Single machine scheduling with simple linear deterioration to minimize total absolute deviation of completion times

We consider a single machine scheduling problem with simple linear deterioration. Job processing times are assumed to be a simple linear function of a job-dependent growth rate and the job's starting time. We seek an optimal schedule, so as to minimize the total absolute deviation of completion times (TADC). We prove several interesting properties of an optimal schedule, and introduce two efficient heuristics which are tested against a lower bound.     

Do Accelerating Turing Machines Compute the Uncomputable?

Accelerating Turing machines have attracted much attention in the last decade or so. They have been described as “the work-horse of hypercomputation” (Potgieter and Rosinger 2010: 853). But do they really compute beyond the “Turing limit”—e.g., compute the halting function? We argue that the answer depends on what you mean by an accelerating Turing machine, on what you mean by computation, and even on what you mean by a Turing machine. We show first that in the current literature the term “accelerating Turing machine” is used to refer to two very different species of accelerating machine, which we call end-stage-in and end-stage-out machines, respectively. We argue that end-stage-in accelerating machines are not Turing machines at all. We then present two differing conceptions of computation, the internal and the external, and introduce the notion of an epistemic embedding of a computation. We argue that no accelerating Turing machine computes the halting function in the internal sense. Finally, we distinguish between two very different conceptions of the Turing machine, the purist conception and the realist conception; and we argue that Turing himself was no subscriber to the purist conception. We conclude that under the realist conception, but not under the purist conception, an accelerating Turing machine is able to compute the halting function in the external sense. We adopt a relatively informal approach throughout, since we take the key issues to be philosophical rather than mathematical.     

Scheduling a batching machine with convex resource consumption functions

In various industries jobs undergo a batching, or burn in, process where different tasks are grouped into batches and processed simultaneously. The processing time of each batch is equal to the longest processing time among all jobs contained in the batch. All to date studies dealing with batching machines have considered fixed job processing times. However, in many real life applications job processing times are controllable through the allocation of a limited resource. The most common and realistic model assumes that there exists a non-linear and convex relationship between the amount of resource allocated to a job and its processing time. The scheduler?s task when dealing with controllable processing times is twofold. In addition to solving the sequencing problem, one must establish an optimal resource allocation policy. We combine these two widespread models on a single machine setting, showing that both the makespan and total completion time criteria can be solved in polynomial time. We then show that our proposed approach can be applied to general bi-criteria objective comprising of the makespan and the total completion time.     

Minimizing the number of tardy jobs on a proportionate flowshop with general position-dependent processing times

In various real life scheduling systems job processing times vary according to the number of jobs previously processed. The vast majority of studies assume a restrictive functional form to describe job processing times. In this note, we address a scheduling problem with the most general job processing time functions. The machine setting assumed is an m-machine proportionate flowshop, and the objective function is minimum number of tardy jobs. We show that the problem can be formulated as a bottleneck assignment problem with a maximum cardinality constraint. An efficient polynomial time (O(n⁴ log n)) solution is introduced.     

Balanced operation of a GaInAs/GaInAsP multiple-quantum-wellintegrated heterodyne receiver

The balanced operation of a multiple-quantum-well balanced heterodyne receiver photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is described. Using only SMA-connected 50 Ω commercial electronics, a free-space beam sensitivity of -42.3 dBm at 108 Mb/s and -39.7 dBm at 200 Mb/s for NRZ FSK (frequency-shift keying) reception has been achieved. This represents a 14 dB improvement over any previous heterodyne receiver PIC sensitivity. In addition to providing the multichannel benefits of heterodyne reception, this is also the highest sensitivity yet reported for any OEIC (optoelectronic integrated circuit) receiver     

Certain Biominerals in Leaves Function as Light Scatterers

Cystoliths are amorphous calcium carbonate bodies that form in the leaves of some plant families. Cystoliths are regularly distributed in the epidermis and protrude into the photosynthetic tissue, the mesophyll. The photosynthetic pigments generate a steep light gradient in the leaf. Under most illumination regimes the outer mesophyll is light saturated, thus the photosynthetic apparatus is kinetically unable to use the excess light for photochemistry. Here we use micro‐scale modulated fluorometry to demonstrate that light scattered by the cystoliths is distributed from the photosynthetically inefficient upper tissue to the efficient, but light deprived, lower tissue. The results prove that the presence of light scatterers reduces the steep light gradient, thus enabling the leaf to use the incoming light flux more efficiently. MicroCT and electron microscopy confirm that the spatial distribution of the minerals is compatible with their optical function. During the study we encountered large calcium oxalate druses in the same anatomical location as the cystoliths. These druses proved to have similar light scattering functions as the cystoliths. This study shows that certain minerals in the leaves of different plants distribute the light flux more evenly inside the leaf.     

Operation of integrated InGaAsP-InP optical amplifier-monitoringdetector with feedback control circuit

Monolithic integration of a monitoring detector with an optical amplifier simplifies the use of an amplifier in lightwave systems. The structure and performance are described of a monolithically integrated semiconductor optical amplifier with low-loss Y-branching waveguides and a monitoring p-i-n detector. The photocurrent of the integrated detector can be used as a single control parameter for amplifier output leveling, gain optimization, and in situ monitoring of facet antireflective coatings     

Amplified spontaneous emission and Rayleigh backscattering instrongly pumped fiber amplifiers

Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and Rayleigh backscattering (RBS) in strongly pumped fiber amplifiers are studied, employing a rate equation model. Approximate expressions for the ASE and RES, as well as for the amplifier noise figure are derived, based on approximate analytical expressions for the amplified signal, which are valid for both three-level and four-level systems. Numerical examples for rare-earth-doped fibers, show good agreement between these approximate expressions and the exact numerical solutions for strong pumping and for injected signals which are not too weak     

可用于各种使用目的的深度低品质水处理

在地中海地区和其它干旱或半干旱地区的许多国家都面临着水源短缺的问题。这种供需差距与农业生产、环境条件和气候的变化紧密相关。还可能归因于天然地下水蓄水量的降低和天然水资源可使用量降低。为了以优等质量供水，满足各种使用目的，必须承担特殊的风险。这些问题可以通过开发其它的、目前被认为是边缘的水源来解决。这些水源包括盐水地下水、处理后的废水和径流水和脱盐海水。本研究提供了利用其它高质量水源以最小化的供应量与废水配合回用的方式。民用二级污水是一种值得研究的再生水资源，但是需要额外的处理才能使其回用于各种目的。通过使用膜技术，即超滤（UF）和反渗透可以达到这些目的。