Stable Optimizationless Recovery from Phaseless Linear Measurements

We address the problem of recovering an n-vector from m linear measurements lacking sign or phase information. We show that lifting and semidefinite relaxation suffice by themselves for stable recovery in the setting of m=O(nlogn) random sensing vectors, with high probability. The recovery method is optimizationless in the sense that trace minimization in the PhaseLift procedure is unnecessary. That is, PhaseLift reduces to a feasibility problem. The optimizationless perspective allows for a Douglas-Rachford numerical algorithm that is unavailable for PhaseLift. This method exhibits linear convergence with a favorable convergence rate and without any parameter tuning.     

GaN nanowires for piezoelectric generators

We demonstrate the high potential of GaN nanowires (NWs) to convert mechanical energy into electric energy. Using an atomic force microscope equipped with a Resiscope module, an average output voltage of –74 mV and a maximum of –443 mV ± 2% per NW were measured. This latter value is the highest reported so far for GaN NWs. By considering these output signals, we have estimated an average and a maximum power density generated by one layer of GaN NWs of the order of 5.9 mW/cm² and 130 mW/cm², respectively. These results offer promising prospects for the use of GaN NWs for high‐efficiency ultracompact piezogenerators. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

An algorithm for the separation of two-row cuts

We consider the question of finding deep cuts from a model with two rows of the type $P_I=\{(x,s)\in \mathbb{Z }^2\times \mathbb{R }^n_+ : x=f+Rs\}$ . To do that, we show how to reduce the complexity of setting up the polar of $\mathop {\mathrm{conv}}(P_I)$ from a quadratic number of integer hull computations to a linear number of integer hull computations. Furthermore, we present an algorithm that avoids computing all integer hulls. A polynomial running time is not guaranteed but computational results show that the algorithm runs quickly in practice.     

Structural studies of water in hydrophilic and hydrophobic mesoporous silicas: an x-ray and neutron diffraction study at 297 K

Water confined in a sol-gel network has been characterized by x-ray and neutron diffraction for two samples of mesoporous silica: one with a hydrophilic character (a nonmodified one) and another with a hydrophobic character (a modified one with a methylated internal pore surface). The pore size has been previously characterized [J. Jelassi et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 134, 1039 (2010)] to have a mean pore diameter of approximately 55 A?. The diffraction measurements presented in this paper have been made at room temperature [293 K] for a filling factor of 0.45, giving a mean thickness of 8-9 A? for the water layer. The results show that the local order of the confined water molecules in the intermediate region of 3-6 A? is significantly different from that of the bulk water and also for the two different environments. For the hydrophilic sample, the siloxyl groups at the surface modify the water structure through the effects of interfacial hydrogen-bonding, which influences the orientational configuration of local water molecules and creates a modified spatial arrangement in the pore. In the case of the hydrophobic sample, there is no specific interaction with the pore wall, which is primarily van der Waals type, and the water molecules at the interface are differently oriented to create a hydrogen-bonded network linked more directly to the rest of the water volume. In the present circumstances, the thickness of the water layer has a relatively small dimension so that the interpretation of the measured diffraction pattern is not as straightforward as for the bulk liquids, and it is necessary to consider the effects of diffraction-broadening from a distributed sample volume and also the contribution from cross-terms that remain after conducting a "wet-minus-dry" analysis procedure. These analytic difficulties are discussed in the context of the present measurements and compared with the work of other groups engaged in the study of water confined in different environments. The present results, again, emphasize the complexity influencing the properties of water in a confined geometry and the strong influence of surface interactions on its behavior.     

Skin Constituents as Cosmetic Ingredients. Part I: A Study of Bio‐mimetic Monoglycerides Behavior at the Squalene‐Water Interface by the “Pendant Drop” Method in a Static Mode

This work presents the behavior of bio‐mimetic monoglycerides at the squalene/water interface. The study was done in the so‐called “static” mode using the “pendant drop method”, enabling us to characterize these molecules according to the value of their critical efficiency concentration (CEC), their maximum surface excess concentration (Γ_∞), the efficiency of the surface tension reduction parameter (pC20), and the minimum value of their interfacial tension (γ_min). It also permitted the study of the influence of the structure of the carbon chain of those monoglycerides on their interfacial behavior.

