Extraction of guided modes from organic emission layers by compound binary gratings

The extraction of guided modes from a 100 nm organic emission layer by compound binary gratings with multiple superimposed periods at different ratios is investigated. We measure angle-dependent photoluminescence from samples with double-period (350 and 450 nm), triple-period (350, 400, and 450 nm), and multiperiod (350, 400, 450, and 500 nm) gratings and show that each period component produces two outcoupling features due to first-order Bragg scattering of the TE(0) guided mode. The averaged angular color change is reduced by up to a factor of 11 compared to a single-period grating structuring.     

Circularly‐Polarized Electrochemiluminescence from a Chiral Bispyrene Organic Macrocycle

The first observation of circular polarization of electrochemiluminescence (ECL) from a purely organic derivative is reported. A bispyrene scaffold mounted on a constrained polyether macrocycle displaying intense excimer fluorescence and highly circularly‐polarized (CP) photoluminescence has been selected for this purpose. The compound displays an ECL dissymmetry factor of about |8×10^?3|, which is in good agreement with the corresponding photoluminescence value. This observation is the first step towards the molecular engineering of tailored dyes that can act as both ECL and CP‐ECL reporters for (bio)analysis by bringing a new level of information when dealing with chiral environments. Additionally, it provides an extra dimension to the ECL phenomenon and opens the way to chiral detection and discrimination.     

An exciton-coupled circular dichroism protocol for the determination of identity, chirality, and enantiomeric excess of chiral secondary alcohols

Chiral mono-ols are among the most sought after targets in asymmetric synthesis, and therefore, their chemical characterization and associated enantiomeric excess (ee) values are commonly reported. A simple optical method for determining alcohol identity and ee could be widely used. Toward this end, an in situ-generated multicomponent assembly that creates diastereomeric tris(pyridine) metal complexes incorporating chiral secondary alcohols was explored using exciton-coupled circular dichroism (ECCD). Qualitative models were proposed to predict the preferential diastereomer and its twist, and computational studies provided a rationalization of the CD spectra. Different ECCD spectra found for diastereomers formed in the self-assembled tris(pyridine) complexes were used to determine the absolute configurations of chiral mono-ols. Linear discriminant analysis was successfully employed to classify the alcohol analytes, thereby allowing identification of the alcohols. Conformational effects imparted by heteroatoms were also explored, further expanding the substrate scope. Finally, ee calibration curves allowed the determination of the ee of unknown samples of three chiral secondary alcohols with an average error of 3%. The assay described here is unique because no preparation of structurally elaborated chiral hosts is needed.     

On modeling the advertising-operations interface under asymmetric competition

Using a market share attraction structure of advertising competition and following a supermodular game approach, this article demonstrates for an asymmetric oligopoly, the directional impact of changes in model parameters on the marketing controlled variables of all rivals (advertising budgets) and the operations controlled variables of all rivals (ordered quantities). Importantly, the various changes are examined analytically, empirically and numerically in both non-dominated and dominated asymmetric oligopolies.     

A remark on absolutely continuous functions in ℝ n

We introduce the notion ofα, λ-absolute continuity for functions of several variables and we compare it with the Hencl’s definition. We obtain that eachα, λ-absolutely continuous function isn, λ-absolutely continuous in the sense of Hencl and hence is continuous, differentiable almost everywhere and satisfies change of variables results based on a coarea formula and an area formula.     

Homogeneous films by inverse pulsed laser deposition

Recently, we proposed an alternative arrangement to traditional on- or off-axis PLD geometries, termed inverse PLD (IPLD) that is capable of producing films of improved surface morphology. Two configurations of this new target-substrate arrangement were developed, namely static and co-rotating IPLD. In the static IPLD configuration, the substrate is stationary with respect to the ablated spot; while in the co-rotating IPLD configuration the substrate is fixed to the target surface and rotates simultaneously with the target, hence offering an appealingly simple approach to homogenize film properties.Here we report the growth of CN_x and Ti films, simultaneously deposited in the co-rotating and static IPLD arrangements. The homogeneity of the co-rotating films is described by a thickness inhomogeneity index, which allows for the comparison of films of different lateral dimension. A semi-analytical, semi-numerical model is proposed to derive the radial variation of the growth rate of co-rotating IPLD films from the lateral growth rate distributions measured along the symmetry axes of static IPLD films. The laterally averaged growth rate, LAGR is used to describe how the ambient pressure affects growth in the 0.5-50 Pa domain. As an example, the absolute error between the measured and calculated radial growth rate variation, obtained at 5 Pa, was less than 3%, while the LAGR of CN_x layers grown by co-rotating IPLD was predicted with 20% accuracy.     

