"On Modelling Negotiations within a Dynamic Multi-objective Programming Framework: Analysis of Risk Measurement with an Application to Large BOT Projects"

The dynamic and multi-objective programming is used here to establish a risk measurement model. We develop an iterative algorithm and the convergence conditions for the model solution. The results obtained from the model developed here show that the sum of the interactive utility value (IUV) could determine whether or not the interactive relationship is characterized by independence among negotiators. In addition, the numerical example shows that this risk measurement model of the negotiation group can reflect risk assessment by the negotiation group for certain events and can analyze interaction characteristics among negotiators. We show the feasibility and applicability of the model and the exact solution algorithm, and their policy relevance for analyzing BOT projects.

Engineering band structure via the site preference of Pb2+ in the In+ site for enhanced thermoelectric performance of In6Se7

Although binary In-Se based alloys as thermoelectric (TE) candidates are of interests in recent years, little attention has been paid into In6Se7 based compounds. With substituting Pb in In6Se7, the preference of Pb2+ in the In+ site has been observed, allowing the Fermi level (Fr) shift towards the conduction band and the localized state conduction becomes dominated. Consequently, the Hall carrier concentration (nH) has been enhanced significantly with the highest nH value being about 2~3 orders of magnitude higher than that of Pb-free sample. Meanwhile, the lattice thermal conductivity (κL) tends to be reduced as nH value increases, owing to an increased phonon scattering on carriers. As a result, a significantly enhanced TE performance has been achieved with the highest TE figure of merit (ZT) of 0.4 at ~850 K. This ZT value is 27 times that of intrinsic In6Se7 (ZT=0.015 at 640 K), which proves a successful band structure engineering through site preference of Pb in In6Se7

Lignocellulose-based analytical devices: bamboo as an analytical platform for chemical detection

This article describes the development of lignocellulose-based analytical devices (LADs) for rapid bioanalysis in low-resource settings. LADs are constructed using either a single lignocellulose or a hybrid design consisting of multiple types of lignocellulose. LADs are simple, low-cost, easy to use, provide rapid response, and do not require external instrumentation during operation. Here, we demonstrate the implementation of LADs for food and water safety (i.e., nitrite assay in hot-pot soup, bacterial detection in water, and resazurin assay in milk) and urinalysis (i.e., nitrite, urobilinogen, and pH assays in human urine). Notably, we created a unique approach using simple chemicals to achieve sensitivity similar to that of commercially available immunochromatographic strips that is low-cost, and provides on-site, rapid detection, for instance, of Eschericia coli (E. coli) in water

Paper-based tuberculosis diagnostic devices with colorimetric gold nanoparticles

A colorimetric sensing strategy employing gold nanoparticles and a paper assay platform has been developed for tuberculosis diagnosis. Unmodified gold nanoparticles and single-stranded detection oligonucleotides are used to achieve rapid diagnosis without complicated and time-consuming thiolated or other surface-modified probe preparation processes. To eliminate the use of sophisticated equipment for data analysis, the color variance for multiple detection results was simultaneously collected and concentrated on cellulose paper with the data readout transmitted for cloud computing via a smartphone. The results show that the 2.6 nM tuberculosis mycobacterium target sequences extracted from patients can easily be detected, and the turnaround time after the human DNA is extracted from clinical samples was approximately 1 h

Causal factors in the hydration susceptibility of periclase aggregates

The findings presented in this thesis are the result of a study of the hydration mechanism of pre-calcined periclase aggregates. It is hoped that these findings will provide the means to develop an economical, stable and hydration resistant layer on the surface of periclase aggregates by coating with appropriate chemical systems. In the conduct of this study two sources of commercially obtained materials, Steetley 323, and China metal 90-10, supplied by the Quigley company, were characterized and treated with different concentrations of boron-containing water suspensions in order to impose an altered layer which would resist hydration. Variables affecting hydration investigated in this study included: size of materials, concentrations of boron chemical suspensions, steam temperatures and pressures, and post-calcination temperatures. Alginate thickeners with varying concentrations of boric acid were used to control the concentrations of boron on the surfaces of the aggregates. The overall investigation in this study was divided into four parts: Characterization of calcined periclase aggregates. Development of coating treatment methods. Examining the dependence of the hydration resistance on different boron concentrations, and Elucidation of the hydration mechanism --Abstract, pages ii-iii

Orthogonal Polynomials with a Singularly Perturbed Airy Weight

We study the monic orthogonal polynomials with respect to a singularly perturbed Airy weight. By using Chen and Ismail's ladder operator approach, we derive a discrete system satisfied by the recurrence coefficients for the orthogonal polynomials. We find that the orthogonal polynomials satisfy a second-order linear ordinary differential equation, whose coefficients are all expressed in terms of the recurrence coefficients. By considering the time evolution, we obtain a system of differential-difference equations satisfied by the recurrence coefficients. Finally, we study the asymptotics of the recurrence coefficients when the degrees of the orthogonal polynomials tend to infinity.Comment: 16 page

Experimental Two-dimensional Quantum Walk on a Photonic Chip

Quantum walks, in virtue of the coherent superposition and quantum interference, possess exponential superiority over its classical counterpart in applications of quantum searching and quantum simulation. The quantum enhanced power is highly related to the state space of quantum walks, which can be expanded by enlarging the photon number and/or the dimensions of the evolution network, but the former is considerably challenging due to probabilistic generation of single photons and multiplicative loss. Here we demonstrate a two-dimensional continuous-time quantum walk by using the external geometry of photonic waveguide arrays, rather than the inner degree of freedoms of photons. Using femtosecond laser direct writing, we construct a large-scale three-dimensional structure which forms a two-dimensional lattice with up to 49X49 nodes on a photonic chip. We demonstrate spatial two-dimensional quantum walks using heralded single photons and single-photon-level imaging. We analyze the quantum transport properties via observing the ballistic evolution pattern and the variance profile, which agree well with simulation results. We further reveal the transient nature that is the unique feature for quantum walks of beyond one dimension. An architecture that allows a walk to freely evolve in all directions and a large scale, combining with defect and disorder control, may bring up powerful and versatile quantum walk machines for classically intractable problems.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures. The experiment has been performed again with heralded single photons instead of the coherent ligh