Calixarene capped ZnS quantum dots as an optical nanoprobe for detection and determination of menadione

In this communication we report a p-sulfonatocalix[4]arene coated ZnS quantum dots "cup type" highly stable optical probe for the detection and determination of menadione (VK(3)) with high sensitivity and selectivity. The detection of VK(3) depends on supramolecular host-guest chemistry.     

Synthesis and characterization of nanostructured (Pb1− x Sr x )TiO3 thin films by a modified chemical route

The coating solutions of nanostructured (Pb_{1– x} Sr _x )TiO₃ (PST) thin films have been prepared by the sol–gel combined metallo-organic decomposition method. The coating solutions were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates using a spin-coating technique with spinning speed of 4300 rpm and annealed at 650°C. The effect of Sr content in reducing the grain size and tetragonal distortion of PST films has been studied. The optimum conditions for crystalline phase formation in the films have been analyzed by thermogravimetric, differential thermal analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The phase and microstructure of the films were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The XRD pattern shows that the PST thin films are crystallized into tetragonal structures without any impurity phase and the distortion ratio reduces with increasing Sr concentration. The AFM results indicate an increase in grain size with increasing annealing temperature of the film and reduction in grain size with increasing Sr concentration.     

Study on the Fluorescence Quenching Reaction of Amitriptyline and Clomipramine Hydrochlorides with Eosin Y and its Analytical Application

Amitriptyline.HCl (AMI) and clomipramine.HCl (CMI) react with eosin Y (EY) in pH 3.8 NaAc-AcH buffer solution to form ion association complex which results in quenching of fluorescence of EY and appearance of a new resonance Rayleigh scattering (RSS) spectrum at 620 nm. The spectral characteristics of absorption, fluorescence and RSS spectra have been investigated. The factors influencing the reaction were studied and optimum conditions for the reaction have been determined. Based on fluorescence quenching, a simple and sensitive spectrofluorimetric method for determination of AMI and CMI has been developed. The fluorescence quenching intensity was measured at 550 nm using an excitation wavelength of 310 nm. The calibration graph was found to be rectilinear in the range 0.08–2.0 μg?mL^?1 with detection limit of 0.017 μg?mL^?1 for AMI and 0.06–2.0 μg?mL^?1 with detection limit of 0.015 μg?mL^?1 for CMI. The method can be satisfactorily applied to the determination of AMI and CMI in tablets without interference from commonly occurring exicipients. The recovery and RSD values obtained indicate good accuracy and precision of the method. The mechanism of the reaction and fluorescence quenching has also been discussed.     

On a class of prime entire functions

In this note it is proved that entire functions of the form Fa（z）=H（z）-aα（z）
where H andα are entire functions, with α having at least one zero, H＇ and α＇having no common zeros and T（r, α） = S（r, H）, are prime in entire sense for most values of a. The class of these functions is seen to contain examples of both periodic and non-periodic prime entire functions found by Noda, Qiao, Urabe and by Singh and Charak. Another result due to Singh and Charak will be improved as well.     

Neutrino emissivity from strange matter having density dependent quark masses

We have analyzed the equilibrium composition of quark matter consisting of approximately equal number of up, down and strange quarks, based upon the confinement mechanism of Fowler et al. (1981) and Plümmer et al. (1984) in which the quark masses are considered density dependent. Using this model, we calculate the neutrino emissivity rate and the neutrino mean free path in quark matter and compare the results with Iwamoto (1982). We find that the emissivity rate is a slowly increasing function of the density, while the values of mean free path are slightly on the higher side than those of Iwamoto.     

Diffusion of Au in amorphous Zr x Ni100−x alloys studied by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry

The diffusion coefficients (D) of Au in three binary amorphous Zr _x Ni_100–x (x=61, 65, and 67) alloys were measured in the temperature range 549–623 K using the technique of the Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS). The D values were found to lie in the range 1.0×10^–21–9.0×10^–20 m²s^–1 for different alloys. The activation energy (Q) was calculated in each case on the basis of an observed Arrhenius temperature dependence of D. The activation energy was found to scale with the crystallization temperature (T _x) of the alloy. Other published measurements for Au diffusion in amorphous Zr-Ni alloys also appear to follow the scaling relation between Q and T _x.     

