Measurement of the tau lepton mass and an upper limit on the mass difference between tau+ and tau-

The mass of the tau lepton has been measured in the decay mode tau-->3pinutau using a pseudomass technique. The result obtained from 414 fb-1 of data collected with the Belle detector is Mtau=[1776.61+/-0.13(stat)+/-0.35(sys)] MeV/c2. The upper limit on the relative mass difference between positive and negative tau leptons is |Mtau+-Mtau-|/Mtau<2.8 x 10-4 at 90% confidence level.     

Multistability,intermittency and remerging Feigenbaum trees in an externally pumped ring cavity laser system

We study a Fabry-Pérot cavity containing a saturable absorber and driven by an external laser. It is shown that the output field as a function of the input field and bistability parameter exhibits multistability, intermittency and remerging Feigenbaum trees.     

Observation of a new DsJ meson in B+-->D0D0K+ decays

We report the observation of a new DsJ meson produced in B+-->D0DsJ-->D0D0K+. This state has a mass of M=2708+/-9(-10)(+11) MeV/c2, a width Gamma=108+/-23(-31)(+36) MeV/c2 and a 1- spin-parity. The statistical significance of this observation is 8.4 sigma. The results are based on an analysis of 449 x 10(6) BB events collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e- collider.     

Synthesis, spectroscopy, and X-ray structures of fac-(CO)3(dppe)MnSC(S)H, fac-(CO)3(dppe)ReSC(S)H, fac-(CO)3(dppp)ReSC(S)H, and fac-(CO)3(dppb)ReSC(S)H

The monodentate dithioformato complexes, fac-(CO)₃(dppe)MnSC(S)H (1), fac- (CO)₃(dppe)ReSC(S)H (2), fac-(CO)₃(dppp)ReSC(S)H (3), and fac-(CO)₃ (dppb)ReSC(S)H (4), where dppe is 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane, dppp is 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane, and dppb is 1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane, were synthesized from the treatment of the corresponding hydrides, fac-(CO)₃ (P-P)MSC(S)H with CS₂. Compounds 1–4 crystallize in the monoclinic crystal system: for 1, space group = P2₁/c, a = 15.3139(3) Å, b = 9.7297(4) Å, c = 19.0991(6) Å, = 105.928(1), V = 2736.5 ų, Z = 4; for 2, space group = P2₁/c, a = 15.6395(8) Å, b = 9.8182(5) Å, c = 19.4153(11) Å, = 106.741(1), V = 2854.9(3) ų, Z = 4; for 3, space group = P2₁/n, a = 11.3570(10) Å, b = 19.465(2) Å, c = 15.5702(14) Å, = 104.776(2), V = 3328.3(5) ų, Z = 4; and for 4, space group = C2/c, a = 32.078(2) Å, b = 10.4741(6) Å, c = 19.0608(9) Å, = 94.315(2), V = 6386.1(6) ų, Z = 8.     

Rheological complexity in simple chain models

Dynamical properties of short freely jointed and freely rotating chains are studied using molecular dynamics simulations. These results are combined with those of previous studies, and the degree of rheological complexity of the two models is assessed. New results are based on an improved analysis procedure of the rotational relaxation of the second Legendre polynomials of the end-to-end vector in terms of the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts (KWW) function. Increased accuracy permits the variation of the KWW stretching exponent beta to be tracked over a wide range of state points. The smoothness of beta as a function of packing fraction eta is a testimony both to the accuracy of the analytical methods and the appropriateness of (eta(0)-eta) as a measure of the distance to the ideal glass transition at eta(0). Relatively direct comparison is made with experiment by viewing beta as a function of the KWW relaxation time tau(KWW). The simulation results are found to be typical of small molecular glass formers. Several manifestations of rheological complexity are considered. First, the proportionality of alpha-relaxation times is explored by the comparison of translational to rotational motion (i.e., the Debye-Stokes-Einstein relation), of motion on different length scales (i.e., the Stokes-Einstein relation), and of rotational motion at intermediate times to that at long time. Second, the range of time-temperature superposition master curve behavior is assessed. Third, the variation of beta across state points is tracked. Although no particulate model of a liquid is rigorously rheologically simple, we find freely jointed chains closely approximated this idealization, while freely rotating chains display distinctly complex dynamical features.     

