Photoabsorption cross section measurements of CO2 between 106.1 and 118.7 nm at 295 and 195 K

High-resolution vacuum ultraviolet carbon dioxide photoabsorption cross sections are required for modeling airglow emissions from the Martian and Venusian atmospheres and for photochemical models of those atmospheres. We report cross section measurements on CO₂ at 295 and 195 K between 106.1 and 118.7 nm at a spectral resolution of 0.005 nm. Significant deviations from the results of previous, lower-resolution measurements are apparent, particularly in regions of sharp spectral structure. Temperature dependence in the photoabsorption cross sections is evident throughout the region, being especially pronounced at wavelengths greater than 113 nm.     

Crystal structures of a series of 3,7-bis-(arylazo)-1,3,5,7-tetraazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonanes

The crystal and molecular structure of a series of 3,7-bis(arylazo)-1,3,5,7-tetraazabicyclo[3.3.1] nonanes (1a–d) have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. All four compounds have the same feature, that the tetraazabicyclononane unit assumes a cage-like structure with the aryltriazene moieties lying parallel to one another so that the aryl rings are held together by – stacking. Crystal data: 1a C₁₇H₁₈N₁₀O₄, triclinic, space group P – 1, a = 9.8899(10), b = 13.0845(13), c = 16.458(2) Å, = 94.095(2)°, = 107.004(2)°, = 111.027(2)°, V = 1863.5(3) ų and Z = 4; 1b, C₁₉H₁₈F₆N₈, orthorhombic, space group Pbca, a = 15.3210(8), b = 10.9512(6), c = 24.5698(13) Å, V = 4122.4(4) ų and Z = 8; 1c C₁₉H₁₈N₁₀, monoclinic, space group P2₁/n a = 6.3742(6), b = 13.7343(13), c = 21.542(2)Å, = 97.738(2)°, V = 1868.8(3) ų, and Z = 4; 1d, C₁₉H₁₈N₁₀, monoclinic, space group P2₁/c, a = 18.205(2), b = 17.398(2), c = 12.784(12) Å, = 109.480(2)°, V = 3818.0(6) ų, and Z = 8.     

Cancellation of Linearized Axion-Dilaton Self-Action Divergence in Strings

The force densities exerted on a localizedmaterial system by linearized interaction with fields ofaxionic and dilatonic type are shown to be describablevery generally by relatively simple expressions that are well behaved for fields of purelyexternal origin, but that will be subject to ultravioletdivergences requiring regularization for fields arisingfrom self-interaction in submanifold-supported brane-type systems. In theparticular case of a two-dimensionally supported, i.e.,string-type, system in an ordinary four-dimensionalbackground it is shown how the result of thisregularization is expressible in terms of the worldsheetcurvature vector K, and more particularlythat (contrary to what was suggested by early work onthis subject) for a string of Nambu-Goto type thedivergent contribution from the dilatonic self-action will always bedirected oppositely to its axionic counterpart. Thismakes it possible for the dilatonic and axionicdivergences entirely to cancel each other out (so that there is no need of a renormalization to getrid of infinities) when the relevantcoupling coefficents are related by the appropriateproportionality condition provided by the low-energylimit of superstring theory.     

Deactivation of a ruthenium(II) <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-heterocyclic carbene <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-cymene complex during transfer hydrogenation catalysis

A ruthenium (II) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complex was synthesized to investigate ligand dissociation as a possible deactivation pathway for the catalytic cycle of a transfer hydrogenation reaction. Diiodo(1,3-dimethylbenzimidazole-2-ylidene)(p-cymene)ruthenium(II) was synthesized for use as the catalytic species and characterized using physico-chemical, spectroscopic methods, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The transfer of hydrogen from isopropanol to acetophenone was followed using ¹H NMR. We observed 94% conversion of the substrate to the alcohol product after 1 h. We also found that the p-cymene complex decomposed during the catalytic reaction to the extent of 80% deactivation after 1 h, based on ¹H NMR spectrometry. From Gaussian calculations, an ultraviolet–visible spectrum that is in excellent agreement with the actual spectrum was computed, giving insight into the nature of the absorptions observed experimentally.     

