Nuclear coherences in photosynthetic reaction centers following light excitation

Transient electron paramagnetic resonance is used to study the secondary radical pair in plant photosystem I. Nuclear coherences are observed in the transverse magnetization at lower temperatures following light excitation. Comparative studies of deuterated and deuterated¹⁵N-substituted cyanobacteriaS. lividus indicate assignment of these coherences to nitrogen nuclei in the primary donor and deuterons in the secondary acceptor. The modulation amplitude of a deuteron matrix line, as a function of the microwave power, reveals a distinct resonance behavior. The maximum amplitude is obtained when the Rabi frequency equals the nuclear Zeeman frequency.     

New geometrical approach to Rainich-Misner-Wheeler theory

We introduce a new principal fiber bundle, the bundle of biframes, associated with the geometry of bivectors on spacetime. It is shown that the biframe bundle is a natural geometric arena for modeling the already unified theory of Rainich, Misner, and Wheeler (RMW). The structure equations for the bitorsion inherent in the biframe bundle lead to a generalization of Rainich's algebraic conditions for electromagnetic-type stress tensors which includes sources in a natural way. Besides the usual complexion vector of the RMW theory, an additional new complexion-type vector is found. The generalized algebraic conditions reduce to the usual RMW conditions in the special case of no sources.     

Steric and electronic limitations of the SRN1 reaction between p-nitrobenzylic substrates and tertiary carbanions

The S_RN1 reaction between sterically hindered p-nitrobenzylic substrates and tertiary carbanions gives C-alkylated products whose yields depend on the steric bulk of both the benzylic substrate and the carbanion, and on the nature of the groups in the carbanion.     

Propagation of a stress pulse in a viscoelastic rod

Experimental work is reported on the propagation of a stress pulse in a viscoelastic waveguide. The data obtained are compared with results of analysis using one-dimensional wave-propagation theory. The waveguide used in this work is a low-density polyethylene rod 1/2 in. in diameter and 30-in. long. Stress input to the waveguide and the resulting particle velocity at three stations are measured using a crystal stress transducer, two Faraday-principle velocity transducers and a capacitor transducer. The experiment is described mathematically as a boundary-value problem formulated in terms of the one-dimensional equation of motion, the strain-displacement relationship, a hereditary constitutive equation and the stress-boundary condition. Fourier transform and inversion yield an integral expression for velocity which is evaluated numerically at three stations using measured values for the stress-boundary condition, material attenuation and phase velocity. The analytical results compare favorably with the experimental data. The one-dimensional theory appears adequate to describe pulse propagation of this type. The attenuation and phase velocity used here are found to be a linear function and a logarithmic increasing function of frequency respectively.     

Fiber optic data busses for aircraft

A variety of fiber optic data busses is being developed for aircraft applications. This article addresses five different data busses under consideration for both military and commercial aircraft. The impact of data bus protocol on component design, the effect of data bus topology on power budget and installation issues, and overall data bus performance are discussed.     

THE EFFECT OF PERIPHERAL SUBSTITUTION ON THE BATHOCHROMIC SHIFT OF THE Qy TRANSITION OF BACTERIOCHLOROPHYLL DIMERS; in vitro MODELS OF THE PROTEIN EFFECT ON THE SPECTRUM OF PIGMENT CENTERS IN THE LIGHT-HARVESTING COMPLEXES*

Abstract— The effect of chemical modifications in the side groups of the isocyclic ring V on the formation, optical absorption and circular dichroism of bacteriochlorophyll (Bchl) dimers was examined in a mixture of formamide and water containing TritonX–100 and variable amounts of pyridine. Substitution of the carbomethoxy group in the C13² position with a hydrogen atom, had no effect on the dimerization constant but increased the shift of the Q_y transition by 1000 cm^-1 with respect to the native Bchl. Substitution of the C13 hydrogen atom with OH decreased the shift of the Q_y transition by 400 cm^-1. The similarity between the spectra of the modified Bchl dimers and Bchl dimers in vivo indicates that protein binding to the side groups at Bchl dimers may profoundly affect the energy of their Q_y transition but have minor effects on the Q_y transitions of the monomelic Bchl.     

Isolation and analysis of N-oxide metabolites of tertiary amines: quantitation of nicotine-1'-N-oxide formation in mice

To investigate the formation and elimination of nicotine-1'-N-oxide (NNO) in mice treated with a single injection of nicotine, sensitive and selective methods were developed to quantitate this polar and heat-labile metabolite. The compound was isolated from tissue homogenates as a dodecyl sulfate ion pair with C18 extraction cartridges and analyzed on an amino bonded-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic column with a mobile phase consisting of isopropanol-water. Overall recoveries of NNO were 64-76% from biological media. Several methods of detection were evaluated; radiolabeling was necessary to achieve the sensitivity required for pharmacokinetic studies in mice. The cis and trans isomers of NNO were separated on a Partisil PAC column and enzymatic selectivity was evaluated for the formation of these isomers in mice.     

The Institute for Operational Research: An Initiative to Extend the Scope of OR

One of the aims in forming the Institute for Operational Research (IOR) in 1963 was to expand the fields of application of OR and to reverse the tendency, then evident, for it to settle down as a mainly in-house, industrial activity deriving its strength from mathematics and the hard sciences, with little research content of its own. The paper outlines the early work done at IOR in pursuit of this mission, especially in multi-organizational settings such as city and regional planning, health services and the building industry. This leads into discussion of the conditions under which the work was done, the style of ‘action-research’ that evolved, its influence at the time, and its relevance to the different circumstances of the present day.