Cold compaction of ceramic powder: Computational analysis of the effect of pressing method and die shape

This paper deals with a computational analysis of the influence of the pressing method and part geometry on the final density distribution in the cold compaction process of ceramic alumina powders. The analysis is based on the explicit finite-element model proposed and validated in a previous study. The mechanical behavior of the processing material is described using a multisurface elastoplastic model, the modified Drucker-Prager/Cap model Published in Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 43, No. 10, pp. 129–134, October 2007.     

Physicochemical studies on hydrophobic PEO‐PPO‐PEO triblock copolymer micelles in SDS micellar environment

The shape, size, aggregation, hydration, and correlation times of water insoluble PEO‐PPO‐PEO triblock copolymer micelles with sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) micelles were investigated using transport studies and dynamic light scattering technique. From the conductance of micellar solutions of the polymer in 25 mM SDS and 5 mM NaCl, the hydration of polymer micelles were determined using the principle of obstruction of electrolyte migration by the polymer. The asymmetry of the micellar particles of polymer and polymer‐SDS mixed micellar systems in 5 mM NaCl and their average axial ratios were calculated using intrinsic viscosity and hydration data obeying Simha–Einstein equation. Hydration number and micellar sizes were variable with temperature. The shape of the polymer micelles has been ellipsoidal rather than spherical. The micellar volume, hydrodynamic radius, radius of gyration, diffusional coefficients as well as translational, rotational and effective correlation times have been calculated from the absolute values of the axes. The partial molal volume of polymer micelles has also been determined and its comparison with the molar volume of pure polymer suggested a volume contraction due to immobilization of the water phase by the hydrophilic head groups of the polymer. The thermodynamic activation parameters for viscous flow favor a more ordered water structure around polymer micelles at higher temperatures. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 2410–2420, 2007     

Identification of micro-scale calorimetric devices II

The miniaturized calorimetric devices furnish a reduced working flat surface and permits measurements with extremely low-mass quantities. The experimental sensitivity shows relevant position dependence with x-y surface coordinates and with z-distance. The device identification is realized via a 2-D model based in Fourier general equation. Using the Marquardt method the experimental flat surface device can be identified and the fitted parameters used to simulate the behavior of the experimental system. From the model, the effects of several dissipation configurations can be evaluated. Also, via the RC-analogy, a way to 3-D experimental devices is roughly described. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Comparisons of pharynx, source, formant, and pressure characteristics in operatic and musical theatre singing

Belting, a vocal technique typically cultivated in musical theatre singing, differs timbrally from operatic singing in many interesting respects. The underlying phonatory differences have not been previously investigated in detail. Yet, belting is frequently associated with disturbances of voice function. Articulatory and phonatory characteristics are investigated in a female subject who is a professional singer (co-author JL) trained in both the operatic and belting styles and in an intermediate vocal technique (“mixed”). This article presents data obtained from this subject by video-fiberoptic observation of the pharynx, inverse filtering of airflow, and measurement of subglottal pressure. The results reveal that belting was characterized by very high subglottal pressures and sound levels, and apparently also by a comparatively high degree of glottal adduction. Comparisons with other investigations of related aspects of belting and operatic singing support the assumption that the data obtained from our subject are representative for these vocal techniques.     

Energy transfer between the flavin chromophores of electron-transferring flavoprotein fromMegasphaera elsdenii as inferred from time-resolved red-edge and blue-edge fluorescence spectroscopy

Both a mode-locked argon-ion laser and synchrotron radiation were used as excitation sources to obtain time-resolved polarized fluorescence of the two FAD cofactors in electron transferring flavoprotein fromMegasphaera elsdenii. Red-edge excited and blue-edge detected fluorescence anisotropy decay curves did not contain a fast relaxation process which was observed upon mainband excitation and detection. This relaxation was assigned to homo-energy transfer between the two FAD cofactors. Failure of energy transfer as observed with edge spectroscopy on this protein excludes restricted reorientational motion of the flavins as a possible mechanism of depolarization. From the global analysis of the fluorescence anisotropy decay surface obtained at multiple excitation and detection wavelengths, the distance between and the relative orientation of the flavins could be estimated. The methodology described has general applicability in other multichromophoric biopolymers and has the potential to acquire accurate geometrical parameters in these systems.     

