Towards an Operational Model for Prevention and Treatment of Asthma Attacks

Asthma is one of the major chronic diseases in many countries. At present there is no cure for asthma, but medical advances can help to reduce the chances of attacks of the condition. Efficient care for asthma involves complexity, uncertainty, variability and the use of scarce resources, and these are the same conditions that indicate a possible use for the modelling approach of operational research. This paper is concerned with a pilot model that was developed through joint work by medical professionals and operational researchers. The development of the model is explained and illustrative results indicate the potential value of the modelling approach for the care of asthma in the community.     

Analysis of bonded anisotropic wedges with interface crack under anti-plane shear loading

The antiplane stress analysis of two anisotropic finite wedges with arbitrary radii and apex angles that are bonded together along a common edge is investigated. The wedge radial boundaries can be subjected to displacement-displacement boundary condi- tions, and the circular boundary of the wedge is free from any traction. The new finite complex transforms are employed to solve the problem. These finite complex transforms have complex analogies to both kinds of standard finite Mellin transforms. The traction free condition on the crack faces is expressed as a singular integral equation by using the exact analytical method. The explicit terms for the strength of singularity are extracted, showing the dependence of the order of the stress singularity on the wedge angle, material constants, and boundary conditions. A numerical method is used for solving the resul- tant singular integral equations. The displacement boundary condition may be a general term of the Taylor series expansion for the displacement prescribed on the radial edge of the wedge. Thus, the analysis of every kind of displacement boundary conditions can be obtained by the achieved results from the foregoing general displacement boundary condition. The obtained stress intensity factors （SIFs） at the crack tips are plotted and compared with those obtained by the finite element analysis （FEA）.     

Transition Metal Ion-binding Properties of a 14-Membered N2O2S2- Macrobicyclic Ligand

The selective liquid–liquid extraction of various transition metal cations from the aqueous phase to the organic phase was carried out using a 14-membered N₂O₂S₂-macrobicycle. Metal picrates such as Pb²⁺, Co²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺,Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺ were used in this extraction studies. It was found that the ligand showed moderate selectivity towards Pb²⁺ only among the other metals. The extraction constant (log K _ex) was determined to be 13.8 for Pb²⁺ complex.     

Analysis of an Anisotropic Finite Wedge under Antiplane Deformation

The antiplane deformation of an anisotropic wedge with finite radius is considered in this paper within the classical linear theory of elasticity. The traction-free condition is imposed on the circular segment of the wedge. Three different cases of boundary conditions on the radial edges are considered, which are: traction-displacement, displacement-displacement and traction-traction. The solution to the governing differential equation of the problem is accomplished in the complex plane by relating the displacement field to a complex function. Several complex transformations are defined on this complex function and its first and second derivatives to formulate the problem in each of the three cases of the problem corresponding to the radial boundary conditions, separately. These transformations are then related to integral transforms which are complex analogies to the standard finite Mellin transforms of the first and second kinds. Closed form expressions are obtained for the displacement and stress fields in the entire domain. In all cases, explicit expressions for the strength of singularity are derived. These expressions show the dependence of the order of stress singularity on the wedge angle and material constants. In the displacement-displacement case, depending upon the applied displacement, a new type of stress singularity has been observed at the wedge apex. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Positive integer solutions of the diophantine equation x 2 − L n xy + (−1) n y 2 = ±5 r

In this paper, we consider the equation x ²?L _n x y+(?1) ⁿ y ² = ±5 ^r and determine the values of n for which the equation has positive integer solutions x and y. Moreover, we give all positive integer solutions of the equation x ²?L _n x y+(?1) ⁿ y ² = ±5 ^r when the equation has positive integer solutions.     

On the antiplane shear deformation of finite wedges

Antiplane shear deformation of finite wedges is considered under different boundary conditions. First, the assertions and results of a recent paper, namely Chue and Liu [C.H. Chue, W.J. Liu, Comments on “Analysis of an isotropic finite wedge under antiplane deformation”, Int. J. Solids Struct. 41 (2004) 5023–5034] are invalidated. Then, closed form solutions are extracted for the stress distribution in the wedge. These closed forms have the advantages of showing the possible geometric stress singularity as well as the load singularity explicitly, in addition to the continuity or discontinuity as well as the convergence of the results in the entire region. Finally, the stress intensity factors are extracted in the special case of a circular shaft containing an edge crack under different boundary conditions.     

Analytical solution of the quasi-static thermoelasticity problem in a pressurized thick-walled cylinder subjected to transient thermal loading

Thermoelasticity problem in a thick-walled cylinder is solved analytically using the finite Hankel transform. Time-dependent thermal boundary conditions are assumed to act on the inner surface of the cylinder. For the mechanical boundary conditions two different cases are assumed: Traction–displacement problem (traction is prescribed on the inner surface and the fixed displacement boundary condition on the outer one) and Traction–Traction problem (tractions are prescribed on both the inner and outer surfaces of the hollow cylinder). The quasi-static solution of the thermoelasticity problem is derived analytically, i.e., the transient thermal response of the cylinder is derived and then, quasi-static structural problem is solved and closed form relations are extracted for the thermal stresses in the two problems. The results show to be in accordance with that cited in the literature in the special cases.     

A TEM and XRD study of the SbNbSe3 misfit layer structures

Two new misfit layer structures have been synthesized within the Sb-Nb-Se system. Powder X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy techniques (electron diffraction, HREM, XEDS) have been used to determine the nature of their structure. According to TEM and XEDS data (for more than 15 crystals studied) both phases are monolayer type, i.e. (SbSe)1+delta (NbSe2). Electron microscopy reveals a composite modulated structure that consists of the periodical intergrowth of a pseudotetragonal SbSe layer, denominated as Q, and a pseudohexagonal layer NbSe2, denominated as H. Both layers fit along b, stack along c and do not fit along a (misfit) giving rise to an incommensurate modulation along this direction. The two phases differ in the symmetry of the Q layers being in one case orthorhombic (for delta = 0.17) and monoclinic in the other (for delta = 0.19). After the characterization of the sample by electron microscopy the unit cells of the basic layers could be refined for both phases by powder X-ray diffraction: aQ = 5.824(2) A, bQ = 5.962(5) A, cQ = 23.927(6) A, alpha = 90 degrees, beta = 90 degrees and gamma = 90 degrees and aH = 3.415(5) A, bH = 5.962(6) A,, cH = 11.962(1) A, alpha = 90 degrees, beta = 90 degrees and gamma = 90 degrees for the orthorhombic phase; aQ = 5.844(2) A, bQ = 5.981(1) A, cQ = 23.919(5) A, alpha = 90 degrees, beta = 90 degrees and gamma = 96.00(3)degrees and aH = 3.439(1) A, bH = 5.994(2) A, cH = 11.956(3) A, alpha = 90 degrees, beta = 90 degrees and gamma = 90 degrees for the monoclinic phase. The phase with the monoclinic Q-sublattice often appears as twinned crystals. The more abundant crystals are disordered intergrowths of both monolayer phases.