Conformal measures and Hausdorff dimension for infinitely renormalizable quadratic polynomials

We show in this paper that iff is a quadratic infinitely many times renormalizable polynomial of sufficient high combinatorial type, then: HD (J(f))= inf{: -conformal measure for f} We use Lyubich's construction of the principal nest ([Lyu97]) in order to prove this result.Partially supported by CNP q-Brazil grant # 300534/96-5     

Intra-well and cross-well chaos in membranes and shells liable to buckling

Nonlinear Dynamics - This work presents the mathematical modeling for the nonlinear vibration analysis of membrane and shell structures of arbitrary shape. These structures are usually the optimal...     

Mechanical Properties and Failure Behavior of Physically Assembled Triblock Copolymer Gels with Varying Midblock Length

Mechanical properties including the failure behavior of physically assembled gels or physical gels are governed by their network structure. To investigate such behavior, we consider a physical gel system consisting of poly(styrene)‐poly(isoprene)‐poly(styrene)[PS‐PI‐PS] in mineral oil. In these gels, the endblock (PS) molecular weights are not significantly different, whereas, the midblock (PI) molecular weight has been varied such that we can access gels with and without midblock entanglement. Small angle X‐ray scattering data reveals that the gels are composed of collapsed PS aggregates connected by PI chains. The gelation temperature has been found to be a function of the endblock concentration. Tensile tests display stretch‐rate dependent modulus at high strain for the gels with midblock entanglement. Creep failure behavior has also been found to be influenced by the entanglement. Fracture experiments with predefined cracks show that the energy release rate scales linearly with the crack‐tip velocity for all gels considered here. In addition, increase of midblock chain length resulted in higher viscous dissipation leading to a higher energy release rate. The results provide an insight into how midblock entanglement can possibly affect the mechanical properties of physically assembled triblock copolymer gels in a midblock selective solvent. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 1014–1026     

Generation of Singlet Molecular Oxygen by Lipid Hydroperoxides and Nitronium Ion†

Singlet molecular oxygen is a reactive species involved in biological oxidative processes. The major cellular targets of singlet molecular oxygen are unsaturated fatty acids in the membrane, as well as nucleic acids and proteins. The aim of this study was to investigate whether lipids and commercial hydroperoxides generate singlet molecular oxygen, in presence of nitronium and activated nitronium ion. For this purpose, monomol light emitted in the near-infrared region (λ = 1270 nm) was used to monitor singlet molecular oxygen decay in different solvents, with different hydroperoxides and in the presence of azide. Direct measurements of the singlet molecular oxygen spectrum at 1270 nm recorded during the reaction between lipids and commercial hydroperoxides and nitronium ions unequivocally demonstrated the formation of this excited species.     

The Mystery of the Benzene-Oxide/Oxepin Equilibrium—Heavy-Atom Tunneling Reversed by Solvent Interactions

The equilibrium between benzene oxide ( 1 ) and oxepin ( 2 ) is of large importance for understanding the degradation of benzene in biological systems and in the troposphere. Our studies reveal that at cryogenic temperatures, this equilibration is governed by rare heavy-atom tunneling. In solid argon at 3 K, 1 rearranges to 2 via tunneling with a rate constant of approximately 5.3×10⁻⁵ s⁻¹. Thus, in a nonpolar environment, 2 is slightly more stable than 1 , in agreement with calculations at the CCSD(T) level of theory. However, if the argon is doped with 1 % of H₂O or CF₃I as typical hydrogen or halogen bond donors, respectively, weak complexes of 1 and 2 are formed, and now 2 is tunneling back to form 1 . Thus, by forming non-covalent complexes, 1 becomes slightly more stable than 2 and the direction of the heavy-atom tunneling is reversed.     

Biseugenol Exhibited Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Asthmatic Effects in an Asthma Mouse Model of Mixed-Granulocytic Asthma

In the present work, the anti-inflammatory and antiasthmatic potential of biseugenol, isolated as the main component from n-hexane extract from leaves of Nectandra leucantha and chemically prepared using oxidative coupling from eugenol, was evaluated in an experimental model of mixed-granulocytic asthma. Initially, in silico studies of biseugenol showed good predictions for drug-likeness, with adherence to Lipinski’s rules of five (RO5), good Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion (ADME) properties and no alerts for Pan-Assay Interference Compounds (PAINS), indicating adequate adherence to perform in vivo assays. Biseugenol (20 mg·kg⁻¹) was thus administered intraperitoneally (four days of treatment) and resulted in a significant reduction in both eosinophils and neutrophils of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in ovalbumin-sensitized mice with no statistical difference from dexamethasone (5 mg·kg⁻¹). As for lung function parameters, biseugenol (20 mg·kg⁻¹) significantly reduced airway and tissue damping in comparison to ovalbumin group, with similar efficacy to positive control dexamethasone. Airway hyperresponsiveness to intravenous methacholine was reduced with biseugenol but was inferior to dexamethasone in higher doses. In conclusion, biseugenol displayed antiasthmatic effects, as observed through the reduction of inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness, with similar effects to dexamethasone, on mixed-granulocytic ovalbumin-sensitized mice.     

Highly sensitive photoelectrochemical immunosensor based on anatase/rutile TiO2 and Bi2S3 for the zero-biased detection of PSA

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - A novel label-free photoelectrochemical immunosensor was developed for the determination of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) based on fluorine-doped tin...     

Comparison of citric acid production by solid-state fermentation in flask, column, tray, and drum bioreactors

Studies were conducted to evaluate citric acid production by solid-state fermentation (SSF) using cassava bagasse as substrate employing a fungal culture of Aspergillus niger LPB 21 at laboratory and semipilot scale. Optimization of the process parameters temperature, pH, initial humidity, aeration, and nutritive composition was conducted in flasks and column fermentors. The results showed that thermal treatment of cassava bagasse enhanced fungal fermentation efficacy, resulting in 220 g of citric acid/kg of dry cassava bagasse with only treated cassava bagasse as substrate. The results obtained from the factorial experimental design in a column bioreactor showed that an aeration rate of 60 mL/min (3 mL/[g·min]) and 60% initial humidity were optimum, resulting in 265.7 g/kg of dry cassava bagasse citric acid production. This was almost 1.6 times higher than the quantities produced under unoptimized conditions (167.4 g of citric acid/kg of dry cassava bagasse). The defined parameters were transferred to semipilot scale, which showed high promise for large-scale citric acid production by SSF with cassava bagasse. Respirometry assays were carried out in order to follow indirectly the biomass evolution of the process. Citric acid production reached 220, 309, 263, and 269 g/kg of dry cassava bagasse in Erlenmeyer flasks, column fermentors, a tray bioreactor, and a horizontal drum bioreactor, respectively.     

Characterizingω 1 and the long line by their topological elementary reflections

Given a topological space 〈X, T〉 ∈M, an elementary submodel of set theory, we defineX _Mto beX ∩M with the topology generated by {U ∩M : U ∈T ∩M}. We prove that it is undecidable whetherX _Mhomeomorphic toω ₁ impliesX =X _M,yet it is true in ZFC that ifX _Mis homeomorphic to the long line, thenX =X _M.The former result generalizes to other cardinals of uncountable confinality while the latter generalizes to connected, locally compact, locally hereditarily LindelöfT ₂ spaces.