Influence of the composition of perovskites based on SrMnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> on their catalytic properties in the oxidative coupling of methane

The oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) in a periodic regime over the SrMnO₃ and its derivatives has been investigated. It has been established that partial replacement of the strontium ion by alkali metal ions leads to an increase in both catalytic activity and in selectivity with respect to higher hydrocarbons. Comparison of the results obtained in the present work with those obtained earlier for catalysts based on SrCoO₃ led to the conclusion that the Co-containing catalysts were preferable to the Mn-containing catalysts for carrying out oxidative coupling of methane in a periodic regime.__________Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimentalnaya Khimiya, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 30–34, January–February, 2005.     

Mercury determination by CV-AAS in wastewater and sewage sludge from a stabilization pond system

The mercury concentrations in wastewater and sewage sludge of a stabilization pond system have been evaluated. The system is built by three parallel facultative ponds followed by two systems of three maturation ponds in series. The samples of wastewater and sludge were digested using nitric acid and placed into a Parr-type bomb for 4 h at 110° C. Mercury was measured by Cold Vapour Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (CV-AAS) at 253.7 nm with sodium tetrahydroborate as reductant. The methodologies were checked with an USEPA quality control sample, a standard reference material from NIST and with another method of mineralization (cold mineralization) showing good results. Concentrations of mercury in wastewater between 1.47 ± 0.75 gl^–1 have been found at the entrance of the system and 0.74 ± 0.0 gl^–1 at the exit, while in sludge the results were between 0.29 ± 0.12 gkg^–1 in the facultative pond and 0.04 ± 0.02 gkg^–1 in the second maturation pond (exit).     

Impact of Strong Magnetic Fields on Collision Mechanism for Transport of Charged Particles

One of the main applications in plasma physics concerns the energy production through thermo-nuclear fusion. The controlled fusion is achieved by magnetic confinement i.e., the plasma is confined into a toroidal domain (tokamak) under the action of huge magnetic fields. Several models exist for describing the evolution of strongly magnetized plasmas, most of them by neglecting the collisions between particles. The subject matter of this paper is to investigate the effect of large magnetic fields with respect to a collision mechanism. We consider here linear collision Boltzmann operators and derive, by averaging with respect to the fast cyclotronic motion due to strong magnetic forces, their effective collision kernels.     

Spin‐State Ordering on One Sub‐lattice of a Mononuclear Iron(III) Spin Crossover Complex Exhibiting LIESST and TIESST

The two‐step spin crossover in mononuclear iron(III) complex [Fe(salpm)₂]ClO₄ ? 0.5 EtOH ( 1 ) is shown to be accompanied by a structural phase transition as concluded from ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and single crystal X‐ray diffraction, with spin‐state ordering on just one of two sub‐lattices in the intermediate magnetic and structural phase. The complex also exhibits thermal‐ and light‐induced spin‐state trapping (TIESST and LIESST), and relaxation from the LIESST and TIESST excited states occurs via the broken symmetry intermediate phase. Two relaxation events are evident in both experiments, that is, two T(LIESST) and two T(TIESST) values are recorded. The change in symmetry which accompanies the TIESST effect was followed in real time using single crystal diffraction. After flash freezing at 15 K the crystal was warmed to 40 K at which temperature superstructure reflections were observed to appear and disappear within a 10 000 s time range. In the frame of the international year of crystallography, these results illustrate how X‐ray diffraction makes it possible to understand complex ordering phenomena.     

Encapsulation of Risperidone by Methylated β-Cyclodextrins: Physicochemical and Molecular Modeling Studies

Risperidone (RSP) is an atypical antipsychotic drug which acts as a potent antagonist of serotonin-2 (5TH2) and dopamine-2 (D2) receptors in the brain; it is used to treat schizophrenia, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and irritability associated with autism. It is a poorly water soluble benzoxazole derivative with high lipophilicity. Supramolecular adducts between drug substance and two methylated β-cyclodextrins, namely heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin (DM-β-CD) and heptakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin (TM-β-CD) were obtained in order to enhance RSP solubility and improve its biopharmaceutical profile. The inclusion complexes were evaluated by means of thermoanalytical methods (TG—thermogravimetry/DTG—derivative thermogravimetry/HF—heat flow), powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD), universal-attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (UATR-FTIR), UV spectroscopy and saturation solubility studies. Job’s method was employed for the determination of the stoichiometry of the inclusion complexes, which was found to be 2:1 for both guest–host systems. Molecular modeling studies were carried out for an in-depth characterization of the interaction between drug substance and cyclodextrins (CDs). The physicochemical properties of the supramolecular systems differ from those of RSP, demonstrating the inclusion complex formation between drug and CDs. The RSP solubility was enhanced as a result of drug encapsulation in the CDs cavity, the higher increase being obtained with DM-β-CD as host; the guest–host system RSP/DM-β-CD can thus be a starting point for further research in developing new formulations containing RSP, with enhanced bioavailability.     

Plakevulin A, a new oxylipin inhibiting DNA polymerases α and γ from sponge Plakortis species

A new cytotoxic oxylipin, plakevulin A (1), possessing a cyclopentene ring and a levulinyl ester has been isolated from an Okinawan marine sponge Plakortis sp. The structure was elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data, and the absolute configurations at three chiral centers were assigned by spectroscopic data of the reductive product of 1 and a modified Mosher's method. Plakevulin A (1) exhibited inhibitory activity against DNA polymerases α and γ.     

Analysis of a particle method for the one‐dimensional Vlasov‐Maxwell system

In this article we present a particle method for solving numerically the one‐dimensional Vlasov‐Maxwell equations. This method is based on the formulation by characteristics. We perform the error analysis and we investigate the properties of this scheme. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2009     

An in-service primary teacher’s implementation of mathematical tasks: the case of length measurement and perimeter instruction

The purpose of this paper is to examine the cognitive demand levels of tasks used by an in-service primary teacher during length measurement and perimeter instruction and to examine a possible link between these tasks and the teacher’s mathematical knowledge in teaching. For this purpose, a case study approach was used and the data was drawn from classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and field notes. Specific tasks from length measurement and perimeter instruction were presented and analyzed according to the Mathematical Tasks Framework. Then, how these tasks gave information about the teacher’s mathematical knowledge in teaching in the length measurement and perimeter topics was examined according to the Knowledge Quartet model. According to the findings of the study, the tasks used during length measurement and perimeter instruction were mostly categorized as low-level tasks. In addition, teacher’s mathematical knowledge in teaching affected the implementation of the tasks.