Numerical Modelling of Convection-Driven Cooling,Deformation and Fracturing of Thermo-Poroelastic Media

Transport in Porous Media - Convection-driven cooling in porous media influences thermo-poro-mechanical stresses, thereby causing deformation. These processes are strongly influenced by the...     

Adsorption of water monomer and clusters on platinum(111) terrace and related steps and kinks: I. Configurations,energies, and hydrogen bonding

Adsorption and rotation of water monomer, dimer, and trimer on the (111) terrace, (221) and (322) stepped, and (763) and (854) kinked surfaces of platinum were studied by density functional theory calculations using the PW91 approximation to the energy functional. On the (111) terrace, water monomer and the donor molecule of the dimer and trimer adsorb at atop sites. The per-molecule adsorption energies of the monomer, dimer, and trimer are 0.30, 0.45, and 0.48 eV, respectively. Rotation of monomers, dimers, and trimers on the terrace is facile with energy barriers of 0.02 eV or less. Adsorption on steps and kinks is stronger than on the terrace, as evidenced by monomer adsorption energies of 0.46 to 0.55 eV. On the (221) stepped surface the zigzag extended configuration is most stable with a per-molecule adsorption energy of 0.57 eV. On the (322) stepped surface the dimer, two configurations of the trimer, and the zigzag configuration have similar adsorption energies of 0.55 ± 0.02 eV. Hydrogen bonding is strongest in the dimer and trimer adsorbed on the terrace, with respective energies of 0.30 and 0.27 eV, and accounts for their increased adsorption energies relative to the monomer. Hydrogen bonding is weak to moderate for adsorption at steps, with energies of 0.04 to 0.15 eV, as the much stronger water–metal interactions inhibit adsorption geometries favorable to hydrogen bonding. Correlations of hydrogen bond angles and energies with hydrogen bond lengths are presented. On the basis of these DFT/PW91 results, a model for water cluster formation on the Pt(111) surface can be formulated where kink sites nucleate chains along the top of step edges, consistent with the experimental findings of Morgenstern et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 77 (1996) 703.     

Profit maximization in flexible serial queueing networks

We analyze the tradeoff between efficiency and service quality in tandem systems with flexible servers and finite buffers. We reward efficiency by assuming that a revenue is earned each time a job is completed, and penalize poor service quality by incorporating positive holding costs. We study the dynamic assignment of servers to tasks with the objective of maximizing the long-run average profit. For systems of arbitrary size, structured service rates, and linear or nonlinear holding costs, we determine the server assignment policy that maximizes the profit. For systems with two stations, two servers with arbitrary service rates, and linear holding costs, we show that the optimal server assignment policy is of threshold type and determine the value of this threshold as a function of the revenue and holding cost. The threshold can be interpreted as the best possible buffer size, and hence our results prove the equivalence of addressing service quality via a holding cost and via limiting the buffer size. Furthermore, we identify the optimal buffer size when each buffer space comes at a cost. We provide numerical results that suggest that the optimal policy also has a threshold structure for nonlinear holding costs. Finally, for larger systems with arbitrary service rates, we propose effective server assignment heuristics.     

Characterisation of CART-containing neurons and cells in the porcine pancreas,gastro-intestinal tract,adrenal and thyroid glands

Background  

The peptide CART is widely expressed in central and peripheral neurons, as well as in endocrine cells. Known peripheral sites of expression include the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the pancreas, and the adrenal glands. In rodent pancreas CART is expressed both in islet endocrine cells and in nerve fibers, some of which innervate the islets. Recent data show that CART is a regulator of islet hormone secretion, and that CART null mutant mice have islet dysfunction. CART also effects GI motility, mainly via central routes. In addition, CART participates in the regulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal-axis. We investigated CART expression in porcine pancreas, GI-tract, adrenal glands, and thyroid gland using immunocytochemistry.     

