Maximality of the signless Laplacian energy

We study the problem of determining the graph with $n$ vertices having largest signless Laplacian energy. We conjecture it is the complete split graph whose independent set has (roughly) $2n∕3$ vertices. We show that the conjecture is true for several classes of graphs. In particular, the conjecture holds for the set of all complete split graphs of order $n$, for trees, for unicyclic and bicyclic graphs. We also give conditions on the number of edges, number of cycles and number of small eigenvalues so the graph satisfies the conjecture.     

Quark sea structure functions of the nucleon in a statistical model

Within a statistical model of linear confined quarks we obtain the flavor asymmetry and corresponding structure function of the nucleon. The model parameters are fixed by the experimental available data. The temperature parameter is adjusted by the Gottfried sum rule violation and the chemical potentials by the corresponding up (u) and down (d) quark normalizations in the nucleon. The light antiquark and quark distributions in the proton, given by d̄/ū, d/u and d̄-ū, as well as the neutron to proton ratio of the structure functions, extracted from the experimental data, are well fitted by the model. As the quark-confining strengths should be flavor dependent, a mechanism is introduced in the model to adjust the corresponding distribution, in order to improve the comparison obtained for the sea-quark asymmetries in the nucleon with the available experimental analysis. PACS  11.30.Hv; 14.20.Dh; 12.39.Ki; 12.40.Ee; 11.55.Hx     

Synthetic studies on the trans-chlorocyclopropane dienyne side chain of callipeltoside A

[structure] Enantiomerically enriched trans-chlorocyclopropanemethanol was obtained by lipase kinetic resolution of dichlorocyclopropanemethanol 3, followed by reduction. The sp-sp(2) bond of the trans-chlorocyclopropane dienyne side chain of callipeltoside A was constructed via a Stille coupling reaction of 1, 1-dibromo-1-alkene 7 and a vinylstannane in a highly dipolar solvent capable of promoting HBr elimination to give internal alkynes.     

Experimental results on proton diffractive dissociation

Properties of proton diffractive dissociation have been investigated for four-prong final states in proton-proton reactions at 360 GeV/c, in particular forpp→ppπ ⁺π^? mπ ⁰(m=0,1,2). Mass distributions and decay angular distributions are given. The decay of the diffractive system is seen to be very anisotropic, and largep _T is suppressed at higher masses. It is found that the “pomeron” couples with a single valence quark of the incident proton, but indications for a diquark-pomeron coupling are also found. Similarities with fragmentation in lepton-hadron deep inelastic scattering are underlined.     

Slow proton andΔ ++ production inK + p interactions at 70 GeV/c

The inclusive inelastic processesK ⁺ p→pX ⁺ andK ⁺ p→Δ ⁺⁺ X ⁰ are studied at an incident momentum of 70 GeV/c. The data comes from the Big European Bubble Chamber BEBC filled with hydrogen, exposed to an rf reparatedK ⁺ beam at the CERN SPS accelerator. The inclusive cross section for protons with laboratory momentump _LAB≦1.2 GeV/c is equal to (6.1±0.1) mb. InclusiveΔ ⁺⁺-production is studied for |t _{p, Δ}|<1.0(GeV/c)². Comparisons are made with otherK ⁺ p data and withpp data at 69 GeV/c. Evidence is found for Pomeron exchange at the beam vertex both for slow proton andΔ ⁺⁺-production as well as for absorptive pion exchange at the (p,Δ ⁺⁺) vertex.     

Octaline and decalone derivatives from a new annulation reaction in enamine field

An octaline system is obtained from the reaction between 2-cyclohexenyl-1-morpholino-ethene and β-nitrostyrene, carried out under kinetic control. By hydrolysis, it is converted to a 1-decalone derivative, which is also a kinetic control product. The stereochemical aspects of formation and equilibration of the products are examined.     

Compatibility of sildenafil citrate and pharmaceutical excipients by thermal analysis and LC–UV

The evaluation of sildenafil citrate (SC), the best-selling drug for treatment of impotence, for compatibility with various excipients was investigated using thermal and isothermal stress testing. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), hot-stage microscopy (HSM) and liquid chromatography (LC) with ultraviolet detection were successfully employed to investigate the compatibility between SC and various excipients commonly used in solid form in the pharmaceutical industry. The studies were performed using 1:1 (m/m) drug/excipient physical mixtures and samples were stored under accelerated stability conditions (40 °C at 75% relative humidity). All excipients tested (such as colloidal silicon dioxide, croscarmellose sodium, lactose, mannitol and sucrose) showed potential incompatibilities by DSC and LC analysis after accelerated stability testing. However, some incompatibilities were not detected by the DSC method and were observed only when LC analysis was performed. HSM was able to differentiate active pharmaceutical ingredient degradation from solubilisation, supporting the interpretation of DSC in excipients where thermal events either overlapped or disappeared. The combination of both the analytical techniques (DSC and LC) and use of a stability chamber is extremely helpful in detecting incompatibilities and providing more robust and accurate approaches for pre-formulation studies.     

Direct determination of propranolol in urine by spectrofluorimetry with the aid of second order advantage

This work presented an application of the second-order advantage provided by parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) aiming at direct determination of propranolol, a beta-blocker also used as doping agent, in human urine by spectrofluorimetry. The adopted strategy combined the use of PARAFAC, for extraction of the pure analyte signal, with the standard addition method, for a determination in the presence of an individual matrix effect caused by the quenching action of the proteins present in the urine. The urine samples were previously 100 times diluted. For each sample, four standard additions were performed, in triplicates. A specific PARAFAC model was built for each triplicate of each sample, from three-way arrays formed by 231 emission wavelengths, 8 excitation wavelengths and 5 measurements (sample plus 4 additions). The models were built with three factors and always explained more than 99.87% of the total variance. The obtained loadings were related to PRO and two background interferences. The scores related to PRO were used for a linear regression in the standard addition method. The obtained determinations in the PRO concentration range from 5.0 to 20.0 microg ml(-1) provided recoveries between 91.1 and 108.4%.     

Influence of hydration and crosslinking in transdermal delivery of nicotine from chitosan-based gels by thermal analysis

Chitosan is a biopolymer that forms hydrogels after swell in acid medium. The environment of the three-dimensional network of the chitosan-based hydrogels can be modified by its degree of swelling and crosslinking. In this way, nicotine was incorporated in the hydrogel formulations, with or without crosslinking with glutaraldehyde (0.01%), in different swollen states. Transdermal delivery of nicotine by chitosan-based hydrogels was studied in order to achieve the prolonged administration of the drug. Thermal analysis indicated a preliminary stability of these formulations, and the mechanism of drug release from hydrogels was dependent of the swelling degree and crosslinking. These formulations were able to control the transdermal flux of nicotine for up to 48 h following zero-order kinetics. The hydrogels with higher amounts of water or the partially dried crosslinked hydrogels reduced the partition of nicotine into the skin, leading to a minor transdermal flux of the drug (<3.4 µg cm⁻² h⁻¹). On the other hand, the partially dried non-crosslinked hydrogels lead to a major transdermal flux of the drug (20.19 µg cm⁻² h⁻¹) due to modifications of the environment into the hydrogel. In this way, these transdermal formulations were promising vehicles for prolonged administration of nicotine.