The fabrication and characterization of poly(lactic acid) scaffolds for tissue engineering by improved solid–liquid phase separation

In this article a new technique was developed to fabricate scaffolds with a unique microstructure by solid–liquid separation in combination with particulate-leaching. Firstly, the effects of polymer concentration, quenching temperature on the porous morphology and the mechanical property of obtained scaffolds during solid–liquid separation have been investigated. Then, salt granules as porogen were introduced into the solid–liquid phase separation to produce the unique pore structure of the scaffold. The pore diameter of the scaffold could be controlled with the particulate size and the wall of pores possessed special microstructure, which enhanced the pore interconnectivity. The cell culture results confirmed that a good interconnectivity of the scaffold prepared by the improved solid–liquid separation was useful for nutrition transportation and cell proliferation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Classification of Integrable Divergent N-Component Evolution Systems

We use a symmetry approach to solve the classification problem for integrable N-component evolution systems having the form of conservation laws. We obtain complete lists of both isotropic and anisotropic systems of this type and find auto-Bäcklund transformations with a spectral parameter for all systems.     

On norms of composition operators acting on Bergman spaces

For arbitrary composition operators acting on a general Bergman space we improve the known lower bound for the norm and also generalize a related recent theorem of D.G. Pokorny and J.E. Shapiro. Next, we obtain a geometric formula for the norms of composition operators with linear fractional symbols, thus extending a result of C. Cowen and P. Hurst and revealing the meaning of their computation. Finally, we obtain a lower bound for essential norm of an arbitrary composition operator related to the well-known criterion of B. MacCluer and J.H. Shapiro. As a corollary, norms and essential norms are obtained for certain univalently induced noncompact composition operators in terms of the minimum of the angular derivative of the symbol.     

Modeling Language Evolution

We describe a model for the evolution of the languages used by the agents of a society. Our main result proves convergence of these languages to a common one under certain conditions. A few special cases are elaborated in more depth.     

Local chain‐configuration dependence of the mechanisms of the chemical reaction of poly(vinyl chloride). IX. Novel results on stereoselectivity of chlorination reaction

A poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) sample was chlorinated in solution in the presence of 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile and by the fluid‐bed method. The aim was to evaluate the scope of the stereoselectivity of the chlorination reaction. The quantitative microstructural analysis of the residual PVC with a degree of chlorination was followed by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. From the evolution of the content of isotactic (mm), heterotactic (mr), and syndiotactic (rr) triads and of mmmm, mmmr, and rmmr isotactic pentads in the unchlorinated parts of the polymer, it was unambiguously inferred that the chlorination reaction proceeds by a stereoselective mechanism in that the mr heterotactic triads are the most reactive structures followed by the isotactic triad at mmmr and rmmr pentads. This conclusion was confirmed on the basis of the Fourier transform infrared results. The results provide valuable information regarding the effect of tacticity and related local conformations in the chemical reactions of PVC. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 508–519, 2003     

Complex genetic evolution of artificial self‐replicators in cellular automata

It is widely believed that evolutionary dynamics of artificial self‐replicators realized in cellular automata (CA) are limited in diversity and adaptation. Contrary to this view, we show that complex genetic evolution may occur within simple CA. The evolving self‐replicating loops (“evoloops”) we investigate exhibit significant diversity in macro‐scale morphologies and mutational biases, undergoing nontrivial genetic adaptation by maximizing colony density and enhancing sustainability against other species. Nonmutable subsequences enable genetic operations that alter fitness differentials and promote long‐term evolutionary exploration. These results demonstrate a unique example of genetic evolution hierarchically emerging from local interactions between elements much smaller than individual replicators. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 10: 33–39, 2004     

Synthesis and characterization of functional gradient copolymers of allyl methacrylate and butyl acrylate

Functional spontaneous gradient copolymers of allyl methacrylate (A) and butyl acrylate (B) were synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization. The copolymerization reactions were carried out in toluene solutions at 100 °C with methyl 2‐bromopropionate as the initiator and copper bromide with N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine as the catalyst system. Different aspects of the statistical reaction copolymerizations, such as the kinetic behavior, crosslinking density, and gel fraction, were studied. The gel data were compared with Flory's gelation theory, and the sol fractions of the synthesized copolymers were characterized by size exclusion chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The copolymer composition, demonstrating the gradient character of the copolymers, and the microstructure were analyzed. The experimental data agreed well with data calculated with the Mayo–Lewis terminal model and Bernoullian statistics, with monomer reactivity ratios of 2.58 ± 0.37 and 0.51 ± 0.05 for A and B, respectively, an isotacticity parameter for A of 0.24, and a coisotacticity parameter of 0.33. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5304–5315, 2006     

飞秒激光脉冲在三能级有机分子介质中传播时的频谱分析

通过采用预估校正的时域有限差分法求解麦克斯韦-布洛赫方程,我们研究了飞秒激光脉冲在三能级有机分子(4,4-二甲氨基二苯乙烯分子)介质中传播时脉冲的频谱演化情况.在单光子共振情况下,即入射脉冲频率等于1、2能级之间的共振频率,对大面积入射脉冲,由于强的二次激发的作用,电场频谱中出现了在ω32附近振荡的频率成分,ω32是2、3能级之间的共振频率,说明对大面积入射脉冲二能级模型已经失效,需要采用多能级模型来描述分子介质.在双光子共振情况下,即入射脉冲频率等于1、3能级之间的共振频率的一半,由于介质中放大的自发辐射和四波混频的作用,部分入射脉冲能量转化为高频和低频电场成分的能量,分子介质表现出了很强的光功率限幅特性.     

Noise-induced asymptotic periodicity in a piecewise linear map

We examine asymptotically periodic density evolution in one-dimensional maps perturbed by noise, associating the macroscopic state of these dynamical systems with a phase space density. For asymptotically periodic systems density evolution becomes periodic in time, as do some macroscopic properties calculated from them. The general formalism of asymptotic periodicity is examined and used to calculate time correlations along trajectories of these maps as well as their limiting conditional entropy. The time correlation is shown to naturally decouple into periodic and stochastic components. Finally, asymptotic periodicity is studied in a noise-perturbed piecewise linear map, focusing on how the variation of noise amplitude can cause a transition from asymptotic periodicity to asymptotic stability in the density evolution of this system.     

Monte Carlo simulation of grain growth in polycrystalline materials

Understanding the kinetics of grain growth, under the influence of second phase (such as impurities, voids and bubbles) is fundamental to advances in the control of microstructural evolution. As a precursor to this objective, we have investigated the grain growth kinetics in a polycrystalline material using a standard Q-state Potts’ model under Monte Carlo settings. Based on physical reasoning, new modifications are suggested to circumvent some of the disadvantages in the basic Potts model. The efficacy of these modifications vis-à-vis the basic model is verified. The influence of second phase particles on the impurity loaded grain boundaries is investigated for the study of grain growth kinetics.