Representation of Kohn–Sham free atom eigenfunctions by Slater‐type orbitals

Slater‐type orbitals are applied to represent the numerically obtained Kohn–Sham eigenfunction of free atom. The algorithm evaluating the nonlinear expansion coefficients of this approximation is described. Standard iterative solution of Kohn–Sham equation to obtain the nonlinear expansion coefficients is avoided and replaced by the projection method. First, the eigenfunction is obtained in the B‐spline space based on the Galerkin formulation of the finite element method. Then, based on the density functional theory, the conditions are formulated, which leads to the set of nonlinear equations. The proposed algorithm is general and can be applied for any atomic Kohn–Sham eigenfunction. As an examplary application of the proposed algorithm, the set of nonlinear equations is derived for occupied states of N, Al, Ga, and In atoms. The expansion coefficients, obtained for these atoms, are evaluated numerically by Newton procedure and listed in the tables. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008     

B-spline solver for one-electron Schrödinger equation

A numerical algorithm for solving the one-electron Schrödinger equation is presented. The algorithm is based on the Finite Element method, and the basis functions are tensor products of univariate B-splines. The application of cubic or higher order B-splines guarantees that the searched solution belongs to a continuous and one time differentiable function space, which is a desirable property in the Kohn–Sham equation context from the Density Functional Theory with pseudopotential approximation. The theoretical background of the numerical algorithm is presented, and additionally, the implementation on parallel computers with distributed memory is described. The current implementation of the algorithm uses the MPI, HYPRE and ParMETIS libraries to distribute matrices on processing units. Additionally, the LOBPCG algorithm from HYPRE library is used to solve the algebraic generalized eigenvalue problem. The proposed algorithm works for any smooth interaction potential, where the domain of the problem is a finite subspace of the ?³ space. The accuracy of the algorithm is demonstrated for a selected interaction potential. In the current stage, the algorithm can be applied to solve the linearized Kohn–Sham equation for molecular systems.     

Chiral dioxovanadium(V) complexes with single condensation products of 1,2-diaminocyclohexane and aromatic o-hydroxycarbonyl compounds: Synthesis,characterization, catalytic properties and structure

New dioxovanadium(V) complexes bearing tridentate products of single condensation of RR(−) and of SS(+)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane with salicylaldehyde and its derivatives, 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde and 1-hydroxy-2-acetonaphthone, have been synthesized. The crystal structure of the {RR(−)-1-amino-2-N-[1′-(1″-oxido-κO-2″-naphthyl)ethylidene]aminocyclohexane-κ²N}dioxovanadium(V) hemihydrate hemiethanol solvate, determined by X-ray analysis, is characterized by trigonal bipyramidal coordination geometry of complex molecules which are linked to solvent molecules by hydrogen bonds to form chains. The cyclohexane ring is in chair conformation with a very small distortion towards half-chair and envelope forms. Complexes were characterized by UV–Vis, FTIR, ¹H, ¹³C, ⁵¹V NMR and CD spectroscopies. CD spectra of {RR(−)-1-amino-2-N-[(2′-oxido-κO-5′-nitrophenyl)methylene]aminocyclohexane-κ²N}dioxovanadium(V) and of R(−)-1,2-diaminopropane analogue do not bear mirror image relationship in contrast to V(IV and V), Cu(II) and Ni(II) complexes containing double condensed diamines in the same absolute configurations. ¹H and ¹³C NMR resonance signals of all complexes dissolved in DMSO were assigned. The complexes bearing the methoxy substituent in position 3 or 5 of the aryl group catalyse the oxidation of methyl phenyl sulfide by cumene hydroperoxide to the corresponding sulfoxide with reasonable enantiomeric excesses (19–23%).     

