A class of collocation methods for numerical integration of initial value problems

For the numerical solution of initial value problems a general procedure to determine global integration methods is derived and studied. They are collocation methods which can be easily implemented and provide a high order accuracy. They further provide globally continuous differentiable solutions. Computation of the integrals which appear in the coefficients are generated by a recurrence formula and no integrals are involved in the calculation. Numerical experiments provide favorable comparisons with other existing methods.     

Magnetic Rotation in the A = 80 Region: M1 Bands in Heavy Rb Isotopes

We have studied the isotopes ⁸²Rb₄₅, ⁸³Rb₄₆, and ⁸⁴Rb₄₇ to search for magnetic rotation which is predicted in the tilted-axis cranking model for a certain mass region around A = 80. Excited states in these nuclei were populated via the reaction ¹¹B + ⁷⁶Ge with E = 50 MeV at the XTU tandem accelerator of the LNL Legnaro. Based on a γ-coincidence experiment using the spectrometer GASP we have found magnetic dipole bands in each studied nuclide. The regular M1 bands observed in the odd-odd nuclei ⁸²Rb and ⁸⁴Rb include B(M1)/B(E2) ratios decreasing smoothly with increasing spin in a range of 13⁻ ≤ J^π ≤ 16⁻. These bands are interpreted in the tilted-axis cranking model on the basis of four-quasiparticle configurations of the type π(fp)πg9/22νg9/2. This is the first evidence of magnetic rotation in the A ≈ 80 region. In contrast, the M1 sequences in the odd-even nucleus ⁸³Rb are not regular, and the B(M1)/B(E2) ratios show a pronounced staggering.     

Fenton and photo-Fenton treatment of a synthetic tannin used in leather tannery: a multi-approach study.

The aim of this work was to compare the behaviour of Fenton and photo-Fenton (UV-A, UV-C) processes to treat synthetic tannin (syntan) used in leather tannery which is one of the most polluting industries, releasing many xenobiotics. Both oxidation processes were performed at pH 3.0 and temperature 40-45 degrees C, which is the original temperature of the re-tanning process, in synthetic solutions containing 100 and 300 mg/L of COD equivalent of syntan. The efficiency of the applied oxidation processes was monitored by chemical oxygen demand (COD), oxidation redox potential (ORP) and aromaticity (UV280) and double bond (UV254) absorbance measurements. Acute toxicity test on Daphnia magna was performed to monitor toxicity in untreated and treated syntan solution. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied to identify by-products of partial oxidation occurring in treated samples. The effective ratio of H2O2/FeSO4 for photo-Fenton processes was found to be feasible in terms of reagents used in the process.     

Partial depletion and multiple deletions of muscle mtDNA in familial MNGIE syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To describe the unique combination of partial depletion and multiple deletions of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) on muscle DNA analysis of three siblings with mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE). BACKGROUND: MNGIE is a relatively homogeneous autosomal recessive disorder characterized by gastrointestinal dysmobility, ophthalmoparesis, peripheral neuropathy, mitochondrial myopathy, and altered white matter signal at brain imaging. Muscle multiple mtDNA deletions have been found in about half of the described cases. METHODS: We studied three affected siblings (two were monozygotic twins) born to nonconsanguineous parents. Muscle mtDNA was investigated by quantitative Southern and Slot blot techniques and by PCR analysis. Morphologic confirmation in the muscle tissue was achieved by using in situ hybridization with a mtDNA probe complementary to an undeleted region and by DNA immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: All three patients showed ragged red (RRF) and cytochrome c oxidase-negative fibers, as well as partial deficiency of complexes I and IV. Southern and Slot blot analyses showed mtDNA depletion in all patients. Multiple mtDNA deletions were also detected by PCR analysis. In situ hybridization demonstrated an overall signal weaker than controls, with a relatively higher signal in RRF. Antibodies against DNA showed a decreased cytoplasmic network. CONCLUSIONS: The muscle histopathology and respiratory chain enzyme defects may be accounted for by the decreased mtDNA amount and by the presence of mtDNA deleted molecules; however, relative levels of mtDNA seem to correlate with life span in these patients. The combination of partial depletion and multiple deletions of mtDNA might indicate the derangement of a common genetic mechanism controlling mtDNA copy number and integrity.     

