7-Hydroxy-4-methyl-8-(4′-methylpiperazine-1′-yl)methyl coumarin: An efficient probe for fluorescence resonance energy transfer to a bioactive indoloquinolizine system

Solvatochromic effects on the fluorescence behavior of 7-hydroxy-4-methyl-8-(4′-methyl-piperazine-1′ yl)methylcoumarin (HMMC) was studied in different solvents. The fluorescence of HMMC was found to be highly sensitive to both the polarity and the protic character of the solvent. Exploiting the polarity-sensitive fluorescence property of HMMC, its excited-state dipole moment has been determined. Fluorescence (Förster) resonance energy transfer (FRET) process from HMMC to a potent bioactive molecule 3-acetyl-4-oxo-6,7-dihydro-12 H indolo-[2,3-a] quinolizine (AODIQ) was studied. From the determined K_SV and R₀ values, it is argued that a long-range dipole-dipole interaction is operating for the energy transfer mechanism. The energy transfer efficiency (E) and the distance between the acceptor and the donor (r₀) have been determined.     

Characteristic features of carbazole phosphorescence quenching by benzophenone molecules in toluene at 77 K

We have studied the characteristic features of carbazole phosphorescence quenching by benzophenone in toluene at 77 K. We have shown that the decrease in the relative phosphorescence intensity for carbazole (energy donor) by a greater factor than we see for the relative change in its decay time is due to the fact that a change in the phosphorescence decay time occurs only for carbazole molecules participating in triplet-triplet energy transfer, while the substantial decrease in the phosphorescence intensity for carbazole with no change in the phosphorescence decay time is connected with quenching of its singlet states. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 73, No. 4, pp. 554–556, July–August, 2006.     

Numerical simulation and experimental validation of heat transfer within rotating flows for three‐dimensional non‐axisymmetric,turbulent conditions

A control volume type numerical methodology for the analysis of steady three‐dimensional rotating flows with heat transfer, in both laminar and turbulent conditions, is implemented and experimentally tested. Non‐axisymmetric momentum and heat transfer phenomena are allowed for. Turbulent transport is alternatively represented through three existing versions of the k–ε model that were adjusted to take into account the turbulence anisotropy promoted by rotation, streamline curvature and thermal buoyancy. Their relative performance is evaluated by comparison of calculated local and global heat balances with those obtained through measurements in a laboratory device. A modified version of the Lam and Bremhorst, low Reynolds number model is seen to give the best results. A preliminary analysis focused on the flow structure and the transfer of heat is reported. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nusselt number correlations for heat transfer to small spheres in thermal plasma flows

Seven different equations predicting heat transfer rates to small spheres in plasma flows are examined considering argon and nitrogan as plasma gases from 300 to 21,000 K at 1 atm. For argon there is a general consensus up to 9000 K, beyond which wide deviations in behavior occur. For nitrogen, the seven correlations are in good agreement up to 4000 K, but show substantial deviations beyond this value. Comparisons with the sparsely available experimental data are made for argon from 300 to 17,000 K and for nitrogen up to 5500 K. Disagreement between the various correlations and experiment can exceed one order of magnitude.     

Atmospheric aerosol limb scanning based on the lunar eclipses photometry

The work is devoted to the analysis of the surface photometric observations of two total lunar eclipses in 2004. The lunar surface relative brightness distribution inside the umbra was used to retrieve the vertical distribution of aerosol extinction of the solar radiation expanding by a tangent path and its dependence on the location at the limb of the Earth. The upper altitude of troposphere aerosol layer was estimated for different latitude zones. The correlation between additional aerosol extinction in the upper troposphere and cyclones was investigated.     

A linearized vector radiative transfer model for atmospheric trace gas retrieval

We present a plane parallel radiative transfer model for polarized light, that provides the intensity vector as well as the derivatives of the four Stokes parameters with respect to atmospheric trace gas profiles. These derivatives are essential for retrieval of height resolved trace gas information from satellite measurements of backscattered sunlight. The model uses the Gauss-Seidel iteration technique for solving the radiative transfer equation. For the first time, the forward-adjoint radiative perturbation theory is applied for the linearization of a radiative transfer model including polarization. The accuracy of the model is better than 0.025% for all four Stokes parameters and better than 0.03% for the derivatives.     

Analytic evaluation of the weighting functions for remote sensing of blackbody planetary atmospheres: a general linearization approach

An analytic approach is proposed for the evaluation of weighting functions for remote sensing of a blackbody planetary atmosphere based on straightforward, general linearization. In the present paper, this approach is applied to the case of remote sensing with the nadir (down-looking) geometry. Expressions for weighting functions for various atmospheric parameters are derived. It is demonstrated that in a realistic case of temperature-dependent atmospheric absorption, an additional term appears in the expression for the temperature weighting function which contains the temperature derivative of the atmospheric absorption coefficient. The approach is applied to the case of a semi-infinite atmosphere and then, to the atmosphere of a finite optical depth with the underlying surface. In this, latter case, the expressions are also obtained for partial derivatives of observed radiances with respect to surface parameters: surface pressure, temperature and emissivity.     

Charge screening in valence band of solids and in the Fermi sea. Origin of weak-boson masses

Summary An attempt is made to explain the masses of Z and W^± bosons by means of a screening mechanism analogous to charge screening in metals. It considers the effect of the electroweak force on the distribution of negativekinetic-energy neutrinos, which fills the whole universe (neutrino Fermi sea). The large weak-boson masses appear to be a direct consequence of the vanishing neutrino mass.     

Dibutyltin-3-hydroxyflavone titrates a dissociable component (cofactor) of mitochondrial ATP synthase: An energy-transfer component linked to the ubiquinone pool

Dibutyltin-3-hydroxyflavone, Bu₂Sn(of), is a new fluorescence probe inhibitor of F₁F₀-ATPase and oxidative phosphorylation which inhibits by titration of an unidentified component of F₀. Its site of action is closely related to that of the trialkyltins and of venturicidin. This F₀ component is part of a pool of this component which is present in the heart mitochondrial inner membrane at levels of 5–7 nmol (mg protein)^?1 [18 ± 3 Bu₂Sn(of) sites per mol F₁F₀-ATPase]. However, ATPase activity in submitochondrial particles is near maximally inhibited by titration of approx. three Bu₂Sn(of) sites per mol F₁F₀-ATPase. Over 60% (60–80%) of the Bu₂Sn(of) interaction sites can be lost during the purification of F₁F₀-ATPase from submitochondrial particles. The number of Bu₂Sn(of) interaction sites in various F₁F₀-ATPase preparations is variable. The high numbers of Bu₂Sn(of) sites per mol F₁F₀-ATPase for heart mitochondria (18–21) and submitochondrial particles (15–19.5) decline in ATP synthase (11–15) to the low values obtained in Complex V (7–10.5) and the minimal values observed in highly purified F₁F₀?ATPase (3.5–5.6), thus indicating a variable dissociable component or cofactor of ATP synthase. The Bu₂Sn(of) interaction site, a component of ATP synthase, is responsive to the redox status of the respiratory chain and the interaction with Bu₂Sn(of) is with the reduced form of this component. Fluorescence titration studies show that this component is in redox equilibrium with the ubiquinone pool of the respiratory chain. It is proposed that this redox component serves as an inhibitor titratable cofactor pool which cycles through an F₀ interaction site (or sites) via a system which serves as an energy-transfer link between the respiratory chain and ATP synthase.