Luminescent ruthenium(II) bipyridyl-phosphonic acid complexes: pH dependent photophysical behavior and quenching with divalent metal ions

The synthesis, redox behavior, and photophysical properties of a series of Ru(II) bipyridyl complexes having diimine ligands with phosphonate and phosphonic acid substituents are presented. The phosphonate-containing ligands examined include diethyl 4-(2,2'-bipyrid-4-yl)benzylphosphonate (bpbzp), diethyl 4-(2,2'-bipyrid-4-yl)-phenylphosphonate (bppp), and 4,4'-(diethyl phosphonato)-2,2'-bipyridine (bpdp), and the [(bpy)2Ru(L)](PF6)2 complexes of both the diethyl phosphonate and the phosphonic acid were prepared. The Ru(III/II) potentials are more positive for the phosphonate complexes than for the phosphonic acids, and the first reduction is localized on the phosphonate-containing ligand for the bppp and bpdp complexes. The first reduction of the phosphonic acid complexes is at more negative potentials and cannot be distinguished from bpy reduction. For the bppp and bpdp complexes luminescence arises from a Ru(d pi)-->bpy-phosphonate (pi*) MLCT state; the phosphonic acid complexes luminescence at higher energies from a MLCT state not clearly isolated on one ligand. Iron(III) and copper(II) complex with and very efficiently quench the luminescence of all the phosphonic acid complexes in nonaqueous solvents. The quenching mechanism is discussed on the basis of luminescence decay and picosecond transient absorption measurements.     

A validated LC‐MS/MS assay for simultaneous quantification of methotrexate and tofacitinib in rat plasma: application to a pharmacokinetic study

A highly sensitive, specific and rapid LC‐ESI‐MS/MS method has been developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of methotrexate (MTX) and tofacitinib (TFB) in rat plasma (50 μL) using phenacetin as an internal standard (IS), as per the US Food and Drug Administration guidelines. After a solid‐phase extraction procedure, the separation of the analytes and IS was performed on a Chromolith RP_18e column using an isocratic mobile phase of 5 m m ammonium acetate (pH 5.0) and acetonitrile at a ratio of 25:75 (v/v) using flow‐gradient with a total run time of 3.5 min. The detection was performed in multiple reaction monitoring mode, using the transitions of m/z 455.2 → 308.3, m/z 313.2 → 149.2 and m/z 180.3 → 110.2 for MTX, TFB and IS, respectively. The calibration curves were linear over the range of 0.49–91.0 and 0.40–74.4 ng/mL for MTX and TFB, respectively. The intra‐ and interday accuracy and precision values for MTX and TFB were <15% at low quality control (QC), medium QC and high QC and <20% at lower limit of quantification. The validated assay was applied to derive the pharmacokinetic parameters for MTX and TFB post‐dosing of MTX and TFB orally and intravenously to rats. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Image enhancement via Median-Mean Based Sub-Image-Clipped Histogram Equalization

This paper presents a robust contrast enhancement algorithm based on histogram equalization methods named Median-Mean Based Sub-Image-Clipped Histogram Equalization (MMSICHE). The proposed algorithm undergoes three steps: (i) The Median and Mean brightness values of the image are calculated. (ii) The histogram is clipped using a plateau limit set as the median of the occupied intensity. (iii) The clipped histogram is first bisected based on median intensity then further divided into four sub images based on individual mean intensity, subsequently performing histogram equalization for each sub image. This method achieves multi objective of preserving brightness as well as image information content (entropy) along with control over enhancement rate, which in turn suits for consumer electronics applications. This method avoids excessive enhancement and produces images with natural enhancement. The simulation results show that MMSICHE method outperforms other HE methods in terms of various image quality measures, i.e. average luminance, average information content (entropy), absolute mean brightness error (AMBE) and background gray level.