A new rigorous upper bound for the inverse critical temperature of the two-dimensional Coulomb gas

In this paper we show how to improve the recent result _c 17.2 on the inverse critical temperature for the two-dimensional Coulomb gas at low density to get the following upper bound: _c 16.     

Microwave-assisted multicomponent synthesis of julolidines using silica-supported calix[4]arene as heterogeneous catalyst

The application of immobilizing calixarene onto the surface of silica using a sol-gel method, as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst (CX4SO₃HSi(n)) for multicomponent Povarov reaction has been described. Catalytic activity of the CX4SO₃HSi(n) for the synthesis of julolidines under greener and environmentally benign conditions in simple and efficient method was explored. Notably, only 0.5 mol% of the catalyst is sufficient to catalyze the Povarov solvent-free reaction under microwave-assistance. Besides, this protocol allows the construction of four new C–C bonds and two C–N bonds in a single step. To the best of our knowledge, this consists the first silica support calix[4]arene as a heterogeneous catalyst for multicomponent synthesis of julolidines.     

Prospective study of a Bothrops jararacussu venom batch (Bj2015) – phospholipase A2 activity,immunogenicity, neurotoxicity,and myotoxicity parameters

Bothrops jararacussu venom’s (Bj2015) batch was biomonitored quarterly for one year to assess phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) activity, immunogenicity, neurotoxicity, and myotoxicity. In silico models were applied to evaluate losses using decay model and recoveries by predictive trend analysis. Mice were immunized with Bj2015. Antibodies were detected by double-immunodiffusion and total protein and albumin were measured. Neuromuscular blockade-induced by 40 μg mL^?1 venom solution was carried out using mouse nerve phrenic-diaphragm preparation. Resulting muscles were submitted to light microscopy to evaluate the myotoxicity. PLA₂ activity of 0.1 mg mL^?1 Bj2015 was measured using 4-nitro-3-(octanoyloxy)benzoic acid as substrate. Over time, greater losses occurred in neurotoxicity than PLA₂, but not in myotoxicity and immunogenicity. Concluding, the neurotoxicity decrease can be related to enzymatic losses, including PLA₂. Depending on the purpose of use, the collected venom responds on a long time, avoiding unnecessary new collections, improving life quality of animals in captivity and increasing their longevity.     

Voltammetric study and electroanalytical determination of contraceptive levonorgestrel using silver solid amalgam electrode fabricated with nanoparticles

Here we describe the investigation of the electrochemical behaviour and the electroanalytical quantification of hormonal contraceptive levonorgestrel using solid amalgam electrode fabricated with silver nanoparticles. Until now, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the use of solid working electrodes for levonorgestrel determination. Over this electrodic surface, the substance showed one cathodic peak at E_p = ?1.41 V. Moreover, the electrochemical reduction of levonorgestrel was defined as an irreversible and mainly adsorption-controlled process involving two protons and two electrons. Square-wave adsorptive stripping voltammetry (SWAdSV) was used for the quantification of levonorgestrel. The instrumental and experimental parameters were studied and optimized. The best conditions of analysis were observed when using 0.04 mol L^?1 Britton–Robinson (BR) buffer at pH 6.0. The analytical signal of levonorgestrel showed a linear dependence on the concentration range from 5.03 × 10^?7 mol L^–1 to 1.01 × 10^?5 mol L^–1. The LOD and LOQ obtained were 9.09 × 10^?8 mol L^?1 and 3.03 × 10^?7 mol L^?1, respectively. The voltammetric method was employed for the quantification of levonorgestrel in real pharmaceutical formulations and urine samples. The results provided good concordance with the expected values. It makes the working electrode used here an interesting and less toxic option for the analysis of reducible substances in comparison with the HMDE.     

Analyticity of the d-Dimensional Bond Percolation Probability Around p=1

Let (p) be the percolation probability of a d-dimensional bond percolation process on Z ^d . We prove that 1–(p) can be written as an absolutely convergent series in powers of (1–p)/p, provided that |(1–p)/p| is sufficiently small. This implies that (p) is an analytic function of the complex variable p, around p=1.     

Calculation of the long-range coupling between electrons in lone pairs and double bonds using semiempirical and ab initio methods

The electronic coupling between symmetrically placed lone pairs or π electrons are calculated using semiempirical and ab initio methods and the results compared to experimental numbers. The agreement is satisfactory in cases when there is a small tendency for cancellation between contributions of different signs. We have found nonexponential behavior when the number of intervening cyclohexane units is increased in the case of phenyl endgroups. In this case as well as in the cases with exponential decrease, the CNDO /S method shows a similar behavior as that of the ab initio Hartree–Fock method, which suggests that the former method may be used to calculate the electronic factor in electron transfer systems. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Structural relaxation effects on the hyperfine parameters in Fe80B20 amorphous alloys

We have studied the influence of the relaxation effects on the different kinds of short range order structures which can be distinguished inFe ₈₀ B ₂₀ amorphous alloys by Mössbauer spectroscopy. The analysis of the distribution function of the hyperfine fields gives results on the variations of the chemical and topological short-range orders in good agreement with those known in literature. Attempt to give quantitative results is made.