Improved interval methods for solving circle packing problems in the unit square

Journal of Global Optimization - In this work computer-assisted optimality proofs are given for the problems of finding the densest packings of 31, 32, and 33 non-overlapping equal circles in a...     

Investigating the Time Dependent Behavior of Thermoplastic Polymers under Tensile Load

The relationship between the results of the tensile and the stress relaxation tests of polypropylene specimens were analyzed and an attempt was made to find a way to estimate the former from the latter based on the measurements and the theory of linear viscoelasticity. The mechanical response of real polymers are basically of nonlinear character, therefore their behavior patterns do not meet the idealized (linear) ones. Experiments were performed on poly(propylene) (PP) as a test material and the stress relaxation behavior, as well as the linear elastic and linear viscoelastic approximation of the tensile load-time curve were analyzed. To demonstrate the applicability of our idea and to perform the numerical calculations we have chosen a flexible function with three parameters to realize the nonlinear behavior.     

Nafion/2,2'-bipyridyl-modified bismuth film electrode for anodic stripping voltammetry

This paper describes the fabrication, characterisation and the application of a Nafion/2,2′-bipyridyl/bismuth composite film-coated glassy carbon electrode (NC(Bpy)BiFE) for the anodic stripping voltammetric determination of trace metal ions (Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺). The NC(Bpy)BiFE electrode is prepared by first applying a 2.5 mm³ drop of a coating solution containing 0.5 wt% Nafion and 0.1% (w/v) 2,2′-bipyridil (Bpy) onto the surface of a glassy carbon electrode, while the Bi film was plated in situ simultaneously with the target metal ions at −1.4 V. The main advantage of the polymer coated bismuth film electrode is that the sensitivity of the stripping responses is increased considerably due to the incorporation of the neutral chelating agent of 2,2′-bipyridyl (Bpy) in the Nafion film, while the Nafion coating improved the mechanical stability of the bismuth film and its resistance to the interference of surfactants. The key experimental parameters relevant to both the electrode fabrication and the voltammetric measurement were optimized on the basis of the stripping signals. With a 2 min deposition time in the presence of oxygen, linear calibration curves were obtained in a wide concentration range (about 2-0.001 μM) with detection limits of 8.6 nM (0.56 μg dm⁻³) for Zn²⁺, 1.1 nM (0.12 μg dm⁻³) for Cd²⁺ and 0.37 nM (0.077 μg dm⁻³) for Pb²⁺. For nine successive preconcentration/determination/electrode renewal experiments the standard deviations were between 3 and 5% at 1.2 μM for zinc and 0.3-0.3 μM concentration level for lead and cadmium, respectively, and the method exhibited excellent selectivity in the presence of the excess of several potential interfering metal ions. The analytical utility of the stripping voltammetric method elaborated was tested in the assay of heavy metals in some real samples and the method was validated by ICP-MS technique.     

Strong convergence of the finite element method with truncated noise for semilinear parabolic stochastic equations with additive noise

We consider a semilinear parabolic PDE driven by additive noise. The equation is discretized in space by a standard piecewise linear finite element method. We show that the orthogonal expansion of the finite-dimensional Wiener process, that appears in the discretized problem, can be truncated severely without losing the asymptotic order of the method, provided that the kernel of the covariance operator of the Wiener process is smooth enough. For example, if the covariance operator is given by the Gauss kernel, then the number of terms to be kept is the quasi-logarithm of the number of terms in the original expansion. Then one can reduce the size of the corresponding linear algebra problem enormously and hence reduce the computational complexity, which is a key issue when stochastic problems are simulated.     

Improved thermal relaxation method for the simultaneous measurement of the specific heat and thermal conductivity

A novel method for the simultaneous, high-resolution measurement of the specific heat c and the thermal conductivity κ is presented. A new experimental setup has been developed with special emphasis on the elimination of systematic errors arising from radiative heat loss. A self-consistent data evaluation method is implemented which takes the effects of the sample geometry on c and κ properly into account. The measurements were performed over a broad temperature regime from 3 K up to room temperature on three compounds from the family of strongly correlated electron systems. The differences in their thermal properties and their highly sample-dependent sizes and shapes demonstrate the extended scope of the proposed method.     

Reversible formation of alcohol solvates and their potential use for heat storage

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The influence of temperature and magnesia content on the formation of phases and their transformation kinetics in stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric...     

The role of the nano-environment of supported gold catalysts in the activity control. Modification of Au/Al2O3 catalysts by redox-type metal oxides

Au/Al₂O₃ catalysts were modified by different redox metal oxides, such as FeO_x, MnO_x and CoO_x, resulting in a pronounced activity increase in CO oxidation.     

Enhanced conductivity composites for aircraft applications: carbon nanotube inclusion both in epoxy matrix and in carbonized electrospun nanofibers

The potential of carbonized electrospun nanofiber mats to render epoxy resin composites for aircraft applications electrically and thermally more conductive was investigated. The effect of carbon nanotube inclusion both inside the carbon nanofiber and in the epoxy resin matrix material was studied, in order to reveal any synergistic effects of multilevel presence of nanosized reinforcements on the conductivity and mechanical properties. The carbon nanotube inclusion into the carbonized nanofibers increased the electrical conductivity of the samples by 20–50% and the thermal conductivity by approximately three times leading to a higher value than that of the conventional composites. The preparation of layered composites with a conductive upper layer containing nonwoven carbon nanofabric and a load bearing lower layer with conventional unidirectional carbon fiber reinforcement can offer a cost‐effective and weight‐saving solution for the replacement of metal meshes in structural aircraft composites. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.