On Saaty's and Koczkodaj's inconsistencies of pairwise comparison matrices

The aim of the paper is to obtain some theoretical and numerical properties of Saaty’s and Koczkodaj’s inconsistencies of pairwise comparison matrices (PRM). In the case of 3 × 3 PRM, a differentiable one-to-one correspondence is given between Saaty’s inconsistency ratio and Koczkodaj’s inconsistency index based on the elements of PRM. In order to make a comparison of Saaty’s and Koczkodaj’s inconsistencies for 4 × 4 pairwise comparison matrices, the average value of the maximal eigenvalues of randomly generated n × n PRM is formulated, the elements aij (i < j) of which were randomly chosen from the ratio scale ... ... with equal probability 1/(2M − 1) and a ji is defined as 1/a ij . By statistical analysis, the empirical distributions of the maximal eigenvalues of the PRM depending on the dimension number are obtained. As the dimension number increases, the shape of distributions gets similar to that of the normal ones. Finally, the inconsistency of asymmetry is dealt with, showing a different type of inconsistency

Modeling Schumann resonances with schupy

Schupy is an open-source python package aimed at modeling and analyzing Schumann resonances (SRs), the global electromagnetic resonances of the Earth-ionosphere cavity resonator in the lowest part of the extremely low frequency band (<100 Hz). Its very-first function forward_tdte applies the solution of the 2-D telegraph equation introduced recently by Prácser et al. (2019) for a uniform cavity and is able to determine theoretical SR spectra for arbitrary source-observer configurations. It can be applied for both modeling extraordinarily large SR-transients or “background” SRs excited by incoherently superimposed lightning strokes within an extended source region. Three short studies are presented which might be important for SR related research. With the forward_tdte function our aim is to provide a medium complexity numerical background for the interpretation of SR observations. We would like to encourage the community to join our project in developing open-source analyzing capacities for SR research as part of the schupy package

Open photoacoustic cell for concentration measurements in rapidly flowing gas

High temporal resolution concentration measurements in rapid gas flows pose a serious challenge for most analytical instruments. The interaction of such flows with solid surfaces can generate excessive aero-acoustic noise making the application of the photoacoustic detection method seemingly impossible. Yet, the fully open photoacoustic cell (OC) has proven to be operable even when the measured gas flows through it at a velocity of several m/s. The OC is a slightly modified version of a previously introduced OC based on the excitation of a combined acoustic mode of a cylindrical resonator. The noise characteristics and analytical performance of the OC are tested in an anechoic room and under field conditions. Here we present the first successful application of a sampling-free OC for water vapor flux measurements

Application of pulsed laser ablation (pLA) for the size reduction of non‑steroidal anti‑inflammatory drugs (nSAiDs)

We studied the application of pulsed laser ablation (pLA) for particle size reduction in non‑steroidal anti‑inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Grinding of the poorly water‑soluble NSAID crystallites can considerably increase their solubility and bioavailability, thereby the necessary doses can be reduced significantly. We used tablets of ibuprofen, niflumic acid and meloxicam as targets. Nanosecond laser pulses were applied at various wavelengths (KrF excimer laser, λ=248 nm, FWHM=18 ns and Nd:YAG laser, λ1=532 nm/λ2=1064 nm, FWHM=6 ns) and at various fluences. FTIR and Raman spectra showed that the chemical compositions of the drugs had not changed during ablation at 532 nm and 1064 nm laser wavelengths.The size distribution of the ablated products was established using two types of particle size analyzers (SMPS and OPC) having complementary measuring ranges.The mean size of the drug crystallites decreased from the initial 30–80 µm to the submicron to nanometer range. For a better understanding of the ablation mechanism we made several investigations (SEM, Ellipsometry, Fast photography) and some model calculations. We have established that PLA offers a chemical‑free and simple method for the size reduction of poorly water‑soluble drugs and a possible new way for pharmaceutical drug preformulation for nasal administration