Identification of step atoms by high resolution core level spectroscopy

Vicinal Rh(111) surfaces are studied with high resolution core level photoemission. We demonstrate the possibility to distinguish between the different kinds of surface atoms on these surfaces by virtue of their 3d core level binding energies. In particular, the low coordinated step atoms are found to exhibit a clear fingerprint in Rh 3d spectra. We demonstrate how this may be used to show that initial oxygen adsorption occurs on the steps and not on the terraces of the vicinal surfaces.     

The low-mass Kπ system in K−p → KπN reactions at 14.3 GeV/c

We present experimental results and a partial-wave analysis of the low-mass $\text{(}\text{K}\text{π)}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>0</mtext>}}$ systems produced in the reactions $\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{p}\text{→}\text{K}\text{π}\text{N}$ at 14.3 GeV/c. The main results concern the production mechanisms of the $\text{K}{}^1\text{(890)}\text{and}\text{K}{}^1\text{(1420)}$. We also extract the s-wave component of the $\text{K}\text{π}$ system as a function of mass.     

The isoscalar strength distribution in 24, 26Mg, 28Si and 40Ca obtained from inelastic alpha scattering at 120 Mev

The inelastic α-scattering reaction at E_α = 120 MeV with an energy resolution of 90–150 keV has been used to investigate isoscalar strength distributions in ^{24, 26}Mg, ²⁸Si and ⁴⁰Ca. For ^{24, 26}Mg and ²⁸Si the E2 strength between E_x = 14 and 27 MeV is strongly fragmented. In ⁴⁰Ca the E2 strength is mainly concentrated near $\text{E}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>x</mtext>}}\text{~ 65 A}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>3</mtext>}}$ MeV, although here the onset of fragmentation can be observed. The sum rule strength for the different multipolarities was obtained by applying for each nucleus an L-dependent normalization procedure. In this way we observed in total in ^{24, 26}Mg, ²⁸Si and ⁴⁰Ca for excitation energies up to 27 MeV an amount of (61⁺⁸_?6), (50⁺⁹_?8), (38⁺⁸_?6) and (94 ± 14)%, respectively, of the isoscalar E2 energy weighted sum rule (EWSR) of which (36⁺⁷_?5), (28⁺⁸_?7), (24⁺⁷_?5) and (74 ± 12)% was found between E_x = 14 and 27 MeV. In addition isoscalar E0, E3 and E4 strength was observed in this excitation energy region. A detailed comparison has been made between the isoscalar quadrupole strength distribution observed in the ^{24, 26}Mg(α, α') reaction and the E2 strength excitation function obtained from radiative α-capture measurements. In the low excitation energy region coupled channel effects have been observed, especially for the excitation of the 3⁺ states. Moreover, a considerable percentage of the 1?ω isoscalar dipole and octupole strength has been observed for excitations below 14 MeV.     

Some three-body final states in K−p reactions at 14.3 GeV/c

We present experimental results on a number of K^?p reactions at 14.3 GeV/c that have three bodies in the final state. The final states are $\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{ω}\text{p}\text{,}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{π}\text{p}\text{, Λπ}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{π}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{, Λ}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{, Λp}\text{p}\text{,}\text{K}{}^1{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{ω}\text{p}\text{, Λ(1520)}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{and}\text{Λ(1520)}\text{p}\text{p}$. Whenever, with one exception explained by the Zweig rule, there is a K^? or a proton in the final state, there is a diffractive-like threshold enhancement in the mass spectrum of the two recoiling particles. These enhancements account for a large fraction of the events in all but the Λπ⁺π^? final state, where they cannot occur, and which is dominated by resonance production. We find evidence for the Q₁(1300) decaying into K^?ω.     

