Synthesis of thiophenes and pyranone fused thiophenes by base induced inter and intramolecular C-S and C-C bond formation: a non-catalytic approach

An efficient and concise one pot synthesis of highly functionalized thiophenes and pyranone fused thiophenes has been delineated through base induced ring transformation of suitably functionalized 2H-pyran-2-ones by ethyl thioglycolate by inter and intramolecular C-S and C-C bond formation.     

InBr3‐ and AgOTf‐catalyzed beckmann rearrangement of (E)‐benzoheterocyclic oximes

Beckmann rearrangement of (E)‐4‐chromanone oxime, (E)‐5‐oximino‐3,4‐dihydro‐1(2H)‐benzoxepines, and (E)‐5‐oximino‐3,4‐dihydro‐1(2H)‐benzothiepine are catalyzed by InBr₃ and AgOTf in refluxing acetonitrile resulting in the formation of pharmaceutically active heterocycles benzoxazepin‐4‐one, 5‐oxo‐benzoxazocines, and 5‐oxo‐benzothiazocine derivative, respectively, in excellent yield. J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2012).     

Structural Synthon Approach to the Study of Stacking Faults in the Layered Double Hydroxides of Lithium and Aluminum

A single layer of the Li‐Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) can be considered to be a structural synthon that can be stacked in a number of ways to give rise to the polytypes of the Li‐Al LDH family. The topotactic imbibition of lithium into gibbsite and bayerite precursors gives rise to crystalline 2H and 1M₁ polytypes respectively. In contrast the sample formed through a gel to crystallite route is found to be a 1M₁ polytype with stacking disorders whose local symmetry corresponds to the 1M₂ polytype. On heating, a solid‐solid 1M₁→1H polytype transformation is observed.     

Neutrino beam plasma instability

We derive relativistic fluid set of equations for neutrinos and electrons from relativistic Vlasov equations with Fermi weak interaction force. Using these fluid equations, we obtain a dispersion relation describing neutrino beam plasma instability, which is little different from normal dispersion relation of streaming instability. It contains new, nonelectromagnetic, neutrino-plasma (or electroweak) stable and unstable modes also. The growth of the instability is weak for the highly relativistic neutrino flux, but becomes stronger for weakly relativistic neutrino flux in the case of parameters appropriate to the early universe and supernova explosions. However, this mode is dominant only for the beam velocity greater than 0.25c and in the other limit electroweak unstable mode takes over.     

A Summation Formula for Estimating the Surface Areas of Ellipsoids

In this paper a summation formula for finding the surface area of general ellipsoids is derived.     

Misuse of Cardiac Lipid upon Exposure to Toxic Trace Elements—A Focused Review

Heavy metals and metalloids like cadmium, arsenic, mercury, and lead are frequently found in the soil, water, food, and atmosphere; trace amounts can cause serious health issues to the human organism. These toxic trace elements (TTE) affect almost all the organs, mainly the heart, kidney, liver, lungs, and the nervous system, through increased free radical formation, DNA damage, lipid peroxidation, and protein sulfhydryl depletion. This work aims to advance our understanding of the mechanisms behind lipid accumulation via increased free fatty acid levels in circulation due to TTEs. The increased lipid level in the myocardium worsens the heart function. This dysregulation of the lipid metabolism leads to damage in the structure of the myocardium, inclusive fibrosis in cardiac tissue, myocyte apoptosis, and decreased contractility due to mitochondrial dysfunction. Additionally, it is discussed herein how exposure to cadmium decreases the heart rate, contractile tension, the conductivity of the atrioventricular node, and coronary flow rate. Arsenic may induce atherosclerosis by increasing platelet aggregation and reducing fibrinolysis, as exposure interferes with apolipoprotein (Apo) levels, resulting in the rise of the Apo-B/Apo-A1 ratio and an elevated risk of acute cardiovascular events. Concerning mercury and lead, these toxicants can cause hypertension, myocardial infarction, and carotid atherosclerosis, in association with the generation of free radicals and oxidative stress. This review offers a complete overview of the critical factors and biomarkers of lipid and TTE-induced cardiotoxicity useful for developing future protective interventions.     

