The role of meso-substituents on the spectral features of free-base porphyrins is explored. Meso-tetra(4-pyridyl)porphyrin is compared with meso-tetra(2-thienyl)porphyrin and ...meso-tetra(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin. Our results indicate that some of the asymmetric Q-bands in the free-base porphyrin tend to become symmetric relative to the adopted meso-substituent. The results show that the outlying perturbations lead the free-base quasi-degenerated Qx1, Qx2, Qy1, and Qy2 bands to be closer in energy. Combined, absorption, fluorescence and Raman spectroscopies endorse our conclusions showing that both the frequencies and the Huang-Rhys factors associated with every vibronic progression are noticeably affected by the investigated meso-substituents. Our results confirm that the B-band is also multi-featured in agreement with what is found for the Q-bands.
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•Meso-Substituted porphyrins are investigated.•The vibronic progressions are affected by meso groups.•The relaxation pathways are affected by meso groups.•Quantum chemical calculations support our findings.
Fusion for Energy (F4E), the European Domestic Agency for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is responsible for the manufacturing, test and delivery of 5 out of 6 Poloidal ...Field Coils of ITER. F4E has currently delivered 4 coils: PF2, PF4, PF5 and PF6, the last two are installed in the Tokamak pit in temporary positions while PF2 and PF4 are stored awaiting the Tokamak torus completion. At the PF coils manufacturing production site in Cadarache, France, few meters away from the ITER Tokamak assembly building, F4E is currently finalizing the manufacturing and testing of the largest coil: PF3, with 24 m diameter and a weight of 384 t, approaching to the end of an endeavor that started back in 2013. This article describes all electrical tests the PF coils underwent to meet the ITER technical requirements during their lengthy manufacturing process, and which lasted several years. Tests performed at key points of the manufacturing process avoided discovering non-conformities at later stages that could otherwise become critical for the project accomplition. The main electrical tests consisted of high voltage DC/AC, partial discharge tests, and local and global Paschen tests. The experimental setups and procedures are presented and discussed in more detail. We also summarize the acceptance test results for the finalized coils i.e., 80 K forced flow pressure drop testing, leak tightness in vacuum before, during and after the thermal cycle to 80 K.
Thermally sensitive neurons present bursting activity for certain temperature ranges, characterized by fast repetitive spiking of action potential followed by a short quiescent period. ...Synchronization of bursting activity is possible in networks of coupled neurons, and it is sometimes an undesirable feature. Control procedures can suppress totally or partially this collective behavior, with potential applications in deep-brain stimulation techniques. We investigate the control of bursting synchronization in small-world networks of Hodgkin-Huxley-type thermally sensitive neurons with chemical synapses through two different strategies. One is the application of an external time-periodic electrical signal and another consists of a time-delayed feedback signal. We consider the effectiveness of both strategies in terms of protocols of applications suitable to be applied by pacemakers.
The performance of probiotic yogurt with the addition of glucose oxidase (250 and 500ppm, GOX1 and GOX2, respectively) compared to commercial products available in the Brazilian market was ...investigated. Microbiological (probiotic bacteria count), physical–chemical (pH, proteolysis, minerals) and metabolic activities (production of organic acids, flavor and aroma compounds and fatty acid profile) were performed. Glucose oxidase yogurt presented suitable viability of lactic acid and probiotic cultures (>6logCFU/g), as well as lower pH values. On the other hand, higher values of proteolysis, diacetyl, acetaldehyde, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and similar values of lactic acid and acetic acid were found. In a functional food perspective, the addition of glucose oxidase to probiotic yogurts may be an interesting technological option for small and medium-size dairy enterprises to enter to the market of functional dairy foods.
•Performance of probiotic yogurts with glucose oxidase and commercial yogurts•All probiotic yogurts presented adequate microbiological counts (>6logCFU/mL).•Improved conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), diacetyl and acetaldehyde values were noted.
A steady supply of mineral raw materials is vital for the transition to a low-carbon, circular economy. The number of active mines in Europe has severely declined over the last century and half, ...giving rise to many abandoned mining waste sites and corresponding geological heritage. Also, the rise in minerals demand for large-scale deployment of renewable energy requires the continued and steady availability of key minerals. The supply risk associated with unpredicted geopolitical events needs to be eliminated/mitigated. Historical mine waste sites are the answer but evaluating mine waste is a lengthy and costly exercise. The study, undertaken in the Lousal Mine, used small unmanned aerial systems (sUASs) to model and determine mine waste volumes by generating orthomosaic maps with quick, inexpensive, and reliable results. Calculated mine waste volumes between 308,478 m3 and 322,455 m3 were obtained. XRD and p-XRF techniques determined the mineralogy and chemistry of waste, which varied from mineralization and host rocks with hydrothermal alteration and numerous neogenic sulphates (mostly gypsum, rhomboclase, ferricopiapite, coquimbite, and jarosite) related with supergene processes and weathering. The study shows the viability of using these sUASs to successfully model historical mine waste sites in an initial phase and for future monitoring programs.
