New distance measures for classifying X-ray astronomy data into stellar classes

Advances in Data Analysis and Classification - The classification of the X-ray sources into classes (such as extragalactic sources, background stars,...) is an essential task in astronomy....     

Differential evolution with enhanced diversity maintenance

Optimization Letters - Differential evolution (de) is a popular population-based meta-heuristic that has been successfully used in complex optimization problems. Premature convergence is one of the...     

Identifying indoor environmental patterns from bioaerosol material using HPLC

A substantial portion of the atmospheric particle budget is of biological origin (human and animal dander, plant and insect debris, etc.). These bioaerosols can be considered information-rich packets of biochemical data specific to the organism of origin. In this study, bioaerosol samples from various indoor environments were analyzed to create identifiable patterns attributable to a source level of occupation. Air samples were collected from environments representative of human high-traffic- and low-traffic indoor spaces along with direct human skin sampling. In all settings, total suspended particulate matter was collected and the total aerosol protein concentration ranged from 0.03 to 1.2 μg/m³. High performance liquid chromatography was chosen as a standard analysis technique for the examination of aqueous aerosol extracts to distinguish signatures of occupation compared to environmental background. The results of this study suggest that bioaerosol “fingerprinting” is possible with the two test environments being distinguishable at a 97 % confidence interval.

Dibenzylammonium hydrogen maleate and a redetermination at 120 K of bis(dibenzylamino)methane

In dibenzylammonium hydrogen maleate [or dibenzylammonium (2Z)‐3‐carboxyprop‐2‐enoate], C₁₄H₁₆N⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻, (I), the anion contains a fairly short and nearly linear O—H...O hydrogen bond, with an O...·O distance of 2.4603 (16) Å, but with the H atom clearly offset from the mid‐point of the O...O vector. The counter‐ions in (I) are linked by two N—H...O hydrogen bonds to form C₂²(6) chains and these chains are weakly linked into sheets by a C—H...O hydrogen bond. Bis(dibenzylamino)methane, C₂₉H₃₀N₂, (II), crystallizes with two independent molecules lying across twofold rotation axes in the space group C2/c, and the molecules are conformationally chiral; there are no direction‐specific intermolecular interactions in the crystal structure of (II).     

A chain of π‐stacked molecules in 4‐(2‐chlorophenyl)pyrrolo[1,2‐a]quinoxaline and a hydrogen‐bonded sheet in (4RS)‐4‐(1,3‐1,3‐benzodioxol‐6‐yl)‐4,5‐dihydropyrrolo[1,2‐a]quinoxaline

In the molecule of 4‐(2‐chlorophenyl)pyrrolo[1,2‐a]quinoxaline, C₁₇H₁₁ClN₂, (I), the bond lengths are consistent with electron delocalization in the two outer rings of the fused tricyclic system, with a localized double bond in the central ring. The molecules of (I) are linked into chains by a π–π stacking interaction. In (4RS)‐4‐(1,3‐benzodioxol‐6‐yl)‐4,5‐dihydropyrrolo[1,2‐a]quinoxaline, C₁₈H₁₄N₂O₂, (II), the central ring of the fused tricyclic system adopts a conformation intermediate between screw‐boat and half‐chair forms. A combination of N—H...O and C—H...π(arene) hydrogen bonds links the molecules of (II) into a sheet. Comparisons are made with related compounds.     

Microwave-assisted selective and efficient synthesis of 1,3,5-triazinyl mono and bisureas

An efficient and sustainable microwave-assisted approach for the one-step preparation of a wide range of 1,3,5-triazinyl mono- and bisureas has been developed, combining solvent-free conditions and microwave irradiation. In these conditions the very unreactive amino groups of 1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamines successfully react with phenylisocyanate to yield selectively mono and bisureas.     

