Swift heavy ion damage to sodium chloride: synergy between excitation and thermal spikes

Systematic data on the effect of irradiation with swift ions (Zn at 735 MeV and Xe at 929 MeV) on NaCl single crystals have been analysed in terms of a synergetic two-spike approach (thermal and excitation spikes). The coupling of the two spikes, simultaneously generated by the irradiation, contributes to the operation of a non-radiative exciton decay model as proposed for purely ionization damage. Using this scheme, we have accounted for the π-emission yield of self-trapped excitons and its temperature dependence under ion-beam irradiation. Moreover, the initial production rates of F-centre growth have also been reasonably simulated for irradiation at low temperatures ( < 100 K), where colour centre annealing and aggregation can be neglected.     

Generation of anti-azoxystrobin monoclonal antibodies from regioisomeric haptens functionalized at selected sites and development of indirect competitive immunoassays

Azoxystrobin is a modern strobilurin fungicide used around the world to combat prime diseases affecting highly valuable crops. Accordingly, residues of this chemical are frequently found in food, even though mostly under maximum tolerated levels. We herein describe the development of an indirect competitive immunoassay for the determination of azoxystrobin residues. A panel of monoclonal antibodies displaying subnanomolar affinity to azoxystrobin was generated using, as immunizing haptens in mice, four functionalized derivatives carrying the same spacer arm located at different rationally chosen positions. This collection of antibodies was thoroughly characterized with homologous and heterologous antigens, and the immunoassay consisting of monoclonal antibody AZo6#49 and the coating conjugate OVA–AZb6, which displayed an IC₅₀ value of 0.102 μg L⁻¹ and a LOD of 0.017 μg L⁻¹, was eventually optimized. The response to different pH and ionic strength conditions of the specific assay was studied using a biparametric approach. In addition, the influence of Tween 20 and organic solvents over the assay parameters was also evaluated. After optimization, the developed immunochemical assay was applied to the analysis of azoxystrobin in spiked juices of relevant fruits and vegetables, showing excellent recoveries between 2 and 500 μg L⁻¹.     

Use of Microwave Maceration in Red Winemaking: Effect on Fermentation and Chemical Composition of Red Wines

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of microwave treatment of crushed grapes on the yeast population of the must and on the development of alcoholic fermentation, as well as on the extraction of different compounds from the grapes such as polysaccharides and amino acids that can affect the organoleptic quality and stability of the wine. This study demonstrated for the first time the effect of the microwave treatment of grapes on native yeast species and their diversity, producing an increase in fermentation kinetics and a decrease in the lag phase. The microwave treatment produced a positive effect on the extraction of amino acids and polysaccharides from the grapes, resulting in significantly higher amounts of the main amino acids of the must and some major volatile compounds in the treated samples. The polysaccharides most affected by the microwave treatment were the PRAGs, the main polysaccharides liberated from grapes during the maceration.     

Matrix summability and uniform convergence of series

Some classical results about uniform convergence of unconditionally convergent series are generalized to weakly unconditionally Cauchy series by means of the matrix summability method for regular matrices.

     

Steady holographic gratings in semiconductor multiple quantum wells

A theoretical model based on the Dember mechanism is proposed to describe the steady state photorefractive gratings generated in semiconductor multiple quantum wells (MQW). It has been applied to an GaAs/AlGaAs MQW in parallel configuration (external electric field applied parallel to the MQW layers) for which recent experimental data are available. The model predicts a dependence of the first-order diffraction efficiency on the applied field in qualitative accordance with experiments, including the occurrence of saturation at high field values. Absolute values of the efficiencies are in good agreement with the experimental ones. Finally, high second-order diffraction efficiencies, associated with the development of a perpendicular space charge field, are also predicted by the model.     

Photonucleophilic aromatic substitution of 6-fluoroquinolones in basic media: triplet quenching by hydroxide anion

Photoreaction of 1-ethyl-6-fluoro-7-(1-piperazinyl)-1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid (norfloxacin, NFX) and other 6-fluoroquinolones in aqueous solution gives rise to the corresponding 6-hydroxy derivatives. Although two mechanisms have been proposed for this photonucleophilic aromatic substitution, direct evidence for any of them is still missing. Obtaining such evidence requires work in basic media, where intramolecular electron transfer from the piperazine ring to the quinolone system is the almost exclusive singlet deactivation pathway. To overcome this problem, the 4'-N-acetyl derivative of norfloxacin (ANFX) has been employed in the present paper due to the lower availability of the N lone pair. The photochemical and photophysical properties of ANFX have been studied in aqueous solutions at pH between 7.4 and 13. As expected, fluorescence of ANFX is not significantly quenched in basic media. Furthermore, the excited triplet state (lambda(max) = 620 nm) reacts with hydroxide anions with a rate constant of (0.3 +/- 0.1) x 10(6) M(-)(1) s(-)(1). This supports a direct attack by hydroxide anions to the excited triplet state with subsequent release of fluoride as the operating mechanism. The fact that the reaction is inhibited by the presence of naproxen (a water-soluble naphthalene derivative) as triplet quencher clearly confirms the mechanistic assignment.     

