Nonlinear free vibration analysis of the functionally graded beams

Nonlinear natural oscillations of beams made from functionally graded material (FGM) are studied in this paper. The equation of motion is derived according to the EulerBernoulli beam theory and von Karman geometric nonlinearity. Subsequently, Galerkin’s solution technique is applied to obtain the corresponding ordinary differential equation (ODE) for the FGM beam. This equation represents a kind of a nonlinear ODE containing quadratic and cubic nonlinear terms. This nonlinear equation is then solved by means of three efficient approaches. Homotopy perturbation method is applied at the first stage and the corresponding frequency-amplitude relationship is obtained. Frequency-amplitude formulation and Harmonic balance method are then employed and the consequent frequency responses are determined. In addition, Parameter Expansion Method is utilized for evaluating the nonlinear vibration of the system. A parametric study is then conducted to evaluate the influence of the geometrical and mechanical properties of the FGM beam on its frequency responses. Different types of material properties and boundary conditions are taken into account and frequency responses of the system are evaluated for different gradient indexes. The frequency ratio (nonlinear to linear natural frequency) is obtained in terms of the initial amplitude and compared for different materials and end conditions

Review of the biotechnology research and development (R and D) in OECD countries concerning biological drugs

The pharmaceutical industry is among high technology industries that needs considerable attention in research and development. Overall, the processes that a drug must go through from its production in the laboratory, to clinical trials on certain groups, to the drug being licensed and finally planning for its marketing makes it different to any other product. Boosting research and development capability in this industry as well as saving patients’ lives is also essential in controlling the costs of importing drugs. According to this point of view, having suitable R and D strategies in the pharmaceutical sector becomes very important for every country. In this study, we aimed to review several studies concerning biological drugs R and D in selected countries. Since the discussions in relation to the R and D within the pharmaceutical sector about biological drugs come under the umbrella of innovation system of each country. By reviewing the pharmaceutical innovation system studies of selected OECD countries including Norway, Germany and Japan, we aimed to look at the main factors in national R and D system, the trading system conditions, R and D co-operations, human resources, financial matters, entrepreneurship, the market, R and D policy making and coordination of different organizations and main support policies within the biological drugs system.Key words: R and D, biotechnology, biological drugs

The first record of bobtail squid, Euprymna hyllebergi Nateewathana, 1997 (Cephalopoda:Sepiolidae) from the Persian Gulf, Iran

The family Sepiolidae comprises over 50 species in 14 genera. They are commonly known as bobtail squids with a worldwide distribution from tropical to temperate and sub-polar latitudes of all oceans (Nateewathana, 1997; Aungtonya et al., 2011). Euprymna hyllebergi belongs to the Sepiolidae family and Sepiolinae subfamily. This species has a wide distribution in the Eastern Indian Ocean, and has been recorded up to the depth of 47 meters in Andaman Sea, Thailand (Jereb and Roper, 2005). The family Sepiolidae, includes all bobtail squids with kidney-shape fins. Little is known about their biology, but they are common in tropical, temperate and sub polar waters of all oceans (Jereb and Roper, 2010). This is the first record of the bobtail squid, E. hyllebergi from the Persian Gulf. On 27th of March 2013 during a scuba diving session in Persian Gulf (Figure 1, coordinates: 54° 49’39.5”E, 26° 26’ 55.3”N) about 200 eggs of E. hyllebergi were collected at the depth of 40 meters in northern Persian Gulf. The eggs (Fig. 2a) were transferred to the Persian Gulf Shellfishes Research Center laboratory for further incubation and hatching

Effectiveness of Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir with/without Ribavarin in Liver Transplant Recipients with Hepatitis C.

Background and Aims: Recurrent infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in liver transplant (LT) recipients is universal and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the safety and efficacy of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir with and without ribavirin in LT recipients with recurrent genotype 1 hepatitis C. Results: Eighty-five LT recipients were treated for recurrent HCV with ledipasvir/sofosbuvirwith and without ribavirin for 12 or 24 weeks. The mean (± standard deviation [SD]) time from LT to treatment initiation was 68 (±71) months. The mean (± SD) age of the cohort was 63 (±8.6) years old. Most recipients were male (70%). Baseline alanine transaminase, total bilirubin, and HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) values (± SD) were 76.8 (±126) mg/dL, 0.8 (±1.3) U/L, and 8,010,421.9 (±12,420,985) IU/mL, respectively. Five of 43 recipients who were treated with ribavirin required drug cessation due to side effects, with 4 of those being anemia complications. No recipient discontinued the ledipasvir/sofosbuvir. Eighty-one percent of recipients had undetectable viral levels at 4 weeks after starting therapy, and all recipients had complete viral suppression at the end of therapy. The sustained viral response at 12 weeks after completion of therapy was 94%. Conclusion : Ledipasvir and sofosbuvir with and without ribavirin therapy is an effective and well-tolerated interferon-free treatment for recurrent HCV infection after LT. Anemia is not uncommon in LT recipients receiving ribavirin

