Bioactive compounds from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Smilax excelsa</Emphasis> L.

Phytochemical investigation of EtOAc extract of Smilax excelsa has led to isolation and structure elucidation of five compounds. The structures of these compounds are established by different spectroscopic techniques including 1D and 2D-NMR, HRMS and ECD spectroscopy. The compounds were: solanesol (1), violasterol A (2), trans-resveratrol (3), 5-O-caffeoylshikimic acid (4) and 6-O-caffeoyl-β-d-fructofuranosyl-(2-1)-α-d-glucopyranoside (5). The configuration of compound 2 was established by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopy. Meanwhile the cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity of the compounds were evaluated by MTT and MIC assays. Compounds 1 and 2 showed promising inhibition on MCF-7 cell line with IC₅₀ of 161.6 and 190.0 µM, respectively. Also compounds 2 and 3 illustrated activity against Staphylococcus aureus with MIC values of 142.5 and 136.9 µM, respectively.     

The crystal structure of μ-Oxo-bis{diethoxy[salicylaldoximato(2-)]-tantalum(V)}

Stochiometric reaction of salicylaldoxime and tantalum or niobium ethoxide in toluene at room temperature resulted in formation of [M₂O(C₇H₅NO₂)₂(C₂H₅O)₄], M=Ta and Nb which were crystallized from CH₂Cl₂ at −5 °C and characterized by spectroscopic techniques. The molecular structures of [Ta₂O(C₇H₅NO₂)₂(C₂H₅O)₄] was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and compared with molecular structure of [Nb₂O(C₇H₅NO₂)₂(C₂H₅O)₄]. The geometries at metal atoms are distorted octahedron which shared an apex through bridged oxygen. Each dianionic salicylaldoximate ligand chelates to the one metal ion through its phenolic oxygen and oximate nitrogen atoms, and to another metal ion through its oximate oxygen atom.     

Linear upper-bound unavailability set covering models for locating ambulances: Application to Tehran rural roads

This paper presents a linear reliability-based model as an extension of the well-known linear location set covering problem (LSCP) for emergency service vehicles such as ambulances. Linear programming models have a practical advantage over other nonlinear or queuing-based models. They can be simply coded by practitioners and can be solved routinely using existing commercial software to achieve exact solutions especially for large problem instances.     

Multi-wavelength Fabry-Pérot Brillouin-Erbium fibre laser

Multi-wavelength Brillouin-Erbium fibre laser utilising fibre Fabry-Pérot resonator is presented here. The proposed laser cavity used only a 980 nm laser diode and a coil of Erbium-doped fibre to produce cascaded Brillouin Stokes. The highest number of Stokes up to 43 lines with a spacing of 0.088 nm was obtained experimentally.     

Preparation of starch stabilized silver nanoparticles with spatial self-phase modulation properties by laser ablation technique

Silver nanoparticles inside the starch solution have been successfully fabricated by laser ablation of a silver plate immersed in starch solution. The ablation has been done using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at 10 Hz repetition rate. The starch solution allows for the formation of silver nanoparticles with uniform particle diameters and well dispersed. The ablation was performed at different time durations to study the influence of the laser ablation time on efficiency of particle formation and sizes. The Spatial Self-phase modulation phenomena which can determine the nonlinear optical property of the samples were also investigated for starch solutions containing silver nanoparticles.     

Nuclear data for the cyclotron production of 117Sb and 90Nb

This presented study is to make comparison of cross sections to produce 117Sb and 90Nb via different reactions with particle incident energy up to 70 MeV as a part of systematic studies on particle-induced activations on enriched Sn, Y2O3 and ZrO2 targets, theoretical calculation of production yield, calculation of required thickness of target and suggestion of optimum reaction to produce Antimony-117 and Niobium-90.     

On the chlorenium source in the asymmetric chlorolactonization reaction

N-Acylated N-chlorohydantoins are shown to be competent chlorenium sources in the (DHQD)(2)PHAL-mediated asymmetric chlorolactonization. The derivatives demonstrate the exact role of the N1 and N3 chlorine atoms in the parent dichlorohydantoins with the N1 chlorine serving as an inductive activator and the N3 chlorine being delivered to the substrate. The putative associated catalyst/chlorine source complex was experimentally demonstrated through a series of matched/mismatched experiments employing chiral N-chlorinated hydantoins.     

Methane Conversion to Hydrogen and Carbon Black by DC-Spark Discharge

A continuous production of hydrogen and carbon black from methane without CO₂ emission in atmospheric pressure has been investigated by non thermal decomposition of methane using a system of direct current (DC)-spark discharge plasma, which has great advantages over other systems, like thermal plasma or catalytic conversion of methane in H₂ production. A plasma reactor with specific design of electrodes was employed to examine the reactor performance regarding operating conditions such as feed flow rate, input power and electrodes distance. The experimental results showed that designed reactor increases not only the concentration of the produced hydrogen in continues condition but also guarantees stable plasma. As the methane supply rate increased, the hydrogen concentration decreased but on the other hand the hydrogen volume flow rate increased. In general, under the specified operating condition (power?=?21 W and methane flow rate?=?150?ml/min), the plasma converter produced a hydrogen concentration of 45?% at hydrogen volume flow rate of 75?ml/min.