Quantitation of nine organic acids in wild mushrooms

The organic acids composition of six wild edible mushroom species ( Amanita caesarea, Boletus edulis, Gyroporus castaneus, Lactarius deliciosus, Suillus collinitus, and Xerocomus chrysenteron) was determined by an HPLC-UV detector method. The results showed that all of the samples presented a profile composed of at least five organic acids: citric, ketoglutaric, malic, succinic, and fumaric acids. Several samples also contained oxalic, ascorbic, quinic, and shikimic acids. In a general way, the quantitation of the identified compounds indicated that malic acid, followed by the pair citric plus ketoglutaric acids, were the main compounds in the analyzed species, with the exception of A. caesarea, in which malic and ascorbic acids were the most abundant compounds. The relative amounts and the presence/absence of each identified compound may be useful for the differentiation of the species

Search for fingerprints of disoriented chiral condensates in cosmic ray showers

Although the generation of disoriented chiral condensates (DCCs), where the order parameter for chiral symmetry breaking is misaligned with respect to the vacuum direction in isospin state, is quite natural in the theory of strong interactions, they have so far eluded experiments in accelerators and cosmic rays. If DCCs are formed in high-energy nuclear collisions, the relevant outcome are very large event-by-event fluctuations in the neutral-to-charged pion fraction. In this note we search for fingerprints of DCC formation in observables of ultra-high energy cosmic ray showers. We present simulation results for the depth of the maximum ($X_{max}$) and number of muons on the ground, evaluating their sensitivity to the neutral-to-charged pion fraction asymmetry produced in the primary interaction.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Thermodynamics of the incommensurate state in Rb_2WO_4: on the Lifshitz point in A`A``BX_4 compounds

We consider the evolution of the phase transition from the parent hexagonal phase $P6_{3}/mmc$ to the orthorhombic phase $Pmcn$ that occurs in several compounds of $A'A''BX_{4}$ family as a function of the hcp lattice parameter $c/a$. For compounds of $K_{2}SO_{4}$ type with $c/a$ larger than the threshold value 1.26 the direct first-order transition $Pmcn-P6_{3}/mmc$ is characterized by the large entropy jump $Rln2$. For compounds $Rb_{2}WO_{4}$, $K_{2}MoO_{4}$, $K_{2}WO_{4}$ with $c/a<1.26$ this transition occurs via an intermediate incommensurate $(Inc)$ phase. DSC measurements were performed in $Rb_{2}WO_{4}$ to characterize the thermodynamics of the $Pmcn-Inc-P6_{3}/mmc$ transitions. It was found that both transitions are again of the first order with entropy jumps $0.2Rln2 and$0.3Rln2$. Therefore, at$c/a ~ 1.26$the$A'A''BX_{4}$compounds reveal an unusual Lifshitz point where three first order transition lines meet. We propose the coupling of crystal elasticity with$BX_{4}$ tetrahedra orientation as a possible source of the transitions discontinuity.Comment: 13 pages,1 Postscript figure. Submitted as Brief Report to Phys. Rev. B, this paper reports a new work in Theory and Experiment, directed to Structural Phase Transition

Neuromorphometric characterization with shape functionals

This work presents a procedure to extract morphological information from neuronal cells based on the variation of shape functionals as the cell geometry undergoes a dilation through a wide interval of spatial scales. The targeted shapes are alpha and beta cat retinal ganglion cells, which are characterized by different ranges of dendritic field diameter. Image functionals are expected to act as descriptors of the shape, gathering relevant geometric and topological features of the complex cell form. We present a comparative study of classification performance of additive shape descriptors, namely, Minkowski functionals, and the nonadditive multiscale fractal. We found that the proposed measures perform efficiently the task of identifying the two main classes alpha and beta based solely on scale invariant information, while also providing intraclass morphological assessment

Scalar field in the Bianchi I: Non commutative classical and Quantum Cosmology

Using the ADM formalism in the minisuperspace, we obtain the commutative and noncommutative exact classical solutions and exact wave function to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation with an arbitrary factor ordering, for the anisotropic Bianchi type I cosmological model, coupled to a scalar field, cosmological term and barotropic perfect fluid. We introduce noncommutative scale factors, considering that all minisuperspace variables $\rm q^i$ do not commute, so the symplectic structure was modified. In the classical regime, it is shown that the anisotropic parameter $\rm \beta_{\pm nc}$ and the field $\phi$, for some value in the $\lambda_{eff}$ cosmological term and noncommutative $\theta$ parameter, present a dynamical isotropization up to a critical cosmic time $t_{c}$; after this time, the effects of isotropization in the noncommutative minisuperspace seems to disappear. In the quantum regimen, the probability density presents a new structure that corresponds to the value of the noncommutativity parameter.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, Acepted in IJT