Shape preservation regions for six-dimensional spaces

We analyze the critical length for design purposes of six-dimensional spaces invariant under translations and reflections containing the functions 1, cos t and sin t. These spaces also contain the first degree polynomials as well as trigonometric and/or hyperbolic functions. We identify the spaces whose critical length for design purposes is greater than 2π and find its maximum 4π. By a change of variables, two biparametric families of spaces arise. We call shape preservation region to the set of admissible parameters in order that the space has shape preserving representations for curves. We describe the shape preserving regions for both families. To our friend Mariano Gasca on occasion of his 60th birthday Research partially supported by the Spanish Research Grant MTM2006-03388, by Gobierno de Aragón and Fondo Social Europeo.     

Stability of the steady state for the Falk model system of shape memory alloys

In this article a stability result for the Falk model system is proven. The Falk model system describes the martensitic phase transitions in shape memory alloys. In our setting, the steady state is a nonlocal elliptic problem. We show the dynamical stability for the linearized stable critical point of the corresponding functional. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Crystal field analysis of the magnetization curves of R2Fe17 and R2Fe17H3 (R=Tb,Ho,Er)

In this paper the values of the crystalline-electric-field parameters A_nm for R₂Fe₁₇ and R₂Fe₁₇H₃ (R=Tb,Ho,Er) are evaluated by fitting calculations to the magnetization curves measured on the single crystal at several temperatures. The fitted A_nm for R₂Fe₁₇ are strikingly different from those for the corresponding R₂Fe₁₇H₃. The energy gaps between the lowest four energy levels for Ho ions in Ho₂Fe₁₇₂ can be reproduced by using the fitted A_nm and exchange field 2μ_BH_ex, which estimated from the fit of the temperature dependence of the spontaneous magnetization combined with inelastic neutron scattering experiment.     

基于视觉心理学的SFS流形算法研究

通过视觉方法获取形状在科学研究及工程实践中有着重要作用,灰度图像是最容易获取的视觉信息之一。目前由灰度重构的形状(SFS,shape from shading)受到了广泛的关注,但现有的算法稳定性差、效率低,一直阻碍着SFS方法的推广应用。受近期的视觉心理学研究成果的启发,针对SFS问题,从局部分析入手,即:在图像上,在每一灰度极值点附近,根据灰度单调变化的情况,形成一个椭圆形邻域,对应着表面凹凸区;在每一椭圆域上,形状可用抛物面逼近,其参数可由局部辐射度约束求解;整个图像被椭圆形邻域覆盖,这些覆盖可构成一个二维流形;借助于流形上单位分解函数,各局部抛物面粘合在一起,形成光滑的整体形状;总体形状在整幅图像的灰度约束下再进行全局优化,可得到最终的重构结果。给出了初步算例,算法的稳定性和效率均有大幅度提高。     

On Numerical Solution of Shape Inverse Problems

The new method is proposed for the numerical solution of a class of shape inverse problems. The size and the location of a small opening in the domain of integration of an elliptic equation is identified on the basis of an observation. The observation includes the finite number of shape functionals. The approximation of the shape functionals by using the so-called topological derivatives is used to perform the learning process of an artificial neural network. The results of computations for 2D examples show, that the method allows to determine an approximation of the global solution to the inverse problem, sufficiently closed to the exact solution. The proposed method can be extended to the problems with an opening of general shape and to the identification problems of small inclusions. However, the mathematical theory of the proposed approach still requires futher research. In particular, the proof of global convergence of the method is an open problem.