New trends in polylactide (PLA)-based materials: “Green” PLA-Calcium sulfate (nano)composites tailored with flame retardant properties

Starting from gypsum, a by-product of lactic acid fabrication process, novel “green” composites have been produced by melt-blending polylactide (PLA) and this filler after a previous specific dehydration to obtain anhydrite II (AII). Such a material is potentially interesting in biodegradable/rigid packaging and in technical applications requiring rigidity, heat resistance and dimensional stability. In order to obtain PLA-AII composites characterized by specific end-use flame retardant properties, the addition of selected organo-modified layered silicates (OMLS) was considered. Co-addition of AII and OMLS leads to PLA (nano)composites characterized by good (nano)filler dispersion, thermal stability and adequate mechanical resistance. The flame retardant properties as shown by cone calorimetry showed significant increase in the ignition time compared to neat PLA and a substantial decrease, i.e., ca. 40%, of the maximum rate of heat release, whereas the UL94 HB test was successfully passed revealing non-dripping effect and extensive char formation. The study represents a new approach in formulating novel PLA grades with improved characteristic features.     

Embedding polynomial matrices of one variable

A non square matrix with coefficients in K[z] can (if a condition on its minors is satisfied) be embedded into a square matrix with determinant 1. Finding theoretically and in an algorithmic way an embedding of small degree is solved by a construction with vector bundles on the projective line over K.     

Combined Routeing and Scheduling for the Transportation of Containerized Cargo

A tractor-trailer problem, with full load, from the class of combined routeing and scheduling problems is described. Distinctive features of the problem are: movements must be carried out within certain time windows; subsets of movements are linked in the sense that they must be executed in a certain order; and different priorities are attached to different movements. A new bidirectional sequential constructive heuristic is developed for the solution of this problem. The method constructs routes and schedules for the available tractor fleet. The algorithm attempts to minimize the total time for all the movements by minimizing the time taken up by unproductive movements (so-called deadhead) and waiting time between movements. Some practical aspects of the implementation of the approach are discussed.     

Four applications of majorization to convexity in the calculus of variations

The resemblance between the Horn-Thompson theorem and a recent theorem by Dacorogna-Marcellini-Tanteri indicates that Schur-convexity and the majorization relation are relevant for applications in the calculus of variations and its related notions of convexity, such as rank one convexity or quasiconvexity. In Theorem 6.6, we give simple necessary and sufficient conditions for an isotropic objective function to be rank one convex on the set of matrices with positive determinant.Majorization is used in order to give a very short proof of a theorem of Thompson and Freede [R.C. Thompson, L.J. Freede, Eigenvalues of sums of Hermitian matrices III, J. Res. Nat. Bur. Standards B 75B (1971) 115-120], Ball [J.M. Ball, Constitutive inequalities and existence theorems in nonlinear elastostatics, in: R.J. Knops (Ed.), Nonlinear Analysis and Mechanics: Heriot-Watt Symposium, vol. 1, Res. Notes Math., 17, Pitman, 1977, pp. 187-241], or Le Dret [H. Le Dret, Sur les fonctions de matrices convexes et isotropes, CR Acad. Sci. Paris, Série I 310 (1990) 617-620], concerning the convexity of a class of isotropic functions which appear in nonlinear elasticity.Next we prove (Theorem 7.3) a lower semicontinuity result for functionals with the form _∫Ωw(D?(x))dx, with w(F)=h(lnV_F). Here F=R_FU_F=V_FR_F is the usual polar decomposition of F∈gl(n,R), and lnV_F is Hencky’s logarithmic strain.We close this paper with a compact proof of Dacorogna-Marcellini-Tanteri theorem, based only on classical results about majorization. The mentioned resemblance of this theorem with the Horn-Thompson theorem is thus explained.     

Influence of Phytochemical Reductive Capacity on Ultraviolet–visible Spectroscopic Behavior of Silver Nanoparticles

ABSTRACT

A widely used method for obtaining silver nanoparticles uses plant extracts for reduction because of the presence of phytochemicals such as terpenoids, tannins, and flavonoids. Extracts of Flores sambuci, Hypericum perforatum, Lavandula angustifolia, Origanum vulgare, Rosmarinus officinalis, and Salvia officinalis were used for generating silver nanoparticles. The ultraviolet–visible spectra of silver nanoparticle solutions were correlated with variations of phytochemical characteristics to evaluate the plant extracts. These parameters were the antioxidant activity, total flavonoids, total tannins, total terpenoids, and total phenolics. Correlations between measurements of extracts’ phytoreductive characteristics were explained using Pearson coefficients. The results showed medium linear positive correlations for total tannins with the spectra of silver nanoparticle solutions. The antioxidant activity and total terpenoids presented medium linear negative correlations. Pearson coefficients between total phenolics and relative areas from ultraviolet–visible spectra from 350 to 600?nm were close to zero indicating no linear correlation.     

Global Solutions to the 3-D Incompressible Anisotropic Navier-Stokes System in the Critical Spaces

In this paper, we consider the global wellposedness of the 3-D incompressible anisotropic Navier-Stokes equations with initial data in the critical Besov-Sobolev type spaces B{\mathcal{B}} and B^{-\frac12,\frac12}₄{\mathcal{B}^{-\frac12,\frac12}_4} (see Definitions 1.1 and 1.2 below). In particular, we proved that there exists a positive constant C such that (ANS _ν ) has a unique global solution with initial data u₀ = (u₀^h, u₀³){u_0 = (u_0^h, u_0^3)} which satisfies ||u₀^h||_B exp(\fracCn⁴ ||u₀³||_B⁴) ￡ c₀n{\|u_0^h\|_{\mathcal{B}} \exp\bigl(\frac{C}{\nu^4} \|u_0^3\|_{\mathcal{B}}^4\bigr) \leq c_0\nu} or ||u₀^h||_{B^{-\frac12,\frac12}4} exp(\fracCn⁴ ||u₀³||_{B^{-\frac12,\frac12}4}⁴) ￡ c₀n{\|u_0^h\|_{\mathcal{B}^{-\frac12,\frac12}_{4}} \exp \bigl(\frac{C}{\nu^4} \|u_0^3\|_{\mathcal{B}^{-\frac12,\frac12}_{4}}^4\bigr)\leq c_0\nu} for some c ₀ sufficiently small. To overcome the difficulty that Gronwall’s inequality can not be applied in the framework of Chemin-Lerner type spaces, [(L^p_t)\tilde](B){\widetilde{L^p_t}(\mathcal{B})}, we introduced here sort of weighted Chemin-Lerner type spaces, [(L²_{t, f})\tilde](B){\widetilde{L^2_{t, f}}(\mathcal{B})} for some apropriate L ¹ function f(t).     

Consistent implementation of real fluid EOS in pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann models

Pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann models have emerged as successful methods to simulate liquid-vapor coexistence systems. However, the equation of state (EOS) of such systems, which is found to be thermodynamically consistent, is unique and lacks the potential to cover a broad range of physical fluids. In this study, we employ multiple pseudopotentials and extend the consistent EOS to enhance the capability of pseudopotential models in reproducing a wider range of thermodynamic states. The new system has the format which preserves the consistency between the lattice pressure tensor and the free energy density. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Spectral analysis for the Gauss problem on continued fractions

We present a new derivation of the formula appearing in Babenko (1978) and Mayer and Roepstorff (1987) that gives the probability distribution of τ⁻ⁿ${\tau }^{-n}$ in terms of the eigenvalues of a symmetric operator. Here τ$\tau$ is the well-known Gauss-map.