Vibrational Coherence Spectroscopy Identifies Ultrafast Branching in an Iron(II) Sensitizer.

The introduction of N-heterocyclic carbene ligands has greatly increased the lifetimes of metal-to-ligand charge transfer states (MLCT) in iron(II) complexes, making them promising candidates for photocatalytic applications. However, the spectrally elusive triplet metal-centered state (MC) has been suggested to play a decisive role in the relaxation of the MLCT manifold to the ground state, shortening their lifetimes and consequently limiting the application potential. In this work, time-resolved vibrational spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations are applied to shed light on the MCs' involvement in the deactivation of the MLCT manifold of an iron(II) sensitizer.

An Optical Sensor Array Discriminates Syrups and Honeys.

We report a cross-reactive sensor array, combining a two-component probe system based upon three viologen substituted boronic acids and a poly(aryleneethynylene) (PAE) and an additional number of simple PAEs alone. This combined system discriminates 27 different honeys in aqueous solution, according to patterns in fluorescence intensity modulation, using linear discriminant analysis for data processing. The fluorescence turn-on array detects saccharide composition, while the PAEs discriminate trace colored components in the honeys.

[Vaginal birth versus Cesarean section on demand - which mode of delivery is preferred by pregnant women?].

Background: The Cesarean section rate continues to increase across the developed nations since there are still a number possible reasons for this development including medical and non-clinical indications. The aim of this study was to analyse how pregnant women themselves think about Cesarean section and vaginal delivery, and which mode of delivery they prefer.

Methods: Pregnant women booked for prenatal diagnosis at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck between October 2004 and January 2005 were invited to participate in the study.