Complementation in spaces of continuous functions on compact lines

We characterize order preserving continuous surjections between compact linearly ordered spaces which admit an averaging operator, together with estimates of the norm of such an operator. This result is used to the study of strengthenings of the separable complementation property in spaces of continuous functions on compact lines. These properties include in particular continuous separable complementation property and existence of a projectional skeleton.     

Magnetism of free and supported clusters: a comparative study

The presented work investigates the differences in magnetic properties of free and supported clusters via ab-initio calculations. The electronic structure of the clusters was calculated using a spin polarized relativistic multiple-scattering Green’s function formalism. We focus on Fe clusters of 2–9 atoms, either free or supported by Ni(001), and on Co clusters of 2–7 atoms, either free or supported by Au(111). For the supported clusters, the spin and orbital magnetic moments depend on the cluster size nearly monotonically, while for the free clusters large quasi-oscillations of magnetic moments with the cluster size were observed. Similarly, for supported clusters, the local spin magnetic moments decrease nearly linearly with increasing coordination number, while for free clusters of the same size range the trend is much more complicated. These findings are consistent with the fact that the spectral distribution function contains much sharper features for free clusters than for supported clusters.      

A comparison of natural and experimental long-term corrosion of uranium-colored glass

The alteration features of historical U-colored glasses exposed to natural weathering for over 150 years were compared with the experimental alteration of similar glass with ～0.3 wt% of uranium using a long-term (up to 426 days) kinetic laboratory batch leaching test in deionized water. Two types of natural corrosion crusts were identified by a combination of SEM/EDS, HRTEM/SAED, EPMA and XRD: (i) formation of a leached layer (up to ～600 μm thick) depleted in alkalis and enriched in Si with stable concentration of U and Al and (ii) formation of lamellae depleted in alkalis, Si and U and enriched in Al. The presence of newly formed gibbsite (Al(OH)₃) and kaolinite (Al₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄) were confirmed in the second type of corrosion crust by HRTEM. Dissolution of the glass components including uranium was determined during the laboratory leaching test. Several μm thick alkali-depleted alteration zones with stable U content relatively enriched in Si and Al were formed on the glass surface. The PHREEQC-2 modeling also predicted the precipitation of secondary gibbsite and kaolinite in the late stages of the leaching. These phases may form especially when sufficient amounts of Al are available from the environment (e.g., soil). Furthermore, they provide surfaces for sorption and may, in some cases, affect the mobility of U ions released from the glass in dependence on pH and U speciation.     

On the 3D Steady Flow of a Second Grade Fluid Past an Obstacle

We study steady flow of a second grade fluid past an obstacle in three space dimensions. We prove existence of solution in weighted Lebesgue spaces with anisotropic weights and thus existence of the wake region behind the obstacle. We use properties of the fundamental Oseen tensor together with results achieved in Koch (Quad Mat 15:59?C122, 2004) and properties of solutions to steady transport equation to get up to arbitrarily small ?? the same decay as the Oseen fundamental solution.     

Dynamic properties of an individual wheelset drive of a railway vehicle

Spatial vibrations of an individual wheelset drive supported by rubber silent blocks in a two–axle bogie's frame of a railway vehicle are studied. The method, used for a creation of a mathematical model, is based on a decomposition of the wheelset drive into subsystems — a drive assembled from an engine and a gear transmission, a flexible composite hollow shaft and a flexible wheelset. Subsystems are modeled in local configuration spaces and they are mutually connected by deformable couplings. An adhesive characteristic in a wheel–rail contact is described using the Kalker's theory. The nonlinear mathematical model respects spatial vibrations of the drive's components and the flexible wheelset, a deformable rail ballast and it is used for investigating transient dynamic responses on different types of excitations. Experimentally investigated spatial bogie's frame displacements or displacements derived from a total model of the bogie caused by spatial irregularities of the rail track are main sources of excitations. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A finite element analysis of the morphology of the twinned-to-detwinned interface observed in microstructure of the Cu–Al–Ni shape memory alloy

A detailed morphology of the twinned-to-detwinned interface in microstructure of 2H-martensite phase of the Cu–Al–Ni shape memory alloy is observed by optical methods (optical microscopy, white-light interferometry). Based on these observations, a finite element model of the transition layer is constructed and applied to calculate the elastic stress distribution inside the observed microstructure. The results show that the real micromorphology does not correspond to the minimum of the sum of the elastic and surface energy, and that the maxima of the stress field necessary for the existence of this morphology are comparable to the elasticity limits of the 2H-martensite.     

