A new, efficient, and simple method for the synthesis of thiiranes from epoxides under solvent-free conditions

A simple, efficient, and new method has been developed for the synthesis of thiiranes from epoxides through a one-pot reaction of epoxides with diethyl phosphite in the presence of ammonium acetate or ammonium hydrogen carbonate/sulfur/ and acidic alumina under solvent-free conditions using microwave irradiation.     

Dendrimer‐encapsulated Cu(Π) nanoparticles immobilized on superparamagnetic Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles as a novel recyclable catalyst for N‐arylation of nitrogen heterocycles and green synthesis of 5‐substituted 1H‐tetrazoles

In this study, dendrimer‐encapsulated Cu(Π) nanoparticles immobilized on superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ nanoparticles were prepared via a multistep‐synthesis. Then, the synthesized composite was fully characterized by various techniques such as fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), UV‐vis spectroscopy, energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDX), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and vibration sample magnetometer (VSM). From the information gained by FE‐SEM and TEM studies it can be inferred that the particles are mostly spherical in shape and have an average size of 50 nm. Also, the amount of Cu is determined to be 0.51 mmol/g in the catalyst by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analyzer. This magnetic nano‐compound has been successfully applied as a highly efficient, magnetically recoverable and stable catalyst for N‐arylation of nitrogen heterocycles with aryl halides (I, Br) and arylboronic acids without using external ligands or additives. The catalyst was also employed in a one‐pot, three‐component reaction for the efficient and green synthesis of 5‐substituted 1H‐tetrazoles using various aldehydes, hydroxylamine hydrochloride and sodium azide in water. The magnetic catalyst can be easily separated by an external magnet bar and is recycled seven times without significant loss of its activity.     

Preparation and characterization of Cu (II) supported on poly(8‐hydroxyquinoline‐p‐styrene sulphonate) and its application as catalyst for the synthesis of hexahydroquinolines

Cu ( II ) supported on poly(8‐hydroxyquinoline‐p‐styrenesulfonate) (Cu ( II )@PHQSS) was prepared and fully characterized by the different techniques including fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal gravimetric (DTG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDS). Afterward, the Cu ( II )@PHQSS as nanostructured catalyst was used as catalyst for the synthesis of hexahydroquinolines.     

Vector and Cell Line Engineering Technologies Toward Recombinant Protein Expression in Mammalian Cell Lines

The rapid growth of global biopharmaceutical market in the recent years has been a good indication of its significance in biotechnology industry. During a long period of time in recombinant protein production from 1980s, optimizations in both upstream and downstream processes were launched. In this regard, one of the most promising strategies is expression vector engineering technology based on incorporation of DNA opening elements found in the chromatin border regions of vectors as well as targeting gene integration. Along with these approaches, cell line engineering has revealed convenient outcomes in isolating high-producing clones. According to the fact that more than 50% of the approved therapeutic proteins is being manufactured in mammalian cell lines, in this review, we focus on several approaches and developments in vector and cell line engineering technologies in mammalian cell culture.     

Health-based pharmaceutical pay-for-performance risk-sharing agreements

Many new drugs, such as biologics and cancer drugs, are very costly. However, their effectiveness outside of clinical trial settings is often uncertain at the time they gain market approval. This uncertainty may reflect a lack of real-world outcomes data, as opposed to clinical trials data, for a typical patient population. A risk-sharing agreement is a contract between a drug manufacturer and a healthcare payer to help manage uncertainties regarding the cost and effectiveness of those drugs. In this paper, we model a risk-sharing agreement in which a proportion of total sales is rebated. We model disease progression using a continuous time Markov chain with uncertain transition rates. We examine the performance of this risk-sharing agreement from the manufacturer’s perspective and investigate the conditions under which the manufacturer will make a profit. We illustrate with a numerical model parameterized using data from a Phase 2 clinical trial of an oncology drug that was subjected to a risk-sharing agreement in the UK.     

Cellulosic nanoparticles from alfa fibers (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Stipa tenacissima)</Emphasis>: extraction procedures and reinforcement potential in polymer nanocomposites

The microstructure and chemical composition of alfa (Stipa tenacissima) were investigated. The polysaccharide and lignin contents were around 70 and 20 wt%, respectively. From the bleached and delignified fibers, two types of nanosized cellulosic particles were extracted, namely cellulose nanocrystals and microfibrillated cellulose (MFC). The former correspond typically to the elementary crystallite units of the cellulose fibers, with a rod-like morphology and an aspect ratio of about 20. The latter, mechanically disintegrated from oxidized bleached fibres, presents an entangled fibrillar structure with widths in the range 5-20 nm. The reinforcing potential of the ensuing nanoparticles was investigated by casting a mixture of acrylic latex and aqueous dispersion of cellulose nanoparticles. Thermo-mechanical analysis revealed a huge enhancement of the stiffness above the glass transition of the matrix. Significant differences in the mechanical reinforcing capability of the nanoparticles were reported.     

A new direction in design and manufacture of co-sensitized dye solar cells: Toward concurrent optimization of power conversion efficiency and durability

A novel methodology was implemented in the present study to concurrently control power conversion efficiency (η) and durability (D) of co-sensitized dye solar cells. Applying response surface methodology (RSM) and Desirability Function (DF), the main influential assembling (dye volume ratio and anti-aggregation agent concentration) and operational (performance temperature) parameters were systematically changed to probe their main and interactive effects on the η and D responses. Individual optimization based on RSM elucidated that D can be solely controlled by changing the ratio of vat-based organic photosensitizers, whereas η takes both effects of dye volume ratio and anti-aggregation concentration into account. Among the studied factors, the performance temperature played the most vital role in η and D regulation. In particular, however, multi-objective optimization by DF explored the degree to which one should be careful about manipulation of assembling and operational parameters in the way maximization of performance of a co-sensitized dye solar cell.     

SOLVENT-FREE CONVERSION OF OXIRANES TO THIIRANES WITH THIOUREA

A simple and efficient method for the conversion of various oxiranes to the corresponding thiiranes using thiourea under solvent free conditions is described.     

Low Temperature Preparation of 3D Solid and Hollow ZnS Nanosphere Self-Assembled from Nanoparticles by Varying Sulfur Source

In this work, we report a facile hydrothermal method for the preparation of three dimensional hollow ZnS nanostructures, using Zinc bis(salicyle aldehitato), Zn(Sal)₂, thioacetamide (TAA) and thioglycolic acid (TGA) as Zn²⁺, sulfur source and capping agent, respectively. The ZnS solid and hollow sphere was produced from the self-assembly of nanoparticles with diameters of 11 ± 2 nm with TGA and TGA, TAA, respectively. Furthermore, with changing zinc precursor from Zn(Sal)₂ to zinc acetate [Zn(OAC)₂], ZnS nanorods were obtained. The products were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, selected area electron diffraction, and FT-IR spectra. The influence of surfactant (Polyethylene glycol) on the morphology of the products was also investigated. Possible formation mechanism and optical properties of these architectures were also reported.