μ + SR studies of UM2Al3, M=Ni,Pd

Positive-muon spin rotation ( ⁺ SR) measurements have been carried out in the new heavy-fermion superconductors UM₂Al₃, M=Ni and Pd. In UNi₂Al₃ the observed ⁺ frequencies in zero applied field indicate commensurate antiferromagnetic (AF) ordering of U moments 0.1 _B /U atom. These moments coexist with superconductivity and have the highest values observed in an AF heavy-fermion superconductor. The absence of well-defined frequencies in zero-field ⁺ SR in the AF state of UPd₂Al₃ suggests symmetric ⁺ stopping sites. In this system ⁺ SR linewidths belowT _c yield a preliminary value of 8000 Å for the London penetration depth.     

2-(4′-Fluorophenyl)imidazole. Nitration studies

Reactions of 2-(4′-fluorophenyl)imidazole ( 1 ) and related compounds under various nitrating conditions are discussed. With 90% nitric acid in 20% oleum at ?10°, 1 affords 2-(4′fluorophenyl)-4(5)-nitroimidazole ( 2 ) in 80% yield. Reaction of 2 with the same reagents at 25° affords 2-(4′-fluoro-3′-nitrophenyl)-4(5)-nitroimidazole ( 4 ) in 90% yield, whereas with 90% nitric acid in acetic acid at 95°, 2 affords 4,5-dinitro-2-(4′-fluorophenyl)imidazole ( 5 ) in 80% yield. Reaction of 1 with 70% nitric acid in concentrated sulfuric acid at 25° affords 2-(4′-fluorophenyl)-5-hyroximinoimidazolin-4-one ( 6 ), which rearranges and hydrolyzes to 5-(4′-fluorophenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole-3-carboxylic acid. A discussion of these reactions is presented.     

Concentrated suspensions of Brownian beads in water: dynamic heterogeneities through a simple experimental technique

Concentrated suspensions of Brownian hard-spheres in water are an epitome for understanding the glassy dynamics of both soft materials and supercooled molecular liquids. From an experimental point of view, such systems are especially suited to perform particle tracking easily, and, therefore, are a benchmark for novel optical techniques, applicable when primary particles cannot be resolved. Differential variance analysis(DVA) is one such novel technique that simplifies significantly the characterization of structural relaxation processes of soft glassy materials, since it is directly applicable to digital image sequences of the sample. DVA succeeds in monitoring not only the average dynamics, but also its spatio-temporal fluctuations, known as dynamic heterogeneities. In this work, we study the dynamics of dense suspensions of Brownian beads in water, imaged through digital video-microscopy, by using both DVA and single-particle tracking. We focus on two commonly used signatures of dynamic heterogeneities: the dynamic susceptibility, χ_4, and the non-Gaussian parameter, α_2. By direct comparison of these two quantities,we are able to highlight similarities and differences. We do confirm that χ_4 and α_2 provide qualitatively similar information, but we find quantitative discrepancies in the scalings of characteristic time and length scale on approaching the glass transition.     

Finite-time stabilization of impulsive dynamical linear systems

Finite-time stabilization of a special class of hybrid systems, namely impulsive dynamical linear systems (IDLS), is tackled in this paper. IDLS exhibit jumps in the state trajectory which can be either time-driven (time-dependent IDLS) or subordinate to specific state values (state-dependent IDLS). Sufficient conditions for finite-time stabilization of IDLS are provided. Such results require solving feasibility problems which involve Differential–Difference Linear Matrix Inequalities (D/DLMIs), which can be numerically solved in an efficient way, as illustrated by the proposed examples.     

Evidence of two dimensionality in quasi-one-dimensional cobalt oxides

The quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) cobalt oxides A(N + 2)Co(n + 1)O(3n + 3) (A = Ca, Sr, and Ba, n = 1 - infinity) were investigated by muon-spin spectroscopy under applied pressures of up to 1.1 GPa. The relationship between the onset Néel temperature T(on)(N) and the interchain distance (d(ic)), which increases monotonically with n, is well fitted by the formula T(N)/T(N,0) = (1 - d(ic)/d(ic,o)(beta), here for T(on)(N) approximately 100 K for Ca(3)Co(2)O(6) (n = 1) and approximately 15 for BaCoCoO(3) (n = infinity at ambient P. The T(on)(N) - d(ic) curve also predicts a large dependence of Y(N) for the compounds with n > or = 5, i.e., in the vicinity of , while the compounds show only a very small effect. Indeed, our high-pressure mu(+) results show that of BaCoO(3) is enhanced by with a slope of 2.2 K(Gpa), whereas no detectable changes by P for both Ca(3)Co(2)O(6) and Sr(4)Co(3)O(9) (n = 2). This clearly confirms the role of the 2D-antiferromagnetic interaction on T(on)(N) in the Q1D cobalt oxides.     

Synthesis of soluble oligothiophenes bearing cyano groups, their optical and electrochemical properties

The synthesis and the characterization of twelve new soluble oligothiophenes, possessing two to four 3,4-dicyanothiophene units in their backbone, are described. These semiconductors are prepared through Stille coupling and/or homo-coupling reactions. Cyclic voltammetry studies have been performed to evaluate their stability as n-type semiconducting materials under ambient conditions. The measured electrochemical and optical properties are fully supported by quantum-chemical calculations.     

Tetra-end-linked oligonucleotides forming DNA G-quadruplexes: a new class of aptamers showing anti-HIV activity

The biophysical and biological properties of unprecedented anti-HIV aptamers are presented. The most active aptamer (1L) shows a significant affinity to the HIV protein gp120.