Contribution of forest species to the floristic composition of a forested savanna in southeastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

A survey of the entomofauna associated with the inflorescences of pejibaye (Arecaceae: Bactris gasipaes Kunth) in the Ribeira Valley, SP, Brazil

A cultura da pupunheira (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) vem se expandindo no Brasil, especialmente no Vale do Ribeira, SP, onde encontra condição edafoclimática compatível à sua produção. Com o objetivo de conhecer os insetos visitantes da inflorescência da pupunheira, foi realizado levantamento em duas áreas de coleção de pupunheiras selecionadas originárias de Yurimaguas, Peru, no - Polo Regional do Vale do Ribeira - APTA/SAA-SP, localizado no Município de Pariquera-açu, SP, e em uma propriedade particular no Município de Registro, SP. Durante o mês de janeiro de 2006 e 2007, foram instaladas armadilhas adesivas entomológicas amarelas em inflorescências de diferentes matrizes de pupunheira logo após a abertura de suas brácteas, as quais foram mantidas durante a antese feminina e masculina e retiradas no término do ciclo, cerca de 72 horas. Efetuou-se a separação, contagem e identificação ao nível de ordem dos 9.743 insetos totais coletados. Verificou-se que os insetos mais frequentes na inflorescência da pupunheira no Vale do Ribeira, SP, pertencem às ordens Diptera, Coleoptera e Hymenoptera.

Characterization and catalytic activity of iron(III) mono(4-N-methyl pyridyl)-tris(halophenyl) porphyrins in homogeneous and heterogeneous systems

The synthesis, characterization and catalytic activity of the cationic iron porphyrins Fe[M(4-N-MePy)TDCPP]Cl-2 and Fe[M(4-N-MePy)TFPP]Cl-2 in the epoxidation of (Z)-cyclooctene by PhIO in homogeneous solution and supported on silica gel (SG), imidazole propyl gel (IPG) or SG modified with 2-(4-sulfonatophenyl)ethyl groups (SiSO3) have been accomplished. When supported on IPG, both cationic FeP bind to the support via Fe-imidazole coordination. Fe[M(4-N-MePy)TDCPP]IPG contains a mixture of low-spin bis-coordinated (FeP)-P-III and high-spin mono-coordinated (FeP)-P-III species, whereas Fe[M(4-N-MePy)TFPP]IPG only contains high-spin mono-coordinated (FeP)-P-III. These FePIPG catalysts also contain (FeP)-P-II species, whose presence was confirmed by EPR spectroscopy using NO as a paramagnetic probe. Both cationic FePs coordinate to SG through Fe-O ligation and they are present as high-spin (FeP)-P-III species. The cationic FePs supported on SiSO3- are also high-spin (FeP)-P-III species and they bind to the support via electrostatic interaction between the 4-N-methylpyridyl groups and the SO3- groups present on the matrix. In homogeneous solution, both Fe[M(4-N-MePy)TDCPP]Cl-2 and Fe[M(4-N-MePy)TFPP]Cl-2 have similar catalytic activity to Fe(TDCPP)Cl and Fe(TFPP)Cl, leading to cis-epoxycyclooctane yields of 92%. When supported on inorganic matrices,both FePs lead to epoxide yields comparable to their homogeneous analogues and their anchoring enables catalyst recovery and re-use. Recycling of Fe[M(4-N-MePy)TDCPP]SiSO3- shows that this FeP maintains its activity in a second reaction. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

REDUCTION OF TODA LATTICE HIERARCHY TO GENERALIZED KDV HIERARCHIES AND THE 2-MATRIX MODEL

Toda lattice hierarchy and the associated matrix formulation of the 2M-boson KP hierarchies provide a framework for the Drinfeld-Sokolov reduction scheme realized through Hamiltonian action within the second KP Poisson bracket. By working with free currents, which Abelianize the second KP Hamiltonian structure, we are able to obtain a unified formalism for the reduced SL(M + 1, M - k) KdV hierarchies interpolating between the ordinary KP and KdV hierarchies. The corresponding Lax operators are given as superdeterminants of graded SL(M + 1, M - k) matrices in the diagonal gauge and we describe their bracket structure and field content. In particular, we provide explicit free field representations of the associated W(M, M - k) Poisson bracket algebras generalising the familiar nonlinear W-M+1 algebra. Discrete Backlund transformations for SL(M + 1, M - k) KdV are generated naturally from lattice translations in the underlying Toda-like hierarchy. As an application we demonstrate the equivalence of the two-matrix string model to the SL(M + 1, 1) KdV hierarchy.

