Site symmetry and crystal field splittings of Ce 3+ in LiLuF 4 and LiSr 0.8 Ca 0.2 AlF 6

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of Ce 3+ in LiLuF 4 (LLF) and LiSr 0.8 Ca 0.2 AlF 6 (LSCAF) observed at low temperatures (<20 v K) show that the Ce 3+ centers have tetragonal and pseudo-trigonal symmetry with ( g , g )=(2.751, 1.467) and (2.14, 0.80), respectively. The EPR lines of Ce 3+ in LSCAF are inhomogeneously broadened by different Ce 3+ configurations which correspond to the random occupation of the second nearest neighbor cation sites by Ca 2+ and Sr 2+ and/or charge compensators. These EPR results indicate that the Ce 3+ centers in LLF and LSCAF are associated with substitution of Ce 3+ for Lu 3+ with eight-fold coordination and Sr 2+ /Ca 2+ with six-fold coordination, respectively. Fourier transform infrared absorption has been used to measure transitions between the 2 F 5/2 ground state and the 2 F 7/2 multiplet of Ce 3+ in LLF at 10 v K. The optical absorption and luminescence of Ce 3+ :LLF and Ce 3+ :LSCAF in the UV range are strongly polarized. The energy levels and polarization dependence of the optical transitions can be accounted for in terms of the crystal field potential experienced by the Ce 3+ ions under the action of the different point group symmetries.     

Study of γ d → π + π − d Reaction in an Energy Region of 0.67 ≤ E γ ≤ 1.08 GeV

Double charged pion photoproductions from the deuteron have been studied at Research Center for Electron Photon Science (ELPH), Tohoku University. Tagged photon beams in an energy range of 0.67 ≤ E _γ ≤ 1.08 GeV were impinged on the liquid deuteron target. Produced charged particles were observed with the Neutral Kaon Spectrometer2 (NKS2). The γ d → π ⁺ π ^? d process was clearly separated among the three charged tracks. We obtained the photon energy dependence of the normalized yields of this process.     

Measurement of temporal changes in vocal tract area function from 3D cine-MRI data

A 3D cine-MRI technique was developed based on a synchronized sampling method [Masaki et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Jpn. E 20, 375-379 (1999)] to measure the temporal changes in the vocal tract area function during a short utterance /aiueo/ in Japanese. A time series of head-neck volumes was obtained after 640 repetitions of the utterance produced by a male speaker, from which area functions were extracted frame-by-frame. A region-based analysis showed that the volumes of the front and back cavities tend to change reciprocally and that the areas near the larynx and posterior edge of the hard palate were almost constant throughout the utterance. The lower four formants were calculated from all the area functions and compared with those of natural speech sounds. The mean absolute percent error between calculated and measured formants among all the frames was 4.5%. The comparison of vocal tract shapes for the five vowels with those from the static MRI method suggested a problem of MRI observation of the vocal tract: data from static MRI tend to result in a deviation from natural vocal tract geometry because of the gravity effect.     

Effect of pressure on the electrical resistivity and magnetism in updsn

The electrical resistivity of a UPdSn single crystal exerted to various hydrostatic pressures was measured as a function of temperature and magnetic field. Clear anomalies in the temperature dependence of resistivity along the c-axis mark the magnetic phase transitions between paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic (AF) state at T _N and the AF1?AF2 transition at T ₁. Large negative magnetoresistance effects have been observed not only in the AF state as a result of the metamagnetic transition to canted structure at B _c , but also at temperatures far above T _N . The latter result is attributed to the existence of AF correlations or short range AF orderings in the paramagnetic range. The value of T _N increases with increasing applied pressure, whereas T ₁ simultaneously decreases. It is also found that B _c decreases with increasing pressure. As a consequence, the stability range of the AF-1 phase expands with applied pressure partially on account of the ground-state AF-2 phase.     

Gas chromatographic determination of estrone,estradiol and estriol in non-pregnancy plasma

Summary A gas Chromatographic method for the determination of estrone, estradiol and estriol in plasma of normal females is described. Purification is done by means of TLC of the free compounds and the acetates and quantitation is achieved by electron capture-gas chromatography of the estrogen heptafluorobutyrates. Experiments on the validation of the method are described along with some examples of its application.

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Zusammenfassung Eine gaschromatographische Methode zur Bestimmung von Östron, Östradiol und Östriol im normalen weiblichen Plasma wurde beschrieben. Die Reinigung erfolgte durch Dünnschichtchromatographie der freien Verbindungen und ihrer Acetate. Die quantitative Bestimmung wurde gaschromatographisch mit Hilfe eines Elektroneneinfangdetektors an Hand der Östrogenheptafluorobutyrate bewerkstelligt. Versuche zur Bewertung dieser Methode sowie Beispiele für ihre Anwendung wurden beschrieben.

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Supported by USPHS Grants AM 09908 and RCDA 5 K 3-AM-31, 321 (S. K.) and a grant from the Ford Foundation.     

Transmission electron microscopy study of an AlN nucleation layer for the growth of GaN on a 7-degree off-oriented (0 0 1) Si substrate by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

We have investigated the morphology of the high-temperature-grown AlN nucleation layer and its role in the early stage of GaN growth, by means of transmission electron microscopy. The nitride was selectively grown on a 7-degree off-oriented (0 0 1) patterned Si substrate by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. AlN was deposited on the inclined unmasked (1 1 1) facet in the form of islands. The size of the islands varied along the slope, which is attributable to the diffusion of the growth species in the vapor phase. The GaN nucleation occurred at the region where rounded AlN islands formed densely. The threading dislocations were observed to generate in the GaN nucleated region.     

Improved Crystallinity of Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl):[6,6]-Phenyl-C61 Butyric Acid Methyl Ester Film by Pulsed Electrospray Deposition

We investigated crystallinity parameters and ordering domains of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) blended in [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester films, which were fabricated by pulsed electrospray deposition methods. The crystallinity parameter and the ordering domain were estimated from Raman and optical absorption spectra, respectively. As a result, they were improved with decreasing the off time of pulse voltage, corresponding to the slow evaporation speed of solvent. In addition, both the space-charge limited current mobility and the photoconversion efficiency showed same trend. A highest photoconversion efficiency of 1.11 % was achieved without the thermal annealing process after depositing the active layer.     

Trypanocidal terpenoids from Laurus nobilis L

Trypanocidal constituents of dried leaves of Laurus nobilis L. (Lauraceae) were examined. Activity-guided fractionation of the methanol extract resulted in the isolation of two guaianolides, dehydrocostus lactone (1) and zaluzanin D (2), and a new p-menthane hydroperoxide, (1R,4S)-1-hydroperoxy-p-menth-2-en-8-ol acetate (3). The minimum lethal concentrations of these compounds against epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi were 6.3, 2.5, and 1.4 microM, respectively.     

Progress toward the total synthesis of ciguatoxins: a convergent synthesis of the FGHIJKLM ring fragment

[structure: see text] A highly convergent synthetic route to the FGHIJKLM ring fragment of ciguatoxins has been developed, which relied on extensive use of the B-alkyl Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction.     

Marstomentosides O-T polyoxypregnane glycosides from Marsdenia tomentosa

Thirteen pregnane glycosides were isolated from fresh leaves of Marsdenia tomentosa collected in the Fukuyama district. Of these, six were glycosides previously obtained from the same plant collected in the Fukuoka district and one from another Asclepiadaceous plant. The structures of the six new glycosides were determined by spectrometric method.