Erratum to ``Real bounds, ergodicity and negative Schwarzian for multimodal maps'

A technical assumption in Part 1 of Theorem C of the authors' article Real bounds, ergodicity and negative Schwarzian for multimodal maps, J. Amer. Math. Soc. 17 (2004), 749-782, was, by mistake, omitted. Here we explain that the conclusion of the theorem holds if the interval we pullback is ``nice'.

     

An optimization-based approach for the design of Bayesian networks

Bayesian networks model conditional dependencies among the domain variables, and provide a way to deduce their interrelationships as well as a method for the classification of new instances. One of the most challenging problems in using Bayesian networks, in the absence of a domain expert who can dictate the model, is inducing the structure of the network from a large, multivariate data set. We propose a new methodology for the design of the structure of a Bayesian network based on concepts of graph theory and nonlinear integer optimization techniques.     

MR and CT imaging of ethanol-treated liver tumors in an animal model

To characterize the radiographic appearance of liver lesions over time following ethanol injection, seven New Zealand white rabbits underwent surgical implantation of small fragments of VX-2 carcinoma within the liver. Upon reaching 1 cm in diameter, a tumor nodule was directly injected with absolute ethanol. Another nodule in the same animal was injected with saline as a control. Imaging was performed 6-24 days after the injections by high resolution CT and MRI, and correlation obtained with the pathologic specimens. Long TR spin-echo MR sequences were found to characterize the ethanol-treated regions of liver most accurately. Liver tissue infarcted by alcohol could be differentiated from tumor and necrosis by virtue of its short T2 relaxation value. There were no distinguishing features by other imaging techniques between the ethanol-treated and control tumor nodules. Peripheral contrast enhancement was demonstrated in both, corresponding to fibrous tissue around the ethanol-injected regions, and to viable tumor in the case of controls.     

A new technique for calculating virtual photon spectra

A first-order matrix differential equation in energy is used to propagate radial matrix elements arising in DWBA of relativistic electron scattering from nuclei. Given an initial set of matrix elements at some value of the energy, this equation permits the evaluation of the radial matrix elements over the complete energy transfer range. A computer code has been written for this new procedure and the virtual photon spectra accompanying electron scattering from a point nucleus is calculated as a function of photon energy for various multipoles, nuclear charges, and incident electron energies.     

delta-Lactone from Oedogonium capillare and their effects on rat ileum

Antispasmodic activity-guided fractionation together with chemical analysis led to the isolation of one novel delta-lactone named oedogonolide from Oedogonium capillare. Identification was based on spectroscopic methods. The oedogonolide produces a significant antispasmodic effect on the contractions of the rat ileum induced by acetylcholine, histamine and barium chloride.     

Theoretical and spectroscopic study of the effect of ring substitution on the adsorption of anisole on platinum

The adsorption of anisole, 3,5-dimethylanisole, and 3,5-bis-(trifluoromethyl)-anisole on Pt(111) was studied theoretically and compared to the adsorption of benzene using relativistically corrected density functional theory. A cluster of 31 platinum atoms was used to simulate the surface. The three anisoles were found to be less strongly adsorbed than the parent molecule benzene, 3,5-bis-(trifluoromethyl)-anisole showing weakest adsorption, with an adsorption energy of only one-third that of benzene. The theoretical study was complemented by in situ ATR-IR spectroscopy of the adsorption of the anisole derivatives on a polycrystalline Pt film. The spectroscopic study indicated that the adsorption strength of the anisoles follows the same order as predicted by the calculations. In addition, catalytic hydrogenation tests showed that the propensity to aromatic ring hydrogenation can also be correlated to the mode and strength of adsorption of the anisoles. The degree of saturation followed the same order as the adsorption strength found by the calculations and indicated by spectroscopy. Although 3,5-dimethyl substitution on anisole resulted in only a partial loss of adsorption energy and reactivity toward ring hydrogenation as compared to anisole, the substitution by CF(3) groups led to a large loss of adsorption energy and complete loss of reactivity toward aromatic ring saturation. Along with the study of the substituent effect on the adsorption of aromatic molecules, the correlation between adsorption and propensity to saturation of aromatic substrates could be corroborated.     

Quenching points of dimeric single-molecule magnets: Exchange interaction effects

We study the quenched energy-splitting (Δ_E) of a single-molecule magnet (SMM) conformed by two exchange coupled giant-spins. An assessment of two nontrivial characteristics of this quenching is presented: (i) The quenching-points of a strongly exchange-coupled dimer differ from the ones of their respective giant-spin modeled SMM and such a difference can be well described by using the Solari-Kochetov extra phase; (ii) the dependence on the exchange coupling of the magnetic field values at the quenching-points when Δ_E passes from monomeric to dimeric behavior. The physics behind these exchange-modified points, their relation with the Δ_E-oscillations experimentally obtained by the Landau-Zener method and with the diabolical-plane of a SMM, is discussed.     

Current topics on sonoelectrochemistry

Sonoelectrochemistry is undergoing a reemerging activity in the last years with an increasing number of papers appearing in a wide range of peer review journals. Applied studies which cover environmental treatments, synthesis or characterization of nanostructures, polymeric materials synthesis, analytical procedures, films preparations, membrane preparations among other interesting applications have been reviewed. The revised fundamental analyses trying to elucidate the mechanism of the interactions between the ultrasound and electrical fields, are focused on test electrochemical processes, on the use of unconventional solvents and combination with other techniques. After the review of the achievements and faults of sonoelectrochemistry, future research lines are suggested.