Structural modelling of Eu3+-based siloxane-poly( oxyethylene) nanohybrids

The modelling of the local structure of sol-gel derived Eu3+-based organic/inorganic hybrids is reported, based on Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), photoluminescence and mid-infrared spectroscopy. The hybrid matrix of these organically modified silicates, classed as di-ureasils and termed U(2000) and U(600), is formed by poly( oxyethylene) (POE) chains of variable length grafted to siloxane domains by means of urea cross-linkages. Europium triflate, Eu(CF3SO3)(3), was incorporated in the two di-ureasil matrices with compositions 400 greater than or equal ton greater than or equal to 10, n is the molar ratio of ether oxygens per Eu3+. The SAXS data for undoped hybrids (n=infinity) show the presence of a well-defined peak attributed to the existence of a liquid-like spatial correlation of siloxane rich domains embedded in the polymer matrix and located at the ends of the organic segments. The obtained siloxane particle gyration radius Rg(1) is around 5 Angstrom (error within 10%), whereas the interparticle distance d is 25 +/-2 Angstrom and 40 +/-2 Angstrom, for U(600) and U(2000), respectively. For the Eu3+-based nanocomposites the formation of a two-level hierarchical local structure is discerned. The primary level is constituted by strongly spatially correlated siloxane particles of gyration radius Rg(1) (4-6 and 3-8 Angstrom, errors within 5%, for U(600())n Eu(CF3SO3)(3), 200 greater than or equal ton greater than or equal to 40, and U(2000)(n)Eu(CF3SO3)(3), 400 greater than or equal ton greater than or equal to 40, respectively) forming large clusters of gyration radius Rg(2) (approximate to 75 +/- 10 Angstrom). The local coordination of Eu3+ in both di-ureasil series is described combining the SAXS, photoluminescence and mid-infrared results. In the di-ureasils containing long polymer chains, U(2000)(n)Eu(CF3SO3)(3), the cations interact exclusively with the carbonyl oxygens atoms of the urea bridges at the siloxane-POE interface. In the hybrids containing shorter chains, U(600)(n)Eu(CF3SO3)(3) with n ranging from 200 to 60, the Eu3+ ions interact solely with the ether-type oxygens of the polymer chains. Nevertheless, in this latter family of hybrids a distinct Eu3+ local site environment involving the urea cross-linkages is detected when the europium content is increased up to n=40.

Luminescence of Eu(III) beta-diketone complex supported on functionalized macroporous silica matrix

This work reports on the photoluminescent properties of the complex diequatris(thenoyltrifluoroacetonate) europium(III), which was adsorbed or supported on tubes of modified surface silica matrix. The luminescence data and the experimental intensity parameter results evidence the existence of high interactions between the complex [Eu(tta)(3)(H2O)(2)] and the modified surface matrix. The anchored complex on macroporous silica shows higher intensity parameter values suggesting that the Eu-0 bond becomes more covalent than the adsorbed one. Therefore, the hypersensitive character of the D-5(0) --> F-7(2) transition increases evidencing a high contribution of the dynamic coupling mechanism possibly due to highly polarizable chemical environments occupied by europium(III) ion. The lifetimes of the complex on silica matrices were measured. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Screening and confirmation of PAHs in vegetable oil samples by use of supercritical fluid extraction in conjunction with liquid chromatography and fluorimetric detection

