Precision measurement of neutrino oscillation parameters with KamLAND

The KamLAND experiment has determined a precise value for the neutrino oscillation parameter Deltam21(2) and stringent constraints on theta12. The exposure to nuclear reactor antineutrinos is increased almost fourfold over previous results to 2.44 x 10(32) proton yr due to longer livetime and an enlarged fiducial volume. An undistorted reactor nu[over]e energy spectrum is now rejected at >5sigma. Analysis of the reactor spectrum above the inverse beta decay energy threshold, and including geoneutrinos, gives a best fit at Deltam21(2)=7.58(-0.13)(+0.14)(stat) -0.15+0.15(syst) x 10(-5) eV2 and tan2theta12=0.56(-0.07)+0.10(stat) -0.06+0.10(syst). Local Deltachi2 minima at higher and lower Deltam21(2) are disfavored at >4sigma. Combining with solar neutrino data, we obtain Deltam21(2)=7.59(-0.21)+0.21 x 10(-5) eV2 and tan2theta12=0.47(-0.05)+0.06.     

Comprehensive photoelectron spectroscopic study of anionic clusters of anthracene and its alkyl derivatives: electronic structures bridging molecules to bulk

The evolution of the electronic structure of molecular aggregates is investigated using anion photoelectron (PE) spectroscopy for anionic clusters of anthracene (Ac) and its alkyl derivatives: 1-methylanthracene (1MA), 2-methylanthracene (2MA), 9-methylanthracene (9MA), 9,10-dimethylanthracene (DMA), and 2-tert-butylanthracene (2TBA). For their monomer anions (n=1), electron affinities are confined to the range from 0.47 to 0.59 eV and are well reproduced by density functional theory calculations, showing the isoelectronic character of these molecules. For cluster anions (n=2-100) of Ac and 2MA, two types of isomers I and II coexist over a wide size range: isomers I and II-1 (4< or =n<30) or isomers I and II-2 (n> or = approximately 40 for Ac and n> or = approximately 55 for 2MA). However, for the other alkyl-substituted Ac cluster anions (i.e., 1MA, 9MA, DMA, and 2TBA), only isomer I is exclusively formed, and neither isomer II-1 nor II-2 is observed. The vertical detachment energies (VDEs) of isomer I in all the anionic clusters depend almost linearly on n(-1/3). In contrast, the VDEs of isomers II-1 (n> or =14) and II-2 (n=40-100), appeared only in Ac and 2MA cluster anions, remain constant with n and are approximately 0.5 eV lower than those of isomer I. The PE spectra revealed the characteristics of each isomer: isomer I possesses a monomeric anion core that is gradually embedded into the interior of the cluster with increasing n. On the other hand, isomers II-1 and II-2 possess a multimeric (perhaps tetrameric) anion core, but they differ in the number of layers from which they are made up; monolayer (isomer II-1) and multilayers (isomer II-2) of a two-dimensionally ordered, finite herringbone-type structure, in which electron attachment produces only little geometrical rearrangement. Moreover, the agreement of the constant VDEs of isomer II-2 with the bulk data demonstrates the largely localized nature of the electronic polarization around the excess charge in a crystal-like environment, where about 50 molecules provide a charge stabilization energy comparable to the bulk.     

Microdetermination of carbon and hydrogen using nitrogen as a transport gas

Summary A method for the microdetermination of carbon and hydrogen is described. In this method a sample is burned in a stream of nitrogen by adding a suitable amount of oxygen generated electrolytically. In the combustion tube, a new absorbent for halogens and sulphur oxides, a combustion catalyst and a roll of reduced copper gauze are packed. Nitrogen oxides resulting from samples containing nitrogen are reduced to nitrogen by the copper gauze. About 50 successive determinations can be carried out with a copper gauze without renewing it. A new absorbent for halogens and sulphur oxides has an extremely high capacity compared with the usual absorbents such as silver wire, or silver granules, and it does not damage the combustion tube when it is exhausted. For the absorption tubes for water and carbon dioxide, the author's metal needle tubes are used, and the results obtained with various samples are found to be satisfactory.

