Synthesis of 2-alkylthio (or trifluoromethylthio)-2-halogenoethenyl derivatives by means of wittig (under phase transfer conditions) or wittig-horner reactions. Application in the field of pyrethroids

A mixture of RSCHCl₂, Ph₃P and $\text{trans}$-caronaldehyde ethyl ester, treated with aq.NaOH under phase transfer conditions, gave the corresponding 2-alkylthio,2-chloroethenyl derivative, the product of the Wittig reaction of a phosphorane formed 'in situ'. The analogous derivative of the $\text{cis}$- and the 2-methylthio, 2-bromoethenyl derivative of the $\text{trans}$-caronaldehyde ethyl ester were synthesized also by means of Wittig-Horner reactions. The 2-trifluoromethylthio, 2-chloro-ethenyl derivative of the caronaldehyde ethyl ester ($\text{cis}$-$\text{trans}$ mixture) was also obtained through the phosphonate prepared from CF₃Cl + N₂CHP(OET)₂→ CF₃SCHClP(O)(OEt) The new derivatives prepared were converted to final pyrethroids by esterification with cyano(m-phenoxyphenyl)methanol.     

Presence and racemisation of amino acids in calcium oxalate patinas. A case study from the Baptistery in Parma,Italy

The organic material present in oxalate patinas, collected from the stone external surfaces of the Baptistery in Parma (Italy), was analysed by GC-MS. The high racemisation levels determined for several specific amino acids indicate that microbial activity could contribute to the formation and modification of the organic material leading to the calcium oxalate patinas.     

Stabilization of High Ionic Strength Slurries Using the Synergistic Effects of a Mixed Surfactant System

The stability of colloidal slurries is an important parameter in many industries due to problems that can arise as a result of particle settling. Particle settling is often caused by the shielding of surface charges on the particles which otherwise would prevent coagulation and subsequent settling. This is particularly a problem in high ionic strength slurries, where large amounts of ions serve to enhance the charge shielding and compression of the electrical double layer around the particles. This phenomenon has been investigated for industrially significant slurries used for tungsten and copper chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). It has been found that the effects of addition of conventional stabilizing agents (e.g., ionic surfactants, polymers) to these high ionic strength slurries are neutralized by the electrolytes in solution. However, the synergistic combination of a properly chosen ionic and nonionic surfactant has been found to be a suitable stabilizing agent for this type of system. For the CMP slurries investigated, the synergistic effect has been shown to be maximum for combinations of sodium dodecyl sulfate anionic surfactant and a variety of polymeric nonionic surfactants. The stabilization observed for these mixed surfactant systems has been explained in terms of adsorption of ionic surfactant on particle surfaces and nonionic surfactant molecules penetrating the film of the ionic surfactant due to hydrocarbon chain interactions. This brings about the steric stabilization of the slurry. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Comparing the hierarchy of author given tags and repository given tags in a large document archive

Folksonomies – large databases arising from collaborative tagging of items by independent users - are becoming an increasingly important way of categorizing information. In these systems users can tag items with free words, resulting in a tripartite item-tag-user network. Although there are no prescribed relations between tags, the way users think about the different categories presumably has some built in hierarchy, in which more special concepts are descendants of some more general categories. Several applications would benefit from the knowledge of this hierarchy. Here we apply a recent method to check the differences and similarities of hierarchies resulting from tags given by independent individuals and from tags given by a centrally managed repository system. The results from our method showed substantial differences between the lower part of the hierarchies, and in contrast, a relatively high similarity at the top of the hierarchies.     

NLIE of Dirichlet sine-Gordon model for boundary bound states

We investigate boundary bound states of sine-Gordon model on the finite-size strip with Dirichlet boundary conditions. For the purpose we derive the nonlinear integral equation (NLIE) for the boundary excited states from the Bethe ansatz equation of the inhomogeneous XXZ spin 1/2 chain with boundary imaginary roots discovered by Saleur and Skorik. Taking a large volume (IR) limit we calculate boundary energies, boundary reflection factors and boundary Lüscher corrections and compare with the excited boundary states of the Dirichlet sine-Gordon model first considered by Dorey and Mattsson. We also consider the short distance limit and relate the IR scattering data with that of the UV conformal field theory.     

Effects of Essential Oils of Elettaria cardamomum Grown in India and Guatemala on Gram-Negative Bacteria and Gastrointestinal Disorders

The present study examined the chemical composition and antimicrobial and gastrointestinal activity of the essential oils of Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton harvested in India (EC-I) and Guatemala (EC-G). Monoterpenes were present in higher concentration in EC-I (83.24%) than in EC-G (73.03%), whereas sesquiterpenes were present in a higher concentration in EC-G (18.35%) than in EC-I (9.27%). Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 0.5 and 0.25 mg/mL were demonstrated against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in EC-G and EC-I, respectively, whereas MICs of 1 and 0.5 mg/mL were demonstrated against Escherichia coli in EC-G and EC-I, respectively. The treatment with control had the highest kill-time potential, whereas the treatment with oils had shorter kill-time. EC-I was observed to be more potent in the castor oil-induced diarrhea model than EC-G. At 100 and 200 mg/kg, P.O., EC-I exhibited 40% and 80% protection, respectively, and EC-G exhibited 20% and 60% protection, respectively, in mice, whereas loperamide (10 mg/kg, i.p., positive control) exhibited 100% protection. In the in vitro experiments, EC-I inhibited both carbachol (CCh, 1 µM) and high K⁺ (80 mM)-induced contractions at significantly lower concentrations than EC-G. Thus, EC-I significantly inhibited P. aeruginosa and E. coli and exhibited more potent antidiarrheal and antispasmodic effects than EC-G.     

Asymptotics of High Order Noise Corrections

We consider an evolution operator for a discrete Langevin equation with a strongly hyperbolic classical dynamics and noise with finite moments. Using a perturbative expansion of the evolution operator we calculate high order corrections to its trace in the case of a quartic map and Gaussian noise. The asymptotic behaviour is investigated and is found to be independent up to a multiplicative constant of the distribution of noise.     

On the structure of generalized monopole solutions in gauge theories

A method is presented for constructing generalized 't Hooft monopole solutions in a gauge theory with an arbitrary gauge group. We derive restriction arising from the condition of finite energy. The radial oscillation of the solution is discussed. Using our method we reproduce all the SU(3) solutions known in the literature. Finite energy monopoles possessing magnetic charge in the range g₀?kg₀?(N?1)g₀ are found in SU(N) gauge theories. Different charge quantization conditions are analyzed to understand the structure of our solutions.