Attitude stability of artificial satellites subject to gravity gradient torque

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

On the appearance of a Hopf bifurcation in a non-ideal mechanical problem

In this paper we studied a non-ideal system with two degrees of freedom consisting of a dumped nonlinear oscillator coupled to a rotatory part. We investigated the stability of the equilibrium point of the system and we obtain, in the critical case, sufficient conditions in order to obtain an appropriate Normal Form. From this, we get conditions for the appearance of Hopf Bifurcation when the difference between the driving torque and the resisting torque is small. It was necessary to use the Bezout Theorem, a classical result of Algebraic Geometry, in the obtaining of the foregoing results. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On local analysis of oscillations of a non-ideal and non-linear mechanical model

It is of major importance to consider non-ideal energy sources in engineering problems. They act on an oscillating system and at the same time experience a reciprocal action from the system. Here, a non-ideal system is studied. In this system, the interaction between source energy and motion is accomplished through a special kind of friction. Results about the stability and instability of the equilibrium point of this system are obtained. Moreover, its bifurcation curves are determined. Hopf bifurcations are found in the set of parameters of the oscillating system.

On the existence and stability of periodic orbits in non ideal problems: General results

In this work, motivated by non-ideal mechanical systems, we investigate the following O.D.E. ẋ = f (x) + εg (x, t) + ε2g (x, t, ε), where x ∈ Ω ⊂ ℝn, g, g are T periodic functions of t and there is a 0 ∈ Ω such that f (a 0) = 0 and f′ (a0) is a nilpotent matrix. When n = 3 and f (x) = (0, q (x 3) , 0) we get results on existence and stability of periodic orbits. We apply these results in a non ideal mechanical system: the Centrifugal Vibrator. We make a stability analysis of this dynamical system and get a characterization of the Sommerfeld Effect as a bifurcation of periodic orbits. © 2007 Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel.

From hard-peg to hard landing?: recent experiences of Argentina and Ecuador

Includes bibliography

Equilibrium real exchange rates, misalignment and competitiveness in the Southern Cone

Includes bibliography

Thermochemical equilibrium modeling of a biomass downdraft gasifier: Constrained and unconstrained non-stoichiometric models

The objective of this work is to develop a non-stoichiometric equilibrium model to study parameter effects in the gasification process of a feedstock in downdraft gasifiers. The non-stoichiometric equilibrium model is also known as the Gibbs free energy minimization method. Four models were developed and tested. First a pure non-stoichiometric equilibrium model called M1 was developed; then the methane content was constrained by correlating experimental data and generating the model M2. A kinetic constraint that determines the apparent gasification rate was considered for model M3 and finally the two aforementioned constraints were implemented together in model M4. Models M2 and M4 showed to be the more accurate among the four developed models with mean RMS (root mean square error) values of 1.25 each.Also the gasification of Brazilian Pinus elliottii in a downdraft gasifier with air as gasification agent was studied. The input parameters considered were: (a) equivalence ratio (0.28-035); (b) moisture content (5-20%); (c) gasification time (30-120 min) and carbon conversion efficiency (80-100%). (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Moderating effect of ammonia on particle growth and stability of quasi-monodisperse silver nanoparticles synthesized by the Turkevich method

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Percolated non-Newtonian flow for silicone obtained from exfoliated bioinorganic layered double hydroxide intercalated with amino acid

A simple and scalable procedure was used to obtain thin, stable, homogeneous, and easy-to-handle films composed of silicone derived from dimethicones containing dispersed hydrotalcite-type materials previously organo-modified with amino acids. The absence of the typical X-ray pattern of the bioinorganic LDH filler suggested an exfoliation process that was further indirectly evidenced by a drastic change in the rheological behavior, which turned from a quasi-Newtonian behavior for the silicone free of LDH filler to an extensive developed gel-like structure for the nanocomposite derivatives. Visualized by the shear-thinning exponent of the complex viscosity in the low-frequency range, the percolation threshold was evident for filler loading as low as <5 w/W%, suggesting the presence of a largely developed interface between the filler and the polymer. The increase of more than one order of magnitude in viscosity was explained by the rather strong attrition phenomenon between the tethered amino acid anions and the silicone chains. UVB radiation absorption profiles make such bioinorganic polymer nanocomposites potentially applicable in skin protection. Thermo-gravimetric analysis revealed significant improvement in the thermal stability, especially in the final step of the polymer combustion, thus underlining the role of the hybrid material as a thermal retardant agent. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The concept of quasi-integrability for modified non-linear Schrodinger models

