The synthesis of (3R)-nerolidol

The sesquiterpene natural product (3R)-nerolidol has been prepared in six steps starting from (3R)linalool.     

Advantages of Adaptive Speckle Filtering Prior to Application of Iterative Deconvolution Methods for Optical Coherent Tomography Imaging

The axial resolution of optical coherence tomography (OCT) is closely related to the light source spectrum width. Unfortunately, most basic sources providing the required power for decent OCT image have narrow spectra, which generate a resolution loss. Assuming the OCT system is linear shift-invariant, we can consider the system output as the convolution of the theoretical signal with a system impulse response due to this spectrum narrowness. It becomes then possible to enhance this resolution through iterative deconvolution methods (IDM). However those methods have a significant drawback, as they usually significantly enhance speckle, which is another consequence of the source spectrum narrowness. To compensate this, we rely on preliminary speckle filtering, and especially the adaptative ones, which allow tackling the speckle without blurring the image. We first studied enhancement proposed by most popular IDMs on OCT images, and then the effect of preliminary adaptive speckle filtering (ASF) by different common adaptive methods. Then, among those methods, we combined Frost filter and Richardson-Lucy deconvolution in the appropriated way; this way we both enhanced resolution by 2 and reduced speckle (raising CNR from 0.7 to 1.3)     

Selective,one-pot synthesis of 2,3,6-trisubstituted pyridine and 2-cyclohexen-1-one derivatives from bicyclic ketals

Boron difluoromethanesulfonate, prepared from 5 equivalents of trimethylsilyl methanesulfonate and 1 equivalent of boron trifluoride etherate, has proved to be an active Lewis acid catalyst for the one-pot transformation reaction of bicyclic ketals in the 6,8-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane series to 2,3,6-trisubstituted pyridine or 2-cyclohexen-1-one selectively, depending on conditions. A 1,5-diketone was the reaction intermediate for both products. Pyridine was formed selectively by using a nitrile as a solvent or a reagent, but cyclohexenone was prepared in methylene chloride instead of a nitrile.     

On the stability of the polaron in one dimensional disordered systems

A one-dimensional disordered system of electrons described by a tight binding model interacting with vibrational degrees of freedom (in harmonic approximation) is considered. A stable configuration is determined by a numerical minimization of the total energy which is based on the adiabatic approximation. The behaviour of the electron density (charge density wave) and the density of states is analysed. The localization properties are investigated as well. In contrast to the corresponding disordered system with vanishing electron-phonon coupling the present model has an energy gap. The formation of the gap and the polaron band is shown to be quite different for both onsite and intersite types of coupling terms. For large disorder, the lattice distortion and the gap disappear if only the vibrational contribution to the intersite coupling is important. They increase, however, if only the vibrational contribution to the site energies is taken into account. In both cases the localization length decreases upon increasing the electron-phonon coupling energy. The results are discussed with respect to low dimensional organic materials and amorphous semiconductors.     

Spectral Gap for Stable Process on Convex Planar Double Symmetric Domains

We study the semigroup of the symmetric α-stable process in bounded domains in R ². We obtain a variational formula for the spectral gap, i.e. the difference between two first eigenvalues of the generator of this semigroup. This variational formula allows us to obtain lower bound estimates of the spectral gap for convex planar domains which are symmetric with respect to both coordinate axes. For rectangles, using “midconcavity” of the first eigenfunction (Bañuelos et al., Potential Anal. 24(3): 205–221, 2006), we obtain sharp upper and lower bound estimates of the spectral gap.     

Measurement of the tau lepton mass and an upper limit on the mass difference between tau+ and tau-

The mass of the tau lepton has been measured in the decay mode tau-->3pinutau using a pseudomass technique. The result obtained from 414 fb-1 of data collected with the Belle detector is Mtau=[1776.61+/-0.13(stat)+/-0.35(sys)] MeV/c2. The upper limit on the relative mass difference between positive and negative tau leptons is |Mtau+-Mtau-|/Mtau<2.8 x 10-4 at 90% confidence level.     

Origin of the optical contrast in phase-change materials

Several chalcogenide alloys exhibit a pronounced contrast between the optical absorption in the metastable rocksalt and in the amorphous phase. This phenomenon is the basis for their application in optical data storage. Here we present ab initio calculations of the optical properties of GeTe and Ge1Sb2Te4 in the two phases. The analysis of our computations and experimental data reveal the correlation between local structural changes and optical properties as well as the origin of the optical contrast in these materials. We find that the change in optical properties cannot be attributed to a smearing of transition energies as commonly assumed for amorphous semiconductors: the optical contrast between the two phases can only be explained by significant changes in the transition matrix elements.     

抗核辐射条件的应变计粘贴与防护技术

本文介绍了在重水反应堆中进行应变测量的若干技术成果，主要是较好地解决了用在核辐射条件下，有水流冲刷的环境中的应用变计的粘贴与防护技术。在具有核辐射的环境中测试，通常选用聚酰亚胺胶作粘结剂。但是这种胶需在高温条件下固化，如果被测构件较大，是无法实现的。经测试筛选出具有防水防辐射性能的常温固化胶，并介绍了可用航空导线替代具有抗辐射性能的铠装电缆在堆内进行测量问题。采用有关措施后，经标定，在核辐射前后应     

The Length-scale Effect in the Buckling of Thin Periodic Plates Resting on a Periodic Winkler Foundation

In this paper a new modelling method, called the tolerance averaging method, is presented and applied to analyse a buckling of thin periodic plates resting on a periodically heterogeneous Winkler foundation. The derived length-scale model makes it possible to take into account the effect of periodicity cell size (the length-scale effect) on the overall plate behaviour, on the contrary to the known homogenised models of periodic plates neglecting this effect. In order to evaluate obtained results the buckling problems of those plates are analysed using not only the proposed model but also a certain effective stiffnesses model. A comparison between obtained results leads to a conclusion that the length-scale effect could not be neglected in buckling of periodic plates resting on a Winkler foundation.