A new search for the atomic EDM of 129Xe at FRM-II

Permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs) arise due to the breaking of time-reversal or, equivalently, CP-symmetry. Although EDM searches have so far only set upper limits, which are many orders of magnitude larger than Standard Model (SM) predictions, the motivation for more sensitive searches is stronger than ever. A new effort at FRM-II incorporating ¹²⁹Xe and ³He as a co-magnetometer can potentially improve the current limit. The noble gas mixture of ¹²⁹Xe and ³He is simultanously polarized by spin-exchange optical pumping and then transferred into a high-performance magnetically shielded room. Inside, both species can freely precess in the presence of applied magnetic and electric fields. The precession signals are detected by LTc SQUID sensors. In EDM cells with silicon electrodes we observed spin lifetimes in excess of 2500 s without and with high-voltage applied. This meets one requirement to achieve our goal of improving the EDM limit on ¹²⁹Xe by several orders of magnitude.     

Synthesis,X-ray structure and theoretical study of benzazole thioether and its zinc complex as corrosion inhibitors for steel in acidic medium

A ligand, 2-((benzo[d]thiazol-2-ylthio)methyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole, and its zinc complex have been synthesized. The structure of these compounds have been determined by spectroscopic techniques and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The corrosion inhibition study of these compounds for steel in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ medium has also been investigated using potentiodynamic polarization and EIS techniques. The quantum calculations were applied to investigate the relationship between the electronic properties and the corrosion inhibition efficiency of the two benzazoles derivatives. Surface analysis (XRF) indicated that the rust layer formed on the Cu-containing steels was enriched with Cu compounds. Polarization curves revealed that both inhibitors acted as a mixed-type inhibitor.     

Product formula for the generalized q-Bessel function

The aim of this paper is to establish a product formula for the generalized q-Bessel function which is a generalization of the known q-Bessel functions of kind 1,2,3, the modified q-Bessel functions of kind 1,2,3, and the new q-analogy of the modified Bessel function presented and studied by Mansour and Al-Shomarani. As an application of the product formula we derive Turán-type inequality for the modified q-Bessel function of third kind.     

Existence and uniqueness results for a fractional two‐times evolution problem with constraints of purely integral type

This paper deals with a fractional two‐times evolution equation associated with initial and purely boundary integral conditions. The existence and uniqueness of generalized solution are proved. The classical functional method based on a priori estimates and density used by many authors in the case of nonfractional differential equations is applied for the time fractional case. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Does the reagent gas influence collisional activation when performing in situ chemical ionization with an ion trap mass spectrometer?

Users of ion trap mass spectrometers frequently develop methods that associate chemical ionization with tandem mass spectrometry detection. With apparatus using internal ionization, the chemical reagent is present in the trap during the collision induced dissociation (CID) step and one may wonder if the reagent influences the fragmentation ratios in MS/MS. We report a comparison of the fragmentation ratios of protonated molecules when using the most common reagents (methane, ammonia, methanol, acetonitrile, isobutane) for performing in situ chemical ionization. Four molecules were chosen in the medical field to serve as models: alprazolam, diazepam, flunitrazepam and acetaminophen. In the non-resonant CID mode, the influence of the reagent mass is clearly seen in spite of its low partial pressure in the ion trap; the reagent acts as a "heavy target": the degree of fragmentation increases with the molecular weight of the reagent. In the resonant CID mode, there is no evident correlation between the fragmentation ratio of MH(+) ions and the nature of the CI reagent; a slight shift of the secular frequency of the precursor ion, which tends to reduce the CID efficiency, could compensate for the "heavy target" effect underscored in the non-resonant mode.     

An electrochemiluminescence-based competitive displacement immunoassay for the type-2 brevetoxins in oyster extracts

A new competitive electrochemiluminescence-based immunoassay for the type-2 brevetoxins in oyster extracts was developed. The assay was verified by spiking known amounts of PbTx-3 into 80% methanol extracts of Gulf Coast oysters. We also provide preliminary data demonstrating that 100% acetone extracts, aqueous homogenates, and the clinical matrixes urine and serum can also be analyzed without significant matrix interferences. The assay offers the advantages of speed ( 2 h analysis time); simplicity (only 2 additions, one incubation period, and no wash steps before analysis); low limit of quantitation (conservatively, 50 pg/mL = 1 ng/g tissue equivalents); and a stable, nonradioactive label. Due to the variety of brevetoxin metabolites present and the lack of certified reference standards for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry confirmation, a true validation of brevetoxins in shellfish extracts is not possible at this time. However, our assay correlated well with another brevetoxin immunoassay currently in use in the United States. We believe this assay could be useful as a regulatory screening tool and could support pharmacokinetic studies in animals and clinical evaluation of neurotoxic shellfish poisoning victims.     

