Basins of Attraction of Periodic Oscillations in Suspension Bridges

We consider the dynamics of the lowest order transversal vibration mode of a suspension bridge, for which the hangers are treated as one-sided springs, according to the model of Lazer and McKeena [SIAM Review 58, 1990, 537]. We analyze in particular the multi-stability of periodic attractors and the basin of attraction structure in phase space and its dependence with the model parameters. The parameter values used in numerical simulations have been estimated from a number of bridges built in the United States and in the United Kingdom, thus taking into account realistic, yet sometimes simplified, structural, aerodynamical, and physical considerations.     

Large-scale production of cellulose-binding domains. Adsorption studies using CBD-FITC conjugates

A method for the gram-scale production of cellulose-binding domains (CBD) through the proteolytic digestion of a commercial enzymatic preparation (Celluclast) was developed. The CBD obtained, isolated from Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase I, is highly pure and heavily glycosylated. The purified peptide has a molecular weight of 8.43 kDa, comprising the binding module, a part of the linker, and about 30% glycosidic moiety. Its properties may thus be different from recombinant ones expressed in bacteria. CBD-fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugates were used to study the CBD-cellulose interaction. The presence of fluorescent peptides adsorbed on crystalline and amorphous cellulose fibers suggests that amorphous regions have a higher concentration of binding sites. The adsorption is reversible, but desorption is a very slow process.     

Observation of baker’s yeast strains used in biotransformation by atomic force microscopy

Different strains of baker’s yeast(Saccharomyces cerevisiae) were imaged with an atomic force microscope (AFM). The images of uncoated and nonfixed samples were reproducible with high-constrast and nanometer-resolution. Molecules from the polysaccharide surface of the cell wall were pictured and the distance of atoms was measured. The preparation of samples was easy, suggesting that AFM is a useful tool in this type of analyses.     

Block renormalization group for Euclidean Fermions

Block renormalization group transformations (RGT) for lattice and continuum Euclidean Fermions in d dimensions are developed using Fermionic integrals with exponential and -function weight functions. For the free field the sequence of actionsD _k generated by the RGT from D, the Dirac operator, are shown to have exponential decay; uniform ink, after rescaling to the unit lattice. It is shown that the two-point functionD ^–1 admits a simple telescopic sum decomposition into fluctuation two-point functions which for the exponential weight RGT have exponential decay. Contrary to RG intuition the sequence of rescaled actions corresponding to the -function RGT do not have uniform exponential decay and we give examples of initial actions in one dimension where this phenomena occurs for the exponenential weight RGT also.     

Asymmetric zirconocene precursors for catalysis of propylene polymerization

Racemic isopropylidene (1-η⁵-cyclopentadienyl)(1-η⁵-indenyl) dichlorozirconium and the 3-methylindenyl derivative have been synthesized and characterized. These precursors activated with methylaluminoxane produce poly(propylene) with hemiisotactic microstructures. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Bis(μ‐acetato‐κ3O,O′:O′)bis[bis(acetato‐κ2O,O′)diaquadysprosium(III)] tetrahydrate

The title compound, [Dy₂(C₂H₃O₂)₆(H₂O)₄]·4H₂O, crystallizes in the form of dimeric units related by an inversion centre. Each cation is nine‐coordinate, binding to two water mol­ecules and three acetate groups, two of which are bidentate and the third tridentate. This last acetate group acts as a bridge between neighbouring metal atoms, leading to an intradimer Dy?Dy separation of 4.170 (1) Å.     

Development of a capillary electrophoretic method for the separation of diastereoisomers of a new human immunodeficiency virus protease inhibitor

A capillary electrophoretic (CE) method was developed for the separation of diastereoisomers of a new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitor TMC114. In total 16 isomers of this drug have been synthesized (eight pairs of enantiomers). We succeeded in the separation of the eight diastereoisomers, but no enantiomers could be separated. Because of the high similarity and water-insolubility of these isomers, the separation is a real challenge. Different CE modes were tried out: capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE), micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC), and microemulsion electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEEKC). Only MEEKC offered resolution of these compounds.     

Chronocoulometric study of the electrochemistry of Prussian blue

During the electrochemical oxidation of Prussian blue (PB) to Prussian yellow (PY), an electrocatalytic oxygen production proceeds at the electrode when aqueous electrolyte solutions are used. The formed oxygen is scavenged by the PY, probably by absorption, and it is consumed during the electrochemical reduction of PY to PB by a heterogeneous chemical reaction of PB with oxygen to PY and hydrogen peroxide. Because of this catalytic regeneration of PY, it is impossible to determine the amount of low-spin iron by chronocoulometry using a potential program in which PB is first oxidized to PY and then the charge is measured to reduce PY to PB. The latter charge is biased by the electrocatalytic PY regeneration.     

New aspects of the electroadsorption of ethyl xanthate on copper electrodes

The interaction of the ethyl xanthate (EX) anion with a copper electrode in a borate buffer solution, pH 9.2, has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and measurements of contact angle (CA) under controlled potential. The results obtained allow establishing that, in the potential range from -0.80 and -0.60 V, two parallel reactions were characterized. These reactions were the ethyl xanthate electroadsorption and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This last reaction has not been described by previous authors. Besides, the EIS measurements show that the mechanism of the HER on copper electrodes is not affected by the presence of a ethyl xanthate species. The EQCM study shows that in the electrodesorption process the departure of each ethyl xanthate species from the copper electrode is accompanied with the simultaneous entry of four to five water molecules. This fact is in accordance with the number of copper atoms involved in the adsorption of one ethyl xanthate species.