The reduced detailed configuration accounting (RDCA) model for NLTE plasma spectral calculations

The purpose of this work is to continue development of a model to provide a fast and accurate in-line NLTE capability for calculating plasma spectral properties in large-scale radiation-transport hydrodynamic simulations. A method has recently been developed to transform the large detailed atomic models into very small models that can be used for fast in-line calculations. The reduced model is more accurate than the average-atom models conventionally used in such simulations. In the present work, spectra calculated with the reduced model are compared to the original detailed model and the average-atom model. The spectra of iron and gold plasmas under various plasma conditions are compared.     

Optimal Results for the Nonhomogeneous Initial-Boundary Value Problem for the Two-Dimensional Navier–Stokes Equations

In this work we study the fully nonhomogeneous initial boundary value problem for the two-dimensional time-dependent Navier–Stokes equations in a general open space domain in R² with low regularity assumptions on the initial and the boundary value data. We show that the perturbed Navier–Stokes operator is a diffeomorphism from a suitable function space onto its own dual and as a corollary we get that the Navier–Stokes equations are uniquely solvable in these spaces and that the solution depends smoothly on all involved data. Our source data space and solution space are in complete natural duality and in this sense, without any smallness assumptions on the data, we solve the equations for data with optimally low regularity in both space and time.     

Fuel cell and electrochemical studies of the ethanol electro-oxidation in alkaline media using PtAuIr/C as anodes

Ethanol electro-oxidation reaction was investigated considering conventional electrochemical experiments in alkaline media, direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC), and in situ ATR-FTIR. The working electrode/anodes were composed of monometallic Pt/C, Au/C, Ir/C, and trimetallic PtAuIr/C nanoparticles with atomic Pt/Au/Ir ratios of 40:50:10, 50:40:10, 60:30:10, 70:20:10, and 80:10:10. X-ray diffraction (XRD) suggests PtAuIr/C alloy formation, and according to transmission electron micrographs, the mean particle sizes are from 4 to 6 nm for all catalyst compositions. PtAuIr/C 40:50:10 showed the highest catalytic activity for ethanol electro-oxidation in the electrochemical experiments; using this material, the peak current density from ethanol electro-oxidation on cyclic voltammetry experiment was 50 mA per g of Pt, 3.5 times higher than that observed with Pt/C. The fuel cell performance was superior using all PtAuIr/C compositions than using Pt/C. Au/C and Ir/C presented very poor catalytic activity toward ethanol electro-oxidation. The improved results obtained using PtAuIr/C might be related to the OH_ads species formed at low overpotential on Ir and to the decrease on adsorption energy of poisoning intermediates on Pt sites, promoted by Au.     

A Multifrequency (X-, Q-, and W-band) EPR and DFT Study of a Photopolymerizable Dental Resin

The free radicals generated during the polymerization process of Z100 (3 M ESPE) dental resin were examined by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in X-, Q- and W-bands. Experimental generation and spectra simulations were associated with density functional theory (DFT) calculations to determine the molecular structure and explain the EPR spectrum formation. It was assumed that the EPR spectrum was formed by the sum of two different types of radicals: “propagating” and allylic. The spectra simulations and DFT calculations showed good agreement, indicating that the proposed model fully explained the nine lines of the EPR spectrum in X-band and showed that the spectrum formation is the sum of “9 + 5” lines, rather than the “5 + 4” lines predicted early. Simulations in Q- and W-bands showed very close correlation and were essential to support the proposed model.     

2-Piperidino-1,1,2-triphenylethanol: a highly effective catalyst for the enantioselective arylation of aldehydes

Here we report the use of 2-piperidino-1,2,2-triphenylethanol (5) as an outstanding catalyst for the ligand-catalyzed arylation of aldehydes. The use of 5 and a 2/1 mixture of Et(2)Zn/Ph(2)Zn provided the corresponding chiral diarylcarbinols with enantiomeric excess of up to 99% ee. The effect of temperature on the reaction enantioselectivity was studied and the inversion temperature (T(inv)) was determined to be 10 degrees C for reaction with p-tolylaldehyde. Most remarkably, lowering the amount of catalyst (5) to 0.5 mol % still afforded excellent levels of enantiocontrol (93.7% ee). Kinetics of the catalyzed and uncatalyzed arylation of aldehydes was studied by means of in situ FT-IR. The background uncatalyzed addition rates to p-tolylaldehyde when using pure Ph(2)Zn and Et(2)Zn/Ph(2)Zn (2/1) suggest that in the latter case a mixed zinc species forms (EtPhZn) minimizing the undesired nonselective addition. Formation of EtPhZn was modeled at the DFT calculation level. A four-center TS (TS-V) corresponding to the Et/Ph scrambling was localized along with two dimers (D-IV and D-VI). The model supports the hypothesis that Et/Ph exchange is a kinetically facile process. Gas evolution experiments during the formation of the active catalyst showed that the formation of an active site with a ONZn-Et (10) moiety is kinetically favored over ONZn-Ph (11). Finally, the phenyl transfer to benzaldehyde was modeled at the PM3(tm) level through anti and syn 5/4/4 tricyclic TS structures for both 10 and 11. The model could correctly predict the sense and selectivity of the overall process and predicted that 11 should be more selective than 10.     

Global chaotic parameters of heart rate variability during mental task

We aimed to evaluate the novel chaotic global techniques of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis during a specific autonomic test, the mental arithmetic overload test. These are spectral detrended fluctuation analysis and spectral multi‐taper method; in addition to spectral entropy. We analyzed 24 healthy male students—all nonsmokers, aged between 18 and 22 years old. HRV was analyzed in the following periods: control protocol—the 10‐min periods before the performance of the task and the 5‐min periods during the performance of the test. Following tests for normality; Kruskal–Wallis technique and principal component analysis—it was decided that this type of mental stimulation did not lead to significant changes in any of the seven combinations of chaotic globals. In conclusion, it was suggested that the time‐series be increased to 1000 RR intervals (at least 20 min of electrocardiographic data) and standard nonlinear methods be introduced in combination with spectral factors as a way of increasing the statistical significance. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 300–307, 2016