Analysis of iron state in some Argentinian soils by dissolution methods and Mössbauer spectroscopy

Bahia Blanca (Argentina) soils, in particular entisols, are studied by Mössbauer spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy are used to characterize the samples. Samples were treated with different chemical iron extraction methods, in order to determine relative Fe_o and Fe_d fractions. The Fe_o/Fe_d ratios are obtained and the relative effect of iron extraction treatment on spectra components are determined. In addition, the effect of extraction procedures, dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate and oxalate, in the residual soil fraction are analyzed.     

Local dominance and local recombination in MOEAs on 0/1 multiobjective knapsack problems

This work studies and compares the effects on performance of local dominance and local recombination applied with different locality in multiobjective evolutionary algorithms on combinatorial 0/1 multiobjective knapsack problems. For this purpose, we introduce a method that creates a neighborhood around each individual and assigns a local dominance rank after alignment of the principle search direction of the neighborhood by using polar coordinates in objective space. For recombination a different neighborhood determined around a random principle search direction is created. The neighborhood sizes for dominance and recombination are separately controlled by two different parameters. Experimental results show that the optimum locality of dominance is different from the optimum locality of recombination. Additionally, it is shown that the performance of the algorithm that applies local dominance and local recombination with different locality is significantly better than the performance of algorithms applying local dominance alone, local recombination alone, or dominance and recombination globally as conventional approaches do.     

Micromotor endoscope catheter for in vivo, ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography

A distally actuated, rotational-scanning micromotor endoscope catheter probe is demonstrated for ultrahigh-resolution in vivo endoscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. The probe permits focus adjustment for visualization of tissue morphology at varying depths with improved transverse resolution compared with standard OCT imaging probes. The distal actuation avoids nonuniform scanning motion artifacts that are present with other probe designs and can permit a wider range of imaging speeds. Ultrahigh-resolution endoscopic imaging is demonstrated in a rabbit with <4-microm axial resolution by use of a femtosecond Cr:forsterite laser light source. The micromotor endoscope catheter probe promises to improve OCT imaging performance in future endoscopic imaging applications.     

High-resolution optical coherence microscopy for high-speed, in vivo cellular imaging

Optical coherence microscopy (OCM) is demonstrated with a high-speed, broadband, reflective-grating phase modulator and a femtosecond Ti:Al2O3 laser. The novel system design permits high-resolution OCM imaging in a new operating regime in which a short coherence gate is used to relax the requirement for high-numerical-aperture confocal axial sectioning. In vivo cellular imaging is demonstrated in the Xenopus laevis tadpole and in human skin with a 3-microm coherence gate and a 30-microm confocal gate. The ability to achieve cellular imaging with a lower numerical aperture should facilitate the development of miniaturized probes for in vivo imaging applications.     

Generation of entangled states of qudits using twin photons

We report an experiment to generate entangled states of D-dimensional quantum systems, qudits, by using transverse spatial correlations of two parametric down-converted photons. Apertures with D slits in the arms of the twin photons define the qudit space. By manipulating the pump beam correctly, the twin photons will pass only by symmetrically opposite slits, generating entangled states between these different paths. Experimental results for qudits with D = 4 and 8 are shown. We demonstrate that the generated states are entangled states.     

High rank elliptic curves with torsion group

We develop an algorithm for bounding the rank of elliptic curves in the family , all of them with torsion group and modular invariant . We use it to look for curves of high rank in this family and present four such curves of rank  and of rank .

     

Reactions of amino alcohols in superacid: the direct observation of dicationic intermediates and their application in synthesis

[reaction: see text]. The chemistry of amino alcohols has been studied in superacidic media, and these compounds have been found to ionize cleanly to the dication intermediates. Several dicationic species have been directly observed by low-temperature 13C NMR, including those from epinephrine (adrenaline) and synephrine. Amino alcohols react (70-99% yields) with C6H6 in triflic acid (CF3SO3H) by electrophilic aromatic substitution.     

Methoxycarbonylation of olefins catalyzed by palladium(II) complexes containing naphthyl(diphenyl)phosphine ligands

Palladium(II) complexes containing phosphine donor ligands derived from naphthyl(diphenyl)phosphine were synthesized and characterized by NMR and elemental analysis. The complexes were studied as catalyst precursors in the methoxycarbonylation reaction of several aromatic and aliphatic olefins under mild conditions. The catalysts reported high chemoselectivities (over 96%) and regioselectivities between 44% and 93% for different olefins. The best results were obtained over a styrene substrate with 97% of conversion after 6 h of reaction, with high regioselectivity (93%). Kinetic studies permitted the determination of the rate law (v = k [substrate]^1.21±0.02 [catalyst]^0.94±0.11 [acid]^0.52±0.03 [MeOH]^0.53±0.05 [CO]^0.65±0.03) for methoxycarbonylation of styrene. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impedimetric evaluation of hybrid cationic porphyrin/quantum dot multilayer assemblies: a biocompatible interface for calf thymus DNA immobilization

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In this work, a cationic porphyrin, ascribed as [Ttolyl(P-(C6H5)3)4]4+, where Ttolyl&nbsp;=&nbsp;5,10,15,20 tetrakistolylporphyrin, was...     

Conformational Analysis of Thiosugars: Theoretical NMR Chemical Shifts and 3 J H,H Coupling Constants of 5‐Thio‐Pyranose Monosaccharides

The conformational space of D and L, deoxy and nondeoxy, 5‐thio‐pyranoses with biological properties as enzymatic inhibitors was explored using MM and B3LYP/6–31+G* methods in gas phase and solution. The preferred ring conformation for α and β anomers of 5‐thio‐L‐fucopyranose was the ¹C₄ form (about 99%), and for 5‐thio‐D‐glucopyranose and 5‐thio‐D‐mannopyranose, the ⁴C₁ one. The experimental conformational order (⁴C₁>¹C₄>²S_S) for L‐ido derivatives was reproduced only considering the solvent, though for 3‐O‐methyl‐5‐thio‐α‐L‐idopyranose, the inclusion of methyl in C₃ changed the ²S_S form to the B_1,4 one.