Analysis of platelet-activating factor by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry: low-energy electron impact of the corresponding 3-acetyl-2-tert.-butyldimethylsilyl derivative.

A method for the analysis of platelet-activating factor in platelets employing gas chromatography and selected-ion monitoring mass spectrometry with low-energy electron impact and stable isotope dilution was developed. The procedure involved Bligh and Dyer extraction of the sample followed by thin-layer chromatographic purification. Platelet-activating factor is successively hydrolysed to the corresponding 2-acetyl-1-O-alkylglycerol by digestion with phospholipase C, and the product is allowed to isomerize to the more thermodynamically stable 3-acetyl-1-O-alkylglycerol before column purification and derivatization of the free OH with tert.-butyldimethylchlorosaline-imidazole. This reagent is of common use in platelet-activating factor derivatization, but is made to react with 2-acetyl instead of 3-acetyl isomer. The advantages of using the latter for the final derivatization are discussed and this method is compared with others currently available for gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of platelet-activating factor.     

Electron Energy Distribution Functions in CO2 Laser Mixture: The Effects of Second Kind Collisions from Metastable Electronic States

Electron energy distribution functions (eedf) in CO₂ laser discharge (He—CO₂—N₂—CO mixture) have been calculated by solving the Boltzmann equation in the presence of given concentrations of excited (vibrational and electronic) states. The results show a well structured eedf as a result of second kind collisions coming from metastable electronic states of N₂ and He as well as a strong dependence of rate coefficients for CO₂ dissociation and for the ionization of the different species.     

Parity violation at neutron p-wave resonances of238U and232Th and related questions

Parity violation effects have been studied at 40 neutron p-wave resonances of the even-even nuclei²³⁸U and²³²Th. Of these 11 show parity violation effects larger than 2 standard deviations, making parity violation a rather common phenomenon. Parity mixing up to 10% has been found. The root-mean squared matrix elements for parity violation derived from these resonances are M=0.58 (+0.50/-0.25) meV for²³⁸U, respectively 1.39 (+0.35/-0.38) meV for²³²Th.     

The effect of dissipation on coherent quantum tunnelling in a double-well system: Two-level model using an adjoint equation approach

We examine the effect of dissipation on coherent quantum tunnelling between the two lowest levels of a double-well system using an adjoint equation approach developed previously in the treatment of quantum-optical problems. Dissipation is modelled by a linear coupling to a bath of harmonic oscillators. The high frequency portion of the bath is adiabatically eliminated using a cumulant expansion technique, which generates frequency renormalisation terms. Making a low temperature assumption, an approximate two-level model is developed in the form of three coupled stochastic differential equations. With a decorrelation approximation, the two-level equations can be solved to yield familiar results. However, the adjoint equation also permits the use of direct stochastic simulation as a means of solution, and simulations are carried out for a range of parameters. A comparison with the decorrelation approximation is made.     

Principles and recent developments in ultrasound contrast agents

The behaviour of gas bubbles and gas encapsulated spheres as echographic contrast agents is reviewed. Compared with rigid spheres, gas bubbles are superior scattering agents and they offer a number of useful properties which can be exploited in a variety of ways. The analysis of their velocity of sound, back-scatter intensity, second harmonic emission and resonant frequency opens up new perspectives in the development of contrast agents for echocardiographic research with potential clinical applications.     

Speckle metrology employing LCTV spatial light modulators

Liquid crystal televisions have been employed as spatial light modulators in a variety of optical image processing applications. We have used such devices to develop techniques in speckle metrology for the electronic addition of speckle patterns and the display of speckle correlation, and also for the real-time display of object motion. Factors which affect the performance in terms of the useful working range and the accuracy of displacement measurement are discussed. Some modifications to the LCTV which should increase the potential of these devices as spatial light modulators, when used in both amplitude and phase modulation, are considered briefly.     

Synthesis and characterization of some novel cyanonitrosyl complexes of chromium(I) with Mannich bases,aromatic aldehyde oximes and syn-phenyl-2-pyridylketoxime

Some new low-spin hexacoordinated cyanonitrosyl complexes of Cr¹ of the type [Cr(NO)(CN)₂(L)₂(H₂)], where L is an aromatic aldehyde oxime or Mannich base, have been prepared by the interaction or K₃[Cr(NO)(CN)₅]· H₂O with L in aqueous AcOH, and characterized by a range of physico-chemical techniques, I.r. data suggest that all the oxime derivatives and Mannich bases act as monodentate ligands by coordinating through the aromatic nitrogen. TMC 2564     

Below-bandgap refractive index of AlAs/GaAs multiple quantum wells

Precision reflection measurements were performed on GaAs/AlAs superlattices of the same composition but different layer spacings. Nonlinear-least-squares fits to the data were performed to a single layer. Measurements were extracted for the superlattice thickness, thickness of a disturbed interface layer between the superlattice and substrate, the uniformity in composition and/or spacing and the composition. It was demonstrated that these nondestructive measurements in the infrared region (3000 to 12 000 cm^–1) in conjunction with a simple single layer model are capable of accurately yielding the above quantities with high precision.     

The calculation of frequency-dependent hyperpolarizabilities including electron correlation effects

The theory for the calculation of the frequency-dependent hyperpolarizabilities β(?2ω; 0, ω), β(?ω; 0, ω), and β(0; ω, ?ω) is discussed. New relations between these tensors are derived for those wave functions that obey the time-dependent Hellmann–Feynman theorem (e.g., the self-consistent field [SCF] or the exact wave function). Using second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), expressions are obtained for the hyperpolarizabilities in terms of derivatives of appropriately defined linear polarizability tensors with respect to a static electric field. Results are presented for ammonia and formaldehyde for the optical Kerr effect and for secondharmonic generation. These results indicate that it is desirable to determine the frequency-dependent contribution to the hyperopolarizability at the MP2 rather than the SCF level of theory, in cases where the static hyperpolarizability has a large contribution from electron correlation and/or where the frequency-dependent contribution may be more significant, such as for secondharmonic generation.