Testing The Friedmann Equation: The Expansion of the Universe During Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis

In conventional general relativity, the expansion rate H of a Robertson-Walker universe is related to the energy density by the Friedmann equation. Aside from the present day, the only epoch at which we can constrain the expansion history in a model-independent way is during Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN). We consider a simple two-parameter characterization of the behavior of H during BBN and derive constraints on this parameter space, finding that the allowed region of parameter space is essentially one-dimensional. We also study the effects of a large neutrino asymmetry within this framework. Our results provide a simple way to compare an alternative cosmology to the observational requirement of matching the primordial abundances of the light elements.Comment: 18 pages, Final version to be published in Phys. Rev.

Solar Neutrino Constraints on the BBN Production of Li

Using the recent WMAP determination of the baryon-to-photon ratio, 10^{10} \eta = 6.14 to within a few percent, big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) calculations can make relatively accurate predictions of the abundances of the light element isotopes which can be tested against observational abundance determinations. At this value of \eta, the Li7 abundance is predicted to be significantly higher than that observed in low metallicity halo dwarf stars. Among the possible resolutions to this discrepancy are 1) Li7 depletion in the atmosphere of stars; 2) systematic errors originating from the choice of stellar parameters - most notably the surface temperature; and 3) systematic errors in the nuclear cross sections used in the nucleosynthesis calculations. Here, we explore the last possibility, and focus on possible systematic errors in the He3(\alpha,\gamma)Be7 reaction, which is the only important Li7 production channel in BBN. The absolute value of the cross section for this key reaction is known relatively poorly both experimentally and theoretically. The agreement between the standard solar model and solar neutrino data thus provides additional constraints on variations in the cross section (S_{34}). Using the standard solar model of Bahcall, and recent solar neutrino data, we can exclude systematic S_{34} variations of the magnitude needed to resolve the BBN Li7 problem at > 95% CL. Additional laboratory data on He3(\alpha,\gamma)Be7 will sharpen our understanding of both BBN and solar neutrinos, particularly if care is taken in determining the absolute cross section and its uncertainties. Nevertheless, it already seems that this ``nuclear fix'' to the Li7 BBN problem is unlikely; other possible solutions are briefly discussed.Comment: 21 pages, 3 ps figure

Regular and chaotic vibration in a piezoelectric energy harvester

We examine regular and chaotic responses of a vibrational energy harvester composed of a vertical beam and a tip mass. The beam is excited horizontally by a harmonic inertial force while mechanical vibrational energy is converted to electrical power through a piezoelectric patch. The mechanical resonator can be described by single or double well potentials depending on the gravity force from the tip mass. By changing the tip mass we examine bifurcations from single well oscillations, to regular and chaotic vibrations between the potential wells. The appearance of chaotic responses in the energy harvesting system is illustrated by the bifurcation diagram, the corresponding Fourier spectra, the phase portraits, and is confirmed by the 0–1 test. The appearance of chaotic vibrations reduces the level of harvested energy

Constraining Strong Baryon-Dark Matter Interactions with Primordial Nucleosynthesis and Cosmic Rays

Self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) was introduced by Spergel & Steinhardt to address possible discrepancies between collisionless dark matter simulations and observations on scales of less than 1 Mpc. We examine the case in which dark matter particles not only have strong self-interactions but also have strong interactions with baryons. The presence of such interactions will have direct implications for nuclear and particle astrophysics. Among these are a change in the predicted abundances from big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) and the flux of gamma-rays produced by the decay of neutral pions which originate in collisions between dark matter and Galactic cosmic rays (CR). From these effects we constrain the strength of the baryon--dark matter interactions through the ratio of baryon - dark matter interaction cross section to dark matter mass, $s$. We find that BBN places a weak upper limit to this ratio $< 10^8 cm^2/g$. CR-SIDM interactions, however, limit the possible DM-baryon cross section to $< 5 \times 10^{-3} cm^2/g$; this rules out an energy-independent interaction, but not one which falls with center-of-mass velocity as $s \propto 1/v$ or steeper.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures; plain LaTeX. To appear in PR