A minimum dimensional class of simple games

This paper provides several extensions of the notion of dimension of a simple game and proves the existence of a minimum subclass of weighted games with the property that every simple game can be expressed as their intersection. Some further generalizations lead to the new concept of codimension which is obtained by considering the union instead of the intersection as the basic operation.     

The many faces of radiation‐induced changes

During diffraction experiments even cryo‐cooled protein crystals can be significantly damaged due to chemical and physical changes induced by absorbed X‐ray photons. The character and scale of the observed effects depend strongly on the temperature and the composition of crystals. The absorption of radiation energy results in incremental regular changes to the crystal structure, making its impact on the process of solving the structure strongly correlated with other experimental variables. An understanding of all the dependencies is still limited and does not allow for a precise prediction of the outcome of a particular diffraction experiment. Results are presented of diffraction experiments performed under different experimental conditions. The influence of temperature and crystal composition on different characteristics of radiation damage is analyzed. The observed effects are discussed in terms of their impact on data processing and phasing procedures.     

Miniaturized tools and devices for bioanalytical applications: an overview

This article presents an overview of various miniaturized devices and technologies developed by our group. Innovative, fast and cheap procedures for the fabrication of laboratory microsystems based on commercially available materials are reported and compared with well-established microfabrication techniques. The modules fabricated and tested in our laboratory can be used independently or they can be set up in different configurations to form functional measurement systems. We also report further applications of the presented modules e.g. disposable poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microcuvettes, fibre optic detectors, potentiometric sensors platforms, microreactors and capillary electrophoresis (CE) microchips as well as integrated microsystems e.g. double detection microanalytical systems, devices for studying enzymatic reactions and a microsystem for cell culture and lysis.     

Spectral properties of Jacobi matrices by asymptotic analysis

We consider two classes of Jacobi matrix operators in l² with zero diagonals and with weights of the form n^α+c_n for 0<α1 or of the form n^α+c_nn^α−1 for α>1, where {c_n} is periodic. We study spectral properties of these operators (especially for even periods), and we find asymptotics of some of their generalized eigensolutions. This analysis is based on some discrete versions of the Levinson theorem, which are also proved in the paper and may be of independent interest.     

Bent-core 6-thioxoverdazyl: a comparison of mesogenic properties with the 6-oxo analogue

Two bent-core verdazyl radicals, 2[16] and 3[16], containing 6-thioxo and 6-oxo groups, respectively, were prepared and their physical properties were compared. Analysis of binary mixtures with bent-core mesogen 1[12] gave virtual N-I ([T_NI]) and N-I_re ([T_NIre]) transition temperatures. Results indicate that the thioxo derivative 2[16] has greater stabilising effect on the nematic phase than the 6-oxo analogue 3[16], presumably due to the higher dipole moment of the core (1.90 D vrs 0.83 D) despite the less favourable conformational properties.     

Thermo-chemical properties of biomass from Posidonia oceanica

Posidonia oceanica (PO) is a marine plant endemic to the Mediterranean basin, forming extensive grasslands. Onshore residues represent a major environmental, economic, social and hygienic problem in all coastal zones of the Mediterranean basin due to the great disturbance they cause to bathers and beachfront populations. This work sought to evaluate the thermo-chemical properties of PO in pyrolysis and thermo-oxidative degradation processes. The investigations were carried out using a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA) coupled to a quadrupole mass spectrometer (MS) and an infrared spectrometer (FTIR). In addition, proximate, ultimate, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and biodegradability analyses were carried out on PO. The biodegradability analysis confirmed that residues of PO were a biodegradable material. Accordingly, the application of PO as a feedstock for combustion/co-combustion or biorefining is recommended.     

NOTE: Polymerization of Cyclic Esters Using Aminoacid Initiators

The low-molecular weight poly(? -caprolactone) and polylactide were obtained by the polymerization of cyclic esters in the presence of amino acid initiators. The polymer structures were elucidated by means of MALDI TOF, NMR and IR studies. Effects of temperature, reaction time and initiator dosage on the polymerization process were examined.     

A manifestly gauge-invariant description of interaction of atomic systems with strong fields in the dipole approximation

We propose a new type of gauge-invariant expansion of the ionization probability amplitudes of atoms by short pulses of electromagnetic radiation. Contrary to previous gauge-invariant approaches to this problem it does not require different partitions of the total Hamiltonian depending on the choice of gauge. In a natural way the atomic potential is treated as perturbation acting on an electron interacting with strong pulse. Whereas this is a standard assumption of strong field approximation (SFA), we show that grouping consequently together all terms of the same order in the atomic potential results in the expansion of the amplitude which is gauge invariant order by order, and not only in the limit of infinite series. In this approach, which is illustrated by numerical examples, the “direct ionization” and “rescattering” contributions are different from those commonly used in SFA-calculations.     

Influence of fluorine substituents on the NMR properties of phenylboronic acids

The paper presents results of a systematic NMR studies on fluorinated phenylboronic acids. All possible derivatives were studied. The experimental ¹H, ¹³C, ¹⁹F, ¹¹B, and ¹⁷O spectral data were compared with the results of theoretical calculations. The relation between the calculated natural bond orbital parameters and spectral data (chemical shifts and coupling constants) is discussed. The first examples of ¹⁰B/¹¹B isotopic effect on the ¹⁹F spectra and ⁴J_FO scalar coupling in organic compounds are reported. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.