Validation of a digestion system using a digester block/cold finger system for the determination of lead in vegetable foods by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

This paper presents the validation of a system for sample digestion using a digester block/cold finger to determine the lead content in vegetables by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). After mineralization, lead contents were determined by ETAAS using a calibration curve based on aqueous standards prepared in 2.60 M nitric acid solutions containing 5 microg ammonium phosphate as chemical modifier. A pyrolysis temperature of 900 degrees C and atomization temperature of 2000 degrees C were used. This method allowed the determination of lead with a characteristic mass of 35 pg; LOD and LOQ of 0.6 and 2 nglg, respectively, were found. The precision was investigated in terms of reproducibility and repeatability. Reproducibility was estimated by analysis of nine different portions of a certified reference material (CRM) of spinach leaves, and the repeatability was determined through the analysis of nine aliquots of the same solution. The reproducibility and repeatability were found to be 4.27 and 2.94% RSD, respectively. The accuracy was confirmed by analysis of whole meal flour, spinach leaves, and orchard leaves CRMs, all furnished by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Lead contents were measured using the newly developed technique in 11 different potato samples. The lead contents ranged from 12.80 to 69.27 ng/g, with an average value of 28.59 ng/g. These values were in agreement with data reported in the literature.     

Intramolecular N to N acyl migration in conformationally mobile 1′-acyl-1-benzyl-3′,4′-dihydro-1′<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-spiro[piperidine-4,2′-quinoline] systems promoted by debenzylation conditions (HCOONH<Subscript>4</Subscript>/Pd/C)

We report an efficient and useful synthesis of new attractive spiropiperdine scaffolds 4 based on an intramolecular acyl transfer process in 1′-acyl-1-benzyl-3′,4′-dihydro-1′H-spiro[piperidine-4,2′-quinolines] 3 using simple and mild debenzylation reaction conditions (HCOONH₄/Pd/C). The compounds 3 were prepared by acylating 1-benzyl-4′-methyl-3′,4′-dihydro-1′H-spiro[piperidine-4,2′-quinolines] 2 that are easily available from 1-benzyl-4-piperidone 1. The intramolecular character of this process was proven primarily through a crossover experiment technique. Through an examination of all spectroscopic information (¹H, ¹³C NMR, VT-¹H NMR, and ²D NMR) it was possible to correctly predict amide configurations and piperidine ring conformations of starting and final spiropiperidine compounds.      

Invariant Measures for Cherry Flows

We investigate the invariant probability measures for Cherry flows, i.e. flows on the two-torus which have a saddle, a source, and no other fixed points, closed orbits or homoclinic orbits. In the case when the saddle is dissipative or conservative we show that the only invariant probability measures are the Dirac measures at the two fixed points, and the Dirac measure at the saddle is the physical measure. In the other case we prove that there exists also an invariant probability measure supported on the quasi-minimal set, we discuss some situations when this other invariant measure is the physical measure, and conjecture that this is always the case. The main techniques used are the study of the integrability of the return time with respect to the invariant measure of the return map to a closed transversal to the flow, and the study of the close returns near the saddle.     

Electrical conductivity relaxation in PVOH+LiH2PO4+Al2O3 polymer composites

Low-frequency conductivity measurements have been performed in solid polymer electrolyte composites based on the anhydrous PVOH–LiH₂PO₄–Al₂O₃ system. A typical power law dependency in the real part of the conductivity, at higher frequencies, of the form ω ⁿ is observed, with an exponent n that depends on the alumina content and nearly independent of temperature. An analysis of the frequency dependence of the electrical susceptibility is conducted to obtain relaxation functions of the form exp[?(t/τ) ^β ], with an exponent β?≈?n???1. Correlation times, τ, and parameters characterizing the electrical relaxation in time and frequency domains are compared to show the equivalence of these representations. The anhydrous dc conductivity of the electrolytes increases with increasing lithium salt content, becoming of the order of 10^?5 S/cm for a salt molar fraction of x?=?0.14. This conductivity value increased by about one order of magnitude by addition of nanoporous particles of Al₂O₃. The temperature dependence of the samples conductivity was well described by the Vogel–Tammann–Fulcher’s equation indicating the effect of the polymer chains flexibility on ion migration. Although all membranes exhibited a “universal dynamic response” associated to the random hopping of the mobile carriers, variations in the measured relaxation parameters with alumina content indicate an increase of ionic correlations when adding the nonporous particles to the polyelectrolyte.     

On the use of the photoacoustic technique for the measurement of the thermomechanical properties of semiconductor two-layer systems

The photoacoustic technique is used in semiconductor two-layer systems for the determination of thermal properties and thermal expansion coefficient. The two-layer systems studied were amorphous silicon-glass and Al_0.2Ga_0.8As---GaAs. Our results show that the proposed method is a reliable technique for the characterization of other semiconductor two-layers systems.     

Canonical connections of Finsler metrics and Finslerian connections on Riemannian metrics

A concept of canonical connection of a Finsler metric is developed. Connections that are compatible with Finsler metrics are compared with the canonical connection itself. They are also compared with the corresponding Cartan connection. A necessary and sufficient condition on metric Finsler connections is given for the metric to be Riemannian. This study unearths different ways in which Finsler geometry could be used to generalize the theory of general relativity.     

The emergence of a Kaluza-Klein microgenometry from the invariants of optimally Euclidean Lorentzian spaces

It is shown that relativistic spacetimes can be viewed as Finslerian spaces endowed with a positive definite distance (ω⁰, mod ωⁱ) rather than as pariah, pseudo-Riemannian spaces. Since the pursuit of better implementations of “Euclidicity in the small” advocates absolute parallelism, teleparallel nonlinear Euclidean (i.e., Finslerian) connections are scrutinized. The fact that (ω^μ, ω₀ ⁱ) is the set of horizontal fundamental 1-forms in the Finslerian fibration implies that it can be used in principle for obtainingcompatible new structures. If the connection is teleparallel, a Kaluza-Klein space (KKS) indeed emerges from (ω^μ, ω₀ ⁱ), endowed ab initio with intertwined tangent and cotangent Clifford algebras. A deeper level of Kähler calculus, i.e., the language of Dirac equations, thus emerges. This makes the existance of an intimate relationship between classical differential geometry and quantum theory become ever more plausible. The issue of a geometric canonical Dirac equation is also raised.     

The construction of teleparallel finsler connections and the emergence of an alternative concept of metric compatibility

The issue of whether teleparallel nonlinear connections exist is resolved by their explicit construction on Finslerian metrics that arise in the Robertson test theory of special relativity (RTTSR), and on the Minkowski metric in particular. The method is an adaptation to the Finsler bundle of a similar construction for teleparallel linear connections. It suggests the existence of a concept of metric compatibility alternative toω _μλ +ω _λμ = 0 for teleparallel nonlinear connections. A sophisticated system of partial differential equations whose solutions have been discussed in the computing literature is interpreted in geometric terms. The characteristics of the solutions are checked against compliance with the conditionω _μλ +ω _λμ = 0, an issue whose relevance for this theory derives from the fact that nonantisymmetric connections repeatedly appear in teleparallel geometry.     

Erratum to ``Real bounds, ergodicity and negative Schwarzian for multimodal maps'

A technical assumption in Part 1 of Theorem C of the authors' article Real bounds, ergodicity and negative Schwarzian for multimodal maps, J. Amer. Math. Soc. 17 (2004), 749-782, was, by mistake, omitted. Here we explain that the conclusion of the theorem holds if the interval we pullback is ``nice'.