Measurement of storage time, estimation of ion number and study of absorption line profile in a Paul trap

Europium (Eu⁺) ions were confined in a Paul trap and detected by non-destructive method. Storage time of Eu⁺ ions achieved in vacuum was improved by orders of magnitude employing buffer gas cooling. The experimentally detected signal was fitted to the ion response signal and the total number of ions trapped was estimated. It is found that the peak signal amplitude as well as the product of FWHM and the peak signal amplitude is proportional to the total number of trapped ions. The trapped ion secular frequency was swept at different rates and its effect on the absorption line profile was studied both experimentally and theoretically.     

Comparison of analytical tools and biological assays for detection of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins

The paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins (PSTs) were, as their name suggests, discovered as a result of human poisoning after consumption of contaminated shellfish. More recently, however, the same toxins have been found to be produced by freshwater cyanobacteria. These organisms have worldwide distribution and are common in our sources of drinking water, thus presenting another route of potential human exposure. However, the regulatory limits for PSTs in drinking water are considerably lower than in shellfish. This has increased the need to find alternatives to the mouse bioassay, which, apart from being ethically questionable, does not have a limit of detection capable of detecting the PSTs in water at the regulated concentrations. Additionally, the number of naturally occurring PSTs has grown substantially since saxitoxin was first characterised, markedly increasing the analytical challenge of this group of compounds. This paper summarises the development of chromatographic, toxicity, and molecular sensor binding methodologies for detection of the PSTs in shellfish, cyanobacteria, and water contaminated by these toxins. It then summarises the advantages and disadvantages of their use for particular applications. Finally it recommends some future requirements that will contribute to their improvement for these applications.     

Generalization of Carré equation

The present work offers new equations for phase evaluation in measurements. Several phase shifting equations with an arbitrary but constant phase shift between captured intensity signs are proposed. The equations are similarly derived as the so-called Carré equation. The idea is to develop a generalization of Carré equation that is not restricted to four images. Errors and random noise in the images cannot be eliminated, but the uncertainty due to their effects can be reduced by increasing the number of observations. An experimental analysis of the mistakes of the technique was made, as well as a detailed analysis of mistakes of the measurement. The advantages of the proposed equation are its precision in the measures taken, speed of processing and the immunity to noise in signs and images.     

Synthesis of a Benzannulated Pyrrolizidine by a Copper‐Catalyzed Intramolecular α‐Arylation Reaction

A synthetic route to the pyrrolo[1,2‐a]indole ring system (benzannulated pyrrolizidine) involving a base‐induced intramolecular aza‐Michael reaction as the key C? N bond‐forming penultimate step, followed by a Cu‐catalyzed intramolecular α‐arylation reaction, to provide the tricyclic framework over six steps is described.     

Correction: Dermatan sulfate in tunicate phylogeny: Order-specific sulfation pattern and the effect of [→4IdoA(2-Sulfate)β-1→3GalNAc(4-Sulfate)β-1→] motifs in dermatan sulfate on heparin cofactor II activity

After the publication of the work entitled "Dermatan sulfate in tunicate phylogeny: Order-specific sulfation pattern and the effect of [→4IdoA(2-Sulfate)β-1→3GalNAc(4-Sulfate)β-1→] motifs in dermatan sulfate on heparin cofactor II activity", by Kozlowski et al., BMC Biochemistry 2011, 12:29, we found that the legends to Figures 2 to 5 contain serious mistakes that compromise the comprehension of the work. This correction article contains the correct text of the legends to Figures 2 to 5.     

Unusual annulation reaction of an α,β-unsaturated ketone

An unsusual 2,3 cyclopentaindanone (III) was obtained, presumably as a result of a mixed Michael and Stobbe condensation, in the course of an attempted Robinson annulation.     

On the Massive Antenna Suspension System in the Brazilian Gravitational Wave Detector SCHENBERG

SCHENBERG is a resonant-mass gravitational wave detector built in Brazil. Its spherical antenna, weighting 1.15 t, is connected to the outside world by a suspension system whose main function is to attenuate the external seismic noise. In this work, we report how the system was modeled using finite elements method. The model was validated on experimental data. The simulation showed that the attenuation obtained is of the order of 260 dB, which is sufficient for decreasing the seismic noise below the level of the thermal noise of the detector operating at 50 mK.