An ultraviolet photoacoustic spectroscopy study of the interaction between Lys49-phospholipase A(2) and amphiphilic molecules

We have used near ultraviolet photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) over the wavelength range 240-320 nm to investigate the complex formed between the homodimeric bothropstoxin-I, a lysine-49-phospholipase A(2) from the venom of Bothrops jararacussu (BthTx-I), with the anionic amphiphile sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). At molar ratios > 10, the complex developed a significant light scatter, accompanied by a decrease in the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence intensity emission (ITFE) of the protein, and an increase in the near UV-PAS signal. Difference PAS spectroscopy at SDS/BthTx-I ratios < 8 were limited to the region 280-290 nm, suggesting initial SDS binding to the tryptophan 77 located at the dimer interface. At SDS/BthTx-I ratios > 10, the intensity between 260 and 320 nm increases demonstrating that the more widespread tyrosine and phenylalanine residues contribute to the SDS/BthTx-I interaction. PAS signal phase changes at wavelengths specific for each aromatic residue suggest that the Trp77 becomes more buried on SDS binding, and that protein structural changes and dehydration may alter the microenvironments of Tyr and Phe residues. These results demonstrate the potential of near UV-PAS for the investigation of membrane proteins/detergent complexes in which light scatter is significant. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of vacuum structure on neutron star

We study the equation of state for neutron matter using the Walecka model including quantum corrections for baryons and sigma mesons through a realignment of the vacuum. We next use this equation of state to calculate the radius, mass and other properties of rotating neutron star.

Do static sources respond to massive scalar particles from the Hawking radiation as uniformly accelerated ones do in the inertial vacuum?

We examine the recently found equivalence for the response of a static scalar source interacting with a massless Klein-Gordon field when the source is (i) static in Schwarzschild spacetime, in the Unruh vacuum associated with the Hawking radiation, and (ii) uniformly accelerated in Minkowski spacetime, in the inertial vacuum, provided that the source's proper acceleration is the same in both cases. It is shown that this equivalence is broken when the massless Klein-Gordon field is replaced by a massive one.

QCD vacuum topology and glueballs

We outline a comprehensive study of spin-0 glueball properties which, in particular, keeps track of the topological gluon structure. Specifically, we implement (semi-hard) topological instanton physics as well as topological charge screening in the QCD vacuum into the operator product expansion (OPE) of the glueball correlators. A realistic instanton size distribution and the (gauge-invariant) renormalization of the instanton contributions are also implemented. Predictions for 0(++) and 0(-+) glueball properties are presented.

Vacuum polarization effects in hyperon-rich dense matter - a nonperturbative treatment

We derive the equation of state (EOS) for electrically charged neutral dense matter using the quantum hadrodynamics (QHD) model. This is carried out in a non-perturbative manner including quantum corrections for baryons through a realignment of vacuum with baryon-antibaryon condensates. This yields the results of relativistic Hartree approximation of summing over baryonic tadpole diagrams. The quantum corrections from the scalar meson is also taken into account in a similar way. This leads to a softening of the EOS for the hyperonic matter. The formalism also allows Lis to make a self-consistent calculation of the in-medium sigma meson mass. The effects of such quantum corrections on the composition of charged neutral dense matter is considered. The effect of the resulting EOS on the structure of neutron stars is also studied.

Vacuum energy as a c-function for theories with dynamically generated masses

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Generating Erler-Schnabl-type solution for the tachyon vacuum in cubic superstring field theory

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

NOISE and ULTRAVIOLET DIVERGENCES IN SIMULATIONS of GINZBURG-LANDAU-LANGEVIN TYPE of EQUATIONS

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Vacuum Polarization Tensor for QED in the Light Front Gauge

The use of light front coordinates in quantum field theories (QFT) always brought some problems and controversies. In this work we explore some aspects of its formalism with respect to the employment of dimensional regularization in the computation of the photon's self-energy at the one-loop level and how the fermion propagator has an important role in the outcoming results.

Awaking the Vacuum in Relativistic Stars

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

Noise and ultraviolet divergences in the dynamics of the chiral condensate in QCD

The time evolution of the matter produced in high energy heavy-ion collisions seems to be well described by relativistic viscous hydrodynamics. In addition to the hydrodynamic degrees of freedom related to energy-momentum conservation, degrees of freedom associated with order parameters of broken continuous symmetries must be considered because they are all coupled to each other. of particular interest is the coupling of degrees of freedom associated with the chiral symmetry of QCD. Quantum and thermal fluctuations of the chiral fields act as noise sources in the classical equations of motion, turning them into stochastic differential equations in the form of Ginzburg-Landau-Langevin (GLL) equations. Analytic solutions of GLL equations are attainable only in very special circumstances and extensive numerical simulations are necessary, usually by discretizing the equations on a spatial lattice. However, a not much appreciated issue in the numerical simulations of GLL equations is that ultraviolet divergences in the form of lattice-spacing dependence plague the solutions. The divergences are related to the well-known Rayleigh-Jeans catastrophe in classical field theory. In the present communication we present a systematic lattice renormalization method to control the catastrophe. We discuss the implementation of the method for a GLL equation derived in the context of a model for the QCD chiral phase transition and consider the nonequilibrium evolution of the chiral condensate during the hydrodynamic flow of the quark-gluon plasma.

Nonlinear Interactions in a Piezoceramic Bar Transducer Powered by a Vacuum Tube Generated by a Nonideal Source

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Nb-containing hematites Fe2-xNbxO3: The role of Nb5+ on the reactivity in presence of the H2O2 or ultraviolet light

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Growth and physiological responses of sunflower plants exposed to ultraviolet-B radiation

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

Determination of pesticide residues in coconut water by liquid-liquid extraction and gas chromatography with electron-capture plus thermionic specific detection and solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection

Two simple methods were developed to determine, 11 pesticides in coconut water, a natural isotonic drink rich in salts, sugars and vitamins consumed by the people and athletes. The first procedure involves solid-phase extraction using Sep-Pak Vac C-18 disposable cartridges with methanol for elution. Isocratic analysis was carried out by means of high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection at 254 nm to analyse captan, chlorothalonil, carbendazim, lufenuron and diafenthiuron. The other procedure is based on liquid-liquid extraction with hexane-dichloromethane (1:1, v/v), followed by gas chromatographic analysis with effluent splitting to electron-capture detection for determination of endosulfan, captan, tetradifon and trichlorfon and thermionic specific detection for determination of malathion, parathion-methyl and monocrotophos. The methods were validated with fortified samples at different concentration levels (0.01-12.0 mg/kg). Average recoveries ranged from 75 to 104% with relative standard deviations between 1.4 and 11.5%. Each recovery analysis was repeated at least five times. Limits of detection ranged from 0.002 to 2.0 mg/kg. The analytical procedures were applied to 15 samples and no detectable amounts of the pesticides were found in any samples under the conditions described. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.