X-Ray Crystal Structure of Phyllostin,a Metabolite Produced by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phyllosticta cirsii</Emphasis>, a Potential Mycoherbicide of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cirsium arvense</Emphasis>

Abstract  

The X-ray crystal structure of phyllostin (8-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-oxo-2,3,4a,5,8,8a-hexahydro-benzo[1,4]dioxine-6-carboxylic acid methyl ester) is reported. Phyllostin was recently and for the first time isolated, together with phytotoxin phyllostoxin and the phyllostictines A–D, from the culture filtrates of Phyllosticta cirsii, a fungal pathogen isolated from diseased Cirsium arvense leaves and evaluated as biocontrol agent of this noxious perennial weed. Phyllostin crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁ with unit cell parameters: a = 8.371(2), b = 7.026(1), c = 9.918(1) ?, β = 92.013(8)°, Z = 2. The final refinement converged to R1 = 0.0530 for 1026 observed reflections having I > 2σ(I). In the molecule two trans joined six-membered rings are present. The cyclohexene ring adopts a half-chair conformation. The 2-oxo-1,4-dioxan ring adopts a distorted half-chair conformation. The relative stereochemistry of the four chiral centers turns out to be 3R,4aS,8R,8aS. In the crystal packing molecules form infinite chains through O–H···O intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Chains run along the crystallographic a axis forming layers of molecules stacking in the [0 1 0] direction.     

Synthesis and Study of the Photophysical Properties of a New Eu<Superscript>3+</Superscript> Complex with 3-Hydroxypicolinamide

This work reports on the synthesis and characterization of a new complex of Eu³⁺ with the 3-hydroxypicolinamide ligand (Hhpa). Here we present an approach for obtaining bis[2-carbamoyl(κO)pyridin-3-olato(κO’)] lanthanide complexes, which were characterized through elemental analysis, thermal analysis, infrared and photoluminescence spectroscopies (emission, excitation, luminescence lifetimes, quantum efficiencies, Judd-Ofelt parameters and quantum yields). Although hpa can act as a bidentate ligand in different conformations, the results attest for the occurrence of a unique coordination site of low symmetry for the Eu³⁺ ions, in which two anionic hpa ligands coordinate the cations through an O/O chelating system. The phosphorescence of the synthesized gadolinium complex provides the energy of the triplet state, which is determined to be at 20,830 cm^-1 over the ground state. This makes the Hhpa ligand very adequate for sensitizing the Eu³⁺ luminescence, which leads to a very efficient antenna effect and opens a wide range of applications for the complex in light emitting organic-inorganic devices.     

On the expected longest length probe sequence for hashing with separate chaining

Hashing is a widely used technique for data organization. Hash tables enable a fast search of the stored data and are used in a variety of applications ranging from software to network equipment and computer hardware. One of the main issues associated with hashing are collisions that cause an increase in the search time. A number of alternatives have been proposed to deal with collisions. One of them is separate chaining, in which for each hash value an independent list of the elements that have that value is stored. In this scenario, the worst case search time is given by the maximum length of that list across all hash values. This worst case is often referred to as Longest Length Probe Sequence (llps) in the literature. Approximations for the expected longest length probe sequence when the hash table is large have been proposed and an exact analytical solution has also been presented in terms of a set of recurring equations. In this paper, a novel analytical formulation of the expected longest length probe sequence is introduced. The new formulation does not require a recursive computation and can be easily implemented in a symbolic computation tool.     

On the Bergman Theory for Solenoidal and Irrotational Vector Fields. II. Conformal Covariance and Invariance of the Main Objects

This is a continuation of our work (González-Cervantes et al. in On the Bergman theory for solenoidal and irrotational vector fields. I. General theory. Operator theory: advances and applications. Birkhauser, accepted) where for solenoidal and irrotational vector fields theory as well as for the Moisil–Théodoresco quaternionic analysis we introduced the notions of the Bergman space and the Bergman reproducing kernel and studied their main properties. In particular, we described the behavior of the Bergman theory for a given domain whenever the domain is transformed by a conformal map. The formulas obtained hint that the corresponding objects (spaces, operators, etc.) can be characterized as conformally covariant or invariant, and in the present paper we construct a series of categories and functors which allow us to give such characterizations in precise terms.     

