Synthesis of 1,5‐Disubstituted 1H‐Tetrazole Derivatives via a Three‐Component Reaction of Carbodiimides,Isocyanides, and Trimethylsilyl Azide

The three‐component reaction of isocyanides 1 , carbodiimides 2 , and trimethylsilyl azide ( 3 ) occurs at room temperature, and the produced 1,5‐disubstituted 1H‐tetrazole derivatives 4 are formed in 81–98% yields (Scheme 1, Table). The reaction proceeds smoothly and cleanly under mild conditions, and no side reactions are observed.     

Landscape analysis and efficient metaheuristics for solving the n-queens problem

The n-queens problem is a classical combinatorial optimization problem which has been proved to be NP-hard. The goal is to place n non-attacking queens on an n×n chessboard. In this paper, two single-solution-based (Local Search (LS) and Tuned Simulated Annealing (SA)) and two population-based metaheuristics (two versions of Scatter Search (SS)) are presented for solving the problem. Since parameters of heuristic and metaheuristic algorithms have great influence on their performance, a TOPSIS-Taguchi based parameter tuning method is proposed, which not only considers the number of fitness function evaluations, but also aims to minimize the runtime of the presented metaheuristics. The performance of the suggested approaches was investigated through computational analyses, which showed that the Local Search method outperformed the other two algorithms in terms of average runtimes and average number of fitness function evaluations. The LS was also compared to the Cooperative PSO (CPSO) and SA algorithms, which are currently the best algorithms in the literature for finding the first solution to the n-queens problem, and the results showed that the average fitness function evaluation of the LS is approximately 21 and 8 times less than that of SA and CPSO, respectively. Also, a fitness analysis of landscape for the n-queens problem was conducted which indicated that the distribution of local optima is uniformly random and scattered over the search space. The landscape is rugged and there is no significant correlation between fitness and distance of solutions, and so a local search heuristic can search a rugged plain landscape effectively and find a solution quickly. As a result, it was statistically and analytically proved that single-solution-based metaheuristics outperform population-based metaheuristics in finding the first solution of the n-queens problem.     

The intersection problem for 2-(v,5,1) directed block designs

The intersection problem for a pair of 2-$(v,3,1)$ directed designs and 2-$(v,4,1)$ directed designs is solved by Fu in 1983 and by Mahmoodian and Soltankhah in 1996, respectively. In this paper we determine the intersection problem for 2-$(v,5,1)$ directed designs.     

Sol–gel synthesis and characterization of unexpected rod-like crystal fibers based on SiO2–(1-x)CaO–xSrO–P2O5 dried-gel

Sol–gel technique has several benefits for the preparation of glass, and morphology can be better controlled compared to conventional methods. In this research, new sol–gel derived bioactive glasses based on SiO₂–CaO–SrO–P₂O₅ dried-gel were synthesized and characterized. Herein, a series of 58S bioactive glasses with the composition of 60%SiO₂–36%(CaO/SrO)–4%P₂O₅ (mol%) were synthesized, and the effect of adding strontium (Sr) to the glass structure SiO₂–(1-x)CaO–xSrO–P₂O₅ (where x = 0, 0.5, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5 and 1) was investigated by gradually substitution of Sr with calcium (Ca). The obtained results indicated that the Sr free sample totally takes amorphous state indicative of the internal disorder, glassy nature and non-crystalline states of this material. Surprisingly, after further addition of Sr to the glass structure, the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs showed unexpected significant rod-like crystal fibers, and the major diffraction peaks of Sr(NO₃)₂, SrCO₃ and Sr₂Si₂O₄ became sharper and more apparent up to the final addition of Sr. The complicated and contradictory results underscore the need for better knowledge of how impurities act upon by growing rod-like crystals. In addition, totally understanding the effect of Sr on the morphology of samples from the bottom up is a daunting challenge.     