Monitoring the Evolution of Asynchrony between Mean Arterial Pressure and Mean Cerebral Blood Flow via Cross-Entropy Methods

Cerebrovascular control is carried out by multiple nonlinear mechanisms imposing a certain degree of coupling between mean arterial pressure (MAP) and mean cerebral blood flow (MCBF). We explored the ability of two nonlinear tools in the information domain, namely cross-approximate entropy (CApEn) and cross-sample entropy (CSampEn), to assess the degree of asynchrony between the spontaneous fluctuations of MAP and MCBF. CApEn and CSampEn were computed as a function of the translation time. The analysis was carried out in 23 subjects undergoing recordings at rest in supine position (REST) and during active standing (STAND), before and after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). We found that at REST the degree of asynchrony raised, and the rate of increase in asynchrony with the translation time decreased after SAVR. These results are likely the consequence of the limited variability of MAP observed after surgery at REST, more than the consequence of a modified cerebrovascular control, given that the observed differences disappeared during STAND. CApEn and CSampEn can be utilized fruitfully in the context of the evaluation of cerebrovascular control via the noninvasive acquisition of the spontaneous MAP and MCBF variability.     

Development and intercomparison of a reusable radon-in-water standard

Radium-free standards are not readily available for proficiency testing of laboratories that conduct radon (²²²Rn) analyses of water. For this study, 33 identical, reusable, radon-in-water standards were prepared using a ²²⁶Ra-loaded filter sandwiched in polyethylene sheeting. The ²²²Rn concentrations in the ²²⁶Ra-free standards were measured by liquid scintillation counting and compared to 10 reference solutions containing ²²⁶Ra. The ²²²Rn concentrations measured in the standards were consistent (standard deviation of <2%), but averaged substantially less than concentrations determined in the ²²⁶Ra reference standards. At full ingrowth, 86% of the ²²²Rn produced by the sandwiched ²²⁶Ra sources emanated into the water. An intercomparison of radon-in-water standards, performed to examine the accuracy of analyses by commercial, government, and private companies, showed that 18 of the 21 participants reported concentrations within 25% of the known (693 Bq l^?1).     

Dielectric properties of multiband electron systems II. Collective modes

Starting from the tight-binding dielectric matrix in the random phase approximation we examine the collective modes and electron-hole excitations in a two-band electronic system. For long wavelengths (q → 0), for which most of the analysis is carried out, the properties of the collective modes are closely related to the symmetry of the atomic orbitals involved in the tight-binding states. In insulators there are only inter-band charge oscillations. If atomic dipolar transitions are allowed, the corresponding collectivemodes reduce in the asymptotic limit of vanishing bandwidths to Frenkel excitons for an atomic insulator with weak on-site interactions. The finite bandwidths renormalize the dispersion of these modes and introduce a continuum of incoherent inter-band electron-hole excitations. The possible Landau damping of collective modes due to the presence of this continuum is discussed in detail. In conductors the intra-band charge fluctuations give rise to plasmons. If the atomic dipolar transitions are forbidden, the coupling of inter-band collective modes and plasmons tends to zero as q → 0. On the contrary, in dipolar conductors this coupling is strong and nonperturbative, due to the long range monopole-dipole interactions between intra-band and inter-band charge fluctuations. The resulting collective modes are hybrids of intra-band plasmons and inter-band dipolar oscillations. It is shown that the frequency of the lower hybridized longitudinal mode is proportional to the frequency of the transverse dipolar mode when the latter is small. The dielectric instability in a multi-band conductor is therefore characterized by the simultaneous softening of a transverse and a longitudinal mode, which is an important, directly measurable consequence of the present theory.