Discontinuous travelling wave solutions for certain hyperbolic systems

In an earlier paper on a malignant cell invasion model (Marchantet al., SIAM J. Appl. Math, 60, 2000) we introduced a novelform of discontinuous travelling wave solution. These solutionscould be studied easily by combining behaviour within a phaseplane with the Rankine–Hugoniot shock conditions, whichdescribe properties (such as the ratio of the jump discontinuitiesto the speed of propagation) that solutions may possess. Theseresults were new for several reasons. The shock conditions relateto hyperbolic equations (which the model is) but were appliedin a travelling wave ordinary differential equation phase planeusing techniques that usually apply to parabolic reaction–diffusionsystems. In addition the solutions possess singular behaviournear several points in the phase plane but in spite of thisthere exists a robust and stable family of physically interestingsolutions. In this paper we discuss two previously studied models, oneof detonation theory and one of angiogenesis. We show that eachof these models also possesses a family of discontinuous travellingwave solutions which was not previously discovered. Of particularinterest is the solution which has a blunt interface at thefront of the invading profile. In all three models it is thissolution that is seen to stably evolve from physically relevantinitial data, and for physically relevant parameter values. This work confirms the robustness of these novel travellingwave solutions and their applicability to a wider range of mathematicalmodelling situations.     

Prognostication of aging of polymeric composite materials

Experimental data demonstrate that a study of accelerated aging can enable prognostication of the working capacity and storage life of polymeric formulations used in aircraft components on the basis of changes in thermogravimetric constants of these polymeric formulations.     

Order conditions for linearly implicit fractional step Runge Kutta methods

^{In this paper, we study the consistency of a variant of fractionalstep Runge–Kutta methods. These methods are designed tointegrate efficiently semi-linear multidimensional parabolicproblems by means of linearly implicit time integration processes.Such time discretization procedures are also related to a splittingof the space differential operator (or the spatial discretizationof it) as a sum of ‘simpler’ linear differentialoperators and a nonlinear term.}     

Effects of tributyltin(IV) chloride on the gametes and fertilization of Ascidia malaca (Ascidiacea: Tunicata)

Ascidia malaca gametes before fertilization incubated in 10^?5 or 10^?7 M solutions of tributyltin(IV) chloride, TBTCl, for 3 h appear highly damaged under transmission electron microscopy observation. Also, the fertilization process is affected by the compound: the damaged spermatozoa are present in the vitelline coat and the egg does not cleave. An increase of microbodies, structurally similar to peroxisomes, have been detected in the egg peripheral cytoplasm, probably in relation to their role in alleviating damage to some cellular components. The results have shown that the reproduction of ascidians under unfavourable environmental conditions is prevented. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Kinetics of proton transfer in a green fluorescent protein: A laser-induced pH jump study

The sub-millisecond protonation dynamics of the chromophore in S65T mutant form of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) was tracked after a rapid pH jump following laser-induced proton release from the caged photolabile compoundo-nitrobenzaldehyde. Following a jump in pH from 8 to 5 (which is achieved within 2 μs), the fluorescence of S65T GFP decreased as a single exponential with a time constant of ∼90 μs. This decay is interpreted as the conversion of the deprotonated fluorescent GFP chromophore to a protonated non-fluorescent species. The protonation kinetics showed dependence on the bulk viscosity of the solvent, and therefore implicates bulk solvent-controlled protein dynamics in the protonation process. The protonation is proposed to be a sequential process involving two steps: (a) proton transfer from solvent to the chromophore, and (b) internal structural rearrangements to stabilize a protonated chromophore. The possible implications of these observations to protein dynamics in general is discussed     

Approximation Properties AP s and p-Nuclear Operators (the Case 0 < s ≤ 1)

We investigate Banach spaces possessing (or not possessing) the approximation properties AP _s, 0 < s ≤ 1, in connection with the following known question in the geometric theory of operators: under which conditions on Banach spaces X and Y and on positive numbers r and p does the p-nuclearity of the second adjoint of a continuous operator T from X to Y imply the p-nuclearity of T? Actually, we give necessary and sufficient conditions under which this question is answered affirmatively. In addition, the corresponding counterexamples are obtained in the maximally strong form. For instance, it is shown (and this statement is a significant strengthening of the previous results of that sort) that there exists a pair of separable Banach spaces Z and W such that the spaces Z ^** and W have Schauder bases, while for every p, 1 ≤ p < 2, there is a non-p-nuclear operator from W to Z with a p-nuclear second adjoint. Earlier, in similar examples, the corresponding spaces did not possess even the Grothendieck approximation property. The technique developed in this paper does not allow us to treat the case p > 2. That case will be studied in a forthcoming paper of the author. Bibliography: 11 titles.     

Rovibrational analysis of the absorption spectrum of H2O around 1.02 μm by ICLAS-VECSEL

The very weak water vapor absorption spectrum has been investigated between 9520 and 10 010 cm⁻¹ by intracavity laser absorption spectroscopy based on a vertical external cavity surface emitting laser. The rovibrational assignment performed on the basis of the ab initio calculations of Schwenke and Partridge has allowed for determining 156 new energy levels belonging to a total of 13 vibrational states. The assignment process is detailed. The results are compared with the available databases and discussed in regard of recent investigations by Fourier transform spectroscopy.