A single-mode KrF laser

Single-mode operation of a KrF laser oscillator has been achieved for the first time. The laser medium is pumped by an electron beam which allows excitation for a much longer duration than with discharge pumping. The long excitation time, together with the use of a short oscillator cavity with a low single-pass gain, allows many roundtrips before saturation is reached. This makes line-narrowing easier and single-mode operation has been achieved using only two intracavity etalons.Technical Research Centre of Finland, Helsinki, Finland     

Palladium(II)-catalyzed intramolecular aminoacetoxylation of sugar derived alkenyl tosylsulfonamide: Total synthesis of l-deoxyallonojirimycin

Palladium catalyzed intramolecular aminoacetoxylation of d-ribose derived alkenyl tosylsulfonamide to deliver l-deoxyallonojirimycin in an overall yield of 19%. The preliminary screening of l-deoxyallonojirimycin against carbohydrate processing enzymes showed moderate inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase (yeast) and α-mannosidases.     

Natural convection in a partitioned enclosure heated from below

Cubic spline collection numerical method has been developed to determine two dimensional natural convection in a partitioned enclosure heated from below. The both sides of impermeable partition are considered to have continuity in heat flux and temperatures. The governing equations are solved with aid of the SADI procedure. Parametric studies of the effects of the partition and Rayleigh number on the fluid flow and temperature fields have been performed. Results show that the location of the partition and Rayleigh number have a significant influence on the flow and heat transfer characteristics.

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Freie Konvektion in einem von unten beheizten, unterteiltem Hohlraum

Zusammenfassung Eine numerische dreidimensionale SplineMethode zur Berechnung der zweidimensionalen Naturkonvektion in einem von unten beheizten, unterteiltem Hohlraum wird vorgestellt. Der Wärmestrom und die Temperatur auf beiden Seiten der undurchlässigen Trennwand werden als konstant betrachtet. Mit Hilfe der SADI-Prozedur werden die beschreibenden Gleichungen gelöst. Über den Einfluß der Unterteilung und der Rayleigh-Zahl auf die Strömung des Fluids und das Temperaturfeld wird eine Parameter-Studie durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, daß die Anordnung der Unterteilung und die Rayleigh-Zahl einen entscheidenden Einfluß auf das Wärmeübertragungsverhalten haben.

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Nomenclature A aspect ratio=L/H - g gravitational acceleration - H enclosure height - H₁ distance between the top wall of enclosure and the partition - H₂ distance between the bottom wall of enclosure and the partition - k thermal conductivity of fluid - L enclosure length - m number of vertical grid lines - n number of horizontal grid lines - Nu Nusselt number - P pressure - Pr Prandtl number - Q heat transfer across enclosure - Ra Rayleigh number based onH - t time - T dimensional temperature - T _H temperature of warm horizontal wall - T _L temperature of cold horizontal wall - T ₀ average temperature=T(_H+T_L)/2 - T temperature difference between the hot and cold wall =T _H–T_L - u, U dimensional and dimensionless horizontal velocity - , V dimensional and dimensionless vertical velocity - x, X dimensional and dimensionless horizontal coordinate - y, Y dimensional and dimensionless vertical coordinate - fluid thermal diffusivity - coefficient of thermal expansion - viscosity - kinematic viscosity=/g9 - density - , dimensional and dimensionless stream function - dimensionless temperature - , dimensional and dimensionless vorticity - dimensionless time     

Non-linear normal modes,invariance, and modal dynamics approximations of non-linear systems

Non-linear systems are here tackled in a manner directly inherited from linear ones, that is, by using proper normal modes of motion. These are defined in terms of invariant manifolds in the system's phase space, on which the uncoupled system dynamics can be studied. Two different methodologies which were previously developed to derive the non-linear normal modes of continuous systems — one based on a purely continuous approach, and one based on a discretized approach to which the theory developed for discrete systems can be applied-are simultaneously applied to the same study case-an Euler-Bernoulli beam constrained by a non-linear spring-and compared as regards accuracy and reliability. Numerical simulations of pure non-linear modal motions are performed using these approaches, and compared to simulations of equations obtained by a classical projection onto the linear modes. The invariance properties of the non-linear normal modes are demonstrated, and it is also found that, for a pure non-linear modal motion, the invariant manifold approach achieves the same accuracy as that obtained using several linear normal modes, but with significantly reduced computational cost. This is mainly due to the possibility of obtaining high-order accuracy in the dynamics by solving only one non-linear ordinary differential equation.     

