Criteria for Feller transition functions

This paper presents some conditions for the minimal Q-function to be a Feller transition function, for a given q-matrix Q. We derive a sufficient condition that is stated explicitly in terms of the transition rates. Furthermore, some necessary and sufficient conditions are derived of a more implicit nature, namely in terms of properties of a system of equations (or inequalities) and in terms of the operator induced by the q-matrix. The criteria lead to some perturbation results. These results are applied to birth-death processes with killing, yielding some sufficient and some necessary conditions for the Feller property directly in terms of the rates. An essential step in the analysis is the idea of associating the Feller property with individual states.     

A refined integro-surface energy-based model for vibration of magnetically actuated double-nanowire-systems carrying electric current

A novel surface energy-based model is developed to examine more precisely vibrations of current-carrying double-nanowire-systems immersed in a longitudinal magnetic field. Using Biot-Savart and Lorentz laws, a more refined version of interwire interactional magnetic forces is presented. By employing Rayleigh beam theory, the equations of motion are derived. In fact, these are coupled integro-differential equations which are more accurate with respect to those of the previously developed models. For simply supported and clamped nanosystems, governing equations are analyzed via assumed mode method. The effects of interwire distance, slenderness ratio, electric current, magnetic field strength, and surface effect on the fundamental frequency are addressed carefully. The obtained results display the importance of exploiting the refined model for vibration analysis of nanosystems with low interwire distance, high electric current, and high magnetic field strength.     

Analysis of photo-chemical degradation behaviour of polyethylene mulching film with pro-oxidants

It is generally accepted that polyolefins are bioinert. The last years, a new class of photodegradable polyethylene films with pro-oxidants has been developed, exhibiting optimised operational properties in terms of controlled UV and/or thermal ageing leading to an abrupt, predefined to some extent, rapid fragmentation into very small fragments. These photodegradable or fragmentable polyethylene films are promoted in the market for various commercial applications. In some cases, these materials are presented as, or are claimed to be, biodegradable materials. Such materials are already used in agriculture in the form of photodegradable mulching films which become fragmented into small remains after the end of their useful lifetime and are incorporated into the soil. However, it has not been verified yet beyond any doubt, that these remains do in fact biodegrade in natural soil, under what conditions, at which rate and what are their effects in agricultural production, the soil and the environment. An experimental investigation has been carried out focusing on the combined effects of critical factors on the controlled (predefined) photo-chemical degradation of photodegradable mulching LLDPE films with pro-oxidants and the behaviour of their remains in the soil. The analysis of the photo-chemical degradation behaviour presented in this paper was carried out through parallel experiments performed under real field and controlled laboratory conditions. The main factors investigated include materials, exposure time, temperature and UV radiation.     

Molecule-Based Artificial Photosynthesis

Guidelines for the design of molecules with a long lifetime of the charge-separated state and for the formation of a self-assembled monolayer were studied by preparing various model compounds linking donor and acceptor with chemical bonds. Based on the obtained results we designed and prepared the SAMs of C₆₀-(porphyrin)-(ferrocene)-(CH₂)₁₁SH on a gold surface and observed a photocurrent with high efficiency (25% quantum yield). In addition, a well-defined, rigid-sheet-structured oligoporphyrin with 21 porphyrin chromophores was prepared as a model for antenna chlorophylls.     

Coherent communications

Abstract

Coherent lightwave techniques, when compared to direct detection techniques, offer nearly quantum noise limited sensitivity as well as fine tunability similar to that obtained at radio frequencies. These two aspects provide communication systems planners and engineers the means to better exploit the huge bandwidth of single mode optical fibers.

Research activity in this field started in the early 1980s, and some laboratory experiments and field trials were performed by the end of the decade, showing that such techniques are suitable for transmitting multigigabit per second signals to distances well exceeding hundred kilometers. On the other hand, coherent multichannel, frequency division multiple access, local area networks have been proposed and experimented worldwide.

This article will discuss the theoretical advantages and limitations of the various modulation and detection formats together with the state of the art. Moreover, some aspects, related to the introduction of coherent systems in local and metropolitan area networks, will be treated. Finally some experimental data will be provided and future evolution will be discussed.     

Evaluation of isotope-coded protein labeling (ICPL) in the quantitative analysis of complex proteomes

An evaluation of the ICPL (isotope-coded protein labeling) non-isobaric labeling technique was performed using two different biological models. Two samples containing phage T4 capsids were mixed in a 1:1 ratio after being labeled with the light or heavy versions of the ICPL reagent. The analysis of this proteome demonstrated the feasibility of this approach for differential quantitative proteomics and was employed to optimize the experimental parameters of the ICPL workflow. ICPL-mediated analysis of two more complex proteomes, those of a Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium virulent strain and an isogenic attenuated mutant, and its comparison with the results obtained in a 2D-PAGE “classical” approach confirmed that ICPL is a valuable alternative to other labeling techniques currently in use. In addition, our results suggest that labeling at the peptide level instead of following the standard ICPL workflow should increase both the number of proteins quantified and the reliability of the quantification.     

Nonlinear Normal Modes of a Parametrically Excited Cantilever Beam

We investigate theoretically thenonlinear normal modes of a vertical cantilever beam excited by aprincipal parametric resonance. We apply directly the method ofmultiple scales to the governing nonlinear nonautonomousintegral-partial-differential equation and associated boundary conditions.In the absence of damping, it is shown that the system has nonlinear normal modes, as defined by Rosenberg, even in the presence of the parametric excitation.We calculate the spatial correction to the linear mode shapedue to the effects of the inertia and curvature nonlinearities andthe parametric excitation. We compare the result obtained withthe direct approach with that obtained using a single-mode Galerkindiscretization.The deviation between the two predictions increases as the oscillationamplitude increases.     

A model of hysteresis with two inputs

We formulate and analyze a new model of vector hysteresis for the case of two-input signals. We prove the essential mathematical properties of this model and we present the solutions to two identification problems connected with our model.     

Reactive processing of polymers: Effect of bifunctional and tri-functional comonomers on melt grafting of glycidyl methacrylate onto polypropylene

Two reactive comonomers, divinyl benzene (DVB) and trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TRIS), were evaluated for their role in effecting the melt free radical grafting reaction of the monomer glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto polypropylene (PP). The characteristics of the GMA-grafting systems in the presence and absence of DVB or TRIS were examined and compared in terms of the yield of the grafting reaction and the extent of the main side reactions, namely homopolymerisation of GMA (poly-GMA) and polymer degradation, using different chemical compositions of the reactive systems and processing conditions. In the absence of the comonomers, i.e. in a conventional system, high initiator concentrations of peroxides were typically required to achieve the highest possible GMA grafting levels which were found to be generally low. Concomitantly, both poly-GMA and degradation of the polymer by chain scission takes place with increasing initiator amounts. On the other hand, the presence of a small amount of the comonomers, DVB or Tris, in the GMA-grafting system, was shown to bring about a significant increase in the grafting level paralleled by a large reduction in poly-GMA and PP degradation. In the presence of these highly reactive comonomers, the optimum grafting system requires a much lower concentration of the peroxide initiator and, consequently, would lead to the much lower degree of polymer degradation observed in these systems. The differences in the effects of the presence of DVB and that of TRIS in the grafting systems on the rate of the GMA-grafting and homopolymerisation reactions, and the extent of PP degradation (through melt flow changes), were compared and contrasted with a conventional GMA-grafting system.