Decay estimates for second order evolution equations with memory

This paper develops a unified method to derive decay estimates for general second order integro-differential evolution equations with semilinear source terms. Depending on the properties of convolution kernels at infinity, we show that the energy of a mild solution decays exponentially or polynomially as t→+∞. Our approach is based on integral inequalities and multiplier techniques.These decay results can be applied to various partial differential equations. We discuss three examples: a semilinear viscoelastic wave equation, a linear anisotropic elasticity model, and a Petrovsky type system.     

A DFT study of inclusion complexes of the antituberculosis drugs pyrazinamide and isoniazid with cucurbit[7]uril

A photoactive system, (2E)-3-{3-[(Z)-naphthalen-1-yldiazenyl] phenyl} prop-2-enoic acid, was synthesized and incorporated on to beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) core through esterification of the hydroxyl groups of β-CD with the free carboxyl moiety of the chromophoric system by DCC coupling. The silver nanoparticle was synthesized by the reduction reaction executed on silver acetate in presence of dodecyl amine. The silver nano particles were dispersed in β-CD aggregates modified with photoactive system by phase transfer mechanism. The products were characterized by elemental analysis, melting point determination, UV–visible, FT-IR and NMR (¹H and ¹³C) spectral methods and SEM and TGA-DTG thermal studies. The thermal studies shows that the silver nanoparticle dispersed functionally modified beta cyclodextrin exhibited enhanced thermal stability compared to the functionalised β-CD.     

Existence of positive solutions of delay dynamic equations

In this article we study the existence of positive solutions for a dynamic equations on time scales. The main tool employed here is the Schauder’s fixed point theorem. The asymptotic properties of solutions are also treated. The results obtained here extend the work of Dorociakova and Olach (Tatra Mt Math Publ 43:63–70, 2009). Three examples are also given to illustrate this work.     

Removal of Model Pollutants in Aqueous Solution by Gliding Arc Discharge. Part II: Modeling and Simulation Study

Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing - The aim of this work is the modeling of plasma-chemical reactions taking place between highly oxidizing gaseous species (·OH, ·NO and...     

Hybrid observer design for linear switched system via Differential Petri Nets

The aim of this paper is to propose a hybrid observer design for linear switched systems modelled either via Differential Petri Nets (DPN) or via Timed Differential Petri Nets (TDPN). The switched systems, herein, considered are characterized by switching laws that can depend on the continuous states or on both of a given dwell time and the continuous states. In addition, the structure of the proposed observers is based on a discrete observer and a continuous observer on interaction. The discrete observer reconstructs the discrete mode, by estimating both of the discrete marking and the firing vector. Once, the active mode is obtained, the continuous states are estimated. Finally, the outputs of the continuous observer are used to update the marking and the firing vector. At the end of the paper, several simulation results are presented to illustrate the proposed approach.     

Crystallization kinetics study of melt-spun Zr66.7Ni33.3 amorphous alloy by electrical resistivity measurements

In this paper, the electronic transport properties of as-spun Zr_66.7Ni_33.3 alloys were studied in detail by a combination of electrical resistivity and absolute thermoelectric power measurements over a temperature range from 25 up to 400 °C. Moreover, the isochronal and isothermal crystallization kinetics of Zr_66.7Ni_33.3 glassy alloy has been investigated based on the electrical resistivity measurements. The comparative study of the crystallization kinetics of these binary amorphous alloys was carried out, for the first time to our knowledge, using an accurate method for electrical resistivity measurements. In the isochronal heating process, the apparent activation energy for crystallization was determined to be, respectively, 371.4 kJ mol⁻¹ and 382.2 kJ mol⁻¹, by means of Kissinger and Ozawa methods. The Johnson–Mehl–Avrami model was used to describe the isothermal transformation kinetics, and the local Avrami exponent has been determined in the range from 2.97 to 3.23 with an average value of 3.1, implying a mainly diffusion-controlled three-dimensional growth with an increasing nucleation rate. Based on an Arrhenius relationship, the local activation energy was analyzed, which yields an average value E_x = 376.2 kJ mol⁻¹.

