Temperature-induced particle self-assembly

Agglomeration of monodisperse thiol-stabilized gold particles with diameters of 6 nm, suspended in organic solvents, was induced by the cooling of the suspension. A sharp transition between the stable suspension and agglomeration resulted. The temperature of the transition depends on the concentration and the compatibility of the solvent. The morphology of the formed particle structures upon agglomeration implies that the used metal colloid can be described as a van der Waals-gas. The particles undergo phase transitions from a stable fluid phase to a metastable phase, in which nucleation and growth occur, or to an instable phase, in which spinodal decomposition occurs. The results will direct research on routes to nanostructured materials using nanoparticles as building blocks.     

A moving grid finite element method applied to a model biological pattern generator

Many problems in biology involve growth. In numerical simulations it can therefore be very convenient to employ a moving computational grid on a continuously deforming domain. In this paper we present a novel application of the moving grid finite element method to compute solutions of reaction–diffusion systems in two-dimensional continuously deforming Euclidean domains. A numerical software package has been developed as a result of this research that is capable of solving generalised Turing models for morphogenesis.     

Enhancing sensitivity of quadrupolar nuclei in solid-state NMR with multiple rotor assisted population transfers

Rotor-assisted population transfer (RAPT) was developed as a method for enhancing MAS NMR sensitivity of quadrupolar nuclei by transferring polarization associated with satellite transitions to the central m=12-->-12 transition. After a single RAPT transfer, there still remains polarization in the satellite transitions that can be transferred to the central transition. This polarization is available without having to wait for the spin system to return to thermal equilibrium. We describe a new RAPT scheme that uses the remaining polarization of the satellites to obtain a further enhancement of the central transition by performing RAPT-enhanced experiments multiple times before waiting for re-equilibration of the spin system. For 27Al (I=5/2) in albite we obtain a multiple RAPT enhancement of 3.02, a 48% increase over single RAPT. For 93Nb (I=9/2) in NaNbO(3) we obtain a multiple RAPT enhancement of 5.76, an 89% increase over single RAPT. We also describe a data processing procedure for obtaining the maximum possible signal-to-noise ratio.     

Infrared Spectra of the Square Planar Rhodium(I) Complexes cis-[Rh(CO)2(pyridine) (X)] (X = Cl,Br): Isotopic Labelling Studies and Normal Coordinate Analysis

Abstract

The infrared spectra (4000 - 50 cm^?1) of the square planar rhodium(I) complexes cis-[Rh(CO)₂ (pyridine) (X)] (X = Cl, Br) and their isotopomers with pyridine-d ₅ and ¹³CO have been determined. Assignments are based on earlier studies on pyridine and its complexes and on the shifts in infrared bands which are caused by the isotopic substitutions employed. Normal coordinate analysis following the procedure of Becher and Mattes has been used to confirm the empirical assignments. The two v(RhC) bands are observed near 490 and 450 cm^?1. v(RhN) is found near 210 cm^?1 and v(RhX) occurs at 310 (X = Cl) and 235 (X = Br) cm^?1. At frequencies below 200 cm^?1, the bands are assigned to bending modes in the following sequence: δ (RhN) > δ (CRhC) > δ (RhCl) > γ (RhCl) > γ (RhN).     

The pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus and the nucleus basalis magnocellularis: Do both have a role in sustained attention?

Background  

It is well established that nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NbM) lesions impair performance on tests of sustained attention. Previous work from this laboratory has also demonstrated that pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) lesioned rats make more omissions on a test of sustained attention, suggesting that it might also play a role in mediating this function. However, the results of the PPTg study were open to alternative interpretation. We aimed to resolve this by conducting a detailed analysis of the effects of damage to each brain region in the same sustained attention task used in our previous work. Rats were trained in the task before surgery and post-surgical testing examined performance in response to unpredictable light signals of 1500 ms and 4000 ms duration. Data for PPTg lesioned rats were compared to control rats, and rats with 192 IgG saporin infusions centred on the NbM. In addition to operant data, video data of rats' performance during the task were also analysed.     

