New Materials Derived from Ybco: CrSr2RECu2O8 (RE = La, Pr, Nd, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Y, Ho, Er, Lu)

Eleven new oxides, derived from yttrium barium copper oxide by replacing the square-planar copper [Cu-O4] of the basal plane of the triple perovskite-based structure with octahedral Cr(IV), have been prepared at high pressure and temperature. Their crystal structures have been determined, and their complex microstructure has been established by means of high-resolution electron microscopy and electron diffraction. The materials have a general formula of CrSr2RECu2O8 (RE = La, Pr, Nd, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Y, Ho, Er, and Lu); they are tetragonal, show the symmetry of space group P4/mmm, and do not appear to be superconducting.     

Trace level determination of substance P using capillary electrophoresis and laser-induced fluorescence

An analytical method was developed to determine the undecapetide substance P (SP) based on capillary electrophoresis (CE) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. SP was derivatized with the fluorogenic reagent 2,3-naphthalenedicarboxaldehyde (NDA) prior to injection into the CE-LIF system. The pre-column derivatization scheme combined with injection enhancement techniques extends the detectability of SP to the subnanomolar level. Limit of detection (LOD) of 100 pM was achieved without pre-concentrating the sample prior to injection. The reproducibility for six different preparations of a standard sample containing 5 nM of SP was 6.8% RSD and that of the CE migration time was 0.08% RSD. The method was used to determine SP in a saliva sample.     

Bifurcation of homoclinics of Hamiltonian systems

We obtain sufficient conditions for bifurcation of homoclinic trajectories of nonautonomous Hamiltonian vector fields parametrized by a circle, together with estimates for the number of bifurcation points in terms of the Maslov index of the asymptotic stable and unstable bundles of the linearization at the stationary branch.

     

Working principles,behavior, and performance of MOEAs on MNK-landscapes

This work studies the working principles, behavior, and performance of multiobjective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) on multiobjective epistatic fitness functions with discrete binary search spaces by using MNK-landscapes. First, we analyze the structure and some of the properties of MNK-landscapes under a multiobjective perspective by using enumeration on small landscapes. Then, we focus on the performance and behavior of MOEAs on large landscapes. We organize our study around selection, drift, mutation, and recombination, the four major and intertwined processes that drive adaptive evolution over fitness landscapes. This work clearly shows pros and cons of the main features of MOEAs, gives a valuable guide for the practitioner on how to set up his/her algorithm, enhance MOEAs, and presents useful insights on how to design more robust and efficient MOEAs.     

Synthesis of analogs of amathamide A and their preliminary antimicrobial activity

Syntheses of three non-brominated analogs of amathamide A (1), a natural alkaloid isolated from the Tasmanian marine bryozoan Amathia wilsoni, are described. Antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomona aeruginosa, and Candida albicans was tested. Test results for amathamide A (1) showed a weak activity against C. albicans and E. coli. The three non-natural analogs 2-4 proved to be inactive compounds.     

Point symmetry group of the Lagrangian

The theory of finite point symmetry transformations is revisited within the frame of the general theory of transformations of Lagrangian mechanics. The point symmetry groupG(L) of a given Lagrangian functionL (i.e., the Noether group) is thus obtained, and its main features are briefly discussed. The explicit calculation of the Noether group is presented for two rather simple c-equivalent Lagrangian systems. The formalism affords an introduction to the Noether theory of infinitesimal point symmetry transformations in Lagrangian mechanics; however, it is also of interest in its own right.     

Eigenfrequencies of a tube bundle immersed in a fluid

In this paper we study a simplified version of a mathematical model that describes the eigenfrequencies and eigenmotions of a coupled system consisting of a set of tubes (or a tube bundle) immersed in an incompressible perfect fluid. The fluid is assumed to be contained in a rectangular cavity, and the tubes are assumed to be identical, and periodically distributed in the cavity. The mathematical model that governs this physical problem is an elliptic differential eigenvalue problem consisting of the Laplace equation with a nonlocal boundary condition on the holes, and a homogeneous Neumann boundary condition on the boundary of the cavity. In the simplified model that we study in this paper, the Neumann condition is replaced by a periodic boundary condition. Our goal in studying this simple version is to derive some basic properties of the problem that could serve as a guide to envisage similar properties for the original model. In practical situations, this kind of problem needs to be solved for tube bundles containing a very large number of tubes. Then the numerical analysis of these problems is in practice very expensive. Several approaches to overcome this difficulty have been proposed in the last years using homogenization techniques. Alternatively, we propose in this paper an approach that consists in obtaining an explicit decomposition of the problem into a finite family of subproblems, which can be easily solved numerically. Our study is based on a generalized notion of periodic function, and on a decomposition theorem for periodic functions that we introduce in the paper. Our results rely on the theory of almost periodic functions, and they provide a simple numerical method for obtaining approximations of all the eigenvalues of the problem for any number of tubes in the cavity. We also discuss a numerical example.     

The Distributional Hankel Transform of δ(k)(m2×P

In this note we give a sense to certain kinds of n-dimensional distributional Hankel transforms of the Dirac measure δ^(k)(m² + P). The most important result is the interchange formula between the product and the convolution of the Hankel transform of δ^(k)(m² + P).     

Amazonian lignocellulosic materials-V

A plate-agar technique for fungal screening was applied to evaluate the xylanolytic activities of 18Penicillium janthinellum and 10Aspergillus sydowi species from the Amazon region. In order to compare these genera with those of other regions, oneAspergillus sp., one P.janthinellum, and 12 unknown genera from the southern region of Chile were studied. From these fungi strain,A. sydowi (56 strain) (25.2 IU/mL),P. janthinellum (671 strain) (47.3 IU/mL) from Amazonia,P. janthinellum (X4Z2 strain) (9.5 IU/mL), and anAspergillus sp. (X2M1 strain) (33.3 IU/mL) from the southern region of Chile were identified.