Bentonite functionalized with propyl sulfonic acid groups used as catalyst in esterification reactions

AbstractThe main objective of this work is the functionalization of bentonite from the Amazon (region) by the grafting of propyl sulfonic acid groups to catalyze the esterification reaction of acetic acid and 1-propanol. Functionalization was accomplished by anchoring, oxidation and acid activation of (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane, (MTPS). The procedure gave acid properties to the raw bentonite. This material, acting as a catalyst, increased the reaction speed and improved the yield by about 12% compared to the uncatalyzed reaction. The functionalized bentonite was characterized by XRD, TG/DTA, FTIR, N2 adsorption/desorption at 77K and XRF, and the surface acidity was determined by titration

Genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from pigs intended for human consumption in Brazil

AbstractThis study genetically Toxoplasma gondii isolates obtained from pigs intended for human consumption in northeastern Brazil; multilocus PCR-RFLP and sequencing techniques were utilized. Bioassays were conducted using the brain and tongue of 20 pig heads purchased at butcher shops in the city of Ilheus, Bahia, Brazil. Overall, 11 T. gondii isolates designated TgPgBr06-16 were identified. Application of multilocus PCR-RFLP with seven molecular markers (SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, C22-8, PK1 and Apico) identified six different genotypes. Isolates TgPgBr 06, 08, 11, 12, 14 and 15 were indistinguishable by this technique, forming a single genotype; the remaining isolates were characterized as distinct genotypes. However, when five genetic markers (SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB and c22-8) were employed in multilocus PCR-sequencing, all eleven strains of T. gondii were shown to be different. All isolates differed from Type I, II and III clonal genotypes using both genotyping techniques. These results demonstrate that the multilocus PCR-RFLP assay underestimated the true diversity of the T. gondii population in this study. Thus, DNA sequencing is the preferred technique to infer the genetic diversity and population structure of T. gondii strains from Brazil. Moreover, it is necessary to develop new molecular markers to group and characterize atypical T. gondii isolates from South America

Inflationary models inducing non-Gaussian metric fluctuations

We construct explicit models of multi-field inflation in which the primordial metric fluctuations do not necessarily obey Gaussian statistics. These models are realizations of mechanisms in which non-Gaussianity is first generated by a light scalar field and then transferred into curvature fluctuations. The probability distribution functions of the metric perturbation at the end of inflation are computed. This provides a guideline for designing strategies to search for non-Gaussian signals in future CMB and large scale structure surveys.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figure

Indication Of Unusual Pentagonal Structures In Atomic-size Cu Namwires

A study of the structural and quantum conductance properties of atomic-size copper nanowires generated by mechanical stretching was presented. The time-resolved electron microscopy observations and molecular dynamics simulations were used to derive the atomistic evolution. The quantum transport behavior was analyzed by means of conductance measurements and theoretical calculations. The formation of an unusual and highly pentagonal Cu nanowires with a diameter of ∼0.45 nm and ∼4.5 conductance quanta was also shown.93121261031-126103-4Agraït, N., Yeyati, A.L., Van Ruitenbeek, J.M., (2003) Phys. Rep., 377, p. 81Gulseren, O., Ercolessi, F., Tosatti, E., (1998) Phys. Rev. Lett., 80, p. 3775Kondo, Y., Takayanagi, K., (2000) Science, 289, p. 606Oshima, Y., Onga, A., Takayanagi, K., (2003) Phys. Rev. Lett., 91, p. 205503Ohnishi, H., Kondo, Y., Takayanagi, K., (1998) Nature (London), 395, p. 780Yanson, A.I., (1998) Nature (London), 395, p. 783Rodrigues, V., Fuhrer, T., Ugarte, D., (2000) Phys. Rev. Lett., 85, p. 4124Rego, L.G.C., Rocha, A.R., Rodrigues, V., Ugarte, D., (2003) Phys. Rev. B, 67, p. 045412Rodrigues, V., (2002) Phys. Rev. B, 65, p. 153402Krans, J.M., (1995) Nature (London), 375, p. 767Kondo, Y., Takayanagi, K., (1997) Phys. Rev. Lett., 79, p. 3455Rodrigues, V., Ugarte, D., (2003) Nanowires and Nanobelts, 1, p. 177. , edited by Z. L. Wang Kluwer, DordrechtRodrigues, V., Bettini, J., Silva, P.C., Ugarte, D., (2003) Phys. Rev. Lett., 91, p. 096801Marks, L.D., (1994) Rep. Prog. Phys., 57, p. 603Urban, J., (1998) Cryst. Res. Technol., 33, p. 1009Lisiecki, I., (2000) Phys. Rev. B, 61, p. 4968Emberly, E.G., Kirczenow, G., (1998) Phys. Rev. B, 58, p. 10911(1999) Phys. Rev. B, 60, p. 6028Reinhard, D., (1997) Phys. Rev. Lett., 79, p. 1459Sen, P., (2002) Phys. Rev. B, 65, p. 235433Cleri, F., Rosato, V., (1993) Phys. Rev. B, 48, p. 22Tomànek, D., Aligia, A.A., Balseiro, C.A., (1985) Phys. Rev. B, 32, p. 5051Coura, P.Z., (2004) Nano Lett., 4, p. 1187EPAPS Document No. E-PRLTAO-93-010436, E-PRLTAO-93-010436. , http://www.aip.org/pubservs/epaps.html)orfromftp.aip.orginthedirectory/ epaps, Figure 4 snapshot of a Cu nanowire being elongated along the [110] axis. A direct link to this document may be found in the online article's HTML reference section. The document may also be reached via the EPAPS homepage See the EPAPS homepage for more informatio

