The role of metallic matrix modifiers in graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

The role of metallic matrix modifiers in AAS is considered; for elements reduced, together with modifier elements, during ashing and the beginning of the atomization process, the thermodynamic activity and melting points of the alloys formed are important. For Mg²⁺, prevention of the effects of halide ions is considered, as is also the behaviour of buffer and/or carrier in emission spectrometric analysis of the other alkali and alkaline earths.     

Fluorescent products of the reaction of mono-substituted guanidino compounds with benzoin-dimethylformamide

The fluorescent products formed from methylguanidine or phenylguanidine and benzoin in the presence of dimethylformamide are shown to be the corresponding 2-substituted amino-4, 5-diphenylimidazoles. They fluoresce most intensely at pH 9–10 and the fluorescence is stabilized by β-mercaptoethanol.     

Fluorimetric determination of aromatic aldehydes with 2,2'-dithiobis(1-aminonaphthalene)

A sensitive fluorimetric method for the determination of aromatic aldehydes is based on their reaction in dilute sulfuric acid with a new reagent, 2,2'-dithiobis(l-amino-naphthalene) in the presence of tri-n-butylphosphine, sodium sulfite and sodium phosphite at ambient temperature. The fluorescences produced are fairly characteristic of individual aldehydes. The method is extremely selective for aromatic aldehydes and very sensitive, especially for p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, o-methoxybenzaldehyde, p-methoxybenzaldehyde and p-tolualdehyde which can be determined at concentrations of as little as 3–5 ng ml^-1.     

Inversion of enantioselectivity of asymmetric biocatalytic decarboxylation by site-directed mutagenesis based on the reaction mechanism

The introduction of two mutations (G74C/C188S) based on the estimated reaction mechanism resulted in the inversion of enantioselectivity of arylmalonate decarboxylase, which catalyses the asymmetric decarboxylation of arylmethylmalonate to give optically active arylpropionate.     

Gauging a quantum heat bath with dissipative Landau-Zener transitions

We calculate the exact Landau-Zener transition probabilities for a qubit with an arbitrary linear coupling to a bath at zero temperature. The final quantum state exhibits a peculiar entanglement between the qubit and the bath. In the special case of diagonal coupling, the bath does not influence the transition probability, whatever the speed of the Landau-Zener sweep. It is proposed to use Landau-Zener transitions to determine both the reorganization energy and the integrated spectral density of the bath. Possible applications include circuit QED and molecular nanomagnets.     

Distributed strain measurement using a tellurite glass fiber with Brillouin optical correlation-domain reflectometry

A tellurite glass fiber with a high Brillouin gain was employed for distributed strain measurement with Brillouin optical correlation-domain reflectometry (BOCDR). First, the spatial resolution of BOCDR was evaluated using the tellurite fiber. With the high Brillouin gain of the fiber, it was confirmed clearly in the experiment that the spatial resolution is limited by the Rayleigh scattering-induced noise. Then, the dependence of the Brillouin frequency shift (BFS) on strain in the tellurite fiber was investigated, showing a negative dependence with a coefficient of −0.023 MHz/με. Using this tellurite fiber, the distribution of the BFS around a 1-cm strain-applied section was successfully measured with BOCDR of a nominal spatial resolution of 6 mm.     

Ni-P alloy-carbon black composite films fabricated by electrodeposition

Ni-P alloy-carbon black (CB) composite films were fabricated by electroplating and their microstructures and properties were examined. The CB and phosphorus contents of the composite films were also investigated. The CB particles were found to be embedded in the Ni-P alloy matrix. The CB content in the deposits increased, reached a maximum value of 0.77 mass% with increasing CB concentration in the bath up to 10 g dm⁻³, and then decreased with a further increase in the CB concentration in the bath. Both before and after heat treatment, the composite films had higher hardnesses and lower friction coefficients than the Ni-P alloy films. Both before and after heat treatment, the friction coefficient of 0.77 mass% CB composite films was about half that of Ni-P alloy films without CB.     

High-resolution photoassociation spectroscopy of ultracold ytterbium atoms by using the intercombination transition

We observed high-resolution photoassociation spectra of laser-cooled ytterbium (Yb) atoms in the spin-forbidden 1S0 - 3P1 intercombination line. The rovibrational levels in the 0u+ state were measured for red detunings of the photoassociation laser ranging from 2.9 MHz to 1.97 GHz with respect to the atomic resonance. The rotational splitting of the vibrational levels near the dissociation limit were fully resolved due to the sub-MHz linewidth of the spectra in contrast to previous measurements using the spin-allowed singlet transition. In addition, from a comparison between the spectra of 174Yb and those of 176Yb, a d-wave shape resonance for 174Yb is strongly suggested.     

Ellagitannin Digestion in Moth Larvae and a New Dimeric Ellagitannin from the Leaves of Platycarya strobilacea

Ellagitannins (ETs) are plant polyphenols with various health benefits. Recent studies have indicated that the biological activities of ETs are attributable to their degradation products, including ellagic acid and its gut microflora metabolites, such as urolithins. Insect tea produced in the Guangxi region, China, is made from the frass of moth larvae that feed on the ET-rich leaves of Platycarya strobilacea. Chromatographic separation of the Guangxi insect tea showed that the major phenolic constituents are ellagic acid, brevifolin carboxylic acid, gallic acid, brevifolin, and polymeric polyphenols. Chemical investigation of the feed of the larvae, the fresh leaves of P. strobilacea, showed that the major polyphenols are ETs including pedunculagin, casuarictin, strictinin, and a new ET named platycaryanin E. The new ET was confirmed as a dimer of strictinin having a tergalloyl group. The insect tea and the leaves of P. strobilacea contained polymeric polyphenols, both of which were shown to be composed of ETs and proanthocyanidins by acid hydrolysis and thiol degradation. This study clarified that Guangxi insect tea contains ET metabolites produced in the digestive tract of moth larvae, and the metabolites probably have higher bioavailabilities than the original large-molecular ETs of the leaves of P. strobilacea.