Shape preservation regions for six-dimensional spaces

We analyze the critical length for design purposes of six-dimensional spaces invariant under translations and reflections containing the functions 1, cos t and sin t. These spaces also contain the first degree polynomials as well as trigonometric and/or hyperbolic functions. We identify the spaces whose critical length for design purposes is greater than 2π and find its maximum 4π. By a change of variables, two biparametric families of spaces arise. We call shape preservation region to the set of admissible parameters in order that the space has shape preserving representations for curves. We describe the shape preserving regions for both families. To our friend Mariano Gasca on occasion of his 60th birthday Research partially supported by the Spanish Research Grant MTM2006-03388, by Gobierno de Aragón and Fondo Social Europeo.     

A Screening Method for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Determination in Water by Headspace SPME with GC-FID

A simple method for determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with gas chromatography-flame ionisation detector (GC-FID) was developed. In order to obtain the convenient experimental conditions for HS-SPME extraction an experimental design with two steps was accomplished. A 2^6-2 fractional factorial design and central composite design (CCD) considering three significant factors were used. Naphthalene, anthracene and fluoranthene were chosen as representatives of two, three and four aromatic rings, and the global response of three PAHs was used for the results, evaluation. The chosen extraction conditions were: 85 μm polyacrylate fibre; 50 °C temperature; 60 min time; 20 mL-dissolution volume (in 40 mL glass vial); without salt addition; and 2 min desorption time. The procedure was extended to other seven PAHs (acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, pyrene, chrysene and benzo(a)anthracene) and the analytical characteristics were checked. The limit of detection (LOD) was from 0.08 (anthracene) to 0.20 μg L^?1 (naphthalene). The precision expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD in %) using 50 μg L^?1 of each analyte ranged from 6.8 to 17 %. The method was applied to the analysis of the surface waters and leaching waters of contaminated soils from Gipuzkoa (North Spain). The PAHs were not detected in surface water samples. Most of the PAHs were found in the leachates from contaminated soils showing a maximum global value of 75.5 μg L^?1.     

Microcalorimetric determination of the activity of supercritical extracts of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) over Spodoptera littoralis

The aim of this study is to develop a method and to determine by means of isothermal microcalorimetry the activity of supercritical extracts obtained from growth-controlled wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) over Spodoptera littoralis L. (S. littoralis), a polyphagous pest of the Mediterranean crops. In order to achieve this goal, a three-step microcalorimetric method has been developed to insure the quality of the measurements and the validity of the results. Once optimized, different extracts of wormwood obtained by means of supercritical fluid extraction and by traditional methods have been used to investigate their effects over S. littoralis. The microcalorimetric method serves as a tool to complement other bioassays found in the literature. Several extracts from supercritical extractions with solvent density ranging from 485.5 to 819.5 kg m^?3 have been tested. The influence of an entrainer addition to the supercritical fluid has also been investigated. The traditional extracts were obtained by hydrodistillation and organic Soxhlet extraction. The supercritical extracts were more efficient against S. littoralis than the traditionally obtained extracts.     

Ultrastructure of the Alabama argillacea (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) midgut

The insect midgut has ultimately been the focus of researches tempting to control insect pests because alterations in the insect gut may affect not only its development, but also physiological events such as nutrient absorption and transformation. The objective of the present work was to describe morphologically, histochemically, and ultrastructurally the larva midgut of Alabama argillacea (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a cotton key pest in Brazil. Light and electronic transmission microscopy was used to obtain images from midgut sections of late fourth-instar larvae of A. argillacea. In general, the morphology, histochemistry, and ultrastructure characteristics of A. argillacea midgut follow that described in the literature for other lepidopteran species. However, the results showed a mitochondrial polymorphism and branched microvilli, which suggest an ultrastrucutural and physiological modification possibly associated with a high absorption and secretion activity by the columnar cells of this species. This intense activity may favor a faster response related to the action of ingested microbial agents and/or toxins, and can explain the high susceptibility of A. argillacea to the agents of control such as the toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis.     

Synthesis of α-Phenylthio Alkyl Nitriles from α-Chloro Alkyl Phenyl Sulfides

α-Chloro Alkyl Phenyl Sulfides are converted with Trimethylsilyl Cyanide, in a reaction catalyzed by SnCl₄, into α-Phenylthio Alkyl Nitriles.     

