Erdalkalien

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Dynamics of transport under random fluxes on the boundary

The impact of boundary noise on the dynamical evolution of the scalar transport equation in shear flows is studied, taking off from earlier studies in shear-flow dispersion in internal waves, a mechanism for horizontal mixing in the ocean. In particular, we model a gravity current evolving under an assumed shear-flow. The transport equation is deterministic, with a noise term at the inlet boundary. This was motivated by observed seasonal fluctuations in some known sources of salty, dense water in the oceans, like the Red Sea overflow, as well as observed thermal and saline anomalies in the thermohaline circulation.The noises used were: Wiener white, Wiener colored, Lévy white, and Lévy colored noise. Lévy processes form a more general class of processes which are generally non-Gaussian in distribution, and may have infinitely many jumps in finite time. They have been used to model pollutant point-sources, the flight time of particles in vortices, and linear and nonlinear anomalous diffusion.The major finding was that white noises (Wiener and Lévy ) and colored Wiener noise all have the effect of impeding the diffusion process, by as much as 33%. However, colored Lévy noise (non-Gaussian, time-correlated) does not have this effect on diffusion. This would suggest that time-correlation is more important in distinguishing noises than the distribution of the process that produced the noise. This also explains why Lévy colored noise showed great sensitivity to the stability parameter α, while Lévy white noise is unaffected by its stability parameter.     

GSK-3-selective inhibitors derived from Tyrian purple indirubins

Gastropod mollusks have been used for over 2500 years to produce the "Tyrian purple" dye made famous by the Phoenicians. This dye is constituted of mixed bromine-substituted indigo and indirubin isomers. Among these, the new natural product 6-bromoindirubin and its synthetic, cell-permeable derivative, 6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (BIO), display remarkable selective inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3). Cocrystal structure of GSK-3beta/BIO and CDK5/p25/indirubin-3'-oxime were resolved, providing a detailed view of indirubins' interactions within the ATP binding pocket of these kinases. BIO but not 1-methyl-BIO, its kinase inactive analog, also inhibited the phosphorylation on Tyr276/216, a GSK-3alpha/beta activation site. BIO but not 1-methyl-BIO reduced beta-catenin phosphorylation on a GSK-3-specific site in cellular models. BIO but not 1-methyl-BIO closely mimicked Wnt signaling in Xenopus embryos. 6-bromoindirubins thus provide a new scaffold for the development of selective and potent pharmacological inhibitors of GSK-3.     

Determination of dual glass transition temperatures of a PC/ABS blend using two TMA modes

An inherent challenge with polymer blends is the difficulty in resolving the glass transition, T _g, for the smaller mass fraction component. The objective of this work was to determine the practical scanning conditions for identifying the dual T _g’s for a 75:25 polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (PC/ABS) blend using a thermomechanical analyzer (TMA). Scanning rates up to 20°C min⁻¹ using dilatometer and expansion modes were studied. Heating and cooling rates were found to affect both T _g values but the effects were not simple relationships. T _g values could either increase or decrease depending on the scanning rate applied. Higher rates resulted in large thermal lags which opened the accuracy of measurements to question. Generally, higher rates tended to display only one T _g but the duality of T _g’s can be detected with scanning rates between 0.5 and 5°C min⁻¹ for both modes.     

Synthesis and luminescence of La2BaZnO5 phosphors

A modified synthesis of La₂BaZnO₅ phosphors activated with rare earths Eu³⁺, Tb³⁺, Pr³⁺ and Sm³⁺, and ns² ion Bi³⁺ is reported. RE₂BaZnO₅ compounds are conventionally prepared by two step solid state reaction. In the first step, carbonates or similar precursors are intimately mixed and heated at 900 °C to decompose the precursors to oxides. To eliminate the unwanted phases like BaRE₂O₄, the resulting powders are reheated at 1100 °C for long time. We prepared La₂BaZnO₅ phosphors activated with various activators by replacing the first step by combustion synthesis. Results on photoluminescence are presented. PL results on Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ are in good agreement with the literature reports. PL emission from Sm³⁺, Pr³⁺ and Bi³⁺ had not been reported earlier. Excitation spectrum of Eu³⁺ is dominated by a charge transfer band around 318 nm, while for the other rare earths a band at 240 nm is always present. This is attributed to the host absorption.     

What if supersymmetry breaking appears below the GUT scale?

We consider the possibility that the soft supersymmetry-breaking parameters m_1/2$m_{1/2}$ and m₀$m_0$ of the MSSM are universal at some scale Min$M_{\mathrm{in}}$ below the supersymmetric grand unification scale MGUT$M_{\mathrm{GUT}}$, as might occur in scenarios where either the primordial supersymmetry-breaking mechanism or its communication to the observable sector involve a dynamical scale below MGUT$M_{\mathrm{GUT}}$. We analyze the (m_1/2,m₀)$(m_{1/2},m_0)$ planes of such sub-GUT CMSSM models, noting the dependences of phenomenological, experimental and cosmological constraints on Min$M_{\mathrm{in}}$. In particular, we find that the coannihilation, focus-point and rapid-annihilation funnel regions of the GUT-scale CMSSM approach and merge when Min∼¹⁰¹² GeV$M_{\mathrm{in}}\sim {10}^{12}\text{GeV}$. We discuss sparticle spectra and the possible sensitivity of LHC measurements to the value of Min$M_{\mathrm{in}}$.     

Synthesis and luminescence of SrZnO2 phosphors

SrZnO₂ phosphors have been synthesized by two new methods viz. carbonate decomposition at 1000 °C and combustion synthesis. Phosphors activated with Pb²⁺, Sm³⁺, Tb³⁺, Bi³⁺ and Pr³⁺ could be prepared in one step using the combustion synthesis. Characteristic emission and excitation were observed for Bi³⁺. For the remaining activators excitation spectra always contained a band at 283 nm. Presence of this band for all these different types of activators was interpreted as host sensitization.     

Mebendazole selective membrane sensor and its application to pharmaceutical analysis.

A PVC membrane sensor for the selective determination of mebendazole (MBZ) was fabricated. The sensor is based on an ion association of MBZ with silicotungstic acid (STA) as ion pair and bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (BEP) as the plasticizing agent in a PVC matrix. The sensor showed a linear response for MBZ for a concentration range 1.0x10(-6)-5.0x10(-2) M with a Nernstian slope of 55.8 mV/decade (limit of detection 6.3x10(-7) M) in the pH range 4-7. It has a fast response time of <30 s. The sensor showed a very good selectivity for MBZ with respect to a large number of ions. The direct determination of MBZ in pharmaceutical formulations gave results that compare well with the data obtained from the standard method.