Mössbauer spectroscopic and SEM study of Campanian and Terra sigillata pottery from Spain

A combination of Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS and transmission) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) was employed to study the differences between coat and body in Campanian and Terra Sigillata wares. Conclusions about type of clay, origin of colour, and fabric and firing technology are established.     

Enhancement of pairwise entanglement via Z2 symmetry breaking

We study the effect of symmetry breaking in a quantum phase transition on pairwise entanglement in spin-1/2 models. We give a set of conditions on correlation functions a model has to meet in order to keep the pairwise entanglement unchanged by a parity symmetry breaking. It turns out that all mean-field solvable models do meet this requirement, whereas the presence of strong correlations leads to a violation of this condition. This results in an order-induced enhancement of entanglement, and we report on two examples where this takes place.     

Tetrapyrrole singlet excited state quenching by carotenoids in an artificial photosynthetic antenna

Two artificial photosynthetic antenna models consisting of a Si phthalocyanine (Pc) bearing two axially attached carotenoid moieties having either 9 or 10 conjugated double bonds are used to illustrate some of the function of carotenoids in photosynthetic membranes. Both models studied in toluene, methyltetrahydrofuran, and benzonitrile exhibited charge separated states of the type C*+-Pc*- confirming that the quenching of the Pc S1 state is due to photoinduced electron transfer. In hexane, the Pc S1 state of the 10 double bond carotenoid-Pc model was slightly quenched but the C*+-Pc*- transient was not spectroscopically detected. A semiclassical analysis of the data in hexane at temperatures ranging from 180 to 320 K was used to demonstrate that photoinduced electron transfer could occur. The model bearing the 10 double bond carotenoids exhibits biexponential fluorescence decay in toluene and in hexane, which is interpreted in terms of an equilibrium mixture of two isomers comprising s-cis and s-trans conformers of the carotenoid. The shorter fluorescence lifetime is associated with an s-cis carotenoid conformer where the close approach between the donor and acceptor moieties provides through-space electronic coupling in addition to the through-bond component.     

Copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of diethylzinc to alpha,beta-unsaturated imines derived from alpha-aminoacids. Enantioselective synthesis of gamma-substituted alpha-dehydroaminoesters

[Structure: see text] A highly enantioselective synthesis of alpha-dehydroaminoacids with a stereogenic center in the gamma position through copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of diethylzinc to alpha,beta-unsaturated imines using a TADDOL-derived phosphoramidite complex is reported.     

Thermoacoustic tomography for an integro-differential wave equation modeling attenuation

In this article we study the inverse problem of thermoacoustic tomography (TAT) on a medium with attenuation represented by a time-convolution (or memory) term, and whose consideration is motivated by the modeling of ultrasound waves in heterogeneous tissue via fractional derivatives with spatially dependent parameters. Under the assumption of being able to measure data on the whole boundary, we prove uniqueness and stability, and propose a convergent reconstruction method for a class of smooth variable sound speeds. By a suitable modification of the time reversal technique, we obtain a Neumann series reconstruction formula.     

Extended centroid and central closure of semiprime normed algebras. a first approach

In this paper, we classify all the multiplicity-free permutation characters of sporadic simple groups and their automorphism groups. This project is an application of the group theory system GAP, its character table library, and its library of tables of marks.     

Zel'Manov's Theorem for Primitive Jordan-Banach Algebras

The following result is well known and easy to prove (see [14,Theorem 2.2.6]). Theorem 0. If A is a primitive associative Banach algebra, thenthere exists a Banach space X such that A can be seen as a subalgebraof the Banach algebra BL(X) of all bounded linear operatorson X in such a way that A acts irreducibly on X and the inclusionABL(X) is continuous. In fact, if X is any vector space on which the primitive Banachalgebra A acts faithfully and irreducibly, then X can be convertedin a Banach space in such a way that the requirements in Theorem0 are satisfied and even the inclusion ABL(X) is contractive. Roughly speaking, the aim of this paper is to prove the appropriateJordan variant of Theorem 0.     

