Fabrication and characterization of sputtered titanium dioxide films

TiO₂ thin films were prepared under various conditions by using a reactive RF sputtering technique. The structural, optical and electrical characteristics of the films have been investigated. All as-deposited films were amorphous. After annealing at T > 673 K, the crystallinity of the observed tetragonal anatase phase appeared improved. The optical band gap, determined by using Tauc plot, has been found to amount to 3.38 ± 0.03 and 3.21 ± 0.03 eV for the direct and indirect transition, respectively. Also the complex optical constants for the wavelength range 300-2500 nm are reported. Using the two-point probe technique, the dark resistivity has been measured as a function of the film thickness, d. The resistivity, ρ, of the samples has been found to decrease markedly with increasing thickness, but only for d < 100 nm. The behaviour of ρd versus d was found to fit properly with the Fuchs and Sondheimer relation with parameters ρ_o = 4.95 × 10⁶ Ω cm and mean free path, l = 310 ± 2 nm. The log ρ versus 1/T curves show three distinct regions with values for the activation energy of 0.03 ± 0.01, 0.17 ± 0.01 and 0.50 ± 0.02 eV, respectively.     

Environmental radioactivity of soils and sediments: Egyptian sector of the Nile valley

The activity concentrations of natural ⁴⁰K, ²³²Th, and ²³⁸U in 89 soil and 84 sediment samples collected over the entire Egyptian Nile River basin including the Nile delta are reported based on the results of epithermal neutron activation analysis. The average activity concentrations of ⁴⁰K, ²³²Th, and ²³⁸U equal to 15.3?±?6.6, 15.6?±?11.1 and 220?±?31 Bq/kg, respectively, are significantly lower than those reported for the Upper Continental Crust, World Average Sediments as well as World Average Soils, suggesting the presence of a considerable portion of mafic material, most probably originating from the Ethiopian High Plateau. Their average activity concentrations are statistically the same in soil and sediments, indicating that the Nile sediments and soil material are of the same origin. The main goal of this study was not only to estimate the radiological hazards but also to show the influence of sedimentary material transportable by the Blue Nile from the Ethiopian High Plateau. The different hazard indices like the radium equivalent, gamma index, external hazard as well as the internal hazard show a low radiological exposure either on direct contact or if local mud bricks are used in the construction of dwellings.     

Prescriptive analytics for FIFA World Cup lodging capacity planning

The FIFA World Cup, comprising sixty-four matches spanning an entire month, has, in recent years, been attended by about three million spectators of which over half a million are visitors requiring lodging. Planning lodging capacity for an event of this magnitude is necessary for host nations where pre-existing infrastructures are either inadequate or lacking. This paper develops an optimization analytics framework that sequentially employs two integer programming models for foreign spectator analysis and the consequent lodging requirements. The framework is applied to assess the preparedness of lodging infrastructure in Qatar for FIFA 2022.     

Synthesis and biological screening of some chromonyl-substituted heterocycles derived from 2(3H)-furanone derivative

A 2(3H)-furanone bearing chromonyl moiety at position-3 was synthesized and utilized for the construction of N-heterocycles such as pyrrolone, N-aminoquinolone, and pyridazinone derivatives. The reactivity of the chromonylfuranone toward some nitrogen nucleophiles such as ammonia, benzylamine, hydrazine, and phenylhydrazine was studied. On the other hand, thiation of the starting chromonylfuranone interestingly provides mono- and di-thiated products. The chemoselectivity of these reactions is discussed. The structures of all products obtained were elucidated from their analytical and spectral data. The antimicrobial activities of selected examples of the synthesized compounds were examined against two strains of bacteria and two fungus strains. Some of them showed promising antimicrobial activities.     

Silica Sulfuric Acid: An Efficient,Reusable, Heterogeneous Catalyst for the One-Pot,Five-Component Synthesis of Highly Functionalized Piperidine Derivatives

A series of highly functionalized piperidine derivatives was synthesized through one-pot, five-component reaction of aldehydes, amines, and β-ketoesters. Silica sulfuric acid efficiently catalyzes the reaction to afford the corresponding piperidine derivatives in good yields. As a representative example, heating of 4-methylaninle, 4-fluorobezaldehyde, and methyl-acetoacetate in methanol in the presence of silica sulfuric acid furnished the corresponding ethyl 2,6-bis(4-fluorophenyl)-1-p-tolyl-4-(p-tolylamino)-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine-3-carboxylate in excellent yield (85%). Most of the synthesized compounds were screened in vitro for their antibacterial and antifungal activities. Most of compounds showed significant antibacterial activity.     

Synthesis of New 1,3,4‐Oxadiazol,Thiadiazole, 1,2,4‐Triazole,and Arylidene Hydrazide Derivatives of 4‐Oxo‐1,4‐dihydroquinoline with Antimicrobial Evaluation

A series of substituted 1,3,4‐oxadiazole, 1,2,4‐triazole, and 1,3,4‐thiadiazole derivatives of the substituted 3‐carboethoxy‐1,4‐dihydro‐4‐oxoquinoline have been synthesized through the reaction of the key intermediate thiosemicarbazide derivatives with different reagents. N′‐Arylidene‐4‐oxo‐1,4‐dihydroquinoline‐3‐carbohydrazides were also synthesized through the condensation reaction of the corresponding hydrazides with the appropriate aldehydes. Antimicrobial activity of some of the synthesized compounds was evaluated.     

Synthesis and antitumor activity evaluation of some 1, 2, 4-triazine and fused triazine derivatives

Reactions of 3-hyrazino-5,6-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazine with various carbonyl compounds such as ethyl acetoacetate, acetylacetone, benzoin, isatin, phthalic anhydride, phenyl isocyanate and acetic anhydride were discussed. Its reactions with α, β unsaturated compounds such as arylidinemalononitrile, diethyl acetylenedicarboxylate, dibenzylidine hydrazine were studied. These reactions led to the formation of various triazine and fused-triazine derivatives. The antitumor activity of the synthesized compounds was tested against HePG2 and MCF-7 cell lines. Some of the tested compounds were most active, whereas other compounds exhibited little or no activity.