A fast, simple, non-destructive method for the direct screening of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in vegetable oil samples is proposed. The method uses a supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) system coupled on-line with a fluorimetric detector to determine PAHs. This special assembly avoids the main problems encountered in the determination of PAHs in complex matrices such as vegetable oils. PAHs are selectively extracted by using silica gel in the thimble and cleaned up by passage through a C18 column. Interferences are preferentially retained by the silica gel during the SFE process while PAHs are adsorbed in the C18 column and the remainder of the matrix is sent to waste. Finally, the C18 column is purged to remove residual CO2 gas and adsorbed PAHs are recovered by desorption with a solvent. The extracts from positive samples are subsequently analyzed by liquid chromatography (LC) with fluorescence detection. The proposed method allows the confirmation of vegetable oil safety and hence provides a new tool for consumer protection. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A method for evaluating Ra-228 in environmental matrices and its use at Pocos de Caldas plateau, Brazil

This work describes a methodology developed for performing the extraction, detection and quantification of Ra-228 in waters, suspended solids and sediments. The technique proved to be useful for analyzing samples from the hydrological environment of Morro do Ferro, Pocos de Caldas plateau, Brazil. The 228Ra activity in underground waters of 5 boreholes drilled in the area varied from 0.02 up to 14.5 Bq/l, whereas for the surficial waters the variation was from 0.04 to 0.51 Bq/l; for the suspended solids, the values ranged from 1.5 up to 419 Bq/g, whereas it was possible to find a value of 2.04 Bq/g for the sediments. These results show the applicability of the method for characterizing different matrices of environmental interest. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Immunoassays for pesticide analysis in environmental and food matrices

Immunochemical methods have increased considerably in the past years, and many examples of small and large scale studies have demonstrated the reliability of the immunotechniques for control and monitoring gf contaminant residues in different kinds of samples. Application of the immunoassay (IA) methods in pesticide residue control is an area with enormous potential for growth. The most extensively studied IA is the enzyme-linked absorbent assay (ELISA), but several other approaches, that include radioimmunoassay and immunoaffinity chromatography, have been also developed recently. In comparison with classical analytical methods, IA methods offer the possibility of highly sensitive, relatively vapid, and cost-effective measurements. This paper introduces the general IAs used until now, focusing on their use in pesticide analysis, and discussing briefly the effects of interferences from solvent residues or matrix components on the IA performance. Numerous immunochemical methods commonly used for pesticide determination in different samples such as food, crop and environmental samples are presented.

Direct and simultaneous determination of As, Cu, and Pb in Brazilian sugar cane spirits by graphite furnace AAS using Tungsten permanent modifier with Co-injection of Pd/Mg(NO3)(2)

A method was developed using the multi-element graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry technique for the direct and simultaneous determination of As, Cu, and Pb in Brazilian sugar cane spirit (cachaqa) samples. Also employed was the end-capped transversely heated graphite atomizer (THGA) with platforms pre-treated with W permanent modifier and co-injection of Pd/Mg(NO3)(2). Pyrolysis and atomization temperature curves were established in a cachaqa medium (1+1; v/v) containing 0.2% (v/v) HNO3 and spiked with 20 mu g L-1 As and Pb and 200 mu g L-1 Cu. The effect of the concentration of major elements usually present in cachaqa matrices (Ca, Mg, Na, and K) and ethanol on the absorbance of As, Cu, and Pb was investigated. Analytical working solutions of As, Cu, and Pb were prepared in 10% (v/v) ethanol plus 5.0 mg L-1 Ca, Mg, Na, and K. Acidified to 0.2% (v/v) HNO3, these solutions were suitable to build calibration curves by matrix matching. The proposed method was applied to the simultaneous determination of As, Cu, and Pb in commercial sugar cane spirits. The characteristic mass for the simultaneous determination was 16 pg As, 119 pg Cu, and 28 pg Pb. The pretreated tube lifetime was about 450 firings. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.6 mu g L-1 As, 9.2 mu g L-1 Cu, and 0.3 pig L-1 Pb. The found concentrations varied from 0.81 to 4.28 mu g L-1 As, 0.28 to 3.82 mg L-1 Cu and 0.82 to 518 mu g L-1 Pb. The recoveries of the spiked samples varied from 94-112% (As), 97-111% (Cu), and 95-101% (Pb). The relative standard deviation (n=12) was 6.9%, 7.4%, and 7.7% for As, Cu, and Pb, respectively, present in a sample at 0.87 mu g L-1, 0.81 mg L-1, and 38.9 mu g L-1 concentrations.