Behaviour of natural organic mater during ultrasonic irradiation

Ultrasonic irradiation has been one of the advanced oxidation methods for natural organic matter (NOM) removal. Its application simplicity and no production of toxic by-products make the system attractive. It has been shown that high power ultrasound produces strong cavitation in aqueous solution causing shock wave and reactive free radicals by the violent collapse of the cavitation bubble. These effects should contribute to the physical disruption and inactivation of microbial structures as well as to the decomposition of toxic chemicals in the water. The objective of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of low frequency – high power sonication for NOM removal (measured by both means of UV₂₅₄ absorbance and TOC) as well as controlling DBPs formation by varying irradiation time, light intensity, NOM concentration. Temperature, pH, conductivity, redox potential, and turbidity were monitored to evaluate the experimental study. The results indicate a strong capacity of sonication for NOM removal. The preliminary experiments showed that NOM removal is influenced by the intensity and time of sonication. Ultrasound, applied under such conditions, may be a realistic possibility for large-scale treatment; however, further studies should be performed to evaluate its effectiveness on different water sources.     

Local entanglement in a bimodal high- Q cavity: Production and utilization

A new conditional scheme for entangling the two quantized modes of a bimodal high-Q cavity field is presented. We show that, injecting one at time k atoms inside the cavity, it is possible to guide the field toward k-dependent linear combinations of k + 1 bimodal Fock states, each one possessing the same total number of photons. The two simple cases corresponding to the passage of one or two atoms only through the resonator are considered. Their practical feasibility against cavity losses, spontaneous emission and other sources of imprecision of the experimental set-up is discussed. Two examples illustrating the usefulness of and the interest toward the creation of such a local entanglement, are reported. The first one relates the specific features of these bimodal entangled states to the occurrence of a non-classical correlation effect in the dynamics of a two-level atom interacting with the entangled cavity. The second one demonstrates that the peculiar entanglement initially stored in the cavity in accordance with our method, provides an effectively exploitable resource to entangle two spatially separated cavities.     

Coherent and squeezed vibrations for discrete variable harmonic oscillators

In this work we study different types of coherent and squeezed states for the Charlier, Kravchuk and Meixner oscillators. We calculate the average values of different observables corresponding to the coherent states. We found that the coherent and squeezed states of the Kravchuk oscillator are unstable. There are also coherent and squeezed states that are similar to the coherent and squeezed states of the harmonic oscillator. We have introduced a discrete variable model for the biophoton coherent radiation, and the coherent thermal and squeezed thermal states.     

Fatty streak formation occurs in human fetal aortas and is greatly enhanced by maternal hypercholesterolemia. Intimal accumulation of low density lipoprotein and its oxidation precede monocyte recruitment into early atherosclerotic lesions

To determine whether oxidized LDL enhances atherogenesis by promoting monocyte recruitment into the vascular intima, we investigated whether LDL accumulation and oxidation precede intimal accumulation of monocytes in human fetal aortas (from spontaneous abortions and premature newborns who died within 12 h; fetal age 6.2+/-1.3 mo). For this purpose, a systematic assessment of fatty streak formation was carried out in fetal aortas from normocholesterolemic mothers (n = 22), hypercholesterolemic mothers (n = 33), and mothers who were hypercholesterolemic only during pregnancy (n = 27). Fetal plasma cholesterol levels showed a strong inverse correlation with fetal age (R = -0.88, P < 0.0001). In fetuses younger than 6 mo, fetal plasma cholesterol levels correlated with maternal ones (R = 0.86, P = 0.001), whereas in older fetuses no such correlation existed. Fetal aortas from hypercholesterolemic mothers and mothers with temporary hypercholesterolemia contained significantly more and larger lesions (758,651+/-87,449 and 451,255+/-37,448 micron2 per section, respectively; mean+/-SD) than aortas from normocholesterolemic mothers (61,862+/-9,555 micron2; P < 0.00005). Serial sections of the arch, thoracic, and abdominal aortas were immunostained for recognized markers of atherosclerosis: macrophages, apo B, and two different oxidation-specific epitopes (malondialdehyde- and 4-hydroxynonenal-lysine). Of the atherogenic sites that showed positive immunostaining for at least one of these markers, 58.6% were established lesions containing both macrophage/foam cells and oxidized LDL (OxLDL). 17.3% of all sites contained only native LDL, and 13.3% contained only OxLDL without monocyte/ macrophages. In contrast, only 4.3% of sites contained isolated monocytes in the absence of native or oxidized LDL. In addition, 6.3% of sites contained LDL and macrophages but few oxidation-specific epitopes. These results demonstrate that LDL oxidation and formation of fatty streaks occurs already during fetal development, and that both phenomena are greatly enhanced by maternal hypercholesterolemia. The fact that in very early lesions LDL and OxLDL are frequently found in the absence of monocyte/macrophages, whereas the opposite is rare, suggests that intimal LDL accumulation and oxidation contributes to monocyte recruitment in vivo.