Static deflection measurements of cantilever arrays reveal polymer film expansion and contraction

An optical static method of detection is used to interpret surface stress induced bending related to cantilevers coated on one side with poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinyl butyral-co-vinyl alcohol-co-vinyl acetate), and poly(vinyl chloride-co-vinyl acetate-co-2-hydroxypropyl acrylate), or respectively, PVA, PVB, and PVC, and exposed to various solvent vapors. Results indicate that the adsorption and surface interactions of the different solvent vapors that cause polymer swelling and shrinking lead to rearrangements, which have been shown to change the elastic properties of the polymer film, and subsequently, the spring constant of the polymer coated cantilever. Static deflection measurements allow the direction of cantilever bending to be determined, which adds a new dimension of usefulness for surface functionalized cantilevers as transducers in the development of novel microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).     

Signal representation,uncertainty principles and localization measures

The following collection of articles addresses one of the most basic problems in signal and image processing, namly the search for function systems (basis, frames, dictionaries) which allow efficient representations of certain classes of signals/images. Such representations are essential for decomposition and synthesis of signals, hence they are at the core of almost any application (coding, compression, pattern matching, feature extraction, classification, etc.) in this field. Accordingly, this is one of the best-studied topics in data analysis and a multitude of different concepts also addressing discretization/algorithmic issues has been investigated in this context. The starting point for reviving activities in this field was a recently rediscovered inconsistency in the concept of constructing optimally localized basis functions by minimizing uncertainty principles. In this short introductory note, we shortly sketch the basic dilemma, which was the starting point for this research approximately three years ago. However, the subsequent investigations presented in this collection of papers cover a much wider range of more general localization measures, discretization concepts as well as discussing algorithmic efficiency and stability.     

Langevin dynamics deciphers the motility pattern of swimming parasites

The parasite African trypanosome swims in the bloodstream of mammals and causes the highly dangerous human sleeping sickness. Cell motility is essential for the parasite's survival within the mammalian host. We present an analysis of the random-walk pattern of a swimming trypanosome. From experimental time-autocorrelation functions for the direction of motion we identify two relaxation times that differ by an order of magnitude. They originate from the rapid deformations of the cell body and a slower rotational diffusion of the average swimming direction. Velocity fluctuations are athermal and increase for faster cells whose trajectories are also straighter. We demonstrate that such a complex dynamics is captured by two decoupled Langevin equations that decipher the complex trajectory pattern by referring it to the microscopic details of cell behavior.     

Label-acquired magnetorotation for biosensing: An asynchronous rotation assay

This paper presents a novel application of magnetic particles for biosensing, called label-acquired magnetorotation (LAM). This method is based on a combination of the traditional sandwich assay format with the asynchronous magnetic bead rotation (AMBR) method. In label-acquired magnetorotation, an analyte facilitates the binding of a magnetic label bead to a nonmagnetic solid phase sphere, forming a sandwich complex. The sandwich complex is then placed in a rotating magnetic field, where the rotational frequency of the sandwich complex is a function of the amount of analyte attached to the surface of the sphere. Here, we use streptavidin-coated beads and biotin-coated particles as analyte mimics, to be replaced by proteins and other biological targets in future work. We show this sensing method to have a dynamic range of two orders of magnitude.     

Enantioconvergent synthesis of (+)-aphanorphine via asymmetric Pd-catalyzed alkene carboamination

A concise asymmetric synthesis of (+)-aphanorphine has been achieved via a new enantioconvergent strategy. A racemic γ-aminoalkene derivative is transformed into a 1:1 mixture of enantiomerically enriched diastereomers using an asymmetric Pd-catalyzed carboamination. This mixture is then converted to an enantiomerically enriched protected aphanorphine derivative by a Friedel-Crafts reaction, which generates a quaternary all-carbon stereocenter. The natural product is obtained in three additional steps.