Residues of Some Pesticides in Fresh and Dried Apricots

The persistence of three pesticides (fenitrothion, dimethoate, and ziram) in apricots in field conditions and their fate during the drying process were studied. After the treatments, the pesticides showed fast decay rates with pseudo-first-order kinetics and half-lives ranging from 6.9 to 9.9 days. The drying process showed a different effect on residue concentrations in dried apricots: omethoate (metabolite of dimethoate) and ziram residues had almost doubled, while fenitrothion disappeared and dimethoate remained constant.

Are two gluons the QCD Pomeron?

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Two-body Dirac equation approach to the deuteron

The two-body Dirac(Breit) equation with potentials associated to one-boson-exchanges with cutoff masses is solved for the deuteron and its observables calculated. The 16-component wave-function for the Jπ = 1+ state contains four independent radial functions which satisfy a system of four coupled differential equations of first order. This system is numerically integrated, from infinity towards the origin, by fixing the value of the deuteron binding energy and imposing appropriate boundary conditions at infinity. For the exchange potential of the pion, a mixture of direct plus derivative couplings to the nucleon is considered. We varied the pion-nucleon coupling constant, and the best results of our calculations agree with the lower values recently determined for this constant.

Are two gluons the QCD pomeron?

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Raman scattering study of zincblende InxGa1-xN alloys

We report on first-order micro-Raman and resonant micro-Raman scattering measurements on c-InxGa1-xN (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.31) epitaxial layers. We have found that both, the transverse-optical (TO) and longitudinal-optical (LO) phonons of InxGa1-xN alloy exhibit a one-mode-type behavior. Their frequencies at Γ lie on straight lines connecting the corresponding values obtained for the c-GaN and c-InN binary compounds. Evidence for phase separation is shown in the sample with the alloy composition x = 0.31. The Raman spectra, with excitation energy close to 2.4 eV, show an enhanced additional peak, with frequency between the values found for the LO and TO phonon modes of the C-In0.31Ga0.69N epitaxial layer. We ascribed this peak to the LO phonon mode of a minority phase with In content of ≈0.80.

Class of self-dual models in three dimensions

In the present paper we introduce a hierarchical class of self-dual models in three dimensions, inspired in the original self-dual theory of Towsend-Pilch-Nieuwenhuizen. The basic strategy is to explore the powerful property of the duality transformations in order to generate a new field. The generalized propagator can be written in terms of the primitive one (first order), and also the respective order and disorder correlation functions. Some conclusions about the charge screening and magnetic flux were established. ©1999 The American Physical Society.

Liquid-gas phase transition in Bose-Einstein condensates with time evolution

We study the effects of a repulsive three-body interaction on a system of trapped ultracold atoms in a Bose-Einstein condensed state. The stationary solutions of the corresponding s-wave nonlinear Schrödinger equation suggest a scenario of first-order liquid-gas phase transition in the condensed state up to a critical strength of the effective three-body force. The time evolution of the condensate with feeding process and three-body recombination losses has a different characteristic pattern. Also, the decay time of the dense (liquid) phase is longer than expected due to strong oscillations of the mean-squared radius.

Galilean covariance and the Duffin-Kemmer-Petiau equation

We use a five-dimensional approach to Galilean covariance to investigate the non-relativistic Duffin-Kemmer-Petiau first-order wave equations for spinless particles. The corresponding representation is generated by five 6 × 6 matrices. We consider the harmonic oscillator as an example.

Variational studies and replica symmetry breaking in the generalization problem of the binary perceptron

We analyze the average performance of a general class of learning algorithms for the nondeterministic polynomial time complete problem of rule extraction by a binary perceptron. The examples are generated by a rule implemented by a teacher network of similar architecture. A variational approach is used in trying to identify the potential energy that leads to the largest generalization in the thermodynamic limit. We restrict our search to algorithms that always satisfy the binary constraints. A replica symmetric ansatz leads to a learning algorithm which presents a phase transition in violation of an information theoretical bound. Stability analysis shows that this is due to a failure of the replica symmetric ansatz and the first step of replica symmetry breaking (RSB) is studied. The variational method does not determine a unique potential but it allows construction of a class with a unique minimum within each first order valley. Members of this class improve on the performance of Gibbs algorithm but fail to reach the Bayesian limit in the low generalization phase. They even fail to reach the performance of the best binary, an optimal clipping of the barycenter of version space. We find a trade-off between a good low performance and early onset of perfect generalization. Although the RSB may be locally stable we discuss the possibility that it fails to be the correct saddle point globally. ©2000 The American Physical Society.

Galilean covariance and non-relativistic Bhabha equations

We apply a five-dimensional formulation of Galilean covariance to construct non-relativistic Bhabha first-order wave equations which, depending on the representation, correspond either to the well known Dirac equation (for particles with spin 1/2) or the Duffin-Kemmer-Petiau equation (for spinless and spin 1 particles). Here the irreducible representations belong to the Lie algebra of the 'de Sitter group' in 4 + 1 dimensions, SO(5, 1). Using this approach, the non-relativistic limits of the corresponding equations are obtained directly, without taking any low-velocity approximation. As a simple illustration, we discuss the harmonic oscillator.

