Numerical simulation of two-degree-of-freedom vortex-induced vibration of a circular cylinder close to a plane boundary

Two-degree-of-freedom vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) of a circular cylinder close to a plane boundary are investigated numerically. The Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations are solved using the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) scheme with a k-ω turbulence model closure. The numerical model is validated against experimental data of VIV of a cylinder in uniform flow and VIV of a cylinder close to a plane boundary at low mass ratios. The numerical results of the vibration mode, vibration amplitude and frequency agree well with the experimental data. VIV of a circular cylinder close to a plane boundary is simulated with a mass ratio of 2.6 and gap ratios of e/D=0.002 and 0.3 (gap ratio is defined as the ratio of gap between the cylinder and the bed (e) to cylinder diameter (D)). Simulations are carried out for reduced velocities ranging from 1 to 15 and Reynolds numbers ranging from 1000 to 15 000. It is found that vortex-induced vibrations occur even if the initial gap ratio is as small as e/D=0.002, although reported research indicated that vortex shedding behind a fixed circular cylinder is suppressed at small gap ratios (e/D<0.3 or 0.2). It was also found that vibration amplitudes are dependant on the bouncing back coefficient when the cylinder hits the plane boundary. Three vortex shedding modes are identified according to the numerical results: (i) single-vortex mode where the vortices are only shed from the top of the cylinder; (ii) vortex-shedding-after-bounce-back mode; (iii) vortex-shedding-before-bounce-back mode. It was found that the vortex shedding mode depends on the reduced velocity.     

Integral-functional equations for optimal renovation problems

The integral-functional equations with the unknown variable in the upper limit of integration are introduced and studied. They arise in the optimization problems for integral dynamical models and allow to analyze the variable aftereffect duration of dynamical system     

An improved lower bound for the expected number of real zeros of a random algebraic polynomials

In this note we estimate the lower bound of the average number of real zeros of a random algebraic polynomials when the random coefficients are standard normal random variables     

Convergence of a strong variational algorithm for relaxed controls involving a distributed optimal control problem of parabolic type 1

In this paper, we consider a class of Optimal Control problems involving first boundary value problems of parabolic type. A strong variational algorithm has been obtained for solving this class of optimal control problems in a paper by the author and D. W. Reid. It was also shown that any L∞ accumulation points of control sequences generated by the algorithm satisfy a necessary condition for optimality. Since such accumulation points need not exist, it is shown in this paper that control sequences generated by the algorithm always have accumulation points in the sense of control measure, and these accumulation points satisfy a necessary condition for optimality for the corresponding relaxed control problem.     

Equation structure and the meaning of the equal sign: The impact of task selection in eliciting elementary students’ understandings

This paper reports results from a written assessment given to 290 third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students prior to any instructional intervention. We share and discuss students’ responses to items addressing their understanding of equation structure and the meaning of the equal sign. We found that many students held an operational conception of the equal sign and had difficulty recognizing underlying structure in arithmetic equations. Some students, however, were able to recognize underlying structure on particular tasks. Our findings can inform early algebra efforts by highlighting the prevalence of the operational view and by identifying tasks that have the potential to help students begin to think about equations in a structural way at the very beginning of their early algebra experiences.     

On pricing and reserving with-profits life insurance contracts

As a first approximation, asset and liability management issues faced by life insurance companies originate from the sale of with-profits contracts. These contracts are bond-type products with several rate guarantees and other interestsensitive embedded options. Benefits paid out to policyholders mostly depend on the investment performance of a given asset portfolio in which premiums are invested. Thus, guarantees and options granted to policyholders may become effective when the investment performance of the asset portfolio is poor. Issuing a with-profits contract is therefore not equivalent to issuing plain-vanilla debt. The purpose of this paper is to value with-profits liabilities in a consistent option-pricing framework and to develop efficient asset or liability strategies to manage profitability and variability of shareholder value.     

Existence of Solutions of Some Degenerate Nonlinear Elliptic Fourth-order Equations with L 1 -data

This article deals with a class of degenerate nonlinear elliptic fourth-order equations with L 1 -right-hand sides. Equations of the given class have divergence form and their coefficients satisfy a strengthened ellipticity condition with two different weights associated, respectively, to the first- and the second-order derivatives of unknown function. Under suitable hypotheses on the weighted functions involved we establish solvability in a Sobolev space of Dirichlet problem for equations under consideration.     

On the Error of the Optical Response Approximation in Chiral Media

We study the equations modelling the evolution of electromagnetic fields in chiral media with dispersion. We prove existence and uniqueness of solutions of these equations and provide estimates for the error of the optical response approximation for chiral media.     

High-pressure structural integrity and structural transformations of glass-derived nanocomposites: A review

A review of our recent and ongoing extensive high-pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction and high-pressure optical spectroscopy studies of nanocrystalline composites is presented. These heterophased, nano-architectured composites consist of amorphous matrices with dispersed nanocrystals or quantum dots. We show how besides compositional variations, additional tuning of these glass-derived nanocomposites can be done by exploiting elevated pressure. We examine stability and pressure-driven phase transitions occurring in nanocrystals as well as structural changes occurring in the glass matrix. Finally, we discuss the influence of the glass matrix of a composite on the structural transformations occurring in the embedded nanocrystals.