Adsorption structures of water in NaX studied by DRIFT spectroscopy and neutron powder diffraction

Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopic (DRIFTS) measurements (4000-1500 cm(-1)) and the results of neutron powder diffraction have been combined to study the structure of adsorption complexes of water in a NaX zeolite at different water loadings (25, 48, 72, and 120 water molecules per unit cell, respectively). Sharp bands corresponding to non-hydrogen-bonded OH groups of water molecules and broad associate bands due to hydrogen-bonded molecules are observed in the DRIFT spectra. We observe a remarkable downshift of the high-frequency associate band in a narrow temperature interval when the water amount decreases from 120 to 72 molecules per unit cell, which could signify some kind of "phase transition" for the water inside the zeolite cavities. Neutron powder diffraction results show that water molecules are predominantly localized in or near the 12-ring windows. Water molecules with hydrogen-bonded and non-hydrogen-bonded OH groups were found, in agreement with the observation of sharp and broad bands in the DRIFT spectra. We find strong evidence for the formation of cyclic hexamers of water molecules localized in the 12-ring windows, which are further stabilized by hydrogen bonds to framework oxygen atoms.     

Monodromy groups of Hurwitz-type problems

We solve the Hurwitz monodromy problem for degree 4 covers. That is, the Hurwitz space H4,g of all simply branched covers of P¹ of degree 4 and genus g is an unramified cover of the space P2g+6 of (2g+6)-tuples of distinct points in P¹. We determine the monodromy of π₁(P2g+6) on the points of the fiber. This turns out to be the same problem as the action of π₁(P2g+6) on a certain local system of Z/2-vector spaces. We generalize our result by treating the analogous local system with Z/N coefficients, 3?N, in place of Z/2. This in turn allows us to answer a question of Ellenberg concerning families of Galois covers of P¹ with deck group ²(Z/N):S₃.     

Solution to a problem of FitzGerald

Semigroup Forum - FitzGerald identified four conditions (RI), (UR), (RI*) and (UR*) that are necessarily satisfied by an algebra if its monoid of endomorphisms has commuting idempotents. We show...     

An Essential,Hyperconnected, Local Geometric Morphism that is not Locally Connected

Applied Categorical Structures - Thomas Streicher asked on the category theory mailing list whether every essential, hyperconnected, local geometric morphism is automatically locally connected. We...     

Variance Bounding of Delayed-Acceptance Kernels

Methodology and Computing in Applied Probability - A delayed-acceptance version of a Metropolis–Hastings algorithm can be useful for Bayesian inference when it is computationally expensive to...     

Leveraging the design heuristics of realistic mathematics education and culturally responsive pedagogy to create a richer flipped classroom calculus curriculum

ZDM – Mathematics Education - While the number of studies of flipped classrooms has increased, they have primarily addressed the efficacy of using such an approach on student outcomes, often...     

Aqueous RAFT Synthesis of Low Molecular Weight Anionic Polymers for Determination of Structure/Binding Interactions with Gliadin

Gliadin, a component of gluten and a known epitope, is implicated in celiac disease (CeD) and results in an inflammatory response in CeD patients when consumed. Acrylamide‐based polyelectrolytes are employed as models to determine the effect of molecular weight and pendent group on non‐covalent interaction modes with gliadin in vitro. Poly(sodium 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropane sulfonate) and poly(sodium 3‐methylpropyl‐3‐butanoate) are synthesized via aqueous reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (aRAFT) polymerization and characterized by gel permeation chromatography‐multiangle laser light scattering. The polymer/gliadin blends are examined via circular dichroism, zeta potential measurements, 8‐anilinonaphthalene‐1‐sulfonic acid fluorescence spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering. Acrylamide polymers containing strong anionic pendent groups have a profound effect on gliadin secondary structure and solution behavior below the isoelectric point, while polymers containing hydrophobic character only have a minor impact. The polymers have little effect on gliadin secondary structure and solution behavior at the isoelectric point.     

A multilevel network study of the effects of delinquent behavior on friendship evolution

A multilevel approach is proposed to the study of the evolution of multiple networks. In this approach, the basic evolution process is assumed to be the same, while parameter values may differ between different networks. For the network evolution process, stochastic actor-oriented models are used, of which the parameters are estimated by Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. This is applied to the study of effects of delinquent behavior on friendship formation, a question of long standing in criminology. The evolution of friendship is studied empirically in 19 school classes. It is concluded that there is evidence for an effect of similarity in delinquent behavior on friendship evolution. Similarity of the degree of delinquent behavior has a positive effect on tie formation but also on tie dissolution. The last result seems to contradict current criminological theories, and deserves further study.