两位物理学家的传说

很难想象,在物理学领域有比惠勒(John Archibald Wheeler)和费曼(Richard Feynman)这两位还要花样百出的心智组合。费曼于1939 年来到普林斯顿大学,希望在维格纳(Eugene Wigner)的指导下完成博士学业,然而到了那儿他才发现自己已经被分配给了惠勒,而那个家伙的年纪大他不到七岁。这两位极具创造力的思想家,彼此提点,相互协作,在他们的游戏中成功登顶。在《量子迷踪：费曼和惠勒如何玩转时间与实在》(The Quantum Labyrinth：How Richard Feynman and John Wheeler Revolutionized Time and Reality)这本书里,物理学家兼科学作家保罗·哈尔彭(Paul Halpern)详细描绘这对搭档的事业和关系。     

在引力波探测器中使用更强的量子压缩

安装在现行引力波探测器中的新硬件,使用量子效应来提高灵敏度,并将事件检出率提高50%。     

从不可能中学习

经典基础物理学建构在已经发生的事实基础之上,具有简洁而优美的表述,因而让很多人都相信宇宙的确可能存在这样的拉普拉斯“兽”,它可以通过精确的初始条件和完备的物理定律而洞悉过去和将来的一切。这一“世界决定论”,将世间发生的一切视为“上天注定”,更让许多人相信万物归于本源、复杂启于简单的“还原论”。持有这些观点的人们通常认为从来没有发生过的事情一定是不可能的,而反设事实(counterfactual)允许我们对已经发生的事实进行否定推设,继而构建基于可能性的逻辑推理。显然,经典物理并不包括假设性或反设事实的事件。     

Dimerisation and complexation of 6-(4′-t-butylphenylamino)naphthalene-2-sulphonate by β-cyclodextrin and linked β-cyclodextrin dimers

This study shows that stereochemical factors largely determine the extent to which 6-(4′-t-butylphenylamino)-naphthalene-2-sulphonate, BNS^?  and its dimer, (BNS^? )₂, are complexed by β-cyclodextrin, βCD, and a range of linked βCD dimers. Fluorescence and ¹H NMR studies, respectively, show that BNS^?  and (BNS^? )₂ form host–guest complexes with βCD of the stoichiometry βCD.BNS^?  (10^? 4 K ₁ = 4.67 dm³ mol^? 1) and βCD.BNS₂ ^2 ?  (10^? 2 K ₂′ = 2.31 dm³ mol^? 1), where the complexation constant K ₁ = [βCD.BNS^? ]/([βCD][BNS^? ]) and K ₂′ = [βCD. (BNS^? )₂]/([βCD.BNS^? ][BNS^? ]) in aqueous phosphate buffer at pH 7.0, I = 0.10 mol dm³ at 298.2 K. (The dimerisation of BNS^?  is characterised by 10^? 2 K _d = 2.65 dm³ mol^? 1.) For N,N-bis((2^AS,3^AS)-3^A-deoxy-3^A-β-cyclodextrin)succinamide, 33βCD₂su, N-((2^AS,3^AS)-3^A-deoxy-3^A-β-cyclodextrin)-N′-(6^A-deoxy-6^A-β-cyclodextrin)urea, 36βCD₂su, N,N-bis(6^A-deoxy-6^A-β-cyclodextrin)succinamide, 66βCD₂su, N-((2^AS,3^AS)-3^A-deoxy-3^A-β-cyclodextrin)-N′-(6^A-deoxy-6^A-β-cyclodextrin)urea, 36βCD₂ur, and N,N-bis(6^A-deoxy-6^A-β-cyclodextrin)urea, 66βCD₂ur, the analogous 10^? 4 K ₁ = 11.0, 101, 330, 29.6 and 435 dm³ mol^? 1 and 10^? 2 K ₂′ = 2.56, 2.31, 2.59, 1.82 and 1.72 dm³ mol^? 1, respectively. A similar variation occurs in K ₁ derived by UV–vis methods. The factors causing the variations in K ₁ and K ₂ are discussed in conjunction with ¹H ROESY NMR and molecular modelling studies.