Wave turbulence and intermittency in directional wave fields

The evolution of surface gravity waves is driven by nonlinear interactions that trigger an energy cascade similarly to the one observed in hydrodynamic turbulence. This process, known as wave turbulence, has been found to display anomalous scaling with deviation from classical turbulent predictions due to the emergence of coherent and intermittent structures on the water surface. In the ocean, waves are spread over a wide range of directions, with a consequent attenuation of the nonlinear properties. A laboratory experiment in a large wave facility is presented to discuss the sensitivity of wave turbulence on the directional properties of model wave spectra. Results show that the occurrence of coherent and intermittent structures become less likely with the broadening of the wave directional spreading. There is no evidence, however, that intermittency completely vanishes.     

pH-Sensitive Oscillatory Motion of a Urease Motor on the Urea Aqueous Phase

A self-propelled object coupled with an enzyme reaction between urease and urea was investigated at the air/aqueous interface. A plastic object that was fixed to a urease-immobilized filter paper was used as a self-propelled object, termed a urease motor, placed on an aqueous urea solution. The driving force of the urease motor is the difference in the surface tension around the object. Oscillatory motion or no motion was triggered depending on the initial pH of the urea solution. Both the frequency and maximum speed of the oscillatory motion varied depending on the initial pH of the water phase. The mechanisms underlying the oscillatory motion and no motion were discussed in relation to the bell-shaped enzyme activity of urease in the enzyme reaction and the surface tension around the urease motor.     

Strong edge-coloring for planar graphs with large girth

A strong edge-coloring of a graph $G=(V,E)$ is a partition of its edge set $E$ into induced matchings. Let $G$ be a connected planar graph with girth $k\ge 26$ and maximum degree $\Delta$. We show that either $G$ is isomorphic to a subgraph of a very special $\Delta$-regular graph with girth $k$, or $G$ has a strong edge-coloring using at most $2\Delta +\lceil \frac{12(\Delta -2)}{k}\rceil$ colors.     

Character of the thermal motion of water molecules according to the data on quasielastic incoherent scattering of slow neutrons

The paper discusses the applicability of quasi-crystalline approximation to describing the thermal motion of water molecules in their normal and supercooled states. The problem is subjected to the critical analysis of experimental data on incoherent scattering of slow neutrons based on theories developed by Singwi-Sjolander [1] and Oskotsky [2] modified to duly take into account the limited applicability range of diffusion approximation. The applicability conditions of quasi-crystalline approximation are shown to be consistently satisfied only when water is in supercooled state and within a narrow temperature range above the melting temperature.     

Optimal Planar Interception with Fixed End Conditions: Approximate Solutions

In a previous paper (Ref. 1), an exact solution of the optimal planar interception with fixed end conditions was derived in closed form. The optimal control was expressed as an explicit function of the state variables and two fixed parameters, obtained by solving a set of nonlinear algebraic equations involving elliptic integrals. In order to facilitate the optimal control implementation, the present paper derives a highly accurate simplified solution assuming that the ratio of the pursuer turning radius to the initial range is small. An asymptotic expansion further reduces the computational workload. Construction of a near-optimal open-loop control, based on the approximations, completes the present paper.     

一种全局运动的图像处理算法研究

在摄像机进行航拍的图像处理系统中,由摄像机运动所引起的视频运动,背景变化是主要特点。在进行图像采集时,每个像素都在变化,采用传统的图像编码方式进行图像压缩,压缩效果比较差。提出了基于块分割的精确运动估计算法,它是一种很好的图像压缩方法。     

Colloidal ZnO nanostructures and functional coatings: A survey

The past research work devoted to ZnO nanocolloidal sol-gel route is reviewed. It highlights the cluster chemistry of alcoholic ZnAc₂ solutions and the results of ZnO colloid growth investigations performed worldwide. Moreover, the role of doping and co-doping in the processing of functional ZnO coatings is discussed. The possibilities of tuning the optical properties are also reported with a particular attention to luminescence. The last part of this paper deals with electrical and photoelectrochemical properties of ZnO nanocrystals and their aggregates. This contribution is dedicated to the 80th birthday of Prof. Arnim Henglein from the Hahn-Meitner-Institut in Berlin and to the memory of Prof. Jacques Mugnier from the Université Claude-Bernard Lyon 1 in France.     

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     

Using multi-exposure of color fringes to measure the beating motion of a moth

A multi-exposure of color fringes method has been developed to improve the capture speed of a conventional color CCD camera. In the method, four groups of projected fringe patterns encoded with different colors and different directions are stored in one CCD frame. Therefore the capture frequency of the conventional CCD can be improved to 200 Hz. It is available to measure the insect wings with low beating frequency, such as dragonfly, moth, or butterfly, whose beating frequency is about 30–40 Hz. We have used the method to measure the beating motion of a moth successfully.