Note on the physical basis of spatially resolved thermodynamic functions

The spatial resolution of thermodynamic functions, exemplified by the entropy, is discussed. A physical definition of the spatial resolution based on a spatial analogy of the partial molar entropy is advocated. It is shown that neither the grid cell theory (Gerogiokas et al., J. Chem. Theory Comput., 10, 35 [2014]), nor the first-order grid inhomogeneous solvation theory (Nguyen et al. J. Chem. Phys., 137, 044101 [2012]), of spatially resolved hydration entropies satisfies the definition.Comment: Essentially 2 double-column pages, no figure

Modification of the Gay-Berne potential for improved accuracy and speed

A modification of the Gay-Berne potential is proposed which is about 10% to 20% more speed efficient (that is, the original potential runs 15% to 25% slower, depending on architecture) and statistically more accurate in reproducing the energy of interaction of two linear Lennard-Jones tetratomics when averaged over all orientations. For the special cases of end-to-end and side-by-side configurations, the new potential is equivalent to the Gay-Berne one.Comment: 5 pages (incl. title page), [preprint,aip,jcp]{RevTEX-4.1}, 1 figure, 1 table. Revised version fixes mathematical typos and adds short paragraph on a natural generalization to dissimilar particle

A Bicriteria Simulated Annealing Algorithm for Scheduling Jobs on Parallel Machines with Sequence Dependent Setup Times

The study considers the scheduling problem of identical parallel machines subject to minimization of the maximum completion time and the maximum tardiness expressed in a linear convex objective function. The maximum completion time or makespan is the date when the last job to be completed leaves the system. The maximum tardiness is indicated by the job that is completed with the longest delay relative its due date. Minimizing both criteria can help assuring a high utilization of the production system as well as a high level of service towards the client. Due to the complexity of the problem, a Simulated Annealing (SA) heuristic has been implemented to be able to obtain an efficient solution in a reasonable running time. A set of n jobs is assigned, to one of the m identical parallel machines. Each job is processed in only one operation before its completion after which it leaves the system. Constraints, such as due dates for each job and setup times for the machines, are considered. The resolution procedure consists of two phases and begins with an initial solution generator. Then a SA heuristic is applied for further improvement of the solution. 4 generators are used to create an initial solution and 3 to generate neighbour solutions. To test and verify the performance of the proposed resolution procedure, a computational experimentation has been realized on a set of test problems generated ad-hoc

How speakers of different languages extend their turns : Word linking and glottalisation in French and German

A speaker who issues a confirming turn starting with particles like yes, oui, ja, and so on, may mean to extend it and provide further material. This study shows that French and German speakers employ the same phonetic contrast to indicate the nature of that turn continuation. In spite of the typological difference between the German use of glottalization and the French use of linking phenomena for word boundaries involving word-initial vowels, speakers of both languages exploit this contrast systematically in their design of multiunit turns. Initial confirmations are joined directly to subsequent vowel-fronted turn components when speakers respond with an internally cohesive multiunit confirming turn. The components are separated by glottalization when responses involve multiple actions or departures from a trajectory projected by the turn-initial confirmation. This is further evidence that sound patterns shape interaction and are not solely determined by language-specific phonologies. Data are in French and German with English translation

Healthy diets and sustainable food systems

No abstract availabl