A LFER Kinetic Study of The Reaction of 5‐Substituted Orotic Acids with Diazodiphenylmethane

Linear free energy relationships (LFER) were applied to the kinetic data for the reaction of 5‐substituted orotic acids, series 1 , with diazodiphenylmethane (DDM) in N,N–dimethylformamide and compared with results obtained for 2‐substituted benzoic acids, series 2 . The correlation analysis of the kinetic data with σ substituent parameters was carried out using SSP (single substituent parameter) methods. From the sign and value of proportinality constant ρ, lower sensitivity to the substituent effect was obtained in series 1 , 0.876, than in the series 2 , 1.877. Evaluation of substituent “ortho‐effect” was performed using the Charton model, which includes the steric substituent parameter, and Fujita and Nishioka's model, which describes the total ortho‐effect as contribution of ordinary polar effect, the ortho‐steric and ortho‐polar effects. Results of correlations, obtained by using the Charton model, showed highest contribution of the polar effect, 0.861 vs. 2.101, whereas the steric effect is of lowest significance, 0.117 vs. 0.055, for series 1 and 2 , respectively. Also, a low negative value of coefficient with the steric effect, –0.08, obtained from the Fujita–Nishioka model indicated low steric effect, influencing a decrease of the reaction rate in series 1 . The structural and substituent effects were also studied by using the density functional theory method, and together with kinetic data, it gave a better insight into the influence of the effect of both geometry and substituent on the π?electron density shift induced reactivity of investigated acids.     

Palladium(II) Immobilized Onto the Glucose Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticle as a New and Efficient Catalyst for the One‐pot Synthesis of Benzoxazoles

Palladium(II) have been immobilized into the nano magnetic Fe₃O₄ which was functionalized with glucose in order to achieve a one‐pot synthesis of 2‐substituted benzoxazole derivatives with high yields in the diverse range of organic solvents. The nano catalyst is highly dispersive in polar solvents and can be easily recovered and reused for 6 runs without significant loss of its activity. Finally, the catalyst was fully characterized by FT‐IR, TGA, CHN, SEM, EDX and atomic absorption spectroscopy.     

Block based embedding of encrypted watermarks using singular value decomposition

Watermarking is a solution to the problem of copyright protection of multimedia documents over the Internet. This paper presents a block based watermarking scheme using the singular value decomposition (SVD) algorithm to embed encrypted watermarks into digital images. The paper compares between the traditional method of Liu and the proposed method for embedding encrypted watermarks. Also, a permutation based encryption algorithm and a diffusion based encryption algorithm are compared as the watermark encryption algorithms. Experimental results show that the proposed method is superior to the traditional method of Liu for embedding encrypted watermarks and extracting them efficiently under attacks. Results also show that it is preferred to use permutation based encryption algorithms than diffusion based encryption algorithms for watermark encryption due to their lower sensitivity to attacks.     

Supramolecular Study on the Interaction Between Ofloxacin and Methyl β-Cyclodextrin by Fluorescence Spectroscopy and its Analytical Application

The supramolecular interaction of ofloxacin (Oflo) and methyl β-cyclodextrin (Mβ-CD) has been examined by UV–vis, IR and fluorescence spectroscopy. The formation of inclusion complex has been confirmed based on the changes of the spectral properties. The results showed that Mβ-CD reacted with Oflo to form an inclusion complex. The Oflo and Mβ-CD complex formed a host-guest complex in 1:1 stoichiometry and inclusion constant (K?=?7.8?×?10^?3 L mol^?1) was ascertained by the typical double reciprocal plots. Furthermore, the thermodynamic parameters (?H°, ?S° and ?G°) associated with the inclusion process were also determined. In addition, solid inclusion complex was synthesized. Based on the significant enhancement of the fluorescence intensity of Oflo produced through complex formation, a simple, accurate, rapid and highly sensitive spectrofluorometric method for the determination of Oflo in pharmaceutical formulation was developed. The measurement of relative fluorescence intensity was carried out at 497 nm with excitation at 296 nm. The factors affecting the inclusion complex formation were studied and optimized. Under the optimum reaction conditions, linear relationships with good correlation coefficients (0.9995) were in the concentration range of 50–350 ng/mL for spectrofluorimetry. The limit of detection (LOD) was 11.5 ng/mL. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of Oflo in pharmaceutical preparation.     

