A gadolinium-based magnetic ionic liquid for supramolecular dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by HPLC/UV for the determination of favipiravir in human plasma

Favipiravir is a potential antiviral medication that has been recently licensed for Covid-19 treatment. In this work, a gadolinium-based magnetic ionic liquid was prepared and used as an extractant in dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) of favipiravir in human plasma. The high enriching ability of DLLME allowed the determination of favipiravir in real samples using HPLC/UV with sufficient sensitivity. The effects of several variables on extraction efficiency were investigated, including type of extractant, amount of extractant, type of disperser and disperser volume. The maximum enrichment was attained using 50 mg of the Gd-magnetic ionic liquid (MIL) and 150 μl of tetrahydrofuran. The Gd-based MIL could form a supramolecular assembly in the presence of tetrahydrofuran, which enhanced the extraction efficiency of favipiravir. The developed method was validated according to US Food and Drug Administration bioanalytical method validation guidelines. The coefficient of determination was 0.9999, for a linear concentration range of 25 to 1.0 × 10⁵ ng/ml. The percentage recovery (accuracy) varied from 99.83 to 104.2%, with RSD values (precision) ranging from 4.07 to 11.84%. The total extraction time was about 12 min and the HPLC analysis time was 5 min. The method was simple, selective and sensitive for the determination of favipiravir in real human plasma.     

One-pot Synthesis,Crystal Structures and Antimicrobial Activities of Two New 1,4-Disubstituted 1,2,3-Triazole-4-Carboxylates

Two new 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles-4-carboxylates were synthesized via click reaction. Compound 1a was synthesized by the interaction of 6-nitro-tetrazolo[1.5-a]-pyridine with ethyl propynoate at room temperature in the presence of Cu(OAc)2 as a catalyst and THF as solvent. Compound 1b was also synthesized by the same manner except that tert-butyl propionate, instead of ethyl propynoate, was used. The compounds were characterized by IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compound 1a(C10H9N5O4) crystallizes in the triclinic system, space group P1 with a = 5.0894(9), b = 8.9834(13), c = 13.089(2) ?, α= 83.041(7), β= 80.256(7), γ=87.296(8)°, V = 585.24(16)?3, Z = 2, Mr = 263.22, crystal size(mm) = 0.37 × 0.20 ×0.18,(I 2σ(I)) = 8557, 2493, 1229, Rint = 0.057. Compound 1b(C12H13N5O4) crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P21/c with a = 6.8854(5), b = 21.783(2), c = 9.3986(8) ?,β = 93.239(4)°, V = 1407.4(2)?3, Z = 4, Mr = 291.27, crystal size(mm) = 0.38 × 0.22 × 0.20,(I 2σ(I)) = 11842, 3172, 1866, Rint = 0.047. Antimicrobial assay results showed that the title compounds display excellent activities to different bacterial and fungal strains.     

Characteristics investigation on heat transfer growth of sonochemically synthesized ZnO-DW based nanofluids inside square heat exchanger

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In recent decades, the growth of heat transfer using nanomaterials in the conventional base fluid has caught the attention of researchers...     

Analytic hierarchy process for multi-sensor data fusion based on belief function theory

Multi-sensor data fusion is an evolving technology whereby data from multiple sensor inputs are processed and combined. The data derived from multiple sensors can, however, be uncertain, imperfect, and conflicting. The present study is undertaken to help contribute to the continuous search for viable approaches to overcome the problems associated with data conflict and imperfection. Sensor readings, represented by belief functions, have to be fused according to their corresponding weights. Previous studies have often estimated the weights of sensor readings based on a single criterion. Mono-criteria approaches for the assessment of sensor reading weights are, however, often unreliable and inadequate for the reflection of reality. Accordingly, this work opts for the use of a multi-criteria decision aid. A modified Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) that incorporates several criteria is proposed to determine the weights of a sensor reading set. The approach relies on the automation of pairwise comparisons to eliminate subjectivity and reduce inconsistency. It assesses the weight of each sensor reading, and fuses the weighed readings obtained using a modified average combination rule. The efficiency of this approach is evaluated in a target recognition context. Several tests, sensitivity analysis, and comparisons with other approaches available in the literature are described.     

Local linear convergence analysis of Primal–Dual splitting methods

In this paper, we study the local linear convergence properties of a versatile class of Primal–Dual splitting methods for minimizing composite non-smooth convex optimization problems. Under the assumption that the non-smooth components of the problem are partly smooth relative to smooth manifolds, we present a unified local convergence analysis framework for these methods. More precisely, in our framework, we first show that (i) the sequences generated by Primal–Dual splitting methods identify a pair of primal and dual smooth manifolds in a finite number of iterations, and then (ii) enter a local linear convergence regime, which is characterized based on the structure of the underlying active smooth manifolds. We also show how our results for Primal–Dual splitting can be specialized to cover existing ones on Forward–Backward splitting and Douglas–Rachford splitting/ADMM (alternating direction methods of multipliers). Moreover, based on these obtained local convergence analysis result, several practical acceleration techniques are discussed. To exemplify the usefulness of the obtained result, we consider several concrete numerical experiments arising from fields including signal/image processing, inverse problems and machine learning. The demonstration not only verifies the local linear convergence behaviour of Primal–Dual splitting methods, but also the insights on how to accelerate them in practice.     

