A new oxo-sterol derivative from the rhizomes of Costus speciosus

Chemical investigation of the rhizomes of Costus speciosus led to the isolation of a new compound, 22-ketocholesteryl palmitate (1) along with four known compounds, 24-methylenecycloartanol (2), cycloartanol (3), stigmasterol (4) and linoleic acid (5). The structure of new compound was characterised by extensive 1D-, 2D-NMR and mass spectrometry (GC-MS and HR-ESI-MS) techniques.     

4H‐cyclopenta[2,1‐b:3,4‐b′]dithiophen‐4‐one (CPDTO) homopolymer with side chains on every other CPDTO

A soluble 4H‐cyclopenta[2,1‐b ;3,4‐b ′]dithiophene‐4‐one (CPDTO)‐based polymer (C₆‐PCPDTO) has been synthesized from two monomers derived from nonalkylated CPDTO and didodecyl CPDTO (C₁₂‐CPDTO). Proton NMR, thermal analysis, UV–vis absorption, cyclic voltammetry, and XRD are used to characterize the polymer in solution and film. The new polymer has an optical bandgap of 1.28 eV in film, and has strong interchain interaction in chloroform solutions. The polymer contains a significant amount of homocoupled segments. The regular segments and homocoupled CPDTO segments render the polymer highly aggregating in solution. The non‐planar homocoupled C₁₂‐CPDTO segments prevent the polymer from forming regular π‐stacks, resulting in a low SCLC hole mobility (3.88 × 10^?7 cm²V^?1s^?1). CV experiments show that C₆‐PCPDTO is stable in its oxidized and reduced states. Solar cell devices were fabricated from C₆‐PCPDTO2 :PC₆₀BM blends of different weight ratios. High PC₆₀BM loading (80% or greater) was required for the devices to show measurable efficiency, indicating that the limited π‐stacking of the polymer is not sufficient to cause effective phase separation. Further development of synthetic method is still needed to eliminate structural defects so that long‐range ordered pi‐stacking can be realized in the polymer for these applications. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55 , 1077–1085     

LiSn2(PO4)3-based polymer-in-ceramic composite electrolyte with high ionic conductivity for all-solid-state lithium batteries

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In this work, fabrication and electrochemical behavior of polymer-in-ceramic composite electrolytes based on lithium-ion conducting triclinic LiSn2(PO4)3...     

Evaluation of 1st and 2nd generation of poly(amidoamine) dendrimer functionalized carbon nanotubes for the efficient removal of neptunium

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Herein, sorption of pentavalent neptunium from aqueous acidic solution was carried out onto 1st and 2nd generation of poly(amidoamine) dendrimer...     

Rheology and microstructural studies of regenerated silk fibroin solutions

Regenerated silk fibroin solutions (RSF) are produced by dissolving degummed silk fibers in water. We have observed that RSF solutions at a concentration less than 15 % by weight exhibit an unusual gel-like response in conventional shear rheology measurements. At higher concentrations, the response is predominantly viscous (or liquid-like). We have probed this counterintuitive behavior of silk fibroin solutions by using microrheology, and interfacial rheometry. Scattering techniques were also used to understand the microstructure of RSF solutions as a function of the concentration. Our studies suggest that the gel-like response of the RSF solution may result from the formation of an interfacial film at the air–solution interface, which dominates the bulk rheological response.     

Relationships of labile pool of Mn with some general soil properties and extractable soil Mn contents

Labile pool (E-value) of Mn and extractable soil Mn content using six multinutrient extractants were estimated in fifty surface (0–15 cm) soil samples. Labile pool of Mn was poorly correlated to the general soil properties and modified Olsen’s-; 0.01 M CaCl₂- and 1 M MgCl₂-extractable Mn contents but it was positively and significantly correlated to diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA), pH 7.3; ammonium bicarbonate + DTPA (pH 7.6); and Mehlich-3-extractable soil Mn contents. The multinutrient extractants involving only simple salt solutions were not useful to assess the availability of Mn in soils.     

Understanding artificial intelligence adoption in operations management: insights from the review of academic literature and social media discussions

In this digital era, data is new oil and artificial intelligence (AI) is new electricity, which is needed in different elements of operations management (OM) such as manufacturing, product development, services and supply chain. This study explores the feasibility of AI utilization within an organization on six factors such as job-fit, complexity, long-term consequences, affect towards use, social factors and facilitating conditions for different elements of OM by mining the collective intelligence of experts on Twitter and through academic literature. The study provides guidelines for managers for AI applications in different components of OM and concludes by presenting the limitations of the study along with future research directions.

     

Kinetic study of copolymerization of linalool and methyl methacrylate initiated by selenonium ylide

Free radical copolymerization of an acyclic monoterpenoid linalool (LIN) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) in dioxan was carried out in dilatometer under an inert atmosphere of nitrogen for 90 min at 60 ± 1°C by using diphenyl selenonium 2,3,4,5‐tetraphenylcyclopentadienylide (selenonium ylide) as an initiator. The kinetic expression of the reaction is R_p ∝ [ylide]^0.5[MMA]^1.0[LIN]^1.0. The activation energy of copolymerization was estimated to be 43.7 kJ mol^?1. The formation of a functional copolymer is evidenced by spectral analysis. The copolymer was characterized by FTIR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, DSC, and TGA analysis. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 43: 43–52, 2011