Biological synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles mediated by the bacteria Bacillus subtilis

Biological synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles was carried out using the bacteria Bacillus subtilis. The reduction processes of chloroaurate and silver ions by B. subtilis were found to be different. Gold nanoparticles were synthesized both intra- and extracellularly, while silver nanoparticles were exclusively formed extracellularly. The gold nanoparticles were formed after 1 day of addition of chloroaurate ions, while the silver nanoparticles were formed after 7 days. The nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectra and transmission electron spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction revealed the formation of face-centered cubic (fcc) crystalline gold nanoparticles in the supernatant, broth solution and bacterial pellet. Silver nanoparticles also exhibited diffraction peaks corresponding to fcc metallic silver. UV-vis spectra showed surface plasmon vibrations for gold and silver nanoparticles centered at 530 and 456 nm, respectively. TEM micrographs depicted the formation of gold nanoparticles intra- and extracellularly, which had an average size of 7.6 +/- 1.8 and 7.3 +/- 2.3 nm, respectively, while silver nanoparticles were exclusively formed extracellularly, with an average size of 6.1 +/- 1.6 nm. The bacterial proteins were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfonate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) before and after the addition of metal ion solutions. We believe that proteins of a molecular weight between 25 and 66 kDa could be responsible for chloroaurate ions reduction, while the formation of silver nanoparticles can be attributed to proteins of a molecular weight between 66 and 116 kDa. We also believe that the nanoparticles were stabilized by the surface-active molecules i.e., surfactin or other biomolecules released into the solution by B. subtilis.     

地震作用下高速列车与桥梁耦合振动分析

摘要: 为了研究地震作用下高速列车与桥梁耦合振动特性,通过分析JR300系列轮轨高速列车与高架桥在地震作用下的耦合振动,对轨道不平顺、不同地震波对耦合振动响应的影响进行比较研究。结果表明：轨道竖向不平顺会加大车体振动竖向加速度,在地震作用下,车体加速度会接近或超过规定限值;桥梁在地震与列车作用下,考虑轨道的竖向不平顺对桥梁的竖向响应影响较小;不同地震波激励对车桥振动响应影响有较大不同。     

Bifurcation sets and chaotic states of a gear system subjected to harmonic excitation

The gear dynamics is described by a time-varying nonlinear differential equation due to the time dependence of tooth stiffness and backlash. To discuss whether or not distinctive new phenomena occur in the gear system with its backlash and time-variable characters is an important and interesting problem from a practival viewpoint of estimating the dynamic load or gear noise as well as an academic one of contribution to nonlinear mechanics. In this study, the bifurcation sets of periodic solutions under some gear parameters are obtained and chaotically transitional phenomena are investigated by using the Poincaré map.     

Finite element analysis of bonded repairs to edge cracks in panels subjected to acoustic excitation

The skin of an aircraft can vibrate as a result of pressure waves caused by engine and/or aerodynamic effects. In modern fighter aircraft such as the F/A-18, sound pressure levels have been recorded up to 170 dB over the surface of the skin. In the F/A-18 cracking has occurred in the lower nacelle, typically along the boundaries of the panel. These cracks often originate from a fastener line, grow along the boundary and then turn into the centre of the panel. In the case of the F/A-18, cracking was due to higher than expected pressure levels caused by an aerodynamic disturbance at the inlet lip. Attempts have been made to repair these panels with boron fibre patches, however the cracks have continued to grow. This paper aims at attempting to understand the mechanisms of cracking of the panels subjected to acoustic excitation and the influence of bonded repairs. Also, the analysis is extended to a feasibility study on the effects of enlarging the patch and increasing material damping on the stress intensity factor.     

形状记忆合金梁在随机激励下的随机分岔与首次穿越

根据形状记忆合金（SMA）的等应变拉压实验的数据,利用van der Pol环模型模拟了形状记忆合金在加载和卸载过程中的应力应变迟滞环特性。并且根据弹性理论和Galerkin方法建立了形状记忆合金简支梁在受轴向高斯白噪声激励时的振动模型。应用拟不可积Hamilton随机平均法将函数表示为一维扩散过程后,通过最大Lyapunov指数判断系统的局部稳定性,同时用奇异边界理论讨论了系统的全局稳定性。随后通过分析稳态概率密度和联合概率密度的图形特征,得到了此模型的随机Hopf分岔现象,并讨论了系统产生随机Hopf分岔的条件。最后,用数值法模拟了系统在特定初始条件和边界条件下可靠性函数和首次穿越时间的概率密度函数所满足的BK(Backward Kolmogorov)方程,并且分析了系统发生首次穿越的条件。     

Principal component analysis of fluorescence changes upon growth conditions and washing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

We have measured the autofluorescence from suspensions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the growth medium and after one, two, and three washes. The bacterium was grown in two different media, nutrient broth and King's B broth. The bacterium was harvested after 12, 24, and 48 h of growth. The fluorescence was measured with excitation every 10 nm from 200 nm to 600 nm. The fluorescence profiles were analyzed using principal component analysis. We found that most of the information is in the first three principal components. Stark differences in the value of the first principal component were noted between the samples in broth and those with one, two, or three washings. The second and third principal components noted differences between the samples washed once and those washed two or three times. There was no significant difference between samples washed two and three times. There are small differences noted between the samples grown in the two different broths, and no differences were noted among the samples harvested at different times.     