Viscum album L., popularly known as mistletoe, is well known for its anti-cancer properties, and the pharmaceutical application of hydroalcoholic dry extracts is still limited due to its low ...solubility in aqueous media, and physicochemical instability. The Pluronic® F127 is an amphiphilic polymer, which permits the solubilization of lipophilic and hydrophilic compounds. In this investigation, physicochemical features of hydrogel containing V. album dry extract (VADE-loaded-hydrogel) were performed by: dynamic light scattering (DLS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). VADE-loaded-hydrogel presented nanometer-size micelles with volume distribution ranging from 10.58 nm to 246.7 nm, and a polydispersity index of 0.441. The sample thermal analyses (TG and DSC) showed similar decomposition curves; however, the thermal events indicated an increase in thermal stability in relation to the presence of the extract. In addition to these interesting pharmaceutical features, IC50 values of 333.40 µg/mL and >1000 µg/mL were obtained when tumor (SCC-25) and non-tumor (L929) cells were incubated with VADE-loaded-hydrogel, respectively. The optical and ultrastructural cellular analysis confirmed the tumor selectivity since the following alterations were detected only in SCC-25 cells: disorganization of plasmatic membrane; an increase of cytoplasmatic vacuole size; alteration in the cristae mitochondrial shape; and generation of amorphous cellular material. These results emphasize the promising antitumoral potential of VADE-loaded-hydrogel as an herbal drug delivery system via in vitro assays.
Climate change and seasonality in forage production have caused alterations in animal feed. Thus, this study evaluated the composition of silages from soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) mixed with ...tropical grasses. The experimental design was randomized blocks with four replications. Treatments were silage from soybeans, silage from soybeans with Aruana Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus cv. Aruana), and silage from soybeans with Congo grass (Urochloa ruziziensis cv. Comum). Silos were stored for 60 days in the laboratory at room temperature. The silage from soybeans with Aruana Guinea grass showed the highest contents of dry matter, crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber, insoluble nitrogen in neutral detergent fiber, and insoluble nitrogen in acid detergent fiber but the lowest levels of crude protein and ether extract. The highest content of mineral material and hemicellulose was observed in the silage from soybeans with Congo grass. The silages from soybeans and soybeans with Congo grass showed no significant differences for acid detergent fiber and lignin. In conclusion, the use of tropical grasses as a component to improve the quality of silage from soybeans is an alternative for forage conservation in ruminant production systems, especially at the dry season.
A
bstract
Results of a search for the standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a top quark pair (
t
t
¯
H
) in final states with electrons, muons, and hadronically decaying
τ
leptons ...are presented. The analyzed data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb
−1
recorded in proton-proton collisions at
s
=
13
TeV by the CMS experiment in 2016. The sensitivity of the search is improved by using matrix element and machine learning methods to separate the signal from backgrounds. The measured signal rate amounts to 1.23
− 0.43
+ 0.45
times the production rate expected in the standard model, with an observed (expected) significance of 3.2
σ
(2.8
σ
), which represents evidence for
t
t
¯
H
production in those final states. An upper limit on the signal rate of 2.1 times the standard model production rate is set at 95% confidence level.
A
bstract
Measurements of the differential jet cross section are presented as a function of the jet mass in dijet events, in bins of jet transverse momentum, with and without a jet grooming ...algorithm. The data have been recorded by the CMS Collaboration in proton-proton collisions at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 fb
−1
. The absolute cross sections show slightly different jet transverse momentum spectra in data and Monte Carlo event generators for the settings used. Removing this transverse momentum dependence, the normalized cross section for ungroomed jets is consistent with the prediction from Monte Carlo event generators for masses below 30% of the transverse momentum. The normalized cross section for groomed jets is measured with higher precision than the ungroomed cross section. Semi-analytical calculations of the jet mass beyond leading logarithmic accuracy are compared to data, as well as predictions at leading order and next-to-leading order, which include parton showering and hadronization. Overall, in the normalized cross section, the theoretical predictions agree with the measured cross sections within the uncertainties for masses from 10 to 30% of the jet transverse momentum.
Using meteor radar observations of four years in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) over a subtropical Brazilian station, Cachoeira Paulista (22.7°S, 45°W), the temporal variability ...characteristics of the diurnal tide have been studied. In addition to the semiannual, annual and interannual variations, the diurnal tide amplitude exhibits clear intermittent modulation at periods of planetary waves. The tidal amplitude exhibits clear seasonal pattern with largest amplitude in fall equinox. The dominant periods of modulation of the diurnal tide are found to be greater than 10 days in the MLT. The diurnal tide, as detected in the power spectra of the horizontal winds, shows a spread in period around the central period (24h) which is an indication of nonlinear interactions between the diurnal tide and planetary waves. A bispectral analysis reveals prominent triplets (two primary waves and a secondary wave) confirming the interaction of the diurnal tide with planetary waves persistent over a broad spectral range. Also there is an indication of coupling of the diurnal tide with the intraseasonal oscillations at various times of the year.
•Temporal variability of the diurnal tide amplitude is studied in the MLT.•Possible coupling between the diurnal tide and planetary waves is observed.•Bispectral analysis showed triplets of interacting diurnal tide and planetary waves.
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