Chemical Profiles and Pharmacological Properties with in Silico Studies on Elatostema papillosum Wedd

The current study attempted, for the first time, to qualitatively and quantitatively determine the phytochemical components of Elatostema papillosum methanol extract and their biological activities. The present study represents an effort to correlate our previously reported biological activities with a computational study, including molecular docking, and ADME/T (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion/toxicity) analyses, to identify the phytochemicals that are potentially responsible for the antioxidant, antidepressant, anxiolytic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory activities of this plant. In the gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy analysis, a total of 24 compounds were identified, seven of which were documented as being bioactive based on their binding affinities. These seven were subjected to molecular docking studies that were correlated with the pharmacological outcomes. Additionally, the ADME/T properties of these compounds were evaluated to determine their drug-like properties and toxicity levels. The seven selected, isolated compounds displayed favorable binding affinities to potassium channels, human serotonin receptor, cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), COX-2, nuclear factor (NF)-κB, and human peroxiredoxin 5 receptor proteins. Phytol acetate, and terpene compounds identified in E. papillosum displayed strong predictive binding affinities towards the human serotonin receptor. Furthermore, 3-trifluoroacetoxypentadecane showed a significant binding affinity for the KcsA potassium channel. Eicosanal showed the highest predicted binding affinity towards the human peroxiredoxin 5 receptor. All of these findings support the observed in vivo antidepressant and anxiolytic effects and the in vitro antioxidant effects observed for this extract. The identified compounds from E. papillosum showed the lowest binding affinities towards COX-1, COX-2, and NF-κB receptors, which indicated the inconsequential impacts of this extract against the activities of these three proteins. Overall, E. papillosum appears to be bioactive and could represent a potential source for the development of alternative medicines; however, further analytical experiments remain necessary.     

The behavior of differential forms under purely inseparable extensions

Let F be a field of characteristic 2. In this paper we give a complete computation of the kernel of the homomorphism $H_2^{m+1}(F)?H_2^{m+1}(L)$ induced by scalar extension, where $L/F$ is a purely inseparable extension (of any degree), $H_2^{m+1}(F)$ is the cokernel of the Artin–Schreier operator $?:{\mathrm{\Omega }}_F^m?{\mathrm{\Omega }}_F^m/\mathrm{d}{\mathrm{\Omega }}_F^{m?1}$ given by: $x\frac{\mathrm{d}{x}_1}{x_1}\wedge ?\wedge \frac{\mathrm{d}{x}_m}{x_m}?(x^2?x)\frac{\mathrm{d}{x}_1}{x_1}\wedge ?\wedge \frac{\mathrm{d}{x}_m}{x_m}+\mathrm{d}{\mathrm{\Omega }}_F^{m?1}$, where ${\mathrm{\Omega }}_F^m$ is the space of absolute m-differential forms over F and d is the differential operator. Other related results are included.     

Path integral quantization corresponding to the deformed Heisenberg algebra

In this paper, the deformation of the Heisenberg algebra, consistent with both the generalized uncertainty principle and doubly special relativity, has been analyzed. It has been observed that, though this algebra can give rise to fractional derivative terms in the corresponding quantum mechanical Hamiltonian, a formal meaning can be given to them by using the theory of harmonic extensions of function. Depending on this argument, the expression of the propagator of the path integral corresponding to the deformed Heisenberg algebra, has been obtained. In particular, the consistent expression of the one dimensional free particle propagator has been evaluated explicitly. With this propagator in hand, it has been shown that, even in free particle case, normal generalized uncertainty principle and doubly special relativity show very much different result.     

Donor-acceptor copolymers from cyclopentannulation polymerizations with dicyclopenta[cd,jk]pyrene and dicyclopenta[cd,lm] perylene acceptors

A series of donor-acceptor copolymers with dicyclopenta[cd,jk]pyrene and dicyclopenta[cd,lm]perylene acceptor units was prepared via palladium catalyzed cyclopenta-annulation reactions. The acceptor units were paired with diethynyl containing donor groups based on benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b’]dithiophene, thieno[3,2-b]thiophene, and 4-octyl-4H-dithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]pyrrole to create six polymer variants. The cyclopentannulation polymerization resulted in copolymers with molecular weights (Mn) of 6–14 kDa and broad light absorption in the visible region with band gaps of 1.38–1.85 eV. The synthetic methodology, as well as optoelectronic properties, including thin-film absorption and cyclic voltammetry, of the donor-acceptor copolymers are presented.