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.     

Zn-doping effect on the energy barrier to magnetization reversal in superparamagnetic nickel ferrite nanoparticles

Measurements of ac-susceptibility and dc-magnetization were carried out on samples of Ni_1-xZn_xFe₂O₄ nanoparticles (x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75) with average diameters 〈D〉≈7 nm. Values of the superparamagnetic blocking temperature T̄_B were obtained from the characteristic temperature behavior of the imaginary susceptibility χ_imag. An Arrhenius-type law, which accurately describes the relationship between the observation time τ_obs and the blocking temperature, was used to determine the effective energy barrier to magnetization reversal U_eff. A Zn-content dependence of the energy barrier is observed, where U_eff changes little for 0≤x≤0.25, it peaks at x=0.5, and decreases back upon further Zn-doping. The large increase of U_eff at x=0.5 is attributed to an enhanced magnetic anisotropy induced by the crossover between two spatial arrangements of spins in the A and B sub-lattices of the ferrimagnetic inverse spinel. PACS 75.50.Bb; 75.50.Gg; 75.30.Et     

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.     

Analysis and finite element simulations of a second‐order fluid model in a bounded domain

This article is concerned with the equations governing the steady motion of a viscoelastic incompressible second‐order fluid in a bounded domain. A new proof of existence and uniqueness of strong solutions is given. In addition, using appropriate finite element methods to approximate a coupled equivalent problem, sharp error estimates are obtained using a fixed point argument. The method is applied to the two‐dimensional lid‐driven cavity problem, at low Reynolds number and in a certain range of values of the viscoelastic parameters, to analyze the combined effects of inertia and viscoelasticity on the flow. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2007