Analysis of nitrosamines in water by automated SPE and isotope dilution GC/HRMS Occurrence in the different steps of a drinking water treatment plant, and in chlorinated samples from a reservoir and a sewage treatment plant effluent

A method based on automated solid-phase extraction (SPE) and isotope dilution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (GC/HRMS) has been developed for the analysis of nine nitrosamines in water samples. The combination of automated SPE and GC/HRMS for the analysis of nitrosamines has not been reported previously. The method shows as advantages the selectivity and sensitivity of GC/HRMS analysis and the high efficiency of automated SPE with coconut charcoal EPA 521 cartridges. Low method detection limits (MDLs) were achieved, along with a greater facility of the procedure and less dependance on the operator with regard to the methods based on manual SPE. Quality requirements for isotope dilution-based methods were accomplished for most analysed nitrosamines, regarding to trueness (80–120%), method precision (<15%) and MDLs (0.08–1.7 ng/L).Nineteen water samples (16 samples from a drinking water treatment plant {DWTP}, 2 chlorinated samples from a sewage treatment plant {STP} effluent, and 1 chlorinated sample from a reservoir) were analysed. Concentrations of nitrosamines in the STP effluent were 309.4 and 730.2 ng/L, being higher when higher doses of chlorine were applied. N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) were the main compounds identified in the STP effluent, and NDEA was detected above 200 ng/L, regulatory level for NDMA in effluents stated in Ontario (Canada). Lower concentrations of nitrosamines were found in the reservoir (20.3 ng/L) and in the DWTP samples (n.d. −28.6 ng/L). NDMA and NDEA were respectively found in the reservoir and in treated and highly chlorinated DWTP samples at concentrations above 10 ng/L (guide value established in different countries). The highest concentrations of nitrosamines were found after chlorination and ozonation processes (ozonated, treated and highly chlorinated water) in DWTP samples.     

Formation of a coordinated 2-aminoethylidene ligand and its rearrangement by deprotonation into a phosphinoallyl ligand containing a pyrrolidin-2-yl ring

The activation of 1,1-diphenyl-2-propyn-1-ol by the metallic fragment [(eta (5)-C 5Me 5)Ru(dippae)] (+) {dippae = 1,2-bis[(diisopropylphosphanyl)amino]ethane}, followed by dehydration, produces a cationic complex that, by deprotonation and rearrangement, leads to a neutral complex with a phosphinoallyl ligand containing a pyrrolidin-2-yl ring.     

Spontaneous magnetization in Ni-Al and Ni-Fe layered double hydroxides

Layered double hydroxides containing paramagnetic Ni (II) and diamagnetic/paramagnetic Al (III)/Fe (III) ions have been prepared and characterized. Ni 2Al(OH) 6(NO 3). nH 2O ( 1), Ni 2Fe(OH) 6(NO 3). nH 2O ( 2), Ni 2Fe(OH) 6(C 6H 8O 4) 0.5. nH 2O ( 3), and Ni 2Fe(OH) 6(C 10H 16O 4) 0.5. nH 2O ( 4) were prepared by coprecipitation at controlled pH as polycrystalline materials with the typical brucite-like structure, with alternating layers of hydroxide and the corresponding anions, which determine the interlayer separation. Magnetic studies show the appearance of spontaneous magnetization between 2 and 15 K for these compounds. Interestingly, the onset temperature for spontaneous magnetization follows a direct relationship with interlayer separation, since this is the only magnetic difference between compounds 2, 3, and 4. Magnetic and calorimetric data indicate that long-range magnetic ordering is not occurring in any of these materials, but rather a freezing of the magnetic system in 3D due to the magnetic disorder and competing intra- and interlayer interactions. Thus, these hydrotalcite-like magnetic materials can be regarded as spin glasses.