Integrating Variable Reduction Strategy With Evolutionary Algorithms for Solving Nonlinear Equations Systems

Nonlinear equations systems (NESs) are widely used in real-world problems and they are difficult to solve due to their nonlinearity and multiple roots. Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are one of the methods for solving NESs, given their global search capabilities and ability to locate multiple roots of a NES simultaneously within one run. Currently, the majority of research on using EAs to solve NESs focuses on transformation techniques and improving the performance of the used EAs. By contrast, problem domain knowledge of NESs is investigated in this study, where we propose the incorporation of a variable reduction strategy (VRS) into EAs to solve NESs. The VRS makes full use of the systems of expressing a NES and uses some variables (i.e., core variable) to represent other variables (i.e., reduced variables) through variable relationships that exist in the equation systems. It enables the reduction of partial variables and equations and shrinks the decision space, thereby reducing the complexity of the problem and improving the search efficiency of the EAs. To test the effectiveness of VRS in dealing with NESs, this paper mainly integrates the VRS into two existing state-of-the-art EA methods (i.e., MONES and DR-JADE) according to the integration framework of the VRS and EA, respectively. Experimental results show that, with the assistance of the VRS, the EA methods can produce better results than the original methods and other compared methods. Furthermore, extensive experiments regarding the influence of different reduction schemes and EAs substantiate that a better EA for solving a NES with more reduced variables tends to provide better performance.      

A Comparative Study of Mechanical Properties,Thermal Conductivity,Residual Stresses,and Wear Resistance of Aluminum-Alumina Composites Obtained by Squeeze Casting and Powder Metallurgy

Squeeze casting and powder metallurgy techniques were employed to fabricate AlSi12/Al₂O₃ composites, which are lightweight structural materials with potential applications in the automotive industry. The impact of the processing route on the material properties was studied. Comparative analyses were conducted for the Vickers hardness, flexural strength, fracture toughness, thermal conductivity, thermal residual stresses, and frictional wear. Our results show that the squeeze cast composite exhibits superior properties to those obtained using powder metallurgy.

     

Correction to: A Comparative Study of Mechanical Properties,Thermal Conductivity,Residual Stresses,and Wear Resistance of Aluminum-Alumina Composites Obtained by Squeeze Casting and Powder Metallurgy

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A -     

Effect of plasma treatment on the surface properties of polydimethylsiloxane

In this work, the analysis of the plasma modification of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates was conducted. The influence of the modification onto the changes occurred within the geometrical structure and chemical composition of the surface was analyzed. Due to the study of the atomic force microscopy, it was possible to determine the relationships between the surface development and applied process parameters, defining the conditions facilitating to obtain isotropic or anisotropic orientations of wrinkles. A precise analysis of the chemical composition of the surface, executed before and after the modification processes, enabled to define the changes in their elementary composition. Moreover, the modification influence onto the changes of the contact angle and the surface free energy were also analyzed. So, based on the research it was stated that the increase of value of the surface free energy is proportional to the sp³ phase contents in the DLC coatings. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41635.     

Shewanella sp. O23S as a Driving Agent of a System Utilizing Dissimilatory Arsenate-Reducing Bacteria Responsible for Self-Cleaning of Water Contaminated with Arsenic

The purpose of this study was a detailed characterization of Shewanella sp. O23S, a strain involved in arsenic transformation in ancient gold mine waters contaminated with arsenic and other heavy metals. Physiological analysis of Shewanella sp. O23S showed that it is a facultative anaerobe, capable of growth using arsenate, thiosulfate, nitrate, iron or manganite as a terminal electron acceptor, and lactate or citrate as an electron donor. The strain can grow under anaerobic conditions and utilize arsenate in the respiratory process in a broad range of temperatures (10–37 °C), pH (4–8), salinity (0%–2%), and the presence of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Se, V and Zn). Under reductive conditions this strain can simultaneously use arsenate and thiosulfate as electron acceptors and produce yellow arsenic (III) sulfide (As₂S₃) precipitate. Simulation of As-removal from water containing arsenate (2.5 mM) and thiosulfate (5 mM) showed 82.5% efficiency after 21 days of incubation at room temperature. Based on the obtained results, we have proposed a model of a microbially mediated system for self-cleaning of mine waters contaminated with arsenic, in which Shewanella sp. O23S is the main driving agent.