Approximation of titration curves and other sigmoidal functions by proportionally spaced cubic B-splines

Proportionally spaced cubicB-splines are an appropriate function system for the approximation of titration curves and other sigmoidal functions. They give a smooth weighted leastsquares fit without instability problems. The degree of smoothing depends only on the number of spline function which can be chosen by the user. The equivalence points of titration curves can be estimated with high accuracy from the zeros of the second derivative.The method gives good approximation curves even in the case of empty data regions, i. e. there are no artefacts in subranges where no data points exist. The routine has been tested successfully with large series of simulated and experimental data.     

Nitrogen Adsorption Study of MCM-41 Molecular Sieves Synthesized Using Hydrothermal Restructuring

Nitrogen desorption scanning hysteresis loops (DSHLs) for large-pore MCM-41 silicas (pore diameter from 4.0 to 6.5 nm) are reported for the first time. DSHLs for MCM-41 were compared with those of conventional mesoporous silicas and no appreciable differences were found, although hysteresis loops and DSHLs for the latter were usually broader. Since desorption behavior of conventional porous silicas is appreciably influenced by pore connectivity, the observed similarity in hysteresis behavior suggests single-pore blocking effects for MCM-41 due to variation of pore diameter along its nonintersecting channels. It was also shown that the steepness of nitrogen desorption branches at relative pressures close to 0.4 often results from proximity of the lower pressure limit of adsorption-desorption irreversibility and consequently it is not justified to consider it as an indication of narrow pore size distribution. Thus, application of desorption data in calculations of pore size distributions may be grossly misleading.     

Differences in the electrorheological response of a particle suspension under direct current and alternating current electric fields

We have observed an unusual reduction of shear stress with increasing shear rate under direct current electric fields, for an electrorheological fluid composed of sulfonated poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) particles dispersed in silicone oil. At all shear rates, the shear stress under the electric field is larger than that in the absence of the field, indicating that there is still some field-induced agglomeration of the particles. In contrast, the behavior under alternating current electric fields is the Bingham-fluid-type response commonly observed with electrorheological fluids. It is suggested that the conventional dipole–dipole interaction approach based on simplified microstructural models would be unable to explain these phenomena. Received: 27 November 2000 Accepted: 22 May 2001     

Bifurcation phenomena near homoclinic systems: A two-parameter analysis

The bifurcations of periodic orbits in a class of autonomous three-variable, nonlinear-differential-equation systems possessing a homoclinic orbit associated with a saddle focus with eigenvalues ( ±i,), where ¦/¦ < 1 (Sil'nikov's condition), are studied in a two-parameter space. The perturbed homoclinic systems undergo a countable set of tangent bifurcations followed by period-doubling bifurcations leading to periodic orbits which may be attractors if ¦/¦ < 1/2. The accumulation rate of the critical parameter values at the homoclinic system is exp(-2¦/¦). A global mechanism for the onset of homoclinicity in strongly contractive flows is analyzed. Cusp bifurcations with bistability and hysteresis phenomena exist locally near the onset of homoclinicity. A countable set of these cusp bifurcations with scaling properties related to the eigenvalues±i of the stationary state are shown to occur in infinitely contractive flows. In the two-parameter space, the periodic orbit attractor domain exhibits a spiral structure globally, around the set of homoclinic systems, in which all the different periodic orbits are continuously connected.     

倒数示波计时电位滴定新技术

倒数交流示波极谱具有抑制充电电流、突出电解电流的优点,利用(dE/dt)~(-1)-E曲线上去极剂峰的突然消失或出现指示滴定终点的方法称作倒数示波计时电位滴定法.由运算放大器组装的模拟电子线路可以对(dE/dt)~(-1)-E曲线进行反馈、反对数及微分处理,从而获得各种类型的倒数示波计时电位曲线(图1),以进一步提高滴定的灵敏度。     

Application of the JKR Method to the Measurement of Adhesion to Langmuir-Blodgett Cellulose Surfaces

The JKR method has been applied for studying adhesion between poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) caps and Langmuir–Blodgett cellulose surfaces including the substrate, hydrophobized mica, and two flat mineral surfaces, bare mica and glass. The self-adhesion of PDMS caps and oxidized PDMS caps are included as a reference to compare with literature data. The results of the measurements have been compared with previous studies using the surface force apparatus and similar systems. A satisfactory agreement is obtained for simple systems showing no, or very limited, hysteresis between loading and unloading curves. In several cases, however, a large hysteresis is found between loading and unloading curves, with a larger adhesion measured from the pull-off force than from the JKR-curve determined on loading. This is, for instance, the case for PDMS against cellulose. The situation is analogous to that found in wetting studies showing a large hysteresis between advancing and receding contact angles.     