Assembling a Phthalocyanine and Perylenediimide Donor–Acceptor Hybrid through a Platinum(II) Diacetylide Linker

In a novel electron‐donor–acceptor conjugate, phthalocyanine (Pc) and perylenediimide (PDI) are connected through a trans‐platinum(II) diacetylide linker to yield Pc‐Pt‐PDI 1 . In the ground state, the presence of Pt^II disrupts the electronic communication between the two electroactive components, as revealed by UV/Vis spectroscopy and electrochemical studies. The photophysical behavior of 1 is compared with that of the corresponding Pc‐PDI electron‐donor–acceptor conjugate 2 in terms of charge separation and charge recombination. The insertion of Pt^II between Pc and PDI impacts the results in a longer‐lived Pc ^{. +}/PDI ^{. ?} radical ion‐pair state. In addition, the intermediately formed Pc triplet excited state is formed with higher quantum yields in 1 than in 2 .     

On the geometry of reduced cotangent bundles at zero momentum

We consider the problem of cotangent bundle reduction for proper non-free group actions at zero momentum. We show that in this context the symplectic stratification obtained by Sjamaar and Lerman refines in two ways: (i) each symplectic stratum admits a stratification which we call the secondary stratification with two distinct types of pieces, one of which is open and dense and symplectomorphic to a cotangent bundle; (ii) the reduced space at zero momentum admits a finer stratification than the symplectic one into pieces that are coisotropic in their respective symplectic strata.     

Composition and antioxidant activity of Thymus vulgaris volatiles: Comparison between supercritical fluid extraction and hydrodistillation

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of the volatile oil from Thymus vulgaris L. aerial flowering parts was performed under different conditions of pressure, temperature, mean particle size and CO₂ flow rate and the correspondent yield and composition were compared with those of the essential oil isolated by hydrodistillation (HD). Both the oils were analyzed by GC and GC‐MS and 52 components were identified. The main volatile components obtained were p‐cymene (10.0–42.6% for SFE and 28.9–34.8% for HD), γ‐terpinene (0.8–6.9% for SFE and 5.1–7.0% for HD), linalool (2.3–5.3% for SFE and 2.8–3.1% for HD), thymol (19.5–40.8% for SFE and 35.4–41.6% for HD), and carvacrol (1.4–3.1% for SFE and 2.6–3.1% for HD). The main difference was found to be the relative percentage of thymoquinone (not found in the essential oil) and carvacryl methyl ether (1.0–1.2% for HD versus t?0.4 for SFE) which can explain the higher antioxidant activity, assessed by Rancimat test, of the SFE volatiles when compared with HD. Thymoquinone is considered a strong antioxidant compound.     

Possible coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism in intermetallic NiBi3

NiBi₃ polycrystals were synthesized via a solid state method. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the main phase present in the sample corresponds to NiBi₃ in a weight fraction of 96.82 % according to the refinement of the crystalline structure. SEM - EDS and XPS analysis reveal a homogeneous composition of NiBi₃, without Ni traces. The powder superconducting samples were studied by performing magnetic measurements. The superconducting transition temperature and critical magnetic fields were determined as , Oe and Oe. The superconducting parameters were , , and κ=5.136. Isothermal measurements below the transition temperature show an anomalous behavior. Above the superconducting transition the compound presents ferromagnetic characteristics up to 750 K, well above the Ni Curie temperature.     

Ultrasound‐assisted emulsification microextraction coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography for the simultaneous determination of fragrance allergens in cosmetics and water

A simple, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly method based on ultrasound‐assisted emulsification microextraction followed by solidification of floating organic drop and high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection was developed for the simultaneous determination of 18 potentially allergenic fragrance substances. Several parameters affecting the microextraction process were investigated in detail by the “one‐variable‐at‐a‐time” approach. Optimal conditions were the following: 50 μL of 2‐dodecanol as extraction solvent, 10 mL of sample containing 150 g/L of salt, and 5 min of sonication at 35°C. Under the optimized conditions, method showed good linearity in the selected ranges, with squared correlation coefficients ranging from 0.948 to 0.999. Limits of detection ranged from 0.001 to 0.154 μg/mL and enrichment factors from 9 to 237. Precision of the method, expressed as relative standard deviation, was checked at two levels obtaining good results (3.3–14.4%). Recovery studies were made in baby bath water and in eau de cologne showing acceptable accuracy. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied to different commercial cosmetic and water samples. The most commonly found analyte was linalool followed by cinnamal and lilial. Most of the analyzed samples contained at least one of the target compounds.