A "Schrodinger Cat" Superposition State of an Atom

A "Schrodinger cat"-like state of matter was generated at the single atom level. A trapped 9Be+ ion was laser-cooled to the zero-point energy and then prepared in a superposition of spatially separated coherent harmonic oscillator states. This state was created by application of a sequence of laser pulses, which entangles internal (electronic) and external (motional) states of the ion. The Schrodinger cat superposition was verified by detection of the quantum mechanical interference between the localized wave packets. This mesoscopic system may provide insight into the fuzzy boundary between the classical and quantum worlds by allowing controlled studies of quantum measurement and quantum decoherence.     

The pyrethrins and related compounds. Part XXXVII. synthesis and insecticidal properties of new 1-aryl-1-(3-arylpropyl and -propenyl)cyclopropanes (non-ester pyrethroids)

New routes to the title compounds, involving improved conditions for the cyclopropanation, and a new method of constructing the central three-carbon unit (based on the coupling of a Grignard reagent with an allylic acetate) give access to products for which the previously reported route was not satisfactory. For the new route, a synthesis of 5-bromo-2-fluoro-diphenyl ether was developed. Previously deduced relationships between structure and insecticidal activity apply for the new compounds: alkenes are generally more active than corresponding alkanes; substitution at the 3- or 4-position (but not the 2-) of the 1-aryl group can enhance activity. In addition, some fluorine-containing substituents lead to high activity.     

Reconstruction of Current Flow and Imaging of Current-Limiting Defects in Polycrystalline Superconducting Films

Magneto-optical imaging was used to visualize the inhomogeneous penetration of magnetic flux into polycrystalline TlBa2Ca2Cu3Ox films with high critical current densities, to reconstruct the local two-dimensional supercurrent flow patterns and to correlate inhomogeneities in this flow with the local crystallographic misorientation. The films have almost perfect c-axis alignment and considerable local a- and b-axis texture because the grains tend to form colonies with only slightly misaligned a and b axes. Current flows freely over these low-angle grain boundaries but is strongly reduced at intermittent colony boundaries of high misorientation. The local (<10-micrometer scale) critical current density Jc varies widely, being up to 10 times as great as the transport Jc (scale of approximately 1 millimeter), which itself varies by a factor of about 5 in different sections of the film. The combined experiments show that the magnitude of the transport Jc is largely determined by a few high-angle boundaries.     

Third‐compartment cannulation in alpacas using a polyurethane gastrostomy tube

Objective To develop a simple and effective surgical technique for third‐compartment cannulation in alpacas. Design Prospective study using six adult male alpacas. Methods General anaesthesia was induced and a polyurethane gastrostomy tube was surgically implanted into the distal portion of the third compartment. Results Three of the alpacas retained their cannulas for a 100‐day period; however, three cannulas were dislodged during the study. Two of the three dislodged cannulas were replaced during a second surgical procedure. Cannulas were well tolerated by the alpacas and all animals remained clinically healthy during the study period. Third compartment contents did not leak from the cannulation site. The tubes were manually removed following the completion of the study and the small defect in the body wall quickly healed over in all animals. Conclusion Surgical placement of polyurethane tubes designed for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is a useful method of cannulating the third compartment in camelids. This technique can be used for experimental studies and possibly could be used for nutritional support and fluid therapy in sick camelids that might need long‐term care.     

Insecticidal activity of the pyrethrins and related compounds. Part XII: α-substituted-3-phenoxybenzyl esters

Seventy-three α-substituted 3-phenoxybenzyl esters were synthesised, mostly using one of two general routes, based on the Grignard and related reactions. Esters with simpler (smaller and more polar) α-substituents were generally more insecticidally active; correlations based on substituent volume and substituent polarity parameters were about equally significant.     

Congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia and dyskeratosis in Australian Poll Hereford calves

Congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia (CDA) is a heterogeneous group of rare genetic disorders that in humans is characterised by ineffective haematopoiesis with morphological abnormalities in erythroid precursor cells and secondary iron overload. In the 1990s, a syndrome of CDA with dyskeratosis and progressive alopecia was reported in Poll Hereford calves in Canada and the USA. We report the clinical and pathological findings in two Poll Hereford calves with this syndrome from separate properties in South Australia. The animals had a variably severe anaemia, associated with abnormal nucleated red blood cells in peripheral blood, and large numbers of rubricytes and metarubricytes with a characteristic nuclear ultrastructure in the bone marrow. Both calves were born with a wiry hair coat and a progressively ‘dirty‐faced’ appearance associated with hyperkeratosis and dyskeratosis (apoptosis).     

Bosonic stimulation in the formation of a bose-einstein condensate

The formation of a Bose-Einstein condensate of a dilute atomic gas has been studied in situ with a nondestructive, time-resolved imaging technique. Sodium atoms were evaporatively cooled close to the onset of Bose-Einstein condensation and then suddenly quenched to below the transition temperature. The subsequent equilibration and condensate formation showed a slow onset distinctly different from simple relaxation. This behavior provided evidence for the process of bosonic stimulation, or coherent matter-wave amplification, crucial to the concept of an atom laser.     

Insecticidal activity of the pyrethrins and related compounds X 5-benzyl-3-furylmethyl 2,2-dimethyicyclopropanecarboxylates with ethylenic substituents at position 3 on the cyclopropane ring

The insecticidal activities against houseflies (Musca domestica L.) and mustard beetles (Phaedon cochleariae Fab.) of the chrysanthemate bioresmethrin, and of 31 related 5-benzyl-3-furylmethyl 2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylates with alkenyl, alkadienyl or alkoxycarbonylalkenyl substituents at position 3 of the cyclopropane ring are compared to determine the relative influence of the isobutenyl sidechain (as in chrysanthemates) and of the other side chains. Several substituents, in particular (E)- or (Z)-butadienyl or -pentadienyl, give considerably greater activity than isobutenyl but alkoxycarbonyl compounds are less potent.