Qualitative and Quantitative Determination of The Polymer Content in Rubber Formulations

The objective of this paper is to show an easy and rapid way to determine qualitatively and quantitatively the type of polymer or polymer blend used in a rubber formulation. The most common polymers used manufacturing rubber products were tested and characterized by both their decomposition temperature and the curve profile. Thermogravimetric analysis, which is considered to be used mainly for quantitative purposes, turned out to be a rather useful analytical tool to obtain qualitative information of such elastomeric mixtures. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Characterisation of human metallothioneins from foetal liver and adult kidney using differential pulse polarography

The electrochemical behaviour of four human metallothioneins (MT) from foetal liver and adult kidney with respect to solution pH as well as the influence of the addition of cadmium and/or zinc were studied using differential pulse polarography. The complexation equilibrium of dissociation and the formation from their metal depleted form was investigated, going from basic to acid solution and vice versa. The stability of these human MTs with respect to changes in the pH of the solution is low. In fact, the complexation equilibrium is not reversible and consequently, the protein, at acid pH, is denatured and the metal binding capacity to complex the cations through the thiol groups is lost. In the case of some of these MTs two different electrochemical responses due to the reduction of complexed Cd(II), as well as to the Zn(II) complexes were distinguished. The predominance of each of these two species for both cations seems to depend on the total concentration, on the ratio between zinc and cadmium concentrations and on the solution pH. In each of the molecules studied, the addition of zinc provokes the transformation of the peak attributed to the Cd-Thionein complex CdT, initially found in the native MT, into another form, CdT′, having different characteristics to the initial one. The MTs are able to incorporate the added metal ions into their molecule. This implies a new reorganisation of the initial molecule in which both cadmium and zinc complexes are involved. The apparent stability constants of the Cd-MT, Zn-MT and Hg-MT complexes were estimated at different pH values.     

Synthesis and characterization of hydroxo, pyrazolato and carboxylato derivatives of the PdR(PPh3)moiety (R = C6F5 or C6Cl5)

The hydroxo-complexes [{PdR(PPh₃)(μ-OH)}₂] (R = C₆F₅ or C₆Cl₅) have been obtained by reaction of the corresponding [{PdR(PPh₃)(μ-Cl)}2] complexes with NBu₄OH in acetone. In this solvent, the reaction of the hydroxo-bridged complexes with pyrazole (Hpz) and 3,5-dimethylpyrazole (Hdmpz) in 1:2 molar ratio leads to the formation of the new complexes [{Pd(C₅F₅)(PPh₃)(μ-azolate)}2] and [{Pd(C₆Cl₅)(PPh₃)}₂(μ-OH)(μ-azolate)] (azolate = pz or dmpz). The reaction of the bis(μ-hydroxo) complexes with Hpz and Hdmpz in acetone in 1:1 molar ratio has also been studied, and the resulting product depends on the organic radical (C₆F₅ or C₆Cl₅) as well as the azolate (pz or dmpz). The identity of the isomer obtained has been established in every case by NMR (¹H, ¹⁹F and ³¹P) spectroscopy. The reaction of the bis(μ-hydroxo) complexes with oxalic (H₂Ox) and acetic (HOAc) acids yields the binucle ar complexes [{PdR(PPh₃)}2(μ-Ox)] (R = C₆F₅ or C₆Cl₅) and [{Pd(C₆F₅)(PPh₃)(μ-OAc)}2], respectively. [{Pd(C₆F₅)(PPh₃)(μ-OH)}₂] reacts with PPh₃ in acetone in 1:2 ratio giving the mononuclear complex trans-[Pd(C₆F₅) (OH)(PPh₃)₂], whereas the pentachlorophenylhydroxo complex does not react with PPh₃, even under forcing conditions.     

A unified approach to the synthesis of both enantiomers of anatoxin-a and homoanatoxin-a cyanotoxins

Anatoxin-a and homoanatoxin-a are highly neurotoxic compounds produced by cyanobacteria, principally during surface water-blooms (SWBs). Owing to their powerful biological activity and unique structural characteristics, these natural alkaloids have been the subject of extensive research work in both pharmacological and synthetic studies. In this contribution we report a simple and efficient synthetic approach for the preparation of both the natural and unnatural enantiomers of these cyanotoxins, [(+)-1 and (+)-2] and [(?)-1 and (?)-2] respectively. Key features of this approach include: i) construction of the azabicyclic homotropane framework in both enantiomeric forms from cis-5,6-epoxycyclooctene, based on a microwave mediated epoxide ring opening reaction by a chiral benzyl amine followed by a transannular amine-alkene cyclization; ii) elaboration of the characteristic methyl or ethyl enone by means of a Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction of an enol-triflate with a C2 or C3 terminal alkyne, followed by a chemo- and regio-selective hydration of the resulting conjugated enyne group.