Synthesis and surface characterization of alkylthioacetyl-capped self-assembled monolayers on gold surface

A novel alkylthioacetyl-capped hydroxyethyl methacrylate monomer and its corresponding homopolymer have been synthesized and characterized. Direct chemisorption of these moieties have been carried out on gold-coated substrate and found to form a strong surface bonding. The surface coverage and the properties of the resultant self-assembled layers have been investigated by multiple surface characterization techniques (i.e. ellipsometry, GA-FTIR, XPS, AFM, and contact angle measurements). These analyses have all confirmed the occurrence of complete chemisorption reactions with typical n-alkanethiol self-assembled characteristics.     

Network flow-based approaches for integrated aircraft fleeting and routing

Given a schedule of flights to be flown, the aircraft fleeting and routing problem (AFRP) consists of determining a minimum-cost route assignment for each aircraft so as to cover each flight by exactly one aircraft while satisfying maintenance requirements and other activity constraints. We investigate network flow-based heuristic approaches for this problem. Computational experiments conducted on real-data given by TunisAir show that the proposed heuristic consistently yields very near-optimal solutions while requiring modest CPU effort.     

Robust formulations for economic lot-sizing problem with remanufacturing

In this paper, we consider a lot-sizing problem with the remanufacturing option under parameter uncertainties imposed on demands and returns. Remanufacturing has recently been a fast growing area of interest for many researchers due to increasing awareness on reducing waste in production environments, and in particular studies involving remanufacturing and parameter uncertainties simultaneously are very scarce in the literature. We first present a min-max decomposition approach for this problem, where decision maker’s problem and adversarial problem are treated iteratively. Then, we propose two novel extended reformulations for the decision maker’s problem, addressing some of the computational challenges. An original aspect of the reformulations is that they are applied only to the latest scenario added to the decision maker’s problem. Then, we present an extensive computational analysis, which provides a detailed comparison of the three formulations and evaluates the impact of key problem parameters. We conclude that the proposed extended reformulations outperform the standard formulation for a majority of the instances. We also provide insights on the impact of the problem parameters on the computational performance.     

Bohr radius for subordinating families of analytic functions and bounded harmonic mappings

The class consisting of analytic functions f   in the unit disk satisfying f+αzf^′+γz²f^″$f+\alpha z{f}^{\prime }+\gamma z^2{f}^{″}$ subordinated to some function h is considered. The Bohr radius for this class is obtained when h is respectively convex or starlike. The Bohr radius for analytic functions mapping the unit disk into a concave-wedge domain as well as for bounded harmonic mappings are also established.     

Iterative learning control for MIMO nonlinear systems with arbitrary relative degree and no states measurement

This article presents a state observer based iterative learning control to solve the trajectory tracking problem of a class of time‐varying Multi‐Input‐Multi‐Output nonlinear systems with arbitrary relative degree. For this purpose, an asymptotically stable observer is derived for the system under consideration. There after, this observer is integrated with the iterative learning controller by replacing the state in the control law with its estimation yielded by the state observer. Hence, the stability of the whole control (nonlinear system plus controller plus observer) is guaranteed. Simulation result on nonlinear system shows that the trajectory tracking error decreases through the iterations. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 19: 37–45, 2013     

Effect of Excitation and Vibrational Temperature on the Dissociation of Nitrogen Molecules in Ar-N2 Mixture RF Discharge

Non-equilibrium argon-nitrogen mixture plasma generated at 13.56 MHz is characterized by optical emission spectroscopy and Langmuir probe techniques. The excitation and vibrational temperature are studied as a function of argon percentage in the mixture, at 30-Pa filling pressure and input RF powers of 200 and 300 watt, to find out their role in dissociation of N₂ molecules. In this work, the excitation temperature is determined from Ar-I emission line intensities by using the simple Boltzmann plot method and is found to increase with argon mixing in nitrogen plasma. In similar fashion, the vibrational temperature of second positive system has been determined and is found to also have increasing trend with argon addition. The effect of excitation and vibrational temperature on the nitrogen molecular dissociation level is also monitored. It is observed that N/N ₂ ratio increases with increase in excitation and vibrational temperature and falls slightly at the end.     

Conservation laws via the partial Lagrangian and group invariant solutions for radial and two-dimensional free jets

The conservation laws for Prandtl’s boundary layer equations for an incompressible fluid governing the flow in radial and two-dimensional jets are investigated. For both radial and two-dimensional jets the partial Lagrangian method is used to derive conservation laws for the system of two differential equations for the velocity components. The Lie point symmetries are calculated for both cases and a symmetry is associated with the conserved vector that is used to establish the conserved quantity for the jet. This associated symmetry is then used to derive the group invariant solution for the system governing the flow in the free jet.     

Uncertainty principle and Lp–Lq-sufficient pairs on noncompact real symmetric spaces

We consider a real semi-simple Lie group G with finite center and a maximal compact sub-group K of G. Let $\text{G=K}\text{exp}\text{(}\text{a}{}_{\mathrm{+}}\text{)K}$ be a Cartan decomposition of G. For x∈G denote ∥x∥ the norm of the $\text{a}{}_{\mathrm{+}}$-component of x in the Cartan decomposition of G. Let $\text{a>0,}\text{b>0}$ and 1?p,q?∞. In this Note we give necessary and sufficient conditions on $\text{a,}\text{b}$ such that for all K-bi-invariant measurable function f on G, if e^a∥x∥2f∈L^p(G) and then f=0 almost everywhere. To cite this article: S. Ben Farah, K. Mokni, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 336 (2003).     

Studies on extraction of zirconium by quaternary ammonium halides from hydrochloric acid media and its separation from hafnium

The distribution of Zr(IV) between hydrochloric acid media and Hyamine 1622 in the organic phase is described. The dependence of extraction on acidity, extractant concentration and type of diluent, was investigated. The possible extraction mechanism is discussed in the light of the results obtained. A method for the separation and determination of Zr(IV) in a mixture of Zr and Hf is outlined.     

Phytochemical screening,antioxidant activity,total phenolic and total flavonoid contents of seven local varieties of Rosa indica L.

Rosa indica symbol of godness and beauty known for various healing power, has astringent, sedative, anti-inflammatory and antidepressant qualities. Standard methods were used for qualitative detection of phyto-compounds, and quantitative detection of antioxidants was done using DPPH radical scavenging assay, total phenolics and total flavonoids content were expressed in mg GAE/g dry weight and mg QE/g dry weight. Results revealed phyto-compounds presence in all varieties under study however maximum % inhibition was observed by R. indica var pink perfume (94 ± 0.6) with IC50 value 0.3376 ± 0.01 mg/mL. Highest phenolic and flavonoid content was observed in the leaves extract of R. indica var cardinal red, i.e. 3.3553 ± 0.11 (ethanol) mg of Gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry weight and 3.736 ± 0.001(ethanol) mg of quercetin equivalents (QE)/g dry weight, respectively, at conc. 0.125 mg/mL. Our finding provides evidence that all varieties of rose contain medicinally important bioactive compounds and justifies their use for treatment of different diseases.