Complex polymer architectures through dimethoxymethyl 1,1‐diphenylethylene derivatives

The reactions of polystyryllithium and potassium on dimethoxymethyl 1,1‐diphenylethylene derivatives were studied in different solvents. In a polar medium, A₃ and A₆ star types were formed according to the stoichiometry, whereas in a nonpolar medium, hyperbranched structures were synthesized. Extensions of an already proposed mechanism in polar and nonpolar media were examined. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3329–3335, 2003     

Analysis of a Poisson system with boundary conditions

We consider a class of problems originating from a Raman laser amplification model, for which the equations can be written as a Poisson system with boundary conditions. Once reformulated, this system becomes an integro-differential equation that we study here in some detail. In particular, we show the existence of a smooth solution under general assumptions, and prove its uniqueness for boundary values that are not too far apart. Eventually, we completely solve the question of uniqueness for systems of dimensions one and two. To cite this article: F. Castella et al., C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 336 (2003).     

Une note sur les lemmes div–curl

Let $\text{Ω}$ be a strongly Lipschitz domain of $\text{R}{}^{\mathrm{n}}$ (n?2). We give endpoint versions of div–curl lemmata on $\text{Ω}$, for a given function f on $\text{Ω}$ whose gradient belongs to a Hardy space on $\text{Ω}$. To cite this article: P. Auscher et al., C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 337 (2003).     

A Hybrid Approach to Scheduling with Earliness and Tardiness Costs

A hybrid technique using constraint programming and linear programming is applied to the problem of scheduling with earliness and tardiness costs. The linear model maintains a set of relaxed optimal start times which are used to guide the constraint programming search heuristic. In addition, the constraint programming problem model employs the strong constraint propagation techniques responsible for many of the advances in constraint programming for scheduling in the past few years. Empirical results validate our approach and show, in particular, that creating and solving a subproblem containing only the activities with direct impact on the cost function and then using this solution in the main search, significantly increases the number of problems that can be solved to optimality while significantly decreasing the search time.     

Pointwise gradient estimates of solutions to onedimensional nonlinear parabolic equations

We present here an improved version of the method introduced by the first author to derive pointwise gradient estimates for the solutions of one-dimensional parabolic problems. After considering a general qualinear equation in divergence form we apply the method to the case of a nonlinear diffusion-convection equation. The conclusions are stated first for classical solutions and then for generalized and mild solutions. In the case of unbounded initial datum we obtain several regularizing effects for t > 0. Some unilateral pointwise gradient estimates are also obtained. The case of the Dirichlet problem is also considered. Finally, we collect, in the last section, several comments showing the connections among these estimates and the study of the free boundaries associated to the solutions of the diffusion-convection equation.     

Influence de la longue mémoire sur le comportement asymptotique d'estimateurs fonctionnelsInfluence of long memory on the asymptotic behaviour of functional estimators

This Note gives asymptotic results for kernel estimators of several functionals (density, failure rate and distribution functions) of a long-memory process. The results are presented in such a way as to highlight the influence of the long dependence on the rates of convergence. To cite this article: G. Estevez-Perez, P. Vieu, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 335 (2002) 271–274.     

Comprehensive study on the formation of polyelectrolyte complexes from (quaternized) poly[2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] and poly(2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropane sodium sulfonate)

Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) have been prepared from well‐defined (quaternized) poly[2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) and high molecular weight poly(2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropane sodium sulfonate) (PAMPSNa) after a thorough study of their viscometric properties. The effect of pH and quaternization degree of PDMAEMA on PECs stoichiometry has been examined. PEC‐based materials have been characterized in terms of thermal stability, equilibrium swelling degree, and free/bound water composition. The stoichiometry and swellability of the physically crosslinked hydrogels obtained from fully quaternized PDMAEMA/PAMPSNa complexes do not depend on pH. In contrast, PECs made of non quaternized PDMAEMA and PAMPSNa are highly affected by pH, and could reversibly disintegrate at pH ≥ 9. Partially quaternized PDMAEMA/PAMPSNa PECs exhibit intermediate properties and form stable loose structures in the whole investigated pH range. Finally, stable dispersions of PECs nanoparticles have been successfully produced from dilute solutions of the complementary polyelectrolytes. The nanoparticle average diameter as determined by dynamic light scattering proved to depend on the molar fraction of DMAEMA‐based subunits and on the initial polyelectrolyte concentration. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5468–5479, 2006