Comparative analysis of the reconstruction process of Urban facilities in Indonesia based on recovery curves After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

Aceh in Indonesia was the most seriously damaged area due to 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, where more than 240,000 people were lost or killed. Following the event, Government devised a blueprint of urban recovery master plan, and lots of urban infrastructures related to the projects had been constructed in Aceh as of April 2009. The gap between the plan and reality that has some problems of recovery matter shows future challenge for post-disaster urban recovery and sustainable urban management. The authors conducted field survey in the damaged area to understand the recovery condition and obtained sets of data collected for 47 months since January 2005 by Badan Rehabilitasi dan Redonstruksi NAD-Nias (BRR), a recovery and rehabilitation agency. In this paper, recovery process in Aceh is analyzed using recovery curves for 14 indicators: department of housing (temporary and permanent housing), infrastructure (road, bridge, airport, and seaport), education (school and training of teacher), medical (hospital), economy (farmland, fishery, and enterprise support), cultural affairs (religious facilities) and Institutional development (government office). Then, the difference between the actual process of reconstruction and prepared recovery plans are discussed. In conclusion, the followings are clarified: (1) the progress of recovery of education, medical, and economy was hastened; (2) in other side, housing and infrastructure were delayed compared with other indicators; and (3) temporary housing was the earliest among all. Actually, the commencement of construction was delayed 7.6 months behind the scheduled recovery plan. The authors also discuss the reason of such problem based on its social context

Investigation of the long effective conjugation length in defect-free insulated molecular wires

Due to the “insulation” of the π-conjugated backbones, insulated molecular wires (IMWs) are expected to be applied to various optoelectronic applications and nanotechnology.[1] Recently, Kazunori et al have succeeded in the synthesis of a self-threading polythiophene with a polyrotaxane-like 3D architecture (PSTB, see Figure 1), for which an intrawire hole mobility of 0.9 cm2 V−1 s−1 has been measured.[2] Here, we aim to evaluate the extent of π-conjugation along polythiophene backbones sheathed within defect-free “insulating” layers. A comparison between the experimental Raman spectra of the self-threading oligomers (i.e. 2STB-5STB) and the corresponding PSTB polymer indicates that: (i) the ratio of relative intensities of the two most intense Raman bands (I1375/1445) increases with the elongation of the size chain but does not saturate up to the pentamer, and (ii) π-conjugation spreads over 17–18 thiophene units in the polymer. Whether the effective conjugation length of the polymer is better described by using the long oligomer extrapolation approach[3] or periodic DFT calculations of the polymer is discussed in detailed by exploiting the very recent potentialities of state-of-the-art quantum chemical simulations of vibrational properties for crystalline solids.[Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Thiophene-Fused Tropones as Chemical Warfare Agent-Responsive Building Blocks

We report the synthesis of dithienobenzotropone-based conjugated alternating copolymers by direct arylation polycondensation. Postpolymerization modification by hydride reduction yields cross-conjugated, reactive hydroxyl-containing copolymers that undergo phosphorylation and ionization upon exposure to the chemical warfare agent mimic diethylchlorophosphate (DCP). The resulting conjugated, cationic copolymer is highly colored and facilitates the spectroscopic and colorimetric detection of DCP in both solution and thin-film measurements.United States. Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Chemical and Biological Technologies Department (Grant BA12PHM123

A Block Supramolecular Polymer and Its Kinetically Enhanced Stability

Biomolecular systems serve as an inspiration for the creation of multicomponent synthetic supramolecular systems that can be utilized to develop functional materials with complexity. However, supramolecular systems rapidly reach an equilibrium state through dynamic and reversible noncovalent bonds, resulting in a disorganized mixture of components rather than a system in which individual components function cooperatively and/or independently. Thus, efficient synthetic strategies and characterization methods for intricate multicomponent supramolecular assemblies need to be developed. Herein, we report the synthesis of porphyrin-based supramolecular polymers (SPs) in which two distinct block segments consisting of different metal porphyrins are connected: i.e., block supramolecular polymers (BSPs). BSPs with a controlled length and narrow polydispersity were achieved through seeded-growth by a solvent mixing protocol. Interestingly, the block structure permitted the SP as an inner block to coexist with a reagent that was otherwise incompatible with the SP alone. We infer that the inner SP block is compartmentalized in the block structure and endowed with the kinetic stability. Molecular simulations revealed that monomer exchange occurs from the termini of the SP, which corroborated the enhanced stability of the BSP. These results are expected to pave the way for the design of more complex multicomponent supramolecular systems

Creation of polynucleotide-assisted molecular assemblies in organic solvents: general strategy toward the creation of artificial DNA-like nanoarchitectures

The influence of added polynucleotide on the gelation ability of nucleobase-appended organogelators was investigated. Uracil-appended cholesterol gelator formed a stable organogel in polar organic solvents such as n-butanol. It was found that the addition of the complementary polyadenylic acid (poly(A)) not only stabilizes the gel but also creates the helical structure in the original gel phase. Thymidine and thymine-appended gelators can form stable gel in apolar solvents, such as benzene, where poly(A)-lipid complex can act as a complementary template for the gelator molecules to create the fibrous composites. Based on these findings, we can conclude that self-assembling modes and gelation properties of nucleobase-appended organogelators are controllable by the addition of their complementary polynucleotide in organic solvents. We believe, therefore, that the present system can open the new paths to accelerate development of well-controlled one-dimensional molecular assembly systems, which would be indispensable for the creation of novel nanomaterials based on organic compounds.open112119sciescopu