Observation of neutron-neutron interactions with double diffraction dissociation at the ISR

Neutron-neutron interactions have been observed at the CERN ISR with deutron colliding beams. The double - diffraction dissociation process →(pπp^?)(pπ^?) has been measured with the Split Field Magnet at √s = 26 GeV detecting all final state particles, including the two spectator protons. Mass and t distributions are presented and compared with corresponding spectra observed in single neutron diffraction in the same energy range with supporting evidence for factorization. The cross-section of the process is 11.5±2.8 μb and can be directly related to the corresponding value for double diffraction dissociation of protons in the same energy range.     

The s-dependence of double diffraction dissociation of protons at the CERN intersecting storage rings

We report results on a new measurement of the double diffractive reaction pp → (pπ⁺π^?) (pπ⁺π^?) at the ISR obtained with the Split Field Magnet detector. Experimental procedures and data analysis are discussed in detail. The cross section measured at the five standard ISR energies exhibits an increase of (55 ± 7)% in the s-range from 549 to 3892 GeV².     

Control Strategy of True Time Delay Lines

This article presents the control of adjustable true time delays applied to an optical beamforming system. First is introduced the response of ring resonators of two and four ports and the cascade and lattice structures. The coupling factor and the phase modulation are employed as the control parameters for the adjustable group delay. The strategy of control is proposed and applied to a cascade of five ring resonators for producing wideband true time delays in the picosecond–nanosecond range with 2-GHz bandwidth and extremely low ripple. Ripples lower than 0.1% were obtained for the adjusted group delays. The proposed strategy can be simply extended if more resonators are added to increase the bandwidth of the system.     

NMR Signatures of the Active Sites in Sn‐β Zeolite

Dynamic nuclear polarization surface enhanced NMR (DNP‐SENS), Mössbauer spectroscopy, and computational chemistry were combined to obtain structural information on the active‐site speciation in Sn‐β zeolite. This approach unambiguously shows the presence of framework Sn^IV‐active sites in an octahedral environment, which probably correspond to so‐called open and closed sites, respectively (namely, tin bound to three or four siloxy groups of the zeolite framework).     

Proton solvation in protic and aprotic solvents

Protonation pattern strongly affects the properties of molecular systems. To determine protonation equilibria, proton solvation free energy, which is a central quantity in solution chemistry, needs to be known. In this study, proton affinities (PAs), electrostatic energies of solvation, and pK_A values were computed in protic and aprotic solvents. The proton solvation energy in acetonitrile (MeCN), methanol (MeOH), water, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was determined from computed and measured pK_A values for a specially selected set of organic compounds. pK_A values were computed with high accuracy using a combination of quantum chemical and electrostatic approaches. Quantum chemical density functional theory computations were performed evaluating PA in the gas‐phase. The electrostatic contributions of solvation were computed solving the Poisson equation. The computations yield proton solvation free energies with high accuracy, which are in MeCN, MeOH, water, and DMSO ?255.1, ?265.9, ?266.3, and ?266.4 kcal/mol, respectively, where the value for water is close to the consensus value of ?265.9 kcal/mol. The pK_A values of MeCN, MeOH, and DMSO in water correlates well with the corresponding proton solvation energies in these liquids, indicating that the solvated proton was attached to a single solvent molecule. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Enzymatic Oxygen Microsensor Based on Bilirubin Oxidase Applied to Microbial Fuel Cells Analysis

A selective oxygen biosensor based on bilirubin oxidase (BOx) was developed. The sensor was used for determining oxygen profiles in a membraneless, single‐chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC), fed with raw wastewater. The linear response of the sensor was optimized by a diffusion layer of silica gel. A computer‐controlled stage was used to obtain accurate and precise measurements. Oxygen concentration in biofilms covering electrodes was measured, showing 3 mg L^?1 of O₂ in the bulk solution, decreasing to 0 mg L^?1 in the cathodic biofilm. The MFC generated power in the range of 0–0.08 mW, associated to the oxygen content.     

Generalized Whittle–Matérn and polyharmonic kernels

This paper simultaneously generalizes two standard classes of radial kernels, the polyharmonic kernels related to the differential operator (???Δ) ^m and the Whittle–Matérn kernels related to the differential operator (???Δ?+?I) ^m . This is done by allowing general differential operators of the form $\prod_{j=1}^m(-\Delta+\kappa_j^2I)$ with nonzero κ _j and calculating their associated kernels. It turns out that they can be explicity given by starting from scaled Whittle–Matérn kernels and taking divided differences with respect to their scale. They are positive definite radial kernels which are reproducing kernels in Hilbert spaces norm-equivalent to $W_2^m(\ensuremath{\mathbb{R}}^d)$ . On the side, we prove that generalized inverse multiquadric kernels of the form $\prod_{j=1}^m(r^2+\kappa_j^2)^{-1}$ are positive definite, and we provide their Fourier transforms. Surprisingly, these Fourier transforms lead to kernels of Whittle–Matérn form with a variable scale κ(r) between κ ₁,...,κ _m . We also consider the case where some of the κ _j vanish. This leads to conditionally positive definite kernels that are linear combinations of the above variable-scale Whittle–Matérn kernels and polyharmonic kernels. Some numerical examples are added for illustration.     

Use of in‐situ atomic force microscopy to monitor the biodegradation of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)

Thin films of a co‐polymer mixture of poly 3‐hydroxybutyrate and poly 3‐hydroxyvalerate P(3HB‐3HV) were spun‐cast onto glass slides resulting in 35 nm thick layers with a spherulitic microstructure. An untyped strain of Streptomyces sp. bacteria was isolated from soil samples, and it's PHA depolymerase was used to degrade the P(3HB‐3HV) thin films. Both ex‐situ and in‐situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) biodegradation studies were performed to determine the kinetics of the biodegradation over the course of three hours at room temperature. Ex‐situ AFM was performed in Tapping Mode and in‐situ AFM was performed in the PHA depolymerase using contact mode AFM in the liquid cell, allowing for the real‐time analysis of P(3HB‐3HV) biodegradation. Biodegradation is observed uniformly throughout the surface, and can be observed within 30 min. of depolymerase exposure. In‐situ AFM analysis yields a linear degradation rate as a function of time, while the ex‐situ study suggests a more complex kinetics.     

Fully reversible procedure for silver staining improves densitometry of complex mixtures of biopolymers resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Due to its high sensitivity, silver staining is a widely popular method for the revelation of biopolymers separated by both native and denaturing electrophoresis. A step-by-step method for the destaining and restaining of overdeveloped/overloaded silver-stained bands is described that is applicable to both proteins and nucleic acids. The procedure significantly improves densitometric analysis of gels that have been silver stained with either commercial kits or solutions made in-house. The method permits reproducible densitometry of silver-stained gels and allows quantification of both main and minor components in complex mixture of molecules resolved on the same gel slab. All steps may be interrupted and are readily reversible, allowing for facile densitometric analyses and photographic recording under optimized conditions. Furthermore, common artifacts such as differential staining of the two gel surfaces, localized uneven yellow-ochre background, and the presence of fold marks and fingerprints can be easily removed.