Lectin from Canavalia brasiliensis seeds (ConBr) is a valuable biotechnological tool to stimulate the growth of Rhizobium tropici in vitro

To study the interactions between a Rhizobium tropici strain and lectins isolated from the seeds of Canavalia ensiformis (ConA) and Canavalia brasiliensis (ConBr), a lectin fluorescence assay was performed. In addition, an experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of the two lectins on bacterial growth. Both lectins were found to bind to R. tropici cells, but the interactions were inhibited by D-mannose. Interestingly, only ConBr stimulated bacterial growth in proportion to the concentrations used (15.6-500 μg/mL), and the bacterial growth stimulation was inhibited by D-mannose as well. Structure/Function analyses by bioinformatics were carried out to evaluate the volume and carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) configuration of ConA and ConBr. The difference of spatial arrangement and volume of CRD may indicate the variation between biological activities of both lectins. The results suggest that ConBr could be a promising tool for studies focusing on the interactions between rhizobia and host plants.     

Design of hierarchical porous aluminas by using one-pot synthesis and different calcination temperatures

Hierarchical aluminas with pore sizes ranging from a few nanometers to micrometers were obtained using an one-pot sol?Cgel synthesis. The aluminas were synthesized under acid conditions from aluminum isopropoxide in presence of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer template and decahydronaphthalene as emulsifier agent. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, nitrogen physisorption isotherms and mercury intrusion porosimetry provided evidences of porous structure at different hierarchical levels. The produced aluminas possess hierarchical structure composed of different family of pores that coexist in form of cylinders, pyramids and stacking of platelets. The morphology observed by electron microscopy suggests that the cylindrical pores result from the stacking platelets and that the cylinders and pyramidal pores form the walls of macropores of circular section. These aluminas with hierarchical porous architecture present large surface areas (ca. 435?m² g^?1) and pore volumes (ca. 2.1?cm³ g^?1), tunable pore-size distributions and good thermal stability.     

A comprehensive study of the vibrationally resolved S 2p(-1) Auger electron spectrum of carbonyl sulfide

High-resolution normal Auger-electron spectra of carbonyl sulfide subsequent to S 2p(-1) photoionization at photon energies of 200, 220, and 240 eV are reported along with corresponding photoelectron spectra. In addition, theoretical results are presented that take the core-hole orientation of the various spin-orbit-split and molecular-field-split S 2p(-1) states into account. Auger transitions to eight metastable dicationic final states are observed and assigned on the basis of the theoretical results. From Franck-Condon analysis, assuming Morse potentials along the normal coordinates for seven of the observed quasi-stable dicationic final states, information on the potential-energy surfaces is derived and compared with theoretical results from the literature.     

Application of hydrophobic silica based aerogels and xerogels for removal of toxic organic compounds from aqueous solutions

This work is devoted to the application of hydrophobic silica based aerogels and xerogels for the removal of three toxic organic compounds from aqueous solutions. These materials were tested and characterized regarding their morphology, particle size distribution, surface area and porous structure. The equilibrium tests were carried out at different adsorbate concentrations and the experimental data were correlated by means of Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The equilibrium data were well described by Langmuir and Freundlich in most cases. The maximum adsorption capacity by Langmuir model was observed for the adsorption of benzene onto aerogel (192.31 mg/g), though the most promising results were obtained for toluene adsorption due to the greater adsorption energy involved. Comparing these results with other reported results, the hydrophobic silica based aerogels/xerogels were found to exhibit a remarkable performance for the removal of benzene and toluene. In addition, the regeneration of previously saturated aerogel/toluene was also investigated by using an ozonation process. The adsorption/regeneration tests with ozone oxidation showed that the aerogel might be regenerated, nevertheless the materials lost their hydrophobicity and thus different methods should be evaluated in forthcoming investigations.     

Assessing colloidal stability of long term MWCNT based nanofluids

This report presents an assessment on colloidal stability of functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes based nanofluids. To this end, an innovative technique that allows for measurement of settling velocity during centrifugation is applied. This method also enables measurements without dilution, inferring further accuracy to the experimental study. The results suggest that functionalization techniques enable the production of highly stable nanofluids. It is also found, that the colloidal stabilities of these nanofluids are characterized by hindered settling. The settling velocity decreases when the nanoparticles volume fraction rises from 0.25% to 1.50% due to the increase of interparticle interaction. Furthermore, a high aspect ratio of nanoparticles directly contributed to an increase in colloidal stability. It is expected that these results may significantly contribute to proper tailor of nanofluids engineering, ensuring a long term stable dispersion enhancing industrial application suitability.     

Benzene–kaolinite interaction properties

In this work, we present a theoretical study of interaction of benzene with kaolinite and an analysis of the vibrational spectra, electrostatic potential maps, and self consistent field (SCF) orbitals. B3LYP and MP2 benzene–kaolinite results indicate a preferential interaction of benzene on kaolinite octahedral surface. Population analysis indicates that the atoms modified their charges when the monoaromatic molecule and clay mineral are close to tetrahedral and octahedral surface of kaolinite, which suggests that the adsorbed molecule becomes slightly positive. Infrared vibrational data show the reduction in the band frequencies related to the kaolinite external hydroxyls, indicating a weak interaction of benzene with clay mineral. It also was verified, from the potential electrostatic maps, a change in electron density in both benzene and kaolinite. Electron localization function analysis was also carried out for this interaction. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Polar multiplicities and Euler obstruction for ruled surfaces

Given two integers m ?? n ?? 0 we exhibit (ruled) surfaces with multiplicity m and Euler obstruction n.     

Fermion masses in a model for spontaneous parity breaking

In this paper we discuss a left–right symmetric model for elementary particles and their connection with the mass spectrum of elementary fermions. The model is based on the group . New mirror fermions and a minimal set of Higgs particles that break this symmetry down to are proposed. The model can accommodate a consistent pattern for charged and neutral fermion masses as well as neutrino oscillations. An important consequence of the model is that the connection between the left and right sectors can be implemented by the neutral vector gauge boson Z and a new heavy Z'. Received: 15 June 2000 / Revised version: 14 September 2000 / Published online: 5 February 2001     

Synthesis and characterization of some heterocyclic derivatives by cyclization of carbohydrate thiosemicarbazone — part II

The syntheses of 2,3‐dihydro‐1,3,4‐thiadiazoles and 1,3,4‐thiadiazoles from 1,2‐O‐isopropylidene‐α‐D‐xylo‐1,5‐pentadialdo‐1,4‐furanose thiosemicarbazone are described. The new compounds as well as the intermediate products are physically and spectroscopically characterized. We discuss a possible mechanistic pathway for heterocyclization in this particular substrate, using computational calculation.     

Alternatives to a Semi-Parametric Estimator of Parameters of Rare Events—The Jackknife Methodology*

In this paper, and in a context of regularly varying tails, we propose different alternatives to a well-known estimator of the tail index—the Hill estimator (Hill, 1975). These alternatives have essentially in mind a reduction in bias, preferably without increasing Mean Square Error, by the use of suitable Generalized Jackknife methodologies (Gray and Schucany, 1972). The first estimate obtained through this methodolgy is the one introduced by Peng (1998), under a different context. Other Generalized Jackknife estimators are linear combinations of Hill estimators at different levels. This methodology of affine combinations of Hill estimators at different levels may be easily generalized to other semi-parametric estimators of the tail index, like Pickands' estimator (Pickands, 1975) or the Moment's estimator (Dekkers et al., 1989), and consequently to a general real tail index, seeming to be a promising field of research.