Boundary critical behavior at m-axial Lifshitz points for a boundary plane parallel to the modulation axes

The critical behavior of semi-infinite $d$-dimensional systems with $n$-component order parameter $\bm{\phi}$ and short-range interactions is investigated at an $m$-axial bulk Lifshitz point whose wave-vector instability is isotropic in an $m$-dimensional subspace of $\mathbb{R}^d$. The associated $m$ modulation axes are presumed to be parallel to the surface, where $0\le m\le d-1$. An appropriate semi-infinite $|\bm{\phi}|^4$ model representing the corresponding universality classes of surface critical behavior is introduced. It is shown that the usual O(n) symmetric boundary term $\propto \bm{\phi}^2$ of the Hamiltonian must be supplemented by one of the form $\mathring{\lambda} \sum_{\alpha=1}^m(\partial\bm{\phi}/\partial x_\alpha)^2$ involving a dimensionless (renormalized) coupling constant $\lambda$. The implied boundary conditions are given, and the general form of the field-theoretic renormalization of the model below the upper critical dimension $d^*(m)=4+{m}/{2}$ is clarified. Fixed points describing the ordinary, special, and extraordinary transitions are identified and shown to be located at a nontrivial value $\lambda^*$ if $\epsilon\equiv d^*(m)-d>0$. The surface critical exponents of the ordinary transition are determined to second order in $\epsilon$. Extrapolations of these $\epsilon$ expansions yield values of these exponents for $d=3$ in good agreement with recent Monte Carlo results for the case of a uniaxial ($m=1$) Lifshitz point. The scaling dimension of the surface energy density is shown to be given exactly by $d+m (\theta-1)$, where $\theta=\nu_{l4}/\nu_{l2}$ is the anisotropy exponent.Comment: revtex4, 31 pages with eps-files for figures, uses texdraw to generate some graphs; to appear in PRB; v2: some references and additional remarks added, labeling in figure 1 and some typos correcte

Mesoscopic modelling of 2-CN-PPV/PPV polymer LED

Although optoelectronic devices made of polymers are very attractive ones (low cost, easy to make), problems related to charge transport, exciton quenching, among others, can be an obstacle for their performance. The use of heterojunctions made of two polymers can be a strategy for improving the efficiency of polymer light emitting diodes (PLEDs) at low bias. Here we present a theoretical study of the influence of bilayer structure in a PLED made of PPV and 2-CN-PPV, by adopting a mesoscopic approach. Our results show that the presence of the polymer/polymer interface improves charge injection and leads to a confinement of charges near it, which will increase the number recombination events in the middle of the device compared to the equivalent single-layer PLEDs.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) Programa Operacional “Ciência , Tecnologia, Inovação” POCTI/CTM/41574/2001, CONC-REEQ/443/EEI/2001 e SFRH/BD/22143/200

Trajetórias De Mulheres Vivendo Com Hiv/aids No Brasil. Avanços E Permanências Da Resposta à Epidemia

This article analyzes the trajectories of 85 women living with HIV/AIDS in six Brazilian cities: Belém, São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Goiânia, Recife and Pelotas, to understand some specific aspects of their experiences before and after diagnosis. It is based on in-depth interviews conducted in 2009 addressing women diagnosed with HIV between 1 and 20 years previously. The results show a profile characterized by limited access to school, health services and labor and a marked presence of violence. The reasons for applying HIV tests vary over time and there is an increase in prenatal testing, although no modifications in the context of the infection are apparent. For some women, the diagnosis determines changes in lifestyle. However, for the majority, social and labor experiences and the decisions about love, sexuality and reproduction seem to respond to their immediate demands and opportunities. The management of the diagnosis and the support received influence living with HIV/AIDS. These results show the need for actions for prevention and testing not restricted to pregnant women, even in the context of a concentrated epidemic. Studies adopting a biographical perspective can contribute to prevent or improve living with HIV/AIDS appropriate to the different moments of the womens’ trajectories. © 2017, Associacao Brasileira de Pos - Graduacao em Saude Coletiva. All rights reserved.221879