Coherent structure formation,phase correlations,and finite-size effects in 2D turbulence

General conditions for the formation of long-lived coherent vortices in decaying and force-driven 2-D turbulence are investigated. It is shown by a series of numerical simulations that the emergence of closed streamlines leading to the trapped trajectories of vorticity is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for this phenomenon, so that these trapped trajectories may be considered only as seed vortices. Numerical experiments which demonstrate the relations between phase correlations, finite-size effects, and the formation of coherent vortices in 2-D decaying turbulence are presented. It is shown that there is a universal dimensionless time for the onset of intermittency in the flow which corresponds to the time of establishment of phase correlations. The stricter conditions for appearance of coherent vortices in forced turbulence in comparison with decaying turbulence are associated with phase mixing introduced by random forcing. The universal features of decaying turbulence are discussed in terms of phase portraits based on inviscid constants of motion and their decay rates.     

Sphingolipid Catabolism and Glycerophospholipid Levels Are Altered in Erythrocytes and Plasma from Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune, inflammatory, degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Changes in lipid metabolism have been suggested to play important roles in MS pathophysiology and progression. In this work we analyzed the lipid composition and sphingolipid-catabolizing enzymes in erythrocytes and plasma from MS patients and healthy controls. We observed reduction of sphingomyelin (SM) and elevation of its products—ceramide (CER) and shingosine (SPH). These changes were supported by the detected up-regulation of the activity of acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) in MS plasma and alkaline ceramidase (ALCER) in erythrocytes from MS patients. In addition, Western blot analysis showed elevated expression of ASM, but not of ALCER. We also compared the ratios between saturated (SAT), unsaturated (UNSAT) and polyunsaturated fatty acids and suggest, based on the significant differences observed for this ratio, that the UNSAT/SAT values could serve as a marker distinguishing erythrocytes and plasma of MS from controls. In conclusion, the application of lipid analysis in the medical practice would contribute to definition of more precise diagnosis, analysis of disease progression, and evaluation of therapeutic strategies. Based on the molecular changes of blood lipids in neurodegenerative pathologies, including MS, clinical lipidomic analytical approaches could become a promising contemporary tool for personalized medicine.     

Dispirooxindole-β-Lactams: Synthesis via Staudinger Ketene-Imine Cycloaddition and Biological Evaluation

In this work, we present the first synthesis of dispirooxindole-β-lactams employing optimized methodology of one-pot Staudinger ketene-imine cycloaddition with N-aryl-2-oxo-pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acids as the ketene source. Spiroconjugation of indoline-2-one with β-lactams ring is considered to be able to provide stabilization and wide scope of functionalization to resulting scaffolds. The dispipooxindoles obtained demonstrated medium cytotoxicity in the MTT test on A549, MCF7, HEK293, and VA13 cell lines, and one of the compounds demonstrated antibacterial activity against E. coli strain LPTD.     

Comment on: “Component relevancy in multistate reliabilitymodels”

The author comments on the paper by A.M. Abouammoh and M.A. Al-Kadi (see ibid., vol.40, p.370-4, 1991) which discusses various notions of component relevancy for multistate systems and suggests a unified form of relevancy. The paper contains many misprints, some wrong examples, and several results that need clarification. The most important are mentioned     

Advances in reflective oxygen saturation monitoring with a novel in-ear sensor system: results of a human hypoxia study

Pulse oximetry is a well-established, noninvasive photoplethysmographic method to monitor vital signs. It allows us to measure cardiovascular parameters, such as heart rate and arterial oxygen saturation, and is considered an essential monitoring tool in clinical routine. However, since many of the conventional systems work in transmission mode, they can only be applied to the thinner or peripheral parts of the body, such as a finger tip. This has the major disadvantage that, in case of shock-induced centralization and a resulting drop in perfusion, such systems cannot ensure valid measurements. Therefore, we developed a reflective in-ear sensor system that can be worn in the ear channel like a headphone. Because the sensor is integrated in an ear mold and positioned very close to the trunk, reliable measurement is expected even in case of centralization. An additional advantage is that the sensor is comfortable to wear and has considerable resistance to motion artifacts. In this paper, we report on hypoxia studies with ten healthy participants which were performed to analyze the system with regard to the detection of heart rate and arterial oxygen saturation. It was shown earlier that, due to the high signal quality, heart rate can easily be detected. Using the conventional calculation principle, based on Beer-Lambert's law combined with a single-point calibration method, we now demonstrate that the detection of arterial oxygen saturation in the human ear canal is possible using reflective saturation sensors.     