Mechanism of the molecular hysteresis

The redox behavior in acetone solution of (1,5-dithiacyclooctane 1-oxide)bis(pentaammineruthenium(II)) has been characterized, where the concept of “molecular hysteresis” is presented. Detailed thermodynamics for the complex are studied, in which intramolecular electron transfer rates for Ru³⁺OS/Ru²⁺→Ru²⁺SO/Ru³⁺ were determined as 0.12 sec^?1 and 0.055 sec^?1. The molecular hysteresis consists of two important factors: isomerizations for the sulfoxideruthenium complexes and the slow intramolecular electron transfer in the complex; both are examined. Isomerization rates for Ru³⁺S→O and Ru²⁺O→S determined range from 0.4 to 5000 sec^?1 and from 0.7 to 16 sec^?1, respectively, for [Ru(NH₃)₅(sulfoxide)]^2+/3+. A mechanism for the slow electron transfer in the complex is also presented. Features of molecular hysteresis are discussed.     

Effect of the Electrode Potential on the Oxygen Reaction Rate in the Electrode System O2, Au/La0.88Sr0.12Ga0.82Mg0.18O2.85

The polarization dependences of a porous gold electrode in contact with a solid electrolyte of the composition La_0.88Sr_0.12Ga_0.82Mg_0.18O_2.85 are studied at 600–800°C and oxygen pressures of 2 × 10⁻²-1 atm. It is shown that the rate of cathodic reduction of oxygen out of the gas phase depends on the preliminary treatment of the sample. The activation energy is equal to 110–135 kJ mol⁻¹ at a low polarization. After increasing the polarization, the activation energy for the cathodic reduction of oxygen equals 75–85 kJ mol⁻¹ and depends on the oxygen pressure as a power function with a power index of 1/4. The rate of the anodic evolution of oxygen is dependent neither on the preliminary treatment of the sample nor on the oxygen pressure in the gas phase and the polarization curve has a characteristic segment, which corresponds to a limiting overvoltage.__________Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 8, 2005, pp. 954–962.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Shkerin, Sokolova, Beresnev.     

Modulated differential scanning calorimetry in the glass transition region

Temperature-modulated calorimetry (TMC) allows the experimental evaluation of the kinetic parameters of the glass transition from quasi-isothermal experiments. In this paper, model calculations based on experimental data are presented for the total and reversing apparent heat capacities on heating and cooling through the glass transition region as a function of heating rate and modulation frequency for the modulated differential scanning calorimeter (MDSC). Amorphous poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is used as the example polymer and a simple first-order kinetics is fitted to the data. The total heat flow carries the hysteresis information (enthalpy relaxation, thermal history) and indications of changes in modulation frequency due to the glass transition. The reversing heat flow permits the assessment of the first and higher harmonics of the apparent heat capacities. The computations are carried out by numerical integrations with up to 5000 steps. Comparisons of the calculations with experiments are possible. As one moves further from equilibrium, i.e. the liquid state, cooperative kinetics must be used to match model and experiment.On leave from Toray Industries, Inc., Otsu, Shiga 520, Japan.This work was supported by the Division of Materials Research, National Science Foundation, Polymers Program, Grant # DMR 90-00520 and the Division of Materials Sciences, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, U. S. Department of Energy at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corp. for the U. S. Department of Energy, under contract number DE-AC05-96OR22464. Support for instrumentation came from TA Instruments, Inc. Research support was also given by ICI Paints, and Toray Industries, Inc.     

Nonlinear Current-Voltage Curves for Thin-Film Gas-Sensitive Structures

Current-voltage curves for sensor structures based on thin tin oxide films are examined in various gases. Conditions favoring symmetrical nonlinear curves in the voltage range −30 to 30 V are found.__________Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 6, 2005, pp. 735–737.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Simakov.Published on the basis of a report delivered at the VII Meeting on Fundamental Problems in Solid-State Ionics (Chernogolovka-2004).