Two new diterpene polyesters from Euphorbia decipiens

Two new myrsinol-type diterpene polyesters 3,5,13,17-tetra-O-acetyl-7-O-benzoyl-15-hydroxymyrsinol (1) and 3,5,13,17-tetra-O-acetyl-7-O-butanoyl-13-hydroxymyrsinol (2), with a tricyclic carbon skeleton have been isolated from Euphorbia decipiens Boiss. & Buhse. The structure elucidation of the isolated compounds was based primarily on HREIMS, EIMS, IR, UV, ID-, and 2D-NMR analyses, including COSY, HMQC, HMBC, and NOESY correlations. Compounds 1 and 2 also showed activity against urease enzyme.     

Orientation-dependent C60 electronic structures revealed by photoemission spectroscopy

We observe, with angle-resolved photoemission, a dramatic change in the electronic structure of two C60 monolayers, deposited, respectively, on Ag (111) and (100) substrates, and similarly doped with potassium to half filling of the C60 lowest unoccupied molecular orbital. The Fermi surface symmetry, the bandwidth, and the curvature of the dispersion at Gamma point are different. Orientations of the C60 molecules on the two substrates are known to be the main structural difference between the two monolayers, and we present new band-structure calculations for some of these orientations. We conclude that orientations play a key role in the electronic structure of fullerides.     

Synthesis of composite films of mixed Ag-Cu nanocrystallites embedded in DLC matrix and associated surface plasmon properties

Diamond-like carbon films containing Ag and Cu in nanocrystalline form were deposited onto SnO₂-coated glass substrates by electrochemical technique. Relative amount of silver and copper to be incorporated in the DLC matrix was tailored by varying the amount of silver and copper containing salts in the electrolyte. Current density was adjusted to obtain films with different crystallite size while the volume fraction of the metal nanocrystallites was altered by varying the dilution of the solution containing the salts. Raman studies indicated the presence of two peaks located at ∼1350 cm⁻¹ (D-line) and 1566 cm⁻¹ (G-line) for all the films and the relative intensities of these peaks changed with the amount of metal incorporation in it. The FTIR spectra were seen to be dominated by a peak at 975 cm⁻¹ for C-H out of plane deformation modes along with peaks for C-H bending, C-H stretching and C-C stretching modes at 858, 1113 and 1189 cm⁻¹, respectively. The optical absorption spectra showed a single plasmon band instead of two characteristic bands for Ag and Cu. We ascribe this to nanophase limited interfacial alloying at the Ag-Cu interface. The experimental observation was analyzed in the light of Mie theory.     

Nanocrystalline Li<Subscript>2</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> electrodes for supercapattery application

Nanocrystalline Li₂TiO₃ was successfully synthesized using solid-state reaction method. The microstructural and electrochemical properties of the prepared material are systematically characterized. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the prepared material exhibits predominant (002) orientation related to the monoclinic structure with C2/c space group. HRTEM images and SAED analysis reveal the well-developed nanostructured particles with average size of ～40 nm. The electrochemical properties of the prepared sample are carried out using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronopotentiometry (CP) using Pt//Li₂TiO₃ cell in 1 mol L^?1 Li₂SO₄ aqueous electrolyte. The Li₂TiO₃ electrode exhibits a specific discharge capacity of 122 mAh g^?1; it can be used as anode in Li battery within the potential window 0.0–1.0 V, while investigated as a supercapacitor electrode, it delivers a specific capacitance of 317 F g^?1 at a current density of 1 mA g^?1 within the potential range ?0.4 to +0.4 V. The demonstration of both anodic and supercapacitor behavior concludes that the nanocrystalline Li₂TiO₃ is a suitable electrode material for supercapattery application.     

Effect of Temperature and Ionic Concentration on Self-Assembled Films of Chicago Sky Blue

We employ a layer-by-layer adsorption technique for deposition on solid substrates of polyionic films of Chicago Sky Blue. Film growth was significant with the increasing number of layers. Photochemical properties of these films are investigated for different ionic concentrations. A significant blue shift is observed with the increasing ionic strength of the solution, suggesting the formation of aggregation. Temperature effect studies show some preferable reorientation of molecules in the film during cooling process. Most remarkable observation is that the absorption intensity is the highest for a particular degree of inclination. Deposition time is fixed at 15rain because adsorption kinetics results show saturation after 15 min.     

