Trigonal–planar silver coordination in (3,5‐di­nitro­benzoato)­bis­(tri­phenyl­phosphine)­silver(I)

The three‐coordinate Ag atom in the title compound, [Ag(C₇H₃N₂O₆)(C₁₈H₁₅P)₂], shows trigonal–planar coordination [P—Ag—P = 147.1 (1)° and Σ_Ag = 359.0 (3)°]. Adjacent mol­ecules are linked through the O atoms of adjacent nitro groups [Ag?O = 3.205 (3) and 3.302 (4) Å] into a zigzag chain running parallel to the c axis.     

A New Distributional Approach to Signature Change

Colombeau's generalized functions are used to adapt the distributional approach to singular hypersurfaces in general relativity with signature change. Equations governing the dynamics of a singular hypersurface are derived and a specific non-vanishing form for the energy-momentum tensor of the singular hypersurface is obtained. It is shown that matching in the case of de Sitter space in the Lorentzian sector is possible along the boundary with minimum radius but leads to the vanishing of the energy-momentum tensor of the singular hypersurface.     

Numerical modelling of film cooling with and without mist injection

Two-phase CFD calculations, using a Lagrangian model and commercial code Fluent 6.2.16, were employed to calculate the gas and droplet flows and film cooling effectiveness with and without mist on a flat plate. Two different three dimensional geometries are generated and the effects of the geometrical shape, size of droplets, mist concentration in the coolant flow and temperature of mainstream flow for different blowing ratios are studied. A cylindrical and laterally diffused hole with a streamwise angle of 30° and spanwise angle of 0° are used. The diameter of film cooling (d) hole, and the hole length to diameter ratio (L/d) for both of geometries are 10 mm and 4, respectively. Also the blowing ratio ranges from 1.0 to 2.0, and the mainstream Reynolds number based on the mainstream velocity and hole diameter (Re _d) is 6,219. The results are shown for different droplets diameters (1–10 μm), concentrations (1–5%) and mainstream temperatures (350–500 K). The centreline effectiveness and distribution of effectiveness on the surface of cooling wall are presented.     

New proximity and complexity result for P*(κ)-linear complementarity problem (Poster Presentation)

One of the main ingredients of interior point methods is the proximity functions to measure the distance of the iterates from the central path of linear optimization problems. In this paper, an interior point method for solving P_*(κ)-linear complementarity problem, κ ≥ 0, is proposed. For this version, we use a new class of proximity functions induced by new kernel functions. Using some mild and easy to check conditions, we show that the large-update primal-dual interior point methods for solving P_*(κ)-linear complementarity problem enjoy the so far best worst case theoretical complexity, namely O (κ √n log n log n /ε) iteration bound, with special choices of the parameters p, q ≥ 1. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Structuring product development processes

This paper proposes operational frameworks for structuring product development processes. The primary objective of this research is to develop procedures to minimize iterations during the development process which adversely affect development time and costs. Several procedures are introduced to restructure the development process. The computation of the corresponding product development times is facilitated by two Markov models addressing different types of learning. The methodologies are employed to identify a set of managerial concerns in restructuring the product development processes.The developed framework has become an integral part of a re-engineering project for the development of rocket engines at Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International. Throughout the paper, the methodologies are illustrated with the help of this process.     

Bioactive Components and Anticancer Activities of Spray-Dried New Zealand Tamarillo Powder

Tamarillo fruit contains many phytochemicals that have beneficial therapeutic and nutritional properties. Spray-drying is widely used to preserve fruit puree in powder form. However, to obtain high-quality fruit powder, the optimisation of spray-drying conditions is necessary, as a high drying temperature can damage sensitive bioactive compounds. This study investigated the effects of spray-drying on the microstructure, polyphenolics, total flavonoids, total carotenoids, antioxidant activity, and anticancer capacity of tamarillo powder. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimise the spray-drying process to produce tamarillo powder. The independent variables were inlet drying temperature (120–160 °C), flow rate (1–5 g/mL), and maltodextrin concentration (0–10%). These variables influenced the microstructural attributes, bioactive components, and cytotoxicity of the spray-dried tamarillo powder. The increase in polyphenols and antioxidant activities were favoured under high-temperature spray drying conditions and a low carrier concentration. The optimised spray-drying conditions for producing tamarillo powder with high antioxidant and anticancer activities, high yield, and stable bioactive compounds were found to be at 146.8 °C inlet temperature, and a flow rate of 1.76 g/mL.     

