2,354 research outputs found
Flow injection determination of readily assimilable nitrogen compounds during vinification
A flow injection method for the determination of readily assimilable nitrogen (r.a.n.), i.e. ammonium and aminated nitrogen, is reported. The difference in pH of the sample in the presence and absence of formaldehyde, which blocks the amino function, provides the value of r.a.n. by monitoring the changes in absorbance of bromothymol blue at 616 nm. The detection and quantification limits are 10 and 11.6 mg l-1, respectively; the reproducibility and repeatability are 3.94 mg l-1 and 1.35 mg l-1, respectively; and the sample throughput is 20 samples h-1. The method has been applied to the analysis of 120 samples of must and wine subjected to biological aging. The proposed method also provides good correlation with the reference method used in routine analysis, and it is faster and gives sufficient precision for wineries requirements
Orbital frustration at the origin of the magnetic behavior in LiNiO2
We report on the ESR, magnetization and magnetic susceptibility measurements
performed over a large temperature range, from 1.5 to 750 K, on high-quality
stoichiometric LiNiO2. We find that this compound displays two distinct
temperature regions where its magnetic behavior is anomalous. With the help of
a statistical model based on the Kugel'-Khomskii Hamiltonian, we show that
below T_of ~ 400 K, an orbitally-frustrated state characteristic of the
triangular lattice is established. This then gives a solution to the
long-standing controversial problem of the magnetic behavior in LiNiO2.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, RevTex, accepted in PR
Random trees between two walls: Exact partition function
We derive the exact partition function for a discrete model of random trees
embedded in a one-dimensional space. These trees have vertices labeled by
integers representing their position in the target space, with the SOS
constraint that adjacent vertices have labels differing by +1 or -1. A
non-trivial partition function is obtained whenever the target space is bounded
by walls. We concentrate on the two cases where the target space is (i) the
half-line bounded by a wall at the origin or (ii) a segment bounded by two
walls at a finite distance. The general solution has a soliton-like structure
involving elliptic functions. We derive the corresponding continuum scaling
limit which takes the remarkable form of the Weierstrass p-function with
constrained periods. These results are used to analyze the probability for an
evolving population spreading in one dimension to attain the boundary of a
given domain with the geometry of the target (i) or (ii). They also translate,
via suitable bijections, into generating functions for bounded planar graphs.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, tex, harvmac, epsf; accepted version; main
modifications in Sect. 5-6 and conclusio
Markers of bone turnover for the management of patients with bone metastases from prostate cancer
Although increased bone formation is a prominent feature of patients with osteosclerotic metastases from prostate cancer, there is also some evidence for increased bone resorption. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical utility of new bone resorption markers to that of bone formation in patients with bone metastases from prostate cancer before and after bisphosphonate treatment. Thirty-nine patients with prostate cancer and bone metastasis, nine patients with prostate cancer without bone metastases, nine patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and 355 healthy age-matched men were included. Urinary non-isomerized (α CTX) and β isomerized (β CTX) type I collagen C-telopeptides (CTX) and a new assay for serum CTX were used to assess bone resorption. Bone formation was determined by serum osteocalcin, serum total (T-ALP) and bone (BAP) alkaline phosphatase and serum type I collagen C-terminal propeptide (PICP). Fourteen patients with bone metastases were also evaluated 15 days after a single injection of the bisphosphonate pamidronate (120 mg). Levels of all bone formation and bone resorption markers were significantly (P< 0.006–0.0001) higher in patients with prostate cancer and bone metastasis than in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, patients with prostate cancer without bone metastases and healthy controls. In patients with bone metastases the median was increased by 67% for serum osteocalcin, 128% for T-ALP, 138% for BAP, 79% for PICP, 220% for urinary α CTX, 149% for urinary β CTX and 214% for serum CTX. After bisphosphonate treatment all three resorption markers significantly decreased by an average of 65% (P = 0.001), 71% (P = 0.0010) and 61% (P = 0.0015) for urinary α CTX, urinary β CTX and serum CTX, respectively, whereas no significant change was observed for any bone formation markers. Patients with prostate cancer and bone metastases exhibit a marked increase in bone resorption, which decreases within a few days of treatment with pamidronate. These findings suggest that these new resorption markers may be useful for the management of these patients. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig
Airborne measurements of biomass burning products over Africa
Ozone has been observed in elevated concentrations by satellites over hitherto believed 'background' areas. There is meteorological evidence that these ozone 'plumes' found over the Atlantic ocean originate from biomass fires on the African continent. Therefore we have investigated ozone and assumed precursor compounds over African regions. The measurements revealed large photosmog layers in altitudes between 1.5 and 4 km. Here we will focus on some results of ozone mixing ratios obtained during the DECAFE 91/FOS experiment and estimate the relevance of biomass burning as a source by comparing the strength of this source to stratospheric input
European guidance for the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women
Geodesic Distance in Planar Graphs
We derive the exact generating function for planar maps (genus zero
fatgraphs) with vertices of arbitrary even valence and with two marked points
at a fixed geodesic distance. This is done in a purely combinatorial way based
on a bijection with decorated trees, leading to a recursion relation on the
geodesic distance. The latter is solved exactly in terms of discrete
soliton-like expressions, suggesting an underlying integrable structure. We
extract from this solution the fractal dimensions at the various
(multi)-critical points, as well as the precise scaling forms of the continuum
two-point functions and the probability distributions for the geodesic distance
in (multi)-critical random surfaces. The two-point functions are shown to obey
differential equations involving the residues of the KdV hierarchy.Comment: 38 pages, 8 figures, tex, harvmac, eps
Midwave infrared InAs/GaSb superlattice photodiode with a dopant-free p–n junction
Midwave infrared (MWIR) InAs/GaSb superlattice (SL) photodiode with a dopant-free p–n junction was fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy on GaSb substrate. Depending on the thickness ratio between InAs and GaSb layers in the SL period, the residual background carriers of this adjustable material can be either n-type or p-type. Using this flexibility in residual doping of the SL material, the p–n junction of the device is made with different non-intentionally doped (nid) SL structures. The SL photodiode processed shows a cut-off wavelength at 4.65 μm at 77 K, residual carrier concentration equal to 1.75 × 1015 cm−3, dark current density as low as 2.8 × 10−8 A/cm2 at 50 mV reverse bias and R0A product as high as 2 × 106 Ω cm2. The results obtained demonstrate the possibility to fabricate a SL pin photodiode without intentional doping the pn junction
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