Not All Fluorescent Nanodiamonds Are Created Equal: A Comparative Study

Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) are vital to many emerging nanotechnological applications, from bioimaging and sensing to quantum nanophotonics. Yet, understanding and engineering the properties of fluorescent defects in nanodiamonds remain challenging. The most comprehensive study to date is presented, of the optical and physical properties of five different nanodiamond samples, in which fluorescent nitrogen‐vacancy (NV) centers are created using different fabrication techniques. The FNDs' fluorescence spectra, lifetime, and spin relaxation time (T₁) are investigated via single‐particle confocal fluorescence microscopy and in ensemble measurements in solution (T₁ excepted). Particle sizes and shapes are determined using scanning electron microscopy and correlated with the optical results. Statistical tests are used to explore correlations between the properties of individual particles and also analyze average results to directly compare different fabrication techniques. Spectral unmixing is used to quantify the relative NV charge‐state (NV^? and NV⁰) contributions to the overall fluorescence. A strong variation is found and quantified in the properties of individual particles within all analyzed samples and significant differences between the different particle types. This study is an important contribution toward understanding the properties of NV centers in nanodiamonds. It motivates new approaches to the improved engineering of NV‐containing nanodiamonds for future applications.     

Microfluidic platform for combinatorial synthesis in picolitre droplets

This paper presents a droplet-based microfluidic platform for miniaturized combinatorial synthesis. As a proof of concept, a library of small molecules for early stage drug screening was produced. We present an efficient strategy for producing a 7 × 3 library of potential thrombin inhibitors that can be utilized for other combinatorial synthesis applications. Picolitre droplets containing the first type of reagent (reagents A(1), A(2), …, A(m)) were formed individually in identical microfluidic chips and then stored off chip with the aid of stabilizing surfactants. These droplets were then mixed to form a library of droplets containing reagents A(1-m), each individually compartmentalized, which was reinjected into a second microfluidic chip and combinatorially fused with picolitre droplets containing the second reagent (reagents B(1), B(2), …, B(n)) that were formed on chip. The concept was demonstrated with a three-component Ugi-type reaction involving an amine (reagents A(1-3)), an aldehyde (reagents B(1-7)), and an isocyanide (held constant), to synthesize a library of small molecules with potential thrombin inhibitory activity. Our technique produced 10(6) droplets of each reaction at a rate of 2.3 kHz. Each droplet had a reaction volume of 3.1 pL, at least six orders of magnitude lower than conventional techniques. The droplets can then be divided into aliquots for different downstream screening applications. In addition to medicinal chemistry applications, this combinatorial droplet-based approach holds great potential for other applications that involve sampling large areas of chemical parameter space with minimal reagent consumption; such an approach could be beneficial when optimizing reaction conditions or performing combinatorial reactions aimed at producing novel materials.     

Integrated Adsorption–Photodegradation of Organic Pollutants by Carbon Xerogel/Titania Composites

Recent studies on the removal of pollutants via adsorption include the use of carbon-based adsorbents, due to their high porosity and large surface area; however, such materials lack photoactive properties. This study evaluates the synergistic effect of integrated mesoporous carbon xerogel (derived from resorcinol formaldehyde) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) for combined adsorption and photodegradation application. The complex formed between carbon xerogel and TiO₂ phase was investigated through FTIR, proving the presence of a Ti-O–C chemical linkage. The physicochemical properties of the synthesised adsorbent–photocatalyst were probed using FESEM, BET analysis and UV–Vis analysis. The kinetics, equilibrium adsorption, effect of pH, and effect of adsorbent dosage were investigated. The expansion of the absorbance range to the visible range was verified, and the corresponding band gap evaluated. These properties enabled a visible light response when the system was exposed to visible light post adsorption. Hence, an assistive adsorption–photodegradation phenomenon was successfully executed. The adsorption performance exhibited 85% dye degradation which improved to 99% following photodegradation. Further experiments showed the reduction of microorganisms under visible light, where no microbial colonies were observed after treatment, indicating the potential application of these composite materials.     

A Directory of Coefficients of Tail Dependence

Models characterizing the asymptotic dependence structures of bivariate distributions have been introduced by Ledford and Tawn (1996), among others, and diagnostics for such dependence behavior are presented in Coles et al. (1999). The following pages are intended as a supplement to the papers of Ledford and Tawn and Coles et al. In particular we focus on the coefficient of tail dependence, which we evaluate for a wide range of bivariate distributions. We find that for many commonly employed bivariate distributions there is little flexibility in the range of limiting dependence structure accommodated. Many distributions studied have coefficients of tail dependence corresponding to near independence or a strong form of dependence known as asymptotic dependence.