An Alternative Method for Anomeric Deacetylation of Per-acetylated Carbohydrates

An alternative method for anomeric deacetylation of fully acetylated carbohydrates has been developed using imidazole in methanol.     

A New Asterosaponin from the Starfish Culcita novaeguineae

A new asterosaponin named novaeguinoside A, along with a known saponin, asteronyl pentaglycoside sulfate, was isolated from the starfish Culcita novaeguineae. The new compound was identitied to be sodium 6α-O-{β-D-fucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-fucopyranosyl-(1→4)-[β-D-quinovopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)-[β-D-quinovopyranosyl}-5α-pregn-9(11)-en-20-one-3β-yl-sulfate by extensive spectral analysis and chemical evidence.     

Excimer-laser-assisted RF glow-discharge deposition of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon thin films

We combine the deposition of Hydrogenated amorphous Silicon (a-Si:H) by rf glow discharge with XeCl-excimer laser irradiation of the growing surface in order to obtain different kinds of silicon films in the same deposition system. In-situ UV-visible ellipsometry allows us to measure the optical properties of the films as the laser fluence is increased from 0 up to 180 mJ/cm² in separate depositions. For fixed glow-discharge conditions and a substrate temperature of 250° C we observe dramatic changes in the film structure as the laser fluence is increased. With respect to a reference a-Si:H film (no laser irradiation) we observe at low laser fluences (15–60 mJ/cm²) that the film remains amorphous but demonstrates enchanced surface roughness and bulk porosity. At intermediate fluences (80–165 m/Jcm²), we obtain an amorphous film with an enhanced density with respect to the reference film. Finally, at high fluences (165–180 mJ/cm²), we obtain microcrystalline films. The in-situ ellipsometry measurements are complemented by ex-situ measurements of the dark conductivity, X-ray diffraction, and Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA). Simulation of the temperature profiles for different film thicknesses and for three laser fluences indicates that crystallization occurs if the surface temperature reaches the melting point of a-Si:H ( 1420 K). The effects of laser treatment on the film properties are discussed by taking into account the photonic and thermal effects of laser irradiation.Presented at LASERION 93, Munich, June 21–23, 1993     

Optical resonances in one-dimensional dielectric nanorod arrays: field-induced fluorescence enhancement

Arrays of transparent dielectric nanorods are shown to produce very large local field enhancements at specific resonant conditions. These structures would lead to enhancement of molecular fluorescence signals without quenching. The resonant angular width and field enhancements are analytically derived as a function of wavelength, grating period, rod radius, and dielectric constant.     

Spectroscopy Investigation on Conformational Transition of Tea Glycoconjugate from Green Tea

The conformational transition of a new glycoconjugate, tea glycoconjugate (TGC), was investigated by spectroscopy techniques including circular dichroism (CD) and ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy. The solution behaviors of TGC in the mediums of different temperature, pH value, and ions were compared. Results showed that the native conformation of TGC was partially ordered. The CD value and UV absorbance of TGC altered with the change of pH value, temperature, the addition of ions, and also accompanied order-disorder transition. Especially the conditions with temperature higher than the glass transition temperature (Tg=62℃), higher pH value or lower pH value will have the most impact on the conformation of TGC, which will destroy the hydrogen bonds between the TGC molecules. The results indicated that the outside factors play important roles on the stability of the conformation of TGC.     

Numerical analysis of TOF measurements in pulsed laser ablation

The results of numerical simulation of pulsed laser ablation both in vacuum and into a background gas are presented. The influences of different processes, such as time evolution of the surface temperature, interspecies interactions (elastic collisions, recombination-dissociation reaction), interaction with an ambient gas, and excitations-relaxation processes on time-of-flight (TOF) distributions are examined. Experimentally obtained time-of-flight distributions are further analyzed, based on the results of numerical simulation. It is found that with the aid of numerical results one can explain not only the shape of the TOF distribution, but also the distance dependency of its maximum position (mean delay time). In addition, the mechanisms leading to the appearance of bimodal time-of-flight distribution are revealed. The study presents particular interest for the analysis of experimental results obtained during pulsed laser ablation.     

Hydrogen control of ferromagnetism in a dilute magnetic semiconductor

We show that upon exposure to a remote dc hydrogen plasma, the magnetic and electronic properties of the dilute magnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs change qualitatively. While the as-grown Ga1-xMnxAs thin films are ferromagnetic at temperatures T less, similar 70 K, the samples are found to be paramagnetic after the hydrogenation, with a Brillouin-type magnetization curve even at T=2 K. Comparing magnetization and electronic transport measurements, we conclude that the density of free holes p is significantly reduced by the plasma process, while the density of Mn magnetic moments does not change.     

Barbilian’s metrization procedure in the plane yields either Riemannian or Lagrange generalized metrics

In the present paper we answer two questions raised by Barbilian in 1960. First, we study how far can the hypothesis of Barbilian’s metrization procedure can be relaxed. Then, we prove that Barbilian’s metrization procedure in the plane generates either Riemannian metrics or Lagrance generalized metrics not reducible to Finslerian or Langrangian metrics.     

The photodegradation of cadmium yellow paints in Henri Matisse’s Le Bonheur de vivre (1905–1906)

Evidence for the alteration of the yellow paints in Henri Matisse’s Le Bonheur de vivre (1905–1906, The Barnes Foundation) has been observed since the 1990s. The changes in this iconic work of Matisse’s Fauvist period include lightening, darkening, and flaking of the yellow paints. Handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and multispectral imaging surveys reveal that the degradation is confined to cadmium yellow (CdS) paints. The discoloration of cadmium yellow paints in Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early modernist work from the 1880s through the 1920s has been ascribed to the photo-oxidative degradation of CdS. Preliminary investigations of the degraded yellow paints in this work involved Cd L_III-edge X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light Source (SSRL Menlo Park, California) and Scanning Electron Microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDS) at the Winterthur Museum Scientific Research and Analysis Laboratory. To determine if the visual changes in the paints did in fact indicate photo-oxidative degradation and if different chemistries could be observed for the lightened versus darkened regions, synchrotron radiation-micro Fourier Transform InfraRed (SR-μFTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray Fluorescence (SR-μXRF) mapping and micro X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (μXANES) mapping at the Cd L_III-edge of the altered paint cross-sections were carried out at the European synchrotron radiation facility (ESRF, Grenoble, France) beamline ID-21. The goal is to elucidate the discoloration mechanisms observed in the paint using elemental and speciation mapping. The μXANES mapping and SR-FTIR imaging showed a substantial enrichment of CdCO₃ in the off-white surface crust of the faded/discolored CdS paint. This suggests that the CdCO₃ is present as an insoluble photodegradation product rather than solely a paint filler or starting reagent. Additionally, oxalates and sulfates were found to be concentrated at the alteration surface.