Cost-allocation problems for fuzzy agents in a fixed-tree network

Fuzzy Optimization and Decision Making - Cost-allocation problems in a fixed network are concerned with distributing the costs for use by a group of clients who cooperate in order to reduce such...     

PTML modeling for peptide discovery: in silico design of non-hemolytic peptides with antihypertensive activity

Molecular Diversity - Hypertension is a medical condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Despite the high efficacy of the current antihypertensive drugs, they are associated with...     

Effect of pretreatment on pyrolysis products of Pennisetum purpureum Schum. by Py-GC/MS

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) is one such resource with a great amount of carbohydrate and lignin polymers that together represent high...     

Carbon nanotube-carbon black hybrid counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells and the effect on charge transfer kinetics

In this work, the catalytic activity of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon black (CB), and CNT-CB counter electrodes in the I⁻/I₃⁻ reduction reaction is reported and compared with the Pt counter electrode. The fabricated counter electrodes were evaluated in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The results indicate that the best cathodes were made from CNT₁₀ (240 μm) and CB with a charge transfer resistance (R_CT) of 2.70 Ω, and when the complete device shows 19.83 Ω of internal series resistance (R_S), the photovoltaic parameters of these cells were J_SC = 10.47 mA cm⁻²; V_OC = 0.70 V; and FF = 57.90, with an efficiency of 4.29%, indicating a better interaction between the CNT₁₀ in the 3D network of the counter electrode, generating a good charge transfer kinetics, in comparison with only CNT₁₀ or CB.

     

Impact of thickness of spin-coated P3HT thin films,over their optical and electronic properties

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - A study of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) thin films by spin-coating process, deposited on conducting glass substrates of fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), is...     

Simultaneous preference estimation and heterogeneity control for choice-based conjoint via support vector machines

Support vector machines (SVMs) have been successfully used to identify individuals’ preferences in conjoint analysis. One of the challenges of using SVMs in this context is to properly control for preference heterogeneity among individuals to construct robust partworths. In this work, we present a new technique that obtains all individual utility functions simultaneously in a single optimization problem based on three objectives: complexity reduction, model fit, and heterogeneity control. While complexity reduction and model fit are dealt using SVMs, heterogeneity is controlled by shrinking the individual-level partworths toward a population mean. The proposed approach is further extended to kernel-based machines, conferring flexibility to the model by allowing nonlinear utility functions. Experiments on simulated and real-world datasets show that the proposed approach in its linear form outperforms existing methods for choice-based conjoint analysis.     

Discrete Orbits,Recurrence and Solvable Subgroups of $${{\mathrm{Diff}}\, ({{\mathbb {C}}}^2, 0)}$$

We discuss the local dynamics of a subgroup of \({{\mathrm{Diff}}\, ({{\mathbb {C}}}^2, 0)}\) possessing locally discrete orbits as well as the structure of the recurrent set for more general groups. It is proved, in particular, that a subgroup of \({{\mathrm{Diff}}\, ({{\mathbb {C}}}^2, 0)}\) possessing locally discrete orbits must be virtually solvable. These results are of considerable interest in problems concerning integrable systems.     

Novel Copolymers of 4-Fluorostyrene. 1. Alkyl Ring-Substituted 2-Phenyl-1,1-dicyanoethylenes

Novel copolymers of trisubstituted ethylene monomers, alkyl ring-substituted 2-phenyl-1,1-dicyanoethylenes, RC₆H₄CH = C(CN)₂ (where R is 2-methyl, 3-methyl, 4-methyl, 4-ethyl, 4-i-propyl, 4-butyl, 4-i-butyl, and 4-t-butyl) and 4-fluorostyrene were prepared at equimolar monomer feed composition by solution copolymerization in the presence of a radical initiator (ABCN) at 70°C. The composition of the copolymers was calculated from nitrogen analysis, and the structures were analyzed by IR, ¹H and ¹³C-NMR. The order of relative reactivity (1/r ₁) for the monomers is 4-ethyl (42.6) > 4-butyl (29.4) > 4-t-butyl (26.7) > 4-i-butyl (1.6) > 4-i-propyl (1.29) > 3-methyl (1.26) > 2-methyl (0.8) > 4-methyl (0.4). High T _g of the copolymers, in comparison with that of poly(4-fluorostyrene) indicates a substantial decrease in chain mobility of the copolymer due to the high dipolar character of the trisubstituted ethylene monomer unit. Decomposition of the copolymers in nitrogen occurred in two steps, first in 183–500°C range with residue (5–30% wt.), which then decomposed in the 500–800°C range.     

Building C(sp3) Molecular Complexity on 2,2′-Bipyridine and 1,10-Phenanthroline in Rhenium Tricarbonyl Complexes

The reactions of [Re(N-N)(CO)₃(PMe₃)]OTf (N-N=2,2′-bipyridine, bipy; 1,10-phenanthroline, phen) compounds with tBuLi and with LiHBEt₃ have been explored. Addition to the N-N chelate took place with different site-selectivity depending on both chelate and nucleophile. Thus, with tBuLi, an unprecedented addition to C5 of bipy, a regiochemistry not accessible for free bipy, was obtained, whereas coordinated phen underwent tBuLi addition to C2 and C4. Remarkably, when LiHBEt₃ reacted with [Re(bipy)(CO)₃(PMe₃)]OTf, hydride addition to the 4 and 6 positions of bipy triggered an intermolecular cyclodimerization of two dearomatized pyridyl rings. In contrast, hydride addition to the phen analog resulted in partial reduction of one pyridine ring. The resulting neutral Re^I products showed a varied reactivity with HOTf and with MeOTf to yield cationic complexes. These strategies rendered access to Re^I complexes containing bipy- and phen-derived chelates with several C(sp³) centers.