Kinetic Study of the Electro-Catalytic Oxidation of Hydrazine on Cobalt Hydroxide Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

Electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrazine was investigated on a cobalt hydroxide modified glassy carbon (CHM-GC) electrode in alkaline solution. The process of oxidation involved and its kinetics were established by using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry techniques as well as steady state polarization measurements. In cyclic voltammetry (CV) studies, in the presence of hydrazine the peak current increase of the oxidation of cobalt hydroxide is followed by a decrease in the corresponding cathodic current. This indicates that hydrazine is oxidized on the redox mediator that is immobilized on the electrode surface via an electrocatalytic mechanism. A mechanism based on the electrochemical generation of Co(IV) active sites and their subsequent consumption by the hydrazine in question was also investigated.     

Enhanced antibacterial performance of hybrid semiconductor nanomaterials: ZnO/SnO2 nanocomposite thin films

The nano-sized coupled oxides ZnO/SnO₂ thin films in a molar ratio of 2:1 (Z2S), 1:1 (ZS) and 1:2 (ZS2) were prepared using sol-gel dip coating method and characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-vis spectroscopy. Escherichia coli (E. coli, ATCC 25922) was selected as a model for the Gram-negative bacteria to evaluate antibacterial property of composite samples compared with single ZnO (Z) and single SnO₂ (S) films. The antibacterial activity has been studied applying the so-called antibacterial drop test under UV illumination. The bactericidal activity was estimated by relative number of bacteria survived calculated from the number of viable cells which form colonies on the nutrient agar plates. The influence of the SnO₂-ZnO nanocomposite composition on the structural features and on the antibacterial properties of the thin films are reported and discussed. It is found that all coatings exhibited a high antibacterial activity. The coupled oxide photocatalyst Z2S has better photocatalytic activity to bacteria inactivation than ZS, ZS2, Z and S films. Furthermore, nanostructured films were active even in the absence of irradiation.     

Interactions of hydrophilic silica nanoparticles and classical surfactants at non-polar oil-water interface

The interfacial and bulk properties of submicron oil-in-water emulsions simultaneously stabilised with a conventional surfactant (either lecithin or oleylamine) and hydrophilic silica nanoparticles (Aerosil?380) were investigated and compared with emulsions stabilised by either stabiliser. Emulsions solely stabilised with lecithin or oleylamine showed poor physical stability, i.e., sedimentation and the release of pure oil was observed within 3 months storage. The formation and long-term stability of silica nanoparticle-coated emulsions was investigated as a function of the surfactant type, charge, and concentration; the oil phase polarity (Miglyol?812 versus liquid paraffin); and loading phase of nanoparticles, either oil or water. Highly stable emulsions with long-term resistance to coalescence and creaming were formulated even at low lecithin concentrations in the presence of optimum levels of silica nanoparticles. The attachment energy of silica nanoparticles at the non-polar oil-water interface in the presence of lecithin was significantly higher compared to oleylamine in line with good long-term stability of the former compared to the sedimentation and release of oil in the latter. The attachment energy of silica nanoparticles at the polar oil-water interface especially in the presence of oleylamine was up to five-times higher compared to the non-polar liquid paraffin. The interfacial layer structure of nanoparticles (close-packed layer of particle aggregates or scattered particle flocs) directly related to the free energy of nanoparticle adsorption at both MCT oil and liquid paraffin-water interfaces.     

Multiple criteria facility location problems: A survey

This paper provides a review on recent efforts and development in multi-criteria location problems in three categories including bi-objective, multi-objective and multi-attribute problems and their solution methods. Also, it provides an overview on various criteria used. While there are a few chapters or sections in different location books related to this topic, we have not seen any comprehensive review papers or book chapter that can cover it. We believe this paper can be used as a complementary and updated version.     

Photocatalytic reforming of biomass-derived feedstock to hydrogen production

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Worldwide energy and environmental issues are forcing researchers to develop a green approach to produce a clean energy. However, traditional methods in...