Metallopolymers based on a polyazomethine ligand containing rigid oxadiazole and flexible tetramethyldisiloxane units

Soluble, easily processable polymer–metal complexes with improved optical and dielectric properties for optoelectronic functional materials were obtained. For this, a new polyazomethine (PAZ2) was prepared by the reaction of a siloxane dialdehyde and bis(formyl‐p‐phenoxymethyl) tetramethyldisiloxane with 2,5‐bis(p‐aminophenyl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole, and it was used as a ligand for Cu(II), Co(II), and Zn(II) ions on the basis of the presence of the electron‐donor nitrogen atoms from the azomethine group and oxadiazole ring. The structure of the PAZ2 was determined by spectral [Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy] techniques. The metal complexation was proven by FTIR spectroscopy, and the silicon‐to‐metal ratios in the complexes were established by energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence. The new materials were characterized by gel permeation chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. The optical properties of PAZ2 and the derived metal complexes were studied by ultraviolet–visible and fluorescence spectroscopies. PAZ2 shows fluorescence emission, and it was significantly enhanced by metal complexation. The emission was enhanced by protonation; this behavior is useful, especially for sensors. The electrical properties were investigated by dielectric spectroscopy at various frequencies and temperatures, and this emphasized the existence of dipolar relaxations. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41631.     

Whodunnit – Searching for the most important feature types signalling emotion-related user states in speech

In this article, we describe and interpret a set of acoustic and linguistic features that characterise emotional/emotion-related user states – confined to the one database processed: four classes in a German corpus of children interacting with a pet robot. To this end, we collected a very large feature vector consisting of more than 4000 features extracted at different sites. We performed extensive feature selection (Sequential Forward Floating Search) for seven acoustic and four linguistic types of features, ending up in a small number of ‘most important’ features which we try to interpret by discussing the impact of different feature and extraction types. We establish different measures of impact and discuss the mutual influence of acoustics and linguistics.     

Sound Velocity of Kaolin in the Temperature Range from 20 °C to 1100 °C

The sound velocity of Sedlec kaolin during heating from 20 °C to 1100 °C was investigated by modulated force thermomechanical analysis (mf-TMA). In the interval from 20 °C to 250 °C, the sound velocity increases which can be explained by liberation of the water molecules from pores and micropores. Dehydroxylation (450 °C to 650 °C) presents itself with a decrease of the sound velocity. After dehydroxylation, a two-step increase of the sound velocity was observed. The first step of the increase of the sound velocity is due to solid-state sintering at low temperatures. The second step starts at 950 °C as a consequence of the collapse of the metakaolinite structure. After the maximum, a steep increase of the sound velocity follows as a result of solid-state sintering.     

Phenology of the landscape: the role of organic agriculture

It is becoming increasingly clear that the agricultural sector will have to find an additional raison d'être beyond the production of food alone. One of the new services that agriculture can provide is contributing to the environmental quality of rural areas. In this respect a great burden of expectation is placed on organic farming. Here we examine how organic farming can contribute to the quality of specific regional landscapes. We do this with the help of a new instrument, the phenology of the landscape, which measures the contributions made by organic and conventional farming to the succession of colours and shapes during the seasons. This seasonal development plays an important role in people's appreciation of the landscape. The study shows that seasonal development is more recognizable on organic farms than on conventional farms, and that seasonal development is a scientifically‐usable criterion for evaluating the environmental quality of farms.     

Modification of the formulas for third-order aberration coefficients

New parameters for calculation of third-order aberration coefficients (Seidel aberration coefficients) are introduced. The formulas for Seidel aberration coefficients are linear in these new variables. With these new variables it is possible to calculate the shape and the refractive index of the glass of the individual lenses of the optical system, which was not possible before.     

Optical properties and quantum efficiency of thin-film alkali halides in the far ultraviolet

The optical constants of thin films of CsI, KI, and KBr and the quantum efficiency (QE) of planar photocathodes made with these alkali halides in the 53.6-174.4-nm spectral range are presented. The optical constants were obtained from measurements of the reflectance as a function of incidence angle. The effect of film heating and exposure to UV irradiation on the optical properties and on the QE of the three alkali halides was investigated. KBr was found to be the most stable material for both heating and UV irradiation. KI appeared to be close to temperature stable, whereas UV exposure affected its optical constants. CsI optical constants changed after 420 K heating and after UV exposure. The changes in the optical constants were related to the QE changes, and a certain correlation between both variations was determined. However, it was also demonstrated that the QE changes cannot be explained solely by the changes in optical constants.     

Identification of cross-linked peptides for protein interaction studies using mass spectrometry and 18O labeling

A new method is presented to screen proteolytic mass maps of cross-linked protein complexes for the presence of cross-linked peptides and for the verification of proposed structures. On the basis of the incorporation of 18O from isotopically enriched water into the C-termini of proteolytic peptides, cross-linked peptides are readily distinguished in mass spectra by a characteristic 8 amu shift. This is due to the incorporation of two 18O atoms in each C-terminus, so that normal and surface-labeled peptides shift 4 amu and cross-linked peptides containing two C-termini will shift 8 amu compared with their unlabeled counterparts. The method is fast, sensitive, and reliable and can be combined with any available cross-linking reagent and a wide range of proteolytic agents. As proof of principle, we successfully applied the method to a complex of two DNA repair proteins (Rad18-Rad6) and identified the interaction domain.     

Neuronal morphology data bases: morphological noise and assesment of data quality

For technical, instrumental and operator-related reasons, three-dimensional reconstructions of neurons obtained from intracellularly stained neuronal pieces scattered in serial sections are blurred by some morphological noise. This noise may strongly invalidate conclusions drawn from models built using the three-dimensional reconstructions and it must be taken into account when retrieving digitized neurons from available databases. We analyse the main generating sources of the noise and its consequences for the 'quality' of the data. We provide tools for detecting and evaluating the noise in any database providing sufficient information is given in the database. We propose a unified format for submitting data and a new neuron viewer/editor to analyse the digitized neurons with our tools.