Characterization of NOx species in dehydrated and hydrated Na- and Ba-Y, FAU zeolites formed in NO2 adsorption

Adsorbed ionic NO_x species formed upon the interaction of NO₂ with dehydrated or hydrated Na- and Ba-Y, FAU zeolites were characterized using FT-IR/TPD, solid state NMR, and XANES techniques. NO₂ disproportionates on both dehydrated catalyst materials forming NO⁺ and NO₃⁻ species. These ionic species are stabilized by their interactions with the negatively charged zeolite framework and the charge compensating cations (Na⁺ and Ba²⁺), respectively. Although the nature of the adsorbed NO_x species formed on the two catalysts is similar, their thermal stabilities are strongly dependent on the charge compensating cations. In the presence of water in the channels of these zeolite materials new paths open for reactions between NO⁺ and H₂O, and NO₂ and H₂O, resulting in significant changes in the adsorbed ionic species observed. These combined spectroscopic investigations afforded the understanding of the interactions between water and NO₂ on these zeolite catalysts.     

On the number of full levels in tries

We study the asymptotic distribution of the fill‐up level in a binary trie built over n independent strings generated by a biased memoryless source. The fill‐up level is the number of full levels in a tree. A level is full if it contains the maximum allowable number of nodes (e.g., in a binary tree level k can have up to 2^k nodes). The fill‐up level finds many interesting applications, e.g., in the internet IP lookup problem and in the analysis of level compressed tries (LC tries). In this paper, we present a complete asymptotic characterization of the fill‐up distribution. In particular, we prove that this distribution concentrates on one or two points around the most probably value k = ?log_1/qn ? log log log n + 1 + log log(p/q)?, where p > q = 1 ? p is the probability of generating the more likely symbol (while q = 1 ? p is the probability of the less likely symbol). We derive our results by analytic methods such as generating functions, Mellin transform, the saddle point method, and analytic depoissonization. We also present some numerical verification of our results. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2004     

Concerning seven and eight mutually orthogonal Latin squares

In this paper, three new direct Mutually Orthogonal Latin Squares (MOLS) constructions are presented for 7 MOLS(24), 7 MOLS(75) and 8 MOLS(36); then using recursive methods, several new constructions for 7 and 8 MOLS are obtained. These reduce the largest value for which 7 MOLS are unknown from 780 to 570, and the largest odd value for which 8 MOLS are unknown from 1935 to 419. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Comment on “smooth and discontinuous signature change in general relativity”

Kossowski and Kriele derived boundary conditions on the metric at a surface of signature change. We point out that their derivation is based not only on certain smoothness assumptions but also on a postulated form of the Einstein field equations. Since there is no canonical form of the field equations at a change of signature, their conclusions are not inescapable. We show here that a weaker formulation is possible, in which less restrictive smoothness assumptions are made, and (a slightly different form of) the Einstein field equations are satisfied. In particular, in this formulation it is possible to have a bounded energy-momentum tensor at a change of signature without satisfying their condition that the extrinsic curvature vanish.     

A closed-form representation of mixed-integer program value functions

We identify a class of formulas computable in polynomial time such that the functions defined by these formulas are precisely the value functions of mixed-integer programs with rational constraint coefficients.     

Dynamic supercoiling bifurcations of growing elastic filaments

Certain bacteria form filamentous colonies when the cells fail to separate after dividing. In Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus thermus, and Cyanobacteria, the filaments can wrap into complex supercoiled structures as the cells grow. The structures may be solenoids or plectonemes, with or without branches in the latter case. Any microscopic theory of these morphological instabilities must address the nature of pattern selection in the presence of growth, for growth renders the problem nonautonomous and the bifurcations dynamic. To gain insight into these phenomena, we formulate a general theory for growing elastic filaments with bending and twisting resistance in a viscous medium, and study an illustrative model problem: a growing filament with preferred twist, closed into a loop. Growth depletes the twist, inducing a twist strain. The closure of the loop prevents the filament from unwinding back to the preferred twist; instead, twist relaxation is accomplished by the formation of supercoils. Growth also produces viscous stresses on the filament which even in the absence of twist produce buckling instabilities. Our linear stability analysis and numerical studies reveal two dynamic regimes. For small intrinsic twist the instability is akin to Euler buckling, leading to solenoidal structures, while for large twist it is like the classic writhing of a twisted filament, producing plectonemic windings. This model may apply to situations in which supercoils form only, or more readily, when axial rotation of filaments is blocked. Applications to specific biological systems are proposed.     

Critical percolation exploration path and SLE 6: a proof of convergence

It was argued by Schramm and Smirnov that the critical site percolation exploration path on the triangular lattice converges in distribution to the trace of chordal SLE ₆. We provide here a detailed proof, which relies on Smirnov’s theorem that crossing probabilities have a conformally invariant scaling limit (given by Cardy’s formula). The version of convergence to SLE ₆ that we prove suffices for the Smirnov–Werner derivation of certain critical percolation crossing exponents and for our analysis of the critical percolation full scaling limit as a process of continuum nonsimple loops. Research of Charles M.Newman was partially supported by the US NSF under grants DMS-01-04278 and DMS-06-06696.