Analysis of entry flow to determine elongation flow properties revisited

The minimisation technique proposed by Binding (J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech., 27 (1988) 173) was used in our Generalised Engineering Bernoulli Equation framework to relate the entry pressure and stress power. We arrived at a final result similar to Binding's using assumed kinematics. Through subsequent assumptions to the kinematics we finally arrive at a result exactly equivalent to Cogswell's technique (Trans. Soc. Rheol., 16 (1972) 383). Thus, these two techniques are related in this general framework. The techniques were used to predict elongation flow properties of a polymer melt and polymer solution. The results for the polymer melt clearly show Cogswell's technique is adequate at high elongation rates. All these techniques require minimisation of the stress power with respect to the flow volume and discussion is given as to the validity of this minimisation technique. In addition, the approximate variational technique we propose gives clears limits as to when a technique, such as Cogswell's, can be applied.     

A Review of the Effects of Olive Oil-Cooking on Phenolic Compounds

The fate of phenolic compounds in oil and food during cooking vary according to the type of cooking. From a nutritional point of view, reviews largely suggest a preference for using extra-virgin olive oil at a low temperature for a short time, except for frying and microwaving, for which there appears to be no significant advantages compared to olive oil. However, due to the poorly pertinent use of terminology, the different protocols adopted in studies aimed at the same objective, the different type and quality of oils used in experiments, and the different quality and quantity of PC present in the used oils and in the studied vegetables, the evidence available is mainly contradictory. This review tries to reanalyse the main experimental reports on the fate, accessibility and bioavailability of phenolic compounds in cooking oils and cooked vegetables, by considering different cooking techniques and types of oil and foods, and distinguishing experimental findings obtained using oil alone from those in combination with vegetables. The re-analysis indicates that incomplete and contradictory observations have been published in the last few years and suggests that further research is necessary to clarify the impact of cooking techniques on the phenolic compounds in oil and vegetables during cooking, especially when considering their nutritional properties.     

Vortices in weakly coupled layered superconductors

The vortex system in high-temperature layered superconductors exhibits a rich phase diagram with many proposals of phase transitions modifying the correlations both within and between the layers. We focus on the limit where the magnetic coupling between “pancake” vortices dominates over the interlayer Josephson coupling. The weak, but long-ranged nature of this magnetic interaction allows for an accurate “mean-field” treatment where the pancakes in each layer move independently in a self-consistent substrate potential. We calculate the form of the two relevant phase transitions in this system. First, we determine when the substrate potential is too weak to stabilize the two-dimensional (2D) fluctuations and the lattice evaporates to a pancake gas. Second, within the lattice we find a Kosterlitz–Thouless unbinding transition of vacancies and interstitials. For a small but finite Josephson term, this is identified with the phase-decoupling transition.     

Optimal Fiber-Mesh Layout for a Composite Anisotropic Elastic Wedge

We consider a homogeneous orthotropic elastic wedge in plane stress loaded by a concentrated force at the apex. The orthotropic material is conceived of to be formed by a matrix reinforced by a triangular net of elastic fibers, so that the fiber size and the net shape determine the average elastic moduli of the composite material. It is found that maintaining fixed the amount of material used for the reinforcement, there exists a particular fiber disposal which maximizes the stiffness of the wedge. The optimal disposal is different-in-type for diverse opening-angles of the wedge. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

General anisotropic doubly-curved shell theory: A differential quadrature solution for free vibrations of shells and panels of revolution with a free-form meridian

The Generalized Differential Quadrature (GDQ) method is applied to study the dynamic behavior of anisotropic doubly-curved shells and panels of revolution with a free-form meridian. The First-order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT) is used to analyze the above mentioned moderately thick structural elements. In order to include the effect of the initial curvature in the evaluation of the stress resultants three different approaches, specifically Qatu approach, Toorani–Lakis approach and Reissner–Mindlin approach, are considered and compared. An improvement of the Classical Reissner–Mindlin Theory (CRMT) using a different kinematical model is considered. By so doing a generalization of the theory of anisotropic doubly-curved shells and panels of revolution is proposed. Four different anisotropic shell theories, namely General First-order Shear Deformation Theory by Qatu (GFSDTQ), General First-order Shear Deformation Theory by Toorani–Lakis (GFSDTTL), General First-order Shear Deformation Theory by Reissner–Mindlin (GFSDTRM) and Classical Reissner–Mindlin Theory (CRMT), are compared in order to show the differences and the accuracy of these theories. The solution is given in terms of generalized displacement components of points lying on the middle surface of the shell. Simple Rational Bézier curves are used to define the meridian curve of the revolution structures. Results are obtained taking the meridian and circumferential coordinates into account, without using the Fourier modal expansion methodology. Furthermore, GDQ results are compared with those obtained by using commercial programs such as Abaqus, Ansys, Nastran, Straus and Pro/Mechanica. Very good agreement is observed.     

Global solution to a singular integro-differential system related to the entropy balance

This paper is devoted to the mathematical analysis of a thermodynamic model describing phase transitions with thermal memory in terms of an entropy equation and a momentum balance for the microforces. The initial and boundary value problem is addressed for the related integro-differential system of partial differential equations (PDEs). Existence and uniqueness, continuous dependence on the data, and regularity results are proved for the global solution, in a finite time interval.     

Long term dynamics of a reaction-diffusion system

We study a reaction-diffusion system of two parabolic differential equations describing the behavior of a nuclear reactor. We provide existence results for nontrivial periodic solutions, nonexistence results for stationary solutions and we prove that, depending on the value of the parameters, either the system admits a compact global attractor, or the solutions are unbounded.     

The regularity of the free boundary in a multidimensional filtration problem

We prove the regularity of the free boundary for a filtration problem with capillarity in more than one space dimension. The free boundary is the interface between the saturated region (in which the governing equation is elliptic) and the unsaturated region (where a degenerate parabolic equation is to be solved).This work was partially supported by National Project Equazioni di Evoluzione e Applicazioni Fisico Matematiche (M.U.R.S.T.).     

On a notion of unilateral slope for the Mumford-Shah functional

In this paper we introduce a notion of unilateral slope for the Mumford-Shah functional, and provide an explicit formula in the case of smooth cracks. We show that the slope is not lower semicontinuous and study the corresponding relaxed functional.