Quasicrystalline electronic states of a one-dimensionally modulated Ag film

Ag films on GaAs(110) exhibit a one-dimensional quasiperiodic modulation, resulting in a Fibonacci sequence of parallel stripes with two different widths. Valence level photoemission shows that the Ag electronic states acquire a unique character along the quasiperiodic direction, distinctively manifested by a hierarchy of energy level replicas and avoided crossings at characteristic intervals in reciprocal space. These observations demonstrate the strong influence of the one-dimensional quasiperiodic potential on the Ag film states.     

Spectral operators generated by damped hyperbolic equations

We announce a series of results on the spectral analysis for a class of nonselfadjoint opeators, which are the dynamics generators for the systems governed by hyperbolic equations containing dissipative terms. Two such equations are considered: the equation of nonhomogeneous damped string and the 3-dimensional damped wave equation with spacially nonhomogeneous spherically symmetric coefficients. Nonselfadjoint boundary conditions are imposed at the ends of a finite interval or on a sphere centered at the origin respectively. Our main result is the fact the aforementioned operators are spectral in the sense of N. Dunford. The result follows from the fact that the systems of root vectors of the above operators form Riesz bases in the corresponding energy spaces. We also give asymptotics of the spectra and state the Riesz basis property results for the nonselfadjoint operator pencils associated with these operators.     

Development of Fish Immunity and the Role of β-Glucan in Immune Responses

Administration of β-glucans through various routes, including immersion, dietary inclusion, or injection, have been found to stimulate various facets of immune responses, such as resistance to infections and resistance to environmental stress. β-Glucans used as an immunomodulatory food supplement have been found beneficial in eliciting immunity in commercial aquaculture. Despite extensive research involving more than 3000 published studies, knowledge of the receptors involved in recognition of β-glucans, their downstream signaling, and overall mechanisms of action is still lacking. The aim of this review is to summarize and discuss what is currently known about of the use of β-glucans in fish.     

Sampling and digestion of waste mobile phones printed circuit boards for Cu,Pb, Ni,and Zn determination

Sampling is the most important procedure in arriving at the value of an electronic scrap. Inappropriate sampling makes other procedures, including assaying, valueless, as the sample must really represent the electronic scrap from which it was taken. The aim of this study was to develop the procedure to investigate the composition of heterogeneous printed circuit boards (PCBs) material and to show its applicability as well as its related limitations. The contents of Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn in PCBs from wasted mobile phones were determined. Mixtures of aqua regia, hydrogen peroxide and hydrofluoric acid were applied to sample digestion. Open and closed vessel wet digestion with or without heating and microwave-assisted one was realized. For these purposes different sample amounts (0.2, 0.4, and 0.5 g) were applied and on the basis of calculated relative standard deviation values (RSD), the precision of repeated the most effective digestion was evaluated. The microwave-assisted wet digestion and mixture of aqua regia and hydrogen peroxide was found as the most effective one of the compared mixtures and applied conditions. A sample amount of 0.5 g was found as the most suitable. RSD values confirm the importance of electronic waste material sample preparation.     

The Effects of Formulation on Imidacloprid Dissipation in Grapes and Vine Leaves and on Required Pre-Harvest Intervals under Lebanese Climatic Conditions

In this study, imidacloprid, a systemic insecticide, currently having a specified European Commission MRL value for vine leaves (2 mg kg⁻¹), was applied on a Lebanese vineyard under different commercial formulations: as a soluble liquid (SL) and water dispersible granules (WDG). In Lebanon, many commercial formulations of imidacloprid are subject to the same critical good agricultural practice (cGAP). It was, therefore, important to verify the variability in dissipation patterns according to matrix nature and formulation type. Random samplings of grapes and vine leaves were performed starting at 2 days until 18 days after treatment. Residue extractions were performed according to the QuEChERS method and the analytical determination using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). The SL formulation yielded significantly higher initial deposit than the WDG formulation on grapes and vine leaves. The formulation type did not significantly affect the dissipation rates; the estimated half-lives in grapes and vine leaves were 0.5 days for all imidacloprid formulations. No pre-harvest intervals were necessary on grapes. PHIs of 3.7 days for the SL formulation and 2.8 days for the WDG formulation were estimated on vine leaves. The results showed that the type of formulation and the morphological and physiological characteristics of the matrix had an effect on the initial deposits, and thus residue levels, but not on the dissipation patterns.     

Determination of enantiomeric composition of samples by multivariate regression modeling of spectral data obtained with cyclodextrin guest-host complexes-Effect of an achiral surfactant and use of mixed cyclodextrins

The determination of the enantiomeric composition of samples by chemometric modeling of spectral data was investigated for samples of N,N′-bis-(-methylbenzyl) sulfamide and tryptophan methyl ester hydrochloride. Multivariate regression models (PLS-1) were developed from spectral data obtained on solutions containing N,N′-bis-(-methylbenzyl)sulfamide or tryptophan methyl ester hydrochloride in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate and mixed cyclodextrin host molecules. The regression models were subsequently used to predict the enantiomeric composition of laboratory-prepared test samples of N,N′-bis(-methylbenzyl)sulfamide or tryptophan methyl ester hydrochloride. The capability of the models to accurately predict the enantiomeric composition was evaluated in terms of the root-mean-square percent relative error (RMS %R.E.) as calculated from the results obtained with independently prepared validation sets of samples. It was found that the presence of SDS in most cases either had little effect on the predictive ability of the model or it actually reduced the predictive ability of the model. Moreover, it was found that the use of mixed CDs, either in the presence or absence of SDS, reduced the predictive ability of the regression model when compared with results obtained with individual CDs.     

Preventive doping control analysis: liquid and gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry for detection of designer steroids

A new combined doping control screening method for the analysis of anabolic steroids in human urine using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LCoaTOFMS) and gas chromatography/electron ionization orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCoaTOFMS) has been developed in order to acquire accurate full scan MS data to be used to detect designer steroids. The developed method allowed the detection of representative prohibited substances, in addition to steroids, at concentrations of 10 ng/mL for anabolic agents and metabolites, 30 ng/mL for corticosteroids, 500 ng/mL for stimulants and beta-blockers, 250 ng/mL for diuretics, and 200 ng/mL for narcotics. Sample preparation was based on liquid-liquid extraction of hydrolyzed human urine, and the final extract was analyzed as trimethylsilylated derivatives in GCoaTOFMS and underivatized in LCoaTOFMS in positive ion mode. The sensitivity, mass accuracy, advantages and limitations of the developed method are presented.     

Kinetics of comet formation in single‐cell gel electrophoresis: Loops and fragments

We investigated the mechanisms of DNA exit during single‐cell gel electrophoresis (the comet assay) by measuring the kinetics of the comet tail formation. In the neutral comet assay, the rate of DNA exit was found to be dependent on the topological state of DNA, which was influenced by either ethidium bromide or a low radiation dose. The results clearly show that the comet tail is formed by extended DNA loops: the loop extension, being reversible when the DNA torsional constraint remains in the loops, is favored when the constraint is relaxed. The kinetics of the comet formation in the case of a high radiation dose points out that accumulation of the single‐strand breaks causes DNA fragmentation. In contrast to the neutral comet assay, the alkaline comet assay is not related to the chromatin loops. Our results imply that the alkaline treatment induces detachment of the loops from the nuclear matrix, and the comet tail is formed by ssDNA fragments, the ends of which are pulled out from the comet head by electric force. We suggest that the kinetic approach can be considered as an important improvement of the comet assay.