Geant4 Monte Carlo radioxenon beta-gamma coincidence efficiency simulation for a phoswich detector

In this work, a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation model is established to accurately characterize a phoswich beta-gamma coincidence detector system. This model can be easily used to predict the beta-gamma coincidence efficiencies of xenon radioisotopes at various stable xenon concentrations in the counting cell. The results demonstrate that there is a significant inverse correlation between beta-gamma coincidence efficiency and stable xenon concentration. The influence of stable xenon concentration on beta-gamma coincidence counting efficiency has been investigated for each individual xenon radioisotope. The results indicate that the effect of stable xenon concentration on beta-gamma coincidence efficiency depends on the xenon radioisotope and its decay modes. The coincidence efficiency of ¹³³Xe with 31.0-keV X-ray decay mode is the most affected one; and then followed by ^131mXe, ¹³³Xe with 81.0-keV gamma-ray decay mode, ^133mXe and finally ¹³⁵Xe. The study also indicates that the gamma absorption by xenon gas plays more of a role in the decrease of beta-gamma coincidence efficiency for ¹³³Xe and ¹³⁵Xe, and that the conversion electron spectrum shifting and broadening plays more of a role in the reduction of beta-gamma coincidence efficiency for the metastable radioxenon of ^131mXe and ^133mXe.     

Miniature flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow ion source for facile interfacing of CE with MS

Here, we present a miniaturized version of the flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow (miniFAPA) ion source and use it for sheathless coupling of CE with MS. The simple design of the CE-miniFAPA-MS interface makes it easy to separate the electric potentials used for CE and for ionization. A pneumatically assisted nebulization of the CE effluent transfers the analytes from the liquid phase into the gas phase before they are ionized by interacting with reactive species produced by the FAPA. An important advantage of this interface is its high stability during operation: optimization of five different parameters indicated that the interface is not sensitive to minor deviations from the optimum values. Other advantages include ease of construction and maintenance, as well as relatively low cost. Samples with complex matrices, such as yeast extract, soil extract and urine, spiked with the test compounds, were successfully analyzed using the CE-miniFAPA-MS setup.     

Determination of adrenolytic drugs by SPME–LC–MS

Five adrenolytic drugs have been analyzed by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Samples were prepared by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) using polypyrrole fibers coated on stainless steel support as an adsorbent for the drugs. Adsorption efficiencies were 95% and were close for all the drugs investigated. Relative standard deviations (RSD), calculated for samples prepared in standard solutions, were in the range 2.5–13%, however RSD values for the drugs in human plasma were 2.5–4.5%. Using LC–MS the limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were in the ranges 0.11–0.18 and 0.39–0.54 ng mL⁻¹, respectively, for the five drugs.     

A modular approach to catalytic synthesis using a dual-functional linker for Click and Suzuki coupling reactions

The stable benzylazido-boronate ester 1 is presented as an example of a dual-functional linker that allows the synthetically valuable boronate motif to be clicked onto other molecules under mild conditions. The utility of the azido-boronate motif as a modular building block is demonstrated in the rapid synthesis of drug-like structures employing sequential catalytic azide-alkyne cycloaddition and Suzuki coupling reactions.     

Quantum-classical modeling of nonlinear pulse propagation in a dissolved two-photon active chromophore

In the present work we outline the implications of a quantum-classical approach for modeling two-photon absorption of organic chromophores in solution. The approach joins many-photon absorption dynamic simulations with quantum chemical first principles calculations of corresponding excitation energies and transition matrix elements. Among a number of conclusions of the study, we highlight three: (i) The use of either short- or long-pulse excitation is demonstrated to switch the absorptive capacity of the nonlinear medium owing to enhancement of the nonlinear stepwise processes; (ii) The two-photon cross section strongly depends on the way in which the dephasing rate decays when the laser frequency is tuned off-resonant with the corresponding molecular transition; (iii) The results of the pulse propagation simulations based on electronic structure data obtained with a new Coulomb attenuated functional is shown to be in much better agreement with the experimental results than those based on data received with traditional density functionals.     

Thermoluminescence measurements of liquid crystal azomethines and poly(azomethines) with different shapes as thermo-detectors

We have explored the thermoluminescence (TL) properties of a few series of liquid crystal unsymmetrical and symmetrical azomethines and poly(azomethines) with different shapes. Rod-, bent- and star-shaped compounds were investigated as thermoluminescent detectors. All of the investigated compounds, except ASB3, AG2 and PAZ2, exhibited mesomorphic behavior. The thermoluminescence studies have shown that molecular structure of the compound along with shape influenced the TL properties of azomethines and poly(azomethines). Thermoluminescence intensity (I), temperature of maximum TL (T), activation energy values (E) and frequency factor (s) were detected. For the first time, to the best of our knowledge, thermoluminescence properties of liquid crystalline azomethines and polyazomethines were described and compared in this article.     

Interpolation of Vector-Valued Real Analytic Functions

Let R^d be an open domain. The sequentially complete DF-spacesE are characterized such that for each (some) discrete sequence(z_n) , a sequence of natural numbers (k_n) and any family the infinite system of equations has an E-valued real analytic solution f.     

Real analytic curves in Fréchet spaces and their duals

The following results are presented: 1) a characterization through the Liouville property of those Stein manifoldsU such that every germ of holomorphic functions on xU can be developed locally as a vector-valued Taylor series in the first variable with values inH(U); 2) ifT is a surjective convolution operator on the space of scalar-valued real analytic functions, one can find a solutionu of the equationT u=f which depends holomorphically on the parameterz wheneverf depends in the same manner. These results are obtained as an application of a thorough study of vector-valued real analytic maps by means of the modern functional analytic tools. In particular, we give a tensor product representation and a characterization of those Fréchet spaces or LB-spacesE for whichE-valued real analytic functions defined via composition with functionals and via suitably convergent Taylor series are the same.