Neat rings

A ring is called clean if every element is the sum of a unit and an idempotent. Throughout the last 30 years several characterizations of commutative clean rings have been given. We have compiled a thorough list, including some new equivalences, in hopes that in the future there will be a better understanding of this interesting class of rings. One of the fundamental properties of clean rings is that every homomorphic image of a clean ring is clean. We define a neat ring to be one for which every proper homomorphic image is clean. In particular, the ring of integers, Z, and any nonlocal PID are examples neat rings which are not clean. We characterize neat Bézout domains using the group of divisibility. In particular, it is shown that a neat Bézout domain has stranded primes, that is, for every nonzero prime ideal the set of primes either containing or contained in the given prime forms a chain under set-theoretic inclusion.     

Rigid extensions of ℓ-groups of continuous functions

Let C(X, ℤ), C(X, ℂ) and C(X) denote the ℓ-groups of integer-valued, rational-valued and real-valued continuous functions on a topological space X, respectively. Characterizations are given for the extensions C(X, ℤ) ⩽ C(X, ℚ) ⩽ C(X) to be rigid, major, and dense.     

The local electronic structure of tin phthalocyanine studied by resonant soft X-ray emission spectroscopies

The electronic structure of thin films of the organic semiconductor tin phthalocyanine (SnPc) has been investigated by resonant and non-resonant soft X-ray emission (RXES and XES) at the carbon and nitrogen K-edges with excitation energies determined from near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra. The resultant NEXAFS and RXES spectra measure the unoccupied and occupied C and N 2p projected density of states, respectively. In particular, RXES results in site-specific C 2p and N 2p local partial density of states (LPDOS) being measured. An angular dependence of C 2p and N 2p RXES spectra of SnPc was observed. The observed angular dependence, the measured LPDOS and their correspondence to the results of density functional theory calculations are discussed. Observed differences on the same site-specific features between resonant (non-ionising) and non-resonant (ionising) NXES spectra are attributed to symmetry selection and screening.     

Measuring Electrospun Nanofibre Diameter: a Novel Approach

A new method based on image analysis for electrospun nanofibre diameter measurement is presented. First, the SEM micrograph of the nanofibre web obtained by electrospinning process is converted to binary image using local thresholding method. In the next step, skeleton and distance transformed image are generated. Then, the intersection points which bring about untrue measurements are identified and removed from the skeleton. Finally, the resulting skeleton and distance transformed image are used to determine fibre diameter. The method is evaluated by a simulated image with known characteristics generated by ？-randomness procedure. The results indicate that this approach is successful in making fast, accurate automated measurements of electrospun fibre diameters.     

High surface density immobilization of oligonucleotide on silicon

Oligonucleotide (11-mer) molecules are immobilized on silicon in high surface population using either a permanent thioether bond or a chemo-selectively reversible disulfide bond to the surface thiol functionality. Substrate hydroxy groups are first silanized with an 11 carbon trichlorosilane containing a terminal, protected thiol moiety. Oligonucleotide modified with a tether possessing a terminal thiol group is further derivatized with a water-soluble, halobenzylic bifunctional reagent, which allows the complete conjugate to be attached to the surface through a permanent thioether bond. Alternatively, the oligonucleotide-tether complex can be combined with a pyridyldisulfide compound, which, in turn, facilitates the formation of a reversible disulfide bond with surface thiol. The amount of immobilized oligonucleotide was determined by radiochemical labeling with 32P. Additional verification of surface amounts was obtained from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis of substrates. The results of the immobilization protocols are compared with the oligonucleotide surface population achieved through the conventional silanizing agent, mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane. Finally, a preliminary confirmation of duplex formation of a TTU-attached 25-mer with its complementary strand is outlined.     

Surface states on gallium phosphide

Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the surface Fermi level of clean cleaved GaP (10) is pinned 1.50 eV above the valence band maximum of empty surface states. Synchrotron radiation-excited photo-emission partial yield spectroscopy supports this conclusion.     