随机最优控制下矩形薄板受面内随机参数激励的首次穿越研究

根据建立了四边简支受控矩形薄板受面内高斯白噪声激励的振动模型,并用Galerkin变分法将其化简为二自由度常微分非线性动力学方程。又利用拟不可积Hamilton系统平均理论将方程等价为一个一维的Ito随机过程,随后结合随机动态规划方法,得到了使系统可靠性最大的随机最优控制策略。最后建立了受控系统的条件可靠性函数所满足的Backward Kolmogorov(BK)方程,根据初始条件和边界条件得出数值结果。数值结果表明,随机最优控制对系统的可靠性提升有明显作用     

Experimental and theoretical investigation of a polymer subjected to cyclic loading conditions

There are many machine components made of polymeric materials, such as gears, which are subjected to cyclic loading conditions. To design such components, it is necessary to arrive at a suitable mathematical model that can describe the mechanical response of polymeric materials. In this paper, we derive a mathematical model for rate-type solids using thermodynamical framework developed by Rajagopal and Srinivasa (K.R. Rajagopal, A.R. Srinivasa, A thermodynamic frame work for rate type fluid model, Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics 88 (2000) 207-227) (also see Section 5 of Kannan and Rajagopal (K. Kannan, K.R. Rajagopal, A thermomechanical framework for the transition of a viscoelastic liquid to a viscoelastic solid, Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids 9 (2004) 37-59)), which was used by Rajagopal and Srinivasa to derive a mathematical model for isotropic, rate-type liquids. Uniaxial cyclic loading and stress relaxation experiments were conducted. The predictions of the model agreed well with the experimental data.     

Equation for the evolution of trapped hydrogen in an elastic rod subjected to high-frequency harmonic excitation

The hydrogen-containing solid is assumed to consist of an elastic matrix with voids filled by hydrogen. This model is used for modeling the process of diffusion and trapping the hydrogen in an elastic rod subjected to high-frequency excitation. The differential equation for the trapped hydrogen concentration is obtained in the one-dimensional case. The method of direct separation of vibrational processes allows one to introduce the “fast” and “slow” components in the process of hydrogen redistribution in the material. The governing equation for the evolution of the trapped hydrogen concentration in the vibrating elastic rod is derived, and it reflects the considerable impact of high-frequency vibration on the evolution of trapped hydrogen. The resulting equation is shown to differ significantly from the original equation for the hydrogen concentration.     

Transient and stationary response statistics of van der Pol oscillators subjected to broad band random excitation

The joint probability density function of the state space vector of a white noise excited van der Pol oscillator satisfies a Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov (FPK) equation. The paper describes a numerical procedure for solving the transient FPK equation based on the path integral solution (PIS) technique. It is shown that by combining the PIS with a cubicB-spline interpolation method, numerical solution algorithms can be implemented giving solutions of the FPK equation that can be made accurate down to very low probability levels. The method is illustrated by application to two specific examples of a van der Pol oscillator.     

Analysis of the conditions of necking in a porous rod subjected to tension

We analyze the conditions of necking in a thermoviscoplastic rod subjected to tension in broad ranges of strain rates and temperatures. Numerical calculations take into account complex constitutive relations for the material of the rod, the process of heat transfer in the rod, and the presence of discontinuities. The stability of uniform tension is investigated by the linear analysis of perturbations in a long-wave approximation based on limiting the expansions of perturbations into Fourier series to the first term. The roots of the polynomials obtained in this case are analyzed using the Routh-Hurwitz theory. After this, the results are improved by applying nonlinear analysis. This introduces corrections into the data of linear analysis by taking into account the influence of the amplitude dependence of perturbations on the stability of plastic deformation. The numerical results demonstrate that the length of the wave of perturbations considerably affects the rate of its damping and growth, whereas the evolution of perturbations is practically independent of the initial amplitude. The presence of discontinuities in the deformed rod makes necking much easier but is not a necessary condition of necking Scientific Research Institute of Mechanics and Applied Mathematics Russian Academy of Sciences, Rostovon-Don, Russia. Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 3, pp. 46–55, May–June, 1998.     

Shape and cross-section optimization of plane trusses subjected to earthquake excitation using gradient and Hessian matrix calculations

This article describes a second-order shape and cross-section optimization method of plane truss subjected to earthquake excitation. The method is based on gradient and Hessian matrix calculation. First, the first and second derivatives of dynamic response with respect to design variables are calculated based on the Newmark method. Second, the inequality time-dependent constraint problem is converted into a sequence of appropriately formed unconstrained problems using the integral interior penalty function method. Then, the gradient and Hessian matrix of the integral interior penalty function are computed. Third, Marquardt's method is employed to solve the unconstrained problems. Finally, the new approach is validated through several case studies. The results show that the new optimization method is an efficient and effective approach for minimum weight design of truss structures.     

