Letter: Note on Invariants of the Weyl Tensor

Algebraically special gravitational fields are described using algebraic and differential invariants of the Weyl tensor. A type III invariant is also given and calculated for Robinson-Trautman spaces.     

Working group report: Flavor physics and model building

This is the report of flavor physics and model building working group at WHEPP-9. While activites in flavor physics have been mainly focused on B-physics, those in model building have been primarily devoted to neutrino physics. We present summary of working group discussions carried out during the workshop in the above fields, and also briefly review the progress made in some projects subsequently.     

Transition metal(II) ions with dinegative tetradentate schiff base

Some new coordination polymers of Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II), obtained from the interaction of metal acetate with dipotassium salt of N,N’-di(carboxyethylidene)terephthalaldehydediimine (K₂SB) are described. The products, which have been characterized by elemental analyses, magnetic measurements, thermogravimetric analyses, electronic and infrared spectral studies, have composition, [M(SB)(H₂O)₂]_n. These colored coordination polymers are non-hygroscopic and quite stable at room temperature. On the basis of analytical data and IR studies, a 1:1 metal to ligand stoichiometry has been suggested to these coordination polymers. The IR studies have also revealed that ligands are coordinated to metal ion through carboxy oxygen and azomethine nitrogen. All the studies suggested tetradentate nature of the ligand with octahedral symmetry of the coordination polymers. All the coordination polymers are insoluble in acetone, ethanol, chloroform, methanol, benzene, DMF and DMSO. The thermal decomposition of the coordination polymers is studied and indicates that not only the coordinated water is lost but also that the decomposition of the ligand from the coordination polymers is necessary to interpret the successive mass loss.     

Radiochemical separation of bismuth activities using Dalzin,and its application to geological problems

A radiochemical method has been devised for the separation of bismuth activities of the natural series,viz.²¹⁴Bi,²¹⁰Bi and²¹²Bi, and applied to the indirect estimation of their corresponding precursors,²²²Rn,²¹⁰Pb and²¹²Pb, in a wide variety of geological materials. The method consists of the solvent extraction of bismuth in radiochemically pure form from the sample solution atpH 2 with diallyldithiocarbamido-hydrazine (Dalzin) in chloroform, and back extraction with 2M acid. The advantages of this method over the dithizone extraction system are discussed.     

Biomembrane phospholipid-oxide surface interactions: crystal chemical and thermodynamic basis

Quartz has the least favored surface among many oxides for bacterial attachment and for lipid bilayer or micelle interactions. Tetrahedrally coordinated crystalline silica polymorphs are membranolytic toward liposomes, lysosomes, erythrocytes, and macrophages. Amorphous silica, the octahedral silica polymorph, (stishovite), and oxides such as Al2O3, Fe2 O3, and TiO2 are less cytotoxic. Existing theories for membrane rupture that invoke interactions between oxide surfaces and cell membrane phospholipids (PLs) do not adequately explain these differences in membranolytic potential of the oxides. The author presents a crystal chemical, thermodynamic model for the initial interaction of oxide surfaces with the quaternary ammonium component of the PL's polar head group. The model includes solvation energy changes and electrostatic forces during adsorption, represented by the dielectric constant of the solid and the charge-to-radius ratio of the adsorbing solute. The nature of oxide-solute interactions compared with oxide-water, solute-water, and water-water interactions determines the membranolytic activity of the oxide, where the solute is TMA+, the quaternary ammonium moeity. Significant membrane rupture, as on quartz, requires unfavorable adsorption entropy (DeltaS(ads,TMA+)<0) to maximize disruption of normal membrane structure and requires favorable Gibbs free energy of exchange between TMA+ and the ambient Na+ ions (DeltaG(exc,TMA+/Na+) = DeltaG(ads,TMA+)-DeltaG(ads,Na+)<0) to maximize the extent of membrane affected. For amorphous silica, DeltaS(ads,TMA+) >0, so disruption of structure is limited, even though G(exc,TMA+/Na+) is <0. Stishovite and other oxides have DeltaS(ads,TMA+) <0, but now DeltaG(exc,TMA+/Na+) is>0 at the acidic to circumneutral pHs of cellular and subcellular organelle fluids. The model predicts the correct sequence of membranolytic ability: quartz > or = amorphous SiO2 >Al2O3 >Fe2O3 >TiO2. The model thus explains the relatively poor adhesion of bacterial cells to quartz and the lack of quartz as a biomineral. It is proposed that one function of extracellular polymeric substances exuded by bacteria is to render mineral surfaces more hydrophilic.     

Polymeric Coordination Compounds Derived from Transition Metal(II) with Tetradentate Schiff‐base: Synthetic,Spectroscopic, Magnetic and Thermal Approach

The polymeric coordination compounds have been synthesized using the dipotassium salt of N,N′‐di(carboxymethylene)terephthalaldehydediimine (K₂SB¹) or N,N′‐di(carboxyethylene)terephthalaldehydediimine (K₂SB²) with manganese(II), cobalt(II), nickel(II), copper(II), zinc(II), and cadmium(II). The ligands have been characterized by ¹H‐NMR, and ¹³C‐NMR spectra. The polychelates have been characterized by elemental analyses, magnetic measurements, thermogravimetric analyses, electronic spectra and infrared spectra. The coordination compounds are colored, and the central metal ions are octahedrally coordinated with two water molecules and the Schiff bases. The Schiff bases act as di‐negative tetradentate ligands, in which bonding occurs through two oxygen and two nitrogen atoms. The polymers are insoluble in all common organic solvents such as acetone, methanol, ethanol, N,N‐dimethylformamide and dimethylsulfoxide.     

On the critical cluster in the two-dimensional Ising model: computer-assisted exact results

For a nearest-neighbor Ising model on a square lattice all cluster configurations with 17 or fewer spins are identified. In neglect of cluster-cluster interactions, critical sizes and barriers to nucleation are obtained as functions of temperature and magnetic field for two alternative definitions of a "critical cluster."     

Copolymerization of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate with a comonomer with spiroacetal moiety

The study reports the synthesis of a copolymer based on 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate and 3,9‐divinyl‐2,4,8,10‐tetraoxaspiro[5.5]undecane (U) acquired through radical polymerization in the presence of 2,2′‐azobis(2‐methylpropionitrile). The attempt was to have a solid content as high as 10 wt %. The polymerization process was conducted in the presence of a classic ionic surfactant—sodium lauryl sulfate—and comparatively using two variants of protective colloid β‐cyclodextrin and poly(aspartic acid), respectively. The prepared dispersions were characterized from the viewpoint of their hydrodynamic radius, zeta potential, and conductivity evolution during syntheses. The mean particle size and size distribution and zeta potential and conductivity were also evaluated for the synthesized polymeric particles. The compositions of the polymers were confirmed by FTIR and ¹H NMR spectra, and also, the thermal stability of the polymeric compounds was evaluated. SEM and AFM investigations of the polymer morphology are also presented. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011