Reaction rates as a function of scale within ionic liquids: microscale in droplet microreactors versus macroscale reactions in the case of the Grieco three-component condensation reaction

Task-specific ionic liquids (TSILs) and more specifically binary task-specific ionic liquids (BTSILs), a unique subclass, have been shown to be excellent supports for solution-phase chemistry. The negligible volatility of ionic liquids enables their use as stable droplet microreactors in atmospheric environments without oil protection or confinement. These droplets can be moved, merged and mixed by electrowetting on a chip. Solution-phase synthesis can be performed on these open digital microfluidic labs-on-a-chip as illustrated by a study of the Grieco three-component reaction in [tmba][NTf(2)]-droplet (tmba=N-trimethyl-N-butylammonium NTf(2)=bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide) microreactors. A detailed study of matrices and scale effects on conversion and kinetic rates of this three-component condensation is presented in this paper. Reactions have been shown to be slower in droplets than in batches in the absence of additional mixing. Also, a significant influence of the ionic-liquid matrix has been observed. Finally, an increase of droplet's temperature resulted in a kinetics enhancement so as to reach macroscale reaction rates, probably because of a much better mixing of reaction's components involving a Marangoni's effect.     

Comparison between monolithic conventional size, microbore and capillary poly(p-methylstyrene-co-1,2-bis(p-vinylphenyl)ethane) high-performance liquid chromatography columns Synthesis, application, long-term stability and reproducibility

Novel monolithic supports (MS/BVPE) were prepared by thermally initiated free radical copolymerisation of p-methylstyrene (MS) and 1,2-bis(p-vinylphenyl)ethane (BVPE). The polymer was synthesised in fused silica capillaries (80 mm x 0.2 mm and 80 mm x 0.53 mm) and in borosilicate glass columns (90 mm x 1.0 mm and 90 mm x 3.0 mm) to yield different HPLC column designs. A comparison of those column dimensions regarding morphology as well as separation efficiency and applicability in bioanalysis is presented. The efficiency towards proteins as well as oligonucleotides was found to be considerably improved with decreasing column I.D. While a 5-protein mixture was baseline separated on all investigated column designs, the separation of small biomolecules like oligonucleotides or peptides on microbore and conventional size glass columns was strongly restricted in terms of resolution due to extensive peak broadening or the occurrence of peak asymmetry. Monolithic MS/BVPE capillary columns up to 0.53 mm I.D., however, proved to be applicable to the fractionation of the whole spectrum of biopolymers, including proteins, peptides, oligonucleotides as well as double-stranded DNA fragments. Due to the fact that reliable chromatography makes great demand on the robustness of the stationary phase, monolithic MS/BVPE capillaries were subjected to a comprehensive reproducibility study including run-to-run as well as batch-to-batch reproducibility.     

Monolithic poly[(trimethylsilyl-4-methylstyrene)-co- bis(4-vinylbenzyl)dimethylsilane] stationary phases for the fast separation of proteins and oligonucleotides

In this paper the synthesis, optimisation and application of a silane based monolithic copolymer for the rapid separation of proteins and oligonucleotides is described. The monolith was prepared by thermal initiated in situ copolymerisation of trimethylsilyl-4-methylstyrene (TMSiMS) and bis(4-vinylbenzyl)dimethylsilane (BVBDMSi) in a silanised 200 microm I.D. fused silica column. Different ratios of monomer and crosslinker, as well as different ratios of micro- (toluene) and macro-porogen (2-propanol) were used for optimising the physical properties of the stationary phase regarding separation efficiency. The prepared monolithic stationary phases were characterised by measurement of permeability with different solvents, determination of pore size distribution by mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). Morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Applying optimised conditions, a mixture comprised of five standard proteins ribunuclease A, cytochrome c, alpha-lactalbumine, myoglobine and ovalbumine was separated within 1 min by ion-pair reversed-phase liquid chromatography (IP-RPLC) obtaining half-height peak widths between 1.8 and 2.4 s. Baseline separation of oligonucleotides d(pT)(12-18) was achieved within 1.8 min obtaining half-height peak widths between 3.6 and 5.4 s. The results demonstrate the high potential of this stationary phase for fast separation of high-molecular weight biomolecules such as oligonucleotides and proteins.     

A cluster insertion heuristic for single and multiple depot vehicle routing problems with backhauling

We investigate an extension to the classical insertion-based heuristic for the vehicle routing problem with backhauling (VRPB). It is based on the idea of inserting more than one backhaul at a time. This method is tested on data sets with single and multiple depots with encouraging results at no additional computational burden. This approach can also be useful in generating good starting solutions for the more computer-intensive meta-heuristics.