On a Modified Subgradient Algorithm for Dual Problems via Sharp Augmented Lagrangian*

We study convergence properties of a modified subgradient algorithm, applied to the dual problem defined by the sharp augmented Lagrangian. The primal problem we consider is nonconvex and nondifferentiable, with equality constraints. We obtain primal and dual convergence results, as well as a condition for existence of a dual solution. Using a practical selection of the step-size parameters, we demonstrate the algorithm and its advantages on test problems, including an integer programming and an optimal control problem. *Partially Supported by 2003 UniSA ITEE Small Research Grant Ero2. Supported by CAPES, Brazil, Grant No. 0664-02/2, during her visit to the School of Mathematics and Statistics, UniSA.     

On the scales of computability potentials of finite algebras: Results and problems

We give a review of general known results on problems concerning the structure of scales of computability potentials of n-element algebras. We also formulate a number of natural open problems. __________ Translated from Fundamentalnaya i Prikladnaya Matematika, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 145–164, 2003.     

Ultrasonic evaluation of anisotropic damage in multiaxially textile-reinforced thermoplastic composites made from hybrid yarns

The basic damage and failure models of multiaxially reinforced composites with a thermoplastic matrix are presented and verified. Within the framework of continuum damage mechanics, a phenomenological model is introduced, where the damage is defined as a change in the elasticity tensor. For damage identification, a specific ultrasonic device was developed. A combination of an immersion set-up and a contact coupling device formed a system for an efficient determination of stiffness-tensor components from convenient sets of velocity measurements. Linked to a tensile machine, it allowed us to measure the anisotropic damage of the new materials group caused by tensile loading. Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 221–234, March–April, 2006.     

Sorption and Catalytic Activity of Adsorbent-Catalyst Based on Montmorillonite Modified with Cr(III) and Cu(II) Mixed Oxides

The sorption properties of mixed adsorbent-catalyst based on high-silica zeolite and montmorillonite modified with mixed oxides of Cr(III) and Cu(II) with respect to organic compounds of various classes were studied, and the optimal dynamic conditions of its operation were determined.     

Plasticity field adjacent to faces of asperities on a rotating roll after initial indentation into a half-space

The plastic deformation field near the horizontal surface of a half space of perfectly plastic material associated with an indenting rotating rigid tooth is studied using slip line theory. The tooth is one of many on a roll surface and indents first into the half-space material and then rotates about the roll center. A slip line field is proposed for the deforming plastic region and a solution scheme is outlined. The emphasis is on determining the shape of the deforming region, especially that of the free surface. The study has a potential application in roughness transfer in metal forming processing.     

Synthesis and crystal structure of bis(di-n-butyldithiocarbamato)(1,10-phenanthroline)cadmium(II)

A new mixed-ligand complex, Cd(S₂CN(C₄H₉)₂)₂Phen, is synthesized and investigated by thermal, element, and IR analyses and by diffractometry of polycrystals (DRON-3M, CuK_α radiation, Ni filter). The crystal structure was determined on a CAD-4 Enraf-Nonius automatic diffractometer (MoK_α radiation, θ from 1.5 to 25?, 2325 nonzero independent reflections, 190 refined parameters, R = 0.036 for I > 2Σ(I)). Crystal data for C₃₀H₄₄CdN₄S₄ : a = 15.592(3), b = 22.724(5), c = 9.922(2) å, space group Pbcn, V = 3515.5(12) å₃, Z = 4, M = 701.33, d_calc = 1.325 g/cm³. The structure involves monomeric molecules in which the cadmium atom has a distorted octahedral environment.     

CIDEP spin probing of the nanopores in cotton

Time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) experiments are reported on an α-hydroxy acetophenone in waterg-glycerol and ethanol-ethanediol mixtures over a viscosity range of 1–32 cP. The magnitude and viscosity dependence of the radical pair mechanism polarization is in good agreement with theory. The triplet mechanism polarization is found to increase with decreasing solvent polarity and this is ascribed to an increase in the α-cleavage rate constant. The liquid spectra are used to interpret TREPR spectra of the acetophenone in dry and wet cotton. In dry cotton anti-phase structure is seen and is due to some of the radical pairs being trapped in cages. The triplet and radical pair mechanism polarization shows that the acetophenone adsorbs to the apolar crystallite surface and releases radicals into the polar amorphous regions where they experience a microviscosity of approximately 30 cP. In wet cotton there are no cages and the viscosity is greater than in ethanol alone.     

Threshold electrical switching in As45Te55-xInx and As50Te50-xInx glasses

The electrical switching behaviour of As₄₅Te_55-xIn_x (5≤x≤15) and As₅₀Te_50-xIn_x (2.5≤x≤11.5) has been studied over a wide range of compositions. These glasses are found to exhibit threshold switching. The composition dependence of switching voltage (V_t) has been found to exhibit a change in slope and a local minimum at compositions x=10 and 12.5 for As₄₅Te_55-xIn_x and x=7.5 and 10.8 for As₅₀Te_50-xIn_x, respectively. The slope change in V_t verses x and the local minimum have been identified using two network topological effects, namely the rigidity percolation threshold and the chemical threshold. Received: 23 August 2001 / Accepted: 27 August 2001 / Published online: 11 February 2002