Geometrical structure of benzene and naphthalene: ultrahigh-resolution laser spectroscopy and ab initio calculation

Geometrical structures of the isolated benzene and naphthalene molecules have been accurately determined by using ultrahigh-resolution laser spectroscopy and ab initio calculation in a complementary manner. The benzene molecule has been identified to be planar and hexagonal (D(6h)) and the structure has been determined with accuracies of 2 × 10(-14) m (0.2 mA?; 1 A? = 1 × 10(-10) m) for the C-C bond length and 1.0 × 10(-13) m (1.0 mA?) for the C-H bond length. The naphthalene molecule has been identified to be symmetric with respect to three coordinate axes (D(2h)) and the structure has been determined with comparable accuracies. We discuss the effect of vibrational averaging that is a consequence of zero-point motions on the uncertainty in determining the bond lengths.     

Intermolecular Interactions in Li+‐glyme and Li+‐glyme–TFSA− Complexes: Relationship with Physicochemical Properties of [Li(glyme)][TFSA] Ionic Liquids

The stabilization energies (ΔE_form) calculated for the formation of the Li⁺ complexes with mono‐, di‐ tri‐ and tetra‐glyme (G1, G2, G3 and G4) at the MP2/6‐311G** level were ?61.0, ?79.5, ?95.6 and ?107.7 kcal mol^?1, respectively. The electrostatic and induction interactions are the major sources of the attraction in the complexes. Although the ΔE_form increases by the increase of the number of the O???Li contact, the ΔE_form per oxygen atom decreases. The negative charge on the oxygen atom that has contact with the Li⁺ weakens the attractive electrostatic and induction interactions of other oxygen atoms with the Li⁺. The binding energies calculated for the [Li(glyme)]⁺ complexes with TFSA^? anion (glyme=G1, G2, G3, and G4) were ?106.5, ?93.7, ?82.8, and ?70.0 kcal mol^?1, respectively. The binding energies for the complexes are significantly smaller than that for the Li⁺ with the TFSA^? anion. The binding energy decreases by the increase of the glyme chain length. The weak attraction between the [Li(glyme)]⁺ complex (glyme=G3 and G4) and TFSA^? anion is one of the causes of the fast diffusion of the [Li(glyme)]⁺ complex in the mixture of the glyme and the Li salt in spite of the large size of the [Li(glyme)]⁺ complex. The HOMO energy level of glyme in the [Li(glyme)]⁺ complex is significantly lower than that of isolated glyme, which shows that the interaction of the Li⁺ with the oxygen atoms of glyme increases the oxidative stability of the glyme.     

Thermodynamics of

Formation of cobalt(II)-thiocyanato complexes in nonionic surfactant solutions of poly(ethylene oxide) type with varying poly(ethylene oxide) chain lengths of 7.5 (Triton X-114), 30 (Triton X-305), and 40 (Triton X-405) has been studied by titration spectrophotometry and calorimetry at 298 K. Data were analyzed by assuming formation of a series of ternary complexes Co(NCS)(n)Y(m)((2-n)+) (Y=surfactant) with an overall formation constant beta(nm). In all the surfactant systems examined, data obtained can be explained well in terms of formation of Co(NCS)(+) and Co(NCS)(2) in an aqueous phase (aq), and Co(NCS)(4)Y(2-) in micelles, and their formation constants, enthalpies, and entropies have been determined. The beta(41)/beta(20) ratio increases and the corresponding enthalpy becomes significantly less negative with an increasing number of ethylene oxide groups. This suggests that micelles of these nonionic surfactants have a heterogeneous inner structure consisting of ethylene oxide and octylphenyl moieties. Indeed, on the basis of molar volumes of ethylene oxide and octylphenyl groups, intrinsic thermodynamic parameters have been extracted for the reaction Co(NCS)(2)(aq)+2NCS(-)(aq)=Co(NCS)(4)Y(2-) (Delta(r)G degrees, Delta(r)H degrees, and Delta(r)S degrees ) at each moiety. The Delta(r)G degrees, Delta(r)H degrees, and Delta(r)S degrees values are -16 kJ mol(-1), -15 kJ mol(-1), and 3 J K(-1) mol(-1), respectively, for the ethylene oxide moiety, and -15 kJ mol(-1), -70 kJ mol(-1), and -183 J K(-1) mol(-1) for octylphenyl. Significantly less negative Delta(r)H degrees and Delta(r)S degrees values for ethylene oxide imply that the hydrogen-bonded network structure of water is extensively formed at the ethylene oxide moiety, and the structure is thus broken around the Co(NCS)(4)(2-) complex with weak hydrogen-bonding ability. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Echoic memory of a single pure tone indexed by change-related brain activity

Background  

The rapid detection of sensory change is important to survival. The process should relate closely to memory since it requires that the brain separate a new stimulus from an ongoing background or past event. Given that sensory memory monitors current sensory status and works to pick-up changes in real-time, any change detected by this system should evoke a change-related cortical response. To test this hypothesis, we examined whether the single presentation of a sound is enough to elicit a change-related cortical response, and therefore, shape a memory trace enough to separate a subsequent stimulus.     

