A volatolomic approach using cerumen as biofluid to diagnose bovine intoxication by Stryphnodendron rotundifolium

An innovative volatolomic approach employs the detection of biomarkers present in cerumen (earwax) to identify cattle intoxication by Stryphnodendron rotundifolium Mart., Fabaceae (popularly known as barbatimão). S. rotundifolium is a poisonous plant with the toxic compound undefined and widely distributed throughout the Brazilian territory. Cerumen samples from cattle of two local Brazilian breeds (‘Curraleiro Pé-Duro’ and ‘Pantaneiro’) were collected during an experimental intoxication protocol and analyzed using headspace (HS)/GC–MS followed by multivariate analysis (genetic algorithm for a partial least squares, cluster analysis, and classification and regression trees). A total of 106 volatile organic metabolites were identified in the cerumen samples of bovines. The intoxication by S. rotundifolium influenced the cerumen volatolomic profile of the bovines throughout the intoxication protocol. In this way, it was possible to detect biomarkers for cattle intoxication. Among the biomarkers, 2-octyldecanol and 9-tetradecen-1-ol were able to discriminate all samples between intoxicated and nonintoxicated bovines. The cattle intoxication diagnosis by S. rotundifolium was accomplished by applying the cerumen analysis using HS/GC–MS, in an easy, accurate, and noninvasive way. Thus, the proposed bioanalytical chromatography protocol is a useful tool in veterinary applications to determine this kind of intoxication.     

Risk evaluation of diabetes mellitus by relation of chaotic globals to HRV

This study's aim is to analyze heart rate dynamics in subjects with diabetes by measures of heart rate variability (HRV). The correlation of chaotic global parameters in the two cohorts is able to assess the probability of cardiac failure and other dynamical diseases. Adults (46) were divided into two equal groups. The autonomic evaluation consisted of measuring HRV for 30 min in supine position in absence of any physical, sensory, or pharmacological stimuli. Chaotic global parameters are able to statistically determine which series of electrocardiograph interpeak intervals in short time‐series are diabetic and which are not. The chaotic forward parameter that applies all three parameters is suggested to be the most appropriate and robust algorithm. This was decided after tests for normality; followed by one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA1); (P < 0.09) and Kruskal–Wallis technique (P < 0.03). Principal component analysis implied two components represent 99.8% of total variance. Therefore, diabetes is a disease which reduces the chaotic response and, as such may be termed a dynamical condition such as are cardiac arrest, asthma, and epilepsy. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 20: 84–92, 2015     

Finite-temperature <Emphasis Type="Italic">φ</Emphasis><Superscript>4</Superscript> theory from the 2PI effective action: Two-loop truncation

Using resummation techniques based on the 2PI effective action we study the scalar φ ⁴ theory at finite temperature. We present an analytical as well as numerical study for a renormalized two-loop truncation of the action. Both the spectral properties and critical behaviour of the theory are investigated. Within the truncation, we explicitly check that the physical observables are UV-finite.     

Organocatalytic enantioselective (3+2) cycloaddition using stable azomethine ylides

We have developed a highly efficient procedure for carrying out the catalytic enantioselective (3+2) cycloaddition between enals and stable azomethine ylides such as isoquinolinium and phthalizinium methylides. Under the optimized reaction conditions highly substituted chiral pyrroloisoquinolines and pyrrolophthalazines have been obtained in high yields and excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities.     

A possible route to oxamic-platinum-blue: Nature and reactivity of a stable intermediate

Summary Oxamic acid is a ligand which offers several potential coordination sites, From its reaction in an aqueous medium with K₂[Pt(NO₂)₄] it is possible to isolate a complex (A) which constitutes a first step in the formation of oxamic-platinum-blue (C), together with green species whose structures are much more difficult to define. Elemental analyses and i.r. spectra of such a series allow one to postulate a formation mechanism for the oxamic platinum-blues.     

Kinetic studies on the permanganic oxidation of amino acids. Effect of the length of amino acid carbon chain

The kinetic study of the permanganic oxidation of some amino acids (glycine, L-alanine, L-α-amino-n-butyric acid, L-norvaline, and L-norleucine) has been carried out in buffered acid medium at 1 < pH < 3 using a spectrophotometric technique. An autocatalytic effect due to Mn²⁺ ions was found in all cases. The purpose of this work is to study the influence of the length of carbon chain of the above amino acids. For it, structural factors such as steric, inductive, and hyperconjugation effects of the carbon chain were analyzed. It was found that the reactivity of these compounds is not affected by only one factor, but the influence of several factors and the formation of intermediate complexes could be included in these oxidative processes. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 29: 181–185, 1997.     

Determination of nineteen 4-alkylphenol endocrine disrupters in Geneva municipal sewage wastewater

A preconcentration technique, which involves liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction, was developed to determine phenoxy herbicides in bovine milk. A layer of organic phase was impregnated into the pores of a 3.5 cm long porous hollow fiber, while the internal volume of the fiber was filled with NaOH solution (the acceptor solution) that was connected directly to the needle of a microsyringe. The fiber was then immersed into 8 ml of acidified milk sample. When the sample solution was stirred, acidic analytes were extracted into the organic phase and back extracted simultaneously into the alkaline acceptor medium as the analytes were protonated at low pH and deprotonated at high pH. After extracting for a prescribed time, 5 microl acceptor solution was taken back into the syringe and injected directly into a HPLC system for quantification. The analytes were extracted quantitatively from the sample solution into the acceptor solution with a large enrichment factor of 900. Due to its low cost, the hollow-fiber extraction device was disposed of after a single extraction that eliminated the possibility of carry over effects. In addition, because a small volume of organic solvent was required and little waste is generated, the procedure is environmentally friendly, and is compatible with the "green chemistry" concept.     

A comparative study of cupric complexes of dicarboxylic acids and acid-amides ligands

A bis(succinamato)copper(II) complex has been synthetized as well as several cyclic acid-amide ligand complexes. These compounds were characterized by elemental and thermogravimetric analyses, infrared and EPR spectroscopies. Analogous dicarboxylic acids give complexes of 1/1 stoichiometry which are thermally more stable than the acid-amide complexes. All the reported compounds show triplet state EPR spectra similar to cupric acetate. There is no evidence for a participation of the amide functions in cupric ion complexation.