Family of cadmium acetate coordination networks with structurally diverse [Cd4(OAc)9(μ3-OH)]2- secondary building units

By subtly varying crystallization conditions, four distinct cadmium acetate coordination networks with unit cell formulas Cd(87)(H(2)O)(36)(EtOH)(18)(OH)(12)(CH(3)CO(2))(162) (1), Cd(87)(H(2)O)(72)(OH)(12)(CH(3)CO(2))(162) (2), Cd(10)(H(2)O)(6)(OH)(2)(CH(3)CO(2))(18) (3), and Cd(20)(H(2)O)(20)(OH)(4)(CH(3)CO(2))(36) (4) have been isolated. The coordination networks exhibit interesting structural diversity and have been investigated by powder X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, thermal gravimetric analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. All four complexes are composed of secondary building units with the general formula [Cd(4)(OAc)(9)(μ(3)-OH)](2-). Complexes 1 and 2 exhibit a remarkable three-dimensional network composed of aligned columns, each 4.5 nm long, containing three different cadmium acetate clusters. Complexes 3 and 4 extend in two-dimensions with each unit cell repeating a different linkage isomer of the [Cd(4)(OAc)(9)(μ(3)-OH)](2-) cluster.     

Demystifying DEA — A Visual Interactive Approach Based on Multiple Criteria Analysis

Both Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Multiple Criteria Analysis (MCA) can be used to assess the efficiency with which units perform similar tasks. This paper describes an approach derived from the integration of data envelopment analysis and a multi-attribute value function. This approach is implemented as a visual interactive decision support system, the use of which is illustrated by a practical application. The authors feel that this approach overcomes some of the limitations of the original DEA approach and, in particular, increases users' understanding of DEA. The approach is particularly well suited to the analysis of the efficiency of a small number of units.     

A proposed semiconductor laser pump-probe source

A model is presented which determines the output from a semiconductor laser as a function of the direct current (d.c.) and radio frequency (r.f.) current applied to the laser. It is shown that by adjusting these two components the output optical pulse from a laser can be shifted in time without change to the pulse shape or height. Experimental results are presented which support the model. It is suggested how these results can be used to produce a semiconductor pump-probe source, which is essential for the development of optical probing.     

Time-resolved fluorescence with an optical-fiber probe

Time-resolved fluorescence measurements are made with an optical-fiber probe approximately 16 m long. Fluorescence lifetimes for 1.00 μM solutions of rhodamine-B and rose bengal in ethanol were found to be 2.78 ± 0.04 ns and 0.77 ± 0.07 ns, respectively, similarin accuracy and precision to values obtained with conventional techniques. Calculations are used to investigate the limitations in remote determinations caused by temporal broadening. Results indicate that fiber lengths approaching 1 km can be used without significant loss in accuracy or precision.     

Kinetically locked, trinuclear Ru(II) metallo-macrocycles--synthesis, electrochemical, and optical properties

Using a [Ru(II)([9]aneS3)] templating moiety, kinetically-locked, metallomacrocycles incorporating adenine based ligands have been synthesised through self-assembly. The kinetically robust nature of these structures is confirmed by electrochemical studies: each can be reversibly oxidised in a four-member redox series, containing two formally mixed valence states. Unusually, the electrochemically derived comproportionation constants for these mixed valence states are very different, suggesting that intermetallic coupling differs between the two states. Spectroelectochemistry studies confirm that while the [Ru(II)2Ru(III)] state is valence localised, the [Ru(II)Ru(III)2] state is electronically delocalised. Mechanisms by which this switching effect could occur, which involve the unusual connectivities in these mixed valence species, are presented.     

Molecular beam epitaxy growth and properties of GaAs/(AlGa)As p-type heterostructures on (100), (011), (111)B, (211)B, (311)B, and (311)A oriented GaAs

We report on a series of Be-doped GaAs/AlGaAs two-dimensional hole gas (2DHG) structures grown on (110), (111)B, (211)B and (311)B oriented substrates and compare their properties with high-mobility samples grown on (311)A using Si doping. The samples were prepared and grown under the same conditions so as to render them comparable. They are found to have mobilities which are strongly anisotropic within the plane. The highest mobility is found on the (110) surface with 100,000 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, while the (211) surface gave the lowest values 10,000 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. However, the later samples are found to have quantum Hall effect critical currents of >70 μA: an exceptionally high value for a hole gas which makes them suitable for metrology. All the samples show strong low-field positive magnetoresistance with resistance increases of up to 30% at magnetic fields of only 0.1 T. The presence of this feature on all the different planes shows that it does not depend upon the details of the band structure. It is identified with the lifting of the degeneracy of the spin sub-bands by the asymmetrical potential giving rise to a classical two-band magnetoreresistance.     

