Killing fields of holomorphic Cartan geometries

We study local automorphisms of holomorphic Cartan geometries. This leads to classification results for compact complex manifolds admitting holomorphic Cartan geometries. We prove that a compact Kähler Calabi–Yau manifold bearing a holomorphic Cartan geometry of algebraic type admits a finite unramified cover which is a complex torus.     

Analysis of an Euler implicit‐mixed finite element scheme for reactive solute transport in porous media

In this article, we analyze an Euler implicit‐mixed finite element scheme for a porous media solute transport model. The transporting flux is not assumed given, but obtained by solving numerically the Richards equation, a model for subsurface fluid flow. We prove the convergence of the scheme by estimating the error in terms of the discretization parameters. In doing so we take into account the numerical error occurring in the approximation of the fluid flow. The article, is concluded by numerical experiments, which are in good agreement with the theoretical estimates. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2010     

Reactions of acetylenes with transition metals : VII steric effects in the oligomerization of diarylacetylenes

The synthesis of ortho-substituted diphenylacetylenes and their behaviour toward dichlorobis(benzonitrile)palladium(II) are described. The influence of steric factors on the oligomerization is discussed.     

Preconcentration by dithiocarbamate extraction for determination of trace elements in natural waters by inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

Preconcentration by dithiocarbamate extraction into 2-ethylhexyl acetate for simultaneous determination of trace elements in natural water is described. After 250-fold concentration, the organic phase is used directly for inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Thirteen elements (As, Se, Mo, Zn, Cd, Ni, Co, Sn, Fe, Cr(VI), Pb, V and Cu) are simultaneously concentrated at pH 4.3 with the combination of ammonium tetramethylenedithiocarbamate and dibenzylammonium dibenzyldithiocarbamate and are determined in the extract; Mn and Cr(III) are also determined after preconcentration at pH 6.9 with the same chelating agents. Lake waters are analyzed by this method.     

Donor/Acceptor Effects on the Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Geminal Diethynylethenes (g‐DEEs)

A series of geminal diethynylethenes (g‐DEEs) with electron‐donating and/or electron‐accepting (D/A) groups were synthesized via a Pd‐catalyzed cross‐coupling sequence. The UV/VIS spectra for donor–acceptor (D–A) functionalized g‐DEEs 5, 8 , and 11 show distinctive absorption trends attributable to intramolecular charge‐transfer (ICT). The bond‐length‐alternation (BLA) index for the cross‐conjugated enediyne framework varies slightly with different terminal substituents as determined by density‐functional theory (DFT) calculations and single‐crystal X‐ray analysis. Ultrafast third‐order optical nonlinearities for the g‐DEEs were measured by the differential optical Kerr effect (DOKE) technique and show that terminal donor–acceptor substitution of g‐DEEs enhances molecular second hyperpolarizabilities (γ) in comparison to donor or acceptor g‐DEEs. A small increase in the two‐photon‐absorption cross‐section (σ⁽²⁾) is observed in the series 9 – 11 as a result of increased functionalization. The effects of donor/acceptor substitution on electron delocalization along the cross‐conjugated enediyne structure are evaluated on the basis of natural‐bond‐orbital (NBO) analysis. Solid‐state structures of the four derivatives 3b, 4b, 7 and 8 were characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray structural analysis and show an asymmetric unit cell for one derivative, D–A g‐DEE 8 .     

Model Systems for Evidencing the Mediator Role of Riboflavin in the UVA Cross-Linking Treatment of Keratoconus

Riboflavin under UVA radiation generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can induce various changes in biological systems. Under controlled conditions, these processes can be used in some treatments for ocular or dermal diseases. For instance, corneal cross-linking (CXL) treatment of keratoconus involves UVA irradiation combined with riboflavin aiming to induce the formation of new collagen fibrils in cornea. To reduce the damaging effect of ROS formed in the presence of riboflavin and UVA, the CXL treatment is performed with the addition of polysaccharides (dextran). Hyaluronic acid is a polysaccharide that can be found in the aqueous layer of the tear film. In many cases, keratoconus patients also present dry eye syndrome that can be reduced by the application of topical solutions containing hyaluronic acid. This study presents physico-chemical evidence on the effect of riboflavin on collagen fibril formation revealed by the following methods: differential scanning microcalorimetry, rheology, and STEM images. The collagen used was extracted from calf skin that contains type I collagen similar to that found in the eye. Spin trapping experiments on collagen/hyaluronic acid/riboflavin solutions evidenced the formation of ROS species by electron paramagnetic resonance measurements.     

Properties of lightest mesons at finite temperature and quark/baryon chemical potential in the instanton model of the QCD vacuum

The paper is focused on calculating the finite temperature and quark/baryon chemical potential dependencies of the quark condensate and the π-and σ-meson masses in the subcritical region in the instanton model of the QCD vacuum. The impact of phononlike excitation of instanton liquid on the characteristics of the σ meson in such an environment is also examined.     

On the geometry of tangent hyperquadric bundles: CR and pseudoharmonic vector fields

We study the natural almost CR structure on the total space of a subbundle of hyperquadrics of the tangent bundle T(M) over a semi-Riemannian manifold (M, g) and show that if the Reeb vector ξ of an almost contact Riemannian manifold is a CR map then the natural almost CR structure on M is strictly pseudoconvex and a posteriori ξ is pseudohermitian. If in addition ξ is geodesic then it is a harmonic vector field. As an other application, we study pseudoharmonic vector fields on a compact strictly pseudoconvex CR manifold M, i.e. unit (with respect to the Webster metric associated with a fixed contact form on M) vector fields X ε H(M) whose horizontal lift X↑ to the canonical circle bundle S¹ → C(M) → M is a critical point of the Dirichlet energy functional associated to the Fefferman metric (a Lorentz metric on C(M)). We show that the Euler–Lagrange equations satisfied by X^↑ project on a nonlinear system of subelliptic PDEs on M. Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000): 53C50, 53C25, 32V20     

Gas protection optimization during Nd:YAG laser welding

Many laser processes, such as welding or surface treatments are associated with an undesired phenomenon, which is oxidation. The solution commonly employed to solve this problem approaches the shielding gas and/or the shielding gas device. What we propose in this paper is a methodology with the goal to optimize the protection gas device design as well as the gas flow in the case of laser welding and surface treatments. The pressure created by the gas flow on the sample surface is recorded and analysed together with the operating parameters influence in order to reach the objectives. The nozzle system designed and presented below assures the protection against material oxidation using minimal gas flow rates and increases the welding penetration in the case of high-power Nd:YAG laser welding.