Enantioselective Aza‐Michael Addition of Imides by Using an Integrated Strategy Involving the Synthesis of a Family of Multifunctional Catalysts,Usage of Multiple Catalysis,and Rational Design of Experiment

A challenging asymmetric reaction (aza‐Michael addition of imides to enones) has been optimized through an integrated approach involving the synthesis of a family of organocatalysts, multiple catalysis (usage of additives), and finally with rational exploration of the chemical space by the application of the experiment design.     

CO2 Separation by Imide/Imine Organic Cages

Two novel imide/imine-based organic cages have been prepared and studied as materials for the selective separation of CO₂ from N₂ and CH₄ under vacuum swing adsorption conditions. Gas adsorption on the new compounds showed selectivity for CO₂ over N₂ and CH₄. The cages were also tested as fillers in mixed-matrix membranes for gas separation. Dense and robust membranes were obtained by loading the cages in either Matrimid® or PEEK-WC polymers. Improved gas-transport properties and selectivity for CO₂ were achieved compared to the neat polymer membranes.     

Is the alignment of nematics on a polymer slab always along the rubbing direction? A molecular dynamics study

ABSTRACT

We have studied the alignment and molecular organisation within a thin film of the popular nematic 5CB sandwiched between two flat polymer slabs, examining the effect of polymer chemical nature and morphology with atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. We have chosen two common polymers: polystyrene (PS) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), either with their chains in random coil conformation (disordered) or with chains unidirectionally stretched (ordered). We found that, independently on the arrangement of the chains, both surfaces align planarly the liquid crystal, in accord with experimental observation. Moreover, while 5CB molecules align along the chains stretching direction of the PMMA ordered surface, on the combed PS surface they arrange on average perpendicularly to the stretching direction. This behaviour is attributed to the chemically specific interactions between the respective aromatic moieties of PS and 5CB.     

Synchronization of moving chaotic agents

We consider a set of mobile agents in a two dimensional space, each one of them carrying a chaotic oscillator, and discuss the related synchronization issues under the framework of time-variant networks. In particular, we show that, as far as the time scale for the motion of the agents is much shorter than that of the associated dynamical systems, the global behavior can be characterized by a scaled all-to-all Laplacian matrix, and the synchronization conditions depend on the agent density on the plane.     

Estimation of the effective and functional human cortical connectivity with structural equation modeling and directed transfer function applied to high-resolution EEG

Different brain imaging devices are presently available to provide images of the human functional cortical activity, based on hemodynamic, metabolic or electromagnetic measurements. However, static images of brain regions activated during particular tasks do not convey the information of how these regions are interconnected. The concept of brain connectivity plays a central role in the neuroscience, and different definitions of connectivity, functional and effective, have been adopted in literature. While the functional connectivity is defined as the temporal coherence among the activities of different brain areas, the effective connectivity is defined as the simplest brain circuit that would produce the same temporal relationship as observed experimentally among cortical sites. The structural equation modeling (SEM) is the most used method to estimate effective connectivity in neuroscience, and its typical application is on data related to brain hemodynamic behavior tested by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), whereas the directed transfer function (DTF) method is a frequency-domain approach based on both a multivariate autoregressive (MVAR) modeling of time series and on the concept of Granger causality.

This study presents advanced methods for the estimation of cortical connectivity by applying SEM and DTF on the cortical signals estimated from high-resolution electroencephalography (EEG) recordings, since these signals exhibit a higher spatial resolution than conventional cerebral electromagnetic measures. To estimate correctly the cortical signals, we used a subject's multicompartment head model (scalp, skull, dura mater, cortex) constructed from individual MRI, a distributed source model and a regularized linear inverse source estimates of cortical current density. Before the application of SEM and DTF methodology to the cortical waveforms estimated from high-resolution EEG data, we performed a simulation study, in which different main factors (signal-to-noise ratio, SNR, and simulated cortical activity duration, LENGTH) were systematically manipulated in the generation of test signals, and the errors in the estimated connectivity were evaluated by the analysis of variance (ANOVA). The statistical analysis returned that during simulations, both SEM and DTF estimators were able to correctly estimate the imposed connectivity patterns under reasonable operative conditions, that is, when data exhibit an SNR of at least 3 and a LENGTH of at least 75 s of nonconsecutive EEG recordings at 64 Hz of sampling rate.

Hence, effective and functional connectivity patterns of cortical activity can be effectively estimated under general conditions met in any practical EEG recordings, by combining high-resolution EEG techniques and linear inverse estimation with SEM or DTF methods. We conclude that the estimation of cortical connectivity can be performed not only with hemodynamic measurements, but also with EEG signals treated with advanced computational techniques.     

3,6‐Bis(dimethylamino)‐10‐(10‐iododecyl)acridinium iodide

In the title compound, C₂₇H₃₉IN₃⁺·I^?, the acridinium system shows the usual approximate mirror symmetry about the central C?N line, and the corresponding bond lengths and angles in the two halves agree within experimental error. The alkyl chain at the ring N atom is initially perpendicular to the ring plane and then bends sharply at the fourth C atom. Pairs of centrosymmetrically related cations overlap two of their rings and the di­methyl­amino groups are also partly involved in the overlap. Each I^? ion is involved in short‐range interactions with two cations. These interactions give rise to a 14‐membered cyclic structure, which involves pairs of cations and anions across an inversion centre.     

Nonlinear model identification for Artemia population motion

In this paper, two different nonlinear models for Artemia swarming are derived. In order to generate the data suitable for identification, a robot driving the Artemia population has been built. The obtained data have been then used to identify the parameters of a model based on Newton??s equations and a black-box NARX model implemented by neural networks. The performances obtained validate the physical hypotheses underlying the gray-box model.