Smoothness properties of Newtonian potentials in the study of elastic plates

The Hölder continuity and differentiability are investigated of Newtonian potentials arising in the theory of bending of elastic plates with transverse shear deformation. These properties play an essential role in the study by means of boundary integral equation techniques of boundary value problems for the equilibrium and harmonic oscillation states, and in the construction of associated boundary element methods.     

A Subpixel Image Restoration Algorithm

Abstract

In statistical image reconstruction, data are often recorded on a regular grid of squares, known as pixels, and the reconstructed image is defined on the same pixel grid. Thus, the reconstruction of a continuous planar image is piecewise constant on pixels, and boundaries in the image consist of horizontal and vertical edges lying between pixels. This approximation to the true boundary can result in a loss of information that may be quite noticeable for small objects, only a few pixels in size. Increasing the resolution of the sensor may not be a practical alternative. If some prior assumptions are made about the true image, however, reconstruction to a greater accuracy than that of the recording sensor's pixel grid is possible. We adopt a Bayesian approach, incorporating prior information about the true image in a stochastic model that attaches higher probability to images with shorter total edge length. In reconstructions, pixels may be of a single color or split between two colors. The model is illustrated using both real and simulated data.     

Jet substructure as a new Higgs-search channel at the Large Hadron Collider

It is widely considered that, for Higgs boson searches at the CERN Large Hadron Colider, WH and ZH production where the Higgs boson decays to bb are poor search channels due to large backgrounds. We show that at high transverse momenta, employing state-of-the-art jet reconstruction and decomposition techniques, these processes can be recovered as promising search channels for the standard model Higgs boson around 120 GeV in mass.     

Relaxation effects in the quantification of fat using gradient echo imaging

Quantification of fat has been investigated using images acquired from multiple gradient echoes. The evolution of the signal with echo time and flip angle was measured in phantoms of known fat and water composition and in 21 research subjects with fatty liver. Data were compared to different models of the signal equation, in which each model makes different assumptions about the T1 and/or T2* relaxation effects. A range of T1, T2*, fat fraction and number of echoes was investigated to cover situations of relevance to clinical imaging. Results indicate that quantification is most accurate at low flip angles (to minimize T1 effects) with a small number of echoes (to minimize spectral broadening effects). At short echo times, the spectral broadening effects manifest as a short apparent T2 for the fat component.     

Characterisation of sol-gel prepared (HfO2)x(SiO2)1-x (x=0.1, 0.2 and 0.4) by 1H, 13C, 17 O and 29Si MAS NMR, FTIR and TGA

The HfO2-SiO2 system is attracting interest as a possible new dielectric material in semiconductor devices. Knowledge of the location of hafnium within the silica network and the effect hafnium has on the structure will be central to the successful use of this material system in this application. Here, sol-gel techniques have been used to manufacture (HfO2)x(SiO2)1-x samples (x=0.1, 0.2 and 0.4, each heat treated at 250, 500 and 750 degrees C) and these have been characterised by magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR (1H, 13C, 17 O, 29Si), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis. 29Si MAS NMR showed that increasing the hafnia content decreases the connectivity of the silicate network, i.e. increases the range of differently connected SiO4 (Qn) units with more having increased numbers of non-bridging oxygens (i.e. lower n). FTIR and 17 O MAS NMR showed unequivocally that the x=0.4 sample phase-separated at higher temperatures, while in the x=0.1 sample the hafnium was homogeneously mixed into the SiO2 phase without any phase separation.     

Facile Tailoring of Structures for Controlled Release of Paracetamol from Sustainable Lignin Derived Platforms

Nowadays, sustainable materials are receiving significant attention due to the fact that they will be crucial for the development of the next generation of products and devices. In the present work, hydrogels have been successfully synthesized using lignin which is non-valorized biopolymer from the paper industry. Hydrogels were prepared via crosslinking with Poly(ethylene) glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE). Different crosslinker ratios were used to determine their influence on the structural and chemical properties of the resulting hydrogels. It has been found that pore size was reduced by increasing crosslinker amount. The greater crosslinking density increased the swelling capacity of the hydrogels due to the presence of more hydrophilic groups in the hydrogel network. Paracetamol release test showed higher drug diffusion for hydrogels produced with a ratio lignin:PEGDGE 1:1. The obtained results demonstrate that the proposed approach is a promising route to utilize lignocellulose waste for producing porous materials for advanced biomedical applications in the pharmacy industry.     

Contributions of quantum chemistry to the development of ring opening polymerizations and chemical recycling

Quantum chemistry has increasingly become an integral component for the development of homogeneous catalytic processes to form polymers and to break them down. This review examines how quantum chemistry has been utilized to gain insights on mechanisms and selectivities in polymerization and depolymerization reactions by homogeneous catalysts, from some of the earliest uses of theory to the most recent efforts. Key aspects of catalysis by transition-metal catalysts, organocatalytic bases and organic acids will be highlighted.     

Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Using A Molecular Antimony Complex under Aqueous Conditions: An Experimental and Computational Study on Main-Group Element Catalysis

Electrocatalytic hydrogen gas production is considered a potential pathway towards carbon-neutral energy sources. However, the development of this technology is hindered by the lack of efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally benign catalysts. In this study, a main-group-element-based electrocatalyst, SbSalen , is reported to catalyze the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in an aqueous medium. The heterogenized molecular system achieved a Faradaic efficiency of 100 % at −1.4 V vs. NHE with a maximum current density of −30.7 mA/cm². X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the catalyst-bound working electrode before and after electrolysis confirmed the molecular stability during catalysis. The turnover frequency was calculated as 43.4 s⁻¹ using redox-peak integration. The kinetic and mechanistic aspects of the electrocatalytic reaction were further examined by computational methods. This study provides mechanistic insights into main-group-element electrocatalysts for heterogeneous small-molecule conversion.