     

Hydrogen Bonding Complexes of Poly(styrene-co-2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) and Poly (styrene-co-4-vinylpyridine)

Summary: Random copolymers of poly(styrene-co-4-vinylpyridine) (S4VP) and poly (styrene-co-2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) (SHEA) of different compositions were prepared and characterized. An investigation of the effects of solvent and densities of the interacting species incorporated within these copolymers showed that novel and various hydrogen bonding interpolymer complexes of different structures were elaborated when these copolymers are mixed together. The specific interactions that occurred within the SHEA copolymers and the elaborated complexes were evidenced by FTIR qualitatively from the appearance of a new band at 1604 cm⁻¹ and quantitatively using appropriate spectral curve fitting in the carbonyl and pyridine regions. The intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions that occurred between the hydroxyl groups of the SHEA and the nitrogen atom of the pyridine groups in the S4VP are stronger than the self-associations within the SHEA. In the solid state, a DSC analysis showed that the variation of the glass transition temperatures of these materials with the composition behaved differently with the densities of interacting species and were analyzed quantitatively. A thermal stability study of the synthesized copolymers and of their different mixtures carried by thermogravimetry confirmed a similar behaviour.     

Evaluation of Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Contents,Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Activities of Hungarian Propolis Ethanolic Extract against Staphylococcus aureus

Propolis is a natural bee product that is widely used in folk medicine. This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) on methicillin-resistant and sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA and MSSA). Propolis samples were collected from six regions in Hungary. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) values and the interaction of EEP-antibiotics were evaluated by the broth microdilution and the chequerboard broth microdilution methods, respectively. The effect of EEP on biofilm formation and eradication was estimated by crystal violet assay. Resazurin/propidium iodide dyes were applied for simultaneous quantification of cellular metabolic activities and dead cells in mature biofilms. The EEP1 sample showed the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents. The EEP1 successfully prevented the growth of planktonic cells of S. aureus (MIC value = 50 µg/mL). Synergistic interactions were shown after the co-exposition to EEP1 and vancomycin at 10⁸ CFU/mL. The EEP1 effectively inhibited the biofilm formation and caused significant degradation of mature biofilms (50–200 µg/mL), as a consequence of the considerable decrement of metabolic activity. The EEP acts effectively as an antimicrobial and antibiofilm agent on S. aureus. Moreover, the simultaneous application of EEP and vancomycin could enhance their effect against MRSA infection.     

New amphiphilic polyacrylamides: Synthesis and characterisation of pseudo-micellar organisation in aqueous media

In order to offer new tools for developing structure-property relationships for intramolecular associative polymers (polysoaps), the synthesis of three families of comb-like amphiphilic cationic polymers with great structure variability is described. These polymers with amphiphilic repeating units are polyacryl or methacrylamides laterally substituted by a group containing a quaternary ammonium site and a hydrophobic alkyl side chain with 10-16 carbon atoms. Two complementary synthesis methods were developed successfully. In the first method, the tertiary amine groups of neutral polymer precursors were quaternised with various n-alkyl bromides. Five polymers were obtained in this way. On the contrary, the second method consisted of synthesizing first amphiphilic cationic acryl or methacrylamide monomers. The 11 monomers thus obtained were then polymerised by conventional free radical polymerisation in solution. The polymers obtained by both methods only differed in their molecular weights, the second method leading to much higher molecular weights (up to 2 × 10⁶ g/mol). A preliminary investigation of the properties of a few of these polymers in solution showed interesting amphiphilic behaviour. The variation of the reduced viscosity of hydro-methanolic polymer solutions with polymer concentration revealed a strong intramolecular macromolecular folding. The microdomains corresponding to the intramolecular association of the hydrophobic alkyl side chains were eventually characterised by pyrene fluorescence spectroscopy. The local polarity of the pyrene probe was considerably lowered with respect to that of the surrounding aqueous phase and was dependent upon the macromolecular structure of the amphiphilic cationic polymers.