A new hyperbolic shear deformation theory for buckling and vibration of functionally graded sandwich plate

A new hyperbolic shear deformation theory taking into account transverse shear deformation effects is presented for the buckling and free vibration analysis of thick functionally graded sandwich plates. Unlike any other theory, the theory presented gives rise to only four governing equations. Number of unknown functions involved is only four, as against five in case of simple shear deformation theories of Mindlin and Reissner (first shear deformation theory). The plate properties are assumed to be varied through the thickness following a simple power law distribution in terms of volume fraction of material constituents. The theory presented is variationally consistent, does not require shear correction factor, and gives rise to transverse shear stress variation such that the transverse shear stresses vary parabolically across the thickness satisfying shear stress free surface conditions. Equations of motion are derived from Hamilton's principle. The closed-form solutions of functionally graded sandwich plates are obtained using the Navier solution. The results obtained for plate with various thickness ratios using the theory are not only substantially more accurate than those obtained using the classical plate theory, but are almost comparable to those obtained using higher order theories with more number of unknown functions.     

Parallel query processing with zigzag trees

In this article, we describe our approach to the compile-time optimization and parallelization of queries for execution in DBS3 or EDS. DBS3 is a shared-memory parallel database system, while the EDS system has a distributed-memory architecture. Because DBS3 implements a parallel dataflow execution model, this approach applies to both architectures. Using randomized search strategies enables the exploration of a search space large enough to include zigzag trees, which are intermediate between left-deep and right-deep trees. Zigzag trees are shown to provide better response time than right-deep trees in case of limited memory. Performance measurements obtained using the DBS3 prototype show the advantages of zigzag trees under various conditions.     

Unsteady micropolar fluid flow in a thin domain with Tresca fluid–solid interface law

We consider a micropolar fluid flow in a two-dimensional domain. We assume that the velocity field satisfies a non-linear slip boundary condition of friction type on a part of the boundary while the micro-rotation field satisfies non-homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions. We prove the existence and uniqueness of a solution. Then motivated by lubrication problems we assume that the thickness and the roughness of the domain are of order $0<\epsilon <<1$ and we study the asymptotic behaviour of the flow as $\epsilon$ tends to zero. By using the two-scale convergence technique we derive the limit problem which is totally decoupled for the limit velocity and pressure $(v^0,p^0)$ on one hand and the limit micro-rotation $Z^0$ on the other hand. Moreover we prove that $v^0$, $p^0$ and $Z^0$ are uniquely determined via auxiliary well-posed problems.     

Simulation and Experimental Studies of Illumination Effects on the Current Transport of Nitridated GaAs Schottky Diode

Semiconductors - In this paper, we studied the electrical characteristic of Schottky diodes based on gold contact on nitridated GaAs substrates. The used (100) GaAs substrate is n-type with...     

Parallel sparse linear solver with GMRES method using minimization techniques of communications for GPU clusters

In this paper, we aim at exploiting the power computing of a graphics processing unit (GPU) cluster for solving large sparse linear systems. We implement the parallel algorithm of the generalized minimal residual iterative method using the Compute Unified Device Architecture programming language and the MPI parallel environment. The experiments show that a GPU cluster is more efficient than a CPU cluster. In order to optimize the performances, we use a compressed storage format for the sparse vectors and the hypergraph partitioning. These solutions improve the spatial and temporal localization of the shared data between the computing nodes of the GPU cluster.     

The positive charge neutralisation after bi-directional stress on MOS capacitors

The aim of this work is to study the positive charge relaxation after bidirectional electron injections in a p-metal-oxide-silicon capacitor submitted to a constant current. This relaxation is studied following two steps. When the stressed sample is submitted to a nonstressing constant current, the positive charge neutralisation follows an exponential law with time. This allows us to estimate the electron capture cross-section (≈10^–16 to ≈2 × 10^–15 cm²). When the sample is let without any applied field, the positive charge relaxation follows a logarithmic law with time. It is also shown that the capture cross-section depends on the stress and relaxation times.     

Combined Post-harvest Treatments for Improving Quality and Extending Shelf-Life of Minimally Processed Broccoli Florets (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica oleracea var. italica</Emphasis>)

Broccoli is an important source of many nutritional and bioactive compounds. However, its shelf-life is very short due to physicochemical losses and microbiological degradation. This study was undertaken to implement treatments that could improve the quality of ready-to-eat (RTE) broccoli during storage by evaluating the effect of pre-treatment with calcium chloride (CaCl₂) and alginate coating on the physicochemical and microbial properties of RTE broccoli. Broccoli florets were pre-treated with three different concentrations of CaCl₂ (1, 2.5, and 4 g L^?1), then coated with an alginate formulation (13 g L^?1) and stored at 4 °C for 24 days. Texture, color, weight loss, respiration rate, and total mesophilic flora (TMF) counts were evaluated at days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 24 of storage. The obtained results in this study showed that combining pre-treatment with calcium and alginate coating led to reducing the weight loss and respiration rate of broccoli, maintaining its color and texture as well as extending its shelf-life by 6 days. These results not only allowed reducing post-harvest losses resulting in the loss of the product but also have a major impact on the environment and resources involved in the production process.     

Heat transfers through mechanically-stimulated particle beds

A particle bed can be effectively ‘fluidised’ by means of a vibrating diaphragm. Such beds of vibrating particles (whether in nominally-still air or even in a vacuum) exhibit high thermal-conductances, which are comparable with those of air-fludised beds. The mechanically-stimulated beds have potential applications as thermal switches.     

Direct measure of genuine tripartite entanglement independent from bipartite constructions

A new and direct measure (without bipartite measures) of genuine entanglement in tripartite systems based on the volume of the negative part of the Wigner function is proposed. We analyze comparatively this quantity and the different types of entanglement present in two major classes (GHZ and W classes) formed in the coherent state basis.