Sonochemical and sonophotocatalytic degradation of malachite green: the effect of carbon tetrachloride on reaction rates

A comparative study between the sonolytic, photocatalytic and sonophotocatalytic oxidation processes of aqueous solutions of malachite green was carried out in the presence of carbon tetrachloride, under a low power ultrasonic field (<15 W) and using titanium dioxide as a photocatalyst. The effect of a number of parameters such as ultrasonic intensity, TiO2 crystalline structure and the presence of CCl4 were studied using an inexpensive reactor. Enhanced rates of sonolytic degradation of malachite green in the presence of CCl4 were demonstrated. On the other hand, the simultaneous use of sonolysis and photocatalysis in the presence of CCl4 does not improve the degradation rate of malachite green in comparison with the one obtained using only sonolysis, but it makes possible a faster oxidative degradation of some reaction intermediaries. Finally, in air saturated solutions both processes, the sonolytic and the photocatalytic one, follow a first-order rate law.     

Switchable magnetic bottles and field gradients for particle traps

Versatile methods for the manipulation of individual quantum systems, such as confined particles, have become central elements in current developments in precision spectroscopy, frequency standards, quantum information processing, quantum simulation, and alike. For atomic and some subatomic particles, both neutral and charged, a precise control of magnetic fields is essential. In this paper, we discuss possibilities for the creation of specific magnetic field configurations which find application in these areas. In particular, we pursue the idea of a magnetic bottle which can be switched on and off by transition between the normal and the superconducting phase of a suitable material in cryogenic environments, for example, in trap experiments in moderate magnetic fields. Methods for a fine-tuning of the magnetic field and its linear and quadratic components in a trap are presented together with possible applications.     

Nonspecular total internal reflection of spatial solitons at the interface between highly birefringent media

We investigate total internal reflection of nonlocal spatial optical solitons at the interface between two differently oriented regions of a highly birefringent nematic liquid crystal. The solitons survive the interaction with an induced index mismatch and undergo nonspecular reflection, with an emerging angle differing appreciably from the incidence angle.     

Limit Cycles Bifurcating from a k-dimensional Isochronous Center Contained in ?n with k ? n

The goal of this paper is double. First, we illustrate a method for studying the bifurcation of limit cycles from the continuum periodic orbits of a k-dimensional isochronous center contained in ℝ ⁿ with n ⩾ k, when we perturb it in a class of differential systems. The method is based in the averaging theory. Second, we consider a particular polynomial differential system in the plane having a center and a non-rational first integral. Then we study the bifurcation of limit cycles from the periodic orbits of this center when we perturb it in the class of all polynomial differential systems of a given degree. As far as we know this is one of the first examples that this study can be made for a polynomial differential system having a center and a non-rational first integral. The first and third authors are partially supported by a MCYT/FEDER grant MTM2005-06098-C01, and by a CIRIT grant number 2005SGR-00550. The second author is partially supported by a FAPESP–BRAZIL grant 10246-2. The first two authors are also supported by the joint project CAPES–MECD grant HBP2003-0017.     

The Maxwell tensor for the Liénard-Wiechert field as an exact divergence

A potential for the bounded part of the Maxwell tensor associated to the Liénard-Wiechert field has been obtained by van Weert. In this paper we explicitly derive the non-local potential for the radiative part of such a tensor.     

Europium-151 Mössbauer spectroscopic and XANES investigation of europium-exchanged Y-zeolite

Eu³⁺ in ca. 10 wt% europium-exchanged Y-zeolite is partially reduced by treatment in hydrogen at 600°C to Eu²⁺. The reduction of Eu³⁺ is more readily achieved in Y-zeolite than in europium(III) oxide. The discrepancy in the extent of reduction as revealed by¹⁵¹Eu Mössbauer spectroscopy and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (XANES) is associated with any difference in the recoil free fractions of Eu²⁺ and Eu³⁺ which may exist at 298 K and the enhanced sensitivity of the XANES to changes in the europium oxidation state.     

Identification of a set of genes showing regionally enriched expression in the mouse brain

Background

We have recorded responses from single neurons in murine visual cortex to determine the effectiveness of the input from the two murine cone photoreceptor mechanisms and whether there is any unique selectivity for cone inputs at this higher region of the visual system that would support the possibility of colour vision in mice. Each eye was stimulated by diffuse light, either 370 (strong stimulus for the ultra-violet (UV) cone opsin) or 505 nm (exclusively stimulating the middle wavelength sensitive (M) cone opsin), obtained from light emitting diodes (LEDs) in the presence of a strong adapting light that suppressed the responses of rods.

Results

Single cells responded to these diffuse stimuli in all areas of striate cortex. Two types of responsive cells were encountered. One type (135/323 – 42%) had little to no spontaneous activity and responded at either the on and/or the off phase of the light stimulus with a few impulses often of relatively large amplitude. A second type (166/323 – 51%) had spontaneous activity and responded tonically to light stimuli with impulses often of small amplitude. Most of the cells responded similarly to both spectral stimuli. A few (18/323 – 6%) responded strongly or exclusively to one or the other spectral stimulus and rarely in a spectrally opponent manner.

Conclusion

Most cells in murine striate cortex receive excitatory inputs from both UV- and M-cones. A small fraction shows either strong selectivity for one or the other cone mechanism and occasionally cone opponent responses. Cells that could underlie chromatic contrast detection are present but extremely rare in murine striate cortex.     

Numerical study on schramm-loewner evolution in nonminimal conformal field theories

The Schramm-Loewner evolution (SLE) is a powerful tool to describe fractal interfaces in 2D critical statistical systems, yet the application of SLE is well established for statistical systems described by quantum field theories satisfying only conformal invariance, the so-called minimal conformal field theories (CFTs). We consider interfaces in Z(N) spin models at their self-dual critical point for N = 4 and N = 5. These lattice models are described in the continuum limit by nonminimal CFTs where the role of a ZN symmetry, in addition to the conformal one, should be taken into account. We provide numerical results on the fractal dimension of the interfaces which are SLE candidates for nonminimal CFTs. Our results are in excellent agreement with some recent theoretical predictions.