Around rationality of cycles

We prove certain results comparing rationality of algebraic cycles over the function field of a quadric and over the base field. These results have already been obtained by Alexander Vishik in the case of characteristic 0, which allowed him to work with algebraic cobordism theory. Our proofs use the modulo 2 Steenrod operations in the Chow theory and work in any characteristic ≠ 2.     

Photoexcited carrier relaxation dynamics in pentacene probed by ultrafast optical spectroscopy: Influence of morphology on relaxation processes

We present a comparative study of ultrafast photoexcited state relaxation in pentacene single crystals and in pure and C₆₀-doped pentacene films using optical pump-probe spectroscopy. The photoinduced absorption spectra in pentacene crystals is consistent with a dominant singlet-triplet fission decay channel for above-gap excitation. This decay channel is suppressed in thin films and even further suppressed by electron trapping in C₆₀-doped films. Thus we show that suppression of triplet state production, which is necessary for free carrier formation and thus photovoltaic and photodiode performance, is controllable via sample morphology.     

Existence and structure results on almost periodic solutions of difference equations

We study the almost periodic solutions of Euler equations and of some more general Difference Equations. We consider two different notions of almost periodic sequences, and we establish some relations between them. We build suitable sequences spaces and we prove some properties of these spaces. We also prove properties of Nemytskii operators on these spaces. We build a variational approach to establish existence of almost periodic solutions as critical points, We obtain existence theorems fornonautonomous linear equations and for an Euler equation with a concave and coercive Lagrangian. We also use a Fixed Point approach to obtain existence results for quasi-linear Difference Equations.     

Perceptually based head-related transfer function database optimization

In the context of binaural audio rendering, choosing the best head-related transfer function (HRTF) for an individual from large databases poses several problems. This study proposes a method to reduce the size of a given HRTF database. Participants, 45 in total, were asked to rate the quality of binaural synthesis for 46 HRTFs. The lack of reciprocity in the ratings was noted. Results were used to create a perceptually optimized HRTF subset which satisfied all participants' judgments. The subset was validated using localization tests on a separate group of subjects with results showing reduced errors when subjects were given their best choice, rather than their worst choice HRTF.     

Rapid head-related transfer function adaptation using a virtual auditory environment

The paper reports on the ability of people to rapidly adapt in localizing virtual sound sources in both azimuth and elevation when listening to sounds synthesized using non-individualized head-related transfer functions (HRTFs). Participants were placed within an audio-kinesthetic Virtual Auditory Environment (VAE) platform that allows association of the physical position of a virtual sound source with an alternate set of acoustic spectral cues through the use of a tracked physical ball manipulated by the subject. This set-up offers a natural perception-action coupling, which is not limited to the visual field of view. The experiment consisted of three sessions: an initial localization test to evaluate participants' performance, an adaptation session, and a subsequent localization test. A reference control group was included using individual measured HRTFs. Results show significant improvement in localization performance. Relative to the control group, participants using non-individual HRTFs reduced localization errors in elevation by 10° with three sessions of 12 min. No significant improvement was found for azimuthal errors or for single session adaptation.     

Identification of markers of thermal processing (“roasting”) in aqueous extracts of Coffea arabica L. seeds through NMR fingerprinting and chemometrics

Roasting of Coffea arabica L. seeds gives rise to chemical reactions that produce more than 800 compounds, some being responsible for the desired organoleptic properties for which the beverage called “coffee” is known. In the industry, the “roasting profile,” that is, the times and temperatures applied, is key to influence the composition of roasted coffee beans and the flavour of the beverage made from them. The impact of roasting on the chemical composition of coffee has been the subject of numerous studies, including by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. However, the roasting equipment and profiles applied in these studies are often far from real industrial conditions. In this work, the effects of two critical technological parameters of the roasting process, namely, the “development time” (the period of time after the “first crack,” a characteristic noise due to seed disruption) and the final roasting temperature on coffee extracts, were investigated. Seeds were roasted at pilot scale according to 13 industrial roasting profiles and extracted in D₂O. The extracts were analysed by ¹H NMR experiments. The NMR spectra were compared using (a) quantitative analysis of main signals by successive orders of magnitude and (b) chemometric tools (principal component analysis, partial least squares and sparse-orthogonal partial least squares analysis). This allowed to identify compounds, which may serve as markers of roasting and showed that changes in chemical composition can be detected even for slight change in final temperature (~1°C) or in total roasting time (~25 s).     

An Efficient RuII–RhIII–RuII Polypyridyl Photocatalyst for Visible‐Light‐Driven Hydrogen Production in Aqueous Solution

The development of multicomponent molecular systems for the photocatalytic reduction of water to hydrogen has experienced considerable growth since the end of the 1970s. Recently, with the aim of improving the efficiency of the catalysis, single‐component photocatalysts have been developed in which the photosensitizer is chemically coupled to the hydrogen‐evolving catalyst in the same molecule through a bridging ligand. Until now, none of these photocatalysts has operated efficiently in pure aqueous solution: a highly desirable medium for energy‐conversion applications. Herein, we introduce a new ruthenium–rhodium polypyridyl complex as the first efficient homogeneous photocatalyst for H₂ production in water with turnover numbers of several hundred. This study also demonstrates unambiguously that the catalytic performance of such systems linked through a nonconjugated bridge is significantly improved as compared to that of a mixture of the separate components.     

Thermodynamic Properties of Polymorphs of Fluorosulfate Based Cathode Materials with Exchangeable Potassium Ions

FeSO₄F‐based frameworks have recently emerged as attractive candidates for alkali insertion electrodes. Mainly owing to their rich crystal chemistry, they offer a variety of new host structures with different electrochemical performances and physical properties. In this paper we report the thermodynamic stability of two such K‐based “FeSO₄F” host structures based on direct solution calorimetric measurements. KFeSO₄F has been reported to crystallize in two different polymorphic modifications—monoclinic and orthorhombic. The obtained enthalpies of formation from binary components (KF plus FeSO₄) are negative for both polymorphs, indicating that they are thermodynamically stable at room temperature, which is very promising for the future exploration of sulfate based cathode materials. Our measurements show that the low‐temperature monoclinic polymorph is enthalpically more stable than the orthorhombic phase by ≈10 kJ mol^?1, which is consistent with the preferential formation of monoclinic KFeSO₄F at low temperature. Furthermore, observed phase transformations and difficulties in the synthesis process can be explained based on the obtained calorimetric results. The KMnSO₄F orthorhombic phase is more stable than both polymorphs of KFeSO₄F.     

Integrated circuit thermal analysis: A new thermal technique for polymer characterization

Polymer characterization has largely helped in the development of thermal analyzers and calorimeters, based mainly on the thermocouple technology, or more recently the semiconductor technology. With the use of an integrated silicon thermopile as a detector, a new thermal technique is appearing, to give more possibilities of investigations in the field of polymeric materials. Combining high sensitivity and use of small amount of sample, the originality of the new design comes from its low power consumption, giving rise to a portable version of the instrument. With such a concept, the thermal analysis technique is carried on the industrial site, to perform online measurements.Melting and crystallization, glass transition, control of reticulation are a promising field of applications for the characterization of polymeric materials on industrial sites.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.