Odd periodic waves and stability results for the defocusing mass-critical Korteweg-de Vries equation

In this paper, we present results of existence and stability of odd periodic traveling wave solutions for the defocusing mass-critical Korteweg-de Vries equation. The existence of periodic wave trains is obtained by solving a constrained minimization problem. Concerning the stability, we use the Floquet theory to determine the behavior of the first three eigenvalues of the linearized operator around the wave, as well as the positiveness of the associated Hessian matrix.     

Is [Co(4)(H(2)O)(2)(α-PW(9)O(34))(2)](10-) a genuine molecular catalyst in photochemical water oxidation? Answers from time-resolved hole scavenging experiments

Water oxidation catalysts: evolution of [Co(4)(H(2)O)(2)(α-PW(9)O(34))(2)](10-) to catalytically active species is assessed by laser flash photolysis in sacrificial photocatalytic cycles with Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) as a photosensitizer.     

Water, solute, and segmental dynamics in polysaccharide hydrogels

Polysaccharide hydrogels have found several applications in the food industry, in biomedicine, and cosmetics. The study of polysaccharide hydrogels offers a challenging scenario of intrinsic heterogeneities in the crosslinking density and large time and space ranges that characterize a number of dynamic processes entailing segmental motions, water diffusion, and small-molecule diffusion. The understanding of such complex features is essential because of the extensive use of polysaccharidic moieties in the food industry, biomedical devices, and cosmetics. The study of phenomena occurring at the nanoscale to the mesoscale requires the combination of investigative tools to probe different time and distance scales and the structural characterization of the networks by established methodologies such as swelling and elastic modulus measurements. Elastic and quasielastic neutron scattering, and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching are emerging methodologies in this field. In this feature article we focus, somewhat arbitrarily, on these new approaches because other techniques, such as low-resolution proton NMR relaxometry and rheology, have been already described thoroughly in the literature. Case examples of polysaccharide hydrogels studied by neutron scattering and fluorescence recovery are presented here as contributions to the comprehension of the dynamic behavior of physical and chemical hydrogels based on polysaccharides. Quasielastic incoherent neutron scattering experiment on a Sephadex hydrogel sample at different temperatures.     

Optimal equipment replacement without paradoxes: A continuous analysis

Combining known continuous- and discrete-time models of equipment replacement, we show that the optimal equipment lifetime is shorter when the embodied technological change is more intense. The paper has been inspired by a paradox in the equipment replacement raised by Cheevaprawatdomrong and Smith in Oper. Res. Lett. 31 (2003).     

Emergent criticality through adaptive information processing in boolean networks

We study information processing in populations of boolean networks with evolving connectivity and systematically explore the interplay between the learning capability, robustness, the network topology, and the task complexity. We solve a long-standing open question and find computationally that, for large system sizes N, adaptive information processing drives the networks to a critical connectivity K(c)=2. For finite size networks, the connectivity approaches the critical value with a power law of the system size N. We show that network learning and generalization are optimized near criticality, given that the task complexity and the amount of information provided surpass threshold values. Both random and evolved networks exhibit maximal topological diversity near K(c). We hypothesize that this diversity supports efficient exploration and robustness of solutions. Also reflected in our observation is that the variance of the fitness values is maximal in critical network populations. Finally, we discuss implications of our results for determining the optimal topology of adaptive dynamical networks that solve computational tasks.     

Injection-seeded, gain-switched tunable Cr:ZnSe laser

We report a narrow-linewidth, tunable, gain-switched Cr:ZnSe laser operating between 2255 and 2455 nm. The spectral width of the laser was reduced from 125 nm to 0.3 nm by using injection seeding. Seeding was achieved with a second tunable CW Cr:ZnSe laser. The output wavelength was varied by tuning the wavelength of the seed laser. The seeded oscillator produced as high as 157 μJ pulses with 598 μJ incident pump pulse energy at a repetition rate of 1 kHz. The slope efficiency was determined to be 26%.     

Effect of steam on the structural and morphological stability of renewable poly(ether‐block‐amide)s

The effect of steam on chemical structure and mechanical properties of renewable poly(ether‐block‐amide)s (PEBAs) is investigated by different characterization techniques, i.e. FT‐IR, TGA, DSC, DMA, and BES. Steam sterilization is a mandatory process for materials used in medical applications. This process, employed during clinical practice and replicated in this study, affects polymer structure and morphology. Steam induces an increase of polyamide (PA) crystallinity in PEBAs with a majority of PA domains, due to the conformational transition from α‐helix to parallel and anti‐parallel β‐sheet, with stronger hydrogen bonding. In PEBAs with longer polyether (PE) blocks, steam induces an increase of random PA domains and the formation of a more extended hydrogen bonding network between ether and amide moieties of the two segments. As a consequence of these microdomain conformational variations, relevant changes occur in molecular relaxations as demonstrated by DMA and BES results. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 409–418     

Potentialities of GaN-based microcavities in strong coupling regime at room temperature

In a recent publication [N. Antoine-Vincent, F. Natali, D. Byrne, A. Vasson, P. Disseix, J. Leymarie, M. Leroux, F. Semond, J. Massies, Phys. Rev. B 68 (2003) 153313], we have highlighted for the first time the exciton–photon strong coupling in a GaN-based microcavity and obtained a Rabi splitting of 31 meV persistent at 77 K. Our aim is now to study the feasibility of GaN-based microcavities for which the strong coupling regime would be maintained at room temperature. A complex heterostructure containing GaN/AlGaN quantum wells (QWs) is investigated by photoreflectivity and reflectivity at 5 K. The QW thickness is 3 nm and the Al composition and thickness of the barriers are respectively 0.11 and 10 nm. From the modeling of the experimental spectra, the values of the oscillator strength, the energy and the broadening parameter of the QW fundamental transition are determined; the broadening is found to be relatively weak (15 meV). Simulations of microcavities containing QWs have then been performed including this set of parameters: a theoretical Rabi splitting of 34 meV is obtained at 5 K. Considering an additional broadening induced by the increase of the temperature (23 meV), the strong coupling regime could be maintained theoretically at room temperature in such a structure. This is due to the low value of the inhomogeneous broadening related to the QW transition which is lower than in bulk GaN. The influence of the QW number and the nature of the Bragg mirror on the Rabi splitting is then discussed in realistic structures.     

The holographic bubble chamber experiment and the determination of the effective charmed quark mass and theK-factor for hadronic charm production

In the first holographic bubble chamber experiment — the HOBC experiment — we have accumulated a total of 40000 holograms with particle interactions. We have determined the total charm pair cross section inpN collisions to be 23.3 _?7.7 ⁺¹⁰ μb and 3.6 _?1.7 ^+2.3 μb for 360 and 200 GeV/c incident protons respectively. We have assumed a linear dependence of the cross section on the atomic number of the target. This experiment has demonstrated the feasibility of holographic recording in small bubble chambers. Assuming that the charm cross section can be described by the standard QCD factorized expression with gluon fusion and quark-antiquark annihilation, we have used our measured charm cross sections with other measurements to determine the effective charmed quark mass to be 1.8 _?0.35 ^+0.25 GeV/c². TheK factor, which describes the importance of the higher order corrections, is calculated to be 9.8 _?6.9 ^+12.5 (See noted added in proof.)     

Stability and instability of periodic standing wave solutions for some Klein–Gordon equations

In the present paper we show some results concerning the orbital stability of dnoidal standing wave solutions and orbital instability of cnoidal standing wave solutions to the following Klein–Gordon equation:

u_tt−u_xx+u−|u|²u=0.