An Improved Process for the Enantioselective Synthesis of HCV NS5A Inhibitor Elbasvir (MK-8742) Chiral Amine Intermediate

Russian Journal of General Chemistry - Large-scale enantioselective synthesis of the chiral amine unit of HCV NS5A inhibitor Elbasvir has been accomplished in six steps, with 55% overall yield. The...     

Influence of 120 MeV S9+ ion irradiation on structural,optical and morphological properties of zirconium oxide thin films deposited by RF sputtering

The calibrated and controlled swift heavy ions (SHI) beam irradiation generate defects which can cause modifications in various properties of the materials such as structural, optical, magnetic, morphological, and chemical etc. The passage of ion through the target material causes the nuclear energy losses ($S_n$) and electronic energy losses ($S_e$). The $S_e$ dominates over $S_n$ in SHI irradiation. In the present study, ZrO₂ thin films were grown on silicon and glass substrate by using RF sputtering deposition technique. For the purpose of modifications induced by swift heavy ions, these films were irradiated by a 120 MeV S⁹⁺ ion beam of 1 pnA current, with varying ion fluences from 5E12 to 1E13 ions/cm², using the tandem accelerator at the Inter University Accelerator Center (IUAC), New Delhi, India. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the formation of monoclinic and tetragonal phases and it was observed that XRD peaks intensity increased up to the fluence of 5E12 ions/cm² followed by opposite behavior at higher fluences. Atomic force microscope (AFM) study revealed the increased surface roughness after SHI irradiation. In addition to it, the formation of electronic transition states in optical band gap region and enhancement of absorption edge was observed from UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) results due to which direct band gap energy value decreased from those of un-irradiated samples. Photoluminescence (PL) broad emission spectra were determined using the excitation wavelength at 290 nm with the prominent peak at 415 nm which can be ascribed to Zr vacancies due to band edge emission as a result of free-exciton recombination. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) technique was used for depth profiling and elemental composition in zirconia thin films. The expected role of electronic energy loss during ion irradiation is to modify the properties of the material has been discussed.     

Multiple orders per job batch scheduling with incompatible jobs

The multiple orders per job (MOJ) scheduling problem is presented for the batch-processing environment such as that exemplified by diffusion ovens. A mixed-integer programming formulation is presented for the incompatible job family case wherein only jobs that belong to the same family may be grouped together in a production batch. This optimization formulation is tested through an extensive experimental design with the objective of minimizing total weighted tardiness (maximizing on-time delivery performance). Optimal solutions are achievable for this initial set of 6-to-12 order problems, but it is noted that the optimization model takes an unreasonable amount of computation time, which suggests the need for heuristic development to support the analysis of larger, more practical MOJ batch scheduling problems. A number of simple heuristic approaches are investigated in an attempt to find near-optimal solutions in a reasonable amount of computation time. It is seen that a combination of the heuristics produces near-optimal solutions for small order problems. Further testing proves that these heuristic combinations are the best for large order problems as well.     

Effect of non-stoichiometry on the charge storage capacity of NiO conversion anodes in Li-ion batteries

Conversion anodes comprising non-stoichiometric black NiO suffer severe capacity fading in Li-ion batteries despite having a high Li⁺ ion diffusion coefficient. We attribute this capacity fading to (i) its small crystallite size (~?8 nm) and (ii) high charge transfer resistance (R_ct ~?60–180 Ω cm²). Small crystallites enhance grain boundaries which promote Li⁺ ion diffusion without efficient material utilization. In contrast, the stoichiometric green NiO anodes deliver a stable capacity of 280 mAh g^?1 over 50 charge-discharge cycles. The comparatively higher capacity of green NiO can be explained from its (i) large crystallite size (~?104 nm) and (ii) negligible R_ct values.