确定性周期与随机激励联合作用下非线性系统非平稳响应的统计线性化方法

提出一种用于求解确定性周期与非平稳随机激励联合作用下,单自由度非线性系统非平稳响应的统计线性化方法。将系统响应分解为确定性周期和零均值随机分量之和,则原非线性运动方程可等效地化为一组耦合的、分别以确定性和随机动力响应为未知量的非线性微分方程。利用统计线性化方法将非平稳随机激励作用下的非线性随机动力方程化为等效线性方程,得到关于线性随机响应二阶矩的李雅普诺夫方程。联立李雅普诺夫方程与谐波激励作用下的确定性微分方程,并利用数值算法对其进行求解。以蒙特卡洛模拟验证了此方法的适用性和精度。     

Hormonal and metabolic changes in oncology patients subjected to general hyperthermia and ways for their correction

Hormonal-metabolic changes in oncology patients subjected to general hyperthermia (GHT) result in enhancement of free-radical oxidation and accumulation of endotoxins under the conditions of violation of their targeted transport to detoxication. A pathogenesis-matched stress-limiting program is developed that allows optimization of the GHT treatment. Scientific Research Institute of Oncology and Medical Radiology of the Ministry of Public Health of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 69, No. 3, pp. 443–450, May–June, 1996.     

Fatigue life and crack closure in specimens subjected to variable amplitude loads under plane strain conditions

The propagation of fatigue cracks in specimens subjected to variable amplitude loading under plane strain conditions was investigated experimentally and numerically, to find the influence of the variable amplitude loading on the stabilised crack closure level. Experiments on four-point-bend specimens with a Gurney block load scheme, showed that the crack closure level depends on the crack length but not on the stress range of the fluctuations. Numerical simulations performed in the fatigue crack growth program FASTRAN-II showed good agreement with the experimental results. In addition, statistical uncertainty analyses performed on the fatigue life show that, for technical applications, the uncertainties in initial crack length and load levels have a greater influence on the uncertainty in fatigue life, than the fluctuation level of the load.     

Serviceability of glass and ceramic shells with soldered joints subjected to external pressure and marine conditions

Institute of Strength Problems, Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, Kiev. Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 2, pp. 95–101, February, 1988.     

Surfactant assisted synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of selenium nanoparticles in ambient conditions

In this work, an attempt has been made to synthesize well-distributed stable selenium (Se) particles of nanosize dimensions via an aqueous micellar solution by the assistance of surfactants of two different polarities (anionic, sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) and cationic, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)). The morphology of the particles was examined with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). X-ray analysis reveals that the particles have a monoclinic structure. The band gap of the particles was determined from UV-visible optical spectroscopic results. The size variation was estimated by employing a quantum confinement effect equation. The evolution of the selenium nanoparticles in AOT and CTAB micellar media was corroborated with the time-dependent absorption spectra. The influence of hydrazine hydrate concentrations on the formation kinetics of Se nanoparticles was also investigated. The capping ability of the surfactants has been quantitatively evaluated from Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) studies.     

色噪声与确定性谐波联合激励下Bouc-Wen动力系统响应的统计线性化方法

提出了一种用于求解色噪声和确定性谐波联合作用下单自由度Bouc-Wen系统响应的统计线性化方法。基于系统响应可分解为确定性谐波和零均值随机分量之和的假定,将原滞回运动方程等效地化为两组耦合的且分别以确定性和随机动力响应为未知量的非线性微分方程。利用谐波平衡法求解确定性运动方程,利用统计线性化方法求解色噪声激励下的随机运动方程。由此,可导出关于确定性谐波响应分量Fourier级数和随机响应分量二阶矩的非线性代数方程组。利用牛顿迭代法对上述耦合的代数方程组进行求解。数值算例验证了此方法的适用性和精度。     

Effect of gypsum on free and restrained shrinkage behaviour of slag-concretes subjected to various curing conditions

The effect of gypsum in slag-blended cement on free and restrained shrinkage of concrete subjected to various curing conditions is presented in this paper. Added gypsum in slag-blended cements was found to increase the autogenous shrinkage of concrete up to 56 days. However, added gypsum caused small reduction in the long-term shrinkage when the concrete was exposed to drying. Slag concretes with 3% added gypsum content, when exposed to drying at the age of 24 h, exhibited more cracking tendency than comparable concrete with 0% added gypsum. This is attributed to the increased shrinkage evolution of slag concrete with 3% gypsum content at early ages. However, if moist cured for 7 days, increasing the amount of gypsum from 3 to 5% in slag-blended cement reduced the cracking tendency. It is concluded that the beneficial effect of increasing gypsum in reducing cracking tendency in slag concrete is only favourable if moist cured for 7 days.