Synthesis of lipooligosaccharides related to nodulation factors ofRhizobium sp. NGR234

Trisaccharide analogs of natural nodulation factors fromRhizobium sp. NGR234, namely, 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-O-(2-deoxy-2-hexadecanamido-β-d-glucopyranosyl)-6-O-(2-O-methyl-α-l-fucopyranosyl)-d-glucopyranose and its derivatives containing a 4-O-acetyl or a 3-O-sulfo group at thel-fucose residue, were synthesized. The oligosaccharides synthesized were shown to posses biological activity. Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes Supérieures (LBMPS), Université de Genève, 1 ch. de l'Impératrice, 1292 Chambesy-Genève, Suisse. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya No. 3, pp. 513–518, March, 1998.     

Photogeneration of Silver Particles in PVA Fibers and Films

Fibers and films prepared from blends of poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(acrylic acid) were found to be suitable matrices for the solid-state photoreduction of silver ions in the presence of air. Fast generation of nanometer-sized silver crystallites was observed when fibers of polymer blends crosslinked with dimethyl sulfoxide were irradiated with 350nm light. Optical determinations of the formation kinetics were carried out using thin films of noncrosslinked as well as lightly and heavily crosslinked polymer blends. Small Ag clusters were detected initially, which were stable in the dark but transformed into larger metal particles upon further illumination. Both formation processes occurred only under high light intensity illumination and the kinetic data were inconsistent with monophotonic mechanisms.     

Rinneite,K3Na[FeCl6], at 293, 84 and 9.5 K

The crystal structure of tripotassium sodium hexa­chloro­ferrate(II) has been determined by X‐ray diffraction at 293, 84 and 9.5 K. The accurate and extensive data sets collected should be suitable for charge–density analysis studies.     

A model of stress distribution and cracking in cohesive soils produced by simple tillage implements

The objective of this research was to describe the mechanical behavior of soil under the action of a tillage tool, with the purpose of finding a relation between the tool geometry and the resultant soil structure. The problem was solved using fundamental principles of soil mechanics and force equilibrium analysis. As a result, a mathematical model was developed which describes three stress zones within the cut soil volume: shear failure, tension failure, and no internal failure. The model was programmed into a computer to generate maps of normal and shear stresses to visualize the three failure zones. The model was tested by cutting soil with flat tillage tools in a laboratory soil bin, and it proved to provide reliable predictions of the pattern of soil shear and tension failure.