Bounded Engel elements in groups satisfying an identity

We prove that a residually finite group G satisfying an identity \(w\equiv 1\) and generated by a commutator closed set X of bounded left Engel elements is locally nilpotent. We also extend such a result to locally graded groups, provided that X is a normal set. As an immediate consequence, we obtain that a locally graded group satisfying an identity, all of whose elements are bounded left Engel, is locally nilpotent.     

Measurements of radon concentration in drinking water samples from Kastamonu (Turkey)

Concentration of ²²²Rn was determined in selected natural spring and tap water samples collected during spring and summer seasons from Kastamonu, Turkey. The aim of this work was to produce a map of the radon concentrations in water sources of the province and to determine any potential radiological risk for the local population. Radon measurements were performed by an AlphaGUARD radon gas analyser. The average radon concentrations were found to vary from 0.39±0.02 to 12.73±0.39 Bq l^?1 for natural springs and from 0.36±0.04 to 9.29±0.45 Bq l^?1 for tap water in spring, from 0.50±0.09 to 19.21±1.00 Bq l^?1 for natural springs and from 0.31±0.03 to 13.14±0.38 Bq l^?1 for tap water in summer. Furthermore, the results are compared with international recommendations and concentrations reported for other countries. Doses resulting from the consumption of these waters were calculated. The effective dose equivalents due to the intake of the ²²²Rn present in these waters are expected to range from 0.93 to 32.54 μSv y^?1 in summer and from 0.80 to 49.09 μSv y^?1 in spring.     

Analytical formulas for calculating photoelectric attenuation coefficients

Photoelectric absorption is an interaction in which an incoming gamma ray virtually transfers all of its energy to an atomic electron, usually the most tightly bound K-shell electron of an atom. This paper uses the Win XCOM computer code as a reference base. We found analytical photoelectric attenuation coefficients for researchers using the Monte Carlo simulation program for Z∈ [1; 100] and E∈[10 keV; 3 MeV]. We define a photoelectric effect operator and coefficient operators and a series for photoelectric absorption. We have calculated two polynomial coefficient operators for use with XCOM for photoelectric absorption. We determined 14 energies and atomic number limits for elements, and we find that they are accurate limits of photoelectric absorption for fitting with XCOM.     

On Fully Idempotent Modules

A submodule N of a module M is idempotent if N = Hom(M, N)N. The module M is fully idempotent if every submodule of M is idempotent. We prove that over a commutative ring, cyclic idempotent submodules of any module are direct summands. Counterexamples are given to show that this result is not true in general. It is shown that over commutative Noetherian rings, the fully idempotent modules are precisely the semisimple modules. We also show that the commutative rings over which every module is fully idempotent are exactly the semisimple rings. Idempotent submodules of free modules are characterized.     

Lifting Modules with Indecomposable Decompositions

A module M is called a “lifting module” if, any submodule A of M contains a direct summand B of M such that A/B is small in M/B. This is a generalization of projective modules over perfect rings as well as the dual of extending modules. It is well known that an extending module with ascending chain condition (a.c.c.) on the annihilators of its elements is a direct sum of indecomposable modules. If and when a lifting module has such a decomposition is not known in general. In this article, among other results, we prove that a lifting module M is a direct sum of indecomposable modules if (i) rad(M ^(I)) is small in M ^(I) for every index set I, or, (ii) M has a.c.c. on the annihilators of (certain) elements, and rad(M) is small in M.     

Dendrimer Templated Synthesis of Carbon Nanotube Supported PdAu Catalyst and its Application as Hydrogen Peroxide Sensor

At present, CNT supported catalysts were prepared by two different methods as NaBH₄ reduction and dendrimer templated NaBH₄ reduction method to observe the effect of preparation method on the sensitivity and activity of H₂O₂ reduction. Then, CNT supported Pd_xAu_y bimetallic nanocatalysts having various atomic ratio were synthesized via novel dendrimer templated NaBH₄ reduction method. The resulting materials were characterized employing XRD and TEM. Crystallite size of 10 %Pd_0.7Au_0.3/CNT_dendrimer was obtained from XRD 17.1 nm and mean particle size obtained from TEM is about 15 nm. Moreover, the electrochemical behavior of these catalysts was characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) techniques. Pd_xAu_y bimetallic nanocatalysts have excellent electrocatalytic properties and great potential for applications in electrochemical detection. The sensitivity and the limit of detection values for the prepared sensor with monometallic 10 % Pd/CNT_dendrimer catalysts are 219.78 μA mM^?1cm^?2 and 2.6 μM, respectively. However, the sensor constructed with 10 %Pd_0.7Au_0.3/CNT_dendrimer modified electrode has a very high sensitivity of 316.89 μA mM^?1 cm^?2 with a quick response time of 2 s and a wide linear range of 0.001–19.0 mM. In addition, the interference experiment indicated that the 10 % Pd_0.7Au_0.3/CNT_dendrimer nanoparticles have good selectivity toward H₂O₂.     

