Existence of multiple and sign-changing solutions for a second-order nonlinear functional difference equation with periodic coefficients

In the present paper, we apply the method of invariant sets of descending flow to establish a series of criteria to ensure that a second-order nonlinear functional difference equation with periodic boundary conditions possesses at least one trivial solution and three nontrivial solutions. These nontrivial solutions consist of sign-changing solutions, positive solutions and negative solutions. Moreover, as an application of our theoretical results, an example is elaborated. Our results generalize and improve some existing ones.     

Nonnegative solutions to reaction–diffusion system with cross-diffusion and nonstandard growth conditions

We establish the existence of nonnegative weak solutions to nonlinear reaction–diffusion system with cross-diffusion and nonstandard growth conditions subject to the homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions. We assume that the diffusion operators satisfy certain monotonicity condition and nonstandard growth conditions and prove that the existence of weak solutions using Galerkin's approximation technique.     

水下对转螺旋桨流致辐射噪声机理与预报方法*

水下对转螺旋桨流致辐射噪声的预报对于水下目标的特征提取和分类识别具有重要意义。由桨叶的旋转引起的湍流场是水下对转螺旋桨流致辐射噪声的源场。分述了水下对转螺旋桨湍流边界层脉动、旋转干涉效应和空化效应引发的水动力噪声机制和研究进展,比较了目前工程应用中的3种对转螺旋桨流致辐射噪声预报方法的特点。在分析对转螺旋桨流致辐射噪声数值预报难点的基础上,综述了对转螺旋桨流致辐射噪声计算方法的研究进展,指出间接数值模拟方法是工程中进行对转螺旋桨流致辐射噪声预报的有效方法。     

Meshless acoustic analysis using a weakly singular Burton-Miller boundary integral formulation

The Burton-Miller boundary integral formulation is solved by a complex variable boundary element-free method (CVBEFM) for the boundary-only meshless analysis of acoustic problems with arbitrary wavenumbers. To regularize both strongly singular and hypersingular integrals and to avoid the computation of the solid angle and its normal derivative, a weakly singular Burton-Miller formulation is derived by considering the normal derivative of the solid angle and adopting the singularity subtraction procedures. To facilitate the implementation of the CVBEFM and the approximation of gradients of the boundary variables, a stabilized complex variable moving least-square approximation is selected in the meshless discretization procedure. The results show the accuracy and efficiency of the present CVBEFM and reveal that the method can produce satisfactory results for all wavenumbers, even for extremely large wavenumbers such as k = 10 000.     

云制造平台加工能力分享调度优化研究

云制造平台加工能力分享的调度优化是云制造模式的核心运营问题。为提高云制造平台对参与能力分享企业资源的利用率,解决实际云制造需求环境下企业级制造资源调度问题,达到云制造平台动态实时的要求,以最小化工期和成本为目标函数,构建了基于平台并面向分享的云加工能力调度模型。为快速求解多个云任务订单的最优调度序列,引入任务简易编码和随机权重,设计了改进的二阶粒子群算法,并提出可分享加工能力时间窗的更新策略。最后,通过算例验证云制造平台加工能力调度机制的可行性和有效性。     

Targeted Hybrid Nanocarriers as a System Enhancing the Skin Structure

The skin is constantly exposed to external and internal factors that disturb its function. In this work, two nanosystems-levan nanoparticles and a surfactin-stabilized nanoemulsion were preserved (tested for microbial growth) and characterized (size, polydispersity, Zeta potential, and stability). The nanosystems were introduced in the model formulations-cream, tonic, and gel, and confirmed by TEM. The analysis showed that nanoemulsion has a spherical morphology and size 220–300 nm, while levan nanoparticles had irregular shapes independently of the use of matrix and with particle size (130–260 nm). Additionally, we examined the antiradical effect of levan nanoparticles and nanoemulsion in the prototype of formulations by scavenging DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl; EPR spectroscopy). The model cream with both nanosystems and the whole range of products with nanosystems were evaluated in vivo for hydration, elasticity, smoothness, wrinkles and vascular lesions, discoloration, respectively. The cream improved skin condition in all tested parameters in at least 50% of volunteers. The use of more comprehensive care, additionally consisting of a tonic and gel, reduced the previously existing skin discoloration to 10.42 ± 0.58%. The presented prototype formulations are promising in improving skin conditions.     

Dynamic analysis and regulation of the flexible pipe conveying fluid with a hard-magnetic soft segment

Applied Mathematics and Mechanics - The recently developed hard-magnetic soft (HMS) materials can play a significant role in the actuation and control of medical devices, soft robots, flexible...     

Assessment of different reconstruction techniques for implementing the NVSF schemes on unstructured meshes

Three new far‐upwind reconstruction techniques, New‐Technique 1, 2, and 3, are proposed in this paper, which localize the normalized variable and space formulation (NVSF) schemes and facilitate the implementation of standard bounded high‐resolution differencing schemes on arbitrary unstructured meshes. By theoretical analysis, it is concluded that the three new techniques overcome two inherent drawbacks of the original technique found in the literature. Eleven classic high‐resolution NVSF schemes developed in the past decades are selected to evaluate performances of the three new techniques relative to the original technique. Under the circumstances of arbitrary unstructured meshes, stretched meshes, and uniform triangular meshes, for each NVSF scheme, the accuracies and convergence properties, when implementing the four aforementioned far‐upwind reconstruction techniques respectively, are assessed by the pure convection of several scalar profiles. The numerical results clearly show that New‐Technique‐2 leads to a better performance in terms of overall accuracy and convergence behavior for the 11 NVSF schemes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rethinking pedagogy for second-order differential equations: a simplified approach to understanding well-posed problems

Knowing an equation has a unique solution is important from both a modelling and theoretical point of view. For over 70 years, the approach to learning and teaching ‘well posedness’ of initial value problems (IVPs) for second- and higher-order ordinary differential equations has involved transforming the problem and its analysis to a first-order system of equations. We show that this excursion is unnecessary and present a direct approach regarding second- and higher-order problems that does not require an understanding of systems.