Electroreduction of Derivatives of N,N'-Dioxides of Phenazine and Quinoxaline in Nonaqueous Media and in the Presence of Proton Donors of Medium Strength

Russian Journal of Electrochemistry - The electroreduction (ER) of benzo[a]phenazine-7,12-dioxide (1) and 2-ethoxycarbonyl-3-methyl-quinoxaline-1,4-dioxide (2) in DMF on a glassy carbon electrode...     

A switchable ionic liquid with polarity swing-assisted regeneration properties used for the preconcentration of cadmium in biological samples

In the present study the cadmium (Cd) was determined in serum samples of psoriatic patients. The severity of psoriasis was evaluated according to criteria based on standard clinical diagnosis using Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score. In present study, an innovative tunable green solvent system based microextraction (TSS-ME) was applied for the enrichment of Cd in acid digested serum samples prior to determination with flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The hydrophobic complex of Cd-ammonium pyrrolidine thiocarbamate was extracted in a tunable solvent system which was prepared from a polybasic amine (N, N, N′, N′-tetramethyl-1, 4-diaminobutane), decanol and water system. The tunable green solvent system (TSS) which has zero ionic strength was converted to homogeneous monophasic polar hydrophilic phase via exposure to CO₂ at different pressure and time duration. Then hydrophobic enriched Cd- ammonium pyrrolidine thiocarbamate was back extracted, using HNO₃ (0.1 to 0.5 mol L⁻¹) then the second round of TSS-ME was applied. The acidic aqueous phase enrich with analyte was separated from tunable solvent. The separated TSS was easily reused for up to 10 time for preconcentration purposes without loss of its enrichment character. The smoker and nonsmoker psoriatic patients at PASI >10, have two to three folds higher Cd levels in serum samples than healthy persons.     

Effect of alkaline pretreatment on delignification of wheat straw

This study was conducted to analyse structural changes through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) after alkaline pretreatment of wheat straw for optimum steaming period. During the study, 2 mm size of substrate was soaked in 2.5% NaOH for 1 h at room temperature and then autoclaved at 121°C for various steaming time (30, 60, 90 and 120 min). Results revealed that residence time of 90 min at 121°C has strong effect on substrate, achieving a maximum cellulose content of 83%, delignification of 81% and hemicellulose content of 10.5%. Further SEM and FTIR spectroscopy confirmed structural modification caused by alkaline pretreatment in substrate. Maximum saccharification yield of 52.93% was achieved with 0.5% enzyme concentration using 2.5% substrate concentration for 8 h of incubation at 50°C. This result indicates that the above-mentioned pretreatment conditions create accessible areas for enzymatic hydrolysis.     

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Some Novel 7-Chloro-4-aminoquinoline Derivatives

Russian Journal of General Chemistry - A number of novel 7-chloro-4-aminoquinoline derivatives have been efficiently synthesized by nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction of...     

Plasma Induced Graft Polymerization of Three Hydrophilic Monomers on Nylon 6,6 Fabrics for Enhancing Antistatic Property

In this study, three hydrophilic monomers; 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, diallyldimethylammonium chloride (DADMAC) were selected and their performance as an antistatic finish on nylon 6,6 fabrics was investigated. A non-thermal, high density atmospheric pressure plasma was used to graft polymerize the monomers on nylon 6,6 fabrics. Fabrics were first treated with solutions of monomer in water, air dried and then treated with helium plasma to graft polymerize the monomer on the fiber surface. Surface resistivity values were measured before and after soxhlet extraction with water. Results showed that the DADMAC monomer provided better antistatic properties to fabrics. Further studies with DADMAC monomer were made; effects of plasma post exposure time, plasma pre-exposure time, plasma power, concentration of the monomer and existence of a crosslinker were investigated. Higher plasma power, higher concentration of the monomer and longer post exposure times all gave better antistatic properties to the nylon 6,6 fabrics. Acid dye staining, UV–Vis and FT-IR measurements were conducted and results confirmed a grafted poly-DADMAC layer on the fabric surface.     

Caragisides A – C,New Isoflavone Glucosides from Caragana conferta with Inhibition of Platelet Aggregation

Caragisides A–C ( 1 – 3 , resp.), three new isoflavone glucosides, were isolated from the BuOH sub‐fraction of the EtOH extract of the whole plant of Caragana conferta, along with ononoside ( 4 ), reported for the first time from this species. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques including MS and 2D‐NMR spectroscopy. Compounds 1 – 3 showed significant inhibition of platelet aggregation.     

Synthesis of Spirocyclic and Tricyclic Isoxazoline via 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition Reactions

1,3‐Dipolar cycloadditions of the bicyclic monoterpenes (S)‐(?)‐camphene ( 1 ), (R)‐(+)‐a‐pinene ( 2 ), and (S)‐(?)‐b‐pinene ( 3 ) with aryl and heteroaryl nitrile oxides afforded new spirocyclic and tricyclic isoxazoline derivatives 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 whose biological activities were evaluated in bioassay studies.     

Chemical modification of silica gel with synthesized Schiff base hydrazone derivative and application for preconcentration and separation of U(VI) ions from aqueous solutions

Schiff base hydrazone derivative (HL) sorbent was synthesized according to the literature to be used in the adsorption and preconcentration of U(VI) ions from aqueous solution and it was exposed to immobilization, and new solid support material was obtained. For this purpose, Schiff base hydrazone derivative (HL) was chemically bonded to silica gel surface immobilized 3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane, then analyzed by Fourier transform infrared, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis. The influence of the solution pH, amount of sorbent, contact time, temperature, foreign ion effect and initial U(VI) concentration was investigated. The maximum U(VI) uptake capacity was found to be 8.46 mg/g.     

Where is the brain inside the brain?

Biological brains are capable of general learning without supervision. This is learning across multiple domains without interference. Unlike artificial neural networks, in real brains, learned information is not purely encoded in real-valued weights but instead it resides in many neural aspects. Such aspects include, dendritic and axonal morphology, number and location of synapses, synaptic strengths and the internal state of neural components. Natural evolution has come up with extraordinary ‘programs’ for neurons that allow them to build learning systems through group activity. The neuron is the ‘brain within the brain’. We argue that evolving neural developmental programs which when executed continuously build, shape and adjust neural networks is a promising direction for future research. We discuss aspects of neuroscience that are important, and examine a model that incorporates many of these features that has been applied to a number of problems: wumpus world, checkers and maze solving.