On the imaginary parts of chromatic roots

While much attention has been directed to the maximum modulus and maximum real part of chromatic roots of graphs of order $n$ (ie, with $n$ vertices), relatively little is known about the maximum imaginary part of such graphs. We prove that the maximum imaginary part can grow linearly in the order of the graph. We also show that for any fixed $\text{◂+▸}p\in \left(0,1\right)$, almost every random graph $G$ in the Erdös-Rényi model has a nonreal root.     

小尺寸铕(Ⅲ)配合物荧光纳米颗粒的制备

利用再沉淀法分别制备出了小尺寸(~10nm)纯相和杂相的Eu³⁺配合物荧光纳米颗粒。所制备的纯相的荧光纳米颗粒在水溶液中容易聚集,并且荧光猝灭严重。相比较而言,掺有适量疏水性硅烷的杂相纳米颗粒则具有较强的荧光、均匀的尺寸和良好的分散性。硅烷在碱性环境下(pH=9)迅速地水解,而后在纳米微粒的表面形成二氧化硅薄层。亲水的二氧化硅薄层消除了Eu³⁺配合物纳米颗粒间的疏水相互作用,进而防止了纳米颗粒的聚集,从而导致了杂相荧光纳米颗粒发光性能的提高。     

基于均值距离测度的医学图像配准

针对互信息测度在配准医学图像时易陷入局部极值、速度慢的缺点,提出了基于均值不等式的均值距离测度.首先根据均值不等式推导出5种均值距离测度：方根-算术均值距离(SAM)、方根-几何均值距离(SGM)、方根-调和均值距离(SHM)、算术-几何均值距离(AGM)、算术-调和均值距离(AHM).然后通过人体脑部CT/MR和MR-T1/PD图像的刚体配准实验,从函数曲线、配准精度、计算时间和收敛性能方面,对互信息与5种均值距离信息测度进行了比较与分析.实验结果表明,在不损失配准精度的前提下,AHM和SAM测度可以获得更快的配准速度,对噪声有很强的鲁棒性.     

Saturation recovery EPR and ELDOR at W-band for spin labels

A reference arm W-band (94 GHz) microwave bridge with two sample-irradiation arms for saturation recovery (SR) EPR and ELDOR experiments is described. Frequencies in each arm are derived from 2 GHz synthesizers that have a common time-base and are translated to 94 GHz in steps of 33 and 59 GHz. Intended applications are to nitroxide radical spin labels and spin probes in the liquid phase. An enabling technology is the use of a W-band loop-gap resonator (LGR) [J.W. Sidabras, R.R. Mett, W. Froncisz, T.G. Camenisch, J.R. Anderson, J.S. Hyde, Multipurpose EPR loop-gap resonator and cylindrical TE₀₁₁ cavity for aqueous samples at 94 GHz, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 78 (2007) 034701]. The high efficiency parameter (8.2 GW^−1/2 with sample) permits the saturating pump pulse level to be just 5 mW or less. Applications of SR EPR and ELDOR to the hydrophilic spin labels 3-carbamoyl-2,2,5,5-tetra-methyl-3-pyrroline-1-yloxyl (CTPO) and 2,2,6,6,-tetramethyl-4-piperidone-1-oxyl (TEMPONE) are described in detail. In the SR ELDOR experiment, nitrogen nuclear relaxation as well as Heisenberg exchange transfer saturation from pumped to observed hyperfine transitions. SR ELDOR was found to be an essential method for measurements of saturation transfer rates for small molecules such as TEMPONE. Free induction decay (FID) signals for small nitroxides at W-band are also reported. Results are compared with multifrequency measurements of T_1e previously reported for these molecules in the range of 2–35 GHz [J.S. Hyde, J.-J. Yin, W.K. Subczynski, T.G. Camenisch, J.J. Ratke, W. Froncisz, Spin label EPR T₁ values using saturation recovery from 2 to 35 GHz. J. Phys. Chem. B 108 (2004) 9524–9529]. The values of T_1e decrease at 94 GHz relative to values at 35 GHz.     

