RAMAN-SPECTROSCOPIC STUDY OF LAYER STRUCTURE COMPOUND [N-CNH2N+1NH3]2ZNCL4

The C-H stretching, C-H bending, C-C stretching and the low-frequency vibration regions have been investigated by Raman spectroscopy for [n-CnH2n+1NH3]2 ZnCl4 with n=7 approximately 12, 16. It is found that their frequency and relative intensities are related to the length of carbon chain in the molecules and present the odd-even effect to carbon atom numbers in chain. Some changes in spectra are interpreted in terms of the different molecular packing and interaction of chain.

AN INFRARED SPECTROSCOPIC STUDY OF THE STRUCTURAL PHASE-TRANSITION IN THE PEROVSKITE-TYPE LAYER COMPOUND [N-C16H33NH3]2COCL4

The solid-solid phase transitions in the perovskite-type layer compound [n- C16H33NH3]2CoCl4 have been studied by infrared spectroscopy. A new phase transition at 340 K was found by comparison with differential scanning calorimetry results. A temperature dependence study of the infrared spectra provides evidence of the occurrence of structural phase transitions related to the dynamics of the alkylammonium ions and hydrogen bonds. The main transition at 374 K corresponds to the conformational order-disorder change in the chain, which probably couples with reorientational motions of the NH3 polar heads. GTG or GTG' defects appear in the high temperature disordered phase.

Novel antifouling and antimicrobial compound from a marine-derived fungus Ampelomyces sp.

In this study, using a bioassay-guided isolation and purification procedure, we obtained 3-chloro-2,5-dihydroxybenzyl alcohol from a marine-derived Ampelomyces species that effectively inhibited larval settlement of the tubeworm Hydroides elegans and of cyprids of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite. The inhibitive effect on larval settlement was nontoxic and the EC50 of 3-chloro-2,5-dihydroxybenzyl alcohol ranged from 3.19 mu g ml(-1) to 3.81 mu g ml(-1) while the LC50 was 266.68 lambda g ml(-1) for B. amphitrite cyprids; EC50 ranged from 0.67 mu g ml(-1) to 0.78 mu g ml(-1), and LC50 was 2.64 mu g ml(-1) for competent larvae of H. elegans, indicating that inhibitive effect of this compound was nontoxic. At a concentration of 50 mu g per disc, this compound showed strong inhibitive effects on the growth of 13 out of 15 marine bacterial species tested in disc diffusion bioassay. Overall, the high inhibitory activities against bacteria and larval settlement as well as the non- or low-toxic nature of this compound to the barnacle and polychaete larvae suggest this compound could be a potent antifoulant and/or antibiotic.

Antimicrobial screening and active compound isolation from marine bacterium NJ6-3-1 associated with the sponge Hymeniacidon perleve

Twenty-nine marine bacterial strains were isolated from the sponge Hymeniacidon perleve at Nanji island, and antimicrobial screening showed that eight strains inhibited the growth of terrestrial microorganisms. The strain NJ6-3-1 with wide antimicrobial spectrum was identified as Pseudoalteromonas piscicida based on its 16S rRNA sequence analysis. The major antimicrobial metabolite, isolated through bioassay-guide fractionation of TLC bioautography overlay assay, was identified as norharman (a beta-carboline alkaloid) by EI-MS and NMR.

Bacterial roles in the formation of high-molecular-weight dissolved organic matter in estuarine and coastal waters: Evidence from lipids and the compound-specific isotopic ratios

High-molecular-weight dissolved organic matter (HMW-DOM, > 1,000 Daltons) is actively involved in the global biogeochemical cycling of many elements, but its carbon sources and detailed formation pathways are still not well understood. In this study, we measured bulk stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios, lipid composition, and compound-specific carbon isotopic ratios of HMW-DOM samples collected from four U.S. estuaries (Boston Harbor/Massachusetts Bay, Delaware/Chesapeake Bay, San Diego Bay, and San Francisco Bay). Analytical results show (1) a fraction of HMW-DOM (lipid associated) in estuarine and coastal waters is derived from bacteria and phytoplankton; (2) this fraction of HMW-DOM is formed by various release processes of bacterial membrane components and bacterial reworking of phytoplankton-derived material; (3) this fraction of HMW-DOM is generally present in all samples from different coastal systems despite variable organic matter inputs and environmental conditions, suggesting an important bacterial role in HMW-DOM formation.

THE COMPOUND EYE AS AN INDICATOR OF AGE AND SHRINKAGE IN ANTARCTIC KRILL

Laboratory studies have shown that Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) shrink if maintained in conditions of low food availability. Recent studies have also demonstrated that E. superba individuals may be shrinking in the field during winter. If krill shrink during the winter, conclusions reached by length-frequency analysis may be unreliable because smaller animals may not necessarily be younger animals. In this study, the correlation between the body-length and the crystalline cone number of the compound eye was examined. Samples collected in the late summer show an apparent linear relationship between crystalline cone number and body-length. From a laboratory population, it appears that when krill shrink the crystalline cone number remains relatively unchanged. If crystalline cone number is little affected by shrinking, then the crystalline cone number may be a more reliable indicator of age than body-length alone. The ratio of crystalline cone number to body-length offers a method for detecting the effect of shrinking in natural populations of krill. On the basis of the crystalline cone number count, it appears from a field collection in early spring that E. superba do shrink during winter.

