Resonance Raman spectroscopy of photolabile transition metal carbonyls: controlled photoalteration with continuous wave lasers to record spectra of reactants or transient species

A method has been developed that enables resonance Raman spectra of photolabile species in solution to be recorded under conditions where the level of photoalteration is controlled: a low level enables reactant spectra to be recorded, whereas a high level enables the spectra of short-lived transient species to be recorded in real time using continuous-wave (CW) lasers and standard Raman detection equipment. The design includes a sealed flow system, enabling air-sensitive species to be studied under an inert atmosphere. A simple theoretical model has been developed to aid the interpretation of experimental results, and its applicability is demonstrated. Controlled photoalteration and its theory are demonstrated with 413.1-nm excitation of carbonmonoxymyoglobin (MbCO), which generates deoxymyoglobin (deoxy-Mb) on photolysis, and for which the spectra of both species are well established. The methods have also been applied to two air-sensitive, photolabile transition metal carbonyls using 514.5-nm wavelength excitation: for Cp2Mo2(CO)6 (Cp = eta5-C5H5), increasing levels of photoalteration result only in a decrease in the parent band intensities, relative to the solvent bands; for Cp2Fe2(CO)4, increasing levels of photoalteration result in the appearance of additional bands that are assigned to the transient species CpFe(mu-CO)3FeCp, formed following the loss of a CO ligand.     

Vocal learning in the grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus): Effects of species identity and number of trainers.

Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) learn referential English labels when they view and interact with 2 humans who model vocal labeling and who demonstrate referentiality and functionality of a label (I. M. Pepperberg, 1990a). To test if both trainers are necessary, the authors contrasted 2-trainer modeling with training by 1 human who presented targeted labels to a bird in concert with appropriate items, who asked questions, and who would reward attempts at the label with the item. The bird was also tutored by either 1 or 2 interactive humans in conjunction with a conspecific who already used referential labels. Referential labels were learned from multiple live tutors but not a single trainer. Presence of a conspecific enhanced learning compared with single-trainer sessions but did not affect acquisition in 2-human sessions. Specific aspects of paired tutoring seem critical for acquiring referential vocal labels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Simple single longitudinal mode Q-switched Nd:YAG oscillator

A simple three-mirror resonator is considered for longitudinal mode control in a passivelyQ-switched Nd:YAG laser. This configuration provides temporally smooth output pulses with duration determined by dye concentration and continuously variable from 300 to 10 ns. Previous problems with spatial beam quality can be minimized by careful arrangement of cavity components.     

Signals and Noise in Evoked Brain Potentials

Event-related brain potentials measured with scalp electrodes are always corrupted by unrelated electrical discharges occurring in the brain. These unrelated electrical discharges, generally referred to as noise, have temporal and spectral characteristics similar to evoked potential waveforms, and they greatly increase the difficulty of detecting and estimating the parameters of the evoked potential waveforms themselves. This problem has been analyzed by computing the probability distributions for measured amplitudes and latencies of ERP components measured in the presence of the ongoing EEG. The analytical results have been verified over a wide range of signal-to-noise ratios by computer simulation. Comparisons of theoretical results to measured data indicate that the latency variations found experimentally greatly exceed what would be expected if they were due only to additive noise. It may be concluded, therefore, that the single ERP is not a signal whose components are deterministically related to the stimulus, but is made up of components that shift significantly in both amplitude and latency from one stimulus application to the next. Using the expressions developed in the paper, it is possible to separate the contributions to the variance due to interference from the ongoing EEG and that inherent in the ERP.