(5RS)‐5‐(4‐Methoxyphenyl)‐2‐(methylsulfanyl)benzo[g]pyrimido[4,5‐b]quinoline‐4,6,11(3H,5H,12H)‐trione,with Z′ = 3, forms a three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded framework containing five types of hydrogen bond

The title compound, C₂₃H₁₇N₃O₄S, crystallizes with Z′ = 3 in the space group P. Two of the three independent molecules are broadly similar in terms of both their molecular conformations and their participation in hydrogen bonds, but the third molecule differs from the other two in both of these respects. The molecules are linked by a combination of N—H...O, N—H...N, C—H...O, C—H...N and C—H...π(arene) hydrogen bonds to form a continuous three‐dimensional framework structure within which a centrosymmetric six‐molecule aggregate can be identified as a key structural element.     

An Expedient Method for the Umpolung Coupling of Enols with Heteronucleophiles**

In this paper, we present an unprecedented and general umpolung protocol that allows the functionalization of silyl enol ethers and of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with a large range of heteroatom nucleophiles, including carboxylic acids, alcohols, primary and secondary amines, azide, thiols, and also anionic carbamates derived from CO₂. The scope of the reaction also extends to carbon-based nucleophiles. The reaction relies on the use of 1-bromo-3,3-dimethyl-1,3-dihydro-1λ³[d][1,2]iodaoxole, which provides a key α-brominated carbonyl intermediate. The reaction mechanism has been studied experimentally and by DFT, and we propose formation of an unusual enolonium intermediate with a halogen-bonded bromide.     

Use of green alternative solvents in dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction: A review

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction is one of the most widely used microextraction techniques currently in the analytical chemistry field, mainly due to its simplicity and rapidity. The operational mode of this approach has been constantly changing since its introduction, adapting to new trends and applications. Most of these changes are related to the nature of the solvent employed for the microextraction. From the classical halogenated solvents (e.g., chloroform or dichloromethane), different alternatives have been proposed in order to obtain safer and non-pollutants microextraction applications. In this sense, low-density solvents, such as alkanols, switchable hydrophobicity solvents, and ionic liquids were the first and most popular replacements for halogenated solvents, which provided similar or better results than these classical dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction solvents. However, despite the good performances obtained with low-density solvents and ionic liquids, researchers have continued investigating in order to obtain even greener solvents for dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction. For that reason, in this review, the evolution over the last five years of the three types of solvents already mentioned and two of the most promising solvent alternatives (i.e., deep eutectic solvents and supramolecular solvents), have been studied in detail with the purpose of discussing which one provides the greenest alternative.     

Hypertension in Prenatally Undernourished Young-Adult Rats Is Maintained by Tonic Reciprocal Paraventricular–Coerulear Excitatory Interactions

Prenatally malnourished rats develop hypertension in adulthood, in part through increased α₁-adrenoceptor-mediated outflow from the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) to the sympathetic system. We studied whether both α₁-adrenoceptor-mediated noradrenergic excitatory pathways from the locus coeruleus (LC) to the PVN and their reciprocal excitatory CRFergic connections contribute to prenatal undernutrition-induced hypertension. For that purpose, we microinjected either α₁-adrenoceptor or CRH receptor agonists and/or antagonists in the PVN or the LC, respectively. We also determined the α₁-adrenoceptor density in whole hypothalamus and the expression levels of α_1A-adrenoceptor mRNA in the PVN. The results showed that: (i) agonists microinjection increased systolic blood pressure and heart rate in normotensive eutrophic rats, but not in prenatally malnourished subjects; (ii) antagonists microinjection reduced hypertension and tachycardia in undernourished rats, but not in eutrophic controls; (iii) in undernourished animals, antagonist administration to one nuclei allowed the agonists recover full efficacy in the complementary nucleus, inducing hypertension and tachycardia; (iv) early undernutrition did not modify the number of α₁-adrenoceptor binding sites in hypothalamus, but reduced the number of cells expressing α_1A-adrenoceptor mRNA in the PVN. These results support the hypothesis that systolic pressure and heart rate are increased by tonic reciprocal paraventricular–coerulear excitatory interactions in prenatally undernourished young-adult rats.