On the twistor space of a quaternionic contact manifold

In this note, we prove that the CR manifold induced from the canonical parabolic geometry of a quaternionic contact (qc) manifold via a Fefferman-type construction is equivalent to the CR twistor space of the qc manifold defined by O. Biquard.     

WITCH: A Penning Trap Retardation Spectrometer Combination for Precision Studies of the Weak Interaction

We present data from three seasons of experimental field work designed to recreate ancient Andean coastal ceramic firing techniques. Based on the recent discovery of two different archaeological ceramic production sites in the La Leche river valley of northern coastal Peru, the opportunity arose to apply Mössbauer spectroscopy and other analytical methods to reconstruct ancient firing procedures. Two sets of firings took place in 1993 and 1997 in Batán Grande using a partially restored Formative kiln from about 800 BC, local hardwood and cow dung as fuel. A third experiment followed in 2000 after the discovery of a Middle Sicán ceramics workshop in use between ca. AD 950 and 1050 at Huaca Sialupe, where an exact replica of an ancient kiln was built from local clay, and fired with local wood and cow dung. Additionally, inverted urns found at Huaca Sialupe were tested for their potential use as furnaces for metal working. Mössbauer spectroscopy was used to compare the physical and chemical state of specimens produced in the field experiments with ancient ceramics and with specimens produced in controlled laboratory experiments.     

Measurement of the muon capture rate in hydrogen gas and determination of the proton's pseudoscalar coupling gP

The rate of nuclear muon capture by the proton has been measured using a new technique based on a time projection chamber operating in ultraclean, deuterium-depleted hydrogen gas, which is key to avoiding uncertainties from muonic molecule formation. The capture rate from the hyperfine singlet ground state of the microp atom was obtained from the difference between the micro(-) disappearance rate in hydrogen and the world average for the micro(+) decay rate, yielding Lambda(S)=725.0+/-17.4 s(-1), from which the induced pseudoscalar coupling of the nucleon, g(P)(q(2)=-0.88m(2)(micro))=7.3+/-1.1, is extracted.     

Direct Observation of the Binding Mode of the Phosphonate Anchor to Nanosized Polyoxotitanate Clusters

The structures of three newly synthesized phosphonate‐substituted polyoxotitanates are reported. The Ti/O core of [Ti₄O(OEt)₁₂(PhenylPO₃)] ( 1 ) is the building block for two larger phosphonate‐substituted nanoclusters, [Ti₂₅O₂₆(OEt)₃₆(PhenylPO₃)₆] ( 2 ) and [Ti₂₆O₂₆(OEt)₃₉(PhenylPO₃)₆]Br ( 3 ). All compounds exhibit a not previously recognized triply bridging binding mode of the phosphonate anchor with short connecting Ti? O bonds, the average of which is 2.010(7) Å. Comparison with previously reported work suggests that the binding mode of the phosphonate anchor is strongly dependent on the structure of the underlying substrate.     

A priori error estimates for nonstationary optimal control problems with gradient state constraints

We are concerned with the discretization of semilinear parabolic optimization problems subject to constraints on the first derivative of the solution of the PDE. Constructing sequences of feasible controls for the dG(0)-cG(1) discretization of the problem and relying on a quadratric growth condtion, we show convergence orders as temporal and spatial mesh tends to zero. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Effects of internals and distributors on the distribution and growth of bubbles in the conventional gas-solid fluidized bed

The effects of internals and gas distributors on the local dynamics of the bubbles in the conventional gas-solid fluidized bed were studied.Mesh-type internals with different opening areas(50%,70%and 90%)and different arrangements(two-layer and four-layer);and a sintered plate with a smaller pore size(1μm)and a perforated plate with a larger pore size as distributors were investigated.Differential pressure drops and local solids holdups were measured under various superficial gas velocities to compare the performances of the different types of internals and distributors.The instantaneous solids holdup signals from the optical fibre probe were used to further examine the local bubble dynamics in detail.Smaller bubbles were found,with the installation of internals or using the sintered plate,resulting in lower pressure drops and a higher bed expansion.Internals with reduced opening area or distributor with smaller pore size further leads to a higher changeover rate between the bubbles and dense phase,both axially and radially,and hence a better gas-solid contacting and an earlier transition to the turbulent flow regime of the bed.     

Mechanism of Pterostilbene-Induced Cell Death in HT-29 Colon Cancer Cells

Pterostilbene is a dietary phytochemical that has been found to possess several biological activities, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Recent studies have shown that it exhibits the hallmark characteristics of an anticancer agent. The aim of the study was to investigate the anticancer activity of pterostilbene against HT-29 human colon cancer cells, focusing on its influence on cell growth, differentiation, and the ability of this stilbene to induce cell death. To clarify the mechanism of pterostilbene activity against colon cancer cells, changes in the expression of several genes and proteins that are directly related to cell proliferation, signal transduction pathways, apoptosis, and autophagy were also evaluated. Cell growth and proliferation of cells exposed to pterostilbene (5–100 µM) were determined by SRB and BRDU assays. Flow cytometric analyses were used for cell cycle progression. Further molecular investigations were performed using quantitative real-time RT-PCR. The expression of the signaling proteins studied was determined by the ELISA method. The results revealed that pterostilbene inhibited proliferation and induced the death of HT-29 colon cancer cells. Pterostilbene, depending on concentration, caused inhibition of proliferation, G1 cell arrest, and/or triggered apoptosis in HT-29 cells. These effects were mediated by the down-regulation of the STAT3 and AKT kinase pathways. It may be concluded that pterostilbene could be considered as a potential therapeutic option in the treatment of colon cancer in the future.     

Measuring the Michel parameter ξ'

Unlike the majority of Michel parameters which are consistent with the Standard Model V-A interaction, the experimental value of ξ″(=0.65±0.36) [1] is poorly known. Our experiment will measure the longitudinal polarization, P _L , of positrons emitted from the decay of polarized muons. The value of P _L , equal to unity in the Standard Model, will decrease for high energy positrons emitted antiparallel to the muon spin if the combination of Michel parameters ξ″/ξξ′ − 1 deviates from the Standard Model value of zero. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Functionalization of Polyethyleneimine with Hollow Cyclotriveratrylene and Its Subsequent Supramolecular Interaction with Doxorubicin

In this paper, a modified Cyclotriveratrylene was synthesized and linked to a branched Polyethylenimine, and this unique polymeric material was subsequently examined as a potential supramolecular carrier for Doxorubicin. Spectroscopic analysis in different solvents had shown that Doxorubicin was coordinated within the hollow-shaped unit of the armed Cyclotriveratrylene, and the nature of the host–guest complex revealed intrinsic Van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonding between the host and guest. The strongest interaction was detected in water because of the hydrophobic effect shared between the aromatic groups of the Doxorubicin and Cyclotriveratrylene unit. Density functional theory calculations had also confirmed that in the most stable coordination of Doxorubicin with the cross-linked polymer, the aromatic rings of the Doxorubicin were localized toward the Cyclotriveratrylene core, while its aliphatic chains aligned closer with amino groups, thus forming a compact supramolecular assembly that may confer a shielding effect on Doxorubicin. These observations had emphasized the importance of supramolecular considerations when designing a novel drug delivery platform.