Cyclic and telechelic ladder polymers derived from tetrahydroxytetramethylspirobisindane and 1,4‐dicyanotetrafluorobenzene

5,5′,6,6′‐Tetrahydroxy‐3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethylspirobisindane was polycondensed with 1,4‐dicyanotetrafluorobenzene in four different solvents at 70 °C. In dimethylformamide, N‐methylpyrrolidone, and sulfolane exclusively, cyclic polymers were detectable by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry up to masses around 13,000 Da. In dimethyl sulfoxide, linear byproducts were also found. Higher temperatures caused degradation reactions catalyzed by potassium carbonate. Polycondensations performed with the addition of 4‐tert‐butyl catechol or 2,2′‐dihydroxy binaphthyl yielded linear telechelic oligomers. Equimolar mixtures of linear and cyclic ladder polymers were examined by MALDI‐TOF mass spectra to determine how the end groups and the cyclic structure influenced the signal‐to‐noise ratio. The results suggested a preferential detection of the linear chains. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5344–5352, 2006     

Range convexity,continuity, and strategy-proofness of voting schemes

A voting scheme assigns to each profile of alternatives reported byn individuals a compromise alternative. A voting scheme is strategy-proof if no individual is better off by lying, i.e., not reporting a best alternative. In this paper the main results concern the case where the set of alternatives is the Euclidean plane and the preferences are Euclidean. It is shown that for strategy-proof voting schemes continuity is equivalent to convexity of the range of the voting scheme. Using a result by Kim and Roush (1984), this leads to characterizations of surjective or unanimous, anonymous, strategy-proof voting schemes.Furthermore, the paper contains an extensive discussion of related results in the area.     

Recognition of ring pairs in the data analysis of Cherenkov detectors

We present a new algorithm for the identification of ring pairs in Cherenkov detectors. The approach combines linear regression methods for the construction of an appropriate reference quantity, methods from statistics for the evaluation of hypotheses and Monte Carlo simulation runs for the tuning of threshold levels.     

Preservation mechanisms of trehalose in food and biosystems

The stability or shelf-life of food and biomaterials has always been a critical issue in the food and pharmaceutical industry. Trehalose (alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside), a non-reducing diglucose sugar found in nature, confers to certain plant and animal cells the ability to survive dehydration for decades and to restore activity soon after rehydration. The interaction between trehalose and cell membranes or proteins, however, remains a debated subject, and a significant amount of work has been done to elucidate the mechanisms resulting in this unique behavior of preservation. This study shows how an interfacial phenomena approach has led to the use of trehalose as an excipient during freeze drying of a variety of products in the pharmaceutical industry. It also suggests opportunities as an ingredient for dried and processed food, as well as a non-toxic cryoprotectant of vaccines and organs for surgical transplants.     

Kaon production in\bar pp interactions at c.m. energies from 200 to 900 GeV

A detailed analysis ofK _s ⁰ production in \(\bar pp\) |<2.5 the average transverse momentum is found to be 0.53±0.07 GeV/c at 200 GeV and 0.62±0.08 GeV/c at 900 GeV, which is an increase with respect to data at c.m. energies below 60 GeV. TheK _s ⁰ production cross sections in inelastic collisions are 29±4 mb at 200 GeV and 63±6 mb at 900 GeV, showing an increase compared to lower energy data. The central kaon density is found to increase as a logarithmic function of energy. At 900 GeV, where statistics are sufficient to allow one to draw conclusions, the average transverse momentum is higher in events with large charged multiplicity than in events with low multiplicity.