Heteroatom effects in XC5H5C Arduengo-type carbenes (X = CH,N, P,and As) in singlet and triplet states

Internal energy difference, ΔE _s-t; enthalpy difference, ΔH _s-t; Gibbs free energy difference, ΔG _s-t, between the singlet (s) and triplet states (t) of XC₅H₅C, 1X (X = CH, N, P, and As) were computed at B3LYP/6-311++G** and MP2/6-311++G**//B3LYP/6-311++G** levels of theory. The ΔG _s-t between the singlet and triplet states of 1 _X were changed in the order: 1 _P > 1 _As > 1 _N .     

Group and phase velocity coupling of colliding pulses in a nanostructure

It is generally accepted that, in a laser cavity, the group delay--responsible for the round trip time--and the phase delay both have a linear dependence on the cavity length. We show that nanostructures, such as quantum wells, can create a coupling between phase and group velocities, resulting in a periodic dependence of the repetition rate on the laser cavity length.     

A novel nanomagnetic solid acid catalyst for the synthesis of new functionalized bis-coumarin derivatives under microwave irradiations in green conditions

In this study, a novel, green, environmentally friendly and magnetically heterogeneous catalyst based on the immobilization of sulfosalicylic acid onto Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@sulfosalicylic acid MNPs) is reported. The bis-coumarin analogs were synthesized in high yield using the reaction of 1 equivalent of aryl aldehydes with 2 equivalents of 4-hydroxycoumarin in water under microwave irradiation conditions. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic light scattering, vibrating sample magnetometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV–visible absorption, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) techniques confirmed the successful synthesis of the catalyst. The main attractive characteristics of the presented green protocol are very short reaction times (10–15 min), excellent yields, and the avoidance of hazardous or toxic reagent and solvents. Thermal durability, easy separation, and high reusability are important advantages of the new catalyst in comparison to other catalysts.     

Single laser exposure fabrication of diamond-like 3-dimensional photonic crystal microstructures using circularly polarized light

Phase tunable multi-level diffractive optical elements define an attractive approach for single laser exposure fabrication of 3-dimensional photonic crystal microstructures. The significant advantage of these multi-level diffractive optical elements over two-level diffractive optical elements is the flexibility of fabricating a wide range of 3-dimensional periodic structures by manipulating the relative phase of different diffracted beams. Here, phase tuning was applied to demonstrate fabrication of a hybrid 3-dimensional structure intermediate between previously reported diamond-like Woodpile-type structure of tetragonal symmetry and structure having body-centered-tetragonal lattice symmetry. Circularly polarized light was applied for the first time to balance the diffraction order efficiencies and improve the structural uniformity. Design guidelines are presented for generating diamond-like photonic crystal template that possesses complete photonic bandgap when inverted with high refractive index materials.     

N-lump and interaction solutions of localized waves to the (2 + 1)-dimensional asymmetrical Nizhnik–Novikov–Veselov equation arise from a model for an incompressible fluid

The present article deals with M-soliton solution and N-soliton solution of the (2 + 1)-dimensional asymmetrical Nizhnik–Novikov–Veselov equation by virtue of Hirota bilinear operator method. The obtained solutions for solving the current equation represent some localized waves including soliton, breather, lump, and their interactions, which have been investigated by the approach of the long-wave limit. Mainly, by choosing the specific parameter constraints in the M-soliton and N-soliton solutions, all cases of the one breather or one lump can be captured from the two, three, four, and five solitons. In addition, the performances of the mentioned technique, namely, the Hirota bilinear technique, are substantially powerful and absolutely reliable to search for new explicit solutions of nonlinear models. Meanwhile, the obtained solutions are extended with numerical simulation to analyze graphically, which results in localized waves and their interaction from the two-, three-, four-, and five-soliton solutions profiles. They will be extensively used to report many attractive physical phenomena in the fields of acoustics, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, classical mechanics, and so on.     

Electrochemical Oxidation of Catechols in the Presence of Pyrimidine-2-thiol: Application to Electrosynthesis

The electrooxidation of catechols (1a–d) in the presence of pyrimidine-2-thiol (3) as a nucleophile in aqueous solution is described. The mechanistic investigations using cyclic voltammetry and controlled potential coulometry indicate that the quinone derived from catechols participates in a Michael addition reaction with pyrimidine-2-thiol to form corresponding catechol derivatives of 6a–d (ECEC). The efficient electrosynthesis of 6a–d has been performed at carbon rod electrodes in an undivided cell in good yield and purity.     

The bactericidal activity of a deuteroporphyrin-hemin mixture on gram-positive bacteria. A microbiological and spectroscopic study

The combined antibacterial activity of various porphyrins with hemin on Gram-positive bacteria was studied. Protoporphyrin, hematoporphyrin derivative and deuteroporphyrin show only a marginal inhibitory effect in the dark. However, hemin has a strong cytotoxic effect which is independent of illumination and is equally strong in the dark. The disadvantage of hemin treatment is that it is temporary. In this study, we have demonstrated that a combination of deuteroporphyrin and hemin has a unique cytotoxic activity on Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis and Bacillus cereus. The effect of the combined compound is stronger than that of the separate constituents, and is as strong in the dark as in the light. Only 0.005% of the initial S. aureus population survive after a 2 h treatment. Absorption and fluorescence spectra of hemin-deuteroporphyrin mixtures in water and liposomes suggest the formation of a species with spectroscopic properties which are different from those of the two constituents.     

Crossmodal influences on visual perception

Vision is generally considered the dominant sensory modality; self-contained and independent of other senses. In this article, we will present recent results that contradict this view, and show that visual perception can be strongly altered by sound and touch, and such alterations can occur even at early stages of processing, as early as primary visual cortex. We will first review the behavioral evidence demonstrating modulation of visual perception by other modalities. As extreme examples of such modulations, we will describe two visual illusions induced by sound, and a visual illusion induced by touch. Next, we will discuss studies demonstrating modulation of activity in visual areas by stimulation of other modalities, and discuss possible pathways that could underpin such interactions. This will be followed by a discussion of how crossmodal interactions can affect visual learning and adaptation. We will review several studies showing crossmodal effects on visual learning. We will conclude with a discussion of computational principles governing these crossmodal interactions, and review several recent studies that demonstrate that these interactions are statistically optimal.     

Bubble entrainment with drops

The study reported here was undertaken because recent research on nucleate boiling has implicated vapor entrainment by drops as a mechanism for vapor bubble nucleation. The mechanism has been called secondary nucleation. The purpose of this research was to determine the behavior of entrained air bubbles when a drop of liquid strikes a liquid surface. A liquid drop striking the surface of a pool of the same liquid was found usually to entrain large numbers of small air bubbles. Some of these bubbles are frequently carried rapidly deep into the pool by a vortex ring but many can be deposited in a trail or left floating on the surface. Air bubble entrainment was observed with water and several organic liquids and some differences were noted. Drops with diameters from 200 μm to 4 mm were studied. Sometimes hundreds of bubbles were entrained some with diameters up to 100 μm. These results lend support to the secondary nucleation hypothesis and indicate further research on vapor bubble entrainment under conditions more typical of boiling would be appropriate.