Variability in radiocarbon ages of biochemical compound classes of high molecular weight dissolved organic matter in estuaries

High molecular weight dissolved organic matter (HMW-DOM, > 1000 Da) represents a major fraction (> 30%) of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the ocean and thus plays an important role in the global biogeochemical cycling of carbon and many other elements. Its organic sources and formation mechanisms, however, are still not well understood especially in estuarine and coastal regions where multiple natural and anthropogenic sources contribute to total HMW-DOM. In this paper we report our measurements of natural radiocarbon (C-14) abundances and stable carbon isotope (C-13) compositions of the major biochemical compound classes: amino acids, carbohydrates and lipids separated from eight HMW-DOM samples collected from five US estuaries as part of our on-going study of sources, distribution and transport of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in estuarine and coastal waters. Distinct differences in both C-14 and C-13 values were found among the bulk HMW-DOM samples as well as the individual compound classes. Radiocarbon ages of the major compound classes varied by as much as 27,000 years in a single sample. The calculated average radiocarbon ages of the compound fractions of HMW-DOM indicate that the total lipid fraction is very "old", while the acid-insoluble fraction is slightly younger. Total amino acid and carbohydrate fractions, however, have relatively modern apparent C-14 ages. The significant variability in C-14 ages among the compound classes indicates not only multiple organic carbon sources but also different formation and turnover pathways controlling the cycling of different biochemical components of HMW-DOM in estuarine and coastal waters. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydrothermal synthesis and crystal structure of cluster compound {[Ni(enMe)(2)][SiW12O40]}[Ni(enMe)(2)(H2O)(2)](2) center dot 3H(2)O

the novel One-dimensional chain structure of the title cluster compound was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra, TGA and X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The title cluster compound crystallized in a monochnic system with space group C2/c, a = 1.2656 nm, b = 2.20656 (4) nm, c =2.26763 (4) nm, beta = 92.078 degrees, V = 6.32852 (16) nm(3), Z = 4, D-c = 3.801 g/cm(3), A = 2.271 mm(-1), F(000) = 6512, R-1= 0.0549, wR(2) = 0.1087. The structure building block of the structure is the polyanion [SiW12O40](6-) with alpha-Keggin structure. The clusters were linked together with one-dimensional infinite chain through [ Ni ( enMe) (2)] (2+) cations. The [ Ni ( enMe) (2) ( H2O) (2)] (2+) cations and water molecules were filled in the structure. The cluster compound was expanded to three-dimensional framework by hydrogen bond interactions among molecules.

Dilute nitride semiconductors : band structure, scattering and high field transport

The substitution of a small fraction x of nitrogen atoms, for the group V elements in conventional III-V semiconductors such as GaAs and GaSb strongly perturbs the conduction band of the host semiconductor. In this thesis we investigate the effects of nitrogen states on the band dispersion, carrier scattering and mobility of dilute nitride alloys. In the supercell model we solve the single particle Hamiltonian for a very large supercell containing randomly placed nitrogen. This model predicts a gap in the density of states of GaNxAs1−x, where this gap is filled in the Green’s function model. Therefore we develop a self-consistent Green’s function (SCGF) approach, which provides excellent agreement with supercell calculations and reveals a gap in the DOS, in contrast with the results of previous non-self-consistent Green’s function calculations. However, including the distribution of N states destroys this gap, as seen in experiment. We then examine the high field transport of carriers by solving the steadystate Boltzmann transport equation and find that it is necessary to include the full distribution of N levels in order to account for the small, low-field mobility and the absence of a negative differential velocity regime observed experimentally with increasing x. Overall the results account well for a wide range of experimental data. We also investigate the band structure, scattering and mobility of carriers by finding the poles of the SCGF, which gives lower carrier mobility for GaNxAs1−x, compared to those already calculated, in better agreement with experiments. The calculated optical absorption spectra for InyGa1−yNxAs1−x and GaNxSb1−x using the SCGF agree well with the experimental data, confirming the validity of this approach to study the band structure of these materials.

Generalized sampling using a compound-eye imaging system for multi-dimensional object acquisition.

In this paper, we propose generalized sampling approaches for measuring a multi-dimensional object using a compact compound-eye imaging system called thin observation module by bound optics (TOMBO). This paper shows the proposed system model, physical examples, and simulations to verify TOMBO imaging using generalized sampling. In the system, an object is modulated and multiplied by a weight distribution with physical coding, and the coded optical signal is integrated on to a detector array. A numerical estimation algorithm employing a sparsity constraint is used for object reconstruction.