Local and non-local sources of airborne particulate pollution at Beijing--The ratio of Mg/Al as an element tracer for estimating the contributions of mineral aerosols from outside Beijing

A new element tracer technique has firstly been established to estimate the contributions of mineral aerosols from both inside and outside Beijing. The ratio of Mg/Al in aerosol is a feasible element tracer to distinguish between the sources of inside and outside Beijing. Mineral aerosol, inorganic pollution aerosol mainly as sulfate and nitrate, and organic aerosol are the major components of airborne particulates in Beijing, of which mineral aerosol accounted for 32%―67% of total suspended particles (TSP), 10%―70% of fine particles (PM2.5), and as high as 74% and 90% of TSP and PM2.5, respectively, in dust storm. The sources from outside Beijing contributed 62% (38%―86%) of the total mineral aerosols in TSP, 69% (52%―90%) in PM10, and 76% (59%―93%) in PM2.5 in spring, and 69% (52%―83%), 79% (52%―93%), and 45% (7%―79%) in TSP, PM10, and PM2.5, respectively, in winter, while only ～20% in summer and autumn. The sources from outside Beijing contributed as high as 97% during dust storm and were the dominant source of airborne particulates in Beijing. The contributions from outside Beijing in spring and winter are higher than those in summer, indicating clearly that it was related to the various meteorological factors.     

Sampling and local models for multivariate image analysis

Local models are a very important concept for microscopic and macroscopic imaging. Different methods of sub-sampling a multivariate image are described both in general and for three examples. The need for sub-sampling and its influence on multivariate image analysis and visualization are studied. Examples from MRI (256 × 256), satellite imaging (7 × 512 × 512) and biofuel studies (6 × 512 × 512) are used to illustrate some of the principles involved.     

Linear scaling local correlation approach for solving the coupled cluster equations of large systems

A linear scaling local correlation approach is proposed for approximately solving the coupled cluster doubles (CCD) equations of large systems in a basis of orthogonal localized molecular orbitals (LMOs). By restricting double excitations from spatially close occupied LMOs into their associated virtual LMOs, the number of significant excitation amplitudes scales only linearly with molecular size in large molecules. Significant amplitudes are obtained to a very good approximation by solving the CCD equations of various subsystems, each of which is made up of a cluster associated with the orbital indices of a subset of significant amplitudes and the local environmental domain of the cluster. The combined effect of these two approximations leads to a linear scaling algorithm for large systems. By using typical thresholds, which are designed to target an energy accuracy, our numerical calculations for a wide range of molecules using the 6-31G or 6-31G* basis set demonstrate that the present local correlation approach recovers more than 98.5% of the conventional CCD correlation energy.     

Molecular conformation search by distance matrix perturbations

Three-dimensional molecular structure is fundamental in chemical function identification and computer-aided drug design. The enumeration of a small number of feasible conformations provides a rigorous way to determine the optimal or a few acceptable conformations. Our contribution concerns a heuristic enhancement of a method based on distance geometry, typically in relation with experiments of the NMR type. Distance geometry has been approached by different viewpoints; ours is expected to help in several subtasks arising in the process that determines 3D structure from distance information. More precisely, the input to our algorithm consists of a set of approximate distances of varying precision; some are specified by the covalent structure and others by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiments (or X-ray crystallography which, however, requires crystallization). The output is a valid tertiary structure in a specified neighborhood of the input. Our approach should help in detecting outliers of the NMR experiments, and handles inputs with partial information. Moreover, our technique is able to bound the number of degrees of freedom of the conformation manifold. We have used numerical linear algebra algorithms for reasons of speed, and because they are well-implemented, fully documented and widely available. Our main tools include, besides distance matrices, structure-preserving matrix perturbations for minimizing singular values. Our MATLAB (or SCILAB) implementation is described and illustrated.AMS subject Classification: 92E10 Molecular structure, 92C40 Biochemistry, molecular biology, 65F15 Eigenvalues, eigenvectors, 15A18 Eigenvalues, singular values, and eigenvectors     

Properties of a genetic algorithm extended by a random self-learning operator and asymmetric mutations: A convergence study for a task of powder-pattern indexing

Genetic algorithms represent a powerful global-optimisation tool applicable in solving tasks of high complexity in science, technology, medicine, communication, etc. The usual genetic-algorithm calculation scheme is extended here by introduction of a quadratic self-learning operator, which performs a partial local search for randomly selected representatives of the population. This operator is aimed as a minor deterministic contribution to the (stochastic) genetic search. The population representing the trial solutions is split into two equal subpopulations allowed to exhibit different mutation rates (so called asymmetric mutation). The convergence is studied in detail exploiting a crystallographic-test example of indexing of powder diffraction data of orthorhombic lithium copper oxide, varying such parameters as mutation rates and the learning rate. It is shown through the averaged (over the subpopulation) fitness behaviour, how the genetic diversity in the population depends on the mutation rate of the given subpopulation. Conditions and algorithm parameter values favourable for convergence in the framework of proposed approach are discussed using the results for the mentioned example. Further data are studied with a somewhat modified algorithm using periodically varying mutation rates and a problem-specific operator. The chance of finding the global optimum and the convergence speed are observed to be strongly influenced by the effective mutation level and on the self-learning level. The optimal values of these two parameters are about 6 and 5%, respectively. The periodic changes of mutation rate are found to improve the explorative abilities of the algorithm. The results of the study confirm that the applied methodology leads to improvement of the classical genetic algorithm and, therefore, it is expected to be helpful in constructing of algorithms permitting to solve similar tasks of higher complexity.     

