Fabrication of fine-pitch TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-organic hybrid dot arrays using multi-photon absorption of femtosecond pulses

Surface corrugation has been photo-induced in a single-step process in hybrid sol-gel thin films. A model based on elastic deformation under photo-induced stress is developed to explain relief formation in this material. Computation is carried out with finite-element software. Theoretical and experimental values of relief amplitude variation with film thickness and grating period agree for small deformations. Mass transfer from illuminated to non-illuminated areas has to be associated with the elastic model to account for surface corrugation in the case of large photo-induced deformation. A comparison with a fluid mechanics model is presented. PACS 81.65.C; 81.20.F; 81.40.L     

Creation of hoop- and bowl-shaped benzenoid systems by selective detraction of [60]fullerene conjugation. [10]cyclophenacene and fused corannulene derivatives

Selective penta-addition of a methylcopper reagent followed by addition of a phenylcopper reagent to a suitably modified synthetic intermediate results in creation of 40pi-electron systems-hoop- and bowl-shaped cyclic benzenoid compounds, [10]cyclophenacene, and dibenzo-fused corannulene derivatives. The 40pi-electron cyclophenacene derivatives have been found to be chemically stable, yellow-colored, luminescent (560 nm), and EPR-silent. X-ray crystallographic analysis provided precision structural data sets. The dibenzo-fused corannulene derivatives exhibit blue-green (460 nm) to red (649 nm) fluorescence.     

N-tert-Butylbenzenesulfenamide-catalyzed oxidation of alcohols to the corresponding carbonyl compounds with N-chlorosuccinimide

N-tert-Butylbenzenesulfenamide (1)-catalyzed oxidation of various primary and secondary alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes and ketones was efficiently carried out by using N-chlorosuccinimide (NCS) in the coexistence of potassium carbonate and molecular sieves 4 Å at easy-to-control temperatures ranging from 0°C to room temperature. The present catalytic oxidation was performed without giving any damage to the functional groups in alcohols, and was particularly effective in the oxidation of alcohols that formed labile aldehydes because of its mild reaction conditions. Further, selective oxidation of primary hydroxy groups took place in 1-catalyzed oxidation of several diols. Mechanistic investigation suggested that the chlorination of the sulfenamide 1 by NCS led to the formation of a key species, N-tert-butylbenzenesulfinimidoyl chloride (2), which in turn oxidized alcohols in the presence of potassium carbonate to afford carbonyl products by accompanying regeneration of the catalyst 1.     

Real-time processing using the frequency domain binaural model

There are many approaches to achieving high-performance speech enhancement. The modeling of the human auditory system is a good approach, since human beings can focus on target speech under concurrent speech conditions. One example of the binaural models is the time domain binaural model. However, this model has a high-calculation cost because the algorithm is based on auto-correlation, which is computationally intensive. Another example is the frequency domain binaural model proposed by Nakashima et al. [Nakashima H, Chisaki Y, Usagawa T, Ebata M. Frequency domain binaural model based on interaural phase and level differences. Acoust Sci Technol 2003;24(4):172-8]. Since the frequency domain binaural model uses the fast fourier transform, the calculation cost is much lower than that of the time domain binaural model. Therefore, it is not difficult to perform real-time processing using recent hardware such as digital signal processors and even laptop personal computers. However the quality of the segregated sound obtained using the frequency domain binaural model depends on system parameters such as frequency resolution and frame shift length for overlap adding in time domain. This paper introduces the construction of a prototype of a hearing assistant system based on the frequency domain binaural model. The detailed implementation techniques and parameter tuning are mentioned. The proposed system runs in real-time after parameter tuning. The directional attenuation levels, that is, the directivity patterns of the proposed system is measured. Finally, it is shown that the prototype can extract sounds coming from specific directions in real-time.     

The origin of enhanced photocatalytic decomposition of ATP on TiO2 powders as induced by surface modification with lanthanide ions: important roles of ATP adsorption to the modified surface

Surface modification of TiO₂ powders with lanthanide salts (EuCl₃ or YbCl₃) enhanced photocatalytic decomposition of ATP. In comparison with the unmodified catalyst, a 3-fold increase in the ATP decay rate was observed with TiO₂ powders as prepared in 5 mM EuCl₃ (or YbCl₃) solution. The reason was ascribed to enrichment of ATP to TiO₂ powder with the lanthanide ions. Evidence was obtained by adsorption experiments where ATP concentration was monitored after dispersing TiO₂ powders into the solution. The ATP molecules adsorbed faster to TiO₂ powder and strongly stabilized there in the presence of Yb³⁺ than otherwise.     

Direct Transformation of Molecular Dinitrogen into Ammonia Catalyzed by Cobalt Dinitrogen Complexes Bearing Anionic PNP Pincer Ligands

The direct formation of ammonia from molecular dinitrogen under mild reaction conditions was achieved by using new cobalt dinitrogen complexes bearing an anionic PNP‐type pincer ligand. Up to 15.9 equivalents of ammonia were produced based on the amount of catalyst together with 1.0 equivalent of hydrazine (17.9 equiv of fixed nitrogen atoms).     

First chemical synthesis of triglucosylated tetradecasaccharide (Glc3Man9GlcNAc2), a common precursor of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides

Triglucosylated high-mannose-type tetradecasaccharide (Glc₃Man₉GlcNAc₂), the oligosaccharide part of the donor substrate of oligosaccharyl transferase (OST) complex, and diglucosylated tridecasaccharide (Glc₂Man₉GlcNAc₂) were synthesized. These oligosaccharides were assembled in a convergent and stereoselective manner. Undecasaccharide 5 was employed as the common intermediate, and coupling with trisaccharide (4) and disaccharide (3) donor afforded fully protected tetradeca-(17) and tridecasaccharide (16), respectively. These oligosaccharides were deprotected to give Glc₃Man₉GlcNAc₂ and Glc₂Man₉GlcNAc₂, respectively.     

Dielectric study on pure and KOH-doped tetrahydrofuran clathrate hydrates

Complex dielectric permittivities of pure and KOH-doped (x = 1.8 x 10^–4) tetrahydrofuran clathrate hydrates were measured in the temperature range 20–260 K and in the frequency range 20 Hz-1 MHz. The relaxation time of the water reorientational motion was found to decrease drastically as a result of the doping; e.g., the relaxation time of the doped sample was 10^–9 times shorter than that of the pure sample at 70 K. The activation enthalpy of the motion was reduced to 7.4 kJ mol^–1. On cooling the crystal, the value of decreased suddenly at the 62 K phase transition to the ₂ value of the pure sample and at the same time disappeared. No dispersion effect due to the guest reorientation was observed below the transition. These data indicate that both the host and guest molecules become ordered or, at least, change their mobility drastically. In the pure sample, a relaxation phenomenon of ₀₂ was found around the glass transition region. The relaxation times agreed well with those derived from the enthalpy of relaxation in a calorimetric study.Dedicated to Dr D. W. Davidson in honor of his great contributions to the sciences of inclusion phenomena.