A hyper-solution framework for classification problems via metaheuristic approaches

This is a summary of the author’s PhD thesis, supervised by Prof. Domenico Conforti and defended on 26-02-2010 at the Universitá della Calabria, Cosenza. The thesis is written in Italian and a copy is available from the author upon request. This work deals with the development of a high-level classification framework which combines parameters optimization of a single classifier with classifiers ensemble optimization, through meta-heuristics. Support Vector Machines (SVM) is used for learning while the meta-heuristics adopted and compared are Genetic-Algorithms (GA), Tabu-Search (TS) and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO). Single SVM optimization usually concerns two approaches: searching for optimal set up of a SVM with fixed kernel (Model Selection) or with linear combination of basic kernels (Multiple Kernel Learning), both issues were considered. Meta-heuristics were used in order to avoid time consuming grid-approach for testing several classifiers configurations and some ad-hoc variations to GA were proposed. Finally, different frameworks were developed and then tested on 8 datasets providing reliable solutions.     

Who does what? A linguistic approach to analyzing teachers’ reactions to videos

This paper describes a technique for analyzing teachers’ reactions to videos. The technique uses Halliday’s systemic functional linguistics to identify teachers’ perceptions of the division of labor between teachers and students when working on a mathematical task. The author uses the technique to analyze data from focus group sessions where teachers reacted to a video episode. The author argues that the technique could be particularly useful for studying teachers’ perspectives about novel teaching activities, such as problem-based instruction in mathematics.     

Logics from ?{￠}\sqrt{^{\prime}} Quasi-MV Algebras

The purpose of the present article is to extend the scope of some investigations about abstract logics arising quite naturally out of Quasi-MV algebras (for short, qMV algebras) also to ?{^￠}\sqrt{^{\prime}} qMV algebras. We will therefore introduce, mutually compare and (in some cases) axiomatise several logics arising out of the variety of ?{^￠}\sqrt{^{\prime}} qMV algebras and out of some important subclasses of such. Subsequently, we will investigate the same logics by resorting to the methods and techniques of abstract algebraic logic.     

Search for a very light CP-odd Higgs boson in top quark decays from pp collisions at sqrt(s)]=1.96 TeV

We present the results of a search for a very light CP-odd Higgs boson a(1)(0) originating from top quark decays t → H(±)b → W(±(*)) a(1)(0)b, and subsequently decaying into τ+ τ-. Using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.7 fb(-1) collected by the CDF II detector in pp collisions at 1.96 TeV, we perform a search for events containing a lepton, three or more jets, and an additional isolated track with transverse momentum in the range 3 to 20 GeV/c. Observed events are consistent with background sources, and 95% C.L. limits are set on the branching ratio of t → H(±)b for various masses of H(±) and a(1)(0).     

Observation of the baryonic flavor-changing neutral current decay Λb(0)→Λμ+μ-

We report the first observation of the baryonic flavor-changing neutral current decay Λ(b)(0)→Λμ(+)μ(-) with 24 signal events and a statistical significance of 5.8 Gaussian standard deviations. This measurement uses a pp collisions data sample corresponding to 6.8 fb(-1) at √s = 1.96 TeV collected by the CDF II detector at the Tevatron collider. The total and differential branching ratios for Λ(b)(0)→Λμ(+)μ(-) are measured. We find B(Λ(b)(0)→Λμ(+)μ(-))=[1.73 ± 0.42(stat) ± (syst)] × 10(-6). We also report the first measurement of the differential branching ratio of B(s)(0)→?μ(+)μ(-), using 49 signal events. In addition, we report branching ratios for B(+)→K(+)μ(+)μ(-), B(0)→K(0)μ(+)μ(-), and B→K(*)(892)μ(+)μ(-) decays.