Effects on feeding rate and biomarker responses of marine mussels experimentally exposed to propranolol and acetaminophen

Environmental risk assessments of human pharmaceuticals and other ‘emerging contaminants’ should integrate both population-relevant endpoints and biomarkers of potential modes of action in a range of species. Adult Mytilus galloprovincialis were exposed to the beta-adrenergic receptor blocker propranolol or to the anti-inflammatory drug acetaminophen (paracetamol), both commonly used therapeutic drugs present in aquatic ecosystems. Mussels were exposed under semi-static conditions for 10 days to either acetaminophen (CAS number 103-90-2; mean measured concentrations 23 and 403 μg/L) or propranolol hydrochloride (CAS number 318-98-9; mean measured propranolol concentrations 11 and 147 μg/L) at 15 ± 1 °C sea water. Feeding rate was assessed as an indicator of general toxicity. For propranolol, the 10-day no-observed effect concentration (^{feeding rate}NOEC) and lowest observed effect concentration (^{feeding rate}LOEC) were 11 and 147 μg/L, respectively. For acetaminophen, feeding rate was increased at both 23 and 403 μg/L, suggesting a 10-day ^{feeding rate}NOEC of 403 μg/L. Primarily, phase I carboxylesterase (CbE), phase II glutathione S-transferase (GST) and the anti-oxidant catalase activities were evaluated in digestive gland. Gill GST and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities were also measured. Lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels were measured in both tissues to assess oxidative stress. Some enzymatic activities in liver were also reduced after propranolol exposure whilst acetaminophen enhanced them (CbE p < 0.05). Acetaminophen exposure significantly increased hepatic LPO levels and inhibited AChE activity in gill (10-day NOEC and LOEC of 23 and 403 μg/L, respectively), whereas propranolol (11 μg/L) enhanced gill GST.     

Chemical composition and antifungal activity of essential oils of Thuja sutchuenensis, a critically endangered species endemic to China

The essential oils from leaves, twigs and stems of large trees and shrub-like trees of Thuja sutchuenensis were extracted by hydrodistillation and supercritical fluid extraction, and analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The essential oil composition differed significantly among the three organs, as well as between large trees and shrub-like trees. Furthermore, consistent with the eastern Asia-North American disjunct distribution of the genus, many differences in the essential oil composition between T. sutchuenensis and other Thuja species were apparent. The essential oils exhibited a certain degree of antifungal activity against six strains of human pathogenic fungi.     

Effect of solvent and electrospray mass spectrometer parameters on the charge state distribution of peptides--a case study using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method development for beta-endorphin assay

Beta-endorphin was used as a model peptide to study the effect of solvent and electrospray mass spectrometer parameters in the optimisation of an assay method for multiply charged compounds using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Unlike with singly charged compounds, the charge state distribution has a significant impact in the method development of multiply charged compounds such as peptides. Using a 50% acetonitrile/water solvent mixture, we found that the ion spray voltage had no influence on the charge state distribution. However, increasing declustering potential led to deprotonation of the higher charge states of the peptide thus causing a shift to lower charge states. The mechanism leading to the deprotonation was examined. It was concluded that the deprotonation is due to endoergic proton transfer from the peptide to solvent molecules clustered to the peptide that occurs in the declustering region. The extent of deprotonation increases with increasing proton affinity of the molecules of the non-aqueous solvent component used. Thus, if desired, deprotonation can be avoided by selecting a low proton affinity solvent such as methanol. The focusing potential was also found to have a great influence on the charge state distribution observed. The results of this study enabled us to select the optimum ion to be used in single ion/reaction monitoring mode. They also provided the most favourable parameter values to be used in the method to obtain the best sensitivity for the ion of choice. The results demonstrate the importance of considering the charge state distribution in the optimisation of electrospray LC/MS methods for multiply charged compounds.     

Picosecond pulses from a cryogenically cooled, composite amplifier using Yb:YAG and Yb:GSAG

A cryogenic Yb amplifier using two laser materials, Gd3Sc2Al3O12 and Y3Al5O12 (YAG), has been used to obtain 70 W average power at 5 kHz pulse repetition frequency; the output was compressed to 1.6 ps, compared with an input compressible to 1.4 ps. The gain broadening obtained by combining two media enables shorter pulses than using Yb:YAG alone but retains the power-scaling advantages of cryogenic Yb:YAG.     

Commutator relations and the clones of finite groups

We show that for n ≥ 3, the clone of the dihedral group \({D_{{2}^{n}}}\) is determined by the k-ary algebraic relations, where k = 2 ^n?1. Further, we show that there does not exist a finite integer k > 0 such that for all finite groups G, the k-ary algebraic relations of G determine the clone of G.     

Effect of ionization suppression by trace impurities in mobile phase water on the accuracy of quantification by high‐performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

The high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column is capable of enrichment/pre‐concentration of trace impurities in the mobile phase during the column equilibration, prior to sample injection and elution. These impurities elute during gradient elution and result in significant chromatographic peaks. Three types of purified water were tested for their impurity levels, and hence their performances as mobile phase, in HPLC followed by total ion current (TIC) mode of MS. Two types of HPLC‐grade water produced 3–4 significant peaks in solvent blanks while LC/MS‐grade water produced no peaks (although peaks were produced by LC/MS‐grade water also after a few days of standing). None of the three waters produced peaks in HPLC followed by UV‐Vis detection. These peaks, if co‐eluted with analyte, are capable of suppressing or enhancing the analyte signal in a MS detector. As it is not common practice to run solvent blanks in TIC mode, when quantification is commonly carried out using single ion monitoring (SIM) or single or multiple reaction monitoring (SRM or MRM), the effect of co‐eluting impurities on the analyte signal and hence on the accuracy of the results is often unknown to the analyst. Running solvent blanks in TIC mode, regardless of the MS mode used for quantification, is essential in order to detect this problem and to take subsequent precautions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.