Characterization of spherical particles using high-order neural networks and scanning flow cytometry

We retrieve the radius R, real n and imaginary k parts of the refractive index of homogeneous spherical particles using angular distribution of the light-scattering intensity. To solve the inverse light-scattering problem we use a high-order neural-network technique. The effect of network parameters on optimization is examined. The technique is evaluated for noise-corrupted input data at 0.6 μm<R<10.6 μm, 1.02<n<1.38, and 0<k<0.03. The errors of retrieval for nonabsorbing particles do not exceed 0.05 μm for radius and 0.015 for refractive index. The experimental verification is fulfilled by experimental data retrieved by means of a scanning flow cytometer. The light-scattering profiles of polystyrene beads and spherized red blood cells are processed with the high-order neural networks and a non-linear regression at Mie theory. The parameters retrieved by the high-order neural networks correlate well with the parameters retrieved by the least-square method.     

Quantenchemische Untersuchung der Reaktionsfähigkeit von π-Elektronen-Systemen in angeregtem Singulett- und Triplettzustand

Zusammenfassung Anhand der Methode der Konfigurationenwechselwirkung wurde die Ladungsdichteverteilung in einer Reihe von aromatischen Aminen und N-haltigen Heteroaromaten im angeregten Singulett- und Triplettzustand untersucht. Durch die Untersuchungen wurde die Formulierung der folgenden Regel ermöglicht: im angeregten Singulett- und Triplettzustand ist die Basizität bei den Aminen wesentlich vermindert; die N-haltigen Heteroaromaten weisen im angeregten Singulettzustand eine erhöhte Basizität auf, und im Triplettzustand tritt eine Verminderung der Basizität ein.

---

The electron density distribution in excited singlet and triplet states of a number of aromatic amines and heterocyclic compounds containing nitrogen atoms is studied using the CI-method. The investigation allows the formulation of the following rule: in excited singlet and triplet states the amines possess significantly reduced basicity; the nitrogen heterocyclic compounds in excited singlet states increase their basicity, whereas in excited triplet states their basicity is decreased.

---

Résumé Au moyen de la méthode d'interaction de configuration, on a étudié la répartition de la densité électronique dans un certain nombre d'aminés aromatiques et de composés hétérocycliques azotés dans l'état excité singulet et triplet.Les études effectuées ont permis d'établir la règle suivante: à l'état excité singulet ou triplet la basicité des aminés est sensiblement réduite; la basicité des composés N-hétérocycliques augmente dans l'état excité singulet et diminue dans le triplet.

     

Gold electroless reduction in nanosized channels of thiol-modified SBA-15 material

A new procedure for the preparation of high aspect ratio Au nanowires utilizing gold electroless reduction in the hexagonally ordered, thiol-modified nanosized channels of the SBA-15 material is reported. Two different Au precursors were adsorbed onto pedant thiol groups, covalently bonded to the mesoporous silica surface, and used as seeds to grow extended Au nanostructures by treatment in Au electroless reduction bath. It is shown that the dimensions and the assembly of the Au seeds are important parameters for the subsequent electroless reduction process. The [AuCl4]- ions complexed to the TOAB molecules assembled on the thiol-modified mesoporous surface of the SBA-15 material are suitable precursors for the subsequent gold electroless reduction. The resulting structures are several micrometer long Au nanowires with uniform diameters of about 5 nm, having large single-crystalline domains. The TEM results clearly show that the growth of the Au nanowires is templated by the channel structure of the SBA-15 material.     

Micellization and interfacial properties of alkyloxyethylene sulfate surfactants in the presence of multivalent counterions

Alkyloxyethylene sulfates are a special class of surfactants that are unusually stable in the presence of multivalent counterions and are not as prone to precipitation as anionic surfactants without intermediate ethoxy groups in the molecule. However, formation of micelles, their structure, and the properties of monolayers of these surfactants exhibit very interesting and sometimes unexpected properties depending on the nature of the ions dissolved in the solution. This paper presents a brief overview of our recent efforts to reveal the nature of these properties, including some new results. We show that the strong binding of multivalent (and particularly trivalent counterions) triggers a sphere-to-cylinder shape transition of the micelles and facilitates their further growth, even at very low ionic strength. The properties of surfactant monolayers are coupled to those of the micelles in the bulk and are governed also by multivalent counterion binding. The effect of multivalent counterions on the aggregation and structure formation in anionic surfactant solutions has both fundamental and practical importance.     

Linear free energy relationships and kinetic isotope effects reveal the chemistry of the Ado 2′-OH group

Using kinetic isotope effects (KIE) and Hammett correlations, we show that the main role of the adenosine 2′-OH group on deprotonation by the non nucleophilic base DBU during external acyl group transfer is to generate enhanced electron density on the attacking nucleophile through ionization. The small primary KIEs (1.2 and 1.6) and the large Hammett reaction constants (+2.25 and +3.19) obtained for the ethanolysis of 2′/3′-O-p-substituted benzoyl 5′-O-trityl adenosines and 2′-deoxyadenosines are consistent with an A_N + D_N reaction mechanism. The implications of our results are discussed in terms of chemical contributions of the 2′-OH group in the ribosome catalysis of peptide bond formation.     

Strongly enhanced quadrupole deformation in a class of N≈Z nuclei driven by large-scale clustering?

The formation of large size clusters,and/or their relative motion as a possible excitation mode,are sugge sted to be closely related to the origin of deformation in specific cases,namely the case of two doubly-magic clusters or two clusters with nearby characterization.New lifetime data in N=Z ~(76)Sr and ~(80)Zr leading to large B(E2) values are reproduced consistently and well within this approach,along with data for a few neighboring N≈Z nuclei.These results are compared to previous studies of ~(32)S and ~(20)Ne and all of them support the ideas of the large-scale cluster approach.     

Searching for Neutrino and Ultra-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Counterparts of the GCN Alerts

Physics of Atomic Nuclei - The Baksan Neutrino Observatory setups are currently performing search for neutrino and ultra-high-energy gamma-ray counterparts of the events on the Gamma-ray...     

Ordered micro/mesoporous composite prepared as thin films

A new synthesis method for preparation of thin films and powders consisting of zeolite beta nanocrystals embedded in ordered mesoporous silica matrix is described. The final structures possessing bimodal porosity, i.e., high degree of mesophase order and spatially defined microporous zeolite nanocrystals are obtained via simultaneous solvent evaporation of preformed silica/surfactant/ethanol/nanosized zeolite beta assemblies. The films were characterized with grazing-incident diffraction (GID), nitrogen sorption based on gravimetric measurements with quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) devices, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is shown that the incorporation of beta nanocrystals in the mesoporous silica matrix and the mesophase order itself can be controlled through the variation of the fractional amounts of the zeolite nanoparticles and silica/surfactant solutions. The HR-TEM measurements showed that the nanosized Beta microporous crystals are separated and at the same time connected through an ordered mesostructured matrix.