Influence of bubble clustering on multibubble sonoluminescence

Influence of clustering of cavitation bubbles on multibubble sonoluminescence (MBSL) in standing wave fields is studied through measurement of MBSL intensity with a photomultiplier tube and observation of corresponding bubble behavior with a high-speed video camera and an intensified charge-coupled device one. It is clarified that, when the SL is quenched suddenly at excessive ultrasonic power, the behavior of bubbles clearly changes; the bubbles which form dendritic branches of filaments change into clusters due to the secondary Bjerknes force. The cluster is composed of several bubbles surrounded by many tiny bubbles, in which bubbles repeatedly coalesce and fragment, and run away from pressure antinodes. When the clusters are broken up by forced fluid motion, the quenching of MBSL is suppressed.     

Spin distributions in the vibrational excitations of closed-shell nuclei

Self-consistent Hartree-Fock and RPA calculations with the Skyrme-type interaction SGII are used for a systematic investigation of the 1⁺ and the triplet 0^?, 1^?, 2^? states in ⁴⁰Ca and ²⁰⁸Pb. Response functions to spin-dependent multipole operators are calculated and the particle-hole structure of the spin-dependent collective states is studied. Collective spin-dependent 0^? and 1^? states above the giant dipole resonance as well as a collective spin-independent 2^? state (twist mode) are identified. Transition spin and current densities are calculated for the collective excitations and found to be useful for the study of these excitation modes.     

X-ray absorption spectroscopic study on the electronic structure of Li(1)(-)(x)()CoPO(4) electrodes as 4.8 V positive electrodes for rechargeable lithium ion batteries

Changes in the electronic structure of olivine Li(1-x)CoPO(4), 4.8 V positive electrode material for lithium ion batteries, were investigated using the X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) technique. The threshold energy in the Co K-edge increased with electrochemical Li removal, indicating the oxidation of cobalt ions due to charge compensation. Moreover, P and O K-edge XAS showed a slight shift in threshold energy with Li removal. Although it is generally believed that the electrons of PO(4) polyanion do not contribute to the oxidation process, present experimental results indicate changes in the electronic structure around PO(4) units. Such results would be interpreted by the idea of the hybridization effect between the Co 3d and O 2p orbitals and of the polarization effect introduced by Li ions.     

Investigation on the arrangement of lithium ions in LixLa(1/3)NbO3 with perovskite structure

The relationship between the Li arrangement and the electrochemical behavior has been examined as a function of composition x in electrochemically lithiated A-site deficient perovskite, Li(x)()La(1/3)NbO(3). The cell potential diagram and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) study indicated that the Li ions are inserted into the vacant Perovskite A-site with an electrochemical reaction. In addition, the derivatives of the cell potential diagram showed three cathodic peaks, indicating a stepwise Li insertion mechanism takes place. Such a stepwise behavior would be ascribed to the changes in arrangement of inserted Li ions in the Perovskite lattice, since the XRD patterns of pristine La(1/3)NbO(3) showed that the La arrangement in La(1/3)NbO(3) was ordered along the c-axis, causing two kinds of A-site vacancies. To reveal the changes in the arrangement of Li ions, the entropy measurement of the reaction was performed by both the electrochemical and the calorimetric techniques. Moreover, the formation energy of the Perovskite structure with various Li arrangements was compared by using an ab initio calculation. The results of experiment and computation suggested that the electrochemical reaction proceeded via two kinds of superstructures of Li(1/6)La(1/3)NbO(3) and Li(1/2)La(1/3)NbO(3) due to the ordered arrangement of Li ions.     

Dual Meissner effect and magnetic displacement currents

The dual Meissner effect is observed without monopoles in quenched SU(2) QCD with Landau gauge fixing. Magnetic displacement currents that are time-dependent Abelian magnetic fields act as solenoidal currents squeezing Abelian electric fields. Monopoles are not always necessary for the dual Meissner effect. A mean-field calculation suggests that the dual Meissner effect through the mass generation of the Abelian electric field is related to a gluon condensate A(a)(mu)A(a)(mu) not equal 0 of mass dimension 2.     

Del Pezzo surface fibrations obtained by blow-up of a smooth curve in a projective manifold

This Note is devoted to the study of the Fano manifolds X obtained by blow-up along a smooth curve C in a complex projective manifold Y. By the Mori theory, we can ensure the existence of an extremal contraction $\phi :X\to Z$ different from the blow-up $\pi :X\to Y$. Here we give the complete classification of the corresponding pairs $(Y,C)$ in the case where φ is a fiber type contraction of relative dimension 2, i.e. the general fibers of φ are del Pezzo surfaces. In Tsukioka (Thesis, Nancy University 1, 2005), the relative dimension 1 case is also considered. To cite this article: T. Tsukioka, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 340 (2005).     

Improved sensitivity for insulin in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry by premixing alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid matrix with transferrin

This report describes an enhancement of the signal intensities of proteins and peptides in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). When alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA) premixed with human transferrin (Tf) was used as a matrix, the signal intensity of insulin was amplified to more than ten times that of the respective control in CHCA without Tf. The detection limit of insulin was 0.39 fmol on-probe in the presence of Tf, while it was 6.3 fmol in the absence of Tf. The signal intensity of insulin was also enhanced when the CHCA matrix was premixed with proteins other than Tf (80 kDa), such as horse ferritin (20 kDa), bovine serum albumin (BSA, 66 kDa), or human immunoglobulin G (150 kDa). The optimum spectrum of insulin was obtained when the added amount of protein was in the range 0.26-0.62 pmol, regardless of the molecular weight of the added protein. Tf and BSA outperformed the other tested proteins, as determined by improvements in the resulting spectra. When the mass spectra of several peptides and proteins were recorded in the presence of Tf or BSA, the signal intensities of large peptides such as glucagon were enhanced, though those of smaller peptides were not enhanced. In addition, the signal enhancement achieved with Tf and BSA was more pronounced for the proteins, including cytochrome C, than for the large peptides. This enhancement effect could be applied to improve the sensitivity of MALDI-TOFMS to large peptides and proteins.     

Total synthesis of ingenol

A total synthesis of the biologically important diterpene ingenol has been completed. Ring-closing olefin metathesis was used to construct the strained "inside-outside" tetracyclic skeleton, and a series of diastereoselective reactions were employed to complete the synthesis. Another naturally occurring ingenane, 20-deoxyingenol, has also been prepared.