Small hyperintense hepatic lesions on T1-weighted images in patients with cirrhosis: evaluation with serial MRI and imaging features for clinical benignity

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of clinically benign, small (<2 cm) hyperintense hepatic lesions in the cirrhotic liver on T1-weighted MR images seen at serial MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 189 patients with cirrhosis, who underwent hepatic MRI more than twice with an interval of at least 12 months. The initial MR images were reviewed for the presence of small hyperintense lesions on T1-weighted images. The size, location and signal intensity on T2-weighted images as well as enhancement patterns of the corresponding lesions were recorded. RESULTS: On the initial T1-weighted MR images, 43 small hyperintense hepatic lesions were detected in 23 (12%) of 189 patients. Twelve (28%) of 43 lesions showed early enhancement and were pathologically diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during the follow-up period. Thirty-one (72%) of 43 lesions showed no early enhancement with various signal intensity on T2-weighted images (hyperintensity=4, isointensity=20, hypointensity=7). Among these 31 lesions, 12 showed no interval change, while 11 disappeared (n=10) or decreased in size (n=1). In the remaining eight lesions, seven were diagnosed as HCC on the basis of pathologic confirmation or the interval growth. CONCLUSION: Small hyperintense hepatic lesions on T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images without early enhancement on the arterial-phase contrast-enhanced dynamic studies in patients with cirrhosis usually showed no interval growth or disappeared during the serial MRI. These lesions with additional findings of iso- or hypointensity on the T2-weighted MR images without "washout effect" on the contrast-enhanced equilibrium-phase images may more frequently be clinically benign or hyperplastic nodules than HCCs.     

Does T2-weighted MR imaging improve preoperative detection of malignant hepatic tumors? Observer performance study in 49 surgically proven cases

The purpose of our study was to determine whether or not the addition of T2-weighted fast spin-echo (SE) imaging to gadolinium-enhanced spoiled gradient-recalled-echo (GRE) imaging improves the observer performance in the preoperative detection of malignant hepatic tumors. Gadolinium-enhanced GRE and fat-suppressed T2-weighted fast SE images obtained in 49 patients with 82 surgically confirmed malignant hepatic tumors (40 hepatocellular carcinomas and 42 metastases) were retrospectively reviewed by three independent off-site observers. In the random review of images, gadolinium-enhanced GRE images were reviewed first; thereafter, T2-weighted fast SE images were added for combined review. Observer performance was evaluated with the McNemar's test and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. For gadolinium-enhanced GRE images alone vs. combined images, sensitivities for detection were 78% vs. 79% for hepatocellular carcinomas (P>.05), 67% vs. 71% for metastases (P<.05) and 72% vs. 75% for tumors overall (P<.05), respectively. The Az values were 0.892 vs. 0.889 in hepatocellular carcinomas (P>.05), 0.797 vs. 0.828 in metastases (P<.05) and 0.839 vs. 0.846 in tumors overall (P>.05), respectively. Our results showed that the addition of T2-weighted fast SE imaging to gadolinium-enhanced GRE imaging improved the observer performance in the detection of metastases.     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies on oxidation behavior of nickel and iron aluminides under oxygen atmosphere at low pressures

Oxidation behaviors of NiAl, Ni₃Al, and FeAl under oxygen atmosphere at low pressures were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Clean surfaces of these aluminides were prepared by fracturing in an ultra high vacuum, and then the fractured surfaces were oxidized by exposing to high-purity oxygen at pressures up to 1.3 Pa without exposing to air. The oxides formed on NiAl and FeAl surfaces were Al₂O₃, whereas the oxide on Ni₃Al was NiAl₂O₄. Aluminum, nickel, and iron on clean surfaces were oxidized even at a pressure of 1.3 × 10⁻⁶ Pa. The oxidation evolves with an increase in the pressure of oxygen, and further oxidation of aluminum occurs prior to that of nickel or iron. The oxidation behaviors under such oxygen atmosphere were similar to those of the aluminides oxidized in air, and these behaviors could be predicted from thermodynamic consideration.     

Flash generation of a highly reactive pd catalyst for suzuki-miyaura coupling by using a flow microreactor

Superflash! Flash chemistry enables the use of highly reactive unstable species as catalysts for chemical synthesis. Fast micromixing of a solution of [Pd(OAc)(2) ] and that of tBu(3) P in 1:1 mole ratio gave a solution of a highly reactive unstable species, which was immediately transferred to a vessel by using a flow microreactor, in which Suzuki-Miyaura coupling was conducted.     

Noncommutative Brownian Motion in Monotone Fock Space

An example of noncommutative Brownian motion is constructed on the monotone Fock space which is a kind of “Fock space” generated by all the decreasing finite sequences of positive real numbers. The probability distribution at time associated to this Brownian motion is shown to be the arcsine law normalized to mean 0 and variance t. Received: 15 March 1996\,/\,Accepted: 2 July 1996