The effect of the anion on the physical properties of trihalide-based N,N-dialkylimidazolium ionic liquids

Low viscosity, high density trihalide-based 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids have been prepared and characterised. Key physical properties (density, conductivity, melting point, refractive index, surface tension and diffusion coefficient) of the ionic liquids have been determined and are compared with those of other 1,3-dialkylimidazolium molten salts. The relationship between anion identity and the physical properties of the ionic liquids under investigation is discussed.     

Preparation and self-assembly of chiral porphyrin diads on the gold electrodes of quartz crystal microbalances: a novel potential approach to the development of enantioselective chemical sensors

Porphyrin diad 1 was synthesized by reaction of the acyl chloride of porphyrin 2 and trans-1,2-dithiane-4,5-diol. The Co complex of this diad was studied as a potential enantioselective receptor for chiral recognition in solution and in the solid state. In solution both enantiomers of limonene induce significant changes in the visible and circular dichroism (CD) spectra of [Co2(1)], while a different behavior is observed in the case of the enantiomeric pair of trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane. A different efficiency of [Co2(1)] chiral recognition is obtained for these compounds, with a remarkable degree of enantiodiscrimination observed in the case of limonene. Self-assembled monolayers of [Co2(1)] were deposited onto the gold electrodes of quartz crystal microbalances to be used as sensing materials of nanogravimetric sensors operating in the gas phase. The enantiodiscrimination properties of these sensors towards the enantiomeric pairs of chiral analytes have been studied. While in the case of analytes bearing donor ligand atoms we did not observe a remarkable enantioselectivity, a significant degree of chiral discrimination was observed in the case of limonene; this result is particularly encouraging for the potential development of enantioselective chemical sensors for use in an array configuration.     

Synthesis of 2-oxo and 2-thioxo-3(2H)-benzothiazoleethanimic acid anhydride with acetic acid and related products

The reaction of the appropriate 2-benzothiazolinone with 2-chloroacetamide under basic conditions afforded the 2-oxo-3(2H)-benzothiazolineacetamides 6–9. The 2-thioxo-3(2H)-benzothiazolineacetamide ( 10 ) was prepared by the reaction of 3-(carbethoxymethyl)benzothiazoline-2-thione with ammonium hydroxide. The reaction of acetamides 6–10 with the appropriate anhydride containing a catalytic amount of the sodium salt of the acid corresponding to the anhydride afforded the titled compounds 11–18 in excellent yields. The omission of the catalyst in the same reaction furnished a mixture containing 57% of the titled compound, 37% of the nitrile and 6% of an unknown. Possible mechanism and supporting nmr, ir and mass spectral data are discussed.     

Diode-Laser Jet Spectra and Analysis of the nu(1) and nu(4) Fundamentals of CCl(3)F

High-resolution infrared spectra have been measured for mixtures of CCl(3)F in Ne, expanded in a supersonic planar jet. We present the first analysis for the nu(4) fundamental and a complete analysis for the nu(1) band. Accurate spectroscopic constants have been obtained for both the nu(1) fundamental of the most abundant isotopic species, C(35)Cl(3)F, C(35)Cl(2)(37)ClF, and C(35)Cl(37)Cl(2)F. With respect to an earlier work [M. Snels, A. Beil, H. Hollenstein, M. Quack, U. Schmidt, and F. D'Amato, J. Chem. Phys. 103, 8846-8853 (1995)], the observation of Q branches of the three most abundant isotopomers allowed for an unambiguous determination of the nu(1) band origins. The nu(4) fundamental has not been the subject of a high-resolution analysis up to now. The observation of high-resolution spectra of the central part of the band permitted the determination of band origin, rotational constants, and Coriolis constant for the symmetric-top species, C(35)Cl(3)F. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Channel acquisition and tracking for DS-CDMA uplink transmissions

This paper deals with channel acquisition and tracking for the uplink of direct-sequence code-division multiple-access systems. The transmission medium is characterized by multipath propagation, and the goal is to estimate the time-varying channel impulse response (CIR) for a new user entering the system. Channel acquisition is pursued through maximum-likelihood techniques. The resulting scheme may be too complex in some applications, as it requires the online inversion of a large matrix. Therefore, we also consider a simpler solution based on the least-squares (LS) criterion. Channel tracking is performed through weighted LS methods. At each signaling interval, the CIR estimate is updated using data decisions and exploiting the inverse of the interference covariance matrix to mitigate the near-far problem. Performance is assessed by simulation in a scenario inspired by the frequency-division duplexing component of the universal mobile telecommunications system. The acquisition/tracking algorithms are found to be resistant to multiuser interference and suitable for transmissions over fast-fading channels.     

Frequency estimation and timing acquisition in the uplink of a DS-CDMA system

We consider the uplink of a direct-sequence code-division multiple-access system operating over a multipath fading channel, and we aim at estimating the propagation delay and the frequency offset of a new user entering the network. The joint estimation of these parameters is investigated using a weighted-least-squares approach. The exact solution turns out to be too complex for practical purposes, as it involves a numerical search over a bidimensional domain. As an alternative, we propose a suboptimal procedure, in which the propagation delay is first computed with a monodimensional search and then is exploited to derive the frequency offset in closed form. Both data-aided and nondata-aided estimation methods are considered. The proposed synchronizers have a reasonable complexity and are suited for third-generation cellular systems. Their performance is assessed by simulation in a scenario inspired by the specifications of the frequency-division duplexing component of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems standard. It is found that they provide accurate estimates and are useful even in applications over rapidly varying channels.     

DOA and channel parameter estimation for wideband CDMA systems

We consider the uplink of a direct-sequence code-division multiple-access system and we assume that the base station is endowed with a linear antenna array. Transmission takes place over a multipath channel and the goal is to estimate the channel parameters (path gains and delays) and the directions of arrival of the signal echoes from a user entering the network. We propose an estimator that operates in an iterative fashion and exploits knowledge of the transmitted symbols (training sequence). Compared to other existing schemes, it is simpler to implement as it reduces a complicated multidimensional optimization problem to a sequence of one-dimensional searches. Computer simulations indicate that the proposed scheme is useful even in applications over rapidly varying channels where the training sequence must be short compared with the channel decorrelation time.     

Energy-Based TOA Estimation

This paper investigates time of arrival estimation via impulse radio ultra-wideband technology. A dense multipath channel is assumed and frequency-selective propagation effects are taken into account that make the individual received pulses different in shape from the transmitted monocycles. In these conditions a conventional correlation-based estimator cannot be used and other schemes must be resorted to. Assuming only an approximate knowledge of the received pulses' duration, a TOA estimator is derived making use of least mean square techniques. The algorithm operates on energy measurements made on a folded version of the received signal. Its performance is investigated by simulation under implementation conditions of different complexity. In particular, sub-Nyquist sampling rates are considered and analog-to-digital conversion with limited resolution is explored. Comparisons are made with other available schemes.     

Clustering and colocalization in transmission immunoelectron microscopy: a brief review

This mini-review tries to summarize the state of the art of stereological and statistical approaches used in clustering (in single immunogold labelling) and colocalization (in double immunogold labelling) studies of gold particles in transmission immunoelectron microscopy. The point pattern analysis may be useful to compare experimental pattern data to the null hypothesis of complete spatial randomness (CSR), and, furthermore to quantify the amount of clustering and/or colocalization. In particular, this paper gives an overview about the most recent literature on the subject and different approaches will be only briefly summarized.