Role of disorder in the size scaling of material strength

We study the sample-size dependence of the strength of disordered materials with a flaw, by numerical simulations of lattice models for fracture. We find a crossover between a regime controlled by the disorder and another controlled by stress concentrations, ruled by continuum fracture mechanics. The results are formulated in terms of a scaling law involving a statistical fracture process zone. Its existence and scaling properties are revealed only by sampling over many configurations of the disorder. The scaling law is in good agreement with experimental results obtained from notched paper samples.     

Derivatization of phosphopeptides with mercapto- and amino-functionalized conjugate groups by phosphate elimination and subsequent Michael addition

Kinetics of the beta-elimination of the phosphate group from H-Tyr-Ser(PO3H2)-Phe-OH and H-Tyr-Thr(PO3H2)-Phe-OH and subsequent addition of thiols and amines to the dehydroalaninyl and beta-methyldehydroalaninyl residues formed, were followed by RP HPLC under alkaline conditions in the absence and presence of Ba2+ ions. By this reaction sequence, the phosphoserinyl peptide was conjugated with mono-N-(2-mercaptoethyl)amide of 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (4), a mercapto-functionalized pentapeptide, H-His-Gly-Gly-His-Gly-NH(CH2)4SH, and an amino-functionalized fluorescent dye, 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-[N-(5-aminopentyl)]sulfonamide (dansyl cadaverine). The beta-methyldehydroalanine residue was, in turn, observed to be a poor Michael acceptor.     

On Banaschewski functions in lattices

Presented by Ralph Freese     

Efficient decomposition of quantum gates

Optimal implementation of quantum gates is crucial for designing a quantum computer. We consider the matrix representation of an arbitrary multiqubit gate. By ordering the basis vectors using the Gray code, we construct the quantum circuit which is optimal in the sense of fully controlled single-qubit gates and yet is equivalent with the multiqubit gate. In the second step of the optimization, superfluous control bits are eliminated, which eventually results in a smaller total number of the elementary gates. In our scheme the number of controlled NOT gates is O(4(n)) which coincides with the theoretical lower bound.     

Crumpling of a stiff tethered membrane

A first-principles numerical model for crumpling of a stiff tethered membrane is introduced. This model displays wrinkles, ridge formation, ridge collapse, and initiation of stiffness divergence. The amplitude and wavelength of the wrinkles and the scaling exponent of the stiffness divergence are consistent with both theory and experiment. Close to the stiffness divergence further buckling is hindered by the nonzero thickness of the membrane, and its elastic behavior becomes similar to that of dry granular media. No change in the distribution of contact forces can be observed at the crossover, implying that the network of ridges is then simultaneously a granular force-chain network.     

Semiclassical Pseudodifferential Calculus and the Reconstruction of a Magnetic Field

We give a procedure for reconstructing a magnetic field and electric potential from boundary measurements given by the Dirichlet to Neumann map for the magnetic Schrödinger operator in R ⁿ , n ≥ 3. The magnetic potential is assumed to be continuous with L ^∞ divergence and zero boundary values. The method is based on semiclassical pseudodifferential calculus and the construction of complex geometrical optics solutions in weighted Sobolev spaces.     

A Versatile Method for Determining the Molar Ligand-Membrane Partition Coefficient

A novel method for the quantitative assessment of the membrane partitioning of a ligand from the aqueous phase is described, demonstrated here with the thoroughly studied antipsychotic chlorpromazine (CPZ). More specifically, collisional quenching of the fluorescence of a pyrene labeled fluorescent lipid analog 1-palmitoyl-2[10-(pyren-1-yl)]decanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PPDPC) by CPZ was utilized, using 1-palmitoyl-2-oleyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and -serine (POPC and POPS) liposomes as model membranes. The molar partition coefficient is obtained from two series of titrations, one with constant [phospholipid] and increasing [drug] and the other with constant [drug] and varying total [phospholipid], the latter further comprising of large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) of POPC/POPS/PPDPC at a constant concentration of 10 μM and indicated concentrations of POPC/POPS LUVs. Notably, the approach described is generic and can be employed in screening for the membrane partitioning of compounds, providing that a suitable fluorescence parameter can be incorporated into one population of liposomes utilized as model membranes.     

Vortex pump for dilute bose-einstein condensates

The formation of vortices by topological phase engineering has been realized experimentally to create the first two- and four-quantum vortices in dilute atomic Bose-Einstein condensates. We consider a similar system, but in addition to the Ioffe-Pritchard magnetic trap we employ an additional hexapole field. By controlling cyclically the strengths of these magnetic fields, we show that a fixed amount of vorticity can be added to the condensate in each cycle. In an adiabatic operation of this vortex pump, the appearance of vortices into the condensate is interpreted as the accumulation of a local Berry phase. Our design can be used as an experimentally realizable vortex source for possible vortex-based applications of dilute Bose-Einstein condensates.     

On the hydrolysis step in osmium catalyzed asymmetric dihydroxylations

In order to obtain information about the most important features that affect the efficiency of osmium catalyzed asymmetric dihydroxylation, a series of substituted styrenes have been studied by using a Hammett type approach as well as solvent kinetic isotope effects. A concave shaped Hammett plot with a minimum at X=H revealed a change in the mechanism going from electron-donating to electron-withdrawing substituents for both NaClO2 and K3[Fe(CN)6] asymmetric dihydroxylations. The Hammett plot together with solvent isotope effect results indicates that osmium (mono)glycolates of styrenes with electron-withdrawing substituents are hydrolyzed by a stepwise attack of the nucleophile to the electrophilic osmium-center and subsequent protonation of the alkaline intermediate. Osmium (mono)glycolates in dihydroxylation, using NaClO2 as the stoichiometric oxidant of styrenes with electron-donating substituents, are hydrolyzed by specific acid catalysis. The rate-limiting step is an A1 type process. Differences in the rho values in the Hammett plots for NaClO2 and K3[Fe(CN)6] asymmetric dihydroxylations indicate that in dihydroxylations with NaClO2 as the secondary oxidant, the reactive osmium(VI) mono(glycolate) is oxidized to osmium(VIII) mono(glycolate) prior to hydrolysis. The reaction rate was found to have an effect on the enantioselectivity in asymmetric dihydroxylation. If the hydrolysis step is slow enough, a competitive bis(glycolation) deteriorates the enantioselectivity in K3[Fe(CN)6] asymmetric dihydroxylations and even more so in NaClO2 asymmetric dihydroxylations.