Classification of Extremal Double Circulant Self-Dual Codes of Lengths 64 to 72

Recently extremal double circulant self-dual codes have been classified for lengths n ≤ 62. In this paper, a complete classification of extremal double circulant self-dual codes of lengths 64 to 72 is presented. Almost all of the extremal double circulant singly-even codes given have weight enumerators for which extremal codes were not previously known to exist.     

Improvements to air mass calculations for ground-based infrared measurements

High-resolution ground-based infrared solar spectra are routinely recorded at the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC) stations. These data sets play a key role in providing a long-term record of atmospheric composition and their links to climate change. The analysis of observed infrared spectra involves comparison to a computer-modeled atmosphere where knowledge of the air mass distribution is an essential component. This note summarises improvements made to an existing and widely used computer code (FSCATM) to perform refractive ray-tracing and calculation of the air mass distribution. Changes were made towards higher vertical resolution in the troposphere and increased numerical precision. The revised FSCATM improves the analysis of infrared spectra mostly through the more accurate representation of the temperature profile. Air mass differences with respect to earlier versions are documented and are typically <0.7%, exceptions being extreme cases of inversion layers. The current version provides ray tracing and air mass calculations for any terrestrial observation site. The output files are reported in a format compatible with the SFIT and SFIT2 retrieval algorithms, which are widely used for NDSC infrared atmospheric studies. The improved computer code, documentation, reference profiles, and test cases are available electronically.     

Synthesis, structure, and nonlinear optical properties of cross-conjugated perphenylated iso-polydiacetylenes

Monodisperse, cross-conjugated perphenylated iso-polydiacetylene (iso-PDA) oligomers, ranging from monomer 15 to pentadecamer 25, have been synthesized by using a palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling protocol. Structural characteristics elucidated by X-ray crystallographic analysis demonstrate a non-planar backbone conformation for the oligomers due to the steric interactions between alkylidene phenyl groups. The electronic absorption spectra of the oligomers show a slight red-shift of the maximum absorption wavelength as the chain length increases from dimer 17 b to pentadecamer 25, a trend that has saturated by the stage of nonamer 22. Fluorescence spectroscopy confirms that the pendent phenyl groups present on the oligomer framework enhance emission, and the relative emission intensity consistently increases as a function of chain length n. The molecular third-order nonlinearities, gamma, for this oligomer series have been measured via differential optical Kerr effect (DOKE) detection and show a superlinear increase as a function of the oligomer chain length n. Molecular modeling and spectroscopic studies suggest that iso-PDA oligomers (n>7) adopt a coiled, helical conformation in solution.     

Synthesis of amino acid-containing polyacids and their application in self-cured glass-ionomer cement

Six methacrylate or acrylate derivatives of natural amino acids were synthesized and characterized. Based upon these monomers, six terpolymers [poly(acrylic) acid-co-itaconic acid-co-amino acid] were prepared and characterized. The synthesized polymers were used to formulate glass-ionomer cements (GICs) using Fuji II glass filler. The effects of the molecular weight (MW) and powder/liquid (P/L) ratio were evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the fracture surfaces of the selected cement specimens. Results show that all the amino acid modified GICs exhibited higher compressive strengths (CS, 193-236 MPa) and much higher flexural strengths (FS, 55-71 MPa) as compared to commercial Fuji II GIC (191 in CS and 16 in FS). Both MW and P/L ratio affected the strength of the formed cement. It was important to find the optimal MW and P/L ratio to obtain the highest FS. In this study, optimized MW (number average) of the polyacids and P/L ratio were around 50,000 and 2.7/1, respectively. The microstructures of the fracture surfaces helped to explain the strength differences among the materials tested in the study. SEM analysis suggests that more integrated microstructures and fewer defects can lead to higher FS.     

Pore assembled multilayers of charged polypeptides in microporous membranes for ion separation

In this study, highly permeable ion-selective membranes are prepared via immobilization of polyelectrolyte multilayer networks within the inner pore structure of a microporous (pore size = 0.2 microm) support. Electrostatic layer-by-layer assembly is achieved through alternate adsorption of cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes under convective flow conditions. To initiate pore assembly, the first layer consists of covalently bound charged polypeptides (poly(L-glutamic acid) (PLGA) or poly(L-lysine) (PLL)) establishing a charged support for subsequent adsorption. Nonstoichiometric immobilization of charged multilayers within a confined pore geometry leads to an enhanced volume density of ionizable groups in the membrane phase. This overall increase in the effective charge density allows for Donnan exclusion of ionic species (especially divalent co-ions) using microporous materials characterized by permeability values that exceed conventional membrane processes. Multilayer assemblies are fabricated using both PLGA/PLL and synthetic polyelectrolytes (poly(styrenesulfonate)/poly(allylamine)) in an attempt to compare the level of adsorption and separation properties of the resulting materials. The role of salt concentration in the carrier solvent on overall polyelectrolyte adsorption was examined to determine its effect on both solute (Cl-, SO4(2-), As(V)) and water transport. Constriction of the pore size induced by multilayer propagation was monitored through permeability measurements and dextran rejection studies at each stage of the deposition process.     

Turning off phototriggered linkage isomerizations in ruthenium dimethyl sulfoxide complexes

We report on the spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and linkage isomerization in a family of [Ru(tpy)(L2)(dmso)](z)()(+) complexes (tpy is 2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine, dmso is dimethyl sulfoxide, and L2 is a variable ligand: 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy), 2-picolinate (pic), N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine (tmen), acetylacetonate (acac), or malonate (mal)). The identity of this bidentate ligand serves to tune the absorption maxima (lambda(max) = 419-502 nm) and the reduction potential (E(1/2) = 1.67 to 0.82 V) of these complexes. Photochemical and electrochemical studies show that S-->O and O-->S linkage isomerization may be triggered through an electron transfer mechanism, resulting in dramatic shifts in both the absorption maxima and the reduction potential (for [Ru(tpy)(pic)(dmso)](+) S-bonded, 421 nm, 1.38 V vs Ag/AgCl; O-bonded, 527 nm, 1.38 V vs Ag/AgCl). Certain of these complexes [Ru(tpy)(acac)(dmso)](+) and [Ru(tpy)(mal)(dmso)] do not undergo isomerization. These results are discussed in the context of electron transfer triggered isomerization.