On monotonic solutions of an integral equation of Volterra type with supremum

Using a technique associated with measures of noncompactness, we prove the existence of nondecreasing solutions of an integral equation of Volterra type in C[0,1].     

Analysis and comparisons of some solution concepts for stochastic programming problems

The aim of this study is to analyse the resolution of Stochastic Programming Problems in which the objective function depends on parameters which are continuous random variables with a known distribution probability. In the literature on these questions different solution concepts have been defined for problems of these characteristics. These concepts are obtained by applying a transformation criterion to the stochastic objective which contains a statistical feature of the objective, implying that for the same stochastic problem there are different optimal solutions available which, in principle, are not comparable. Our study analyses and establishes some relations between these solution concepts. The work of these authors was supported byMinisterio de Ciencia y Tecnología andConsejería de Educación y Ciencia, Junta de Andalucía.     

Enantio‐ and Diastereoselective Cyclopropanation of 1‐Alkenylboronates: Synthesis of 1‐Boryl‐2,3‐Disubstituted Cyclopropanes

A novel, highly enantio‐ and diastereoselective synthesis of 1‐boryl‐2,3‐disubstituted cyclopropanes has been developed by means of the cyclopropanation of alkenylboronates with ethyl diazoacetate in the presence of catalytic amounts of a chiral copper(I) complex. The products can also be directly accessed from alkynes through an operationally simple, sequential hydroboration–cyclopropanation protocol. The resulting enantioenriched 1‐boryl‐2,3‐disubstituted cyclopropanes are versatile synthetic intermediates that undergo further transformations at the carbon–boron bond.     

Study of the interaction between progesterone and beta-cyclodextrin by electrochemical techniques and steered molecular dynamics

The interaction of progesterone with beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) was studied by differential pulse polarography. The aim of the present work was to study the effect of beta-CD on the electrochemical behavior of progesterone in aqueous solution and also to analyze the molecular interactions involved in formation of the inclusion complex. The complex with stoichiometry of 1:1 was thermodynamically characterized. In addition, steered molecular dynamics (SMD) was used to investigate the energetic properties of formation of the inclusion complex along four different pathways (reaction coordinates), considering two possible orientations. From multiple trajectories along these pathways, the potentials of mean force for formation of the beta-CD progesterone inclusion complex were calculated. The energy analysis was in good agreement with the experimental results. In the beta-CD progesterone inclusion complex, a large portion of the steroid skeleton is included in the beta-CD cavity. The lowest energy was found when the D-ring of the guest molecule is located near the secondary hydroxyls of the beta-CD cavity. In the most probable orientation, one intermolecular hydrogen bond is formed between the O of the C-20 keto group of the progesterone and a secondary hydroxyl of the beta-CD.     

Role of air in granular jet formation

A steel ball impacting on a bed of very loose, fine sand results in a surprisingly vigorous jet which shoots up from the surface of the sand [D. Lohse, Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 198003 (2004)10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.198003]. When the ambient pressure p is reduced, the jet is found to be less vigorous [R. Royer, Nature Phys. 1, 164 (2005)10.1038/nphys175]. In this Letter we show that p also affects the rate of penetration of the ball: Higher pressure increases the rate of penetration, which makes the cavity created by the ball close deeper into the sand bed, where the hydrostatic pressure is stronger, thereby producing a more energetic collapse and jetting. The origin of the deeper penetration under normal ambient pressure is found to lie in the extra sand fluidization caused by the air flow induced by the falling ball.     

Absolute stereochemistry and conformational analysis of achaetolide isolated from Ophiobolus sp.

Achaetolide, as reported by Bodo et al. in 1983, was isolated from a fermentation broth of Ophiobolus sp. We established the absolute stereochemistry of achaetolide to be 3S,6R,7S,9R by way of relative stereochemical assignment with ¹H NMR analyses employing the corresponding acetonide, determination of C3 and C9 stereochemistries by an extended Mosher method.     

Combining 5 V LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 spinel and Si nanoparticles for advanced Li-ion batteries

An advanced high-voltage Li-ion battery is reported. The electrodes are prepared from a lithium–nickel–manganese spinel as cathode and silicon nanoparticles as anode. The specific capacity as referred to the anode material is 1700 mA h g^?1, which is much higher than the reported values for most existing Li-ion batteries.     

Ferrocene-thiophene dyads with azadiene spacers: electrochemical, electronic and cation sensing properties

The synthesis, electrochemical, electronic and cation sensing properties of ferrocene-thiophene ligands, linked by 2-aza-1,3-butadiene bridges, whose characteristics have been systematically varied by introducing the ferrocene moiety at the 1- or 4-position of the aza bridge, are presented. Spectroelectrochemical studies revealed the presence of low-energy bands in the partially oxidized forms, which indicate the existence of intramolecular electron-transfer between the iron center and the organic bridges. Some of the reported ligands have also shown to be efficient chemosensors for metal ions. Compounds 5a and 5b function as highly selective chemosensors for Mg2+ ions, while not showing any response to Ca2+ or alkali metal ions, whereas ligand 3b shows a selective sensing response to the soft Cd2+ metal ions over Hg2+ cations.