Modeling the active site of cytochrome oxidase: synthesis and characterization of a cross-linked histidine-phenol

A cross-linked histidine-phenol compound was synthesized as a chemical analogue of the active site of cytochrome c oxidase. The structure of the cross-linked compound (compound 1) was verified by IR, (1)H and (13)C NMR, mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray analysis. Spectrophotometric titrations indicated that the pK(a) of the phenolic proton on compound 1 (8.34) was lower than the pK(a) of tyrosine (10.1) or of p-cresol (10.2). This decrease in pK(a) is consistent with the hypothesis that a cross-linked histidine-tyrosine may facilitate proton delivery to the binuclear site in cytochrome c oxidase. Time-resolved optical absorption spectra of compound 1 at room temperature, generated by excitation at 266 nm in the presence and absence of dioxygen, indicated a species with absorption maxima at approximately 330 and approximately 500 nm, which we assign to the phenoxyl radical of compound 1. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of compound 1, obtained after UV photolysis, confirmed the generation of a paramagnetic species at low temperature. Because the cross-linked compound lacks beta-methylene protons, the EPR line shape was dramatically altered when compared to that of the tyrosyl radical. However, simulation of the EPR line shape and measurement of the isotropic g value was consistent with a small coupling to the imidazole nitrogen and with little spin density perturbation in the phenoxyl ring. The ground-state Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum of compound 1 showed that addition of the imidazole ring perturbs the frequency of the tyrosine ring stretching vibrations. The difference FT-IR spectrum, associated with the oxidation of the cross-linked compound, detected significant perturbations of the phenoxyl radical vibrational bands. We postulate that phenol oxidation produces a small delocalization of spin density onto the imidazole nitrogen of compound 1, which may explain its unique optical spectral properties.     

Adsorption of water monomer and clusters on platinum(111) terrace and related steps and kinks II. Surface diffusion

Surface diffusion of water monomer, dimer, and trimer on the (111) terrace, (221) and (322) stepped, and (763) and (854) kinked surfaces of platinum was studied by density functional theory using the PW91 approximation to the energy functional. Monomer diffusion on the terrace is facile, with an activation barrier of 0.20 eV, while dimer and trimer diffusions are restricted due to their high activation barriers of 0.43 and 0.48 eV, respectively. During monomer diffusion on the terrace the O–Pt distance increases by 0.54 Å, about 23% of the initial distance of 2.34 Å. The calculated rate of monomer diffusion hops is in good agreement with the onset temperature of diffusion measurements of Daschbach et al., J. Chem. Phys., 120 (2004) 1516. Alternative monomer diffusion pathways, in which the molecule rolls or flips, were also found. These pathways have diffusion barriers of 0.22 eV. During dimer diffusion on the terrace, the donor molecule rises 0.4 Å at the saddle point, while the acceptor rises by only 0.03 Å. Monomer diffusion up to steps and kinks, with activation barriers of 0.11–0.13 eV, facilitate chain formation on top of step edges. The energy landscape of monomer diffusion from terrace to step to kink sites is downhill with a maximum activation barrier of 0.26 eV. A model for water adsorption is presented in which monomer diffusion leads to concurrent formation of terrace clusters and population of steps/kinks, the latter consistent with the STM measurements of Morgenstern et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 77 (1996) 703.     

A theoretical evaluation of possible transition metal electro-catalysts for N2 reduction

Theoretical studies of the possibility of forming ammonia electrochemically at ambient temperature and pressure are presented. Density functional theory calculations were used in combination with the computational standard hydrogen electrode to calculate the free energy profile for the reduction of N(2) admolecules and N adatoms on several close-packed and stepped transition metal surfaces in contact with an acidic electrolyte. Trends in the catalytic activity were calculated for a range of transition metal surfaces and applied potentials under the assumption that the activation energy barrier scales with the free energy difference in each elementary step. The most active surfaces, on top of the volcano diagrams, are Mo, Fe, Rh, and Ru, but hydrogen gas formation will be a competing reaction reducing the faradaic efficiency for ammonia production. Since the early transition metal surfaces such as Sc, Y, Ti, and Zr bind N-adatoms more strongly than H-adatoms, a significant production of ammonia compared with hydrogen gas can be expected on those metal electrodes when a bias of -1 V to -1.5 V vs. SHE is applied. Defect-free surfaces of the early transition metals are catalytically more active than their stepped counterparts.     

Trouble-shooting deployment and recovery options for various stationary passive acoustic monitoring devices in both shallow- and deep-water applications

Deployment of any type of measuring device into the ocean, whether to shallow or deeper depths, is accompanied by the hope that this equipment and associated data will be recovered. The ocean is harsh on gear. Salt water corrodes. Currents, tides, surge, storms, and winds collaborate to increase the severity of the conditions that monitoring devices will endure. All ocean-related research has encountered the situations described in this paper. In collating the details of various deployment and recovery scenarios related to stationary passive acoustic monitoring use in the ocean, it is the intent of this paper to share trouble-shooting successes and failures to guide future work with this gear to monitor marine mammal, fish, and ambient (biologic and anthropogenic) sounds in the ocean-in both coastal and open waters.