Effective mass properties of Al<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>B<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>N ordered alloys: a first-principles study

We present first-principles’ calculations of the structural, electronic, and effective mass properties of cubic Al_1−x B _x N ordered alloys. They are based on the density functional theory within the local density approximation, and the full-potential linear augmented plane-wave method. From such calculations we obtain the equilibrium lattice constants, the bulk moduli, the bandgap energies, and the effective masses along the (111), (100), and (110) directions. The results are used to give important information on characteristics analysis of AlBN-based quantum well devices, to provide the Luttinger-like valence band parameters and the effective masses of charge carriers, connecting the first-principles’ band calculations with effective-mass theory.     

Ultrastructural analysis of microfilariae of Wuchereria bancrofti obtained from persistent carriers after repeated courses of diethylcarbamazine

Single dose of diethylcarbamazine (DEC) used in control programs is effective in breaking the transmission of filariasis. In order to investigate the effect of aggressive therapy on Wuchereria bancrofti (Wb) microfilariae, DEC was given to 29 patients who were positive for the circulating filarial antigen (CFA) assay but did not have clinical manifestations of filariasis, at 6 mg/kg/day for 12 days and again six months later using the same dosing regimen. For each patient, microfilarial density and serum CFA were followed up for two years. Ultrastructural analyses on Wb microfilariae obtained after repeated treatment with DEC were also performed. Microfilaremia and antigenemia decreased significantly after 12 months but returned to the initial levels after 24 months. This could indicate, as shown by other authors, that aggressive repeated therapy with DEC alone is ineffective in eradicating adult W. bancrofti, particularly in infected but asymptomatic individuals. The objective of the present study was to analyze the microfilaremic and antigenemic behavior and ultrastructural changes caused by different DEC concentrations in vitro in Wb microfilariae obtained from individuals who were sensitive and refractory to treatment. After in vitro treatment of the microfilariae using 5 and 10 μg/ml of DEC for 1 h, ultrastructural analysis revealed low levels of cell damage compared with embryos obtained from individuals from a different area who had never received DEC treatment before. The results obtained suggest that microfilariae from patients who receive repeated aggressive therapy are less sensitive to DEC in vitro.     

Theoretical estimates of the IR spectrum of water intercalated into kaolinite

Calculations at AM1, PM3, and HF/6‐31G levels of part of the IR spectrum of the water–kaolinite intercalated system based on a 96‐atom cluster of kaolinite with one water molecule are reported. Only the water molecule conformation is optimized. Frequencies and intensities for just the water vibrations and stretchings of four cluster hydroxyls were calculated through partial Hessian matrices and polar tensors obtained by numerical differentiation of energy gradients and dipole moment. The water molecule was found to attach to the cluster mainly through a double hydrogen bond to the siloxane inner surface, partially entering the siloxane ring hexagonal hole. Though the theoretical results predict that the water OH stretching frequencies decrease from the gas‐phase state to the intercalated state, they are still higher than expected with respect to the observed spectrum. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

Assessment of in vitro biofilm formation by Candida species isolates from vulvovaginal candidiasis and ultrastructural characteristics

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a very common cause of fungal infection that remains a significant problem worldwide, especially concerning its complex pathogenicity. Biofilm dynamics from vaginal isolates requires further investigation. Different assays, such as cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH), biofilm production, fungal metabolism by 2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) and phenazine methosulfate (PMS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) were used in order to determine the ability of five Candida species isolates from VVC patients to form in vitro biofilms and their ultrastructural characteristics. All yeasts demonstrated the ability to produce biofilm and showed viability up to 48 h after the completion of assay, confirmed by SEM and CSLM, but differences were observed between them. SEM and CSLM also revealed that all VVC isolates adhered only in blastoconidia form, except for Candida parapsilosis. Even though, only one isolate from each Candida species has been used, the results of high biofilm formation, metabolic activity and CSH showed by Candida albicans and C. parapsilosis, as well as by the ultrastructural characteristics, suggest that these species exhibit greater ability of adherence in relation to the others. Ours results support the theory that virulence potential is multifactorial and that other factors not evaluated in this study could be involved in the CVV physiopathogeny.     

Profiling isoflavonoids found in legume root extracts using capillary electrophoresis

Legumes such as alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), barrel medic (Medicago truncatula), white sweet clover (Melilotus alba) and fenugreek (Trigonella graecum), normally accumulate (-)-medicarpin and its malonated glucose conjugate as natural inhibitors of fungal pathogens. These plants also accumulate the biosynthetic precursor formononetin as well as the malonated glycoside. We were interested in developing a robust high-throughput method to quantitate the levels of these two isoflavonoids, both free and conjugated, in legume root extracts, for use in screening for mutant plants accumulating altered levels of these compounds. Capillary electrophoresis was examined as an alternative to current high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods to generate isoflavonoid profiles. The developed assay used micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) to provide the required selectivity in complex root extracts. The addition of 1,2-hexanediol to the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) electrolyte provided improved resolution of adjacent isoflavonoids. We examined the role of several factors including sample preparation, buffer composition, buffer pH, and organic component in the injected sample. The use of capillaries with longer path lengths were also examined to increase sensitivity. A comparison of results obtained using MEKC and HPLC showed good correlation in the relative amounts of the isoflavonoids studied.     

The limits of Brans-Dicke spacetimes: a coordinate-free approach

We investigate the limit of Brans-Dicke spacetimes applying a coordinate-free technique. We obtain the limits of some known exact solutions. It is shown that these limits may not correspond to similar solutions in the general relativity theory.     

A hierarchical model for random walks in random media

We show that the random walk generated by a hierarchical Laplacian in ^d has standard diffusive behavior. Moreover, we show that this behavior is stable under a class of random perturbations that resemble an off-diagonal disordered lattice Laplacian. The density of states and its asymptotic behavior around zero energy are computed: singularities appear in one and two dimensions.     

Gelfand transforms and Crofton formulas

The term integral geometry has come to describe two different fields of research: one, geometrical, based on the works of Blaschke, Chern, and Santaló, and another, analytical, based on the works of Radon, John, Helgason, and Gelfand. In this paper we bridge the gap by showing that classical integral-geometric formulas such as those of Crofton, Cauchy, and Chern can be easily and systematically obtained through the study of Radon-type transforms on double fibrations. The methods also allow us to extend these formulas to non-homogeneous settings where group-theoretic techniques are no longer useful. To illustrate this point, we construct all Finsler metrics on projective space such that hyperplanes are area-minimizing and extend the theory of Crofton densities developed by Busemann, Pogorelov, Gelfand, and Smirnov.

Pensar es olvidar diferencias. . . Jorge Luis Borges