Quark-hadron duality in neutron (3He) spin structure

We present experimental results of the first high-precision test of quark-hadron duality in the spin-structure function g_{1} of the neutron and 3He using a polarized 3He target in the four-momentum-transfer-squared range from 0.7 to 4.0 (GeV/c);{2}. Global duality is observed for the spin-structure function g_{1} down to at least Q;{2}=1.8 (GeV/c);{2} in both targets. We have also formed the photon-nucleon asymmetry A1 in the resonance region for 3He and found no strong Q2 dependence above 2.2 (GeV/c);{2}.     

Generation of low-timing-jitter femtosecond pulse trains with 2 GHz repetition rate via external repetition rate multiplication

Generation of low-timing-jitter 150 fs pulse trains at 1560 nm with 2 GHz repetition rate is demonstrated by locking a 200 MHz fundamental polarization additive-pulse mode-locked erbium fiber laser to high-finesse external Fabry-Perot cavities. The timing jitter and relative intensity noise of the repetition-rate multiplied pulse train are investigated.     

Elastic stability of DNA configurations. II. Supercoiled plasmids with self-contact

Configurations of protein-free DNA miniplasmids are calculated with the effects of impenetrability and self-contact forces taken into account by using exact solutions of Kirchhoff's equations of equilibrium for elastic rods of circular cross section. Bifurcation diagrams are presented as graphs of excess link, DeltaL, versus writhe, W, and the stability criteria derived in paper I of this series are employed in a search for regions of such diagrams that correspond to configurations that are stable, in the sense that they give local minima to elastic energy. Primary bifurcation branches that originate at circular configurations are composed of configurations with D(m) symmetry (m=2,3,...). Among the results obtained are the following. (i) There are configurations with C2 symmetry forming secondary bifurcation branches which emerge from the primary branch with m=3, and bifurcation of such secondary branches gives rise to tertiary branches of configurations without symmetry. (ii) Whether or not self-contact occurs, a noncircular configuration in the primary branch with m=2, called branch alpha, is stable when for it the derivative dDeltaL/dW, computed along that branch, is strictly positive. (iii) For configurations not in alpha, the condition dDeltaL/dW>0 is not sufficient for stability; in fact, each nonplanar contact-free configuration that is in a branch other than alpha is unstable. A rule relating the number of points of self-contact and the occurrence of intervals of such contact to the magnitude of DeltaL, which in paper I was found to hold for segments of DNA subject to strong anchoring end conditions, is here observed to hold for computed configurations of protein-free miniplasmids.     

Tetrasubstituted Peropyrenes Formed by Reductive Aromatization: Synthesis,Functionalization and Characterization

The chromophore class of 1,3,8,10-tetrasubstituted peropyrenes was effectively synthesized from peropyrenequinone via a Zn-mediated reductive aromatization approach. In one step, a symmetric functionalization of the peropyrene backbone introducing silylethers ( 2 , 3 ), pivaloyl ( 4 ), triflyl ( 5 ) and also phosphinite ( 6 ) groups was established. Furthermore, the potential of using 4 and 5 in transition metal catalysed cross couplings was explored leading to 1,3,8,10-tetraaryl ( 8 - 11 ) and tetraalkynyl ( 7 ) peropyrenes. The influence of various substituents on the optoelectronic properties of these π-system extended peropyrenes was investigated in solid state by means of X-ray crystallography, in solution by means of UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy and by their redox properties studied via cyclic voltammetry. By comparison with DFT and TD-DFT calculations, it could be elucidated that introduction of a broad variety of substituents in such versatile one or two step procedures leads to peropyrenes with easily tunable HOMO and LUMO energies ranging in a gap window of 0.8 eV. The frontier molecular orbital energies identify the target molecules as promising candidates for hole transporting semiconductors.     

Synthesis and Optoelectronic Properties of a Quinoxalino-Phenanthrophenazine (QPP) Extended Tribenzotriquinacene (TBTQ)

A six-step synthesis towards a tribenzotriquinacene (TBTQ) bearing three quinoxalinophenanthrophenazine (QPP) units is presented. The optoelectronic properties are investigated and the effect of the three-dimensional arrangement of the individual QPP planes is examined using optical spectroscopy, electrochemical analysis and quantum-chemical calculations.     

Enhanced Thermal Oxidation Stability of Reduced Graphene Oxide by Nitrogen Doping

Nitrogen‐doped reduced graphene oxide (N‐doped RGO) samples with a high level of doping, up to 13 wt. %, have been prepared by annealing graphene oxide under a flow of pure ammonia. The presence of nitrogen within the structure of RGO induces a remarkable increase in the thermal stability against oxidation by air. The thermal stability is closely related with the temperature of synthesis and the nitrogen content. The combustion reaction of nitrogen in different coordination environments (pyridinic, pyrrolic, and graphitic) is analyzed against a graphene fragment (undoped) from a thermodynamic point of view. In agreement with the experimental observations, the combustion of undoped graphene turns out to be more spontaneous than when nitrogen atoms are present.