Influence of salt stress on essential oil yield and composition of lemon grass (Cymbopogon schoenanthus L. Spreng. ssp. Laniger (Hook) Maire et Weil)

Cymbopogon is an aromatic plant valued for its citrus scent aroma. In this article, the effect of saline irrigation water on yield and quality of Cymbopogon schoenanthus L. was evaluated. Compounds of essential oils were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and/or (13)C-NMR spectroscopy. Results showed that the growth of the aerial part was not affected at a concentration of 50 mmol NaCl. Under salt stress, the content of major chemical compounds was affected differently by the treatment level.     

Elucidation of triacylglycerols in cod liver oil by liquid chromatography electrospray tandem ion-trap mass spectrometry

Though liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS²) has been widely used in the structural elucidation of triacylglycerols (TAG) in vegetable oils, its potentiality for the identification of TAG molecules in omega-3 rich oils remains unexplored till date. Hence, this article investigates the applicability of LC-ESI-MS² for the structural characterization of naturally occurring TAG in cod liver oil without the TAG fractionation during the sample preparation. A computational algorithm was developed to automatically interpret the mass spectra and elucidate the TAG structures respectively. The results were compared against the lipase benchmark method. A principal component analysis study revealed that it is possible to discriminate genuine from adulterated cod liver oil.     

Holo- and hemidirected lead(II) in the polymeric [Pb(4)(mu-3,4-TDTA)2(H2O)2]*4H2O complex. N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate ligands derived from o-phenylenediamines as sequestering agents for lead(II)

The coordinating ability of the ligands 3,4-toluenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate (3,4-TDTA), o-phenylenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate (o-PhDTA), and 4-chloro-1,2-phenylenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate (4-Cl-o-PhDTA) (H4L acids) toward lead(II) is studied by potentiometry (25 degrees C, I = 0.5 mol x dm(-3) in NaClO4), UV-vis spectrophotometry, and 207Pb NMR spectrometry. The stability constants of the complex species formed were determined. X-ray diffraction structural analysis of the complex [Pb4(mu-3,4-TDTA)4(H2O)2]*4H2O (1) revealed that 1 has a 2-D structure. The layers are built up by the polymerization of centrosymmetric [Pb4L2(H2O)2] tetranuclear units. The neutral layers have the aromatic rings of the ligands pointing to the periphery, whereas the metallic ions are located in the central part of the layers. In compound 1, two types of six-coordinate lead(II) environments are produced. The Pb(1) is coordinated to two nitrogen atoms and four carboxylate oxygens from the ligand, whereas Pb(2) has an O6 trigonally distorted octahedral surrounding. The lead(II) ion is surrounded by five carboxylate oxygens and a water molecule. The carboxylate oxygens belong to four different ligands that are also joined to four other Pb(1) ions. The selective uptake of lead(II) was analyzed by means of chemical speciation diagrams as well as the so-called conditional or effective formation constants K(Pb)eff. The results indicate that, in competition with other ligands that are strong complexing agents for lead(II), our ligands are better sequestering agents in acidic media.     

HUMANN-based system to identify benzimidazole fungicides using multi-synchronous fluorescence spectra: An ensemble approach

In this paper, we approach, using neural computation and ensemble systems, a pattern classification problem in fluorescence spectrometry, the resolution of difficult multi-fungicide mixtures (overlapping), specifically the benzimidazole fungicides, benomyl, carbendazim, thiabendazole and fuberidazole. These fungicides are compounds of an important environmental interest. Because of this, from an analytical point of view, it is interesting to develop sensitive, selective and simple methods for their determination. Fluorescence spectrometry has proven to be a sensitive and selective technique for determination of many compounds of environmental interest, but in some cases it is not enough. HUMANN is a hierarchical, unsupervised, modular, adaptive neural net with high biological plausibility, which has shown to be suitable for identification of these fungicides and organochlorinated compounds of environmental interest. We propose two modular artificial intelligent systems, with a structure of pre-processing and processing stage, a multi-input HUMANN-based system, using multi-fluorescence spectra as input to the system, and a HUMANN-ensemble system. We analyze the optimal configuration of inputs and the ensemble in order to obtain better results. We study such figures as precision and sensitivity of the method. Our proposal is a smart, flexible and effective complementary method, which allows reducing the analytical and/or computational complexity of the analysis. Figure Stages in identification of benzimidazole fungicides Based on a contribution presented at the XIII International Symposium on Luminescence Spectrometry held in Bologna, Italy from Sept. 7–11, 2008.     

Degradation behavior and kinetic study of ABS polymer

The degradation kinetics of the ABS terpolymer (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) was investigated by means of thermogravimetric analysis. The samples were heated from 30 to 900°C in nitrogen atmosphere applying three different heating rates: 5, 10 and 20°C min⁻¹. The Vyazovkin model-free kinetic method was used to calculate the activation energy (E) of the degradation process as a function of conversion and temperature. Between 20 and 80% of conversion, E was calculated and the figures were: for ABS GP, E is 204.5±11.5 kJ mol⁻¹ (medium value); for ABS HI, E is 239.0±9.8 kJ mol⁻¹; for ABS HH, E is 242.4±5.4 kJ mol⁻¹.     

Continuous removal of radiolytic products from TBP extraction systems

In the actinide separation process using TBP as extractant, hydrolytic and radiolytic reactions cause a gradual decomposition of the extractant, resulting in the formation of degradation products which can affect process performance adversely. The TBP diluent has to be cleaned from these degradation products before it is reused. This paper deals with a procedure for solvent cleanup, using a fourstage continuous contactor for increasing the scrubbing efficiency.     

Aromatic compounds produced by endophytic fungi isolated from red alga Asparagopsis taxiformis - Falkenbergia stage

Endophytic fungi were isolated from red alga Asparagopsis taxiformis - Falkenbergia stage, collected from the Brazilian coast, and were identified as Annulohypoxylon stygium (AT-03) and A. yungensis (AT-06) based on their macro/micromorphological and molecular features. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the EtOAc extract from laboratory cultures of both strains yielded known compounds pyrogallol from A. stygium, (3R)-scytalone and (3R,4R)-4-hydroxy-scytalone from A. yungensis. Pyrogallol was active against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli strains. An inactive fraction from A. stygium afforded two additional compounds, (3R,4R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-1-tetralone and tyrosol. Optically active compounds had their stereochemistry determined by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy.     

Geometrical Description of Contact Line Fluctuations in Heterogeneous Systems with Controlled Wettability

The understanding of contact line fluctuations in heterogeneous systems of controlled wettability is relevant to many industrial processes. Despite its importance, it is poorly understood. Here, we present results on an experimental study of fluid displacement on modified Hele-Shaw cells with surface defects as heterogeneities. The system wettability is controlled by defect surface coverage. Three different surface coverage regimes were studied. For each one, the morphology and deformation energy of the displacement front is determined. The width front is described in terms of two exponents, the roughness exponent (alpha) and the one that describes its growth (beta). In all cases, it is found that the width increases logarithmically in time up to a characteristic value, where a crossover to a saturation behavior is observed. The crossover time is a function of the surface coverage. For low coverage 0.51相似文献   

Production of18F using a natural water target at the CV-28 cyclotron at IPEN-CNEN/SP

The development of an automated water target for the production of¹⁸F is described. The system was fully fested and shown to be reliable and secure. The chemical separation of¹⁸F was carried out using an anionexchange resin and K₂CO₃ as eluent. The¹⁸F production yields were, on average, (4.81±0.42) MBq/Ah and the specific activity was higher than 6.623×10⁵ MBq/mmol. Heat transfer measurements and calculations were made.