Growth and characterization of Nd,Yb – yttrium oxide nanopowders obtained by sol‐gel method

Nanopowders of Y₂O₃ pure, doped and codoped by Nd³⁺, Yb³⁺ were obtained by sol‐gel method. Solution with ethylene glycol was choosed as the proper solution where crystallites of powder with Nd and Yb dopants had the same size. Finally the one‐phased compounds of Y₂O₃ doped 0.5 at% Nd and 1, 2 or 4 at% Yb were obtained. Grain growth and their morphology were investigated in various temperature and time of heating. The changes of crystallite sizes and lattice constants in relation to the heating time and temperature for the composition Y₂O₃ doped 0.5 at% Nd and 2 at% Yb are presented. Y₂O₃ containing 0,5 at% of Nd exhibits intense luminescence bands centered at 920 nm, 1100 nm and 1360 nm whereas a single band at about 1020 nm appears in samples co‐doped with neodymium and ytterbium. Luminescence spectra recorded did not depend on the sample preparation procedure and size of grains. OH impurity affects critically the relaxation dynamics of luminescent ion in nanopowders. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The potential of mean force on halide ions near the Cu(100) surface

This paper reports an investigation of the phenomenon of specific adsorption of halide ions on a Cu(100) surface using Monte Carlo simulations. The system was modeled by considering each ion in a water lamina placed between two copper walls. The potentials used in simulations were constructed by fitting to results of quantum calculations. The solvent contribution to the potential of mean force (pmf) was calculated for each of the four halide ions using the free energy perturbation method. Given the difficulty of finding a reliable ion–metal potential, several alternatives, representing extremal models, were tested in combination with the solvent mean force on the ions, F⁻, Cl⁻, Br⁻ or I⁻. The results for the pmf on an ion near the metal surface are discussed in the light of the experimental data available. The sensitivity of the results to the type of ion–metal potential used in the simulations is stressed.     

Application of a Bayesian Approach to the Tomographic Analysis of Hopper Flow

This paper presents a new approach to the analysis of data on powder flow from electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) using probability modelling and Bayesian statistics. The methodology is illustrated for powder flow in a hopper. The purpose, and special features, of this approach is that ‘high‐level’ statistical Bayesian modelling combined with a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling algorithm allows direct estimation of control parameters of industrial processes in contrast to usually applied ‘low‐level’, pixel‐based methods of data analysis. This enables reliable recognition of key process features in a quantitative manner. The main difficulty when investigating hopper flow with ECT is due to the need to measure small differences in particle packing density. The MCMC protocol enables more robust identification of the responses of such complex systems. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of the approach for a simple case of particulate material flow during discharging of a hopper. It is concluded that these approaches can offer significant advantages for the analysis and control of some industrial powder and other multi‐phase flow processes.     

Positive and negative effects of diagnostic intensities of ultrasound on erythrocyte blood group markers

Human erythrocytes were exposed in vitro to diagnostic intensities of ultrasound. Various antigenic tests were conducted to see if the different blood group markers had been changed. No change was observed following sonication for Ss, M, K1, ABO, and the rhesus factors. However a marked reduction was found for the N antigen when assayed using the lectin isolated from Vicia graminea. Several experiments were performed to ensure that this effect was not an artefact. If the cells were not resuspended in fresh medium immediately following sonicating then the magnitude of the effect rapidly decreased. We were unable to detect free N antigen in the supernatants from the sonicated cell suspensions. We were also unable to demonstrate changes in the level of the N antigen following sonication if we used anti-N sera from rabbits. A surprising observation was that different batches of the lectin preparation from the same manufacturer could eliminate the effect.     

Fehlerm?glichkeiten bei der quantitativen Analyse polycyclischer aromatischer Kohlenwasserstoffe aus Luftstaubextrakten mit der Capillar-Gas-Chromatographie

