Solvent Effects in the Homogeneous Catalytic Reduction of Propionaldehyde with Aluminium Isopropoxide Catalyst: New Insights from PFG NMR and NMR Relaxation Studies

Solvent effects in homogeneous catalysis are known to affect catalytic activity. Whilst these effects are often described using qualitative features, such as Kamlet-Taft parameters, experimental tools able to quantify and reveal in more depth such effects have remained unexplored. In this work, PFG NMR diffusion and T₁ relaxation measurements have been carried out to probe solvent effects in the homogeneous catalytic reduction of propionaldehyde to 1-propanol in the presence of aluminium isopropoxide catalyst. Using data on diffusion coefficients it was possible to estimate trends in aggregation of different solvents. The results show that solvents with a high hydrogen-bond accepting ability, such as ethers, tend to form larger aggregates, which slow down the molecular dynamics of aldehyde molecules, as also suggested by T₁ measurements, and preventing their access to the catalytic sites, which results in the observed decrease of catalytic activity. Conversely, weakly interacting solvents, such as alkanes, do not lead to the formation of such aggregates, hence allowing easy access of the aldehyde molecules to the catalytic sites, resulting in higher catalytic activity. The work reported here is a clear example on how combining traditional catalyst screening in homogeneous catalysis with NMR diffusion and relaxation time measurements can lead to new physico-chemical insights into such systems by providing data able to quantify aggregation phenomena and molecular dynamics.     

激光雷达辅助驾驶道路参数计算方法研究

针对特定场景辅助驾驶的需求，构建道路场景车载激光雷达三维扫描系统，并设计基于三维激光点云的道路参数提取与计算方法，包括路面宽度、横杆或桥梁或隧道限高、拐弯半径等等，为辅助判断道路的可通过性提供决策依据。测试和对比实验表明，所设计算法效果稳定、精度良好，在效率和自动化程度上有一定优势，可为辅助驾驶提供非常有益的决策参数。     

A new formulation for fictitious mass of viscous dynamic relaxation method

Abstract

In this article, a new relationship is proposed for the fictitious mass of viscous dynamic relaxation (DR) method. First, incremental equations are derived for DR steps. Using transformed Gershgörin theory, a new relationship is achieved for fictitious mass of viscous DR by formulating modified time step ratio. This procedure presents a new algorithm for the viscous DR method. To evaluate the numerical efficiency of the proposed method, some 2D and 3D truss and frame structures are analyzed with elastic linear and geometrically nonlinear behaviors. Results show that by using the proposed algorithm for fictitious mass, the convergence rate of the viscous DR method is improved so that the proposed algorithm presents the structural response with lower iterations in comparison with other common DR techniques.

Communicated by Joerg Fehr.     

Characteristic material parameters of CIGS solar cell related with device performance

CIGS solar cells with power conversion efficiency (PCE) in the range of 1.82%–12.30% were obtained by using two-step process, and were further analyzed through various measurement techniques. Material parameters showed diverse values and some trends depending on the device performance. The lower performance device showed small integrated PL intensity, short minority life time, larger defect density and lower activation energy, whereas the higher performance device showed opposite values. We investigated relationship between material parameters and PCE of solar cells, and found that some physical parameters such as integrated PL intensity, minority life time, defect density, and difference between band gap and activation energy (E_g-E_a), which all reflect defect states in bulk and at pn interface, are strongly related with PCE and would be used as a good indicator to evaluate device performance quickly.     

一种基于序贯估计的直达声区水面舰船 被动测距方法 *

该文利用基于射线的盲解卷积方法，从直达声区的水面舰船噪声中提取出船和锚系于海底的垂直接收阵之间的时域信道响应，并利用直达波在不同阵元相对于参考阵元的到达时间差，通过序贯方法，利用射线模型和声速剖面信息，对水面舰船距接收阵的距离进行了估计。通过处理海深约为580 m的2016年美国圣巴巴拉海峡的实验数据，对1.6~3.5 km直达声区范围内Anna Maersk商船与垂直阵之间的距离进行了估计，验证了测距方法的有效性，并将结果与系统测量值和几何方法的估计值进行了比较。由于该方法不需要对海底参数进行估计，所以在海底参数未知时要优于传统匹配场方法；在声速剖面存在跃层且海底为多层分布的复杂信道条件下，该方法仍能对距离进行有效估计，且与测量值的相对误差在6%以内，小于几何方法的估计误差，测距结果精度较高。     

Change in motor cortex activation for muscle release by motor learning

For central nervous system disorders'' rehabilitation, it is important to accurately understand motor control and implement an appropriate motor learning process to induce neuroplastic changes. The neurophysiological studies have revealed that neural control mechanisms are crucial during both the onset of muscular activities and muscle release after contraction. When performing various movements during daily activities, muscle relaxation control enables precise force output and timing control. Moreover, surround inhibition is a functional mechanism in the motor system. Surround inhibition of the motor system may be involved in the selective execution of desired movements. This review demonstrates cortical excitability resulting from motor learning, movement control mechanisms including muscle relaxation and the suppression of nontarget muscle groups, and the voluntary drive''s importance that is required for movement.     

