On some points-and-lines problems and configurations

Summary We apply an old method for constructing points-and-lines configurations in the plane to study some recent questions in incidence geometry.     

Binary subtrees with few labeled paths

We prove several quantitative Ramseyan results involving ternary complete trees with {0,1}-labeled edges where we attempt to find a complete binary subtree with as few labels as possible along its paths. One of these is used to answer a question of Simpson??s in computability theory; we show that there is a bounded ?? ₁ ⁰ class of positive measure which is not strongly (Medvedev) reducible to DNR₃; in fact, the class of 1-random reals is not strongly reducible to DNR₃.     

Structural effects on the solid-state photodimerization of 5-chloro and 5-nitro-2(1<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>)-pyridone in molecular compounds

Abstract  

The preparation and crystal structure of six molecular compounds consist of light-stable host molecules [(1-cyclohexyl-4-hydroxybenzene, 1,1,6,6-tetraphenyl-2,4-hexadiyne-1,6-diol, 4-((10-[4-(ethoxycarbonyl)phenoxy]decyl)oxy)benzene, 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic acid, resorcinol] and light-sensitive guest molecules [(5-chloro-2(1H)-pyridone or 5-nitro-2(1H)-pyridone] are described in light of their failure to undergo [4 + 4] photodimerization in the solid-state upon irradiation with UV light. Unlike in many cases were pyridone and its derivatives undergo such dimerization in the solid-state due to the packing arrangement in the crystalline form in which the geometric requirement for photodimerization meet, the compounds described here failed to pack in ways to enable such photodimerization. The distances between the potentially reactive atoms ranged from 4.620 to 8.408 ? which are too long to react.     

Electroholographic tunable volume grating in the g44 configuration

The g(44) grating is an electroholographic transmission grating in which the applied field is perpendicular to both the grating vector and the wave vector of the incident beam. It is argued that in this configuration the incident beam traverses through a periodically rotating index ellipsoid. It is shown that in the g(44) configuration the Bragg condition is fulfilled for a specific value of the applied field and for a diffracting beam polarization that is perpendicular to that of the incident beam. Consequently, the g(44) grating can be used as an electrically controlled filter. Tunability of 7 nm is demonstrated in a 2mm thick grating.     

Intraindividual variability of striatal (1)H-MRS brain metabolite measurements at 3 T

PURPOSE: To measure possible positional and diurnal physiological effects on brain metabolites in single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) measurements of the right and left striatum. METHODS: (1)H-MRS measurements were performed in 10 healthy adult volunteers using a short echo PRESS sequence (TE=30 ms, TR=3000 ms). Each individual was scanned during both morning and afternoon hours. Regions of interest were right and left striatum. To control for systematic drift in scanner performance, (1)H-MRS measurements of a standard phantom solution were also acquired. Statistical analysis was performed using a repeated measures analysis of variance that included three within-subject factors: metabolite (N-acetyl-aspartate [NAA] or creatine [Cr]), laterality (left or right caudate) and time (morning or afternoon). RESULTS: A significant interaction (P<.016) between time of day and metabolite levels was observed. Further exploration of this finding revealed a significant difference between morning and afternoon levels of NAA (P<.044) but not Cr. In addition, no significant morning-to-afternoon differences were observed for the (1)H-MRS phantom measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Systematic variation due to scanner performance does not account for the changes observed in repeated measurements of striatal NAA levels. This difference may be accounted for by either repositioning effects or circadian physiological effects. Further studies are required to learn whether time of day standardization of (1)H-MRS acquisitions may contribute to improved reproducibility of measurements.     

pH‐Responsive Pillar[6]arene‐based Water‐Soluble Supramolecular Hexagonal Boxes

We describe the preparation of the first water‐soluble pH‐responsive supramolecular hexagonal boxes (SHBs) based on multiple charge‐assisted hydrogen bonds between peramino‐pillar[6]arenes 2 with the molecular “lid” mellitic acid ( 1 a ). The interaction between 2 and 1 a , as well as the other “lids” pyromellitic and trimesic acids ( 1 b and 1 c , respecively) were studied by a combination of experimental and computational methods. Interestingly, the addition of 1 a to the complexes of the protonated form of pillar[6]arene 2 , that is, 3 , with bis‐sulfonate 4 a or 4 b , immediately led to guest escape along with the formation of closed 1 a₂2 supramolecular boxes. Moreover, the process of the openning and closing of the supramolecular boxes along with threading and escaping of the guests, respectively, was found to be reversible and pH‐responsive. This study paves the way for the easy and modular preparation of different SHBs that may have myriad applications.     

Oxygen isotopes of fuel pellets from the fifth collaborative materials exercise and uranium oxides reference materials determined by continuous flow laser fluorination mass spectrometry for nuclear forensic applications

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Uranium oxides are essential materials in the production process of nuclear fuel for civilian or military applications. As such, identifying their...     

Absorption spectra and photolysis of methyl peroxide in liquid and frozen water

Methyl peroxide (CH(3)OOH) is commonly found in atmospheric waters and ices in significant concentrations. It is the simplest organic peroxide and an important precursor to hydroxyl radical. Many studies have examined the photochemical behavior of gaseous CH(3)OOH; however, the photochemistry of liquid and frozen water solutions is poorly understood. We present a series of experiments and theoretical calculations designed to elucidate the photochemical behavior of CH(3)OOH dissolved in liquid water and ice over a range of temperatures. The molar extinction coefficients of aqueous CH(3)OOH are different from the gas phase, and they do not change upon freezing. Between -12 and 43 °C, the quantum yield of CH(3)OOH photolysis is described by the following equation: Φ(T) = exp((-2175 ± 448)1/T) + 7.66 ± 1.56). We use on-the-fly ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to model structures and absorption spectra of a bare CH(3)OOH molecule and a CH(3)OOH molecule immersed inside 20 water molecules at 50, 200, and 220 K. The simulations predict large sensitivity in the absorption spectrum of CH(3)OOH to temperature, with the spectrum narrowing and shifting to the blue under cryogenic conditions because of constrained dihedral motion around the O-O bond. The shift in the absorption spectrum is not observed in the experiment when the CH(3)OOH solution is frozen suggesting that CH(3)OOH remains in a liquid layer between the ice grains. Using the extinction coefficients and photolysis quantum yields obtained in this work, we show that under conditions with low temperatures, in the presence of clouds with a high liquid-water content and large solar zenith angles, the loss of CH(3)OOH by aqueous photolysis is responsible for up to 20% of the total loss of CH(3)OOH due to photolysis. Gas phase photolysis of CH(3)OOH dominates under all other conditions.