Thinner is not always better: Cascade knapsack problems

In the context of branch-and-bound (B&B) for integer programming (IP) problems, a direction along which the polyhedron of the IP has minimum width is termed a thin direction. We demonstrate that a thin direction need not always be a good direction to branch on for solving the problem efficiently. Further, the integer width, which is the number of B&B nodes created when branching on the direction, may also not be an accurate indicator of good branching directions.     

Silver-catalyzed [2,3]-rearrangement of halonium ylides derived from allyl and propargyl halides and alkyl diazoacetates

A silver(I) complex derived from a polyfluorinated tris(pyrazolyl)borate effectively catalyzes carbene transfer to allylic and propargylic halides, leading to the formation of alpha-haloacetate derivatives.     

Radionuclede Transport Through Fractured Porous Media

Abstract

A simplified model has been developed to arrive at spatial and temporal distribution of radionuclide concentration in fracture waters of granite host rock containing high level radioactive waste repository. The modelling has been carried out using two coupled one-dimensional equations, one for the fracture and the other for host rock. The source term to the model is provided using a two component exponential leaching system from the vitrified waste form stored in the repository. The processes considered are advection, radioactive decay and adsorption on the surface in the case of fracture, and diffusion, radioactive decay and adsorption in the microfissures of the medium in the case of host rock. The concentrations of various radionuclides are discussed in relation to the physico-chemical parameters of the system.     

Effect of substitution and planarity of the ligand on DNA/BSA interaction, free radical scavenging and cytotoxicity of diamagnetic Ni(II) complexes: a systematic investigation

Four new bivalent nickel hydrazone complexes have been synthesised from the reactions of [NiCl(2)(PPh(3))(2)] with H(2)L {L = dianion of the hydrazones derived from the condensation of salicylaldehyde or o-hydroxy acetophenone with p-toluic acid hydrazide (H(2)L(1)) (1), (H(2)L(2)) (2) and o-hydroxy acetophenone or o-hydroxy naphthaldehyde with benzhydrazide (H(2)L(3)) (3) and (H(2)L(4)) (4)} and formulated as [Ni(L(1))(PPh(3))] (5), [Ni(L(2))(PPh(3))] (6), [Ni(L(3))(PPh(3))] (7) and [Ni(L(4))(PPh(3))] (8). Structural characterization of complexes 5-8 were accomplished by using various physico-chemical techniques. In order to study the influence of substitution in the ligand and its planarity on the biological activity of complexes 5-8 containing them, suitable hydrazone ligands 1-4 have been selected in this study. Single crystal diffraction data of complexes 5, 7 and 8 proved the geometry of the complexes to be distorted square planar with a 1 : 1 ratio between the metal ion and the coordinated hydrazones. To provide more insight on the mode of action of complexes 5-8 under biological conditions, additional experiments involving their interaction with calf thymus DNA (CT DNA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were monitored by UV-visible and fluorescence titrations respectively. Further, the ligands 1-4 and corresponding nickel(ii) chelates 5-8 have been tested for their scavenging effect towards OH and O(2)(-) radicals. The effect of complexes 5-8 to arrest the growth of HeLa and Hep-2 tumour cell lines has been studied along with the cell viability against the non-cancerous NIH 3T3 cells under in vitro conditions.     

TiO2 derived by titanate route from electrospun nanostructures for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells

We report the use of highly porous, dense, and anisotropic TiO(2) derived from electrospun TiO(2)-SiO(2) nanostructures through titanate route in dye-sensitized solar cells. The titanate-derived TiO(2) of high surface areas exhibited superior photovoltaic parameters (efficiency > 7%) in comparison to the respective electrospun TiO(2) nanomaterials and commercially available P-25.     

Resolution of conformer-specific all-trans-1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene UV absorption spectra

All-trans-1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (ttt-DPH) exists in solution as a mixture of s-trans,s-trans and s-cis,s-trans conformers. The latter is higher in energy, and its contribution increases with increasing temperature. ttt-DPH UV absorption spectra broaden with increasing temperature and undergo blue shifts with decreasing polarizability. We describe here the resolution of two spectrothermal matrices of ttt-DPH UV absorption spectra into two conformer-specific components. The first matrix consists of DPH spectra measured in n-dodecane in the 283 to 374 K T range and the second of ttt-DPH absorption spectra measured in the even numbered n-alkanes (n-C(8)-n-C(16)) at temperatures selected to achieve isopolarizability (284-372 K). Principal component analysis (PCA) treatments showed that reasonable two-component systems are attained by compensation for T-induced broadening and shifting in the pure conformer spectra. The self-modeling (SM) method used to resolve the n-C(12) matrix is successfully tested on a simulated matrix closely mimicking ttt-DPH experimental spectra in n-C(12). Compensation for nonlinear effects yields robust two-component matrices from the experimental spectra. Their resolution into pure component spectra is based on the application of the Lawton and Sylvestre (LS) non-negativity criterion at the spectral onset to define the spectrum of the low energy s-trans-conformer and the optimum linearity van't Hoff (vH) plot criterion to find the spectrum of the higher-energy s-cis-conformer. Resolved spectra are somewhat sensitive to the choice of the spectral region in which the LS criterion is applied. The surprising result is that both resolutions lead to the conclusion that the molar fraction of the s-cis-conformer equals, or even exceeds, the molar fraction of the s-trans-conformer as the highest T's employed in our study are approached.     

Band edge modulated conjugated polymers for oxidation prevention

The impact of electron transfer (ET) from a series of band edge modulated polymers to atmospheric oxygen is examined in connection with substrate oxidation prevention. Polymers with the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level below and above the oxygen energy level were tested and the former showed better efficiency. Furthermore, the oxidation prevention efficiency of a polymer with lower HOMO increased by two orders of magnitude, when the pores on the film were filled with spherical molecules, [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester. We found that the polymer surface hydrophobicity has little or no influence on oxidation prevention. It is interesting to note that a polymer with a hole mobility of 8 × 10(-10) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) showed a two-fold increase in oxidation prevention efficiency compared to a polymer with a hole mobility of 6 × 10(-5) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1). Over all, from the concerted approach, we conclude that a polymer devoid of pores with the HOMO energy level below oxygen and low charge carrier mobility is a suitable candidate for prevention of substrate oxidation/corrosion.     

Synthesis, crystal structure, electrochemistry and studies on protein binding, antioxidant and biocidal activities of Ni(II) and Co(II) hydrazone complexes

Bivalent transition metal hydrazone complexes of the composition [Ni(L₁)₂] (1), [Co(L₁)₂] (2), [Ni(L₂)₂] (3) and [Co(L₂)₂] (4) have been synthesised from the reactions of [MCl₂(PPh₃)₂] (where M = Ni or Co) with hydrazones derived from 2-acetyl pyridine and carboxylic acid hydrazides of benzhydrazide (HL₁) or thiophene-2-carboxylic acid hydrazide (HL₂), respectively. Structure of the ligands HL₁ and HL₂ and their corresponding complexes with Ni(II) and Co(II) ions were proposed based on the elemental analysis, infrared and ¹H NMR spectral methods. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study of complex 1 revealed a distorted octahedral geometry around the metal ion provided by two units of the ligand. To explore the potential medicinal value of the new complexes, binding interaction of all the complexes with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied at normal physiological conditions using fluorescence and UV-Vis spectral techniques. The number of binding sites (n) and binding constant (K_a) were calculated according to the double logarithm regression equation. The results of synchronous fluorescence spectrum showed that binding of metal hydrazones with BSA induced conformational changes in BSA. The in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial potentials of the new chelates were also carried out.