Generation of linear and nonlinear nonparaxial accelerating beams

We study linear and nonlinear self-accelerating beams propagating along circular trajectories beyond the paraxial approximation. Such nonparaxial accelerating beams are exact solutions of the Helmholtz equation, preserving their shapes during propagation even under nonlinearity. We generate experimentally and observe directly these large-angle bending beams in colloidal suspensions of polystyrene nanoparticles.     

Reshaping the trajectory and spectrum of nonlinear Airy beams

We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that a finite Airy beam changes its trajectory while maintaining its acceleration in nonlinear photorefractive media. During this process, the spatial spectrum reshapes dramatically, leading to negative (or positive) spectral defects on the initial spectral distribution under a self-focusing (or defocusing) nonlinearity.     

Insight Into the Conformational Arrangement of a Bis-THF Diol Compound Through 2D-NMR Studies and X-Ray Structural Analysis

Abstract  

The conformational arrangement of an all-threo bis-THF diol compound, synthesized through the RuO₄-catalysed oxidative bis-cyclization of farnesyl acetate, was determined via crystallographic analysis and detailed 2D-NMR solution studies. The bis-THF compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic Pbca space group, with unit cell parameters a = 10.496(1), b = 17.974(1), c = 19.777(2) ?, Z = 8. The final refinement converged to R ₁ = 0.0484 for 4714 independent observed reflections having I > 2σ(I). There is a good agreement between the solution molecular conformation determined by 2D-NMR and the X-ray molecular conformation. The molecule adopts a folded, horse shoe-type conformation both in solution and in the crystal, that suggests aptitude to coordinate cations. Additionally, in the crystals, the molecular conformation is stabilized by intramolecular and intermolecular H-bonding.     

A highly crystalline microporous hybrid organic-inorganic aluminosilicate resembling the AFI-type zeolite

ECS-14, a crystalline microporous hybrid organic-inorganic aluminosilicate, has been synthesized by using 1,4-bis-(triethoxysilyl)-benzene (BTEB) as a source of silica. Its structure contains a system of linear channels with 12-membered ring openings, running along the [001] direction, resembling the pore architecture of the AFI framework type.     

Kinetic effects of tartaric acid on the growth of chiral J-aggregates of tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin

The kinetics of growth for chiral J-aggregates of H(4)TPPS(4) porphyrin have been investigated under different experimental conditions in the presence of tartaric acid. The observed rate constants and the anisotropy factor g show a defined dependence on the enantiomer used as a chiral templating agent.     

Magnetic pH-responsive nanogels as multifunctional delivery tools for small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules and iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs)

We here exploit pH-responsive nanogels as carriers to deliver functional anti-GFP siRNA and superparamagnetic IONPs to HeLa-GFP cells. The siRNA release via pH-mediated endosomal escape is shown. The IONPs act first as magnetofection agents to boost cellular uptake and then as probes to track the release mechanism by electron microscopy.     

Microfluorescence analysis of nanostructuring inhomogeneity in optical fibers with embedded gallium oxide nanocrystals

A spectroscopic protocol is proposed to implement confocal microfluorescence imaging to the analysis of microinhomogeneity in the nanocrystallization of the core of fibers belonging to a new kind of broadband fiber amplifier based on glass with embedded nanocrystals. Nanocrystallization, crucial for achieving an adequate light emission efficiency of transition metal ions in these materials, has to be as homogeneous as possible in the fiber to assure optical amplification. This requirement calls for a sensitive method for monitoring nanostructuring in oxide glasses. Here we show that mapping microfluorescence excited at 633 nm by a He-Ne laser may give a useful tool in this regard, thanks to quasi-resonant excitation of coordination defects typical of germanosilicate materials, such as nonbridging oxygens and charged Ge-O-Ge sites, whose fluorescence are shown to undergo spectral modifications when nanocrystals form into the glass. The method has been positively checked on prototypes of optical fibers--preventively characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy--fabricated from preforms of Ni-doped Li?O-Na?O-Sb?O?-Ga?O?-GeO?-SiO? glass in silica cladding and subjected to heat treatment to activate gallium oxide nanocrystal growth. The method indeed enables not only the mapping of the crystallization degree but also the identification of drawing-induced defects in the fiber cladding.     

Continuous flow synthesis and scale-up of glycine- and taurine-conjugated bile salts

A multi-gram scale protocol for the N-acyl amidation of bile acids with glycine and taurine has been successfully developed under continuous flow processing conditions. Selecting ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) as the model compound and N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline (EEDQ) as the condensing agent, a modular mesoreactor assisted flow set-up was employed to significantly speed up the optimization of the reaction conditions and the flow scale-up synthesis. The results in terms of yield, in line purification, analysis, and implemented flow set-up for the reaction optimization and large scale production are reported and discussed.     

Sparse 1D discrete Dirac operators I: Quantum transport

Some dynamical lower bounds for one-dimensional discrete Dirac operators with different classes of sparse potentials are presented, and the particular role of the particle mass is emphasized.     

Matrix completion problems over integral domains: The case with a diagonal of prescribed blocks

Let $\mathfrak{R}$ be an arbitrary integral domain, let $\wedge =\{{\lambda }_1\text{,}\dots \text{,}{\lambda }_n\}$ be a multiset of elements of $\mathfrak{R}$, let $\sigma$ be a permutation of $\{1\text{,}\dots \text{,}k\}$ let $n_1\text{,}\dots \text{,}{n}_k$ be positive integers such that $n_1+?+n_k=n$, and for $r=1\text{,}\dots \text{,}k$ let $A_r\in {\mathfrak{R}}^{n_r\times n_{\sigma (r)}}$. We are interested in the problem of finding a block matrix $Q={\left[Q_{\mathit{rs}}\right]}_{r\text{,}s=1}^k\in {\mathfrak{R}}^{n\times n}$ with spectrum $\mathrm{\Lambda }$ and such that $Q_{r\sigma (r)}=A_r$ for $r=1\text{,}\dots \text{,}k$. Cravo and Silva completely characterized the existence of such a matrix when $\mathfrak{R}$ is a field. In this work we construct a solution matrix $Q$ that solves the problem when $\mathfrak{R}$ is an integral domain with two exceptions: (i) $k=2$; (ii) $k\ge 3$, $\sigma (r)=r$ and $n_r>n/2$ for some $r$.What makes this work quite unique in this area is that we consider the problem over the more general algebraic structure of integral domains, which includes the important case of integers. Furthermore, we provide an explicit and easy to implement finite step algorithm that constructs an specific solution matrix (we point out that Cravo and Silva’s proof is not constructive).