On 2D Viscoelasticity with Small Strain

An exact two-dimensional rotation-strain model describing the motion of Hookean incompressible viscoelastic materials is constructed by the polar decomposition of the deformation tensor. The global existence of classical solutions is proved under the smallness assumptions only on the size of initial strain tensor. The proof of global existence utilizes the weak dissipative mechanism of motion, which is revealed by passing the partial dissipation to the whole system.Comment: Different contributions of strain and rotation of the deformation are studied for viscoelastic fluids of Oldroyd-B type in 2

A blowup criterion for ideal viscoelastic flow

We establish an analog of the Beale-Kato-Majda criterion for singularities of smooth solutions of the system of PDE arising in the Oldroyd model for ideal viscoelastic flow

Genetic based discrete particle swarm optimization for elderly day care center timetabling

The timetabling problem of local Elderly Day Care Centers (EDCCs) is formulated into a weighted maximum constraint satisfaction problem (Max-CSP) in this study. The EDCC timetabling problem is a multi-dimensional assignment problem, where users (elderly) are required to perform activities that require different venues and timeslots, depending on operational constraints. These constraints are categorized into two: hard constraints, which must be fulfilled strictly, and soft constraints, which may be violated but with a penalty. Numerous methods have been successfully applied to the weighted Max-CSP; these methods include exact algorithms based on branch and bound techniques, and approximation methods based on repair heuristics, such as the min-conflict heuristic. This study aims to explore the potential of evolutionary algorithms by proposing a genetic-based discrete particle swarm optimization (GDPSO) to solve the EDCC timetabling problem. The proposed method is compared with the min-conflict random-walk algorithm (MCRW), Tabu search (TS), standard particle swarm optimization (SPSO), and a guided genetic algorithm (GGA). Computational evidence shows that GDPSO significantly outperforms the other algorithms in terms of solution quality and efficiency

Global Solutions for Incompressible Viscoelastic Fluids

We prove the existence of both local and global smooth solutions to the Cauchy problem in the whole space and the periodic problem in the n-dimensional torus for the incompressible viscoelastic system of Oldroyd-B type in the case of near equilibrium initial data. The results hold in both two and three dimensional spaces. The results and methods presented in this paper are also valid for a wide range of elastic complex fluids, such as magnetohydrodynamics, liquid crystals and mixture problems.Comment: We prove the existence of global smooth solutions to the Cauchy problem for the incompressible viscoelastic system of Oldroyd-B type in the case of near equilibrium initial dat

Effects of germination time on antioxidant contents and enzymatic antioxidant activities in the grains of different rice varieties

Tocopherols, tocotrienols and γ-oryzanol are potent antioxidants of rice grains, and they may play an important role in the germination and growth of rice plants. In this study, the objective was to examine the effects of germination time on contents of Toc, T3, GO and ascorbate, as well as enzymatic antioxidant activities in the grains of two different rice varieties, namely TN71 and KS139. Samplings were conducted at 0, 3, 6 and 9 days after imbibition. The results showed that T3 and GO contents, but not Toc increased during seedling emergence. Toc content showed a trend of decrease from 0 DAI to 6 DAI. Contrasting to KS139, the AsA content in the grains of TN71 increased with increasing DAI. KS139 showed a time-dependent increase in the dehydroascorbate level, while that of TN71 remains unchanged at all times. TN71 showed significant increases in superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities in the late germination stages (9 DAI); with the exception of APX, KS139 exhibited a relatively constant enzymatic activities throughout the germination period. The changes in the malondialdehyde and H2O2 levels were minimum before 6 DAI, however a significant increase was noted at 9 DAI. This study indicates that besides the enzymatic antioxidants, the increase in T3 and GO contents may play a role in countering the oxidative stress during rice grain germination

Understanding the Impact of Transactive Memory Systems on Project Team Performance: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Integration and Collective Mind

This study aims at exploring potential mediators between transactive memory systems (TMS) and team performance. We argue that TMS facilitates knowledge integration and the forming of collective mind, which in turn, affect team performance. Collecting data from 205 project managers in Taiwan supports our hypotheses that knowledge integration and collective mind serve as mediator between TMS and team performance

Low-temperature electron dephasing time in AuPd revisited

Ever since the first discoveries of the quantum-interference transport in mesoscopic systems, the electron dephasing times, $\tau_\phi$, in the concentrated AuPd alloys have been extensively measured. The samples were made from different sources with different compositions, prepared by different deposition methods, and various geometries (1D narrow wires, 2D thin films, and 3D thickfilms) were studied. Surprisingly, the low-temperature behavior of $\tau_\phi$ inferred by different groups over two decades reveals a systematic correlation with the level of disorder of the sample. At low temperatures, where $\tau_\phi$ is (nearly) independent of temperature, a scaling $\tau_\phi^{\rm max} \propto D^{-\alpha}$ is found, where $tau_\phi^{\rm max}$ is the maximum value of $\tau_\phi$ measured in the experiment, $D$ is the electron diffusion constant, and the exponent $\alpha$ is close to or slightly larger than 1. We address this nontrivial scaling behavior and suggest that the most possible origin for this unusual dephasing is due to dynamical structure defects, while other theoretical explanations may not be totally ruled out.Comment: to appear in Physica E, Proceedings for the International Seminar and Workshop "Quantum Coherence, Noise, and Decoherence in Nanostructures", 15-26 May 2006, Dresde

Effects of crossed states on photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy of InAs quantum dots

In this report, the influence of the intrinsic transitions between bound-to-delocalized states (crossed states or quasicontinuous density of electron-hole states) on photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra of InAs quantum dots (QDs) was investigated. The InAs QDs were different in size, shape, and number of bound states. Results from the PLE spectroscopy at low temperature and under a high magnetic field (up to 14 T) were compared. Our findings show that the profile of the PLE resonances associated with the bound transitions disintegrated and broadened. This was attributed to the coupling of the localized QD excited states to the crossed states and scattering of longitudinal acoustical (LA) phonons. The degree of spectral linewidth broadening was larger for the excited state in smaller QDs because of the higher crossed joint density of states and scattering rate

Recurrent neuro-fuzzy modeling and fuzzy MDPP control for flexible servomechanisms

This paper considers the nonlinear system identification and control for flexible servomechanisms. A multi-step-ahead recurrent neuro-fuzzy model consisting of local linear ARMA (autoregressive moving average) models with bias terms is suggested for approximating the dynamic behavior of a servomechanism including the effects of flexibility and friction. The RLS ( recursive least squares) algorithm is adopted for obtaining the optimal consequent parameters of the rules. Within each fuzzy operating region, a local MDPP ( minimum degree pole placement) control law with integral action can be constructed based on the estimated local model. Then a fuzzy controller composed of these local MDPP controls can be easily constructed for the servomechanism. The techniques are illustrated using computer simulations