Weighted Cumulative Past Extropy and Its Inference

This paper introduces and studies a new generalization of cumulative past extropy called weighted cumulative past extropy (WCPJ) for continuous random variables. We explore the following: if the WCPJs of the last order statistic are equal for two distributions, then these two distributions will be equal. We examine some properties of the WCPJ, and a number of inequalities involving bounds for WCPJ are obtained. Studies related to reliability theory are discussed. Finally, the empirical version of the WCPJ is considered, and a test statistic is proposed. The critical cutoff points of the test statistic are computed numerically. Then, the power of this test is compared to a number of alternative approaches. In some situations, its power is superior to the rest, and in some other settings, it is somewhat weaker than the others. The simulation study shows that the use of this test statistic can be satisfactory with due attention to its simple form and the rich information content behind it.     

Phytochemical Analysis and Understanding the Antioxidant and Anticancer Properties of Methanol Extract from Litsea glutinosa: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

Litsea glutinosa (L. glutinosa) is considered an evidence-based medicinal plant for the treatment of cancer, the leading cause of death worldwide. In our study, the in vitro antioxidant and in vivo anticancer properties of an essential ethno-medicinal plant, L. glutinosa, were examined using non-toxic doses and a phytochemical analysis was executed using gas-chromatography–mass-spectrometry. The in vitro antioxidant study of the L. glutinosa methanolic extract (LGBME) revealed a concentration-dependent antioxidant property. The bark extract showed promising antioxidant effects in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The strongest antioxidant activity was demonstrated at the maximum concentration (50 µg/mL). The IC₅₀ values of the LGBME and BHT were 5.51 and 5.01 µg/mL, respectively. At the same concentration, the total antioxidant capacity of the LGBME was 0.161 µg/mL and the ferric reducing antioxidant power assay result of the LGBME was 1.783 µg/mL. In the cytotoxicity study, the LD₅₀ of the LGBME and gallic acid were 24.93 µg/mL and 7.23 µg/mL, respectively. In the in vivo anticancer-activity studies, the LGBME, particularly at a dose of 150 mg/kg/bw, showed significant cell-growth inhibition, decreased tumor weight, increased mean survival rate, and upregulated the reduced hematological parameters in EAC (Ehrlich’s ascites carcinoma)-induced Swiss albino mice. The highest cell-growth inhibition, 85.76%, was observed with the dose of 150 mg/kg/bw. Furthermore, the upregulation of pro-apoptotic genes (p53, Bax) and the downregulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 were observed. In conclusion, LGBME extract has several bioactive phytoconstituents, which confirms the antioxidant and anticancer properties of L. glutinosa.     

Nardoguaianone L Isolated from Nardostachys jatamansi Improved the Effect of Gemcitabine Chemotherapy via Regulating AGE Signaling Pathway in SW1990 Cells

Pancreatic cancer is the seventh leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and is known as “the king of cancers”. Currently, gemcitabine (GEM) as the clinical drug of choice for chemotherapy of advanced pancreatic cancer has poor drug sensitivity and ineffective chemotherapy. Nardoguaianone L (G-6) is a novel guaiane-type sesquiterpenoid isolated from Nardostachys jatamansi DC., and it exhibits anti-tumor activity. Based on the newly discovered G-6 with anti-pancreatic cancer activity in our laboratory, this paper aimed to evaluate the potential value of the combination of G-6 and GEM in SW1990 cells, including cell viability, cell apoptosis, colony assay and tandem mass tags (TMT) marker-based proteomic technology. These results showed that G-6 combined with GEM significantly inhibited cell viability, and the effect was more obvious than that with single drug. In addition, the use of TMT marker-based proteomic technology demonstrated that the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway was activated after medication-combination. Furthermore, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) assays were used to validate the proteomic results. Finally, apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. In conclusion, G-6 combined with GEM induced an increase in ROS level and a decrease in MMP in SW1990 cells through the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, ultimately leading to apoptosis. G-6 improved the effect of GEM chemotherapy and may be used as a potential combination therapy for pancreatic cancer.