Dissociation equilibrium between uncharged and charged local anesthetic lidocaine in a surface-adsorbed film

The dissociation equilibrium between uncharged local anesthetic lidocaine (LC) and charged local anesthetic LC (LCH⁺) in a surface-adsorbed film was investigated by measuring the surface tension and pH of aqueous solutions of a mixture of hydrochloric acid and LC. The surface tension values decreased slightly with increasing total molality m_t at 0X₂0.5, where X₂ is the mole fraction of LC in the mixture, while they decreased rapidly with increasing m_t at 0.5<X₂1. It was shown from the pH measurements that almost all LC molecules were changed into LCH⁺ ions by protonation at 0X₂0.5 and both forms coexisted only at 0.5<X₂1. The quantities of the respective LC and LCH⁺ transferred from the aqueous solution to the adsorbed film, i.e., their surface densities, were calculated by applying the thermodynamic equations derived to the surface tension and pH data. A greater quantity of LC than LCH⁺ existed in the adsorbed film at the coexisting composition. The partitioning behavior of LC and LCH⁺ in the adsorbed film was characterized by three composition regions: (1) slight partitioning of low surface-active LCH⁺ in the region at 0X₂0.5, (2) preferential partitioning of LC at 0.5<X₂<around 0.7, and (3) negative partitioning of LCH⁺ at around 0.7X₂1. The present results clearly indicate that uncharged local anesthetics transfer into hydrophobic environments such as cell membranes more than charged ones.     

军民融合背景下地方政府支持与民企参军行为的演化博弈研究

民参军是军民融合的重要组成内容,政府支持对于民参军的顺利进行发挥着关键作用。本文通过建立军民融合背景下的地方政府支持与民企参军行为的演化博弈模型,考察了参与者的决策演化过程,分析了参与者的进化稳定策略及影响因素。研究表明,增加地方政府对民企的资金奖励、加大民企参军税收优惠、民企资金收益率的提升,以及积极参军成本的降低,会使民企策略选择向积极参军方向演化,但却使地方政府行为向弱力度支持策略演化;而提升中央政府对地方政府的资金补助,降低地方政府支持民企积极参军的服务成本,不仅促使民企选择积极参军策略,还能促使地方政府选择强力度支持策略。最后,对模型结果进行算例分析,验证了结论的合理性。研究结果可以为当前民参军实践提供一定的理论指导。     

Criteria for local equilibrium in a system with transport of heat and mass

Nonequilibrium molecular dynamics is used to compute the coupled heat and mass transport in a binary isotope mixture of particles interacting with a Lennard-Jones/spline potential. Two different stationary states are studied, one with a fixed internal energy flux and zero mass flux, and the other with a fixed diffusive mass flux and zero temperature gradient. Computations are made for one overall temperature,T=2, and three overall number densities,n=0.1, 0.2, and 0.4. (All numerical values are given in reduced, Lennard-Jones units unless otherwise stated.) Temperature gradients are up to T=0.09 and weight-fraction gradients up to w ₁=0.007. The flux-force relationships are found to be linear over the entire range. All four transport coefficients (theL-matrix) are determined and the Onsager reciprocal relationship for the off-diagonal coefficients is verified. Four different criteria are used to analyze the concept of local equilibrium in the nonequilibrium system. The local temperature fluctuation is found to be T0.03T and of the same order as the maximum temperature difference across the control volume, except near the cold boundary. A comparison of the local potential energy, enthalpy, and pressure with the corresponding equilibrium values at the same temperature, density, and composition also verifies that local equilibrium is established, except near the boundaries of the system. The velocity contribution to the BoltzmannH-function agrees with its Maxwellian (equilibrium) value within 1%, except near the boundaries, where the deviation is up to 4%. Our results do not support the Eyring-type transport theory involving jumps across energy barriers; we find that its estimates for the heat and mass fluxes are wrong by at least one order of magnitude.     

On three conjectures by K. E. Shuler

Some fifteen years ago, Shuler formulated three conjectures relating to the large-time asymptotic properties of a nearest-neighbor random walk on ² that is allowed to make horizontal steps everywhere but vertical steps only on a random fraction of the columns. We give a proof of his conjectures for the situation where the column distribution is stationary and satisfies a certain mixing codition. We also prove a strong form of scaling to anisotropic Brownian motion as well as a local limit theorem. The main ingredient of the proofs is a large-deviation estimate for the number of visits to a random set made by a simple random walk on . We briefly discuss extensions to higher dimension and to other types of random walk.Dedicated to Prof. K. E. Shuler on the occasion of his 70th birthday, celebrated at a Symposium in his honor on July 13, 1992, at the University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California.     

Heterogeneities of grain boundary arrangement in polycrystals

Data on mutual arrangements of different types of grain boundaries in polycrystals are presented. The heterogeneity in grain boundary distribution, namely, the effect of gathering low-angle or special tilt grain boundaries is found in pure aluminum thin films, in sheets of Fe-3% Si alloy and in Al₂O₃ doped with MgO or MgO and Y ₂O₃. The local texture, i.e., formation of colonies or clusters of close-oriented grains is considered as a reason of this heterogeneity. The influences of grain boundary gathering on the transport properties of polycrystals and on the crack propagation are discussed. A new concept of effective grain size is suggested to analyze the relationship between material microstructures and material properties.