We consider modifications of the nonlinear Schrodinger model (NLS) to look at the recently introduced concept of quasi-integrability. We show that such models possess an in finite number of quasi-conserved charges which present intriguing properties in relation to very specific space-time parity transformations. For the case of two-soliton solutions where the fields are eigenstates of this parity, those charges are asymptotically conserved in the scattering process of the solitons. Even though the charges vary in time their values in the far past and the far future are the same. Such results are obtained through analytical and numerical methods, and employ adaptations of algebraic techniques used in integrable field theories. Our findings may have important consequences on the applications of these models in several areas of non-linear science. We make a detailed numerical study of the modified NLS potential of the form V similar to (vertical bar psi vertical bar(2))(2+epsilon), with epsilon being a perturbation parameter. We perform numerical simulations of the scattering of solitons for this model and find a good agreement with the results predicted by the analytical considerations. Our paper shows that the quasi-integrability concepts recently proposed in the context of modifications of the sine-Gordon model remain valid for perturbations of the NLS model.

Stability boundary characterization of nonlinear autonomous dynamical systems in the presence of saddle-node equilibrium points

A dynamical characterization of the stability boundary for a fairly large class of nonlinear autonomous dynamical systems is developed in this paper. This characterization generalizes the existing results by allowing the existence of saddle-node equilibrium points on the stability boundary. The stability boundary of an asymptotically stable equilibrium point is shown to consist of the stable manifolds of the hyperbolic equilibrium points on the stability boundary and the stable, stable center and center manifolds of the saddle-node equilibrium points on the stability boundary.

Figures of equilibrium for tidally deformed non-homogeneous celestial bodies

Abstract (2,250 Maximum Characters): Several theories of tidal evolution, since the theory developed by Darwin in the XIX century, are based on the figure of equilibrium of the tidally deformed body. Frequently the adopted figure is a Jeans prolate spheroid. In some case, however, the rotation is important and Roche ellipsoids are used. The main limitations of these models are (a) they refer to homogeneous bodies; (b) the rotation axis is perpendicular to the plane of the orbit. This communication aims at presenting several results in which these hypotheses are not done. In what concerns the non-homogeneity, the presented results concerns initially bodies formed by N homogeneous layers and we study the non sphericity of each layer and relate them to the density distribution. The result is similar to the Clairaut figure of equilibrium, often used in planetary sciences, but taking into full account the tidal deformation. The case of the rotation axis non perpendicular to the orbital plane is much more complex and the study has been restricted for the moment to the case of homogeneous bodies.

Maximum principle, mean value operators and quasi boundedness in non-euclidean settings

This work deals with some classes of linear second order partial differential operators with non-negative characteristic form and underlying non- Euclidean structures. These structures are determined by families of locally Lipschitz-continuous vector fields in RN, generating metric spaces of Carnot- Carath´eodory type. The Carnot-Carath´eodory metric related to a family {Xj}j=1,...,m is the control distance obtained by minimizing the time needed to go from two points along piecewise trajectories of vector fields. We are mainly interested in the causes in which a Sobolev-type inequality holds with respect to the X-gradient, and/or the X-control distance is Doubling with respect to the Lebesgue measure in RN. This study is divided into three parts (each corresponding to a chapter), and the subject of each one is a class of operators that includes the class of the subsequent one. In the first chapter, after recalling “X-ellipticity” and related concepts introduced by Kogoj and Lanconelli in [KL00], we show a Maximum Principle for linear second order differential operators for which we only assume a Sobolev-type inequality together with a lower terms summability. Adding some crucial hypotheses on measure and on vector fields (Doubling property and Poincar´e inequality), we will be able to obtain some Liouville-type results. This chapter is based on the paper [GL03] by Guti´errez and Lanconelli. In the second chapter we treat some ultraparabolic equations on Lie groups. In this case RN is the support of a Lie group, and moreover we require that vector fields satisfy left invariance. After recalling some results of Cinti [Cin07] about this class of operators and associated potential theory, we prove a scalar convexity for mean-value operators of L-subharmonic functions, where L is our differential operator. In the third chapter we prove a necessary and sufficient condition of regularity, for boundary points, for Dirichlet problem on an open subset of RN related to sub-Laplacian. On a Carnot group we give the essential background for this type of operator, and introduce the notion of “quasi-boundedness”. Then we show the strict relationship between this notion, the fundamental solution of the given operator, and the regularity of the boundary points.

