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From the point of view of a data warehouse system, collecting and receiving information from source systems is crucial for all subsequent business intelligence applications. Incoming information can generally be classified into two types: (1) the state-oriented data and (2) event-oriented data or transactional data, which contains information about the change performed by processes on the instances of information objects. On the way towards achieving the goal of a full-fledged active data warehouse it becomes more and more important to provide data with minimal latency. In this paper we focus on dimensional data which is provided by general data warehouse applications. The information transfer is performed via messages containing the change of information on the dimension instances. The proposed approach is able to validate the event-messages, reconstruct the complete history of the dimension and provide a well applicable ''comprehensive slowly changing dimension'' (cSCD) interface for queries on the historical and current state of the dimension. A description of the prototype implementation for this kind of an ''active integration'' in a data warehouse and a case study at T-Mobile conclude the paper.

In this paper, we characterize the class of all spaces X whose products with a fixed non-Archimedan space Y are normal. In particular, we give a characterization of all spaces X whose products with every ω μ -metrizable space are normal.

A potential new process to styrene monomer from n-butane consists of oxidation of n-butane to butadiene followed by dimerization of butadiene to 4-vinylcyclohexene (VCH) and oxydehydrogenation of VCH to styrene. In this paper we report a catalyst which provides 40%–50% conversion of n-butane at 80% selectivity to butadiene and the n-butenes when exposed to 5–10 s pulses of n-butane followed by air regeneration. The optimum catalyst consists of 15%–25% MoO 3 dispersed on MgO. The addition of small amounts of alkali metal compounds are used to minimize the production of carbon oxides. Characterization of these catalysts by laser Raman spectroscopy and XANES indicates that octahedral polymolybdates and micro crystals of MgMoO 4 are initially the major species at molybdenum loadings corresponding to maximum activity on fresh catalyst. Designed experiments have resulted in models predicting the relationship of selectivity and conversion for various process conditions.

This paper examines changes residential rooftop solar customers make to their demand and energy usage when they take service on a demand rate, and the impact those changes have on their bills and the utilities' cost of service.

On what grounds does the law punish attempted offenses? The dominant answer is that the law punishes attempts to commit an offense precisely because they are attempts (extra-legally), and it is true as a general moral principle that if one should not X, one should not attempt to X. If this is right, then the proper contours of the law of attempts should track the contours of what are attempts (extra-legally). At least to a first approximation, that is, law should track metaphysics. Call this the “Attempt Theory” of attempt liability. Gideon Yaffe’s recent book, "Attempts," is a rigorous and philosophically sophisticated critical analysis of attempt law predicated on just this foundational assumption — the assumption, to repeat, that attempts to commit an offense should be criminalized because they are attempts as a pre-legal or extra-legal matter. However, there is another possible answer to the question. Possibly, those things that are in fact attempts are properly criminalized not because they are attempts, but because the best reasons for criminalizing the complete or “perfect” offense are also good reasons to criminalize this conduct, and there are no compelling reasons, of policy or justice, not to. We can call this the “Underlying Reasons Theory” of attempt liability. The Underlying Reasons Theory does recognize that there are things in the world that are attempts and that one who attempts to do what the criminal law forbids should be punished. It just maintains that the fact that an actor attempted to commit an offense is not, strictly speaking, what justifies our punishing her. This short review of Yaffe’s book explicates the difference between the Attempt Theory and the Underlying Reasons Theory as approaches to criminal liability for what we presently call “attempts.” In a nutshell: paradigmatic attempts would be criminalized on both accounts, but the Underlying Reasons Theory is likely to endorse criminalization of some conduct that the Attempts Theory would not. This paper advocates the Underlying Reasons Theory and argues that we can and should assess the proper scope of “attempt law” without working through the metaphysics of attempts.

The paper systematically studies the impact of the 3d transition metals Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni and Cu on electrochemical stability of non-passivated cobalt-base alloys {0 0 0 1} surface by evaluating the chemical potential and the electrode potential shift relative to pure cobalt metal using density functional theory calculations. Cr, Fe, Mn, and V are found to make the Co atoms more stable on the {0 0 0 1} surfaces of the corresponding alloys compared to pure Co {0 0 0 1} surfaces, whereas Ti, Ni, and Cu make Co atoms much less stable. Among all the considered alloying elements, chrome is the most beneficial to the stability enhancement of alloys. Furthermore, the effects of water and hydroxyl adsorption on the electrochemical stability are considered. It is found that the surface adsorption properties may be considerably modified by introducing the Cr atoms. Our results indicate that water or hydroxyl adsorption destabilizes both the Co–Cr alloy and pure Co surface. However, the Co–Cr alloy surface is still more stable than the pure Co surface in the presence of adsorbed water, while the pure Co surface is more stable than the Co–Cr alloy surface in the presence of adsorbed hydroxyl. Our calculation reveals that the electrochemical corrosion property of the Co–Cr alloy is insensitive to water adsorption and sensitive to hydroxyl adsorption in comparison with the pure Co metal.

The application of the indentation method to measure the elastic modulus of particles embedded in a composite is theoretically investigated in this paper by finite element simulation. The Oliver–Pharr method, which is widely used in commercial nanoindentation instruments, is used to probe the elastic modulus of the particle from the simulated indentation curve. The predicted elastic modulus is then compared with the inputted value. Two cases are studied, that of a stiff particle embedded in a soft matrix and a soft particle embedded in a stiff matrix. In both of these cases, there exists a particle-dominated depth. If the indentation depth lies within this particle-dominated depth, the Oliver–Pharr method is able to be applied to measure the particle’s elastic modulus with sufficient accuracy if the real contact area is used. This could lead to an experimentally-convenient method of determining the primary properties of individual particle, providing they can be well dispersed in the polymeric matrix.

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The first part of this paper is occupied by a rapid review of the labours of mechanicians on the subject of friction, from the period of those of Amontons at the end of the 17th century, to those of Coulomb and of Vince in the years 1779 and 1784; from which the author draws the conclusion that the progress of knowledge in this department of science has been slow and unsatisfactory, and that a wide field is still left open to experimental investigation. With a view to elucidate several points not yet sufficiently ascertained by former writers, the author instituted several sets of experiments; some calculated to determine the forces required for dragging bodies of various kinds along a horizontal surface, and others for measuring the angle at which a plane was required to be inclined to the horizon in order to admit of the body sliding down it, attention being paid to the circumstances of pressure, extent of surface, time of previous contact, and velocity of motion. The following are the principal conclusions which the author deduces from his experiments. The friction of ice rubbing upon ice diminishes with an increase of weight; but without observing any regular law of increase. When dry leather is made to move along a plate of cast iron, the resistance is but little influenced by the extent of surface. With fibrous substances, such as cloth, the friction diminishes by an increase of pressure, but is greatly increased by the surfaces remaining for a certain time in contact; it is greater, cœteris paribus , with fine, than with coarse cloths; the resistance is also much increased by an increase of surface. With regard to the friction of different woods against each other, great diversity and irregularity prevail in the results obtained; in general the soft woods give more resistance than the hard woods: thus, yellow deal affords the greatest, and red teak the least friction. The friction of different metals also varies principally according to their respective hardness; the soft metals producing greater friction under similar circumstances than those which are hard. Within the limits of abrasion, however, the amount of friction is nearly the same in all the metals, and may in general be estimated at one sixth of the pressure. The power which unguents have in diminishing friction, varies according to the kind of the fluidity of the particular unguent employed, and to the pressure applied.

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