210Pb and 137Cs geochronologies in the Cananeia-Iguape Estuary (Săo Paulo, Brazil)

Sediment cores were collected at the Cananeia-Iguape Estuary and thelevels of ²¹⁰Pb, ²²⁶Ra and ¹³⁷Cs were measuredby gamma-ray spectrometry. The total ²¹⁰Pb levels in sedimentsvaried from 13.5 to 122.5 Bq . kg ^—1 , for ²²⁶Raranged from 2.4 to 28 Bq . kg ^—1 and for ¹³⁷Csfrom 0.28 to 6.1 Bq . kg ^—1 . Sedimentation rates were calculatedfrom the slope of the excess ²¹⁰Pb profile in the core. The valuesobtained varied from 5 to 10 mm . y^—1 , depending on thesediment deposition inputs in the local of sampling.     

Hydrolysis of new phthalimide-derived esters catalyzed by immobilized lipase

The last step of the production of four phthalimide-derived acids, designed to act as antiasthma drugs, was performed by enzymatic hydrolysis of the respective methyl or ethyl esters. The esters 4-ethyl-[2-(1,3-dioxo-1,3-dihydro-2-isoindoylyl)]-phenoxyacetic methyl ester (PHT-MET), 4-ethyl-[2-(1,3-dioxo-1,3-dihydro-2-isoindoylyl)]-phenoxyacetic ethyl ester, 4-(1,3-dioxo-1,3-dihydro-2-isoindoylyl)-phenoxyacetic ethyl ester, and 2-(1,3-dioxo-1, 3-dihydro-2-isoindoylyl)-phenoxyacetic ethyl ester were hydrolyzed by immobilized lipase. The enzymatic reaction could be used only to produce the desired 4-substituted compounds. The best result that was found to hydrolysis of PHT-MET, and, therefore, that ester was selected for optimization experiments in a three-phase system. Reactions were performed with solid biocatalyst (Lipozyme® RM IM), organic solvent phase (ethyl acetate), and aqueous phase (saturated Na₂CO₃ solution). To optimize the reaction conditions, an experimental design optimization procedure was used. The variables studied were the amount of enzyme, the temperature, and the volume of the aqueous solution. Time course experiments were then performed for different initial enzyme concentrations (0.5, 0.9, and 1.4 U_H/mL of solvent). The optimized reaction conditions found were 20 mg of Lipozyme (0.9 U_H/mL_solvent) and 5.0 mL of Na₂CO_3(sat) at 40°C for 6 h.     

Characterization of a β-glucanase produced by Rhizopus microsporus var. microsporus, and its potential for application in the brewing industry

Background  

In the barley malting process, partial hydrolysis of β-glucans begins with seed germination. However, the endogenous 1,3-1,4-β-glucanases are heat inactivated, and the remaining high molecular weight β-glucans may cause severe problems such as increased brewer mash viscosity and turbidity. Increased viscosity impairs pumping and filtration, resulting in lower efficiency, reduced yields of extracts, and lower filtration rates, as well as the appearance of gelatinous precipitates in the finished beer. Therefore, the use of exogenous β-glucanases to reduce the β-glucans already present in the malt barley is highly desirable.     

Nitric oxide photorelease from ruthenium salen complexes in aqueous and organic solutions

The complexes [Ru(salen)(NO)Cl] and [Ru(salen)(NO)(H(2)O)](+) were shown to release the nitrosyl ligand as nitric oxide upon exposure to visible light in organic and aqueous solutions respectively, by means of UV-visible, EPR, and FTIR spectroscopies. The former was prepared by a new synthetic route and had its structure determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. A crystal of the dichloromethane solvate is orthorhombic, space group Fdd2 (No. 43) and formula C(16)H(14)ClN(3)O(3)Ru.CH(2)Cl(2), with Z = 16 and cell parameters a = 25.489(4), b = 33.435(4), and c = 9.3716(9) A. The electronic absorption spectra of the complexes were calculated using the INDO/S method. The water-soluble complex is a potential drug for antitumoral phototreatment.     

Phosphorus determination in milk and bone samples by neutron activation analysis

The determination of phosphorus in milk and bone samples by both radiochemical and instrumental neutron activation analysis is described. The radiochemical method consists of thermal neutron irradiation of samples and standards, sample dissolution, phosphorus precipitation as ammonium phosphomolyb-date, use of zinc holdback carrier and counting of the phosphorus-32 ß-activity. The instrumental method involves thermal neutron irradiation of samples and standards, waiting for a decay time and ß-counting. The methods were applied to commercial samples and reference materials.     

Analysis of210Po in marine samples

A method for determining²¹⁰Po in marine samples by wet dissolution, deposition onto silver disc and counting by -spectrometry is described. Recovery of polonium was obtained with²⁰⁸Po tracer.²¹⁰Po levels in fish from the Brazilian coast and sediments from Antarctic region were determined. Levels in fish ranged from 0.5 to 5.3 Bq·kg^–1 wet and for sediments, mean values of 10 mBq·kg^–1 were obtained.     

Prediction of intracellular storage polymers using quantitative image analysis in enhanced biological phosphorus removal systems

The present study focuses on predicting the concentration of intracellular storage polymers in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) systems. For that purpose, quantitative image analysis techniques were developed for determining the intracellular concentrations of PHA (PHB and PHV) with Nile blue and glycogen with aniline blue staining. Partial least squares (PLS) were used to predict the standard analytical values of these polymers by the proposed methodology. Identification of the aerobic and anaerobic stages proved to be crucial for improving the assessment of PHA, PHB and PHV intracellular concentrations. Current Nile blue based methodology can be seen as a feasible starting point for further enhancement. Glycogen detection based on the developed aniline blue staining methodology combined with the image analysis data proved to be a promising technique, toward the elimination of the need for analytical off-line measurements.     

TRANSIENT ANALYSIS OF COMPOSITE PLATES BY A LOCAL RADIAL BASIS FUNCTIONS-FINITE DIFFERENCE TECHIQUE

The use of local numerical schemes,such as finite differences produces much better conditioned matrices than global collocation radial basis functions methods.However,finite difference schemes are limi...     

A Simple Strategy to Improve the Accuracy of the Injection Step in Batch Injection Analysis Systems with Amperometric Detection

In this study, we describe for the first time the application of an internal standard method to compensate for random errors associated with the injection procedure in batch injection analysis (BIA) systems with multiple pulse amperometric detection. A sequence of potential pulses was selected in such a way that the internal standard (IS) compound was detected individually at one potential pulse and both the IS and analyte, were detected at another potential pulse. The current ratio (I_IS+analyte/I_IS) was used in the construction of the calibration curve and then to compensate for random errors. The use of disposable syringes or manual pipettes in BIA systems increases the robustness of the method and dispenses with skilled operators.