A novel single particle study of steam gasification kinetics of a coal-derived char at high temperatures and pressures

A novel single particle experiment was developed to allow for detailed char gasification measurements in pure steam at temperatures from 1000 °C to 1400  °C and pressures from 1  bar to 15  bar. A coal-derived activated carbon was thoroughly characterized with respect to its composition, physical structure, and reactivity revealing properties consistent with chars reported in the literature. The single particle approach allowed for the boundary and initial conditions to be well known and for the mass of the particle to be accurately measured before and after testing to provide high-quality conversion data. The resulting conversion data were analyzed using the random pore model and the shrinking core model, of which the random pore model provided the best fit. Apparent activation energies were calculated using the random pore model which provided values ranging from 57.1 kJ/mol to 129 kJ/mol which are nominally half of the magnitude of the values reported in the literature under kinetically controlled conditions, thus demonstrating that regime II conditions were present. Additionally, the activation energies decreased with increasing temperature further demonstrating the presence of regime II conditions. The calculated reaction order ranged from 0 to 0.5 and decreased with increasing pressure agreeing well with literature values and trends.     

Developments in electrochemical processes for recycling lead–acid batteries

The lead–acid battery recycling industry is very well established, but the conventional pyrometallurgical processes are far from environmentally benign. Hence, recent developments of lead–acid battery recycling technologies have focused on low-temperature (electro)hydrometallurgical processes, the subject of this review, covering modified electrolytes, improved reaction engineering, better reactor design and control of operating conditions.     

Spatially Localized Structures in Lattice Dynamical Systems

Journal of Nonlinear Science - We investigate stationary, spatially localized patterns in lattice dynamical systems that exhibit bistability. The profiles associated with these patterns have a long...     

A Particle-Mesh Method for the Shallow Water Equations Near Geostrophic Balance

In this paper we outline a new particle-mesh method for rapidly rotating shallow water flows based on a set of regularized equations of motion. The time-stepping method uses an operator splitting of the equations into an Eulerian gravity wave part and a Lagrangian advection part. An essential ingredient is the advection of absolute vorticity by means of translated radial basis functions. We show that this implies exact conservation of enstrophy. The method is tested on two model problems based on the qualitative features of the solutions obtained (i.e., dispersion or smoothness of potential vorticity contours) as well as on the increase in mean divergence level.     

Noise-enhanced human balance control

Noise can enhance the detection and transmission of weak signals in certain nonlinear systems, via a mechanism known as stochastic resonance. Here we show that input noise can be used to improve motor control in humans. Specifically, we show that the postural sway of both young and elderly individuals during quiet standing can be significantly reduced by applying subsensory mechanical noise to the feet. We further demonstrate with input noise a trend towards the reduction of postural sway in elderly subjects to the level of young subjects. These results suggest that noise-based devices, such as randomly vibrating shoe inserts, may enable people to overcome functional difficulties due to age-related sensory loss.     

Networks, Fields and Organizations: Micro-Dynamics, Scale and Cohesive Embeddings

Social action is situated in fields that are simultaneously composed of interpersonal ties and relations among organizations, which are both usefully characterized as social networks. We introduce a novel approach to distinguishing different network macro-structures in terms of cohesive subsets and their overlaps. We develop a vocabulary that relates different forms of network cohesion to field properties as opposed to organizational constraints on ties and structures. We illustrate differences in probabilistic attachment processes in network evolution that link on the one hand to organizational constraints versus field properties and to cohesive network topologies on the other. This allows us to identify a set of important new micro-macro linkages between local behavior in networks and global network properties. The analytic strategy thus puts in place a methodology for Predictive Social Cohesion theory to be developed and tested in the context of informal and formal organizations and organizational fields. We also show how organizations and fields combine at different scales of cohesive depth and cohesive breadth. Operational measures and results are illustrated for three organizational examples, and analysis of these cases suggests that different structures of cohesive subsets and overlaps may be predictive in organizational contexts and similarly for the larger fields in which they are embedded. Useful predictions may also be based on feedback from level of cohesion in the larger field back to organizations, conditioned on the level of multiconnectivity to the field.