Multifractal regime transition in a modified minority game model

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Phase behavior of synthetic amphiphile vesicles investigated by calorimetry and fluorescence methods

The understanding of biological membranes may be improved by investigating physical properties of vesicles from natural or synthetic amphiphiles. The application of vesicles as mimetic agents depends on the knowledgment of their structure and properties. Vesicles having different curvature and size may be obtained using different preparation protocols. We have used differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and steady-state fluorescence to investigate the gel to liquid-crystal phase transition of vesicles prepared by sonication (SUV) and non-sonication (GUV) of the synthetic dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODAB) in aqueous solution. DSC thermograms for a non-sonicated dispersion show a well-defined pre- and main transition corresponding to two narrow peaks at 36 and 45°C in the first upscan, while in a second upscan, only the main peak was observed. The sharpness of the peaks indicate a cooperative phase behavior for GUV. For a sonicated DODAB dispersion, the first upscan shows a third peak at 40.3°C, whereas for the second upscan the peaks are not well-defined, indicating a less cooperative phase behavior. Alternatively, the fluorescence quantum yield (Φ f) and the anisotropy (r) of trans, trans, trans-1-[4-(3-carboxypropyl)-phenyl]-6-[4-butylphenyl]-1,3,5-hexatriene (4H4A) and the ratio I 1/I 3 of the first to the third vibronic peaks of the pyrene emission spectrum as function of temperature are used as well to describe the phase behavior of DODAB sonicated and non-sonicated dispersions. It is in good agreement with the DSC results that the cooperativity of the thermotropic process is diminished under sonication of the DODAB dispersion, meaning that sonication changes from homogeneous to heterogeneous populations of the amphiphile aggregates. The pre- and main transitions obtained from these techniques are in fairly good accord with results from the literature.

Produção de exopolissacarídeos por Lactobacillus helveticus autócne isoldao de soro-fermento natural

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Uso do resíduo da produção de farinha de mandioca (Crueira) na produção de álcool fino

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Development and validation of a stability-indicative agar diffusion assay to determine the potency of linezolid in tablets in the presence of photodegradation products

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

DFT study of alpha-alanine as a function of the medium polarity

The zwitterionic (Z) form, neutral (N) form and transition structure (TS) connecting N to Z, have been studied at the B3LYP/6-31++G** level of calculation by using the SCRF methodology. The intramolecular proton transfer from oxygen to nitrogen atoms of alpha -alanine and vibrational spectrum were analyzed in the different environments employed: acetonitrile, ethanol, carbon tetrachloride and gas phase. The Z species is a stationary point in acetonitrile and ethanol, but not in carbon tetrachloride and gas phase media. The geometry of N, Z and TS was similar in acetonitrile and ethanol. The vibrational spectrum of Z was similar in the two solvents studied. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All lights reserved.

Pure spinor partition function and the massive superstring spectrum

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Multifractal characterization of saprolite particle-size distributions after topsoil removal

Multifractal analysis is now increasingly used to characterize soil properties as it may provide more information than a single fractal model. During the building of a large reservoir on the Parana River (Brazil), a highly weathered soil profile was excavated to a depth between 5 and 8 m. Excavation resulted in an abandoned area with saprolite materials and, in this area, an experimental field was established to assess the effectiveness of different soil rehabilitation treatments. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks. The aim of this work was to characterize particle-size distributions of the saprolite material and use the information obtained to assess between-block variability. Particle-size distributions of the experimental plots were characterized by multifractal techniques. Ninety-six soil samples were analyzed routinely for particle-size distribution by laser diffractometry in a range of scales, varying from 0.390 to 2000 mu m. Six different textural classes (USDA) were identified with a clay content ranging from 16.9% to 58.4%. Multifractal models described reasonably well the scaling properties of particle-size distributions of the saprolite material. This material exhibits a high entropy dimension, D-1. Parameters derived from the left side (q > 0) of the f(alpha) spectra, D-1, the correlation dimension (D-2) and the range (alpha(0)-alpha(q+)), as well as the total width of the spectra (alpha(max) - alpha(min)) all showed dependence on the clay content. Sand, silt and clay contents were significantly different among treatments as a consequence of soil intrinsic variability. The D, and the Holder exponent of order zero, alpha(0), were not significantly different between treatments; in contrast, D-2 and several fractal attributes describing the width of the f(alpha) spectra were significantly different between treatments. The only parameter showing significant differences between sampling depths was (alpha(0) - alpha(q+)). Scale independent fractal attributes may be useful for characterizing intrinsic particle-size distribution variability. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Desenvolvimento de métodos analíticos e estudo de estabilidade de linezolida em comprimidos

Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas - FCFAR

Measurement of oxygen atom diffusion in Nb and Ta by anelastic spectroscopy

Impurity interstitial atoms present in metals with BCC structure can diffuse in the metallic matrix by jumps to energetically equivalent crystallographic sites. Anelastic spectroscopy (internal friction) is based on the measurement of mechanical loss or internal friction as a function of temperature. Due to its selective and nondestructive nature, anelastic spectroscopy is well suited for the study of diffusion of interstitial elements in metals. Internal friction measurements were made using the torsion pendulum technique with oscillation frequency of a few Hz, temperature interval from 300 to 700 K, heating rate of about 1 K/min, and vacuum better than 10-5 mbar. The polycrystalline Nb and Ta samples used were supplied by Aldrich Inc. The results obtained showed thermally activated relaxation structures due to stress-induced ordering of oxygen atoms around the Nb (or Ta) atoms of the metallic matrix. The results were interpreted by three methods and led to activation enthalpy values for the diffusion of oxygen in Nb and Ta of 1.15 eV and 1.10 eV, respectively.

Determination of the oxygen and nitrogen interstitial diffusion coeficient in niobium by mechanical spectroscopy

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Wannier-function approach to electron states in superlattices under an electric field

Electron quasi-stationary states in a periodic semiconductor superlattice are calculated, as linear combinations of Wannier-Kohn functions, for different values of an electric field applied along the heterostructure. A comparison with an alternative approach, which is based on the localization of quasi-stationary states, is performed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stability of cp-Ti and Ti-6Al-4V alloy for dental implants as a function of saliva pH - an electrochemical study

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

TIME-COURSE DIFFUSION of HYDROGEN PEROXIDE USING MODERN TECHNOLOGIES

The concern with the hydrogen penetration towards the pulp can be observed on the literature by the great number of papers published on this topic; Those measurements often uses chemical agents to quantify the concentration of the bleaching agent that cross the enamel and dentin. The objective of this work was the quantification of oxygen free radicals by fluorescence that are located in the interface between enamel and dentin. It was used to accomplish our objectives a Ruthenium probe (FOXY R - Ocean Optics(R)) a 405nm LED, a bovine tooth and a portable diagnostic system (Science and support LAB - LAT - IFSC/USP). The fluorescence of the probe is suppressed in presence of oxygen free radicals in function of time. The obtained results clearly shows that the hydrogen peroxide when not catalyzed should be kept in contact with the tooth for longer periods of time.

Laurdan Spectrum Decomposition as a Tool for the Analysis of Surface Bilayer Structure and Polarity: a Study with DMPG, Peptides and Cholesterol

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)