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Zusammenfassung Ein Verfahren zur Mikrobestimmung von Kohlenstoff und Wasserstoff wurde beschrieben. Dabei wird die Probe im Stickstoffstrom verbrannt, dem eine geeignete Menge elektrolytisch hergestellten Sauerstoffs zugemischt wird. Ein neues Absorptionsmittel für Halogene und Schwefeloxyde, ein Verbrennungskatalysator und eine Rolle aus reduziertem Kupferdrahtnetz dienen als Rohrfüllung. Die Stickstoffoxyde aus stickstoffhältigen Substanzen werden am Kupferdrahtnetz reduziert. Etwa 50 Bestimmungen können ohne Erneuerung der Drahtnetzrolle durchgeführt werden. Das neue Absorptionsmittel für Halogene und Schwefeloxyde hat im Vergleich zu dem sonst verwendeten Silberdraht oder granuliertem Silber eine besonders große Kapazität und beschädigt das Verbrennungsrohr nicht, wenn es erschöpft ist. Als Absorptionsröhrchen für Wasser und Kohlendioxyd werden die vom Verfasser angegebenen Metall-Nadel-Röhrchen verwendet. Die mit verschiedenen Substanzen erhaltenen Resultate sind befriedigend.

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Résumé On décrit une méthode de microdosage du carbone et de l'hydrogène. Dans cette méthode, on brûle l'échantillon dans un courant d'azote, en ajoutant une quantité convenable d'oxygène (formé électrolytiquement). On dispose dans le tube à combustion un nouvel absorbant des halogènes et des oxydes du soufre, un catalyseur de combustion et une toile de cuivre réduit enroulée. Les oxydes d'azote provenant des échantillons qui contiennent de l'azote sont réduits en azote par la toile de cuivre. On peut effectuer environ 50 dosages successifs avec une toile de cuivre, sans la changer. Le nouvel absorbant des halogènes et des oxydes du soufre a une capacité extrêmement élevée par rapport aux absorbants usuels, tels qu'un fil d'argent ou des grains d'argent, et il n'abîme pas le tube à combustion quand il est épuisé. En ce qui concerne les tubes à absorption pour l'eau et le gaz carbonique, on utilise les tubes à aiguilles métalliques de l'auteur. Les résultats obtenus avec divers échantillons ont été satisfaisants.

     

A new unnatural base pair system between fluorophore and quencher base analogues for nucleic acid-based imaging technology

In the development of orthogonal extra base pairs for expanding the genetic alphabet, we created novel, unnatural base pairs between fluorophore and quencher nucleobase analogues. We found that the nucleobase analogue, 2-nitropyrrole (denoted by Pn), and its 4-substitutions, such as 2-nitro-4-propynylpyrrole (Px) and 4-[3-(6-aminohexanamido)-1-propynyl]-2-nitropyrrole (NH(2)-hx-Px), act as fluorescence quenchers. The Pn and Px bases specifically pair with their pairing partner, 7-(2,2'-bithien-5-yl)imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (Dss), which is strongly fluorescent. Thus, these unnatural Dss-Pn and Dss-Px base pairs function as reporter-quencher base pairs, and are complementarily incorporated into DNA by polymerase reactions as a third base pair in combination with the natural A-T and G-C pairs. Due to the static contact quenching, the Pn and Px quencher bases significantly decreased the fluorescence intensity of Dss by the unnatural base pairings in DNA duplexes. In addition, the Dss-Px pair exhibited high efficiency and selectivity in PCR amplification. Thus, this new unnatural base pair system would be suitable for detection methods of target nucleic acid sequences, and here we demonstrated the applications of the Dss-Pn and Dss-Px pairs as molecular beacons and in real-time PCR. The genetic alphabet expansion system with the replicable, unnatural fluorophore-quencher base pair will be a useful tool for sensing and diagnostic applications, as well as an imaging tool for basic research.     

Stability analysis of numerical methods for systems of neutral delay-differential equations

Stability analysis of some representative numerical methods for systems of neutral delay-differential equations (NDDEs) is considered. After the establishment of a sufficient condition of asymptotic stability for linear NDDEs, the stability regions of linear multistep, explicit Runge-Kutta and implicitA-stable Runge-Kutta methods are discussed when they are applied to asymptotically stable linear NDDEs. Some mentioning about the extension of the results for the multiple delay case is given.     

Frobenius base change of torsors

We study the Frobenius base change of a torsor under a smooth algebraic group over a field of positive characteristic by relating it to the pushforward of the torsor under the Frobenius homomorphism. As an application, we determine the change of the multiplicity of a closed fiber of an elliptic surface by purely inseparable base changes with respect to the base curve in the case where the generic fiber is supersingular.     

Catalytic Reductive Cross-Coupling between Aromatic Aldehydes and Arylnitriles

A reductive cross-coupling reaction between aromatic aldehydes and arylnitriles using a copper catalyst and a silylboronate as a reductant is reported. This protocol represents an unprecedented approach to the chemoselective synthesis of α-hydroxy ketones by electrophile–electrophile cross-coupling.