Peripheral spectrum of positive quasi-compact operators onC 0(X)

LetX be a locally compact space, andT, a quasi-compact positive operator onC ₀(X), with positive spectral radius,r. Then the peripheral spectrum ofT is a finite set of poles containingr, and the residue of the resolvent ofT at each peripheral pole is of finite rank. Using the concept of closed absorbing set, we develop an iterative process that gives the order,p, ofr, some special bases of the algebraic eigenspaces ker(T-r) ^p and ker(T ^*-r) ^p , and finally the dimension of the algebraic eigenspace associated to each peripheral pole.     

High-performance anion-exchange chromatographic study of desialylated human alpha 1-acid glycoprotein variants. Development of a fractionation method for the protein slow variants

The three main desialylated variants (F1, S and A) of human alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AAG), a serum acute-phase reactant, were analysed by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography in order to determine their optimum separation conditions. The analysis consisted of three steps, as follows: (1) A desialylated commercial AAG was separated into one "fast"- and one "slow"-migrating fraction by preparative isoelectrofocusing. The "fast" and "slow" fractions were shown to contain the F1 variant and a mixture of the S and A variants, respectively. (2) The pH titration curves of these two fractions were then measured by strong anion-exchange chromatography with several buffer systems of increasing pH. From the data obtained, it was not possible to select the optimum conditions to separate the "fast" variant F1 from the "slow" variants A and S. However, the S and A variants were shown to ionize very differently. (3) The specific fractionation of the S and A variants was therefore carried out by anion-exchange chromatography under operating conditions based on the data obtained from the study of their pH titration curves. This was performed both with the "slow"-migrating fraction obtained by preparative isoelectrofocusing of commercial AAG and with an AAG (containing only variants S and A) purified from an individual serum on immobilized Cibacron Blue F3G-A. Identification of the fractionated proteins was achieved by analytical isoelectrofocusing.     

Structural properties of ultra-small thorium and uranium dioxide nanoparticles embedded in a covalent organic framework

We report the structural properties of ultra-small ThO₂ and UO₂ nanoparticles (NPs), which were synthesized without strong binding surface ligands by employing a covalent organic framework (COF-5) as an inert template. The resultant NPs were used to observe how structural properties are affected by decreasing grain size within bulk actinide oxides, which has implications for understanding the behavior of nuclear fuel materials. Through a comprehensive characterization strategy, we gain insight regarding how structure at the NP surface differs from the interior. Characterization using electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering indicates that growth of the ThO₂ and UO₂ NPs was confined by the pores of the COF template, resulting in sub-3 nm particles. X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy results indicate that the NPs are best described as ThO₂ and UO₂ materials with unpassivated surfaces. The surface layers of these particles compensate for high surface energy by exhibiting a broader distribution of Th–O and U–O bond distances despite retaining average bond lengths that are characteristic of bulk ThO₂ and UO₂. The combined synthesis and physical characterization efforts provide a detailed picture of actinide oxide structure at the nanoscale, which remains highly underexplored compared to transition metal counterparts.

ThO₂ and UO₂ nanoparticles synthesized using a COF-5 template exhibit unpassivated surfaces and provide insight into nanoscale properties of actinides.     

Organic Syntheses Without Solvent: Preparation of Alkoxyphthalimides and of Alkoxylamines

Alkoxyphthalimides are prepared by alkylation of N-hydroxyphthalimide under solid-liquid phase transfer catalysis without solvent. When conversion of alkoxyphthalimides into alkoxylamines is nearly complete, neat hydrazine hydrate is added at room temperature.     

Identification of markers of thermal processing (“roasting”) in aqueous extracts of Coffea arabica L. seeds through NMR fingerprinting and chemometrics

Roasting of Coffea arabica L. seeds gives rise to chemical reactions that produce more than 800 compounds, some being responsible for the desired organoleptic properties for which the beverage called “coffee” is known. In the industry, the “roasting profile,” that is, the times and temperatures applied, is key to influence the composition of roasted coffee beans and the flavour of the beverage made from them. The impact of roasting on the chemical composition of coffee has been the subject of numerous studies, including by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. However, the roasting equipment and profiles applied in these studies are often far from real industrial conditions. In this work, the effects of two critical technological parameters of the roasting process, namely, the “development time” (the period of time after the “first crack,” a characteristic noise due to seed disruption) and the final roasting temperature on coffee extracts, were investigated. Seeds were roasted at pilot scale according to 13 industrial roasting profiles and extracted in D₂O. The extracts were analysed by ¹H NMR experiments. The NMR spectra were compared using (a) quantitative analysis of main signals by successive orders of magnitude and (b) chemometric tools (principal component analysis, partial least squares and sparse-orthogonal partial least squares analysis). This allowed to identify compounds, which may serve as markers of roasting and showed that changes in chemical composition can be detected even for slight change in final temperature (~1°C) or in total roasting time (~25 s).     

Spontaneous formation of liquid crystalline phases and phase transitions in highly concentrated plasmid DNA

The liquid crystalline (LC) properties of two supercoiled plasmid DNA samples, pBSK (2958 bp) and pGEM (3000 bp), have been studied using polarised light microscopy (PLM), circular dichroism (CD) and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The influence of methods of isolation on plasmid LC behaviour is described, and using PLM we have demonstrated the spontaneous formation of cholesteric fingerprint-like textures. Preliminary studies of LC phase transitions in pGEM show the irreversibility of LC phase formation, as a consequence of changes in the tertiary structure of supercoiled plasmids. Using UV–Vis spectroscopy a hyperchromic effect was observed with increasing temperature. The CD spectra clearly showed structural changes, and probably mismatching of DNA bases, during cooling. Finally, we have observed an irreversible phase transition in plasmid DNA which is very different from that previously reported in linear DNA.     

Terpenoids from Turraeanthus species

Chemical investigation of the root bark of Turraeanthus mannii and the stem of T. longipes resulted in the isolation of two new diterpenes, 13-methyl-labda-8(17)-en-15-oic acid (1) and 13-(hydroxymethyl)-14-hydroxy-ent-labda-8(17)-en-15-oic acid (2), along with two known diterpenes, 19-hydroxy-ent-labda-8(17),13-dien-15,16-olide (3) and 19-acetoxy-ent-labda-8(17),13-dien-15,16-olide (4), and the phytosterol, stigmasterol. The structure elucidation of the new compounds has been achieved using spectroscopic techniques.