稳定分层湍流中逆梯度输运的关联分析研究

本文采用关联分析方法研究了稳定温度分层湍流中的结构特性、输运特性，以及热量、动量逆梯度输运现象的尺度效应及其参数演化．首先采用大涡模拟方法对稳定分层湍流中的结构特性和输运特性进行了分析，将逆梯度输运发生的时间尺度作为已知条件，结合关联量分析方法在波数空间中的解析解，对逆梯度输运现象的尺度效应进行了分析研究．结果发现，稳定分层强度较大的流动中发生垂向热量及动量逆梯度输运现象，发生的结构尺度与关联分析所发现垂向热量、动量逆梯度输运的波数形成了呼应．随着分层强度增加，热量、动量的输运强度均受抑制，与逆梯度输运关联的流场结构尺度减小，同样的效应也发生在流场结构向下游演化的过程中．     

Surface influence on the rotational and translational dynamics of molecules confined inside a mesoporous carbon xerogel

Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance techniques are employed to extract information about the effects introduced by the interaction with the surface on the rotational and translational dynamics of molecules confined inside a mesoporous carbon xerogel. The molecules under study were water, cyclohexane, and hexane. They were chosen due to their different interaction strength with the carbonaceous matrix. Frequency dependent longitudinal relaxation measurements, using the fast field cycling technique, allowed extraction of the fractal dimension of the carbon xerogel surface. It was observed that the measured value is influenced by the molecule affinity to the surface. Diffusion measurements, using the pulse field gradient technique, have revealed that the stronger interaction with the surface of cyclohexane and hexane molecules leads to an increased diffusive tortuosity, as compared with water.     

A New Class of Lanthanide Complexes with Three Ligand Centered Radicals: NMR Evaluation of Ligand Field Energy Splitting and Magnetic Coupling

Combination of three radical anionic Ph-BIAN ligands (Ph-BIAN=bis-(phenylimino)-acenaphthenequinone) with lanthanoid ions leads to a series of homoleptic, six-coordinate complexes of the type Ln(Ph-BIAN)₃. Magnetic coupling data were measured by paramagnetic solution NMR spectroscopy. Combining ¹H NMR with ²H NMR of partially deuterated compounds allowed a detailed study of the magnetic susceptibility anisotropies over a large temperature range. The observed chemical shifts were separated into ligand- and metal-centered contributions by comparison with the Y analogue (diamagnetic at the metal). The metal-centered contributions of the complexes with the paramagnetic ions could then be separated into pseudocontact and Fermi contact shifts. The latter is large within the Ph-BIAN scaffold, which shows that magnetic coupling is significant between the lanthanide ion and the radical ligand. Pseudocontact shifts were further correlated to structural data obtained from X-ray diffraction experiments. Ligand-field parameters were determined by fitting the temperature dependence of the observed magnetic susceptibility anisotropies. The electronic structure determined by this approach shows, that the Er and Tm analogues are candidates for single molecule magnets (SMM). These results demonstrate the possibilities for the application of NMR spectroscopy in investigations of paramagnetic systems in general and single molecule magnets in particular.     

Synthesis,spectral, DFT calculations and biological studies of solvatochromic copper(II)-ONS hydrazone derived from 2-aminochromone-3-carboxaldehyde

New ONS hydrazone ligand, 2-[(2-aminochromon-3-yl)methylidene]-N-phenylhydrazinecarbothioamide, HL , was synthesized and reacted with different salts of Cu (II) ion (OAc⁻, NO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻ and Cl⁻) in absence and presence of secondary ligands (L′); 8-hydroxyquinoline, 1,10-phenanthroline or SCN⁻; to form binary and ternary Cu(II)-chelates. The ligand and its Cu(II)-complexes were fully characterized by analytical, spectral, thermal, conductivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The metal chelates showed octahedral, square planar and /or distorted tetraherdal arrangements. Coats–Redfern equations used to calculate the kinetic parameters of the thermal decomposition stages (E_a, A, ΔH, ΔS and ΔG). The compounds exhibit luminescence property; promising interesting potential applications as photoactive materials. Lippert–Mataga, Bakhshiev, Kawski–Chamma–Viallet and microscopic solvent polarity parameter and E_T^N correlation methods were applied on the solvatochromic shifts of emission spectra to evaluate the ground (μ_g) and excited (μ_e) states dipole moments. Excited state dipole moment is larger than the ground state which may be attributed to π-π* transition. The coordinating anions play an important role on the position and intensity of emission band. The ligand and its metal complexes showed antimicrobial activity towards Gram–positive bacteria, Gram–negative bacteria, yeast and fungus. The molecular structural parameters of HL and its Cu(II)- complexes have been calculated on the basis of DFT engaged in the Gaussian 09 program at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level; the theoretical data are correlated with the experimental data.