A volatolomic approach using cerumen as biofluid to diagnose bovine intoxication by Stryphnodendron rotundifolium

An innovative volatolomic approach employs the detection of biomarkers present in cerumen (earwax) to identify cattle intoxication by Stryphnodendron rotundifolium Mart., Fabaceae (popularly known as barbatimão). S. rotundifolium is a poisonous plant with the toxic compound undefined and widely distributed throughout the Brazilian territory. Cerumen samples from cattle of two local Brazilian breeds (‘Curraleiro Pé-Duro’ and ‘Pantaneiro’) were collected during an experimental intoxication protocol and analyzed using headspace (HS)/GC–MS followed by multivariate analysis (genetic algorithm for a partial least squares, cluster analysis, and classification and regression trees). A total of 106 volatile organic metabolites were identified in the cerumen samples of bovines. The intoxication by S. rotundifolium influenced the cerumen volatolomic profile of the bovines throughout the intoxication protocol. In this way, it was possible to detect biomarkers for cattle intoxication. Among the biomarkers, 2-octyldecanol and 9-tetradecen-1-ol were able to discriminate all samples between intoxicated and nonintoxicated bovines. The cattle intoxication diagnosis by S. rotundifolium was accomplished by applying the cerumen analysis using HS/GC–MS, in an easy, accurate, and noninvasive way. Thus, the proposed bioanalytical chromatography protocol is a useful tool in veterinary applications to determine this kind of intoxication.     

Intramolecular Hydroamination of Selenoalkynes to 2-Selenylindoles in the Absence of Catalyst

In this work, a series of 2-chalcogenylindoles was synthesized by an efficient methodology, starting from chalcogenoalkynes, including a previously unreported tellurium indole derivative. For the first time, these 2-substituted chalcogenylindoles were obtained in the absence of metal catalyst or base, under thermal conditions only. In addition, the results described herein represent a methodology with inverse regioselectivity for the chalcogen functionalization of indoles.     

Normalization of complex-valued planar vector fields which degenerate along a real curve

Taking as a start point the recent article of Meziani [7], we present several results concerning the normalization of a class of complex vector fields in the plane which degenerate along a real curve. We mainly deal with operators with finite regularity and analyze both the local situation as well as the case of normalization near a circle. Some related questions (e.g., on semi-global solvability and on the normalization of a class of generalized Mizohata operators) are also discussed.     

Linear calibration procedure for the phase-to-height relationship in phase measurement profilometry

Calibration of the relationship between height and phase is of uttermost importance to perform accurate 3D measurements in phase measurement profilometry. This work reports a different approach to this problem by first looking at the analytical expression for this relationship and determining the regime spanned by the fringe analysis method. The conclusions thus ascertained, amply justify confronting the analytical expression with a simple normalization procedure of the experimental data, with a remarkable matching between both results. In light of this, a linear calibration procedure with just one plane is proposed and verified experimentally.     

The electrochemical reduction of perezone in the presence of benzoic acid in acetonitrile

An electrochemical study using transient techniques of a quinone-type natural product, perezone, has been performed in acetonitrile and in the presence of benzoic acid. Using linear sweep voltametry and single potential step chronoamperometry, it was possible to establish that the reduction mechanism of perezone involves a monoelectronic charge-transfer step, followed by a protonation step and homogeneous charge transfer due to disproportionation of the protonated intermediate. The mechanism for the homogeneous charge-transfer step was found to be of the type DISP1 (disproportionation order one) from the results of double potential step chronoamperometry experiments. The occurrence of the DISP1 mechanism was provoked by the mildly acidic medium used in this study.     

L-shell X-ray production cross section measured by heavy ion impact on selected rare earth elements

The production cross sections of L-shell X-ray of some rare earth elements have been measured by collision of ¹²C⁴⁺ and ¹⁶O⁴⁺ ions of 0.5 to 0.75 MeV/amu. The results were compared with experimental data of other authors and with theoretical predictions gained by the ECPSSR and ECPSSR plus multiple ionization (ECPSSR+MI) models. For atomic parameters (fluorescence yields and probabilities for Coster-Kronig transitions) the role of several databases were studied. The ECPSSR theory underestimates cross sections when compared with experimental results obtained in the present work, but ECPSSR+MI has a better agreement with the experimental data. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.