Planet formation in a triple stellar system: implications of the third star's orbital inclination

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

A critical review of the properties of fusidic acid and the analytical methods for its determination

Fusidic acid, an antibiotic produced from the Fusidium coccineum fungus, belongs to the class of steroids, but has no corticosteroid effects. It is indicated for the treatment of infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. The aim of this study was to search for the properties of fusidic acid published so far in the literature, as well as the methods developed for its determination in biological samples and pharmaceutical formulations. From the findings, we can conclude that fusidic acid has been used for decades and is indicated for the treatment of serious infections caused by Gram-positive microorganisms to this day. Furthermore, it is a hypoallergenic agent, has low toxicity, shows low resistance, and has no cross-resistance with other clinically used antibiotics. The analytical method of high-performance liquid chromatography has been widely used, since it can reduce the cost and time of analysis, making it more viable for routine quality control in the pharmaceutical industry.

Development of an innovative, ecological and stability-indicating analytical method for semiquantitative analysis of ampicillin sodium for injection by thin layer chromatography (TLC)

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

An assessment of the concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds in wastewater treatment plants on the island of Gran Canaria(Spain)

[EN] An assessment of the concentrations of thirteen different therapeutic pharmaceutical compounds was conducted on water samples obtained from different wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) using solid phase extraction and high- and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry detection (HPLC-MS/MS and UHPLC-MS/MS), was carried out. The target compounds included ketoprofen and naproxen (anti-inflammatories), bezafibrate (lipid-regulating), carbamazepine (anticonvulsant), metamizole (analgesic), atenolol (?-blocker), paraxanthine (stimulant), fluoxetine (antidepressant), and levofloxacin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin and sarafloxacin (fluoroquinolone antibiotics). The relative standard deviations obtained in method were below 11%, while the detection and quantification limits were in the range of 0.3 ? 97.4 ng·L-1 and 1.1 ? 324.7 ng·L-1, respectively. The water samples were collected from two different WWTPs located on the island of Gran Canaria in Spain over a period of one year. The first WWTP (denoted as WWTP1) used conventional activated sludge for the treatment of wastewater, while the other plant (WWTP2) employed a membrane bioreactor system for wastewater treatment. Most of the pharmaceutical compounds detected in this study during the sampling periods were found to have concentrations ranging between 0.02 and 34.81 ?g·L-1.

Measurement of the e + e - pi + pi - pi + pi - cross section using initial state radiation at BABAR

One of the most precisely measured quantities in particle physics is the magnetic moment of the muon, which describes its coupling to an external magnetic field. It is expressed in form of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon a_mu=(g_mu-2)/2 and has been determined experimentally with a precision of 0.5 parts per million. The current direct measurement and the theoretical prediction of the standard model differ by more than 3.5 standard deviations. Concerning theory, the contribution of the QED and weak interaction to a_mu can be calculated with very high precision in a perturbative approach.rnAt low energies, however, perturbation theory cannot be used to determine the hadronic contribution a^had_mu. On the other hand, a^had_mu may be derived via a dispersion relation from the sum of measured cross sections of exclusive hadronic reactions. Decreasing the experimental uncertainty on these hadronic cross sections is of utmost importance for an improved standard model prediction of a_mu.rnrnIn addition to traditional energy scan experiments, the method of Initial State Radiation (ISR) is used to measure hadronic cross sections. This approach allows experiments at colliders running at a fixed centre-of-mass energy to access smaller effective energies by studying events which contain a high-energetic photon emitted from the initial electron or positron. Using the technique of ISR, the energy range from threshold up to 4.5GeV can be accessed at Babar.rnrnThe cross section e+e- -> pi+pi- contributes with approximately 70% to the hadronic part of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon a_mu^had. This important channel has been measured with a precision of better than 1%. Therefore, the leading contribution to the uncertainty of a_mu^had at present stems from the invariant mass region between 1GeV and 2GeV. In this energy range, the channels e+e- -> pi+pi-pi+pi- and e+e- -> pi+pi-pi0pi0 dominate the inclusive hadronic cross section. The measurement of the process e+e- -> pi+pi-pi+pi- will be presented in this thesis. This channel has been previously measured by Babar based on 25% of the total dataset. The new analysis includes a more detailed study of the background contamination from other ISR and non-radiative background reactions. In addition, sophisticated studies of the track reconstruction as well as the photon efficiency difference between the data and the simulation of the Babar detector are performed. With these auxiliary studies, a reduction of the systematic uncertainty from 5.0% to 2.4% in the peak region was achieved.rnrnThe pi+pi-pi+pi- final state has a rich internal structure. Hints are seen for the intermediate states rho(770)^0 f_2(1270), rho(770)^0 f_0(980), as well as a_1(1260)pi. In addition, the branching ratios BR(jpsi -> pi+pi-pi+pi-) and BR(psitwos -> jpsi pi+pi-) are extracted.rn