Maximum Hitting of a Set by Compressed Intersecting Families

For a family A{\mathcal{A}} and a set Z, denote {A ? A \colon A ?Z 1 ?}{\{A \in \mathcal{A} \colon A \cap Z \neq \emptyset\}} by A(Z){\mathcal{A}(Z)}. For positive integers n and r, let S_n,r{\mathcal{S}_{n,r}} be the trivial compressed intersecting family {A ? (c[n]r ) \colon 1 ? A}{\{A \in \big(\begin{subarray}{c}[n]\\r \end{subarray}\big) \colon 1 \in A\}}, where [n] : = {1, ?, n}{[n] := \{1, \ldots, n\}} and (c[n]r ) : = {A ì [n] \colon |A| = r}{\big(\begin{subarray}{c}[n]\\r \end{subarray}\big) := \{A \subset [n] \colon |A| = r\}}. The following problem is considered: For r ≤ n/2, which sets Z í [n]{Z \subseteq [n]} have the property that |A(Z)| ￡ |S_n,r(Z)|{|\mathcal{A}(Z)| \leq |\mathcal{S}_{n,r}(Z)|} for any compressed intersecting family A ì (c[n]r ){\mathcal{A}\subset \big(\begin{subarray}{c}[n]\\r \end{subarray}\big)}? (The answer for the case 1 ? Z{1 \in Z} is given by the Erdős–Ko–Rado Theorem.) We give a complete answer for the case |Z| ≥ r and a partial answer for the much harder case |Z| < r. This paper is motivated by the observation that certain interesting results in extremal set theory can be proved by answering the question above for particular sets Z. Using our result for the special case when Z is the r-segment {2, ?, r+1}{\{2, \ldots, r+1\}}, we obtain new short proofs of two well-known Hilton–Milner theorems. At the other extreme end, by establishing that |A(Z)| ￡ |S_n,r(Z)|{|\mathcal{A}(Z)| \leq |\mathcal{S}_{n,r}(Z)|} when Z is a final segment, we provide a new short proof of a Holroyd–Talbot extension of the Erdős-Ko-Rado Theorem.     

Experimental and theoretical study of the photodissociation of bromo-3-fluorobenzene

The UV photodissociation of bromo-3-fluorobenzene under collisionless conditions has been studied as a function of the excitation wavelength between 255 and 265 nm. The experiments were performed using ultrafast pump-probe laser spectroscopy. To aid in the interpretation of the results, it was necessary to extend the theoretical framework substantially compared to previous studies, to also include quantum dynamical simulations employing a two-dimensional nuclear Hamiltonian. The nonadiabatic potential energy surfaces (PES) were parameterized against high-level MS-CASTP2 quantum chemical calculations, using both the C-Br distance and the out-of-plane bending of the bromine as nuclear parameters. We show that the wavelength dependence of the photodissociation via the S0-->1pipi*-->1pisigma* channel, accessible with a approximately 260 nm pulse, is captured in this model. We thereby present the first correlation between experiments and theory within the quantitative regime.     

Cell patterning: interaction of cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts in three-dimensional culture.

Patterning of cells is critical to the formation and function of the normal organ, and it appears to be dependent upon internal and external signals. Additionally, the formation of most tissues requires the interaction of several cell types. Indeed, both extracellular matrix (ECM) components and cellular components are necessary for three-dimensional (3-D) tissue formation in vitro. Using 3-D cultures we demonstrate that ECM arranged in an aligned fashion is necessary for the rod-shaped phenotype of the myocyte, and once this pattern is established, the myocytes were responsible for the alignment of any subsequent cell layers. This is analogous to the in vivo pattern that is observed, where there appears to be minimal ECM signaling, rather formation of multicellular patterns is dependent upon cell-cell interactions. Our 3-D culture of myocytes and fibroblasts is significant in that it models in vivo organization of cardiac tissue and can be used to investigate interactions between fibroblasts and myocytes. Furthermore, we used rotational cultures to examine cellular interactions. Using these systems, we demonstrate that specific connexins and cadherins are critical for cell-cell interactions. The data presented here document the feasibility of using these systems to investigate cellular interactions during normal growth and injury.     

Laser-patterned stem-cell bridges in a cardiac muscle model for on-chip electrical conductivity analyses

Following myocardial infarction there is an irreversible loss of cardiomyocytes that results in the alteration of electrical propagation in the heart. Restoration of functional electrical properties of the damaged heart muscle is essential to recover from the infarction. While there are a few reports that demonstrate that fibroblasts can form junctions that transmit electrical signals, a potential alternative using the injection of stem cells has emerged as a promising cellular therapy; however, stem-cell electrical conductivity within the cardiac muscle fiber is unknown. In this study, an in vitro cardiac muscle model was established on an MEA-based biochip with multiple cardiomyocytes that mimic cardiac tissue structure. Using a laser beam, stem cells were inserted adjacent to each muscle fiber (cell bridge model) and allowed to form cell-cell contact as determined by the formation of gap junctions. The electrical conductivity of stem cells was assessed and compared with the electrical conductivities of cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts. Results showed that stem cell-myocyte contacts exhibited higher and more stable conduction velocities than myocyte-fibroblast contacts, which indicated that stem cells have higher electrical compatibility with native cardiac muscle fibers than cardiac fibroblasts.