k-Hankel Gabor Transform and Its Applications to the Theory of Localization Operators

Analysis Mathematica - We introduce and study the k-Hankel Gabor transform. We investigate the localization operators for this transform. In particular, we study their trace class properties and we...     

Synthesis,characterization, and transport properties of Nafion-polypyrrole membrane for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) application

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Due to their distinctive chemical, electronic, and environmental properties, polypyrrole is used as a blocking barrier for methanol leakage in direct...     

Light and heat control over secondary structure and amyloid-like fiber formation in an overcrowded-alkene-modified Trp zipper

The external photocontrol over peptide folding, by the incorporation of molecular photoswitches into their structure, provides a powerful tool to study biological processes. However, it is limited so far to switches that exhibit only a rather limited geometrical change upon photoisomerization and that show thermal instability of the photoisomer. Here we describe the use of an overcrowded alkene photoswitch to control a model β-hairpin peptide. This photoresponsive unit undergoes a large conformational change and has two thermally stable isomers which has major influence on the secondary structure and the aggregation of the peptide, permitting the phototriggered formation of amyloid-like fibrils.     

Barotropic Instability of the Bickley Jet at High Reynolds Numbers

We investigate the linear stability of the Bickley jet in the framework of the beta-plane approximation. Because singular inviscid neutral modes exist in the retrograde case     , it is necessary to add viscosity to interpret them. One of these modes was found in closed form by Howard and Drazin [1] . However, its critical point is at the center of the jet and it was therefore not possible for these authors to ascertain the relationship of this mode to the stability problem or to discuss how to continue the eigenfunction across the singularity.
The viscous critical layer problem associated with this singularity is considerably more difficult than the usual one (which leads to integrals of the Airy function) because     and, consequently, a second-order turning point is involved. Our analysis shows that the Howard–Drazin mode is degenerate in the domain where it is valid as a limit of the viscous problem (wavenumber  α²≤ 9/2  ), that is, it corresponds to both an odd and an even mode. This conclusion is confirmed by direct numerical solution of the Orr–Sommerfeld equation which shows, in addition, that viscosity is destabilizing along portions of the stability boundary. For a retrograde jet, instability is found to occur beyond the inviscid critical value of β, that is, in the region where the flow would be stable according to the Rayleigh–Kuo condition.     

Equilibrium point damage prognosis models for structural health monitoring

Most structural dynamic systems are of high order; however, they often exhibit phenomena that can be dealt with effectively using low order models. This paper presents a method for describing certain kinds of damage evolution in mechanical systems. The method relies on a simple principle that as damage evolves in a structural dynamic system, the damage indicator (i.e., diagnostic feature) behaves like a stable quasi-stationary equilibrium point in a subsidiary non-linear bifurcating system within the so-called damage center manifold. It is shown that just as linear normal modes govern the behavior of linear structures with idealized damping, so too do non-linear normal forms govern the evolution of damage within structures in many instances. The method is justified with citations from the literature on certain types of mechanical failure and then applied in an experimental case involving reversible damage in a bolted fastener. Off-line experiments on a rotorcraft fuselage show that the evolution of damage is sensitive to both temporal and spatial bifurcation parameters. A diagnostic sensing strategy whereby output-only transmissibility features are used to decrease the order of high order structural dynamic measurements is also described.     

Mechanical mixtures of Me (Ni, Pd) Ce oxides and silica-supported heteropolyacids: Role and optimal concentration of each active species in n-hexane isomerization

Catalytic properties of silica-supported heteropolyacids (HPA) in a mechanical mixture with reduced Me-Ce oxides (Me = Ni, Pd) in n-hexane isomerization are studied. The role of each component of the mixed oxides (Ce and, typically, Ni and Pd) and their optimum content has been illuminated: cerium is not only beneficial for eliminating or preventing coke deposition but is also effective for maintaining the Keggin structure of the highly-organized HPA during the reaction and probably allows a better dispersion of the second metal species. Nickel and palladium, present as Ni⁰ and Pd⁰, reinforce the activation of the alkane, which is difficult to obtain by means of a direct attack by an acid, and, thus, enhance noticeably the activity of the catalyst. The best mechanical mixtures are obtained with 30–70 wt % NiCeO-HPW/SiO₂ and 50–50 wt % Pd_0.1CeO-HPW/SiO₂. These mixtures have the highest efficiency for a Ni/(Ni + W) atomic ratio of 0.66 and a Pd/(Pd + W) ratio of 0.40, respectively. Finally, the conversion of n-hexane is in the order HPW > HSiW > HBW, which seems to be consistent with the order of their acid strength as per the literature, but the isomerization selectivity appears to be slightly higher on HSiW. Published in Russian in Kinetika i Kataliz, 2006, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 24–28. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Synthesis and gas barrier characterization of poly(ethylene isophthalate)

Poly(ethylene isophthalate) (PEI) was synthesized for this research with essentially a condensation polymerization of isophthalic acid and ethylene glycol catalyzed by zinc acetate and antimony trioxide. Several samples were obtained, and their characteristics were observed and compared with poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). The synthesized PEI samples were chemically identified by ¹H NMR. Thermal analysis with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) yielded results that indicate the samples were primarily amorphous, with a glass‐transition temperature of 55–60 °C. Molecular weights of these PEI samples were also obtained through intrinsic viscosity measurements (Mark–Houwink equation). Molecular weights varied with conditions of the polymerization, and the highest molecular weight achieved was 21,000 g/mol. Finally, the diffusion coefficient, solubility, and permeability of CO₂ gas in PEI were measured and found to be substantially lower than in PET, as anticipated from their isomeric chemical structures. This is because in PET the phenyl rings are substituted in the para (1,4) positions, which allows for their facile flipping, effectively permitting gases to pass through. However, the meta‐substituted phenyl rings in PEI do not permit such ring flipping, and thus PEI may be more suitable for barrier applications. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 4247–4254, 2004