Multiple Coverings of the Plane with Triangles

We prove that any 43-fold covering of the plane with translates of a triangle can be decomposed into two coverings.     

The uv-Decomposition on a Class of D.C. Functions and Optimality Conditions

In this paper,the UV-theory and P-differential calculus are employed to study second-order ex-pansion of a class of D.C.functions and minimization problems.Under certain conditions,some properties ofthe U-Lagrangian,the second-order expansion of this class of functions along some trajectories are formulated.Some first and second order optimality conditions for the class of D.C.optimization problems are given.     

Control of the block copolymer morphology in templated epoxy thermosets

It has been found that by the addition of low concentrations of an amphiphilic block copolymer to an epoxy resin, novel disordered morphologies can be formed and preserved through curing. This article will focus on characterizing the influence of the block copolymer and casting solvent on the templated morphology achieved in the thermoset sample. The ultimate goal of this work is to determine the parameters that would control the microphase morphology produced. Epoxy resins blended with a series of amphiphilic block copolymers based on hydrogenated polyisoprene (polyethylene-alt-propylene or PEP) and polyethylene oxide (PEO), specifically, were investigated. In this article, the cure-induced order–order phase transition from the spherical to wormlike micelle morphology will also be discussed. It is proposed that the formation of the wormlike micelle structure from the spherical micelle structure is similar to the phase transition behavior that occurs in dilute block copolymer solutions as a function of the influence of the solvent on micelle morphology. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 3338–3348, 2007     

The Transport Properties of the Cell Membrane Ion Channels in Electric Fields: Bethe Lattice Treatment

The interactive two-state model of cell membrane ion channels in an electric field is formulated on the Bethe lattice by means of the exact recursion relations. The probability of channel opening or maximum fractions of open potassium and sodium channels are obtained by solving a non-linear algebraic equation. Using known parameters for the conventional mean-field theory the model gives a good agreement with the experiment both at low and high trans-membrane potential values. For intermediate voltages, the numerical results imply that collective effects are introduced by trans-membrane voltage.     

Comment on “The Free Will Theorem”

In a recent paper Conway and Kochen, Found. Phys. 36, 2006, claim to have established that theories of the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber (RW) type, i.e., of spontaneous wave function collapse, cannot be made relativistic. On the other hand, relativistic GRW-type theories have already been presented, in my recent paper, J. Stat. Phys. 125, 2006, and by Dowker and Henson, J. Stat. Phys. 115, 2004. Here, I elucidate why these are not excluded by the arguments of Conway and Kochen.      

How many black holes fit on the head of a pin?

The Bekenstein–Hawking entropy of certain black holes can be computed microscopically in string theory by mapping the elusive problem of counting microstates of a strongly gravitating black hole to the tractable problem of counting microstates of a weakly coupled D-brane system, which has no event horizon, and indeed comfortably fits on the head of a pin. We show here that, contrary to widely held beliefs, the entropy of spherically symmetric black holes can easily be dwarfed by that of stationary multi-black-hole “molecules” of the same total charge and energy. Thus, the corresponding pin-sized D-brane systems do not even approximately count the microstates of a single black hole, but rather those of a zoo of entropically dominant multicentered configurations. Fourth Award in the 2007 Essay Competition of the Gravity Research Foundation.     

DSC analysis of strengthening precipitates in ultrafine Al–Mg–Si alloys

Equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) was carried out on solution annealed samples of Al–Mg–Si–Zr and Al–Mg–Si–Zr–Sc alloys to achieve a substantial grain refinement of the materials. Post ECAP aging was then investigated on the ultrafine grained alloys by DSC and TEM analyses. DSC scans were carried out with heating rates ranging from 5 to 30°C min^–1. Peak identification was performed by the support of literature information and TEM analyses. Precipitation kinetics revealed to be similar for both alloys but the Sc-free alloy showed a recrystallization peak at temperatures ranging from 310 to 340°C, depending on the strain accumulated during ECAP. On the contrary, the Sc-containing alloy showed a greater grain stability. Analyses of peak positions and of activation energies as a function of ECAP passes experienced by the samples revealed large modifications of precipitation kinetics in the ultrafine-grained alloys with respect to the coarse-grained materials.