Study of Microwave Torch Plasmachemical Synthesis of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Focused on the Analysis of Phase Composition

This work presents the results obtained on the single-step route towards the synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles in a microwave plasma torch. The torch is supplied by 660 sccm of Ar mixed with 1 sccm of Fe(CO)₅ and a variable amount of O₂. The influence of oxygen addition on the phase composition of the synthesized powder was studied. Magnetite and maghemite phases could not be distinguished using the standard X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Therefore, a combined XRD and Raman spectra analysis had to be applied, which is based on fitting of selected diffraction peaks and spectral features. According to XRD and Raman spectroscopy, the powder synthesized from Ar/Fe(CO)₅ consisted about 50 % of magnetite, Fe₃O₄, the rest being α-Fe and FeO. An increase in oxygen flow rate led to an increase in γ-Fe₂O₃ percentage, at the expense of α-Fe, FeO and Fe₃O₄. Almost pure γ-Fe₂O₃ was synthesized at oxygen flow rates 25–75× higher than the flow rate of Fe(CO)₅. A further increase in the oxygen flow rate led to α-Fe₂O₃ and ε-Fe₂O₃ production. The distributions of nanoparticles’ (NPs) diameters were obtained using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The mean diameter of the NPs measured by TEM was 13 nm while the DLS measurements led to the mean diameter of 12 nm. About 90 % of all particles had the diameter in the range of 5–21 nm but a few larger particles were observed in TEM micrographs.     

Analysis of gas sorption in glassy polymers with the GAB model: An alternative to the dual mode sorption model

The suitability of the Guggenheim–Anderson–De Boer (GAB) model for the parameterization of gas sorption isotherms and their dependences on temperature is explored. The GAB model implies that molecules adsorb on inner surfaces of the polymer in multilayers, which contrasts with the assumptions of the classical Dual Mode Sorption (DMS) model which implies the simultaneous occurrence of Henry‐like dissolution and Langmuir's case I adsorption. The GAB model shows similar efficacy of the parameterization of the gas sorption isotherms in polymers as the DMS model. The isosteric heat of adsorption shows clear dependence on relative surface coverage for carbon dioxide sorption in cellulose acetate, polyethylene terephthalate, and the first polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM‐1), thus allowing for the occurrence of adsorption multilayers. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 1490–1495     

Examination of small molecule losses in 5‐methylpyranopelargonidin MS/MS CID spectra by DFT calculations

Pyranoanthocyanins are formed during food treatment and maturation (e.g. wine, juices), and they can be considered a natural alternative to artificial food colorants. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) is perhaps the most important technique in analysis of anthocyanin dyes. Knowledge of fragmentation pattern is a key aspect of their successful structural characterization. Polyphenolic compounds are known to lose small molecules during collision‐induced dissociation (CID) in MS/MS experiments. However, the specific positions where such losses occur preferentially are unknown. The aim of this communication is to investigate the energetically most preferred places for H₂O and CO losses during the fragmentation of 5‐methylpyranopelargonidin molecule by the means of computational chemistry (employing density functional theory) combined with CID MS/MS experiments and infrared multiphoton dissociation spectroscopy. Mechanisms responsible for the fragmentations were investigated, and optimal geometries and transition states were obtained. Cleavage of water as well as carbon monoxide occurs preferentially from the C‐ring of flavonoid skeleton. In the most stable structure of 5‐methylpyranopelargonidin, B‐ring was found to be tilted with respect to the rest of the molecule. Planarization effort of the parent molecule contributes both to its decarbonylation and dehydration. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.