From favorable atomic configurations to supershell structures: a new interpretation of conductance histograms.

Simulated minimum cross-section histograms of breaking Al nanocontacts are produced using molecular dynamics. The results allow a new interpretation of the controverted conductance histogram peaks based on preferential geometrical arrangements of nanocontact necks. As temperature increases, lower conductance peaks decrease in favor of broader and higher conductance structures. This reveals the existence of shell and supershell structures favored by the increased mobility of Al atoms.     

UV spectrophotometric flow-injection assay of tetracycline antibiotics retained on Sephadex QAE A-25 in drug formulations

A flow injection analysis system with solid phase spectrophotometric transduction has been developed for the assay of tetracycline (TC), doxycicline (DTC), oxycicline (OTC) and chlortetracycline (CTC). The packing material of the flow-through cell consists of Sephadex QAE A-25 resin on which tetracyclines are temporarily retained. The carrier itself acts as the desorbing solution. The measurements of the intrinsic absorbance of tetracyclines (1000 μl of sample volume) were made at 380 nm (TC, DTC and OTC) and 387 nm (CTC). The detection limits were found to be 0.069 (TC and OTC), 0.081 (DTC) and 0.121 (CTC) μg ml⁻¹ and the linear dynamic range extended between 0.5 and 12 (TC, DTC and OTC) and 1–20 μg ml⁻¹ (CTC). The relative standard deviations (n=10) ranged between 0.7 and 1.2%. A study of the potentially interfering species was carried out. Using the proposed method, tetracyclines were satisfactorily determined without any interference from excipients in pharmaceutical preparations.     

Microseparation techniques for the study of the enantioselectivity of drug–plasma protein binding

Stereoselectivity in protein binding can have a significant effect on the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of chiral drugs. The investigation of enantioselectivity of drugs in their binding with human plasma proteins and the identification of the molecular mechanisms involved in the stereodiscrimination by the proteins represent a great challenge for clinical pharmacology. In this review, the separation techniques used for enantioselective protein binding experiments are described and compared. An overview of studies on enantiomer–protein interactions, enantiomer–enantiomer interactions as well as chiral drug–drug interactions, including allosteric effects, is presented. The contribution of individual plasma proteins to the overall enantioselective binding and the animal species variability in drug–plasma protein binding stereoselectivity are reviewed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effectiveness of Photodynamic Therapy in Elimination of HPV‐16 and HPV‐18 Associated with CIN I in Mexican Women

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy (PDT), using δ‐aminolevulinic acid (5‐ALA), in the elimination of premalignant cervical lesions in Mexican patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and/or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Thirty women diagnosed with CIN I and/or positive for HPV participated in the study. Topical 6% 5‐ALA in gel form was applied to the uterine cervix; after 4 h, the lesion area was irradiated with a light dose of 200 J cm^?2 at 635 nm. This procedure was performed three times at 48‐h intervals. Clinical follow‐up was performed at 3, 6, and 12 months after the initial PDT administration, by colposcopy, cervical cytology, histopathological analysis, polymerase chain reaction, and hybrid capture. Of HPV‐infected patients without evidence of CIN I, 80% cleared the infection, while HPV associated with CIN I was eliminated in 83% of patients (P < 0.05). At 12 months, CIN I had regressed in 57% of patients, although this response was not statistically significant. PDT using 6% 5‐ALA is concluded to be effective in eliminating HPV infection associated or not with CIN I.     

Integral equation formulation for buoyancy-driven convection problems

An integral equation formulation for buoyancy-driven convection problems is developed and illustrated. Buoyancy-driven convection in a bounded cylindrical geometry with a free surface is studied for a range of aspect ratios and Nusselt numbers. The critical Rayleigh number, the nature of the cellular motion, and the heat transfer enhancement are computed using linear theory. Green's functions are used to convert the linear problem into linear Fredholm integral equations. Theorems are proved which establish the properties of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the linear integral operator which appears in these equations.     

Determination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in wastewaters by magnetic matrix solid phase dispersion-HPLC

A series of supports functionalized with different alkyl chains and covered with magnetite were synthesized, characterized and applied in the sample pre-concentration of four non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (acetaminophen, naproxen, diclofenac and ibuprofen) contained in wastewater samples. The general methodology involved magnetic solid phase dispersion followed by the analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The magnetic supports were initially dispersed in the samples with the aid of Triton X-100, then supports were magnetically isolated and the analytes were eluted with methanol. Finally the extract was injected into the HPLC system. The highest recovery percentage (>90%) was obtained with the support containing octyl chains (C8) at pH 3. The lowest limits of detection achieved ranged within 1-2 μg L⁻¹ with repeatability (expressed as RSD) below 5% in all cases. The method was applied in the analysis of wastewater samples.     

Comparison of rheological behavior of branched polypropylene prepared by chemical modification and electron beam irradiation under air and N2

Chemical and electron beam irradiation methods were used to introduce a branched structure into polypropylene and propylene–ethylene copolymer. The chemical method was carried out in an internal mixer using initiator and TMPTMA monomer. In irradiation method, the polymer was irradiated by electron beam under air and nitrogen atmosphere. The branched structure in the modified polymer was confirmed by rheological measurements. While degradation was significant in chemical method, branching occurred efficiently by irradiation under air. Small amount of ethylene in the propylene copolymer promoted branching over degradation.     

On the singular sector of the Hermitian random matrix model in the large N limit

The one-cut case of the Hermitian random matrix model in the large N limit is considered. Its singular sector in the space of coupling constants is analyzed from the point of view of the hodograph equations of the underlying dispersionless Toda hierarchy. A deep connection with the singular sector of the hodograph equations of the 1-layer Benney (classical long wave equation) hierarchy is stablished. This property is a consequence of the fact that the hodograph equations for both hierarchies describe the critical points of solutions of Euler-Poisson-Darboux equations.     

Solutions of the Yang–Baxter equations on quadratic Lie groups: The case of oscillator groups

A Lie group is called quadratic if it carries a bi-invariant semi-Riemannian metric. Oscillator Lie groups constitute a subclass of the class of quadratic Lie groups. In this paper, we determine the Lie bialgebra structures and the solutions of the classical Yang–Baxter equation on a generic class of oscillator Lie algebras. Moreover, we show that any solution of the generalized classical Yang–Baxter equation (resp. classical Yang–Baxter equation) on a quadratic Lie group determines a left invariant locally symmetric (resp. flat) semi-Riemannian metric on the corresponding dual Lie groups.