Implications of recording strategy for estimates of neocortical dynamics with electroencephalography

Neocortical dynamics evidently involves very complex, nonlinear processes including top-down and bottom-up interactions across spatial scales. The dynamics may also be strongly influenced by global (periodic) boundary conditions. The primary experimental measure of human neocortical dynamics at short time scales ( approximately few ms) is the scalp electroencephalogram (EEG). It is shown that different recording and data analysis strategies are sensitive to different parts of the spatial spectrum. Thus experimental measures of system dynamics (e.g., correlation dimension estimates) can generally be expected to depend on experimental method. These ideas are illustrated in two ways: a large scale, quasilinear theory of neocortical dynamics in which standing wave phenomenon occur with predicted frequencies in the general range of EEG, and a relatively simple nonlinear physical system consisting of a linear string with attached nonlinear springs. The string/springs system is integrated numerically to illustrate transitions from periodic to chaotic behavior as mesoscopic nonlinear influences dominate macroscopic linear effects. The implications of these results for new theories of neocortical dynamics, experimental estimates of dynamic properties, and cognitive EEG studies are considered.     

Optical spectroscopy of Cr3+ and Cr3+-Tm3+ in alkaline silicate glasses

Conclusions Alkaline silicate glasses seem to be good candidates as host materials for codoping with Cr³⁺ and Tm³⁺. Cr³⁺ ions occupy mainly low-field sites in them, and their broadband emission overlaps Tm³⁺ excitation. As a consequence very high efficiency for the energy transfer Cr³⁺→Tm³⁺ is achieved with moderate concentrations of these ions. Moreover, the average lifetime of the Cr³⁺ ions in codoped glasses is long enough to allow significant energy storage by flashlamp pumping. Published in Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 62, No. 5, pp. 115–120, September–October, 1995.     

Carbon-13 as a tool for the study of carbohydrate structures, conformations and interactions

The application of 13C-NMR spectroscopy to problems involving the structures and interactions of carbohydrates is described. Both 13C-enriched and natural abundance compounds were used and some advantages of the use of the stable isotope are described. Carbon-carbon and carbon-proton coupling constants obtained from 1-13C enriched carbohydrates were employed in the assignment of their chemical shifts and to establish solution conformation. In all cases studied thus far, C-3 couples to C-1 only in the beta-anomers while C-5 couples to C-1 only in the alpha-anomers. C-6 and C-2 always couple to C-1 in both anomeric species. The alkaline degradation of glucose [1-13C] to saccharinic acids was followed by 13C-NMR. The conversion of glucose [1-13C] to fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate [1, 6-13C] by enzymes of the glycolytic pathway was shown as an example of the use of 13C-enriched carbohydrates to elucidate biochemical pathways. In a large number of glycosyl phosphates the 31P to H-1 and 31P to C-2 coupling constants demonstrate that in the preferred conformation and phosphate group lies between the O-5 and the H-1 of the pyranose ring. The influence of paramagnetic Mn2 + ions on the proton decoupled 13C-NMR spectra of uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine indicates that the Mn2 + interacts strongly with the pyrophosphate moiety and with the carbonyl groups of the uracil and N-acetyl groups.     

Reaction of essentially free benzyl cations with acetonitrile; synthesis of ethanimidic carboxylic anhydrides and unsymmetrical diacylamines

Benzyl cations were generated via the thermal decomposition of N-benzyl-N-nitrosopivalamide in acetonitrile and acetonitrile-water mixtures at 25 degrees C. The first-formed (primary) benzylating agent, the benzyl cation, was scavenged competitively by pivalate (trimethyl acetate) ion to yield benzyl pivalate, by acetonitrile to yield the corresponding N-benzylnitrilium ion, and by water (when present) to yield benzyl alcohol. The nitrilium ion underwent a cascade of reactions to yield an array of products whose identities and relative yields as a function of time were used to elucidate the mechanistic paths involved. Thus, the N-benzylnitrilium ion reacted with pivalate ion to yield the Z-isomer of N-benzylethanimidic pivalic anhydride, followed by its conversion into the E-isomer. This article appears to be the first to document compounds of this type. The E-isomer is labile under the reaction conditions, rearranging into N-acetyl-N-pivalylbenzylamine. In the presence of water as a diluent, a significant fraction of the nitrosoamide was hydrolyzed to benzyl alcohol; hydrolysis of the nitrilium ion yielded N-benzyl acetamide. The yield of hydrosylates was directly proportional to the mole fraction of water in the medium.     

Temperature dependence of the penetration depth in Sr2RuO4: evidence for nodes in the gap function

We report measurements of the magnetic penetration depth in single crystals of Sr2RuO4 down to 0.04 K using a tunnel-diode based, self-inductive technique. We observe a power law temperature dependence below 0.8 K, with no sign of a second phase transition nor of a crossover predicted for a multiband superconductor. A power law dependence suggests that the gap function has nodes, inconsistent with candidate p-wave states. We argue that nonlocal effects, rather than impurity scattering, can explain the observed T2 dependence instead of the T-linear behavior expected for line nodes.     

Uniform molecular analysis using femtosecond laser mass spectrometry

The potential of femtosecond laser time-of-flight mass spectrometry (FLMS) for uniform quantitative analysis of molecules has been investigated. Various samples of molecular gases and vapours have been studied, using ultra-fast ( approximately 50 fs) laser pulses with very high intensity (up to 1.6 x 10(16) Wcm(-2)) for non-resonant multiphoton ionisation/tunnel ionisation. Some of these molecules have high ionisation potentials, requiring up to ten photons for non-resonant ionisation. The relative sensitivity factors (RSF) have been determined as a function of the laser intensity and it has been demonstrated that for molecules with very different masses and ionisation potentials, uniform ionisation has been achieved at the highest laser intensities. Quantitative laser mass spectrometry of molecules is therefore a distinct possibility. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The onset of coulomb explosions in polyatomic molecules

With the development of high intensity femtosecond lasers, the ionisation and dissociation dynamics of molecules has become an area of considerable interest. Using the technique of femtosecond laser mass spectrometry (FLMS), the molecules carbon disulphide, pyrimidine, toluene, cyclohexanone and benzaldehyde are studied with pulse widths of 50 fs in the near infrared (IR) wavelength region (790 nm). Results are presented and contrasted for laser beam intensities around 10(15) and 10(16) W cm(-2). For the lower intensities, the mass spectra yield dominant singly charged parent ions. Additionally, the appearance of doubly charged parent ions is evident for carbon disulphide, toluene and benzaldehyde with envelopes of doubly charged satellite species existing in these local regions. Carbon disulphide also reveals a small triply charged component. Such atomic-like features are thought to be a strong fingerprint of FLMS at these intensities. However, upon increasing the laser intensity to approximately 10(16) W cm(-2), parent ion dominance decreases and the appearance of multiply charged atomic species occurs, particularly carbon. This phenomenon has been attributed to Coulomb explosions in which the fast absorption of many photons may produce transient highly ionised parent species which can subsequently blow apart. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.