The CO stretch frequency of fully CO covered Ag-clusters in dependence on cluster size

Silver clusters Ag_n prepared either by the gas aggregation technique (GAT) or by matrix aggregation of Ag were embedded in CO and CO/Ar-matrices. The vibrational CO stretch frequency at the monolayer coverage, which is found on bulk silver at 2110 cm^-1, preserves its value with decreasing particle size, Ag_n n≥300. For smaller clusters a decrease of this frequency with decreasing size was observed. For the smallest investigated clusters Ag_n, n～30, a value of 2080 cm^-1 was obtained. The weakening of the CO bond is an indication of a charge transfer from the cluster to the CO monolayer. This result is in accordance with the surface plasmon absorption measurements of Ag-clusters isolated in CO matrices.     

Nonlinear optics and the defect solid state

Abstract

The condition for the generation of second harmonics in the dipole approximation is that the nonlinear crystal medium lack a center of inversion. Conversely, a center of inversion precludes optical second harmonic generation. It is well known, however, that lattice defects introduced into a crystal may alter the local point symmetry in the medium, and in fact may convert local inversion symmetry to that which corresponds to a noncentrosymmetric point group. It is thus clear that selected defects in nonlinear media may be of interest for studying nonlinear optical processes which depend on the square of the electric field strength. The specific case of second harmonic generation employing spatially ordered FA-centers in alkali halide crystals is considered.     

On binding of DNA-bending proteins to DNA minicircles

We present a theoretical study of binding of DNA-bending proteins to circular DNA, using computer simulations of the wormlike chain model of DNA. We find that the binding affinity is affected by the bending elasticity and the conformational entropy of the polymer and that while protein adsorption is identical on open and closed long DNA molecules, there is significant enhancement of binding on DNA minicircles, compared to their linear counterparts. We also find that the ratio of the radii of gyration of open and closed chains depends on protein concentration for short DNA molecules. Experimental tests of our predictions are proposed.     

The Egmont Master phenomenon: X-ray fluorescence spectrometric and paper studies for art history research

The aim of the research project “Typology of Dutch Drawing” was to establish an interdisciplinary approach for investigating heterogeneous drawing collections. To define a type common to a group of drawings, we determine elements that are common to them based on style and the use of identical materials. To that end, we investigated about 750 Dutch drawings from the sixteenth century at the Dresden Kupferstich-Kabinett using art historical and scientific methods. In this work, we present a detailed analysis of 30 drawings ascribed to the Egmont Master.     

Microcalorimeter arrays for ultra-high energy resolution X- and gamma-ray detection

Microcalorimeter detectors provide superior energy resolution for the detection of X-rays and gamma-rays. The technology utilizes a cryogenic transition-edge sensor (TES) coupled to a tin bulk absorber. We are working on fabrication methods for the production of arrays with many sensors. In this paper, we present data collected with an array of microcalorimeters using as many as 26 sensor elements simultaneously. Advances in sensor design have extended the useful dynamic range to photon energies up to ～200 keV, while providing resolution performance in the 80–90 eV FWHM range, significantly better than planar high-purity germanium. These sensor arrays have applications in the measurement of nuclear materials. We present data collected from ¹⁵³Gd, a highly-enriched uranium sample, and a plutonium isotopic standard source. We also demonstrate clean separation of the ²³⁵U 185.715 keV peak from the ubiquitous ²²⁶Ra 186.211 keV background peak interference.     

Microwave-accelerated Wittig olefination of β-chloroacroleins

The first microwave assisted Wittig reactions of β-chloroacroleins with a stabilized ylide are described here. A combination of sodium ethoxide and toluene was found to be optimum and using this reaction condition a number of alkenyl-substituted benzopyran/benzo[b]oxepine/2-chromenone derivatives were prepared within few minutes. The microwave mediated process was found to be comparable with the conventional Wittig reaction in terms of product yields. All the products isolated were found to have E-geometry around the CC bond.     

Viscosity of Cryoprotective Agents Near Glass Transition: A New Device,Technique, and Data on DMSO,DP6, and VS55

The low strain-rate viscosity of glass-forming cryoprotective agents (CPAs) in the vicinity of the glass transition is studied experimentally. Data on the mechanical behavior in this regime is necessary to the long-term goal of developing planning tools for cryopreservation via vitrification (vitreous means glassy in Latin); such tools will provide guidelines for reducing thermal stress with its devastating effects. While the flow behavior of some glass-forming CPAs is well documented in the literature for the upper part of the cryogenic temperature range (where the CPA has a comparatively low viscosity), it is the flow behavior near the glass transition temperature (where the CPA behaves as nearly a solid with an extremely high viscosity) which is critical to the analysis of stress that develops in the cryopreserved material. If the elevated viscosity limits the material’s ability to flow—in order to accommodate the thermal strain resulting from large temperature gradients, especially at the high cooling rates necessary to form glass—structural damage may follow. Information on the behavior of the CPA in the lower part of the cryogenic temperature range is largely unavailable. A new measurement device is presented in this study, in which a solid rod is pulled from a long narrow cup containing a CPA, producing an essentially one-dimensional and isothermal field of flow. The viscosity and relaxation time of the CPA is inferred from measurements of the resulting load on the rod when extracted at a constant velocity. The current study reports on experimental data near glass transition of 7.05 M DMSO, a reference CPA solution, and the CPA cocktails VS55 and DP6.