Source of funding and results of studies of health effects of mobile phone use: systematic review of experimental studies

OBJECTIVES: There is concern regarding the possible health effects of cellular telephone use. We examined whether the source of funding of studies of the effects of low-level radiofrequency radiation is associated with the results of studies. We conducted a systematic review of studies of controlled exposure to radiofrequency radiation with health-related outcomes (electroencephalogram, cognitive or cardiovascular function, hormone levels, symptoms, and subjective well-being). DATA SOURCES: We searched EMBASE, Medline, and a specialist database in February 2005 and scrutinized reference lists from relevant publications. DATA EXTRACTION: Data on the source of funding, study design, methodologic quality, and other study characteristics were extracted. The primary outcome was the reporting of at least one statistically significant association between the exposure and a health-related outcome. Data were analyzed using logistic regression models. DATA SYNTHESIS: Of 59 studies, 12 (20%) were funded exclusively by the telecommunications industry, 11 (19%) were funded by public agencies or charities, 14 (24%) had mixed funding (including industry), and in 22 (37%) the source of funding was not reported. Studies funded exclusively by industry reported the largest number of outcomes, but were least likely to report a statistically significant result: The odds ratio was 0.11 (95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.78), compared with studies funded by public agencies or charities. This finding was not materially altered in analyses adjusted for the number of outcomes reported, study quality, and other factors. CONCLUSIONS: The interpretation of results from studies of health effects of radiofrequency radiation should take sponsorship into account.

Development of a Mathematical Model for the Calculation of the Tool Appropriation Delay depending on the Tool Inventory

Compliance with punctual delivery under the high pressure of costs can be implemented through the optimization of the in-house tool supply. Within the Transfer Project 13 of the Collaborative Research Centre 489 using the example of the forging industry, a mathematical model was developed which determines the minimum inventory of forging tools required for production, considering the tool appropriation delay.

Evidence for the spin-0 nature of the Higgs boson using ATLAS data

Studies of the spin and parity quantum numbers of the Higgs boson are presented, based on protonproton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The Standard Model spin-parity J(P) = 0(+) hypothesis is compared with alternative hypotheses using the Higgs boson decays H -> gamma gamma, H -> ZZ* -> 4l and H -> WW* -> l nu l nu, as well as the combination of these channels. The analysed dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 20.7 fb(-1) collected at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 8 TeV. For the H -> ZZ* -> 4l decay mode the dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb(-1) collected at root s = 7 TeV is included. The data are compatible with the Standard Model J(P) = 0+ quantum numbers for the Higgs boson, whereas all alternative hypotheses studied in this Letter, namely some specific J(P) = 0(-), 1(+), 1(-), 2(+) models, are excluded at confidence levels above 97.8%. This exclusion holds independently of the assumptions on the coupling strengths to the Standard Model particles and in the case of the J(P) = 2(+) model, of the relative fractions of gluon-fusion and quark-antiquark production of the spin-2 particle. The data thus provide evidence for the spin-0 nature of the Higgs boson, with positive parity being strongly preferred.

Exploring the sources of China's challenge to Japan : models of industrial organisation in the motorcycle industry

In view of the recent rise of China, this paper looks into one of the most important yet relatively overlooked ingredients of the Chinese success: industrial organisation. It will examine the case of the motorcycle industry, in which the rise of Chinese manufacturers even disrupted the established dominance of Japanese industry leaders. Adopting the modified version of the global value chain governance framework, this paper shows that the rise of China has been driven by a distinctive arm’s-length model of industrial organisation, which is in sharp contrast to the conventional captive model that has sustained the Japanese leadership.