Quantitative correlation between (1)H MRS and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of human breast cancer

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H MRS) and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide functional information, including vascular volume, vascular permeability and choline (Cho) metabolism. In this study, we applied these two imaging modalities to quantitatively characterize 36 malignant breast lesions in 32 patients and analyzed the correlation between them. Cho concentration was quantified by single-voxel ¹H MRS using water as an internal reference. The measured Cho levels ranged from 0.32 to 10.47 mmol/kg, consistent with previously reported values. In 25 mass-type lesions, the Cho concentration was significantly correlated with tumor size (r=.69, P<.0002). In addition, the Cho level was found to be significantly higher in lesions presenting as mass-type lesions compared to non-mass-type diffuse enhancements (P=.035). The enhancement kinetics from tissues covered within each MRS voxel were measured and analyzed with a two-compartmental model to obtain pharmacokinetic parameters K^trans and k_ep. A significant correlation was found between the Cho level and the pharmacokinetic parameter k_ep (r=.62, P<.0001), indicating that tissues with a high Cho level have higher wash-out rates in DCE MRI. The results suggest a correlation between Cho metabolism and angiogenesis activity, which might be explained by the association of Cho with cell replication and angiogenesis required to support tumor growth.     

Local molecular orbitals and hyper-susceptibility of TeO2 glass

The dielectric properties of the glassy telluria have been modeled and studied via the ab initio calculations of the linear- and hyper-polarizabilities of chain-like (TeO₂)_n clusters. By using the localized molecular orbitals approximation (GAMESS program), it is shown that their linear polarizability is mainly associated with the tellurium atom lone pairs and with the Te–O–Te bridges, whose contributions are comparable. On contrary, the bridge contributions unequivocally dominate the hyperpolarizability value (providing 75% of this) whereas the role of the lone pair on tellurium atoms is minimal (5%). The same estimations can be obtained for the relevant characteristics of TeO₂ glass.     

Biodegradation of Tetracycline Under Various Conditions and Effects on Microbial Community

Five hundred tons of antibiotics are consumed yearly in the world. In this study, the biodegradation characteristics of tetracycline (TET) under nitrate-reducing, sulfate-reducing, and methanogenic conditions were determined by batch tests. Also, effects of TET on mixed microbial cultures were revealed by microbiological analysis. In this scope, gas generation and composition, dissolved organic carbon, and electron acceptor concentrations were monitored during 120 days. Additionally, changes on quantities of specific microbial groups were determined by Q-PCR. TET showed non-biodegradable behavior under nitrate- and sulfate-reducing conditions, whereas slightly biodegradable behavior under methanogenic conditions approximately 46 % degradation. The effects of TET on the abundance of mixed culture varied according to taxonomic units. Sulfate-reducing bacteria were inhibited by TET, while archaeal, bacterial, and methanogenic populations were not affected significantly.     

Biological assays and theoretical density functional theory calculations of Rh(I), Ir(III), and Ru(II) complexes of chiral phosphinite ligand

Four metal complexes, IL-OPPh₂-Ru-p-cymene (3) , IL-OPPh₂-Ru-benzene (4) , IL-OPPh₂-Ir-Cp* (5) , IL-OPPh₂-Rh-COD (6) , have been evaluated for in vitro antioxidant activity such as 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and reducing power activity. Maximum scavenging activity (71.43%) was obtained with IL-OPPh₂-Ru-p-cymene, whereas IL-OPPh₂-Rh-COD showed the highest reducing power ability. The complexes were also studied for their antimicrobial activity against three Gram-positive and three Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, DNA binding of the complexes was evaluated using calf thymus DNA. Both Ru(II) complexes exhibited good DNA-binding activity while the other complexes did not have any activity. Furthermore, ab initio quantum calculations of four complexes were also carried out using density functional theory to better understand their chemical behaviors.