Lateral shearing interferometry of high-harmonic wavefronts

We present a technique for frequency-resolved wavefront characterization of high harmonics based on lateral shearing interferometry. Tilted replicas of the driving laser pulse are produced by a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, producing separate focii in the target. The interference of the resulting harmonics on a flat-field extreme ultraviolet spectrometer yields the spatial phase derivative. A comprehensive set of spatial profiles, resolved by harmonic order, validate the technique and reveal the interplay of single-atom and macroscopic effects.     

Nmr Structural Characterization of Oligo-N-Substituted Glycine Lead Compounds from a Combinatorial Library

Synthesis and screening of combinatorial librariesfor pharmaceutical lead discovery is a rapidlyexpanding field. Oligo-N-substituted glycines (NSGs)were one of the earliest sources of moleculardiversity in combinatorial libraries. In one of thefirst demonstrations of the power of combinatorialchemistry, two NSG trimers, CHIR-2279 and CHIR-4531,were identified as nM ligands for two 7-transmembraneG-protein-coupled receptors. The NMR characterizationof these two lead compounds was undertaken to verifycovalent connectivity and to determine solutionconformations, if any. The sequential chemical shiftassignments were performed using a new strategy forassigning ¹H and ¹³C resonances of NSGs. The conformational preferences were then determined inboth an aqueous co-solvent system and an organicsolvent to probe the effects of hydrophobic collapse. NSGs are expected to be more flexible than peptidesdue to the tertiary amide, with both cis andtrans amide bond conformations being accessible. Solution NMR studies indicate that although CHIR-2279and CHIR-4531 have identical backbones and termini,and very similar side chains, they do not display thesame solution conformational characteristics.     

Proton NMR study of the conformation of ring D and its side chains in chlorophyll derivatives

The complex multiplet proton NMR pattem at 360 MHz of the propionic side chains in methyl pheophorbides and a pheofarnesin derived from bacaterioclorophyll-d is completely analyzed; the major preferred orientation in solution is found to be different from that determined by single crystal X-ray studies.     

Bioactivity and chemical characterisation of Lophostemon suaveolens – an endemic Australian Aboriginal traditional medicinal plant

Lophostemon suaveolens is a relatively unexplored endemic medicinal plant of Australia. Extracts of fresh leaves of L. suaveolens obtained from sequential extraction with n-hexane and dichloromethane exhibited antibacterial activity in the disc diffusion and MTT microdilution assays against Streptococcus pyogenes and methicillin sensitive and resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (minimum bactericidal concentration < 63 μg/mL). The dichloromethane extract and chromatographic fractions therein inhibited nitric oxide in RAW264.7 murine macrophages (IC₅₀ 3.7–11.6 μg/mL) and also PGE₂ in 3T3 murine fibroblasts (IC₅₀ 2.8–19.7 μg/mL). The crude n-hexane, dichloromethane and water extracts of the leaves and chromatographic fractions from the dichloromethane extract also showed modest antioxidant activity in the ORAC assay. GC–MS analysis of the n-hexane fraction showed the presence of the antibacterial compounds aromadendrene, spathulenol, β-caryophyllene, α-humulene and α-pinene and the anti-inflammatory compounds β-caryophyllene and spathulenol. Fractionation of the dichloromethane extract led to the isolation of eucalyptin and the known anti-inflammatory compound betulinic acid.     

A semi‐quantitative approach for the rapid screening and mass profiling of naphthenic acids directly in contaminated aqueous samples

We report the use of a direct sampling, online analytical approach for the determination of acid extractable naphthenic acids in complex aqueous samples, known as condensed phase membrane introduction mass spectrometry (CP‐MIMS). The technique employs a capillary hollow fibre semi‐permeable membrane probe configured for immersion into a pH adjusted sample. A continuously flowing methanol acceptor phase transfers naphthenic acids to an electrospray ionization source, operated in negative ion mode, whereupon they are analysed by mass spectrometry as [M–H]^? ions. High‐resolution mass spectrometry is used to characterize the influence of sample pH on membrane transport of multiple components of complex naphthenic acid mixtures. We demonstrate the use of CP‐MIMS for semi‐quantitative analysis of real‐world samples using selected ion monitoring and full scan mass spectra at unit mass resolution. The technique has also been employed to continuously monitor the temporal evolution in the mass profile and concentrations of individual naphthenic acid isomer classes in heterogeneous solutions during adsorption processes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An in situ atomic force microscope for normal‐incidence nanofocus X‐ray experiments

