Linewidth measurements of the ν2 + ν4 R(29) absorption in CF4

Linewidth measurements of the ν₂ + ν₄ R⁺(29) A₁⁴ + E⁹ + F₁¹⁴ absorption at 1073.279 cm⁻¹ were made in the pressure range of 0.5 to 50 Torr CF₄. The data, after correction for Doppler broadening, reduce to a self-broadening coefficient of 10.8 ± 0.4 MHz/Torr. Comparisons of the linewidth for pure CF₄ with the linewidth of an Ar-CF₄ mixture and with the prediction of the hard-sphere, gas-kinetic model imply a relaxation mechanism that is not dominated by a resonant (V-V) process, and has an effective cross section that is intermediate in size between the cross sections associated with dipole-dipole and hard-sphere collisions.     

Kirchhoff-Planck law for freely radiating bodies and fluctuation-dissipation theorem

The interrelation between the Kirchhoff-Planck law (KPL) and the fluctuation-dissipation theorem (FDT) is discussed. It is known that the KPL is valid for freely radiating atoms if (i) the occupation probability of the atomic levels is the Boltzmann equilibrium probability and if (ii) the induced emission is treated as negative absorption. It is shown that the assumption (ii) is also inherent in the definition of the generalized susceptability. The susceptability is directly connected with the corresponding correlation function (FDT). It is proofed that the attached dipole fluctuation spectrum in its normally ordered form and the classical Maxwell equations reproduce the KPL. This result serves as the guideline for the extension of this procedure to macroscopic systems (susceptability ε (ω)). The theory can be used to describe radiative heat transfer in inhomogeneous systems. The validity of this macroscopic theory implies the same assumptions as the validity of the KPL for freely radiating atoms. The freely radiating dielectric half-space is treated as a simple example.     

Identifying complex periodic windows in continuous-time dynamical systems using recurrence-based methods

The identification of complex periodic windows in the two-dimensional parameter space of certain dynamical systems has recently attracted considerable interest. While for discrete systems, a discrimination between periodic and chaotic windows can be easily made based on the maximum Lyapunov exponent of the system, this remains a challenging task for continuous systems, especially if only short time series are available (e.g., in case of experimental data). In this work, we demonstrate that nonlinear measures based on recurrence plots obtained from such trajectories provide a practicable alternative for numerically detecting shrimps. Traditional diagonal line-based measures of recurrence quantification analysis as well as measures from complex network theory are shown to allow an excellent classification of periodic and chaotic behavior in parameter space. Using the well-studied Ro?ssler system as a benchmark example, we find that the average path length and the clustering coefficient of the resulting recurrence networks are particularly powerful discriminatory statistics for the identification of complex periodic windows.     

Macropolyhedral boron-containing cluster chemistry. A synthetic approach via the auto-fusion of [6,9-(SMe2)2-arachno-B10H12

In an attempt to build up borane-based multicluster assemblies, thermolysis of [6,9-(SMe2)2-arachno-B10H12] 1 in inert hydrocarbon solution, followed by chromatographic separation, has resulted in the isolation not only of the previously established single-cluster product from this reaction, [5-(SMe2)-nido-B10H12] 2 (30%), but also the two two-cluster species [6,9-(SMe2)2-arachno-B10H11-1-(6-nido-B10H13)] 3 (20%) and [1,6-(nido-B10H13)2] 6 (ca. 0.5%) and the two three-cluster species [6,9-(SMe2)2-arachno-B10H10-1,5-(6-nido-B10H13)2] 4 (5%), characterized crystallographically, and [6,9-(SMe2)2-arachno-B10H10-1,3-(6-nido-B10H13)2] 5 (<1%), identified by NMR spectroscopy. An improved crystallographic investigation of [5-(SMe2)-nido-B10H12] 2 is also presented. The feasibility of the stability of species resulting from multiple adjacent substitution of nido-decaboranyl units on the [6,9-(SMe2)2-arachno-B10H12] skeleton is tested by DFT calculations. In an extension, to attempt the use of pre--linked two-cluster compounds as starting substrates, two-cluster [5-(SMe2)-4-(2-nido-B10H13)-nido-B10H11] 7 (0.6%) has been isolated from the reaction of SMe2 with [1,5-(nido-B10H13)2], other identified products being compound 1 (39%) and compound 3 (10.5%).     

Stress-biased rearrangements and preyield behavior in glasses

On the basis of a physical picture of a glass as a mosaic of mesoscopic clusters differing in their yield characteristics, we propose a model for the preyield behavior in glassy materials; the model describes the stress-strain relationship at different strain rates in terms of one reduced variable. A test using experimental data for polycarbonate materials at different rates and temperatures appears favorable for the model. The model may be used to interpolate and extrapolate limited experimental data, and also provides a practical means to assess dynamic heterogeneities within polymeric glasses. When applied at different temperatures, the model gives insight into the dependence of the excitation energies on temperature (glassformer fragility) in the glassy state.     

Enhanced Raman scattering from individual semiconductor nanocones and nanowires

We report strong enhancement (approximately 10(3)) of the spontaneous Raman scattering from individual silicon nanowires and nanocones as compared with bulk Si. The observed enhancement is diameter (d), excitation wavelength (lambda(laser)), and incident polarization state dependent, and is explained in terms of a resonant behavior involving incident electromagnetic radiation and the structural dielectric cross section. The variation of the Raman enhancement with d, lambda(laser), and polarization is shown to be in good agreement with model calculations of scattering from an infinite dielectric cylinder.     

A multielectrode microcompartment culture platform for studying signal transduction in the nervous system

This paper describes the design, fabrication, and characterization of a microfabricated compartmented culture system (micro-CCS) useful for electrophysiological signaling studies in cultured neurons. The focus of the paper is the process of interfacing the micro-CCS with cultured neurons and to demonstrate the applicability of the system for biochemical-mediated electrophysiological studies. Moreover, we show that we can record action potentials from cultured neurons through the extracellular compartmented application of elevated levels of K(+) ions. Finally, we show that we can isolate the electrophysiological effects of the sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin in one of the compartments of a two compartment culture while recording electrophysiological data from both compartments.