Zusammenfassung Ein vielfach angewandtes capillargas-chromatographisches Verfahren zur Bestimmung von polycyclischen aromatischen Kohlenwasserstoffen (PAH) in der Atmosphäre wurde auf seine Zuverlässigkeit bei der Gewinnung von quantitativen Analysendaten hin geprüft. Eine PAH-Fraktion, die in unserem Labor routinemäßig durch Extraktion von atmosphärischem Schwebstaub mit Methanol, Flüssig-Flüssig-Verteilung (Cyclohexan/Methanol-Wasser) und zwei säulenchromatographischen Trennungen (SiO₂/Cyclohexan und Sephadex LH-20/Propanol-2) gewonnen wird, wurde bei dem letzten chromatographischen Schritt (Sephadex LH-20/Propanol-2) weiter fraktioniert. Durch Untersuchung der so erhaltenen Fraktionen mit Hilfe der Capillar-Gas-Chromatographie und der GC-MS-Kopplung wurden für 14 ausgewählte PAH Überlagerungen durch Störsubstanzen qualitativ und quantitativ ermittelt. Dabei zeigte sich, daß ein Teil der Fehler vermieden werden kann, wenn die PAH mit zwei und drei Ringen exakt von den interessierenden PAH mit vier und mehr Ringen abgetrennt werden. Für einige PAH sind die quantitativen Ergebnisse jedoch auch bei richtiger Schnittpunktwahl mit Vorsicht zu bewerten; zu diesen Verbindungen gehört auch das oftmals als Maß für die cancerogene Potenz einer PAH-Fraktion angesehene Benzo(a)pyren.

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Pitfalls of quantitative analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in airborne particulate matter by capillary gas chromatography

Summary Glass capillary gas chromatography was checked with regard to the authenticity of quantitative results for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in airborne particulate matter. A PAH fraction, which was routinely separated from particulate matter by solvent extraction (methanol), liquid-liquid partition (cyclohexane/methanol-water) and two steps of column chromatography (SiO₂/cyclohexane and Sephadex LH-20/propanol-2), was further fractionated with the above mentioned Chromatographic system Sephadex LH-20/propanol-2. By analyzing the fractions obtained so far with glass capillary chromatography and g.c.-m.s. coupling, the interfering substances were determined qualitatively and quantitatively concerning 14 selected PAHs. It was shown that some errors in determining PAH values may be avoided, if PAHs with less than four rings are exactly separated from those with four and more rings in the last Chromatographic step; but quantitative data for some PAHs may be biased even in case of a well separated PAH fraction. One of these PAHs is the well known benzo(a)pyrene, which has often been considered as an indicator for the carcinogenic potency of the PAHs in general.

     

The effect of alloying on the H-atom adsorption on the (100) surfaces of Pd-Ag,Pd-Pt,Pd-Au,Pt-Ag,and Pt-Au. A theoretical study

The effect of alloying on the adsorption of atomic hydrogen was studied using density functional theory (DFT). In the study the (100) surfaces of Pd-Ag, Pd-Pt, Pd-Au, Pt-Ag, and Pt-Au alloys were considered by means of a cluster model. The structural and energetic properties of the H atom adsorbed on the Pd₄Me (Me = Ag, Pt, Au) and Pt₄Me (Me = Pd, Ag, Au) clusters were calculated and compared with the H-atom adsorption on monometallic clusters. The effect of alloying on the H-atom adsorption is evident for all the investigated bimetallic systems. However, it strongly depends on the second metal atom, Me, is placed in the surface layer or in the subsurface one. In general, the H atom adsorbed in a site containing the second metal exhibits different properties from those characteristic of its adsorption on Pd(100) and Pt(100). Hence, the modified interaction between atomic hydrogen and the alloyed surfaces may increase the selectivity of the catalytic hydrogenation reactions on such surfaces.     

Aspects of the simulation of the ferroelectric hysteresis

In this paper we present a thermodynamically consistent phenomenological model for an assumed transversely isotropic ferroelectric crystal. Such materials become spontaneously polarized within a certain range of temperature. On the macro scale a remanent polarization and remanent strains, due to the reorientation of the polarization vectors, are observed, if an electric field above the so-called coercive field is applied. The goal of this work is to construct a thermodynamically consistent formulation of the electro-mechanically coupled ceramic on a meso scale, that takes into account the orientation of the assumed transversely isotropic unit cell, see [4]. The anisotropic behavior is governed by isotropic tensor functions, which are formulated in terms of a finite set of invariants, see [3]. Considering a simple model problem we discuss the linearization of discrete weak forms, resulting from the electromechanical boundary value problem. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)