A compact high‐speed X‐ray atomic force microscope has been developed for in situ use in normal‐incidence X‐ray experiments on synchrotron beamlines, allowing for simultaneous characterization of samples in direct space with nanometric lateral resolution while employing nanofocused X‐ray beams. In the present work the instrument is used to observe radiation damage effects produced by an intense X‐ray nanobeam on a semiconducting organic thin film. The formation of micrometric holes induced by the beam occurring on a timescale of seconds is characterized.     

Enhanced Carrier Diffusion Enables Efficient Back-Contact Perovskite Photovoltaics

Back-contact architectures offer a promising route to improve the record efficiencies of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) by eliminating parasitic light absorption. However, the performance of back-contact PSCs is limited by inadequate carrier diffusion in perovskite. Here, we report that perovskite films with a preferred out-of-plane orientation show improved carrier dynamic properties. With the addition of guanidine thiocyanate, the films exhibit carrier lifetimes and mobilities increased by 3–5 times, leading to diffusion lengths exceeding 7 μm. The enhanced carrier diffusion results from substantial suppression of nonradiative recombination and improves charge collection. Devices using such films achieve reproducible efficiencies reaching 11.2 %, among the best performances for back-contact PSCs. Our findings demonstrate the impact of carrier dynamics on back-contact PSCs and provide the basis for a new route to high-performance back-contact perovskite optoelectronic devices at low cost.     

Direct photothermal techniques for rapid quantification of total anthocyanin content in sour cherry cultivars

The analytical performance of the newly proposed laser-based photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) and of optothermal window (OW) method for quantification of total anthocyanin concentration (TAC) in five sour cherry varieties is compared to that of the spectrophotometry (SP). High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to identify and quantify specific anthocyanins. Both, PAS and OW are direct methods that unlike SP and HPLC obviate the need for the extraction of analyte. The outcome of the study leads to the conclusion that PAS and OW are both suitable for quick screening of TAC in sour cherries. The correlation between the two methods and SP is linear with R² = 0.9887 for PAS and R² = 0.9918 for OW, respectively. Both methods are capable of the rapid determination of TAC in sour cherries without a need for a laborious sample pretreatment.     

Ab initio and empirical defect modeling of LaMnO(3±δ) for solid oxide fuel cell cathodes

Sr doped LaMnO(3) is a perovskite widely used for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathodes. Therefore, there is significant interest in its defect chemistry. However, due to coupling of defect reactions and inadequate constraints of the defect reaction equilibrium constants obtained from thermogravimetry analysis, large discrepancies (up to 4 eV) exist in the literature for defect energetics for Sr doped LaMnO(3). In this work we demonstrate how ab initio energetics and empirical modelling can be combined to develop a defect model for LaMnO(3). Defect formation enthalpies, including concentration dependence due to defect interactions, are extracted from ab initio energies calculated at various defect concentrations. Defect formation entropies for the defect reactions in LaMnO(3) involving O(2-)(solid) ? ?O(2)(gas) + 2e(-) are shown to be accessible through combining the gas phase thermodynamics and simple models for the solid phase vibrational contributions. This simple treatment introduces a useful constraint on fitting defect formation entropies. The predicted defect concentrations from the model show good agreement with experimental oxygen nonstoichiometry vs. P(O(2)) for a wide range of temperatures (T = 873-1473 K), suggesting the effectiveness of the ab initio defect energetics in describing the defect chemistry of LaMnO(3). Further incorporating a temperature dependent charge disproportionation energy within 0.0-0.2 eV, the model is capable of describing both defect chemistry and oxygen tracer diffusivity of LaMnO(3). The model suggests an important role for defect interactions which are typically excluded from LaMnO(3) defect models, and sensitivity of the oxygen defect concentration to the charge disproportionation energy in the high P(O(2)) region. Similar approaches to those used here can be used to model the defect chemistry for other complex oxides.