Stable boundary layers in a diffusion problem with nonlinear reaction at the boundary

We prove the existence of nonconstant stable stationary solutions of an evolution problem with a nonlinear reaction acting on the boundary. These solutions present layers at certain points of the boundary. We also study the behavior of these solutions as the small parameter appearing in the equation approaches zero and show some stability properties of the profiles given by these equilibrium solutions.     

Homology equivalences inducing an epimorphism on the fundamental group and Quillen's plus construction

Quillen's plus construction is a topological construction that kills the maximal perfect subgroup of the fundamental group of a space without changing the integral homology of the space. In this paper we show that there is a topological construction that, while leaving the integral homology of a space unaltered, kills even the intersection of the transfinite lower central series of its fundamental group. Moreover, we show that this is the maximal subgroup that can be factored out of the fundamental group without changing the integral homology of a space.

     

Determination of the rheological behavior of epoxy–amine thermosets by dynamic mechanical analysis: Isothermal methods versus nonisothermal methods

The reticulation process of an epoxy resin using an amine as a cure agent was studied at different temperatures and concentrations of the cure agent with dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The study was performed under both isothermal and nonisothermal conditions, and a temperature–time–transformation diagram was obtained. The measurements from the two modes gave similar results, although the nonisothermal mode required fewer experiments. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1965–1977, 2003     

Effects of alcohols on micellization and on the reaction methyl 4‐nitrobenzenesulfonate + Br− in cetyltrimethylammonium bromide aqueous micellar solutions

The effects of n‐hexanol, n‐pentanol, and n‐butanol on the critical micelle concentration (cmc), on the micellar ionization degree (α), and on the rate of the reaction methyl 4‐nitrobenzenesulfonate + Br^? have been investigated in cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) aqueous solutions. An increase in the alcohol concentration present in the solution produces a decrease in the cmc and an increase in the micellar ionization degree. Kinetic data show that the observed rate constant decreases as alcohol concentration increases. This result was rationalized by considering variations in the equilibrium binding constant of the methyl 4‐nitrobenzenesulfonate molecules to the micelles, variations in the interfacial bromide ion concentration, and variations in the characteristics of the water–alcohol bulk phase provoked by the presence of alcohols. When these operative factors are considered, kinetic data in this and other works show that the second‐order rate constants in the micellar pseudophases of water–alcohol micellar solutions are quite similar to those estimated in the absence of alcohols. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36: 634–641, 2004     

Determination of styrene in olive oil by an automatic purge-and-trap system coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Summary A new gas chromatographic method using an automatic purge-and-trap system coupled to a GC with mass selective detection to analyze styrene at the parts-per-trillions (ng kg^–1) level is described. The method shows a good sensitivity and the detection limit is 10 ng kg^–1 with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 4.7% for 164 ng kg^–1 styrene in olive oil. This analytical method has been successfully applied to the analysis of styrene in extra-virgin olive oil from the European market.     

Pattern forming precipitation in gels due to coupling of chemical reactions with diffusion

Precipitate-forming chemical reactions have been studied in chemically cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) gel medium. One of the reactive components was incorporated into the gel, the other was allowed to diffuse into it. Depending on the experimental conditions the reaction-diffusion process often results in patterns of different type. Experiments performed in tubes and in thin layers were carried out in order to investigate the effects of various factors (cross-linking density, swelling degree as well as the concentrations of the outer and inner electrolytes) on the morphologies of the precipitate patterns. It was found that precipitation occurs not only in the Liesegang bands, but also between bands. Beside Liesegang-type structures, tree-like patterns have been observed, showing a characteristic periodicity in the density profile obtained by digitalized image analyses.     

Design and application of double amplified recirculating ring structure for hybrid fibre buses

The design of a double-parallel amplified recirculating optical delay line utilizing an erbium-doped fibre amplifier for a fibre optical bus is described. This structure is used for amplifying, equalizing and filtering multicarrier signals coming from optoelectronic units attached to fibre couplers. The use of this structure for a hybrid multimode-singlemode fibre bus that includes optoelectronic units for sensors is also demonstrated.     

Model of free charge generation in polymers

A time solution of the excimer-ion pair system is presented here with a special attention to the time asymptote. Presented at the Czech-Israeli-German Symposium “Dynamical Processes in Condensed Molecular Systems”, Prague, Czech Republic, 26–30 May 1997. This work was supported by the grant No. C 1050601 of the Grant Agency of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.