Hybrid abstractions of affine systems

This paper considers the problem of building a set of hybrid abstractions for affine systems in order to compute over approximations of the reachable space. Each abstraction is based on a decomposition of the continuous state space that is defined by hyperplanes generated by linear combinations of two vectors. The choice of these vectors is based on consideration of the dynamics of the system and uses, for example, the left eigenvectors of the matrix that defines these dynamics. We show that the reachability calculus can then be performed on a combination of such abstractions and how its accuracy depends on the choice of hyperplanes that define the decomposition.     

Time evolution of non-Hermitian quantum systems and generalized master equations

We inquire into the time evolution of quantum systems associated with pseudo-or quasi-Hermitian Hamiltonians. We obtain, in the pseudo-Hermitian case, a generalized Liouville-von Neumann equation for closed systems. We show that quantum systems with quasi-Hermitian Hamiltonians admit the proper interpretation in terms of open quantum system and derive a generalized Lindblad-Kossakowski equation. Finally, we extend such formalism to the study of decaying systems. Partially supported by PRIN “Sintesi”.     

Charge transport in a polypeptide chain

Charge transport is one important example of signal transduction in a protein which is responsible for action at a distance, and is a fundamental process in biochemical action. A model is presented in which electronic effects interact with motional processes to combine into a bifunctional model. This model is investigated with new detailed molecular dynamics calculations and successfully explains such action at a distance. Received 1st February 2002 / Received in final form 26 May 2002 Published online 13 September 2002     

Spray Freeze-drying – The Process of Choice for Low Water Soluble Drugs?

Most of the novel highly potent drugs, developed on the basis of modern molecular medicine, taking into account cell surface recognition techniques, show poor water solubility. A chemical modification of the drug substance enhancing the solubility often decreases the pharmacological activity. Thus, as an alternative an increase of the solubility can be obtained by the reduction of the size of the drug particles. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to obtain micro or nanosized drug particles by classical or more advanced crystallization using supercritical gases or by milling techniques. In addition, nanosized particles are often not physically stable and need to be stabilized in an appropriate matrix. Thus, it may be of interest to manufacture directly nanosized drug particles stabilized in an inert hydrophilic matrix, i.e. nanostructured and nanocomposite systems. Solid solutions and solid dispersions represent nanostructured and nanocomposite systems. In this context, the use of the vacuum-fluidized-bed technique for the spray-drying of a low water soluble drug cosolubilized with a hydrophilic excipient in a polar organic solvent is discussed. In order to avoid the use of organic solvents, a special spray-freeze-drying technique working at atmospheric pressure is presented. This process is very suitable for temperature and otherwise sensitive drugs such as pharmaproteins.     

A search technique for global optimization in a chaotic environment

We describe a new algorithm which uses the trajectories of a discrete dynamical system to sample the domain of an unconstrained objective function in search of global minima. The algorithm is unusually adept at avoiding nonoptimal local minima and successfully converging to a global minimum. Trajectories generated by the algorithm for objective functions with many local minima exhibit chaotic behavior, in the sense that they are extremely sensitive to changes in initial conditions and system parameters. In this context, chaos seems to have a beneficial effect: failure to converge to a global minimum from a given initial point can often be rectified by making arbitrarily small changes in the system parameters.     

GAUSSIAN WHITE NOISE CALCULUS OF GENERALIZED EXPANSION

A new framework of Gaussian white noise calculus is established, in line with generalized expansion in [3, 4, 7]. A suitable frame of Fock expansion is presented on Gaussian generalized expansion functionals being introduced here, which provides the integral kernel operator decomposition of the second quantization of Koopman operators for chaotic dynamical systems, in terms of annihilation operators dt and its dual, creation operators t*.     

过程控制中的TCP/IP网络

提出TCP/IP在过程控制中的应用. 评价TCP/IP控制系统性能,通过传统控制系统与TCP/IP控制系统的比较,指出采用TCP/IP 控制系统的优缺点. 说明过程控制技术中,采用TCP/IP是一种更好的选择.     

A dynamical test of phase transition order: New things in old places or old wine in new bottles

We first discuss nonlinear aspects of phase transition theory applied to a particular liquid crystal phase transition. A simple derivation is given to show how two coupled Goldstone modes (one appearing as gauge fluctuations of the ordered phase) can force a phase transition, against all expectations, to take place discontinuously (theory of Halperin, Lubensky, and Ma)-but the discontinuity may be immeasurably small. Then, we describe a new dynamical test of phase transition order, developed by Cladiset al., that turns out to be more sensitive than x-ray diffraction and adiabatic calorimetry. Quantitative data found by this new method are in excellent agreement with the measurements of adiabatic calorimetry and x-ray diffraction as well as expectations implicit in the predictions of HLM.This is the text of an after-banquet talk given at the CNLS Workshop on the Dynamics of Concentrated Systems.     

Theory of interfacial phase transitions in surfactant systems

The spin-1 Ising model, which is equivalent to the three-component lattice gas model, is used to study wetting transitions in three-component surfactant systems consisting of an oil, water, and a nonionic surfactant. Phase equilibria, interfacial profiles, and interfacial tensions for three-phase equilibrium are determined in mean field approximation, for a wide range of temperature and interaction parameters. Surfactant interaction parameters are found to strongly influence interfacial tensions, reducing them in some cases to ultralow values. Interfacial tensions are used to determine whether the middle phase, rich in surfactant, wets or does not wet the interface between the oil-rich and water-rich phases. By varying temperature and interaction parameters, a wetting transition is located and found to be of the first order. Comparison is made with recent experimental results on wetting transitions in ternary surfactant systems.This paper is dedicated to J. K. Percus in honor of his 65th birthday.