Determining theCP-violating phase γ

The weak phase γ is conventionally probed by theB _s→ρ ⁰ mode. The predicted rate is tiny. Even if aB _s→ρ ⁰ K _s rate difference could be established, it would not be clear that sin 2γ had been measured, because amplitudes with other weak phases may contribute significantly. Non-CP eigenstates, such asB _s →D _s ^± K ^?, have a two-fold advantage overB _s→ρ ⁰ K _s. Their rates are orders of magnitude above that forB _s→ρ ⁰ K _s, and they probe theCP-violating phase γ, without any contamination from other weak phases. Detailed time-dependent studies of non-CP eigenstates remove possible final-state phases and extract the weak phase γ.     

Incorporation of Triarylmethane Dyes into Sol–Gel Matrices Deposited on Textiles

The incorporation of triarylmethane dyes into sol–gel layers formed by modified silica was used for coating of textile materials. The coatings were performed with three triarylmethane dyes differ in electrical net charge and structure: The cationic dye Malachite Green, the anionic Guinea Green and the non-polar Reflex Blue 61. All coating procedures were performed using an acidic sol–gel process starting from a solution of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and the dye in a mixture of water and ethanol. Depositions were performed on polyester, polyamide and cotton textiles. Investigation of leaching and photobleaching fastness showed that the stability of the dyes was enhanced by incorporation into the silica layer. Sufficient leaching fastness was only achieved with the cationic dye due to direct attractive electrostatic interaction with the negatively charged silica matrix. Also the addition of a small amount of epoxysilane to the silica sols lead to an enhancement of leaching and bleaching fastness.     

Heat capacities of concentrated multicomponent aqueous electrolyte solutions at various temperatures

The specific heat capacities of the aqueous multicomponent system NaCl +KCl+MgCl₂+CaCl₂ with ionic strength between 8.3 and 9.6 (resembling Dead Sea waters) were measured between 15°C and 45°C. The obtained data were fitted to an empirical equation as a function of concentration and temperature. The thermodynamic functions of the studied multicomponent system were found to be strongly influenced by changes in MgCl₂ concentrations. The application of Young's rule to such concentrated systems was checked at 25°C. The calculated (by Young's rule) specific heat capacitiesC _p and apparent molar heat capacities C_p, of these multicomponent electrolyte solutions were in reasonable agreement with the measured values (–0.008 J-g^–1-K^–1 and –2.6 J-mol^–1-K^–1, respectively).     

Si-E (E = N, O, F) bonding in a hexacoordinated silicon complex: new facts from experimental and theoretical charge density studies

The concept of hypervalency in molecules, which hold more than eight valence electrons at the central atom, still is a topic of constant debate. There is general interest in silicon compounds with more than four substituents at the central silicon atom. The dispute, whether this silicon is hypervalent or highly coordinated, is enlightened by the first experimental charge density determination and subsequent topological analysis of three different highly polar Si-E (E = N, O, F) bonds in a hexacoordinated compound. The experiment reveals predominantly ionic bonding and much less covalent contribution than commonly anticipated. For comparison gas-phase ab initio calculations were performed on this compound. The results of the theoretical calculations underline the findings of the experiment.     

Density functional calculation of the electronic circular dichroism spectra of the transition metal complexes [M(phen)3]2+ (M = Fe, Ru, Os)

The circular dichroism spectra of the tris-bidentate metal complexes Lambda-[M(phen)3]2+, with M = Fe, Ru, Os and phen = 1,10-tris-phenanthroline, are investigated computationally, employing time-dependent density functional theory. Good agreement with experimental spectra is obtained for Ru and Os. The Lambda-[Os(phen)3]2+ spectrum is analyzed in detail. It is shown how relativistic effects red shift CD bands where the Os 5d-orbital participates to a large extent in the excitations. Further, the participation of the metal in the ligand pi --> pi exciton CD is determined to be of the order of 10%. Though solvent effects can have a noticeable effect on individual transitions and rotatory strengths, they are demonstrated to have only a very small overall effect on the resulting simulated CD spectra. For Lambda-[Fe(phen)3]2+, the results are shown to be rather sensitive to the choice of the applied hybrid and nonhybrid density functionals, and the optimized geometries based thereupon. In particular, the sign pattern of the lower-energy part (up to 33 x 10(3) cm(-1)) of the Lambda-[Fe(phen)3]2+ CD spectrum is difficult to reproduce. Some combinations of functionals and geometries yield good agreement with experiment, but no "best" approach can be devised based on the available results. Possible sources of errors in the spectrum of Lambda-[Fe(phen)3]2+ due to deficiencies in the functionals and the exchange-correlation kernels are investigated.     

Isolation of selenium organic species from antarctic krill after enzymatic hydrolysis

Total selenium content and its distribution in the soluble and insoluble protein-bound fractions obtained after aqueous extraction of antarctic krill samples were determined. About 26% of the total selenium (2.4 g g^–1 dry weight) was found in the supernatant; the rest was in the pellet. Isolation of low molecular selenium-containing fractions was also performed by enzymatic digestion of the protein, followed by size-exclusion chromatography in conjunction with atomic absorption spectrometry. From the applied various proteinases (pronase E, subtilisin Carlsberg, trypsin, chymotrypsin, proteinase and proteinase N from Bacillus subtilis and Novo 0.6 MPX enzyme), the treatment with pronase E led to best recovery of selenium. About 96% of the total Se was found in the hydrolysate, mainly in low molecular weight fractions. Eighty percent of the Se species were in fractions with molecular weights in the range of amino acids and short peptides. High-performance liquid chromatography/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS) allowed the identification of selenomethionine and the assumption that selenocystine or its derivatives were the main species in these fractions.     

Chiffres non nuls dans le développement en base entière des nombres algébriques irrationnels

We give an effective lower bound for the number of non-zero digits among the first N digits of the expansion of an irrational algebraic number in an integer base.     

Rapid determination of 90Sr in urine samples using AnaLig® Sr-01

This paper describes the use of IBC’s AnaLig^® Sr-01 molecular recognition technology product to effectively and selectively pre-concentrate, separate, and recover strontium from urine samples. This method uses two-stage columns separation consisting of two different commercial products Eichrom’s Pre-filter Material and AnaLig^® Sr-01 column from IBC Advanced Technologies. This method does not involve co-precipitation of strontium as phosphates and oxalates from urine samples. The new rapid method separates strontium-90 with high chemical recovery.