Synthesis and preliminary use of naphthyl quinazoline and isoquinoline oxazolines for asymmetric allylic oxidation

This paper is dedicated to Professor Jerald S. Bradshaw, undergraduate mentor of MBA, with warmth and gratitude for his encouragement and outstanding leadership. Four new oxazoline ligands, 4‐naphthyl‐2‐phenylquinazoline 4 and 1‐naphthylisoquinoline 5 were made using Suzuki coupling, a Pictet‐Gams reaction, and S‐amino alcohol. Preliminary use as ligands for asymmetric copper catalyzed allylic oxidation with cyclohex‐ene and perester showed promise providing S‐cyclohexenyl benzoate product in moderate enantioselectivity (64%ee).     

The vinylarene Diels-Alder reaction,development and potential

The report covers the vinylarene Diels-Alder reaction including the use of styrene as the diene component reacted with activated alkynes or alkenes as dienophiles. The development of the process includes thermal conditions together with recent base, Lewis acid, and microwave irradiation promotion conditions. Mechanistic insights from deuterated substrates and DFT calculations indicate a concerted asynchronous [4 + 2] cycloaddition followed by a step-wise 1,3-hydrogen transfer step to restore aromaticity. Total synthesis and materials applications are also included.     

Performance Anxiety: Loss of the Spoken Edge

The study aimed to assess whether a specific training program in vocal and physical skills could reduce the level of perceived performance anxiety. Eighteen undergraduate performing arts students were divided into two even groups. The experimental group experienced 10 two-hour sessions in a specialized vocal and physical skills training program. The control group received the same number of sessions in text analysis by the same teacher. Ten weeks after the training period, both groups were videotaped delivering a short speech of general interest. The videotaped material was assessed by four judges, using a visual analog scale (VAS). Perceptual variables considered were eight vocal and physical features: physical ease, physical presence, effective gesture use, effective eye contact, correct breath use, suitable pace, vocal variety, speech clarity, and one performance feature: perceived performance anxiety. Results indicated that the particular vocal and physical skills training program used showed positive results in effectively reducing the level of perceived performance anxiety. The experimental group scored significantly higher on each of the eight vocal and physical features and significantly lower on the perceived anxiety feature than the control group. This research has implications for those affected by performance anxiety in vocal presentation.     

Dark matter spikes and annihilation radiation from the galactic center

The annihilation rate of weakly interacting cold dark matter particles at the galactic center could be greatly enhanced by the growth of a density spike around the central supermassive black hole (SBH). Here we discuss the effects of hierarchical mergers on the central spike. Mergers between halos containing SBHs lead to the formation of SBH binaries which transfer energy to the dark matter particles, lowering their density. The predicted flux of annihilation photons from the galactic center is several orders of magnitude smaller than in models that ignore the effects of SBHs and mergers. Measurement of the annihilation radiation could in principle be used to constrain the merger history of the galaxy.     

Limits on D0-D0 mixing and bottom particle production cross section from hadronically produced same-sign dimuon events

The rates for same-sign and opposite-sign dimuon events with missing energy (indicative of final-state neutrinos) have been measured in 278 GeV π^?-Fe and 350 GeV proton-Fe collisions. The main source of opposite-sign events is two semi-leptonic decays of hadronically produced charm states. The same-sign events are consistent with background from pion and kaon decays. We obtain a limit of 0.044 (90% CL) on the fraction of D⁰ semileptonic decays that result in the wrong-sign muon and conclude that less than 9% (90% CL) of same-sign dimuon events produced in neutrino interactions can be attributed to D⁰-$\text{D}$⁰ mixing. The data imply δm < 6.5 × 10^?4 eV and $\text{δλ}\text{λ}\text{< 0.55}$ for the difference in mass and inverse lifetime of the CP eigenstates of the D⁰. Limits on diffractive bottom production cross sections in proton and pion collisions are also presented.     

A solid-state cell study of oxygen activities in the FeTiO system

A high-temperature solid-state cell using a calcia-stabilized zirconia electrolyte and iron-wustite reference electrode is described. The partial molal free energy of oxygen is reported for the phase systems iron-ilmenite-rutile (pseudobrookite) (1306–1484 K) and iron-ilmenite-ulvöspinel (1246–1455 K). Quenching experiments are described which confirm the phase systems studied in the cell. A statistical method of analysis of cell potential vs temperature data is used to show that the phase boundary between the iron-ilmenite-rutile and iron-ilmenite-pseudobrookite systems lies at 1427 ± 6 K. Factors contributing to the precision and accuracy of solid-state cell data are considered in detail.     

The clerodane ring system: investigating the viability of a direct Diels-Alder approach

A direct synthetic approach to the spiro-γ-lactone clerodane ring system has been investigated. This work builds on that of Jung and highlights the inherent difficulties associated with the otherwise obvious Diels-Alder approach.