LOW-ENERGY BEHAVIOR OF FEW-PARTICLE SCATTERING-AMPLITUDES IN 2 DIMENSIONS

A study of the analytic behavior of different few-particle scattering amplitudes at low energies in two space dimensions is presented. Such a study is of use in modeling and understanding different few-particle processes at low energies. A detailed discussion of the energy and the momentum dependence of the partial-wave on-the-energy-shell and off-the-energy-shell two-particle t matrices is given. These t-matrix elements tend to zero as the energy and momentum variables tend to zero. The multiple-scattering series is used to show that the connected three-to-three amplitudes diverge in the low-energy-momentum limit. Unitarity relations are used to show that the connected two-to-three and one-to-three amplitudes have specific logarithmic singularities at the m-particle breakup threshold. The subenergy singularity in the two-to-three amplitudes is also studied, and comments are made on some applications of the present study in different problems of ph cal interest.

Structure of magnetic poly(oxyethylene)-siloxane nanohybrids doped with Fe-II and Fe-III

Hybrid organic - inorganic nanocomposites doped with Fe-II and Fe-III ions and exhibiting interesting magnetic properties have been obtained by the sol - gel process. The hybrid matrix of these ormosils ( organically modified silicates), classed as di-ureasils and termed U( 2000), is composed of poly( oxyethylene) chains of variable length grafted to siloxane groups by means of urea crosslinkages. Iron perchlorate and iron nitrate were incorporated in the diureasil matrices, leading to compositions within the range 80 greater than or equal to n greater than or equal to 10, n being the molar ratio of ether-type O atoms per cation. The structure of the doped diureasils was investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). For Fe-II-doped samples, SAXS results suggest the existence of a two-level hierarchical structure. The primary level is composed of spatially correlated siloxane clusters embedded in the polymeric matrix and the secondary, coarser level consists of domains where the siloxane clusters are segregated. The structure of Fe-III-doped hybrids is different, revealing the existence of iron oxide based nanoclusters, identified as ferrihydrite by wide-angle X-ray diffraction, dispersed in the hybrid matrix. The magnetic susceptibility of these materials was determined by zero-field-cooling and field-cooling procedures as functions of both temperature and field. The different magnetic features between Fe-II- and Fe-III-doped samples are consistent with the structural differences revealed by SAXS. While Fe-II-doped composites exhibit a paramagnetic Curie-type behaviour, hybrids containing Fe-III ions show thermal and field irreversibilities.

Use of commercial anion-exchange resins as solid support for peptide synthesis and affinity chromatography

This report demonstrates that due to the presence of residual reactive sites in their matrices, classical diethylaminoethyl-attaching commercial anion-exchanger resins such as DEAE-MacroPrep and DEAE-Sephadex A50 supports can be used for peptide synthesis. Moreover, due to the high stability of the peptide-resin bond in the final cleavage treatments, desired peptidyl-resins free of side-chain protecting groups, which enables them to be further used as solid support for affinity chromatography, can be obtained. To demonstrate this potentiality, a fragment corresponding to the antigenic and immunodominant epitope of sporozoites of the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite was synthesized in these traditional resins and antibody molecules generated against the peptide sequence were successfully retained in these peptidyl supports. Due to the maintenance of their original anion-exchange capacities, the present findings open the unique possibility of applying, simultaneously, dual anion-exchange and affinity procedures for purification of a variety of macromolecules. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. (USA). All rights reserved.

On the denominator values and barycentric weights of rational interpolants

We improve upon the method of Zhu and Zhu [A method for directly finding the denominator values of rational interpolants, J. Comput. Appl. Math. 148 (2002) 341-348] for finding the denominator values of rational interpolants, reducing considerably the number of arithmetical operations required for their computation. In a second stage, we determine the points (if existent) which can be discarded from the rational interpolation problem. Furthermore, when the interpolant has a linear denominator, we obtain a formula for the barycentric weights which is simpler than the one found by Berrut and Mittelmann [Matrices for the direct determination of the barycentric weights of rational interpolation, J. Comput. Appl. Math. 78 (1997) 355-370]. Subsequently, we give a necessary and sufficient condition for the rational interpolant to have a pole. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.