Strain induced strengthening of soft thermoplastic polyurethanes under cyclic deformation

We investigate the cyclic mechanical behavior in uniaxial tension of three different commercial thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPU) often considered as a sustainable replacement for common filled elastomers. All TPU have similar hard segment contents and linear moduli but sensibly different large strain properties as shown by X-ray analysis. Despite these differences, we found a stiffening effect after conditioning in step cyclic loading which greatly differs from the common softening (also referred as Mullins effect) observed in chemically crosslinked filled rubbers. We propose that this self-reinforcement is related to the fragmentation of hard domains, naturally present in TPU, in smaller but more numerous sub-units that may act as new physical crosslinking points. The proposed stiffening mechanism is not dissimilar to the strain-induced crystallization observed in stretched natural rubber, but it presents a persistent nature. In particular, it may cause a local reinforcement where an inhomogeneous strain field is present, as is the case of a crack propagating in cyclic fatigue, providing a potential explanation for the well-known toughness and wear resistance of TPU.     

Linear Quadratic Gaussian Homing for Markov Processes with Regime Switching and Applications to Controlled Population Growth/Decay

Methodology and Computing in Applied Probability - The problem of optimally controlling one-dimensional diffusion processes until they enter a given stopping set is extended to include Markov...     

Effect of absorbed pump power on the quality of output beam from monolithic microchip lasers

The dependence of the beam propagation factor (M ² parameter) with the absorbed pump power in the case of monolithic microchip laser under face-cooled configuration is extensively studied. Our investigations show that the M ₂ parameter is related to the absorbed pump power through two parameters (α and β) whose values depend on the laser material properties and laser configuration. We have shown that one parameter arises due to the oscillation of higher order modes in the microchip cavity and the other parameter accounts for the spherical aberration associated with the thermal lens induced by the pump beam. Such dependency of M ² parameter with the absorbed pump power is experimentally verified for a face-cooled monolithic microchip laser based on Nd³⁺ -doped GdVO₄ crystal and the values of α and β parameters were estimated from the experimentally measured data points.     

The Moore Bound for Irregular Graphs

 What is the largest number of edges in a graph of order n and girth g? For d-regular graphs, essentially the best known answer is provided by the Moore bound. This result is extended here to cover irregular graphs as well, yielding an affirmative answer to an old open problem ([4] p. 163, problem 10). Received: June 27, 2000 Final version received: July 3, 2001     

对超重、失重演示实验的改进

对传统的超重、失重演示实验进行了改进,使弹簧秤的指针能静止在超重(或失重)的位置上,从而能准确地读出读数,提高演示效果.     

西藏区域经济系统的灰色关联分析

区域经济的发展受许多不同因素的影响，本结合西藏社会经济发展的特点，选取了总产值指标、第一产业指标、第二产业指标和第三产业指标等四大类指标体系，采用灰色关联分析法对西藏的区域经济系统进行了简要的分析评价，以研究西藏区域经济的发展状况，从社会经济的角度探讨西藏经济发展落后的原因，以期能为西藏经济发展政策提供参考依据。     

期货经纪公司保证金的一种确定方法

本文基于马尔可夫链在存储论中的应用，结合Ergodic定理，得到确定期货经纪公司保证金的Ergodic模型，即一个双目标规划问题，然后应用乘积最大化准则，将该模型转化为单目标规划问题来求解。该方法考虑期货经纪公司承担的风险和对投资者的吸引程度，为保证金的确定提供新的思路。     

Metric Embeddings—Beyond One-Dimensional Distortion

The extensive study of metric spaces and their embeddings has so far focused on embeddings that preserve pairwise distances. A very intriguing concept introduced by Feige allows us to quantify the extent to which larger structures are preserved by a given embedding. We investigate this concept, focusing on several major graph families such as paths, trees, cubes, and expanders. We find some similarities to the regular (pairwise) distortion, as well as some striking differences.     

The structure of students' emotions experienced during a mathematical achievement test

Several models have been developed in order to categorize the numerous expressions that people use in order to describe their emotional experiences. The focus of the present study is on one of these theoretical classifications proposed by Pekrun (1992) specifically concerning emotions which are directly related to learning and achievement in mathematics. In his model, emotions are classified according to their valence (positive vs. negative) and their level of activation. In testing the assumptions of this model, we investigated students' enjoyment, anxiety, anger and boredom experienced before, during, and after the completion of a math test. Correspondence analyses which were used to generate a graphical illustration of structural interrelationships between these emotions provide empirical support for the theoretical classification.