An improved synthesis of 1-methyl-2,5-piperazinedione

A new synthesis of 1-methyl-2,5-piperazinedione in three steps starting from sarcosine is described. This method proceeds in higher overall yield (49%) than previous methods.     

The dynamics of Charles Taylor’s remarkable one-wheeled vehicle

In the 1950s and 1960s, Charles F. Taylor designed and tested various prototype one-wheeled vehicles. These machines were stabilized and steered using gyroscopes. In this paper, a simple model of a one-wheeled vehicle is presented and analyzed. This analysis explains the ability of these machines to exhibit stable steady motions.      

A Multichannel Signal Processor for the Detection of Epileptogenic Sharp Transients in the EEG

A high-speed multichannel signal processing system is described which is capable of performing automated detection of epileptogenic sharp transients (ST) in the electroencephalogram (EEG). The system is implemented with individually programmable microprocessors on the input channels, followed by a single-board microcomputer which correlates results obtained from each channel, and can process data played back from a tape recorder at a speed eight times the realtime recording speed. A multichannel correlation algorithm is used to enhance the performance of the system in the presence of muscle artifact (EMG). Results are presented showing that the multichannel correlation is capable of reducing, in some cases, both missed detections due to poorly defined ST's and false alarms due to EMG.     

Allyl transfer to aldehydes and ketones by Brønsted acid activation of allyl and crotyl 1,3,2-dioxazaborolidines

Alkyl dioxazaborolidines are air-stable and often crystalline organoboranes. A variety of Br?nsted acids activate allyl dioxazaborolidines to generate reactive allyl-transfer reagents in situ. These reagents add to aldehydes and ketones to generate the corresponding alcohols in good yields under mild conditions. The E- and Z-crotyl reagents react diastereoselectively with aldehydes and ketones to produce anti and syn adducts, respectively, a result consistent with a cyclic transition state (type I mechanism).     

Tunable and rapid crystallisation of phase pure Bi2MoO6 (koechlinite) and Bi2Mo3O12 via continuous hydrothermal synthesis

Herein, we report the rapid single step hydrothermal synthesis of phase pure Bi₂MoO₆ (koechlinite) and Bi₂Mo₃O₁₂, via a continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis (CHFS) reactor, which uses supercritical water of 375–450 °C at a pressure of 24.1 MPa as a crystallising medium. The product being obtained as highly crystalline nano-materials with high surface area. Simple variation in synthesis condition and appropriate solution stoichiometry were shown to be sufficient to select the phase of the product. The materials synthesised showed significant photcatalytic activity towards the decolourisation of methylene blue in comparison to a commercial gold standard photocatalyst.     

Regular principal factors in free objects in varieties in the interval [B 2 ,NB 2 ∨G n ]

The author has shown previously how to associate a completely 0-simple semigroup with a connected bipartite graph containing labelled edges and how to describe the regular principal factors in the free objects in the Rees-Sushkevich varieties RS _n generated by all completely 0-simple semigroups over groups from the Burnside variety G _n of groups of exponent dividing a positive integer n by employing this graphical construction. Here we consider the analogous problem for varieties containing the variety B ₂ , generated by the five element Brandt semigroup B ₂, and contained in the variety NB ₂ ∨G _n where NB ₂ is the variety generated by all left and right zero semigroups together with B ₂. The interval [NB ₂ ,NB ₂ ∨G _n ] is of particular interest as it is an important interval, consisting entirely of varieties generated by completely 0-simple semigroups, in the lattice of subvarieties of RS _n .