Longitudinal unzipping of carbon nanotubes and their electrochemical performance in supercapacitors

The capacitive properties of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with different reduction levels were investigated. GNRs have been synthesized through thermal reduction of oxidized GNRs in the temperature range 100–400 °C. Oxidized GNRs were synthesized by longitudinal unzipping of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by means of chemical treatments. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations showed, that the efficient tube unzipping yielded improved effective surface area without any tube annihilation by the unzipping process of MWCNTs. Electrochemical studies indicated that through unzipping of MWCNTs, specific capacitance increased from 8 to 28 F g⁻¹ at discharge current density of 0.5 A g⁻¹, confirming increased active surface area and increased defect density in the MWCNTs surface. Unzipping of MWCNTs resulted in decreased rate capability of the electrode because of low electrical conductivity due to oxidization during the unzipping process. Thermal reduction of unzipped sample affected both specific capacitance and rate capability of electrodes. The highest specific capacitance of 62 F g⁻¹ at discharge current density of 0.5 A g⁻¹ was obtained for the sample unzipped and thermally annealed at about 150 °C. The amount of oxygen-containing groups was shown to be an important factor influencing the performance of the GNRs. These results make unzipped MWCNTs promising electrode materials for supercapacitor applications.     

Photochromism and Photoisomerization in Some 2,3,4,4,5,6-Hexasubstituted 4H-Thiopyrans

Photochromism and photoisomerization reactions of some new 2,3,4,4,5,6-hexasubstituted 4H-thiopyrans are described.     

The electrospun poly(ε‐caprolactone)/fluoridated hydroxyapatite nanocomposite for bone tissue engineering

Biodegradable cell‐incorporated scaffolds can guide the regeneration process of bone defects such as physiological resorption, tooth loss, and trauma which medically, socially, and economically hurt patients. Here, 0, 5, 10, and 15 wt% fluoridated hydroxyapatite (FHA) nanoparticles containing 25 wt% F^? and 75 wt% OH^? were incorporated into poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) matrix to produce PCL/FHA nanocomposite scaffolds using electrospinning method. Then, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) pattern, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to evaluate the morphology, phase structure, and functional groups of prepared electrospun scaffolds, respectively. Furthermore, the tensile strength and elastic modulus of electrospun scaffolds were investigated using the tensile test. Moreover, the biodegradation behavior of electrospun PCL/FHA scaffolds was studied by the evaluation of weight loss of mats and the alternation of pH in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) up to 30 days of incubation. Then, the biocompatibility of prepared mats was investigated by culturing MG‐63 osteoblast cell line and performing MTT assay. In addition, the adhesion of osteoblast cells on prepared electrospun scaffolds was studied using their SEM images. Results revealed that the fiber diameter of prepared electrospun PCL/FHA scaffolds alters between 700 and 900 nm. The mechanical assay illustrated the mat with 10 wt% FHA nanoparticles revealed the highest tensile strength and elastic modulus. The weight loss alternation of mats determined around 1% to 8% after 30 days of incubation. The biocompatibility and cell adhesion of mats improved by increasing the amounts of FHA nanoparticles.     

Development of Multinuclear Polymeric Nanoparticles as Robust Protein Nanocarriers

One limitation of current biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles is their inability to effectively encapsulate and sustainably release proteins while maintaining protein bioactivity. Here we report the engineering of PLGA–polycation nanoparticles with a core–shell structure that act as a robust vector for the encapsulation and delivery of proteins and peptides. The optimized nanoparticles can load high amounts of proteins (>20 % of nanoparticles by weight) in aqueous solution without organic solvents through electrostatic interactions by simple mixing, thereby forming nanospheres in seconds with diameters <200 nm. The relationship between nanosphere size, surface charge, PLGA–polycation composition, and protein loading is also investigated. The stable nanosphere complexes contain multiple PLGA–polycation nanoparticles, surrounded by large amounts of protein. This study highlights a novel strategy for the delivery of proteins and other relevant molecules.