Equivariant functions and integrals of elliptic functions

In this paper, we introduce the theory of equivariant functions by studying their analytic, geometric and algebraic properties. We also determine the necessary and sufficient conditions under which an equivariant form arises from modular forms. This study was motivated by observing examples of functions for which the Schwarzian derivative is a modular form on a discrete group. We also investigate the Fourier expansions of normalized equivariant functions, and a strong emphasis is made on the connections to elliptic functions and their integrals.     

Resistivity and thermoelectric power of molten aluminium: experiment and theory

The electrical resistivity?ρ?of metallic liquid aluminium is measured as a function of temperature. The measurement needs an experimental design able to get the resistivity of a very reactive liquid metal. Liquid aluminium seems to be a simple metal. We first interpret the experimental results by using an ab initio calculation of the electrical resistivity ρ(E) as function of the electron energy, taking into account recent exchange and correlation contributions in the framework of the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). But surprisingly the classical theoretical interpretation leads to an apparent inconsistency. Thus we discuss the sensitivity of the calculation on the inputs and propose improvements of the theoretical approach. They allow a better physical understanding of pure liquid aluminium which is absolutely necessary before undertaking the study of liquid aluminium alloys.     

Spin treatment-based approach for electronic transport in paramagnetic liquid transition metals

A novel concept is proposed to calculate both the electrical resistivity and thermoelectric power (TEP) of liquid transition metals (Mn, Fe, Co and Ni) characterized by a paramagnetic state in the liquid phase. By contrast to a previous work (PRB64, 094202 (2001)), where the resistivity was calculated by treating separately the interactions between spin up and spin down using the Matthiessen rule, our current approach is based on two types of muffin tin potentials in the t-matrix, namely spin up and spin down. The resistivity is treated as the result of the interference of the two kinds of spin states of electrons including a cross-contribution. The calculated resistivity values agree reasonably well with the available experimental ones for all the metals considered. Moreover, the calculated TEP, as deduced from the slope of resistivity vs. energy, has been found to be positive for Mn and Fe but negative for Co and Ni. Besides that, this formalism for resistivity calculation may be generalized to a system that may exist in different atomic states. It is worth mentioning that this concept is analogous to the one used in the process of neutron scattering on a metal composed of multiple isotopes.     

Surface analysis for catalyst layer (PT/PTFE/C) and diffusion layer (PTFE/C) for proton exchange membrane fuel cells systems (PEMFCs)

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies have been used to analyze the surface of diffusion layer (PTFE/C) and catalyst layer (Pt/C/PTFE) of electrode. Detail analysis of carbon C_1s peak showed that the carbon was of the form of C, C-O, CO, CF, CF₂ and CF₃ with CF₂ is more dominated on the surface compared to CF and CF₃. The oxygen O_1s photoelectron peak showed that the oxygen was of the form of CO and C-O. The platinum was of the form of Pt⁰ with some Pt oxidized to PtO. The scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the dispersion of Teflon in the diffusion layer, the distribution of platinum in the catalyst layer loaded with 0.38 mg Pt/cm² and also the cross section of the membrane electrode assembly. The prepared electrode delivers a superior performance compared with the commercial electrode (E-TEK). The difference in performance between the two electrodes is due to the good localization of the platinum particles.     

Stereochemistry of two new polyfunctionalized gem‐dihalo­cyclo­propanes

The two new gem‐dihalogeno­cyclo­propanes (1′S,3R)‐3‐(2′,2′‐di­chloro‐1′‐methyl­cyclo­propyl)‐6‐oxoheptanoic acid, C₁₁H₁₆­Cl₂O₃, (2), and (1′S,3R)‐3‐(2′,2′‐di­bromo‐1′‐methyl­cyclo­propyl)‐6‐oxoheptanoic acid, C₁₁H₁₆Br₂O₃, (3), are isostructural. Both present two stereogenic centers at C1′ and C3. The absolute configuration was determined by X‐ray methods. The cyclo­propyl rings are unsymmetrical, the shortest bond being distal with respect to the alkyl‐substituted C atom.     

New Anti-Leukemic Effect of Carvacrol and Thymol Combination through Synergistic Induction of Different Cell Death Pathways

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the myeloid lineage of blood cells, and treatment for AML is lengthy and can be very expensive. Medicinal plants and their bioactive molecules are potential candidates for improving human health. In this work, we studied the effect of Ptychotis verticillata (PV) essential oil and its derivatives, carvacrol and thymol, in AML cell lines. We demonstrated that a combination of carvacrol and thymol induced tumor cell death with low toxicity on normal cells. Mechanistically, we highlighted that different molecular pathways, including apoptosis, oxidative, reticular stress, autophagy, and necrosis, are implicated in this potential synergistic effect. Using quantitative RT-PCR, Western blotting, and apoptosis inhibitors, we showed that cell death induced by the carvacrol and thymol combination is caspase-dependent in the HL60 cell line and caspase-independent in the other cell lines tested. Further investigations should focus on improving the manufacturing of these compounds and understanding their anti-tumoral mechanisms of action. These efforts will lead to an increase in the efficiency of the oncotherapy strategy regarding AML.     

Sous-groupes canoniques et cycles évanescents <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-adiques pour les variétés abéliennes

Sans résumé     

Simultaneous Hydrodistillation-Steam Distillation of Rosmarinus officinalis,Lavandula angustifolia and Citrus aurantium from Morocco,Major Terpenes: Impact on Biological Activities

Interest in the use of essential oils (EOs) in the biomedical and food industries have seen growing over the last decades due to their richness in bioactive compounds. The challenges in developing an EO extraction process that assure an efficient levels of monoterpenes with impact on biological activities have driven the present study, in which the EO extraction process of rosemary, lavender and citrus was performed by simultaneous hydrodistillation–steam distillation, and the influence of EO composition on biological activities, namely antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anti-acetylcholinesterase, anti-tyrosinase, antibacterial, and antibiofilm activity, were evaluated. The EO yields of combinations were generally higher than the individual plants (R. officinalis (Ro), L. angustifolia (La), and C. aurantium (Ca)) extracted by the conventional hydrodistillation. The EOs obtained by this process generally had a better capacity for scavenging the free radicals, inhibiting α-glucosidase, and acetylcholinesterase activities than the individual EOs. The combination of EOs did not improve the ability for scavenging peroxide hydrogen or the capacity for inhibiting lipoxygenase activity. The antioxidant activity or the enzyme inhibition activity could not only be attributed to their major compounds because they presented lower activities than the EOs. The chemical composition of the combination Ro:La:Ca, at the ratio 1/6:1/6:2/3, was enriched in 1,8-cineole, linalool, and linalyl acetate and resulted in lower MIC values for all tested strains in comparison with the ratio 1/6:2/3:1/6 that was deprived on those components. The biofilm formation of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria was impaired by the combination Ro:La:Ca at a sub-inhibitory concentration.     

A self-adaptive descent LQP alternating direction method for the structured variational inequalities

Numerical Algorithms - In this paper, by combining the logarithmic-quadratic proximal (LQP) method and alternating direction method, we proposed an LQP alternating direction method for solving...