Characteristics of a new HPLC column packed with octadecyl-bonded polymer gel

Summary The chromatographic efficiency and stability of a new octadecyl-bonded polymer (ODP) gel, developed for reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) by substitution of stearate ester groups for the hydroxyl groups of vinyl alcohol copolymer particles, were investigated and compared with those of conventional gels. The efficiency of the column packed with the ODP gel was practically unaffected by repeated alternating passages of distilled water and acetonitrile, apparently because the gel volume was affected similarly by both solvents. Like conventional ODS columns, the ODP column demonstrated a close correlation between log k’ (capacity factor) and carbon atom number in alkyl alcohols in accordance with Martin’s rule and H ∼ 4 dp, thus indicating a high column efficiency for these alcohols. The capacity factor of the ODP column for pyridine with acidic eluent was smaller than that of ODS columns, and the pyridine peak was sharp and symmetrical.     

The difference between the ordinary height and the canonical height on elliptic curves

We estimate the bounds for the difference between the ordinary height and the canonical height on elliptic curves over number fields. Our result is an improvement of the recent result of Cremona, Prickett, and Siksek [J.E. Cremona, M. Prickett, S. Siksek, Height difference bounds for elliptic curves over number fields, J. Number Theory 116 (2006) 42-68]. Our bounds are usually sharper than the other known bounds.     

Methanol vapor‐induced morphology and current–voltage characteristic changes in a cast‐coated nafion film/interdigitated microarray electrode

Methanol vapor‐induced membranous changes in a cast‐coated Nafion thin film were studied through current–voltage (I–V) characteristics with an interdigitated microarray (IDA) electrode and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The obtained I–V curves showed that the as‐prepared Nafion film was stable under humidified nitrogen gas; however, the I–V profile dramatically changed with exposure to methanol vapor. Next, the morphology of the film was compared before and after methanol exposure with AFM images. On the basis of our observations, we found that the as‐prepared film had an irregularly complicated microstructure, whereas the structure became homogeneous in appearance after 30 min of exposure to methanol gas. The alternating‐current conductivity data, showing almost the same magnitude before and after exposure, strongly suggested that the I–V profile shift was based on a change in an electrode reaction mechanism induced by a change in the junction at the Nafion/IDA electrode interface. Furthermore, the methanol vapor‐pre‐exposed Nafion was stable for further exposure to methanol vapor, water vapor, or both. With the stabilized film used in combination with the IDA electrode, a reversible change in the magnitude of the current was observed when the methanol/water vapor ratio was varied. This indicated that the electrode reaction had good reproducibility after the treatment. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1103–1109, 2002     

Plutonium concentration and <Superscript>240</Superscript>Pu/<Superscript>239</Superscript>Pu isotopic ratio in the surface soils from the Jiuquan region in northwestern China

Surface soil samples collected in the Jiuquan region in the downwind area of the Chinese nuclear test site (CNTs) were analyzed for Pu isotopes. The ^239+240Pu activities ranged from 0.025 ± 0.009 to 0.89 ± 0.16 mBq g^?1, varying significantly with different sampling sites. The Dunhuang city that is located in the southwestern part of the Jiuquan region received the heaviest Pu deposition (^239+240Pu activities, 0.23–0.89 mBq g^?1). Most of the ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu isotopic ratios were similar with that of the global fallout. However, the low values (0.080–0.147) observed in three sampling sites further supported the finding of Pu originated from CNTs in that region.     

Spin-density wave near the vortex cores in the high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+y

Competition with magnetism is at the heart of high-temperature superconductivity, most intensely felt near a vortex core. To investigate vortex magnetism we have developed a spatially resolved probe based upon NMR spin-lattice-relaxation spectroscopy. With this approach we have found a spin-density wave associated with the vortex core in Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+y), similar to checkerboard patterns in the local density of electronic states reported from scanning tunneling microscope experiments. We have determined both the spin-modulation amplitude and decay length from the vortex core in fields up to H=30 T.     

Pressure loading of detonation waves through 90-degree bend in high pressure H2–O2–N2 mixtures

Detonation experiments are conducted to investigate the detonation wave behavior in steam pipelines of boiling water reactors. Accumulated gases in BWRs are stoichiometric hydrogen/oxygen mixtures diluted with steam at 7 MPa. In the experiment, flammable gas mixture diluted with nitrogen at room temperature and up to 5 MPa is used to achieve equivalent detonation condition. Two test pieces are used, one is straight tube and the other is 90-degree bend. No initial pressure dependency in detonation wave behavior is observed in the experiments. However, in the straight tube tests, detonation velocities higher than theoretical values are measured when the initial pressures are greater than 2.3 MPa. This result is considered as attribution of real gas effect. In the 90-degree bend experiments, pressure time histories reveal pressure loads greater than the straight tube portion at two locations. One is a high pressure peak at the extrados of the bend and the other is a double pressure peak just downstream of the bend outlet. Second pressure peak just downstream of the bend outlet is due to transverse wave propagation. Additionally, the largest impulse is observed not at the extrados of the bend but at the intrados of bend outlet. These results show the importance of more investigations on transverse wave behaviors in failure potential evaluation.     

Grammatical Verification for Mathematical Formula Recognition Based on Context-Free Tree Grammar

This paper proposes the use of a formal grammar for the verification of mathematical formulae for a practical mathematical OCR system. Like a C compiler detecting syntax errors in a source file, we want to have a verification mechanism to find errors in the output of mathematical OCR. A linear monadic context-free tree grammar (LM-CFTG) is employed as a formal framework to define “well-formed” mathematical formulae. A cubic time parsing algorithm for LM-CFTGs is presented. For the purpose of practical evaluation, a verification system for mathematical OCR is developed, and the effectiveness of the system is demonstrated by using the ground-truthed mathematical document database InftyCDB-1 and a misrecognition database newly constructed for this study.     

Synthesis of Highly Emissive Fluorophores Based on Multiply Stacked Anthracene Arrangement

Newly designed fluorophore systems with feather-like structures were constructed by connecting bisanthracene building units via a concise reaction sequence of bromination, etherification, and desilylation. Spectroscopic characterizations revealed that all of the fluorophore systems achieved high light absorptivity and high emission efficiency by preventing closely spaced anthracene chromophores from mutual interactions to reduce concomitant energy loss by fluorescence quenching. The application of fluorophore systems for the preparation of light-harvesting dyad materials has successfully demonstrated their potential utility as versatile photofunctional tools.