Straightforward access to new vinca-alkaloids via selective reduction of a nitrile containing anhydrovinblastine derivative

A procedure to exclusively obtain 3′S-cyanoanhydrovinblastine 12 from two naturally occurring vinca-alkaloids (catharanthine and vindoline) in one step with good yield is described. Stereoselective reductions of 12, providing straightforward access to three new vinca-alkaloids, including two diastereomers 3′S-cyano-(4′R,5′-dihydro)-anhydrovinblastine and 3′S-cyano-(4′S,5′-dihydro)-anhydrovinblastine as well as (3′S-aminomethyl)-(4′S,5′-dihydro)-anhydrovinblastine in good yields is also reported.     

Cellulosic value-added products from sugarcane bagasse

Cellulose - Sugarcane bagasse (SCB) is a major by-product of the sugarcane industry and one of the most common renewable and sustainable cellulosic materials for various industrial...     

Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitory Diterpenes from Euphorbia antiquorum Growing in Vietnam

Bioactive-guided phytochemical investigation of Euphorbia antiquorum L. growing in Vietnam led to the isolation of five ent-atisanes, one seco-ent-atisane, and one lathyrane (ingol-type). The structures were elucidated as ent-1α,3α,16β,17-tetrahydroxyatisane (1), ethyl ent-3,4-seco-4,16β,17-trihydroxyatisane-3-carboxylate (2), ent-atisane-3-oxo-16β,17-acetonide (3), ent-3α-acetoxy-16β,17-dihydroxyatisane (4), ent-16β,17-dihydroxyatisane-3-one (5), calliterpenone (6), and ingol 12-acetate (7). Their chemical structures were unambiguously determined by analysis of one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high resolution mass spectrometry, as well as by comparison with literature data. Among them, 1 is a new compound while 2 is an ethylated artifact of ent-3,4-seco-4,16β,17-trihydroxyatisane-3-carboxylic acid, a new compound. Isolates were evaluated for alpha-glucosidase inhibition. Compound 3 showed the most significant inhibitory activity against alpha-glucosidase with an IC₅₀ value of 69.62 µM. Further study on mechanism underlying yeast alpha-glucosidase inhibition indicated that 3 could retard the enzyme function by noncompetitive.     

Mechanically Activated Solid-State Radical Polymerization and Cross-Linking via Piezocatalysis

Piezocatalysis offers a means to transduce mechanical energy into chemical potential, harnessing physical force to drive redox reactions. Working in the solid state, we show here that piezoelectric BaTiO₃ nanoparticles can transduce mechanical load into a flux of reactive radical species capable of initiating solid state free radical polymerization. Activation of a BaTiO₃ powder by ball milling, striking with a hammer, or repeated compressive loading generates highly reactive hydroxyl radicals (⋅OH), which readily initiate radical chain growth and crosslinking of solid acrylamide, acrylate, methacrylate and styrenic monomers. Control experiments indicate a critical role for chemisorbed water on the BaTiO₃ nanoparticle surface, which is oxidized to ⋅OH via mechanoredox catalysis. The force-induced production of radicals by compressing dry piezoelectric materials represents a promising new route to harness mechanical energy for solid state radical synthesis.     

A new sinusoidal shear deformation theory for bending,buckling, and vibration of functionally graded plates

A new sinusoidal shear deformation theory is developed for bending, buckling, and vibration of functionally graded plates. The theory accounts for sinusoidal distribution of transverse shear stress, and satisfies the free transverse shear stress conditions on the top and bottom surfaces of the plate without using shear correction factor. Unlike the conventional sinusoidal shear deformation theory, the proposed sinusoidal shear deformation theory contains only four unknowns and has strong similarities with classical plate theory in many aspects such as equations of motion, boundary conditions, and stress resultant expressions. The material properties of plate are assumed to vary according to power law distribution of the volume fraction of the constituents. Equations of motion are derived from the Hamilton’s principle. The closed-form solutions of simply supported plates are obtained and the results are compared with those of first-order shear deformation theory and higher-order shear deformation theory. It can be concluded that the proposed theory is accurate and efficient in predicting the bending, buckling, and vibration responses of functionally graded plates.     

