Nonlinear effects of electrolyte diodes and transistors in a polymer gel medium

The polarization curve of an acid-base interface in a hydrogel medium has a diode characteristic. Two of each such electrolyte diodes can be combined to give an electrolyte transistor. When a salt is added to the alkaline or to the acidic part of a reverse biased electrolyte diode, the current response is highly nonlinear. If the salt is added to the acidic side, even bistability can be observed. This bistability can generate complex oscillations in a base-acid-base electrolyte transistor. These nonlinear effects are studied experimentally and theoretically. While the nonlinear salt effect can be explained with the Nernst-Planck equations, to understand the bistable behavior further investigations are necessary. (c) 1999 American Institute of Physics.     

Synthesis of 5,12-dioxocyclam nickel (II) complexes having quinoxaline substituents at the 6 and 13 positions as potential DNA bis-intercalating and cleaving agents

Several dioxocyclams containing quinoxaline moieties, as well as their nickel(II) complexes were synthesized and studied for their ability to bind and oxidatively cleave DNA. Although no evidence for binding by intercalation was found, the ability of the Ni(II) complexes to cleave DNA in the presence of Oxone was strongly dependent on both the nature and the spatial orientation of the quinoxaline moieties, suggesting at least transient association of these complexes with DNA.     

Measurement of rail cross-section with solid-state sensor arrays

The application of light sectioning to the accurate measurement of a rail cross-section, from a train moving at high speed, is described. The intensity distribution through the thickness of the illuminating light sheet is deliberately graded, allowing the shape of the object to be recovered more accurately by interpolation of the sampled image. Rail profiles are extracted with a definition approximately ten-times better than that of the sampled image.     

Parameter variation in low-quartz between 94 and 298K

The structure of low quartz has been refined at 94, 115, 150, 190, 240 and 298K using Mo Kα intensities up to 2θ = 90° with residuals around 1.25%. The major structural change from 94 to 298K is an increase of the SiOSi angle from 142.69(4) to 143.65(5) corresponding to a rotation by ～0.8° of a rigid SiO₄ tetrahedron around the crystallographic 2-axis through its central Si. The orientations of the principal axes of vibration of Si and O do not change significantly with temperature. The temperature dependence of the mean-square displacement of O along its principal axes follows the Debye formula of thermal motion quite well, while for Si the experimental slopes are significantly less than their calculated values.     

Tunable design strategy for fluorescence probes based on 4-substituted BODIPY chromophore: improvement of highly sensitive fluorescence probe for nitric oxide

4,4-Difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) is a well-known fluorophore, with a high molar extinction coefficient and high fluorescence quantum efficiency (Phi(fl)). Furthermore, its structure can be modified to change its excitation and emission wavelengths. However, little work has been done on the structural modification of fluorines at the B-4 position with other functional groups. We synthesized 4-methoxy-substituted BODIPY derivatives in satisfactory yields, and found that they exhibited improved solubility in aqueous solution. Moreover, their oxidation and reduction potentials were greatly decreased without any change in their absorbance and fluorescence properties. These features of 4-substituted BODIPYs may be useful for developing novel fluorescence probes based on the intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer (PeT) mechanism, because it is possible to optimize the PeT process precisely by modulating the electrochemical properties of the fluorophore. The value of this approach is exemplified by its application to the development of a highly sensitive and pH-independent fluorescence probe for nitric oxide.     

Open problems on k-orbit polytopes

We present 35 open problems on combinatorial, geometric and algebraic aspects of $k$-orbit abstract polytopes. We also present a theory of rooted polytopes that has appeared implicitly in previous work but has not been formalized before.     

Co-action with digital technologies

Circa1895, James M. Baldwin introduced a powerful view regarding Darwinian Evolution. Baldwin suggested that behavioral flexibility could play a role in amplifying natural selection because this ability enables individuals to modify the environment of natural selection affecting the fate of future generations. In this view, behavior can affect evolution but, and this is crucial, without claiming that responses to environmental demands acquired during one’s lifetime could be passed directly to one’s offspring. In the present paper, we want to use this view as a guiding metaphor to cast light on understanding how students and teachers can utilize the environment of digital technologies to scaffold their activities. We present examples of activities from geometry and algebra in high school settings that illustrate the potential role that certain technologies can have in transforming classroom interaction and work.