Experimental investigation for stability and surface properties of TiO2 and Al2O3 water-based nanofluids

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Nanofluids have gained recent attention because of their potential applications in diverse engineering fields like enhancing thermal transport,...     

An alternative approach for non-linear optimal control problems based on the method of moments

We propose an alternative method for computing effectively the solution of non-linear, fixed-terminal-time, optimal control problems when they are given in Lagrange, Bolza or Mayer forms. This method works well when the nonlinearities in the control variable can be expressed as polynomials. The essential of this proposal is the transformation of a non-linear, non-convex optimal control problem into an equivalent optimal control problem with linear and convex structure. The method is based on global optimization of polynomials by the method of moments. With this method we can determine either the existence or lacking of minimizers. In addition, we can calculate generalized solutions when the original problem lacks of minimizers. We also present the numerical schemes to solve several examples arising in science and technology.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel thermoresponsive‐co‐biodegradable hydrogels composed of N‐isopropylacrylamide,poly(L‐lactic acid), and dextran

A series of novel multifunctional hydrogels that combined the merits of both thermoresponsive and biodegradable polymeric materials were designed, synthesized, and characterized. The hydrogels were copolymeric networks composed of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAM) as a thermoresponsive component, poly(L‐lactic acid) (PLLA) as a hydrolytically degradable and hydrophobic component, and dextran as an enzymatically degradable and hydrophilic component. The chemical structures of the hydrogels were characterized by an attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR–FTIR) technique. The hydrogels were thermoresponsive, showing a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at approximately 32 °C, and their swelling properties strongly depended on temperature changes, the balance of the hydrophilic/hydrophobic components, and the degradation of the PLLA component. The degradation of the hydrogels caused by hydrolytic cleavage of ester bonds in the PLLA component was faster at 25 °C below the LCST than at 37 °C above the LCST, determined by the ATR–FTIR technique. Due to their multifunctional properties, the designed hydrogels show great potential for biomedical applications, including drug delivery and tissue engineering. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5054–5066, 2004     

Simultaneous Pseudo-Timestepping for PDE-Model Based Optimization Problems

In this paper we present a new method for the solution of optimization problems with PDE constraints. It is based on simultaneous pseudo-time stepping for evolution equations. The new method can be viewed as a continuous reduced SQP method in the sense that it uses a preconditioner derived from that method. The reduced Hessian in the preconditioner is approximated by a pseudo-differential operator, whose symbol can be investigated analytically. We apply our method to a boundary control model problem. The new optimization method needs 3.2-times the overall computational effort of the solution of simulation problem alone.     

Bounds on the inverses of nonnegative triangular matrices with monotonicity properties

Some bounds on the entries and on the norm of the inverse of triangular matrices with nonnegative and monotone entries are found. All the results are obtained by exploiting the properties of the fundamental matrix of the recurrence relation which generates the sequence of the entries of the inverse matrix. One of the results generalizes a theorem contained in a recent article of one of the authors about Toeplitz matrices.     

Substituted m-phenylene bridges as strong ferromagnetic couplers for Cu(II)-bridge-Cu(II) magnetic interactions: new perspectives

Based on a combined theoretical-experimental study, we propose that substituted m-phenylene ligands (m-N-Phi-N) can act as tuneable strong ferromagnetic couplers connecting Cu(II) ions; a new complex presenting that bridge with J close to +15 cm(-1) has been suggested and synthesized.     

Catalytic enantioselective indium-mediated allylation of hydrazones

[reaction: see text] A facile and highly selective indium-mediated allylation of hydrazones utilizing BINOL ligands is described. Chiral (R)-3,3'-bistrifluoromethylBINOL afforded homoallylic amines in up to 97% ee with stoichiometric ligand. Employing only 10 mol % ligand afforded selectivity of up to 92% ee.     

Exact expressions for row correlation functions in the isotropicd=2 ising model

We present exact explicit expressions for the row spin-spin correlation functions _{00 n}0 in the isotropicd= 2 Ising model, in terms of elliptic integrals, forn 5. We also give a general structural formula for _{00 n}0.