On the nature of excited electronic states in cyanine dyes: implications for visual pigment spectra

CNDO/S CI calculations are carried out on polyenes and on cyanine dyes. In contrast to polyenes, doubly excited configurations have a strong effect on the first optically allowed excited state in cyanines. Protonated Schiff bases of retinal are closely related to cyanine dyes, with important consequences for models of visual pigment spectra and photochemistry.     

Plant delta(15)N associated with arbuscular mycorrhization, drought and nitrogen deficiency

It has long been evident that plant (15)N chiefly reflects the processes which fractionate (15)N/(14)N rather than the (15)N of plant N source(s). It has emerged recently that one of the most important fractionating processes contributing to the whole plant (15)N is the presence/absence, type or species of mycorrhiza, especially when interacting with nutrient deficiency. Ecto- and ericoid mycorrhizas are frequently associated with (15)N-depleted foliar (15)N, commonly as low as -12 per thousand. As shown by the present study, plants having no mycorrhiza, or those infected with various species of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM)-forming fungi, interact with varying concentrations of soil nitrogen [N] and moisture to enrich plant (15)N by as much as 3.5 per thousand. Hence the lack of a mycorrhiza, or variation in the species of AM-forming fungal associations, can account for about 25% of the usually reported variations of foliar (15)N found in field situations and do so by (15)N enrichment rather than depletion. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Equilibrium oxygen fugacity for the synthesis of zinc ferrite solid solutions

Thermodynamic information is utilized to study the width of the zinc ferritemagnetite phase field, and to establish the oxygen fugacity in equilibrium with this solid solution. Information is provided for the specification of the phase boundaries and for the particular oxygen fugacity that corresponds to the 4/3 oxygen/ cation ratio in the strictly stoichiometric solid solution.