Factors affecting the loudness of modulated sounds.

Loudness matches were obtained between unmodulated carriers and carriers that were amplitude modulated either periodically (rates between 2 and 32 Hz, modulation sinusoidal either on a linear amplitude scale or on a dB scale; the latter is called dB modulation) or with the envelope of the speech of a single talker. The carrier was a 4-kHz sinusoid, white noise, or speech-shaped noise. Both normally hearing subjects and subjects with cochlear hearing loss were tested. Results were expressed as the root-mean-square (rms) level of the modulated carrier minus the level of the unmodulated carrier at the point of equal loudness. If this difference is positive, this indicates that the modulated carrier has a higher rms level at the point of equal loudness. For normally hearing subjects, the results show: (1) For a 4000-Hz sinusoidal carrier, the difference was slightly positive (averaging about 0.7 dB). There was no significant effect of modulation rate or level over the range 20-80 dB SL. (2) For a speech-shaped noise or white noise carrier, the difference was close to zero, although for large modulation depths it tended to be negative. There was no clear effect of level (over the range 35-75 dB SPL) or modulation rate. For the hearing-impaired subjects, the differences were small, but tended to be slightly negative for both the 4000-Hz carrier and the noise carriers, when the modulation rate was above 2 Hz. Again, there was no clear effect of overall level. However, for dB modulation, the differences became more negative with increasing modulation depth. For modulation rates in the range 4-32 Hz, the results could be fitted reasonably well using the assumption that the loudness of modulated sounds is based on the rms value of the time-varying intensity of the response of the basilar membrane (taking into account the compression that occurs in the normal cochlea). The implications of the results for the fitting of multi-band compression hearing aids and for the design of loudness meters are discussed.     

The connected Vietoris powerlocale

The connected Vietoris powerlocale is defined as a strong monad Vc on the category of locales. VcX is a sublocale of Johnstone's Vietoris powerlocale VX, a localic analogue of the Vietoris hyperspace, and its points correspond to the weakly semifitted sublocales of X that are “strongly connected”. A product map ×:VcX×VcY→Vc(X×Y) shows that the product of two strongly connected sublocales is strongly connected. If X is locally connected then VcX is overt. For the localic completion of a generalized metric space Y, the points of are certain Cauchy filters of formal balls for the finite power set FY with respect to a Vietoris metric.Application to the point-free real line R gives a choice-free constructive version of the Intermediate Value Theorem and Rolle's Theorem.The work is topos-valid (assuming natural numbers object). Vc is a geometric construction.     

Metric-affine gravity and the Nester–Witten 2-form

In this paper we redefine the well-known metric-affine Hilbert Lagrangian in terms of a spin connection and a spin-tetrad. On applying the Poincaré–Cartan method and using the geometry of gauge-natural bundles, a global gravitational superpotential is derived. On specializing to the case of the Kosmann lift, we recover the result originally found by Kijowski [Gen. Rel. Gravity 9 (1978) (10) 857] for the metric (natural) Hilbert Lagrangian. On choosing a different, suitable lift, we can also recover the Nester–Witten 2-form, which plays an important role in the energy positivity proof and in many quasi-local definitions of mass.     

Ferromagnetic spin ordering in disordered Sr2FeMoO6 films

Epitaxial films of Sr₂FeMoO₆ were grown on SrTiO₃ (100) substrates by pulsed laser deposition; optimised growth conditions give a saturation magnetization of 4.0μ_B implying a high degree of B-site ordering. The films show very high crystallinity and smooth surfaces. We have compared the B-site disorder in the films with saturation magnetization and show that the rate of suppression with disorder is lower than that suggested by Monte Carlo simulations, suggesting the ferromagnetic coupling in the Fe/Mo sublattices.