Pauli Half Spinning and Elliptic Curve Based Information Confidentiality Mechanism

International Journal of Theoretical Physics - The use of digital contents has increased tremendously in this modern era. In fact, people spend more time on internet than ever which urged the...     

A probability distribution for precipitation data analysis

Hydrologic design is often based on assessments of large return interval measures; it is vital to be able to conclude them as precisely as possible. Henceforth, the selection of a probability distribution is very crucial for such cases. In view of this scenario, we propose and study a pliant probability distribution for precipitation data analysis. Some mathematical and statistical properties are analyzed. In order to make stronger predictions and judge the realistic return period, we have also characterized the model via Laplace transformation. We have estimated its parameters via the maximum likelihood estimation and constructed its information matrix for developing the confidence belt of population parameters. Moreover, a real-life setup is also considered by applying the model over precipitation data of diverse regions, including Jacksonville, Florida (USA), Barkhan (Pakistan), British Columbia (Canada), and Alexandria (Egypt). This investigated study is based on various statistical parametric and nonparametric tests, which indicates that the proposed model is one of the better strategies for precipitation data analysis when compared with the famous three-parameter Kappa model.     

Spectroscopic and Molecular Docking Studies of Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), and Mn(II) Complexes with Anticonvulsant Therapeutic Agent Gabapentin

New Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), and Mn(II) complexes of the gabapentin (Gpn) bidentate drug ligand were synthesized and studied using elemental analyses, melting temperatures, molar conductivity, UV–Vis, magnetic measurements, FTIR, and surface morphology (scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopes).The gabapentin ligand was shown to form monobasic metal:ligand (1:1) stoichiometry complexes with the metal ions Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), and Mn(II). Molar conductance measurements in dimethyl-sulfoxide solvent with a concentration of 10⁻³ M correlated to a non-electrolytic character for all of the produced complexes. A deformed octahedral environment was proposed for all metal complexes. Through the nitrogen atom of the –NH₂ group and the oxygen atom of the carboxylate group, the Gpn drug chelated as a bidentate ligand toward the Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Cu²⁺ metal ions. This coordination behavior was validated by spectroscopic, magnetic, and electronic spectra using the formulas of the [M(Gpn)(H₂O)₃(Cl)]·nH₂O complexes (where n = 2–6).Transmission electron microscopy was used to examine the nanostructure of the produced gabapentin complexes. Molecular docking was utilized to investigate the comparative interaction between the Gpn drug and its four metal [Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), and Mn(II)] complexes as ligands using serotonin (6BQH) and dopamine (6CM4) receptors. AutoDock Vina results were further refined through molecular dynamics simulation, and molecular processes for receptor–ligand interactions were also studied. The B3LYP level of theory and LanL2DZ basis set was used for DFT (density functional theory) studies. The optimized geometries, along with the MEP map and HOMO → LUMO of the metal complexes, were studied.     

Aptamer Laden Liquid Crystals Biosensing Platform for the Detection of HIV-1 Glycoprotein-120

We report a label-free and simple approach for the detection of glycoprotein-120 (gp-120) using an aptamer-based liquid crystals (LCs) biosensing platform. The LCs are supported on the surface of a modified glass slide with a suitable amount of B40t77 aptamer, allowing the LCs to be homeotropically aligned. A pronounced topological change was observed on the surface due to a specific interaction between B40t77 and gp-120, which led to the disruption of the homeotropic alignment of LCs. This results in a dark-to-bright transition observed under a polarized optical microscope. With the developed biosensing platform, it was possible to not only identify gp-120, but obtained results were analyzed quantitatively through image analysis. The detection limit of the proposed biosensing platform was investigated to be 0.2 µg/mL of gp-120. Regarding selectivity of the developed platform, no response could be detected when gp-120 was replaced by other proteins, such as bovine serum albumin (BSA), hepatitis A virus capsid protein 1 (Hep A VP1) and immunoglobulin G protein (IgG). Due to attributes such as label-free, high specificity and no need for instrumental read-out, the presented biosensing platform provides the potential to develop a working device for the quick detection of HIV-1 gp-120.