Non-Linear Pricing in Imperfectly Competitive Markets

This thesis is dedicated to the analysis of non-linear pricing in oligopoly. Non-linear pricing is a fairly predominant practice in most real markets, mostly characterized by some amount of competition. The sophistication of pricing practices has increased in the latest decades due to the technological advances that have allowed companies to gather more and more data on consumers preferences. The first essay of the thesis highlights the main characteristics of oligopolistic non-linear pricing. Non-linear pricing is a special case of price discrimination. The theory of price discrimination has to be modified in presence of oligopoly: in particular, a crucial role is played by the competitive externality that implies that product differentiation is closely related to the possibility of discriminating. The essay reviews the theory of competitive non-linear pricing by starting from its foundations, mechanism design under common agency. The different approaches to model non-linear pricing are then reviewed. In particular, the difference between price and quantity competition is highlighted. Finally, the close link between non-linear pricing and the recent developments in the theory of vertical differentiation is explored. The second essay shows how the effects of non-linear pricing are determined by the relationship between the demand and the technological structure of the market. The chapter focuses on a model in which firms supply a homogeneous product in two different sizes. Information about consumers' reservation prices is incomplete and the production technology is characterized by size economies. The model provides insights on the size of the products that one finds in the market. Four equilibrium regions are identified depending on the relative intensity of size economies with respect to consumers' evaluation of the good. Regions for which the product is supplied in a single unit or in several different sizes or in only a very large one. Both the private and social desirability of non-linear pricing varies across different equilibrium regions. The third essay considers the broadband internet market. Non discriminatory issues seem the core of the recent debate on the opportunity or not of regulating the internet. One of the main questions posed is whether the telecom companies, owning the networks constituting the internet, should be allowed to offer quality-contingent contracts to content providers. The aim of this essay is to analyze the issue through a stylized two-sided market model of the web that highlights the effects of such a discrimination over quality, prices and participation to the internet of providers and final users. An overall welfare comparison is proposed, concluding that the final effects of regulation crucially depend on both the technology and preferences of agents.

Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics study of an amphiphilic model system

Diese Doktorarbeit untersucht das Verhalten von komplexenFluidenunter Scherung, insbesondere den Einfluss von Scherflüssenauf dieStrukturbildung.Dazu wird ein Modell dieser entworfen, welches imRahmen von Molekulardynamiksimulationen verwendet wird.Zunächst werden Gleichgewichtseigenschaften dieses Modellsuntersucht.Hierbei wird unter anderem die Lage desOrdnungs--Unordnungsübergangs von derisotropen zur lamellaren Phase der Dimere bestimmt.Der Einfluss von Scherflüssen auf diese lamellare Phase wirdnununtersucht und mit analytischen Theorien verglichen. Die Scherung einer parallelen lamellaren Phase ruft eineNeuausrichtung des Direktors in Flussrichtung hervor.Das verursacht eine Verminderung der Schichtdicke mitsteigender Scherrateund führt oberhalb eines Schwellwertes zu Ondulationen.Ein vergleichbares Verhalten wird auch in lamellarenSystemengefunden, an denen in Richtung des Direktors gezogen wird.Allerdings wird festgestellt, dass die Art der Bifurkationenin beidenFällen unterschiedlich ist.Unter Scherung wird ein Übergang von Lamellen parallelerAusrichtung zu senkrechter gefunden.Dabei wird beoachtet, dass die Scherspannung in senkrechterOrientierungniedriger als in der parallelen ist.Dies führt unter bestimmten Bedingungen zum Auftreten vonScherbändern, was auch in Simulationen beobachtet wird. Es ist gelungen mit einem einfachen Modell viele Apsekte desVerhalten vonkomplexen Fluiden wiederzugeben. Die Strukturbildung hängt offensichtlich nurbedingt von lokalen Eigenschaften der Moleküle ab.