Stability of Equilibrium Points for a Hamiltonian Systems with One Degree of Freedom in One Degenerate Case

This paper concerns with the study of the stability of one equilibrium solution of an autonomous analytic Hamiltonian system in a neighborhood of the equilibrium point with 1-degree of freedom in the degenerate case H = q⁴ + H₅ + H₆ +.... Our main results complement the study initiated by Markeev in [9].     

Determination of Phosphorus in Crude Oil and Middle Distillate Petroleum Products by Inductively Coupled Plasma–Optical Emission Spectrometry

A method for the precise and accurate determination of phosphorus in crude oil and middle distillate petroleum products was developed using inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry to rapidly determine phosphorus as a control method. The presence of phosphorus is undesirable in petrochemical products as it complexes with other metals generating residues that interrupt normal operation of refineries. The presence of phosphorus may be due to some anti-fouling additives or the crude oils processed. Consequently, it is necessary to control the phosphorus present at trace levels in the crude oil and in process streams that present various densities and viscosities. The instrumental power, nebulizer flow, pump rate, read time, and the sample preparation conditions were optimized. The desired level of quantification for the petrochemical industry was achieved allowing the simultaneous analysis of diverse liquid petroleum products.     

Raman microscopy of prehistoric paintings in French megalithic monuments

Remains of pictorial decorations in a series of six representative megalithic monuments of Brittany (France) and two French stelae have been studied by micro‐Raman spectroscopy for the first time. Fungal colonies on the painted orthostats made it difficult to obtain in situ Raman spectra of the paint components. Nevertheless, paint micro‐specimens studied in the laboratory by micro‐Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electronic microscopy combined with energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy have made possible to characterise the materials present. The minerals α‐quartz, albite, microcline, muscovite, phlogopite, celadonite, beryl and anatase have been identified in the granitic rocks supporting the paintings, while dolomite and calcite are dominant in the calcareous rocky substrata. Haematite is the main component of the red pictographs, whereas amorphous carbon and manganese oxides/oxihydroxides have been used in the black ones. Calcite, gypsum and amorphous carbon have been detected as additional components of the paint in some cases. Contamination with modern tracing materials (polystyrene and ε‐copper‐phthalocyanine blue) has been detected in several cases. The presence of pigments as decorative elements in megalithic monuments of Western France and its possible relation with those of the Iberian Peninsula create interesting expectations for the knowledge of the European megalithic culture. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Borohydride Reduction Method for PdIn/C Electrocatalysts Synthesis towards Glycerol Electrooxidation under Alkaline Condition

Pd−In/C electrocatalysts were synthesized by the adapted borohydride reduction method in different atomic ratios. Electrocatalysts were evaluated by conventional electrochemical techniques and direct glycerol fuel cells. X-ray diffraction profiles indicated the structure of Pd and In (fcc) phases, as well as the presence of In higher oxidation states. Regarding Transmission electron microscopy, it showed the particle‘s average diameters between 6.1–12.7 nm. All PdIn/C electrocatalysts showed high current values for −0.30 V vs. Ag/AgCl, which the best one was PdIn/C 90 : 10. Higher performance for glycerol oxidation was observed in polarization curves at 90 °C for PdIn/C (30 : 70) composition.     

Local Fourier Analysis of Multigrid Methods with Polynomial Smoothers and Aggressive Coarsening

We focus on the study of multigrid methods with aggressive coarsening and polynomial smoothers for the solution of the linear systems corresponding to finite difference/element discretizations of the Laplace equation. Using local Fourier analysis we determine automatically the optimal values for the parameters involved in defining the polynomial smoothers and achieve fast convergence of cycles with aggressive coarsening. We also present numerical tests supporting the theoretical results and the heuristic ideas. The methods we introduce are highly parallelizable and efficient multigrid algorithms on structured and semi-structured grids in two and three spatial dimensions.     

Analysis of corrosion residues by WDXRF

In this article, a methodology for the wavelength dispersive X‐ray fluorescence analysis of corrosion residues is described. Corrosion residues are generally composed of elements that are, total or partially, in a reduced state. Therefore, to prepare fused beads to be measured by wavelength dispersive X‐ray fluorescence, it is necessary to oxidize species and to avoid any analyte loss, as sulfur, which is present in residues composition. The combination of an oxidizing agent (LiNO₃) and a flux (Li₂B₄O₇ + LiBO₂), at a mass ratio residue : oxidizing agent : flux of 1:5:12, is demonstrated to be suitable for the quantitative retention of sulfur in the sample preparation. The addition of silica to the mixture (residue : oxidizing agent : flux) for the formation of homogeneous fused beads is also studied. The optimal parameters for the sample preparation are as follows: A temperature of 600 °C for 15 min for the oxidation process and a fusion temperature of 950 °C for fused beads preparation. The quantitative retention of sulfur in the entire process was validated by an independent method, combustion and infrared detection, and analyzation reference materials. Moreover, minor and major elements (Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, S, and Ti) present in corrosion residues were simultaneously measured with low uncertainty. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Large Communities in a Scale-Free Network