Axial-flexural coupled vibration and buckling of composite beams using sinusoidal shear deformation theory

A finite element model based on sinusoidal shear deformation theory is developed to study vibration and buckling analysis of composite beams with arbitrary lay-ups. This theory satisfies the zero traction boundary conditions on the top and bottom surfaces of beam without using shear correction factors. Besides, it has strong similarity with Euler–Bernoulli beam theory in some aspects such as governing equations, boundary conditions, and stress resultant expressions. By using Hamilton’s principle, governing equations of motion are derived. A displacement-based one-dimensional finite element model is developed to solve the problem. Numerical results for cross-ply and angle-ply composite beams are obtained as special cases and are compared with other solutions available in the literature. A variety of parametric studies are conducted to demonstrate the effect of fiber orientation and modulus ratio on the natural frequencies, critical buckling loads, and load-frequency curves as well as corresponding mode shapes of composite beams.     

Hedging with temporary price impact

We consider the problem of hedging a European contingent claim in a Bachelier model with temporary price impact as proposed by Almgren and Chriss (J Risk 3:5–39, 2001). Following the approach of Rogers and Singh (Math Financ 20:597–615, 2010) and Naujokat and Westray (Math Financ Econ 4(4):299–335, 2011), the hedging problem can be regarded as a cost optimal tracking problem of the frictionless hedging strategy. We solve this problem explicitly for general predictable target hedging strategies. It turns out that, rather than towards the current target position, the optimal policy trades towards a weighted average of expected future target positions. This generalizes an observation of Gârleanu and Pedersen (Dynamic portfolio choice with frictions. Preprint, 2013b) from their homogenous Markovian optimal investment problem to a general hedging problem. Our findings complement a number of previous studies in the literature on optimal strategies in illiquid markets as, e.g., Gârleanu and Pedersen (Dynamic portfolio choice with frictions. Preprint, 2013b), Naujokat and Westray (Math Financ Econ 4(4):299–335, 2011), Rogers and Singh (Math Financ 20:597–615, 2010), Almgren and Li (Option hedging with smooth market impact. Preprint, 2015), Moreau et al. (Math Financ. doi: 10.1111/mafi.12098, 2015), Kallsen and Muhle-Karbe (High-resilience limits of block-shaped order books. Preprint, 2014), Guasoni and Weber (Mathematical Financ. doi: 10.1111/mafi.12099, 2015a; Nonlinear price impact and portfolio choice. Preprint, 2015b), where the frictionless hedging strategy is confined to diffusions. The consideration of general predictable reference strategies is made possible by the use of a convex analysis approach instead of the more common dynamic programming methods.     

On Gaussian approximation of the strength of Daniels' bundle with brittle Weibull fibers

The paper deals with the classical fiber bundle model with brittle Weibull fibers and equal load sharing. This model is significant for the strength of fibrous materials and composites, and the generally random strength of quasi-brittle structures. The model is also relevant for the analysis of the reliability of various parallel systems (computer components, infrastructure etc.). An improved closed-form Gaussian approximation of the standard deviation of bundle strength is presented and compared with accurate solution calculated by recursive formula proposed by Daniels. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Global infimum of strictly convex quadratic functions with bounded perturbations

The problem of minimizing [(f)\tilde]=f+p{\tilde f=f+p} over some convex subset of a Euclidean space is investigated, where f(x) = x ^T Ax + b ^T x is strictly convex and |p| is only assumed to be bounded by some positive number s. It is shown that the function [(f)\tilde]{\tilde f} is strictly outer γ-convex for any γ > γ*, where γ* is determined by s and the smallest eigenvalue of A. As consequence, a γ*-local minimal solution of [(f)\tilde]{\tilde f} is its global minimal solution and the diameter of the set of global minimal solutions of [(f)\tilde]{\tilde f} is less than or equal to γ*. Especially, the distance between the global minimal solution of f and any global minimal solution of [(f)\tilde]{\tilde f} is less than or equal to γ*/2. This property is used to prove a roughly generalized support property of [(f)\tilde]{\tilde f} and some generalized optimality conditions.