Improved direct measurement of the parity-violation parameter Ab using a mass tag and momentum-weighted track charge

We present an improved direct measurement of the parity-violation parameter A(b) in the Z boson-b-quark coupling using a self-calibrating track-charge technique applied to a sample enriched in Z-->bb events via the topological reconstruction of the B hadron mass. Manipulation of the Stanford Linear Collider electron-beam polarization permits the measurement of A(b) to be made independently of other Z-pole coupling parameters. From the 1996-1998 sample of 400,000 hadronic Z decays, produced with an average beam polarization of 73.4%, we find A(b)=0.906+/-0.022(stat)+/-0.023(syst).     

Three-dimensional magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging of histologically confirmed brain tumors

The goal of this study was to determine whether presurgical metabolite levels measured by 3D MR Spectroscopic Imaging (MRSI) can accurately detect viable cancer within human brain tumor masses. A total of 31 patients (33 exams, 39 pathology correlations) with brain tumors were studied prior to surgical biopsy and/or resection. The 3D MRSI was obtained with a spatial resolution of 0.2 to 1 cc throughout the majority of the mass and adjacent brain tissue using PRESS-CSI localization. Levels of choline, creatine and NAA were estimated from the locations of the resected tissue and normalized to normal appearing brain tissue. The data were correlated with subsequent histologic analysis of the biopsy tissue samples. Although there were large variations in the metabolite ratios, all regions of confirmed cancer demonstrated significant choline levels and a mean choline/NAA ratio of 5.84 + 2.58 with the lowest value being 1.3. This lowest value is greater than 4 standard deviations above the mean (0.52 +/- 0.13) found in 8 normal volunteers. The choline signal intensities in confirmed cancers were significantly elevated compared to normal appearing brain tissue with a mean ratio of 1.71 +/- 0.69. Spectra with no significant metabolite levels were observed in the non-enhancing necrotic core of the tumor masses. The results of this study indicate that 3D MRSI of brain tumors can detect abnormal metabolite levels in regions of viable cancer and grades and can differentiate cancer from necrosis and/or normal brain tissue.     

Trigger efficiencies at BESⅢ

Trigger efficiencies at BESⅢ were determined for both the J/ψ and ψ＇ data taking of 2009. Both dedicated runs and physics datasets are used; efficiencies are presented for Bhabha-scattering events, generic hadronic decay events involving charged tracks, dimuon events and ψ＇→π＋π-J/ψ, J/ψ→ 1＋1- events.The efficiencies are found to lie well above 99% for all relevant physics cases, thus fulfilling the BESⅢ design specifications.     

A non-analytic proof of the newman—znám result for disjoint covering systems

A direct combinatorial proof is given to a generalization of the fact that the largest modulusN of a disjoint covering system appears at leastp times in the system, wherep is the smallest prime dividingN. The method is based on geometric properties of lattice parallelotopes. This research was supported by grant 85-00368 from the United States-Is rael Binational Science Foundation, Jerusalem, Israel.     

Synthesis of Highly Enantioenriched Sulfonimidoyl Fluorides and Sulfonimidamides by Stereospecific Sulfur–Fluorine Exchange (SuFEx) Reaction

Sulfonimidamides present exciting opportunities as chiral isosteres of sulfonamides, with potential for additional directional interactions. Here, we present the first modular enantioselective synthesis of sulfonimidamides, including the first stereoselective synthesis of enantioenriched sulfonimidoyl fluorides, and studies on their reactivity. A new route to sulfonimidoyl fluorides is presented from solid bench-stable, N-Boc-sulfinamide (Boc=tert-butyloxycarbonyl) salt building blocks. Enantioenriched arylsulfonimidoyl fluorides are shown to be readily racemised by fluoride ions. Conditions are developed, which trap fluoride and enable the stereospecific reaction of sulfonimidoyl fluorides with primary and secondary amines (100 % es, es=enantiospecificity) generating sulfonimidamides with up to 99 % ee. Aryl and alkyl sulfonimidoyl fluoride reagents are suitable for mild late stage functionalisation reactions, exemplified by coupling with a selection of complex amines in marketed drugs.     

Is it worthwhile to go beyond the local-density approximation in subsystem density functional theory?

Frozen density embedding (FDE) theory is one of the major techniques aiming to bring modeling of extended chemical systems into the realm of high accuracy calculations. To improve its accuracy it is of interest to develop kinetic energy density functional approximations specifically for FDE applications. In the study reported here we focused on optimizing parameters of a generalized gradient approximation-like kinetic energy functional with the purpose of better describing electron excitation energies. We found that our optimized parametrizations, named excPBE and excPBE-3 (as these are derived from a Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof-like parametrization), could not yield improvements over available functionals when applied on a test set of systems designed to probe solvatochromic shifts. Moreover, as several different functionals yielded very similar errors to the simple local-density approximation (LDA), it is questionable whether it is worthwhile to go beyond the LDA in this context.     

Investigations of phase relations in the system CaO?Na2O?K2O?P2O5

The lattice constants of the compound Ca₂NaK(PO₄)₂ have been studied at room temperature using an X-ray powder diffractometer and also in the temperature range from 20 up to 1000 °C by Guinier-Lenné-technology. A hexagonal lattice with the parameters a₀ = 5.4367 Å and c₀ = 7.3125 Å and a cell volume of 187.18 ų has been determined for the high temperature phase, existing from 670 °C upward. At temperatures below 670 °C a superlattice structure is formed by tripling the axis a, a ′, and c so that it results in a hexagonal superlattice structure cell with the lattice constants of a₀ = 16.311 Å and c₀ = 21.939 Å and a cell volume of 5054 ų.