Breathers in ferrimagnetic systems

Breathers in discrete nonlinear ferrimagnetic spin lattices are investigated for both easy-axis and easy-plane configurations. The region in frequency space of the formation of breathers is determined and the anticontinuum limit discussed. The monochromatic and the coloured breathers are found out numerically for different parameters and different conditions of excitations.     

A comparison of spin relaxation and local motion between symmetrically and asymmetrically ring-substituted bisphenol units in dissolved polycarbonates

Carbon-13 and proton spin-lattice relaxation times were measured at two field strengths on solutions 10% by weight of two polycarbonates in C₂D₂Cl₄ from ?20 to +120°C. The first polycarbonate is an asymmetrically substituted form with one chlorine on one of the two phenylene aromatic rings of the bisphenol unit, whereas the second polycarbonate is symmetrically substituted with two chlorines on each of the two rings. The nuclear spin relaxation data are interpreted in terms of several local motions likely in these polymers. Segmental motion was described by the Hall–Helfand correlation function. Segmental motion in the monosubstituted polycarbonate is somewhat slower than in unsubstituted polycarbonate, whereas segmental motion in the tetrasubstituted polycarbonate is considerably slower. Phenylene ring rotation is observed in unsubstituted polycarbonate and in the monosubstituted polycarbonate above 40°C. Below 40°C in the monosubstituted species, and at all temperatures in the tetrasubstituted species, ring rotation is replaced by ring libration as the predominant motion contributing to spin lattice relaxation. In addition, the rotational motion of the two types of rings in the asymmetric monosubstituted form are very similar although not identical. The substituted ring is slightly less mobile than the rings of unsubstituted polycarbonate. This indicates a strong coupling of ring motion, although the coupling leads to less than synchronous motion. Methyl group rotation is present in both polymers and is little affected by the various structural modifications.     

Painlevé analysis,conservation laws,and symmetry of perturbed nonlinear equations

We consider the Lie-Backlund symmetries and conservation laws of a perturbed KdV equation and NLS equation. The arbitrary coefficients of the perturbing terms can be related to the condition of existence of nontrivial LB symmetry generator. When the perturbed KdV equation is subjected to Painlevé analysisa la Weiss, it is found that the resonance position changes compared to the unperturbed one. We prove the compatibility of the overdetermined set of equations obtained at the different stages of recursion relations, at least for one branch. All other branches are also indicated and difficulties associated them are discussed considering the perturbation parameter to be small. We determine the Lax pair for the aforesaid branch through the use of Schwarzian derivative. For the perturbed NLS equation we determine the conservation laws following the approach of Chen and Liu. From the recurrence of these conservation laws a Lax pair is constructed. But the Painlevé analysis does not produce a positive answer for the perturbed NLS equation. So here we have two contrasting examples of perturbed nonlinear equations: one passes the Painlevé test and its Lax pair can be found from the analysis itself, but the other equation does not meet the criterion of the Painlevé test, though its Lax pair is found in another way.     

Enhanced glucose production from cellulose using coimmobilized cellulase and β-glucosidase

β-Glucosidase was covalently immobilized alone and coimmobilized with cellulase using a hydrophilic polyurethane foam (Hypol®FHP 2002). Immobilization improved the functional properties of the enzymes. When immobilized alone, the K_m for cellobiose of β-glucosidase was decreased by 33% and the pH optimum shifted to a slightly more basic value, compared to the free enzyme. Immobilized β-glucosidase was extremely stable (95% of activity remained after 1000 h of continuous use). Coimmobilization of cellulase and β-glucosidase produced a cellulose-hydrolyzing complex with a 2.5-fold greater rate of glucose production for soluble cellulose and a four-fold greater increase for insoluble cellulose, compared to immobilized cellulase alone. The immobilized enzymes showed a broader acceptance of various types of insoluble cellulose substrates than did the free enzymes and showed a long-term (at least 24 h) linear rate of glucose production from microcrystalline cellulose. The pH optimum for the coimmobilized enzymes was 6.0. This method for enzyme immobilization is fast, irreversible, and does not require harsh conditions. The enhanced glucose yields obtained indicate that this method may prove useful for commercial cellulose hydrolysis.     

First example of the C-alkylation of indoles with Baylis-Hillman acetates

Baylis-Hillman acetates undergo S_N2′ allylic substitution with indoles in the presence of 20 mol % of indium tribromide under mild conditions to afford a new class of substituted indoles in high yields with (E)-stereoselectivity. The stereochemistry of the products was assigned by various NMR experiments.     

Spray reagents for the detection of amino-acids on thin-layer plates

Three spray reagents for the detection of amino-acids on silica-gel thin-layer chromatography plates are reported. The reagents produce various colours, which may be used to identify some of the amino-acids directly, and assist in their detection.     

Ultrafast energy-electron transfer cascade in a multichromophoric light-harvesting molecular square

A molecular square with dimensions of about 4 nm, incorporating sixteen pyrene chromophores attached to four ditopic bay-functionalized perylene bisimide chromophores, has been synthesized by coordination to four Pt(II) phosphine corner units and fully characterized via NMR spectroscopy and ESI-FTICR mass spectrometry. Steady-state and time-resolved emission as well as femtosecond transient absorption studies reveal the presence of a highly efficient (>90%) and fast photoinduced energy transfer (k(en) approximately equal to 5.0 x 10(9) s(-1)) from the pyrene to the perylene bisimide chromophores and a very fast and efficient electron transfer (>94%, k(et) approximately equal to 5 x 10(11) up to 43 x 10(11) s(-1)). Spectrotemporal parametrization indicates upper excited-state electron-transfer processes, various energy and electron-transfer pathways, and chromophoric heterogeneity. Temperature-dependent time-resolved emission spectroscopy has shown that the acceptor emission lifetime increases with decreasing temperature from which an electron-transfer barrier is obtained. The extremely fast electron-transfer processes (substantially faster and more efficient than in the free ligand) that are normally only observed in solid materials, together with the closely packed structure of 20 chromophoric units, indicate that we can consider the molecular square as a monodisperse nanoaggregate: a molecularly defined ensemble of chromophores that partly behaves like a solid material.     

Immobilization of cellulase using polyurethane foam

Cellulase was covalently immobilized using a hydrophilic polyurethane foam (Hypol®FHP 2002). Compared to the free enzyme, immobilized cellulase showed a dramatic decrease (7.5-fold) in the Michaelis constant for carboxymethylcellulose. The immobilized enzyme also had a broader and more basic pH optimum (pH 5.5–6.0), a greater stability under heat-denaturing or liquid nitrogen-freezing conditions, and was relatively more efficient in utilizing insoluble cellulose substrates. High molecular weight compounds (Blue Dextran) could move throughout the foam matrix, indicating permeability to insoluble celluloses; activity could be further improved 2.4-fold after powdering, foams under liquid nitrogen. The improved kinetic and stability features of the immobilized cellulase combined with advantageous properties of the polyurethane foam (resistance to enzymatic degradation, plasticity of shape and size) suggest that this mechanism of cellulase immobilization has high potential for application in the industrial degradation of celluloses.