Chloride and Indium‐Chloride‐Complex Inorganic Ligands for Efficient Stabilization of Nanocrystals in Solution and Doping of Nanocrystal Solids

Here, the surface functionalization of CdSe and CdSe/CdS core/shell nanocrystals (NCs) with compact chloride and indium‐chloride‐complex ligands is reported. The ligands provide not only short interparticle distances but additionally control doping and passivation of surface trap states, leading to enhanced electronic coupling in NC‐based arrays. The solids based on these NCs show an excellent electronic transport behavior after heat treatment at the relatively low temperature of 190 °C. Indeed, the indium‐chlorido‐capped 4.5 nm CdSe NC based thin‐film field‐effect transistor reaches a saturation mobility of μ = 4.1 cm² (V s)^?1 accompanied by a low hysteresis, while retaining the typical features of strongly quantum confined semiconductor NCs. The capping with chloride ions preserves the high photoluminescence quantum yield ( ≈ 66%) of CdSe/CdS core/shell NCs even when the CdS shell is relatively thin (six monolayers). The simplicity of the chemical incorporation of chlorine and indium species via solution ligand exchange, the efficient electronic passivation of the NC surface, as well as their high stability as dispersions make these materials especially attractive for wide‐area solution‐processable fabrication of NC‐based devices.     

Layer‐by‐Layer All‐Inorganic Quantum‐Dot‐Based LEDs: A Simple Procedure with Robust Performance

A novel all‐inorganic electroluminescent device is demonstrated based on highly luminescent CdTe nanocrystals intercalated within a laminar hydrotalcite‐like structure. The laminar scaffold acts to both support and distribute the CdTe nanocrystals. The device is synthesized using simple wet chemical processes at room temperature in ambient conditions. It has high thermal stability, operating continuously up to 90 °C, and a maximum efficiency at J = 0.12 A cm^?2. The device is targeted at the automotive industry.     

Effect of backgating on the field distribution in planar thin-film GaAs structures

The distribution of the electric field in planar film–substrate GaAs structures under backgating is considered. It is shown that backgating can make the film exhibit a long-length region of a low-gradient electric field exceeding the threshold of N-type negative differential mobility, the magnitude of negative differential mobility in this region being high enough. At values of the film doping density and film thickness typical of GaAs transferred-electron devices, this region can be as long as several tens of micrometers. The underlying physical mechanism is discussed.     

Ultralong 20 Milliseconds Charge Separation Lifetime for Photoilluminated Oligophenylenevinylene–Azafullerene Systems

The synthesis and characterization of oligophenylenevinylene (OPV)–azafullerene (C₅₉N) systems in the form of OPV–C₅₉N donor–acceptor dyad 1 and C₅₉N–OPV–C₅₉N acceptor–donor–acceptor triad 2 is accomplished. Photoinduced electronic interactions between OPV and C₅₉N within 1 and 2 are assessed by UV–vis and photoluminescence. The redox properties of 1 and 2 are investigated, revealing a set of one‐electron oxidation and three one‐electron reduction processes owed to OPV and C₅₉N, respectively. The electrochemical bandgap for 1 and 2 is calculated as 1.44 and 1.53 eV, respectively, and the free energy for the formation of the charge‐separated state for 1 and 2 via the singlet‐excited state of OPV is found negative, proving a thermodynamically favorable the process. Photoexcitation assays are performed in toluene and o‐dichlorobenzene (oDCB) and the reactions are monitored with time‐resolved absorption and emission spectroscopies. Competitive photoinduced energy and electron transfer are identified to occur in both systems, with the former being dominant in 2 . Markedly, the charge‐separated state in oDCB exhibits a much longer lifetime compared to that in toluene, reaching 20 ms for 1 , the highest ever reported value for fullerene‐based materials. These unprecedented results are rationalized by considering conformational phenomena affecting the charge‐separated state.