Positron-emission tomography studies of cross-modality inhibition in selective attentional tasks: closing the "mind's eye".

It is a familiar experience that we tend to close our eyes or divert our gaze when concentrating attention on cognitively demanding tasks. We report on the brain activity correlates of directing attention away from potentially competing visual processing and toward processing in another sensory modality. Results are reported from a series of positron-emission tomography studies of the human brain engaged in somatosensory tasks, in both "eyes open" and "eyes closed" conditions. During these tasks, there was a significant decrease in the regional cerebral blood flow in the visual cortex, which occurred irrespective of whether subjects had to close their eyes or were instructed to keep their eyes open. These task-related deactivations of the association areas belonging to the nonrelevant sensory modality were interpreted as being due to decreased metabolic activity. Previous research has clearly demonstrated selective activation of cortical regions involved in attention-demanding modality-specific tasks; however, the other side of this story appears to be one of selective deactivation of unattended areas.

Russian gas industry - current condition and prospects; New regional 'in-security' system in Central Asia; Caspian oil and gas: the facts at the end of the year 2000. OSW Study 1/2001

Russian gas industry: The current condition of the gas industry is one of the most crucial factors influencing the Russian state·s functioning, internal situation and international position. Not only is gas the principal energy resource in Russia, it also subsidises other sectors of the economy. Status of the main European gas exporter strengthens also Russia's importance in the international arena. New regional in-security: Ten years have passed since the Central Asian states declared their independence, but their relationship with Russia still remains close, and the latter treats them as its exclusive zone of influence. A crucial reason for keeping Central Asia within the orbit of Moscow·s influence is the fact that Russia exercises control over the most important transport routes out of the region of raw materials for the power industry, on which the economic development of Asia depends on. But this is the only manifestation of Central Asia·s economic dependence on Russia. Moscow lacks solid economic instruments (i.e. investment input or power industry dependence) to shape the situation in the region. Caspian oil and gas: Caspian stocks of energy resources are not, and most probably will not be, of any great significance on the world scale. Nevertheless it is the Caspian region which will have the opportunity to become an oil exporter which will reduce the dependence of the European countries on Arabian oil, and which will guarantee Russia the quantities of gas which are indispensable both for meeting its internal demands and for maintaining its current level of export. For Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, the confirmation of the existence of successive oil strata is not only an opportunity to increase income, but also an additional bargaining chip in the game for the future of the whole region. The stake in this game is the opportunity to limit the economic, and by extension the political influences of Russia in the region.

Pharmaceutical industry : hazardous waste generation, treatment, and disposal.

Final report (SW-508) describing work performed for the Federal Solid waste management program under Contract no. 68-01-2684.

Statistics of the independent telephone industry.

Description based on: 1955, published in 1956.

The Pharmaceutical journal ... A weekly record of pharmacy and allied sciences.

Editor: July 1841-June 1859, Jacob Bell.

Productivity change in the water industry in England and Wales:application of the meta-Malmquist Index

This paper uses a meta-Malmquist index for measuring productivity change of the water industry in England and Wales and compares this to the traditional Malmquist index. The meta-Malmquist index computes productivity change with reference to a meta-frontier, it is computationally simpler and it is circular. The analysis covers all 22 UK water companies in existence in 2007, using data over the period 1993–2007. We focus on operating expenditure in line with assessments in this field, which treat operating and capital expenditure as lacking substitutability. We find important improvements in productivity between 1993 and 2005, most of which were due to frontier shifts rather than catch up to the frontier by companies. After 2005, the productivity shows a declining trend. We further use the meta-Malmquist index to compare the productivities of companies at the same and at different points in time. This shows some interesting results relating to the productivity of each company relative to that of other companies over time, and also how the performance of each company relative to itself over 1993–2007 has evolved. The paper is grounded in the broad theory of methods for measuring productivity change, and more specifically on the use of circular Malmquist indices for that purpose. In this context, the contribution of the paper is methodological and applied. From the methodology perspective, the paper demonstrates the use of circular meta-Malmquist indices in a comparative context not only across companies but also within company across time. This type of within-company assessment using Malmquist indices has not been applied extensively and to the authors’ knowledge not to the UK water industry. From the application perspective, the paper throws light on the performance of UK water companies and assesses the potential impact of regulation on their performance. In this context, it updates the relevant literature using more recent data.