Almost-Sure Results for a Class of Dependent Random Variables

The aim of this note is to establish almost-sure Marcinkiewicz-Zygmund type results for a class of random variables indexed by _d ⁺ —the positive d-dimensional lattice points—and having maximal coefficient of correlation strictly smaller than 1. The class of applications include filters of certain Gaussian sequences and Markov processes.     

Subtractive anodic stripping voltammetry with twin identical mercury-film electrodes differing in their convection transport during deposition

Subtractive anodic stripping voltammetry based on the use of different convection rates at the surface of two identical working electrodes during the deposition step is described. Twin mercury-film glassy-carbon disc electrodes, one rotated and one stationary, are used to demonstrate this technique. All background currents arising from nonconvective-dependent sources are effectively compensated. Deposition times of 3–5 min suffice for measuring heavy metal ions at sub-μg ml^-1 concentration levels.     

Axial vector nuclear sum rules and exchange effects

The nuclear pionic vertex and its relation to the π-nuclear (charge exchange) scattering length are investigated using dispersion techniques. The aim is to extract information on mesonic (exchange current) effects in the pionic vertex and in the axial vector current matrix element.     

Quasilinear elliptic system with coupling on nonhomogeneous critical term

We study the existence of multiple solutions for a quasilinear elliptic system of gradient type with the possibility of coupling on the critical and subcritical terms which are not necessarily homogeneous. The solutions are obtained from a version of the Symmetric Mountain Pass Theorem. A version of the Concentration-Compactness Principle for this class of systems allows us to verify that the Palais–Smale condition is satisfied below a certain level.     

A ruthenium(II)-trithiacyclononane curcuminate complex: Synthesis,characterization, DNA-interaction,and cytotoxic activity

The coordination of ruthenium(II) complexes to anionic oxygen-based donors are very rare. This study describes a simple, one-pot method for obtaining [ruthenium(II)(trithiacyclononane)(curcumin)(S-DMSO)]Cl (1) in 37% yield. The structural characterization of complex 1 by elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1-D and 2-D NMR, ESI⁺-MS as well as UV–vis and fluorescence spectroscopies are presented. The DNA-melting temperature (T_m) assay shows that salmon sperm DNA (smDNA) in the presence of complex 1 has a higher melting temperature, with ΔT_m = 7.4 °C, while in the presence of curcumin the melting temperature remains unaltered. The in vitro cytotoxic activities of curcumin and complex 1 were investigated using the tumor human prostate cell line, PC-3, and the healthy cell line, PNT-2. Complex 1 is innocuous toward normal prostate epithelial cells and, whereas curcumin is toxic, with inhibition rates of ca. 35 and 65% at 50 and 80 μM, respectively. On the tumor cell line PC-3, complex 1 did not cause viability changes, whereas curcumin exhibited dose-dependent inhibition, with ca. 73% inhibition at the highest concentration tested, i.e. 80 μM. This study suggests that coordination with the trithiacyclononane ruthenium(II) scaffold stabilizes the photochemical properties of curcumin and strongly changes its biologic activity.