Pythagorean-hodograph ovals of constant width

A constructive geometric approach to rational ovals and rosettes of constant width formed by piecewise rational PH curves is presented. We propose two main constructions. The first construction, models with rational PH curves of algebraic class 3 (T-quartics) and is based on the fact that T-quartics are exactly the involutes of T-cubic curves. The second construction, models with rational PH curves of algebraic class m>4 and is based on the dual control structure of offsets of rational PH curves.     

Failure detectors as type boosters

The power of an object type T can be measured as the maximum number n of processes that can solve consensus using only objects of T and registers. This number, denoted cons(T), is called the consensus power of T. This paper addresses the question of the weakest failure detector to solve consensus among a number k > n of processes that communicate using shared objects of a type T with consensus power n. In other words, we seek for a failure detector that is sufficient and necessary to “boost” the consensus power of a type T from n to k. It was shown in Neiger (Proceedings of the 14th annual ACM symposium on principles of distributed computing (PODC), pp. 100–109, 1995) that a certain failure detector, denoted Ω _n , is sufficient to boost the power of a type T from n to k, and it was conjectured that Ω _n was also necessary. In this paper, we prove this conjecture for one-shot deterministic types. We first show that, for any one-shot deterministic type T with cons(T) ≤ n, Ω _n is necessary to boost the power of T from n to n + 1. Then we go a step further and show that Ω _n is also the weakest to boost the power of (n + 1)-ported one-shot deterministic types from n to any k > n. Our result generalizes, in a precise sense, the result of the weakest failure detector to solve consensus in asynchronous message-passing systems (Chandra et al. in J ACM 43(4):685–722, 1996). As a corollary, we show that Ω _t is the weakest failure detector to boost the resilience level of a distributed shared memory system, i.e., to solve consensus among n > t processes using (t − 1)-resilient objects of consensus power t. This paper is a revised and extended version of a paper that appeared in the Proceedings of the 17th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2003), entitled “On failure detectors and type boosters.”     

IMC-PID Fractional Order Filter Multi-loop Controller Design for Multivariable Systems Based on Two Degrees of Freedom Control Scheme

International Journal of Control, Automation and Systems - An IMC-PID fractional order filter multi-loop controller design method based on two degrees of freedom paradigm is proposed for Multiple...     

Thermodynamic properties of aqueous mixed ternaries { y NH4Cl+(1−y) BaCl2 } (aq) and { y NH4Cl+(1−y) CaCl2 } (aq) at 298.15 K

Hygrometric measurements of the water activity are reported for the thermodynamic properties of the mixed aqueous electrolyte systems of ammonium–calcium chloride and ammonium–barium chloride at 298.15 K. The measurements were made at a large number of total molalities, varying from 0.4 mol kg⁻¹ to saturation at three ionic-strength fractions (y$y$) of NH₄Cl for the systems NH₄Cl–CaCl₂ (aq) and NH₄Cl–BaCl₂ (aq) with y=0.20,0.50$y=0.20,0.50$ and 0.80. The experimental data are reported as water activities and osmotic coefficients at various molalities, along with derived values of the activity coefficients of both solutes. The ranges of water activities _aw$a_w$ are 0.800–0.989 for ammonium–barium chlorides and _aw=0.560–0.989$a_w=0.560\text{–}0.989$ for ammonium–calcium chlorides. The activity coefficients were calculated by means of a thermodynamic model based on a variant of the Pitzer ion-interaction equations with extended binary parameters. However, the results were also compared for the precision of the presentation of the osmotic coefficients using an extended model with the calculations of the Zdanovskii–Stokes–Robinson, Kusik and Meissner, Robinson and Stokes, Lietzke and Stoughton, Reilly, Wood and Robinson, and Pitzer models.     

PLGA with less than 1 month of half-life time: Tensile properties in dry and wet states and hydrolytic degradation

In this study, the degradation mechanism and tensile properties of plasticized poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) are evaluated. Purasorb PDLG 5010 is first extruded into rods with or without plasticizers, i.e, D,L-lactide or aspirin. Then, the hydrolytic degradation of such rods is studied in phosphate buffer solution. A very fast hydrolytic degradation (half-life time lower than 1 month) that is enhanced by the presence of plasticizer occurs through a heterogeneous mechanism and leads to the formation of hollow rods. The mechanical properties of these rods are studied in dry and wet states. Finally, water diffusivity in plasticized (or not) PLGA is estimated.     

In situ chemical deposition of PPy/NDSA and PPy/DBSA layers on QCM electrodes: synthesis,structural, morphological and ammonia sensing performances study

Aiming to detect ammonia vapor, polypyrrole (PPy) thin layers were in situ coated on AT-cut 10 MHz quartz crystal microbalance QCM electrode by a facile chemical polymerization process using two organic acids as dopants, i.e. dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (BDSA) and 1–5 naphthalene disulfonic acid (NDSA). Then after, polymers structural and morphological features were determined by FTIR, Raman spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques. Ammonia vapor sensing tests were related to QCM frequency changes recorded upon vapor adsorption and desorption on PPy films, it was found that frequency shifts varied linearly with both vapor concentration expressed in part per million (ppm) and polymer’s thin layer thickness given in nanometer (nm). This fact has been assumed to be mainly related to the electrostatic interactions established between ammonia vapor molecules and the polymer dopant agents. Tests have shown that films based PPy/NDSA exhibit high sensitivity around 3 ppm and detection limit of 4 ppm over films based PPy/DBSA. Interestingly, an excellent recovery time less than 3 min has been also recorded with PPy/NDSA thin layers. Moreover, when applying Fick’s second law, they have also shown a high diffusion constant.     

A preliminary study of polyureas and poly(parabanic acid)s incorporating furan rings

Summary Novel furanic polyureas were synthesised by solution polycondensation reactions between difuranic diamines and aliphatic diisocyanates and then converted to the corresponding poly(parabanic acid)s by heterocyclisation with oxalyl chloride. These condensation reactions and chemical modifications were first studied with model compounds. The polymers were characterised by FTIR and ¹H-NMR spectroscopy and inherent viscosity.