Structural diversity in manganese squarate frameworks using N,N-donor chelating/bridging ligands: syntheses, crystal structures and magnetic properties

Three new polymeric squarato-bridged manganese complexes {[Mn(H(2)O)(2)(bpe)(sq)].bpe.H(2)O}(n) (1), [Mn(2)(H(2)O)(4)(phen)(2)(sq)(2)](n) (2) and [Mn(2)(H(2)O)(2)(phen)(4)(sq)].(sq).8(H(2)O) (3) [bpe, 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane; phen, 1,10-phenanthroline; sq, squarate dianion] have been synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and variable temperature magnetic studies. Complex 1 is a 2D rectangular grid-like structure, achieved through flexible bpe bridging ligands and squarate dianions. On the other hand the use of chelating phen instead of bpe gives rise to a 1D polymeric chain in complex 2 and to a dinuclear entity in 3. In all the three complexes weak interactions play a vital role in stabilizing the solid-state structure. Variable temperature (2-300 K) magnetic studies indicate weak antiferromagnetic coupling between the metal centres in all the complexes.     

Existence of solutions for a cantilever beam problem

We are concerned with the fourth-order nonuniform cantilever beam problem

(I(x)WΔ∇(x)⁾Δ∇=f(x,W(x)),     

A hash-based image encryption algorithm

There exist several algorithms that deal with text encryption. However, there has been little research carried out to date on encrypting digital images or video files. This paper describes a novel way of encrypting digital images with password protection using 1D SHA-2 algorithm coupled with a compound forward transform. A spatial mask is generated from the frequency domain by taking advantage of the conjugate symmetry of the complex imagery part of the Fourier Transform. This mask is then XORed with the bit stream of the original image. Exclusive OR (XOR), a logical symmetric operation, that yields 0 if both binary pixels are zeros or if both are ones and 1 otherwise. This can be verified simply by modulus (pixel1, pixel2, 2). Finally, confusion is applied based on the displacement of the cipher’s pixels in accordance with a reference mask. Both security and performance aspects of the proposed method are analyzed, which prove that the method is efficient and secure from a cryptographic point of view. One of the merits of such an algorithm is to force a continuous tone payload, a steganographic term, to map onto a balanced bits distribution sequence. This bit balance is needed in certain applications, such as steganography and watermarking, since it is likely to have a balanced perceptibility effect on the cover image when embedding.     

Geometric configurations of singularities for quadratic differential systems with three distinct real simple finite singularities

In this work we classify, with respect to the geometric equivalence relation, the global configurations of singularities, finite and infinite, of quadratic differential systems possessing exactly three distinct finite simple singularities. This relation is finer than the topological equivalence relation which does not distinguish between a focus and a node or between a strong and a weak focus or between foci (or saddles) of different orders. Such distinctions are, however, important in the production of limit cycles close to the foci (or loops) in perturbations of the systems. The notion of geometric equivalence relation of configurations of singularities allows us to incorporate all these important geometric features which can be expressed in purely algebraic terms. The geometric classification of all configurations of singularities, finite and infinite, of quadratic systems was initiated in a work published in 2013 when the classification was done for systems with total multiplicity m _f of finite singularities less than or equal to one. That work was continued in an article which is due to appear in 2014 where the geometric classification of configurations of singularities was done for the case m _f = 2. In this article we go one step further and obtain the geometric classification of singularities, finite and infinite, for the subclass mentioned above. We obtain 147 geometrically distinct configurations of singularities for this family. We give here the global bifurcation diagram of configurations of singularities, both finite and infinite, with respect to the geometric equivalence relation, for this class of systems. The bifurcation set of this diagram is algebraic. The bifurcation diagram is done in the 12-dimensional space of parameters and it is expressed in terms of polynomial invariants, a fact which gives us an algorithm for determining the geometric configuration of singularities for any quadratic system in this particular class.     

Capacities Associated with Calderón-Zygmund Kernels

Analytic capacity is associated with the Cauchy kernel 1/z and the L ^∞-norm. For n?∈??, one has likewise capacities related to the kernels $K_i(x)=x_i^{2n-1}/|x|^{2n}$ , 1?≤?i?≤?2, $x=(x_1,x_2)\in{\mathbb R}^2$ . The main result of this paper states that the capacities associated with the vectorial kernel (K ₁, K ₂) are comparable to analytic capacity.     

On the noise limit of stress and temperature measurements with micro‐Raman spectroscopy

We report for the first time on the thorough experimental and theoretical assessment of the noise limit of mechanical stress and temperature measurements with micro‐Raman spectroscopy. A comprehensive study has been performed in which, for different incident laser light intensities and acquisition times, 1000 Raman spectra of mono‐crystalline silicon were acquired per setting. Curve fitting was employed to obtain the peak positions of all the spectra, from which the standard deviations of the measured peak positions were obtained versus the total accumulated amount of laser light incident on the sample during one measurement. It has been found that the noise in the obtained peak position decreases as 1/sqrt(n) over more than three decades of the incident amount of laser light. At very low light conditions, the noise decreases as 1/n. By comparing the experimental results obtained to recent theoretical work, we show that the acquisition is limited by photon shot noise over most of the range and is limited by electronic detector noise at very low light conditions only. Pixelation errors do not play a role. It is concluded that the low electronic noise of typical Raman spectroscope detectors is overkill for the investigation of mechanical stress and temperature in silicon and other materials with comparable peaks, as it has absolutely no influence on the noise level of such an experiment. Maximum Raman signal intensity on the detector and high quantum efficiency detection are more important. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Crossing VIMP and EIS for studying heterogeneous sets of copper/bronze coins

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and voltammetry of immobilized particles (VIMP) measurements using air-saturated mineral water and...     

AlIII‐Catalysed Formation of Poly(limonene)carbonate: DFT Analysis of the Origin of Stereoregularity

Amino‐triphenolate derived Al^III complexes combined with suitable nucleophiles have been investigated as binary catalysts for the coupling of limonene oxide and carbon dioxide to afford alternating polycarbonates. These catalysts are able to produce stereoregular, perfectly alternating trans‐polymers from cis‐limonene oxide, whereas the pure trans isomer and cis/trans mixture give rise to lower degrees of stereoregularity. The best Al^III catalyst shows the potential to mediate the conversion of both stereoisomers of limonene oxide with high conversion levels of up to 71 % under neat conditions, indicating the high degree of robustness and atom‐efficiency of this catalytic process. Computational studies have revealed unique features of the binary catalyst system, among which is the preferred nucleophilic attack on the quaternary carbon centre in the limonene oxide substrate.