On the Quantum Invariant for the Spherical Seifert Manifold

We study the Witten--Reshetikhin--Turaev SU(2) invariant for the Seifert manifold $S^3/\Gamma$ where $\Gamma$ is a finite subgroup of SU(2). We show that the WRT invariants can be written in terms of the Eichler integral of the modular forms with half-integral weight, and we give an exact asymptotic expansion of the invariants by use of the nearly modular property of the Eichler integral. We further discuss that those modular forms have a direct connection with the polyhedral group by showing that the invariant polynomials of modular forms satisfy the polyhedral equations associated to $\Gamma$.Comment: 36 page

Hypothalamic S1p/s1pr1 axis controls energy homeostasis

Sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) is a G-protein-coupled receptor for sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) that has a role in many physiological and pathophysiological processes. Here we show that the S1P/S1PR1 signalling pathway in hypothalamic neurons regulates energy homeostasis in rodents. We demonstrate that S1PR1 protein is highly enriched in hypothalamic POMC neurons of rats. Intracerebroventricular injections of the bioactive lipid, S1P, reduce food consumption and increase rat energy expenditure through persistent activation of STAT3 and the melanocortin system. Similarly, the selective disruption of hypothalamic S1PR1 increases food intake and reduces the respiratory exchange ratio. We further show that STAT3 controls S1PR1 expression in neurons via a positive feedback mechanism. Interestingly, several models of obesity and cancer anorexia display an imbalance of hypothalamic S1P/S1PR1/STAT3 axis, whereas pharmacological intervention ameliorates these phenotypes. Taken together, our data demonstrate that the neuronal S1P/S1PR1/STAT3 signalling axis plays a critical role in the control of energy homeostasis in rats.Sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) is a G-protein-coupled receptor for sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) that has a role in many physiological and pathophysiological processes. Here we show that the S1P/S1PR1 signalling pathway in hypothalamic neurons regulates energy homeostasis in rodents. We demonstrate that S1PR1 protein is highly enriched in hypothalamic POMC neurons of rats. Intracerebroventricular injections of the bioactive lipid, S1P, reduce food consumption and increase rat energy expenditure through persistent activation of STAT3 and the melanocortin system. Similarly, the selective disruption of hypothalamic S1PR1 increases food intake and reduces the respiratory exchange ratio. We further show that STAT3 controls S1PR1 expression in neurons via a positive feedback mechanism. Interestingly, several models of obesity and cancer anorexia display an imbalance of hypothalamic S1P/S1PR1/STAT3 axis, whereas pharmacological intervention ameliorates these phenotypes. Taken together, our data demonstrate that the neuronal S1P/S1PR1/STAT3 signalling axis plays a critical role in the control of energy homeostasis in rats5485

Chiral perturbation theory calculation for pn -> dpipi at threshold

We investigate the reaction pn -> dpipi in the framework of Chiral Perturbation Theory. For the first time a complete calculation of the leading order contributions is presented. We identify various diagrams that are of equal importance as compared to those recognized in earlier works. The diagrams at leading order behave as expected by the power counting. Also for the first time the nucleon-nucleon interaction in the initial, intermediate and final state is included consistently and found to be very important. This study provides a theoretical basis for a controlled evaluation of the non-resonant contributions in two-pion production reactions in nucleon-nucleon collisions.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figures, 3 table

Bayesian joint estimation of non-Gaussianity and the power spectrum

We propose a rigorous, non-perturbative, Bayesian framework which enables one jointly to test Gaussianity and estimate the power spectrum of CMB anisotropies. It makes use of the Hilbert space of an harmonic oscillator to set up an exact likelihood function, dependent on the power spectrum and on a set of parameters $\alpha_i$, which are zero for Gaussian processes. The latter can be expressed as series of cumulants; indeed they perturbatively reduce to cumulants. However they have the advantage that their variation is essentially unconstrained. Any truncation(i.e.: finite set of $\alpha_i$) therefore still produces a proper distribution - something which cannot be said of the only other such tool on offer, the Edgeworth expansion. We apply our method to Very Small Array (VSA) simulations based on signal Gaussianity, showing that our algorithm is indeed not biased.Comment: 11pages, 4 figures, submitted to MNRA