Atomic spectroscopy with surface wave plasmas

The use of microwave induced plasmas, particularly of surface wave plasmas, as detectors in atomic emission spectrometry for elemental analysis is reviewed. Surface wave plasmas have been produced at low HF power and used as gas chromatographic detectors. The analytical performances for the detection of non-metals with a Fourier transform spectrometer and a two-channel filter unit are reported. The excitation behavior of non-metals in helium-based mixed gas-plasmas has also be studied. In particular, the effect of power and of nitrogen concentration on the bromine emission has been systematically investigated. A nine-fold improvement of the detection limits for bromine can be obtained in a high power (900 W) helium-nitrogen (0.1–0.2%) plasma.     

Guided modes of integrated optical guides. A mathematical study

A waveguide in integrated optics is defined by its refractiveindex. The guide is assumed to be invariant in the propagationdirection while in the transverse direction it is supposed tobe a compact perturbation of an unbounded stratified medium.We are interested in the modes guided by this device, whichare waves with a transverse energy confined in a neighbourhoodof the perturbation. Our goal is to analyse the existence of such guided modes. Underthe assumptions of weak guidance the problem reduces to a two-dimensionaleigenvalue problem for a scalar field. The associated operatoris unbounded, selfadjoint, and bounded from below. Its spectrumconsists of the discrete spectrum corresponding to the guidedmodes and of the essential spectrum corresponding to the radiationmodes. We present existence results of guided modes and an asymptoticstudy at high frequencies, which shows that contrarily to thecase of optical fibers, the number of guided modes can remainbounded. The major tools are the min-max principle and comparisonof results between different eigenvalue problems. The originalityof the present study lies in the stratified character of theunbounded reference medium.     

Crystallographic report: Bis(N‐cyclohexyl,N‐methyldithiocarbamato)zinc(II)

The mononuclear structure of Zn[S₂CN(Me)Cy)]₂ features a tetrahedral zinc center defined by two chelating dithiocarbamate ligands. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gravimetric studies of the sorption of toluene and propanol by copper phthalocyanines

Sorption isotherms of toluene and n-propanol were determined at 25°C on well-characterised samples of the α and β forms of copper phthalocyanines, the measurements being made with a Cahn RG electrobalance and a McBain-Bakr spring balance. A study of sorption hysteresis was undertaken with each solid—vapour system. The work demanded reliability of instrumentation for the measurement of small changes in mass over long periods of time (up to several months).The toluene isotherm data obtained with the sample of β-copper phthalocyanine appear to be fairly straightforward to interpret: the solid—vapour interaction is relatively weak and hysteresis is confined to the capillary condensation range. On the other hand, the sample of α-copper phthalocyanine underwent considerable ageing when exposed to toluene vapour; the toluene isotherms show low-pressure hysteresis and indicate strong solid—vapour interaction.The initial n-propanol adsorption isotherms on the β-copper phthalocyanine is Type III in character, but desorption resulted in the strong retention of alcohol molecules at very low pressure. The uptake of n-propanol by the α-copper phthalocyanine was much larger than that given by the β form and appreciable ageing occurred on exposure of the sample to n-propanol vapour.These results reveal that the β-copper phthalocyanine sample was more stable when exposed to toluene or n-propanol than the α form (although the original surface areas were similar). Toluene adsorption appears to be restricted to the crystal surface of the β-copper phthalocyanine, whereas the sorption of toluene and n-propanol by the α form involves penetration within the pigment aggregates. The irreversible sorption of n-propanol may be partly due to slow intercalation.     

用镍硅氧化物源横向诱导晶化的多晶硅薄膜

采用磁控溅射法,以镍硅合金为靶,制备了一种适用于金属诱导横向晶化的氧化物镍源——自缓释镍源.该镍源在内部构成和晶化现象上都不同于纯金属镍源.采用该镍源制备低温多晶硅材料,晶化速率不明显依赖于镍源薄膜的厚度,且晶化多晶硅膜内的残余镍量亦可有效降低,可为薄膜晶体管提供宽的工艺窗口.本文对用纯金属镍源所得多晶硅薄膜的晶化率、表面粗糙度、电学特性等与溅射条件的关系进行了研究,并对相应结果进行了讨论. 关键词： 自缓释 金属诱导横向晶化 多晶硅薄膜 低温制备与退火     

Interaction of the mu-opioid receptor with GPR177 (Wntless) inhibits Wnt secretion: potential implications for opioid dependence

Background  

Opioid agonist drugs produce analgesia. However, long-term exposure to opioid agonists may lead to opioid dependence. The analgesic and addictive properties of opioid agonist drugs are mediated primarily via the mu-opioid receptor (MOR). Opioid agonists appear to alter neuronal morphology in key brain regions implicated in the development of opioid dependence. However, the precise role of the MOR in the development of these neuronal alterations remains elusive. We hypothesize that identifying and characterizing novel MOR interacting proteins (MORIPs) may help to elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved in the development of opioid dependence.     

Synthesis of, light emission from, and optical power limiting in soluble single-walled carbon nanotubes functionalized by disubstituted polyacetylenes

Single-walled carbon nanotubes are covalently functionalized by conjugated polyacetylenes through their cyclization reactions with poly(1-phenyl-1-alkyne) and poly(diphenylacetylene) derivatives carrying azido functional groups at the ends of their alkyl pendants. The resultant polyene nanotube addends are soluble in common solvents, emit intense visible lights and strongly attenuate the power of harsh laser pulses.     

Manipulation of Molecular Aggregation States to Realize Polymorphism,AIE, MCL,and TADF in a Single Molecule

Multifunctional emitting materials are scarce and need to be further explored. Now, a newly anthraquinone derivative, 2‐(phenothiazine‐10‐yl)‐anthraquinone (PTZ‐AQ) was designed and synthesized and found to demonstrate polymorphism, multi‐color emission, aggregation‐induced emission (AIE), mechanochromic luminescence (MCL), and thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) in its different solid forms. It is shown for the first time that TADF properties of a compound can be systematically tuned via its aggregation state. The optimized PTZ‐AQ crystal shows a small singlet–triplet energy splitting of 0.01 eV and exhibits red TADF with a photoluminescence quantum yield as high as 0.848. This study shows that the unique multiple functions can be integrated into one single compound through controlling the aggregation states, which provides a new strategy for the investigation and application of multifunctional organic materials.     

Enantiospecific synthesis of pseudoacarviosin as a potential antidiabetic agent

A pseudo-1,4'- N-linked disaccharide, pseudoacarviosin 5, was constructed via a key palladium-catalyzed coupling reaction of pseudoglycosyl chloride 8 (prepared from d-glucose via a novel direct intramolecular aldol addition in 12 steps) and pseudo-4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-alpha- d-glucose 9 (prepared from l-arabinose via an unusual trans-fused isoxazolidine-selective intramolecular nitrone-alkene cycloaddition in 11 steps). Pseudoacarviosin 5 has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of alpha-glucosidases, particularly the intestinal mucosal enzymes sucrase and glucoamylase of relevance to blood glucose control.