A two phase flow nonlinear parameter estimation for capillary tube-suction line heat exchanger

Here we present two-phase flow nonlinear parameter estimation for HFC's flow through capillary tube-suction line heat exchangers, commonly used as expansion devices in small refrigeration systems. The simplifying assumptions adopted are: steady state, pure refrigerant, one-dimensional flow, negligible axial heat conduction in the fluid, capillary tube and suction line walls. Additionally, it is considered that the refrigerant is free from oil and both phases are assumed to be at the same pressure, that is, surface tension effects are neglected. Metastable flow effects are also disregarded, and the vapor is assumed to be saturated at the local pressure. The so-called homogeneous model, involving three, first order, ordinary differential equations is applied to analyze the two-phase flow region. Comparison is done with experimental measurements of the mass flow rate and temperature distribution along capillary tubes working with refrigerant HFC-134a in different operating conditions.

Taxonomy and distribution of Paralemanea (Lemaneaceae, Rhodophyta) in Central Mexico

Three collections of Paralemanea from Central Mexico included two species. Paralemanea mexicana is large (length ≥ 4.0 cm; diameter > 400 μm) and generally branched (≥ 40 % of plants branched), with whorled branches, of first to second order. Paralemanea annulata is small (length < 5.0 cm ; diameter < 500 μm), generally unbranched (≤ 5 % of plants branched), with branches of first order. Spermatangial sori contained obovoid spermatangia, formed from cells of the outer cortical layers, extending above the thallus surface. Carpogonial branches are described for the first time in P. mexicana. They develop on lateral filaments at nodes or internodes and have ovoid to globular cells, abundantly branched at the basal portion, penetrating the cortex towards the thallus surface. Carposporophytes are sessile on the inner portion of the cortex and produce carpospores in chains of up to twelve. The 'Chantransia' stage was observed in P. mexicana. Paralemanea annulata is described for the first time from Mexico and P. mexicana is endemic from this country. Both species were collected in cold (temperature 12-16°C), acidic (pH 5.5-6.0), shallow (depth 1-60 cm) and moderate to fast flowing waters (> 35 cm s-1), in shaded or partly shaded river segments, on rocky substrata (mostly bedrock).

On the solution of mathematical programming problems with equilibrium constraints

Mathematical programming problems with equilibrium constraints (MPEC) are nonlinear programming problems where the constraints have a form that is analogous to first-order optimality conditions of constrained optimization. We prove that, under reasonable sufficient conditions, stationary points of the sum of squares of the constraints are feasible points of the MPEC. In usual formulations of MPEC all the feasible points are nonregular in the sense that they do not satisfy the Mangasarian-Fromovitz constraint qualification of nonlinear programming. Therefore, all the feasible points satisfy the classical Fritz-John necessary optimality conditions. In principle, this can cause serious difficulties for nonlinear programming algorithms applied to MPEC. However, we show that most feasible points do not satisfy a recently introduced stronger optimality condition for nonlinear programming. This is the reason why, in general, nonlinear programming algorithms are successful when applied to MPEC.

Magnetic behavior of poly(3-methylthiophene): Metamagnetism and room-temperature weak ferromagnetism

A weak ferromagnetic phase is shown in pressed pellets of partially doped poly(3-methylthiophene) (P3MT) in the whole range from 1.8 to 300 K in magnetic measurements. Thermoremanence data have been used to estimate the suppression of this phase to be around 815 K. We also show that instead of the classical antiferromagnetism for the first-order interaction that gives weak ferromagnetism as a second-order effect, metamagnetic behavior is observed. X-band electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements and magnetization measurements allowed us to estimate that 8.1% of the total number of spins contributes to the weak ferromagnetism at room temperature. The doping level obtained from the ESR data is in good agreement with that estimated from electron dispersive spectroscopy measurements.

Photoelectrocatalytic degradation of Remazol Brilliant Orange 3R on titanium dioxide thin-film electrodes

Degradation of reactive dye Remazol Brilliant Orange 3R (RBO) has been performed using photoeletrocatalysis. A biased potential is applied across a titanium dioxide thin-film photoelectrode illuminated by UV light. It is suggested that charges photogenerated at the electrode surface give rise to chlorine generation and powerful oxidants (OH) that causes the dye solution to decolorize. Rate constants calculated from color decay versus time reveal a first-order reaction up to 5.0×10-5 mol l-1 in dye concentration. The best experimental conditions were found to be pH 6.0 and 1.0 mol l-1 NaCl when the photoelectrode was biased at +1V (versus SCE). Almost complete mineralization of the dye content (70% TOC reduction) was achieved in a 3-h period using these conditions. Effects of other electrolytes, dye concentration and applied potentials also have been investigated and are discussed. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.