03. 246 pp. £14.95.

NEIL SMITH (ed) ibraries, networks and Europe: a European networking study. British Library Research and Development Department, 1994. (LIR Series 101) 91 pp. ISBN 0 7123 3295 2. £25. (Distributed by Turpin Distribution Services Ltd, Blackhorse Road, Letchworth, Herts. SG6 1HN).

ALAN BRYANT. Creating successful bulletin board systems. Addison‐Wesley, 1994. ISBN 0–201–62668–3. $39.95.

Directory of electronic journals, newsletters and academic discussion lists. 4th ed. Compiled by Lisabeth A. King and Diane Kovacs, edited by Ann Okerson. Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries, 1994. 575 pp. ISSN 1057–1337. $54 (paperback), $33 (ARL members).

THE BRITISH LIBRARY and ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING SERVICES LTD. Electronic publishing practice in the UK: LIR Report 95. University Press, Cambridge, 1994. 185 pp. ISBN 0 7123 3280 4. £30.00. (Distributed by Turpin Distribution Services, Blackhorse Road, Letchworth S96 1HN).

INTERNET WORLD'S On Internet 94: an international guide to electronic journals, newsletters, texts, discussion lists, and other resources on the Internet. edited by Tony Abbott with a Preface by Daniel P. Dem. Westport, London: Mecklermedia, 1994. £29.50 $45.00. ISBN 0–88736–929–4.

S. BANG. The Internet unleashed. Indianapolis: SAMS Publishing, 1994. $44.95. ISBN 0 672 30466 X.

GAIL K. DICKINSON, Selection and evaluation of electronic resources. Libraries Unlimited, 1994. ISBN 1 56308 098 2. £22.50.     

A Cost-Regular Based Hybrid Column Generation Approach

Constraint Programming (CP) offers a rich modeling language of constraints embedding efficient algorithms to handle complex and heterogeneous combinatorial problems. To solve hard combinatorial optimization problems using CP alone or hybrid CP-ILP decomposition methods, costs also have to be taken into account within the propagation process. Optimization constraints, with their cost-based filtering algorithms, aim to apply inference based on optimality rather than feasibility. This paper introduces a new optimization constraint, cost-regular. Its filtering algorithm is based on the computation of shortest and longest paths in a layered directed graph. The support information is also used to guide the search for solutions. We believe this constraint to be particularly useful in modeling and solving Column Generation subproblems and evaluate its behaviour on complex Employee Timetabling Problems through a flexible CP-based column generation approach. Computational results on generated benchmark sets and on a complex real-world instance are given.A preliminary version of this paper appeared as [7]. This research was supported by the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS) Internship program in association with Omega Optimisation Inc. (CA).