Influence of impurities on localized transition metal surface states: scanning tunneling spectroscopy on V(001)

The first scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements on V(001) are reported. A strong surface state is detected which is very sensitive to the presence of segregated carbon impurities. The surface state energy shifts from 0.03 eV below the Fermi level at clean areas towards higher energies (up to approximately 0.2 eV) at contaminated areas. Because of the negative dispersion of this state, the upward shift cannot be described in a simple confinement picture. Rather, the surface state energy is governed by vanadium surface s- d interactions which are altered by carbon coverage.     

Measurement of Total and Unbound Mycophenolic Acid and Its Glucuronide by LC Coupled with MS. Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study of Mycophenolate Mofetil in Patients with Autoimmune Diseases

Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry for the determination of total and unbound mycophenolic acid and its major metabolite in human plasma has been developed. Sample preparations were based on a fully automated solid-phase extraction process and ultrafiltration. Mass spectrometric data were acquired in a single-ion monitoring method. The analytes and nevirapine (internal standard) were well separated in an isocratic mode over 8 min. Validation study exhibited excellent linearity, with intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy of less than 12%. The assay was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of mycophenolic acid in patients with autoimmune diseases.     

Surface free energy of films of alkali-treated cellulose microfibrils from banana rachis

Cellulose microfibrils extracted by various alkaline treatments of vascular bundles from banana rachis were used to elaborate films. The films were comparatively studied to determine changes in polarity induced by various treatments. Atomic force microscopy was used to characterize the surface morphology of the films and transmission electron microscopy was employed to characterize the microfibrils used to elaborate the films. Contact angles were measured to determine surface free energy (SFE) and thermogravimetric analyses were carried out to determine changes in composition of the films. The results showed that the films of cellulose microfibrils prepared by the peroxide alkaline (PA) and peroxide alkaline-hydrochloric acid (PA-HCl) treatments had lower content of non-cellulosic constituents like xylose and had lower SFE than films of microfibrils treated with KOH-5. Furthermore, specimens treated with the most concentrated KOH solution (18 wt%) and sodium chloride presented the highest SFE and polar component.     

Optimizing the source distribution in fluid mixing

A passive scalar is advected by a velocity field, with a nonuniform spatial source that maintains concentration inhomogeneities. For example, the scalar could be temperature with a source consisting of hot and cold spots, such that the mean temperature is constant. Which source distributions are best mixed by this velocity field? This question has a straightforward yet rich answer that is relevant to real mixing problems. We use a multiscale measure of steady-state enhancement to mixing and optimize it by a variational approach. We then solve the resulting Euler-Lagrange equation for a perturbed uniform flow and for simple cellular flows. The optimal source distributions have many broad features that are as expected: they avoid stagnation points, favour regions of fast flow, and their contours are aligned such that the flow blows hot spots onto cold and vice versa. However, the detailed structure varies widely with diffusivity and other problem parameters. Though these are model problems, the optimization procedure is simple enough to be adapted to more complex situations.     

Synthesis of rel-(3RS,3aSR,7aSR)-3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-3a,4,5,6,7,7a-hexahydro-1-methylindolin-6-one,the Main Metabolite of the Analgesic Ro 15-8081: A Potent Amine-Uptake Inhibitor

The synthesis of the title compound 2 and its diastereoisomer 3 was accomplished using tricarbonyl[1-5-n-(4-methoxycyclohexa-2,4-dien-1-yl)]iron tetrafluoroborate ( 4 ) as a precursor to the cyclohexanone ring. The assignments of the relative configurations of 2 and 3 are based on the X-ray analysis of compound 3 . Both compounds 2 and 3 are potent inhibitors of neuronal noradrenaline uptake in rats with similar potencies in vitro as compared to amitriptyline and desipramine. Compounds 2 and 3 are less potent as serotonin-uptake inhibitors, very weak inhibitors of dopamine uptake, and virtually devoid of antinociceptive activity.     

Fullerodendrimers with peripheral triethyleneglycol chains

Triethylene glycol terminated poly(aryl ether) dendritic branches with an aldehyde function at the focal point have been prepared and attached to C₆₀ by a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition.