Determination of trace manganese and Ni in neem oil by ETA-AAS with emulsion sample introduction

An emulsion-based method was developed as an alternative for the introduction of oil-based samples into a graphite furnace to produce a more rapid, precise, and accurate method of analysis. The combination of emulsion sampling and electrothermal atomization for atomic absorption spectroscopy was developed and then applied to the determination of Ni and manganese in neem oil from Venezuela. The optimal concentration of neem oil in the emulsion was 30 and 4% for Ni and Mn, respectively, based on the metal concentration of the neem oil. The stability of the emulsion as a function of time was evaluated. The use of aqueous calibration solutions and the accuracy attained using this method make it attractive for the analysis of oil samples. The metal recovery was between 97 and 101%. Based on the emulsion method, the neem oil samples had 1.39 and 0.21 mg of Mn and Ni per kg of oil, respectively. The wet digestion method indicated a Mn and Ni concentration in the neem oil sample of 1.42 and 0.24 mg/kg, respectively.     

Differential thermal lensing in extended samples

We present a new scheme for a pump-probe mode-mismatched thermal lensing experiment aimed at extracting the value of low-absorbing components in the presence of a high-absorbing background. The method allows for the use of large path-length samples. Changes in the background absorption of a column of ethanol of 20 cm of 1% and a pollutant concentration detection limit of 0.04 ppm are obtained when using a pump light power of 34 mW.     

Catalytic Reduction of 4-Nitrobenzoic Acid by cis-[Rh(CO)2(Amine)2](PF6) Complexes Under Water–Gas Shift Reaction Conditions: Kinetics Study

Rhodium(I) complexes of the type, cis-[Rh(CO)₂(amine)₂](PF₆) where (amine = 3-picoline, 2-picoline, pyridine, 2,6-lutidina or 3,5-lutidine) dissolved in 80% aqueous amine solutions catalyzed the selective reduction of 4-nitrobenzoic acid to 4-aminobenzoic acid under CO atmosphere. The importance of these catalytic systems is their high chemo selectivity for the aromatic nitro group of the 4-nitrobenzoic acid with respect to the carboxylic group, allowing the production of the desired aromatic amine in high yields. The 4-aminobenzoic acid production depends on the nature of the coordinated amine. The Rh/3,5-lutidine system, the most active catalyst among tested, displays turnover frequencies for 4-aminobenzoic acid production of about 173 moles per mole Rh per day for [Rh] = 1 × 10^?4 mol, [4-nitrobenzoic acid] = 3.82 × 10^?3mol, 10 mL of 80% aqueous 3,5-lutidine, P(CO) = 0.9 atm at 100 °C. Analyses of kinetic results for the Rh/3,5-lutidine system show a first order dependence on 4-nitrobenzoic acid concentration, a non-linear dependence on CO pressure, a segmented Arrhenius plot and dependence on the nature of the reducing gas agent. These data are discussed in terms of a possible mechanism.     

DNA injury induced by 5-aminouracil and caffeine in G2 checkpoints path of higher plant cells.

This work evaluated the qualitative and quantitative cellular changes induced by treatment with 5-aminouracil (5-AU) and a combination of 5-AU and caffeine in plant cells in relation to DNA damage, repaired damage, and residual damage. As biological material, Allium cepa L. root tips were used, grown in filtered water, in darkness, with aeration at constant temperature of 25 degrees C +/- 0.5. Cell populations were synchronized using 5 mM caffeine in order to study the effects of 5-AU and caffeine/5-AU combined treatment on the DNA content and their incidence in the entrance to mitosis. The results showed a delay in the G2 period due to induced DNA damage by the 5-AU and caffeine/5-AU combined treatment, shown by aberrant metaphases, anaphases and telophases. The effect of caffeine in the combined treatment was heightened in spite of lengthening the checkpoints route that retains the cells in G2. The existence of G2 checkpoints was shown in the cell population studied, inducing lesions in the DNA, chromosomic aberrations and cellular instability.     

Venezuelan field trials of vaccines against brucellosis in swine

We have investigated the inter-relationship between the opioid and aminergic systems in the control of secretion of the pro-oestrous LH surge and the involvement of delta-opioid receptor subtypes in this process. Conscious female rats bearing a cannula in the femoral artery were injected i.p. with a selective delta-opioid receptor agonist (DPDPE) either alone or with the opioid antagonist (naloxone) at 1300 h on the day of pro-oestrus. Blood samples were collected hourly between 1500 h and 1900 h, and plasma LH levels were measured by RIA. At the end of this period (1900 h), the animals were autopsied and the concentrations of the amines (noradrenaline (NA), dopamine (DA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT)) and their metabolites (dihydroxyphenolglycol (DHPG) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA), metabolites of NA and 5HT respectively) were determined by HPLC with electrochemical detection in the medial preoptic area, suprachiasmatic nucleus, median eminence and arcuate nucleus. DPDPE abolished the LH surge and concomitantly decreased hypothalamic NA and DHPG concentrations in all the areas examined. The levels of DA, 5HT and 5HIAA were also reduced in all hypothalamic regions studied, except DA and 5HIAA in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Naloxone reversed these inhibitory effects of the delta-agonist. We conclude that activation of delta-opioid receptors may exert an inhibitory effect on LH release. The effect is probably an indirect one mediated by the monoaminergic systems, as they are suppressed by DPDPE in nearly all the hypothalamic regions studied.     

Chiral salts for nonlinear optics: Prospects and achievements

It is expected from theoretical models that, with comparable structure, anions will possess much higher intrinsic polarizabilities than neutral molecules. We suggest that noncentrosymmetric salts, obtained by associating large polarizable aromatic anions (ArS⁻,or anionic metal complexes) with chiral cations will be good candidates for 2nd order NLO properties. Along with theoretical results, preliminary Second Harmonic Generation experiments on chiral thiolates salts are presented and the possibilities of development of this concept are discussed.     

Optimized Photothermal Lens Determination of Nonlinear Absorption

An optimized pump–probe mode-mismatched photothermal lens experiment aimed at determination of nonlinear absorption of an optical sample is reported. The pump beam generates a local thermal gradient or thermal lens that is tested by the probe light. The pump beam is tightly focused, and the probe beam is highly collimated. Changes in the probe light transmission through a small aperture located at some distance from the sample provide the signal. Scanning of the sample around the focal point yields a single-peaked Z-scan signature with a width several times larger than the pump Rayleigh range for linear absorption. If nonlinear absorption is dominant, the width of the peak is significantly smaller and of the order of the Rayleigh range of the pump field. If linear and nonlinear absorption are present simultaneously, a double-peaked Z-scan signature is obtained. In this situation, the linear and nonlinear absorption contributions can be easily separated and compared to each other for calibration purposes. Using the known values of linear absorption, nonlinear absorption coefficients can be estimated with good accuracy. The method is tested by studying nonlinear absorption in nitrobenzene and iron oxide water colloids. The values of the effective nonlinear absorption coefficients are determined. The physical origin of nonlinear absorption in both types of samples is also discussed.     

Synthesis of antenna arrays using genetic algorithms

In this article, two particular methods for the synthesis of the complex radiation pattern of a linear and a planar array, based on genetic algorithms (GAs), are discussed. First, we present a combination of Schelkunoff's method and GAs for linear arrays with arbitrary radiation patterns; then, we consider the synthesis of planar arrays with rectangular cells. The results show the flexibility of GAs to solve complex problems related to antenna synthesis, subject to many restrictions which are difficult to treat by classical optimization techniques. There is good agreement between the desired and calculated radiation patterns