Atomic and solid-state effects in the angle resolved photoemission cross section from an adsorbate: 4d levels of c(2 × 2)Te on Ni

The photon energy dependence of the normal emission from the Te - 4d levels of an ordered Te c(2 × 2) overlayer on Ni(100) shows two distinct types of structure. The main feature is due to an atomic effect, a delayed onset, a peak followed by a Copper minimum. Superimposed on this atomic profile are intensity modulations of 30 to 40% due to coherent scattering from the substrate. The atomic contribution is in qualitative agreement with theoretical calculations, while the modulations due to solid-state effects are not reproduced by a LEED final state type calculation.     

Semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of ceralure and related isomers

Summary A semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure on 5-m silica was developed for the isolation of gram quantities of ethyltrans-5-iodo-trans-2-methylcyclohexane-1-carboxylate (B₁) and ethyltrans-4-iodo-trans-2-methylcyclohexane-1-carboxylate (B₂) for comparative evaluation as male Mediterranean fruit fly,Ceratitis capitata, attractants and for NMR studies. This procedure can also be used analytically to determine the content of B₁ (the attractive isomer) in ceralure, the ethyl 4- and 5-iodo-trans-2-methylcyclohexane-1-carboxylate mixture. 1,1-Dimethylethylcis-5-iodo-trans-2-methylcyclohexane-1-carboxylate (A) and 1,1-dimethylethylcis-4-iodo-trans-2-methylcyclohexane-1-carboxylate (C) were isolated and converted to their ethyl esters, thus supplying the fourtrans-isomers of ceralure.     

Feebly Projectable Algebraic Frames and Multiplicative Filters of Ideals

In the article (Martinez and Zenk, Algebra Universalis, 50, 231–257, 2003.), the authors studied several conditions on an algebraic frame L. In particular, four properties called Reg(1), Reg(2), Reg(3), and Reg(4) were considered. There it was shown that Reg(3) is equivalent to the more familiar condition known as projectability. In this article we show that there is a nice property, which we call feebly projectable, that is between Reg(3) and Reg(4). In the main section of the article we apply our notions to the frame of multiplicative filters of ideals in a commutative ring with unit and give characterizations of several well-known classes of commutative rings.     

In situ detection of Bacillus anthracis spores using fully submersible, self-exciting, self-sensing PMN-PT/Sn piezoelectric microcantilevers

In this study, we have demonstrated in situ, all-electrical detection of Bacillus anthracis (BA) spores using lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate/tin (PMN-PT/Sn) piezoelectric microcantilever sensors (PEMS) fabricated from PMN-PT freestanding films and electrically insulated with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) coatings on the tin surface. Antibody specific to BA spore surface antigen was immobilized on the platinum electrode of the PMN-PT layer. In phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution, the PMN-PT/Sn PEMS exhibited quality (Q) values ranging from 50 to 75. The detection was carried out in a closed-loop flow cell with a liquid volume of 0.8 ml and a flow rate of 1 ml min(-1). It was shown that one sensor, "PEMS-A" (500 microm long, 800 microm wide, with a 22 microm thick PMN-PT layer, a 20 microm thick tin layer and a 1 +/- 0.5 x 10(-12) g Hz(-1) mass detection sensitivity) exhibited resonance frequency shifts of 2100 +/- 200, 1100 +/- 100 and 700 +/- 100 Hz at concentrations of 20,000, 2000, and 200 spores ml(-1) or 16,000, 1600, and 160 total spores, respectively. Additionally, "PEMS-B" (350 microm long, 800 microm wide, with an 8 microm thick PMN-PT layer, a 6 microm thick tin layer and a 2 +/- 1 x 10(-13) g Hz(-1) mass detection sensitivity) exhibited resonance frequency shifts of 2400 +/- 200, 1500 +/- 200, 500 +/- 150 and 200 +/- 100 Hz at concentrations of 20,000, 2000, 100, and 45 spores ml(-1) or 16,000, 1600, 80, and 36 total spores, respectively.