The analysis of the different parameters shows that monoglycerides with small hydrocarbon chains, monoglycerides with one or more double bonds, and monoglycerides possessing a hydroxyl function grafted in the middle of the chain constitute excellent surfactants. Two different groups can be found: one group composed of short saturated hydrocarbon chain monoglycerides (C12∶0 to C16∶0) and long hydrocarbon chain monoglycerides (C18∶0 to C22∶0); the second group, composed of unsaturated hydrocarbon chain monoglycerides, also includes hydroxystearate and isostearate monoglycerides. The first group could be used for the formulation of “hydrating” cosmetic products having secondary droplets, the second group for W/O emulsions.     

Concise synthesis of di- and trisaccharides related to the O-antigens from Shigella flexneri serotypes 6 and 6a,based on late stage mono-O-acetylation and/or site-selective oxidation

Shigella flexneri serotypes 6 and 6a are closely related bacteria causing shigellosis in humans. Their O-antigens are {→4)-β-d-GalpA-(1→3)-β-d-GalpNAc-(1→2)-[3Ac/4Ac]-α-l-Rhap-(1→2)-α-l-Rhap-(1→}_n acidic polysaccharides ({AB_AcCD}_n), which only differ in the degree of O-acetylation. A concise synthesis of two disaccharides (BC, B_AcC) and four trisaccharides, representing portions and/or analogs of the O-antigens, is described. A protected intermediate compatible with late stage 3_C-O-acetylation, and/or galactosyl (A°) to galacturonic acid (A) conversion, was designed and assembled from trichloroacetimidate and thioglycoside donors tuned for high yielding glycosylation and excellent stereocontrol. The galacturonic moiety was efficiently introduced from galactose using a TEMPO/NaOCl/NaClO₂-based oxidation protocol optimized for full compatibility with sensitive moieties, such as allyl ethers and acetates. Final Pd/C-mediated deprotection provided the targets, including the propyl glycoside AB_AcC, its non O-acetylated counterpart ABC, and the non acidic analogs A°B_AcC and A°BC. The BC and ABC oligosaccharides are also portions of the O-antigen from Escherichia coli O147, which causes diarrhea in pigs.     

Janus carbosilane/phosphorhydrazone dendrimers synthesized by the ‘click’ Staudinger reaction

The first association of carbosilane dendrons (having a phosphine at the focal point) with phosphorhydrazone dendrons (having a thiophosphoryl azide at the focal point) has been successfully carried out by ‘Staudinger click’ reaction. The corresponding Janus dendrimers possess the characteristics of both components; they are oily as the carbosilane dendrons, and they can be easily functionalized as the phosphorhydrazone dendrons.     

Biodegradation study of plasticised corn flour/poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate) blends

Plasticised corn flour/poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate) (PBSA) materials were prepared by extrusion and injection in order to study the impact of PBSA ratio on their physicochemical properties and biodegradability. Scanning electron microscopy observations showed that corn flour and PBSA are incompatible. Three types of morphology have been observed: (i) starch dispersed in a PBSA matrix, (ii) a “co-continuous-like” morphology of starch and PBSA, and (iii) PBSA dispersed in a starch matrix. As expected, the extent of plasticised corn flour starch hydrolysis by amylolytic enzymes decreased when the amount of PBSA increased. Addition of a lipase to hydrolyse PBSA ester bonds enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis of starch by amylolytic enzymes in materials where PBSA formed a continuous phase. This suggests that PBSA formed a barrier restricting the access of amylolytic enzymes to starch. This was consistent with aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation assays, which also showed lower biodegradability of materials containing a majority of PBSA.