On the numerical solution of some nonlinear and nonlocal BVPs

The modeling of various physical questions in plasma kinetics and heat conduction lead to nonlinear boundary value problems involving a nonlocal operator, such as the integral of the unknown solution, which depends on the entire function in the domain rather than at a single point. This talk concerns a particular nonlocal boundary value problem recently studied in [1] by J.R.Cannon and D.J.Galiffa, who proposed a numerical method based on an interval-halving scheme.

Structural analysis of protein Z gene variants in patients with foetal losses

The role of protein Z (PZ) in the etiology of human disorders is unclear. A number of PZ gene variants, sporadic or polymorphic and found exclusively in the serine protease domain, have been observed. Crystal structures of PZ in complex with the PZ-dependent inhibitor (PZI) have been recently obtained. The aim of this study was a structural investigation of the serine protease PZ domain, aiming at finding common traits across disease-linked mutations. We performed 10-20 ns molecular dynamics for each of the observed PZ mutants to investigate their structure in aqueous solution.

Modeling Dry-Port-Based Freight Distribution Planning

In this paper we review the dry port concept and its outfalls in terms of optimal design and management of freight distribution. Some optimization challenges arising from the presence of dry ports in intermodal freight transport systems are presented and discussed. Then we consider the tactical planning problem of defining the optimal routes and schedules for the fleet of vehicles providing transportation services between the terminals of a dry-port-based intermodal system.