2,2‐Dichloro‐1,3‐bis(trimethylsilyl)‐1,3‐diaza‐2‐silacyclopentane

In the title compound, C₈H₂₂Cl₂N₂Si₃, the central Si atom is tetrahedrally coordinated by two Cl and two N atoms in a molecule that has crystallographically imposed C₂ symmetry. Comparison is made with the isomorphous structure having titanium instead of silicon at the central position in the diazacyclopentane ring [Tinkler, Deeth, Duncalf & McCamley (1996). Chem. Commun. pp. 2623–2624].     

Determination of estrogenic steroids in surface water and wastewater by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

An analytical method is presented which permits trace level determination of 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2), 17beta-estradiol (E2), and estrone (E1). Using this method, the estrogenic steroids were analyzed in drinking water, surface water, and wastewater (sewage influents and effluents) at concentrations down to 0.1 ng/L. Sample volumes between 100 and 500 mL are concentrated using automated solid-phase extraction. Analysis is performed by liquid chromatography with detection by tandem mass spectrometry. Applying simple clean-up procedures and internal standard calibration, recovery losses resulting from matrix-dependent ion suppression during electrospray ionization could be compensated for all of the investigated compounds. Recoveries around 100% were obtained for all analytes after correction using the internal standards. Limits of quantification (LOQ) were between 0.1 and 0.4 ng/L for purified sewage, surface, ground, and drinking water and between 1 and 2 ng/L in the case of raw sewage. Water treatment by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) or by a surface water treatment plant affected the removal of all estrogenic steroids. Thus, E1, E2, and EE2 were removed in the municipal WWTPs to the extent of 93%, 93%, and 80%, respectively. In the effluents of the WWTP in Ruhleben (Berlin, Germany), E1, E2, and EE2 were detected at the low ng/L level. E2 and EE2 were, however, not present in the Berlin surface water above the LOQ (0.2 ng/L). E1 was the only compound that could be detected in surface water samples. After additional surface water treatment it was still detectable but only at trace-level concentrations with a mean value of 0.16 ng/L.     

The ground-state energy of the ±J sping glass. A comparison of various biologically motivated algorithms

We compare various evlutionary strategies to determine the ground-state energy of the ±J spin glass. We show that the choice of different evolution laws is less important than a suitable treatment of the free spins of the system At least one combination of these strategies does not give the correct results, but the ground states of the other different strategies coincide. Therefore we are able to extrapolate the infinit-size ground-state energy for the square lattice to –1.401±0.0015 and for the simple cubic lattice to –1.786±0.004.     

Non-Gaussian corrections to higgs mass in autonomousλφ 3+1 4

Recent calculations in one-loop and Gaussian approximation, using the so-called autonomous renormalization scheme, indicate a comparatively massive, narrow Higgs excitation at about 2 TeV. Here I show that this result persists in the framework of a post-Gaussian variational approximation for the pureO(N)-symmetric ⁴-theory forN>1. The method is based on nonlinear transformations of path-integral variables, and the optimization amounts to a Schwinger-Dyson-type summation of diagrams. In the case ofO(4), for example, I findM _Higgs=2.3 TeV, compared with 1.9 TeV and 2.1 TeV in one-loop and Gaussian approximation, respectively. My results are also consistent with the Consoli-Stevenson conjecture that the Gaussian and one-loop results forN=1 are exact and may even hold for generalN.     

Development of a very low energy μ+ beam at PSI

At PSI we are investigating the technique of decelerating an existing very intense secondary beam of surface ⁺ (4 MeV) to an energy of 10 eV using appropriate moderators. These ⁺ can then be used as a source of a tertiary beam of low energy muons with tunable kinetic energy between 10 eV and 10 keV.With a 1000 A layer of solid Argon deposited on an Al substrate we obtain a moderation efficiency (with respect to the number of incoming surface ⁺) of the order of 10^–4.Results of our investigations and the present status of the project are presented together with future plans and possibilities.     

TrigonometricR matrices related to ‘dilute’ Birman-Wenzl-Murakami algebra

Explicit expressions for three series ofR matrices which are related to a dilute generalisation of the Birman-Wenzl-Murakami algebra are presented. Of those, one series is equivalent to the quantumR matrices of theD _n+1 ⁽²⁾ generalised Toda systems, whereas the remaining two series appear to be new.