Tetrablock Metallopolymer Electrochromes

Multi‐block polymers are highly desirable for their addressable functions that are both unique and complementary among the blocks. With metal‐containing polymers, the goal is even more challenging insofar as the metal properties may considerably extend the materials functions to sensing, catalysis, interaction with metal nanoparticles, and electro‐ or photochrome switching. Ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) has become available for the formation of living polymers using highly efficient initiators such as the 3rd generation Grubbs catalyst [RuCl₂(NHC)(=CHPh)(3‐Br‐C₅H₄N)₂], 1 . Among the 24 possibilities to introduce 4 blocks of metallopolymers into a tetrablock metallocopolymer by ROMP using the catalyst 1 , two viable pathways are disclosed. The synthesis, characterization, electrochemistry, electron‐transfer chemistry, and remarkable electrochromic properties of these new nanomaterials are presented.     

Sequencing 5‐Hydroxymethyluracil at Single‐Base Resolution

5‐hydroxymethyluracil (5hmU) is formed through oxidation of thymine both enzymatically and non‐enzymatically in various biological systems. Although 5hmU has been reported to affect biological processes such as protein–DNA interactions, the consequences of 5hmU formation in genomes have not been yet fully explored. Herein, we report a method to sequence 5hmU at single‐base resolution. We employ chemical oxidation to transform 5hmU to 5‐formyluracil (5fU), followed by the polymerase extension to induce T‐to‐C base changes owing to the inherent ability of 5fU to form 5fU:G base pairing. In combination with the Illumina next generation sequencing technology, we developed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) conditions to amplify the T‐to‐C base changes and demonstrate the method in three different synthetic oligonucleotide models as well as part of the genome of a 5hmU‐rich eukaryotic pathogen. Our method has the potential capability to map 5hmU in genomic DNA and thus will contribute to promote the understanding of this modified base.     

Neutron Transverse-Momentum Distributions and Polarized 3He within Light-Front Hamiltonian Dynamics

The possibility to extract the quark transverse-momentum distributions in the neutron from semi-inclusive deep inelastic electron scattering off polarized ³He is illustrated through an impulse approximation analysis in the Bjorken limit. The generalization of the analysis at finite momentum transfers in a Poincaré covariant framework is outlined. The definition of the light-front spin-dependent spectral function of a J = 1/2 system allows us to show that within the light-front dynamics only three of the six leading twist T-even transverse-momentum distributions are independent.     

Efficient numerical analysis of optical imaging data: A comparative study

The computational efficiency of 14 optical detectors over six types of transformations, namely: blur, illumination, rotation, viewpoint, zoom, and zoom-rotation changes, was analyzed. Images with the same resolution (750 × 500 pixels) were studied, in terms of correspondences, repeatability and computing time, and the correspondence was measured by using homographies i.e. projective transformations, to obtain the best efficiency for imaging applications. Results show that the multi-scale Harris Hessian detector is the most efficient for blur, illumination, and zoom-rotation changes. Meanwhile, multi-scale Hessian and Hessian Laplace are the best methods for rotation, viewpoint, and zoom changes.     

Oxide/metal interface distance and epitaxial strain in the NiO/Ag(001) system

Geometric parameters of NiO films epitaxially grown on Ag(001) were determined using two independent experimental techniques and ab initio simulations. Primary beam diffraction modulated electron emission experiments determined that the NiO films grow with O on top of Ag and that the oxide/metal interface distance is d=2.3+/-0.1 A. Polarization-dependent x-ray absorption, at the Ni-K edge, determined the tetragonal strain (r( parallel )=2.046+/-0.009 A, r( perpendicular )=2.12+/-0.02 A) and d=2.37+/-0.05 A. Periodic slab model results agree with the experiments (d=2.40, r( parallel )=2.07, r( perpendicular )=2.10 A; the O-on-top configuration is the most stable).     

A Tsallis’ statistics based neural network model for novel word learning

We invoke the Tsallis entropy formalism, a nonextensive entropy measure, to include some degree of non-locality in a neural network that is used for simulation of novel word learning in adults. A generalization of the gradient descent dynamics, realized via nonextensive cost functions, is used as a learning rule in a simple perceptron. The model is first investigated for general properties, and then tested against the empirical data, gathered from simple memorization experiments involving two populations of linguistically different subjects. Numerical solutions of the model equations corresponded to the measured performance states of human learners. In particular, we found that the memorization tasks were executed with rather small but population-specific amounts of nonextensivity, quantified by the entropic index q. Our findings raise the possibility of using entropic nonextensivity as a means of characterizing the degree of complexity of learning in both natural and artificial systems.     

Mechanochemical Route for the Synthesis of Cobalt Ferrite–Silica and Iron–Cobalt Alloy–Silica Nanocomposites

CoFe₂O₄–SiO₂ and Fe–Co alloy–SiO₂ nanocomposites were prepared by high energy ball milling of Si, -Fe₂O₃, Co₃O₄ and SiO₂ mixtures, followed by thermal treatment under appropriate oxidative/reductive conditions. XRD and TEM measurements carried out after 50 h of milling show highly dispersed unidentified reaction products. Further thermal treatment at 900°C in air leads to spherical CoFe₂O₄ nanocrystals (NCs) with a narrow size distribution centered around 2.5 nm, uniformly dispersed in the amorphous SiO₂ matrix. Reduction of this sample in a H₂ flow at 800°C produces a mixture of dispersed metallic cobalt and iron silicate with traces of Fe–Co alloy NCs. Reduction of the as-milled sample, on the contrary, leads almost completely to Fe–Co alloy NCs uniformly dispersed in the SiO₂ matrix and with an average particles size around 11.2 nm.     

On the Stability of a Class of Modified Gravitational Models

Motivated by the dark energy issue, a minisuperspace approach to the stability for modified gravitational models in a four dimensional cosmological setting is investigated. Specifically, after revisiting the f(R) case, R being the Ricci curvature, we present a stability condition around a de Sitter solution valid for modified gravitational models of generalized type F(R,G,Q), G and Q being the Gauss-Bonnet and quadratic Riemann invariants respectively. A generalization to higher order invariants is presented.     

VIP-2 —High-Sensitivity Tests on the Pauli Exclusion Principle for Electrons

The VIP collaboration is performing high sensitivity tests of the Pauli Exclusion Principle for electrons in the extremely low cosmic background environment of the underground Gran Sasso National Laboratory INFN (Italy). In particular, the VIP-2 Open Systems experiment was conceived to put strong constraints on those Pauli Exclusion Principle violation models which respect the so-called Messiah–Greenberg superselection rule. The experimental technique consists of introducing a direct current in a copper conductor, and searching for the X-rays emission coming from a forbidden atomic transition from the L shell to the K shell of copper when the K shell is already occupied by two electrons. The analysis of the first three months of collected data (in 2018) is presented. The obtained result represents the best bound on the Pauli Exclusion Principle violation probability which fulfills the Messiah–Greenberg rule.