Novel pyridino-α-pyrone sesquiterpene type pileotin produced by a sea urchin-derived Aspergillus sp.

A new metabolite, pileotin A, was isolated from a strain of Aspergillus fumigatus originally obtained from the sea urchin Toxopneustes pileolus together with the known compound oxalicine B. The relative stereostructure of pileotin A was elucidated based on spectroscopic analyses, including 1D and 2D NMR techniques. This unique pyridino-α-pyrone sesquiterpene type metabolite has spiro-δ-lactone at C-4.     

Adsorption of Carboxylic Acids by Diethylenetriamine Intercalation Compound of α-Zr(HPO4)2 · H2O

Abstract

Two kinds of diethylenetriamine (2E3A) intercalation compounds of α-zirconium phosphate with different interlayer distances could be obtained by regulating the reaction time and temperature. Phase I (d = 10.2 Å) slowly transforms to Phase II(d = 15. 8 Å) with transformation enthalpy of 30 kJ-mol^?1 in 2E3A aqueous solution. The conformation of 2E3A in Phase I and Phase II were confirmed to be bent and all trans (straight) forms by³¹P MAS NMR and XRD measurements. Two phases have different adsorption behavior for gaseous carboxylic acids. Phase II can adsorb considerable amount of carboxylic acids whereas Phase I adsorb a little.     

THE PLACE OF EXPERIMENTAL TASKS IN GEOMETRY TEACHING: LEARNING FROM THE TEXTBOOK DESIGNS OF THE EARLY 20th CENTURY

The dual nature of geometry, in that it is a theoretical domain and an area of practical experience, presents mathematics teachers with opportunities and dilemmas. Opportunities exist to link theory with the everyday knowledge of pupils but the dilemmas are that learners very often find the dual nature of geometry a chasm that is very difficult to bridge. With research continuing to focus on understanding the nature of this problem, with a view to developing better pedagogical techniques, this paper examines the place of experimental tasks in the process of learning geometry. In particular, the paper provides some results from an analysis of innovative geometry textbooks designed in the early part of the 20^th Century, a time when significant efforts were being made to improve the teaching and learning of geometry. The analysis suggests that experimental tasks have a vital role to play and that a potent tool for informing the design of such tasks, so that they build effectively on pupils' geometrical intuition, is the notion of the geometrical eye, a term coined by Charles Godfrey in 1910 as "the power of seeing geometrical properties detach themselves from a figure".     

Concise route to 3-arylisoquinoline skeleton by Lewis acid catalyzed C(sp3)-H bond functionalization and its application to formal synthesis of (±)-tetrahydropalmatine

An expeditious route to furnish an isoquinoline skeleton via hydride shift mediated C-H bond functionalization was developed. In this process, an unusual [1,5]-H shift without the assistance of the adjacent heteroatom took place to produce tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives in good to excellent chemical yields. The formal synthesis of (±)-tetrahydropalmatine was achieved by exploiting this new transformation.     

Electric polarization memory effect in a magnetoelectric multiferroic CuFe1−xGaxO2

Magnetic oxide CuFeO₂ is a magnetoelectric multiferroic with new type of spin–polarization coupling different from that in the spin-current mechanism, where magnetic field-induced or nonmagnetic impurity-induced proper helical magnetic ordering generates a spontaneous electric polarization parallel to the helical axis. Using a CuFe_1−xGa_xO₂ sample with x=0.035, in which the single ferroelectric phase is realized below T_N8 K in zero magnetic field unlike CuFe_1−xAl_xO₂, we have performed pyroelectric current, thermally stimulated current (TSC) and polarized neutron diffraction measurements to study a memory effect that the electric polarization is partially preserved even for 2nd-cooling from above T_N without poling electric field. It was found that the charge trapped during 1st-cooling with poling electric field, which is released as TSC on heating, plays an important role in the memory effect.     

Supramolecular Light‐Harvesting Antennas of Metal‐Coordinated Bis(8‐Hydroxyquinoline)‐Substituted Porphyrin Networks

Artificial antenna complexes of metal‐coordinated bis(8‐hydroxyquinoline)‐substituted porphyrin networks that mimic antenna chromophores in plants were organized on titanium dioxide electrodes in photoelectrochemical cells. The generated photocurrents can be optimized according to the two ways of porphyrin self‐assembly due to the “antenna effect”: changing the number of assembled porphyrin monolayers and the number of generations of the metal‐coordinated porphyrin networks.     

Sidelobe reduction of tightly focused radially higher-order Laguerre-Gaussian beams using annular masks

We report the reduction of sidelobes in tight focusing patterns of radially higher-order Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams with nonhelical phase structures. Numerical calculations based on the vectorial Debye theory reveal that a class of annular masks reduces sidelobes in the tight focusing patterns only for radially even-order LG beams. The present scheme produces small focal spots beyond the diffraction limit suitable for application to scanning microscopy, laser fine processing, etc.     

A new synthetic route to 7 α-methoxycephalosporins

Treatment of 7β-(2,2,3-trihaloalkylideneamino) cephalosporins with excess methanol in the presence of acid scavenger gave 7β-(2-haloalk-2-enylideneamino)-7α-methoxycephalosporins.     

Modified five-layer asymmetric coupled quantum well (M-FACQW) for giant negative refractive index change

We have analyzed the electrorefractive properties of a GaAs/AlGaAs modified five-layer asymmetric coupled quantum well (M-FACQW). The theoretical analyses show that the M-FACQW is expected to exhibit a giant negative electrorefractive index change Δn in the transparent-wavelength region away from the absorption edge. The influence of fluctuations in layer thickness on the electrorefractive properties of the M-FACQW was also investigated. Although the fluctuation in layer thickness deteriorates the characteristics of Δn in the M-FACQW, the M-FACQW still maintains a very giant Δn compared with that of a conventional rectangular quantum well without thickness fluctuation. In addition, we have fabricated the M-FACQW with monolayer accuracy by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy, and measured its photoabsorption current. The experimental results are in good agreement with the calculated properties. This indicates that the M-FACQW has great potential for use in ultra-wideband and low-voltage optical modulators and switches.     

Near‐Infrared Emission from Tin–Lead (Sn–Pb) Alloyed Perovskite Quantum Dots by Sodium Doping

Phase‐stable CsSn_xPb_1?xI₃ perovskite quantum dots (QDs) hold great promise for optoelectronic applications owing to their strong response in the near‐infrared region. Unfortunately, optimal utilization of their potential is limited by the severe photoluminescence (PL) quenching, leading to extremely low quantum yields (QYs) of approximately 0.3 %. The ultra‐low sodium (Na) doping presented herein is found to be effective in improving PL QYs of these alloyed QDs without alerting their favourable electronic structure. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies suggest the formation of a stronger chemical interaction between I^? and Sn²⁺ ions upon Na doping, which potentially helps to stabilize Sn²⁺ and suppresses the formation of I vacancy defects. The optimized PL QY of the Na‐doped QDs reaches up to around 28 %, almost two orders of magnitude enhancement compared with the pristine one.