In automated packing or assembly it is often necessary to bring randomly oriented parts into uniform alignment. Mechanical methods such as vibratory bowl feeders are often used for this purpose, although there is no theory for the systematic design of such feeders. A slanted “fence” attached to the stationary sides of a conveyor belt is also capable of orienting a stream of parts and a sequence...

This paper analyzes GATI' and its dispute settlement procedure (DSP) in the context of a supergame model of international trade featuring both explicit and implicit agreements. An explicit agreement, such as OAT!', may be violated at some positive cost in addition to retaliatory actions that might be induced by the violation. We interpret this cost as arising from 'international obligation," a ...

In this study, we have employed graphene oxide as a matrix to simultaneously and directly quantify serum nonesterified and esterified fatty acids (FAs) using matrix-assisted laser/desorption ionization-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (MALDI-FTICR MS). Twelve serum nonesterified FAs combined with their individual esterified FAs (i.e., C16:0, C16:1, C18:0, C18:1, C18:2...

The possible formation of a “cluster molecule” (C20)2 from two single C20 fullerenes is studied by the tight-binding method. Several (C20)2 isomers in which C20 fullerenes are bound by strong covalent forces and retain their identity are found; actually, these C20 fullerenes play the role of “atoms” in the “cluster molecule”. The so-called open-[2+2] isomer has a minimum energy. Its formation p...

The bowl-to-bowl inversion of the non-planar bowl-shaped compounds derived from sumanene as a fullerene C3v fragment was found to be slow and tuned by a solvent, and the benzylic mono- and di-anions inverted even more slowly.

We study equilibrium and maximin play in supergames consisting of the sequential play of a finite collection of stage games, where each stage game has two outcomes for each player. We show that for two-player supergames in which each stage game is strictly competitive, in any Nash equilibrium of the supergame, play at each stage is a Nash equilibrium of the stage game provided preferences over ...