We prove the existence of a large complete subgraph w.h.p. in a preferential attachment random graph process with an edge-step. That is, we consider a dynamic stochastic process for constructing a graph in which at each step we independently decide, with probability \(p\in (0,1)\), whether the graph receives a new vertex or a new edge between existing vertices. The connections are then made according to a preferential attachment rule. We prove that the random graph \(G_{t}\) produced by this so-called generalized linear preferential (GLP) model at time t contains a complete subgraph whose vertex set cardinality is given by \(t^\alpha \), where \(\alpha = (1-\varepsilon )\frac{1-p}{2-p}\), for any small \(\varepsilon >0\) asymptotically almost surely.     

Benzyl­triethyl­ammonium 2,2,2,4‐tetra­chloro‐2,5‐di­hydro‐1,2λ5‐oxatellurole

The geometry around the Te atom in the anion in C₁₃H₂₂N⁺·C₃H₃Cl₄OTe^? is distorted pseudo‐octahedral with three Cl atoms and the O atom forming the equatorial plane, and the C atom lying opposite the tellurium lone pair. Distances and angles are: Te—O 2.0120 (18), Te—C 2.072 (2), Te—Cl 2.5239 (7), 2.5283 (7) and 2.5577 (7) Å; O—Te—C 81.61 (9), O—Te—Cl 90.69 (6), 90.99 (6) and 168.13 (5), C—Te—Cl 87.13 (8), 86.64 (8) and 86.59 (8), and Cl—Te—Cl 87.02 (2), 90.00 (3) and 173.24 (3)°. The anions are arranged in an infinite zigzag chain parallel to the a axis through a secondary Te?Cl bond [3.8391 (8) Å].     

Microencapsulated and Lyophilized Propolis Co-Product Extract as Antioxidant Synthetic Replacer on Traditional Brazilian Starch Biscuit

The residue from commercial propolis extraction may have significant antioxidant power in food technology. However, among the challenges for using the propolis co-product as an inhibitor of lipid oxidation (LO) in baked goods is maintaining its bioactive compounds. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the propolis co-product extracts’ capability to reduce LO in starch biscuit formulated with canola oil and stored for 45 days at 25 °C. Two co-product extracts were prepared: microencapsulated propolis co-product (MECP) (with maltodextrin) and lyophilized propolis co-product (LFCP), which were subjected to analysis of their total phenolic content and antioxidant activity (AA). Relevant antioxidant activity was observed using the methods of analysis employed. The spray-drying microencapsulation process showed an efficiency of 63%. The LO in the biscuits was determined by the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) test and fatty acid composition by gas chromatography analysis. Palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoelaidic, linoleic, and α-linolenic acids were found in biscuits at constant concentrations throughout the storage period. In addition, there was a reduction in malondialdehyde values with the addition of both propolis co-product extracts. Therefore, the propolis co-product extracts could be utilized as a natural antioxidant to reduce lipid oxidation in fatty starch biscuit.     

Modulating Glycoside Hydrolase Activity between Hydrolysis and Transfer Reactions Using an Evolutionary Approach

The proteins within the CAZy glycoside hydrolase family GH13 catalyze the hydrolysis of polysaccharides such as glycogen and starch. Many of these enzymes also perform transglycosylation in various degrees, ranging from secondary to predominant reactions. Identifying structural determinants associated with GH13 family reaction specificity is key to modifying and designing enzymes with increased specificity towards individual reactions for further applications in industrial, chemical, or biomedical fields. This work proposes a computational approach for decoding the determinant structural composition defining the reaction specificity. This method is based on the conservation of coevolving residues in spatial contacts associated with reaction specificity. To evaluate the algorithm, mutants of α-amylase (TmAmyA) and glucanotransferase (TmGTase) from Thermotoga maritima were constructed to modify the reaction specificity. The K98P/D99A/H222Q variant from TmAmyA doubled the transglycosydation/hydrolysis (T/H) ratio while the M279N variant from TmGTase increased the hydrolysis/transglycosidation ratio five-fold. Molecular dynamic simulations of the variants indicated changes in flexibility that can account for the modified T/H ratio. An essential contribution of the presented computational approach is its capacity to identify residues outside of the active center that affect the reaction specificity.