Two New Polyhydroxylated Steroids from the Hainan Soft Coral Sinularia sp.

Two new polyhydroxylated steroids, (2β,3β,4α,5α,8β,11β)‐4‐methylergost‐24(28)‐ene‐2,3,8,11‐tetrol‐( 1 ) and (3β,5α,6β)‐ergosta‐22,24(28)‐diene‐3,5,6,19‐tetrol ( 3 ), together with the six known related steroids 2 and 4 – 8 , were isolated from the Hainan soft coral Sinularia sp. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and by comparison with previously reported data. The structure of the known compound 9 (hyrtiosterol) was revised as 2 by extensive analysis of the ROESY data and by the NOE difference experiment.     

Hydrogel-filled micropipette contact systems for solid state electrochemical measurements

This paper reports on the use of a novel microcapillary system for solid contact electrochemical measurements. The probe is made of moveable micropipettes, with orifice of 1–30-μm radii, filled with a conducting hydrogel, which forms a thin-gelled meniscus at the pipette end. The hydrogel is made of 2 % (w/v) agarose and water solutions, containing KCl or KNO₃ as supporting electrolytes. The micropipette can be brought in contact with a conducting substrate to form a microcell, which allows performing voltammetric measurements confined within limited contact regions. The suitability of the proposed probe for local electrochemical measurements are tested using two electroactive species, dissolved in the hydrogel, namely [Fe (CN₆)]^4- and Ag⁺ ions. Mass transport characteristics of the two species, in bulk hydrogel and at micropipette meniscuses of different radii, are examined in detail in the frame of existing theory. For comparison, voltammetric measurements are also performed with micropipettes filled with the corresponding aqueous solutions. It is shown that the gel-filled micropipette, at variance with the aqueous one, prevents the spreading and leakage of solution on the sample surface. The microprobe developed here can be useful to perform electrochemical measurements on surfaces, which suffer from direct contact with liquid electrolytes. A proof-of-concept hydrogel-capillary measurement is performed to distinguish the presence of metallic silver deposited on a graphite-on-paper–based material, realized through simple pencil strokes.

Graphical abstract

     

Localization for a Nonlinear Sigma Model in a Strip Related to Vertex Reinforced Jump Processes

We study a lattice sigma model which is expected to reflect Anderson localization and delocalization transition for real symmetric band matrices in 3D, but describes the mixing measure for a vertex reinforced jump process too. For this model we prove exponential localization at any temperature in a strip, and more generally in any quasi-one dimensional graph, with pinning (mass) at only one site. The proof uses a Mermin–Wagner type argument and a transfer operator approach.     

On the convergence of an inexact Gauss–Newton trust-region method for nonlinear least-squares problems with simple bounds

We introduce an inexact Gauss–Newton trust-region method for solving bound-constrained nonlinear least-squares problems where, at each iteration, a trust-region subproblem is approximately solved by the Conjugate Gradient method. Provided a suitable control on the accuracy to which we attempt to solve the subproblems, we prove that the method has global and asymptotic fast convergence properties. Some numerical illustration is also presented.     

Evidence of electron wave function delocalization in CdSe/CdS asymmetric nanocrystals

We studied the delocalization of electron wave function in asymmetric CdSe/CdS nanocrystals, consisting of a spherical CdSe dot embedded in an elongated CdS shell, by means of a pump–probe technique. By comparing the transient spectra obtained upon pumping the band edge transition of the CdSe in CdSe/CdS heterostructure and in a bare CdSe dot, we observed the delocalization of electron wave function at the CdSe/CdS interface.     

Electronic and optical properties of Si and Ge nanocrystals: An ab initio study

First-principles calculations within density functional theory and many-body perturbation theory have been carried out in order to investigate the structural, electronic and optical properties of undoped and doped silicon nanostructures. We consider Si nanoclusters co-doped with B and P. We find that the electronic band gap is reduced with respect to that of the undoped crystals, suggesting the possibility of impurity based engineering of electronic and optical properties of Si nanocrystals. Finally, motivated by recent suggestions concerning the chance of exploiting Ge dots for photovoltaic nanodevices, we present calculations of the electronic and optical properties of a Ge₃₅H₃₆ nanocrystal, and compare the results with those for the corresponding Si₃₅H₃₆ nanocrystals and the co-doped Si₃₃BPH₃₆.     

On toric varieties which are almost set-theoretic complete intersections

We describe a class of affine toric varieties V that are set-theoretically minimally defined by binomial equations over fields of any characteristic.     

Ultrafast Intramolecular Relaxation and Wave‐Packet Motion in a Ruthenium‐Based Supramolecular Photocatalyst

The hydrogen‐evolving photocatalyst [(tbbpy)₂Ru(tpphz)Pd(Cl)₂]²⁺ (tbbpy=4,4′‐di‐tert‐butyl‐2,2′‐bipyridine, tpphz=tetrapyrido[3,2‐a:2′,3′‐c:3′′,2′′‐h:2′′′,3′′′‐j]phenazine) shows excitation‐wavelength‐dependent catalytic activity, which has been correlated to the localization of the initial excitation within the coordination sphere. In this contribution the excitation‐wavelength dependence of the early excited‐state relaxation and the occurrence of vibrational coherences are investigated by sub‐20 fs transient absorption spectroscopy and DFT/TDDFT calculations. The comparison with the mononuclear precursor [(tbbpy)₂Ru(tpphz)]²⁺ highlights the influence of the catalytic center on these ultrafast processes. Only in the presence of the second metal center, does the excitation of a ¹MLCT state localized on the central part of the tpphz bridge lead to coherent wave‐packet motion in the excited state.