Photo- and radiation-induced preparation of nanocrystalline copper and cuprous oxide catalysts

Spherical copper nanoparticles have been prepared by photo- or radiation-induced reduction of aqueous solutions containing 10⁻³ mol.dm⁻³ copper sulphate or formate, 1.3 mol.dm⁻³ propan-2-ol and polyvinyl alcohol as a stabilizer. Increase of initial copper concentration to 10⁻² mol.dm⁻³ resulted in formation of different reaction product—octahedral cuprous oxide nanoparticles. Solutions were irradiated by means of electron beam, ⁶⁰Co γ rays (dose rate 70 Gy.h⁻¹) or by 400 W medium-pressure mercury lamp and were characterised by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, X-Ray Powder Diffraction, TEM and SEM. Pink to violet colour of colloidal copper solutions corresponded to measured copper surface plasmon band at circa 580 nm and has been found to be very sensitive to oxygen, which causes dissolution of particles. Therefore, the influence of purging by nitrogen gas prior to irradiation was thoroughly examined and has been found to only hinder, not alter irradiation effects. Moreover, the evolution of absorption spectrum of colloidal copper solution in contact with air has been measured, revealing interesting non-monotonous dependence on the air exposure time, probably caused by formation of protective oxide layer. Catalytic activity of prepared cuprous oxide has been measured by catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and has been found to be higher or comparable to commercial cuprous oxide.     

Development of metallocomplex amino acids synthons for the asymmetric preparation of α-amino acids by stereoselective introduction of a side chain. Evaluation of the model asymmetric preparation of alanine and β-13C monolabelled α-aminoisobutyric acid

In this communication the evaluation of eleven new metallocomplex alanine synthons bearing C₂-symmetric benzyl groups with electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents is described. α-Methylated glycine synthons (alanine complexes) were evaluated alongside alanine synthons in order to obtain a deeper understanding of the relationship between their structures and stereochemistry of monoalkylated products and to choose several candidates for their further tests for stereospecific preparation of 6-[¹⁸F]FDOPA. Glycine-derived analogues of the complexes 3–5 are the best candidates for the development of a 6-[¹⁸F]FDOPA preparation procedure. In the model epimerisation reaction they demonstrated the best performance, much better compared to the previously described compound 2. Complexes 3, 5 and 8 are the best in asymmetric preparation of β-¹³C monolabelled α-aminoisobutyric acid. They have to be tested in the preparation of α-methyl amino acids like 6-[¹⁸F]-α-methylDOPA and 2-[¹⁸F]-α-methyltyrosine.     

Radionuclide concentrations in samples of medicinal herbs and effective dose from ingestion of ¹³⁷Cs and natural radionuclides in herbal tea products from Serbian market

The objective of this study is to evaluate natural and artificial radioactivity levels in 18 different samples of medicinal herbs from Serbian market. The activity concentrations of (238)U, (232)Th, (40)K, and (137)Cs were measured using gamma spectroscopy system with a high-purity germanium detector. The activity concentrations of (238)U, (232)Th, (40)K, and (137)Cs were found to be in a range of 0.6-8.2, 1.7-15.1, 126-1243.7, and 0.3-8.8 Bq/kg, respectively. The annual whole body doses from ingestion of (137)Cs and natural radionuclides for an adult person who consumed herbal tea from these medicinal herbs were found to be 2.5-469.9 nSv for (137)Cs, 0.7-9.7 nSv for (238)U, 0.3-2.8 nSv for (232)Th, and 1026.0-10,132.0 nSv for (40)K. These doses are not hazardous to public health. The obtained results were compared with correspondent studies conducted worldwide.     

On the Leverrier-Faddeev algorithm for computing the Moore-Penrose inverse

We present an improvement in the implementation of the Leverrier-Faddeev algorithm for symbolic computation of the Moore-Penrose inverse of one-variable polynomial matrices, introduced in Linear Algebra Appl. 252, 35–60 (1997). Complexity analysis of the original algorithm and its improvement is presented. Algorithm and its improvement are implemented and compared in the symbolic computational package MATHEMATICA. We compare CPU time required for computation of some test matrices by means of the original algorithm and its improvement.     

Solvatochromism as an efficient tool to study N,N‐dimethylamino‐ and cyano‐substituted π‐conjugated molecules with an intramolecular charge‐transfer absorption

A representative data set has been gained by the measurement of the electronic absorption spectra of 12 systematically selected push–pull systems with an intramolecular charge‐transfer (CT) absorption and the general structure D–π–A (D = donor, A = acceptor) featuring electron‐withdrawing CN groups, electron‐donating N(CH₃)₂ groups, and various π‐conjugated backbones in 32 solvents with different polarities. The longest‐wavelength absorption maxima λ_max and the corresponding wavenumbers $\tilde {v}_{{\rm max}} $ were evaluated from the UV/Vis spectra measured in 32 well‐selected solvents. The D–π–A push–pull systems were further characterized by quantum‐chemical quantities and simple structural parameters. Structure–solvatochromism relationships were evaluated by multidimensional statistic methods. Whereas solvent polarizability and solvent cavity size proved to be the most important factors affecting the position of λ_max, the solvent polarity was less important. The most important characteristics of organic CT compounds are the energy of the LUMO, the permanent dipole moment, the COSMO (COnductor‐like Screening MOdel) area, the COSMO volume, the number, and ratio of N,N‐dimethylamino and cyano groups, and eventually the number of triple bonds (π‐linkers). A relation between the first‐order polarizability α, the longest‐wavelength absorption maxima λ_max, and the structural features has also been found. The higher‐order polarizabilities β and γ are not related to the observed solvatochromism. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Terahertz imaging through self-mixing in a quantum cascade laser

We demonstrate terahertz (THz) frequency imaging using a single quantum cascade laser (QCL) device for both generation and sensing of THz radiation. Detection is achieved by utilizing the effect of self-mixing in the THz QCL, and, specifically, by monitoring perturbations to the voltage across the QCL, induced by light reflected from an external object back into the laser cavity. Self-mixing imaging offers high sensitivity, a potentially fast response, and a simple, compact optical design, and we show that it can be used to obtain high-resolution reflection images of exemplar structures.     

On approximation of the best case optimal value in interval linear programming

Interval linear programming addresses problems with uncertain coefficients and the only information that we have is that the true values lie somewhere in the prescribed intervals. For the inequality constraint problem, computing the worst case scenario and the corresponding optimal value is an easy task, but the best case optimal value calculation is known to be NP-hard. In this paper, we discuss lower and upper bound approximation for the best case optimal value, and propose suitable methods for both of them. We also propose a not apriori exponential algorithm for computing the best case optimal value. The presented techniques are tested by randomly generated data, and also applied in a simple data classification problem.     

新疆广播电视大学网络教学平台课程个性化学习系统的设计与安全机制研究

新疆广播电视大学的网络教学平台是新疆发展远程教育的骨干力量,提供双语教学,能够满足绝大部分教学需求,但是在教学内容与平台智能方面还未实现精细化教学的目标,难以实现因材施教.本文针对上述问题,引入了个性化学习理论,在现有网络教学平台上设计网上课程个性化学习系统架构,并对系统中的资源建设与管理、个性化设计以及安全性机制进行了探讨.网上课程个性化学习系统可以在确保教学平台安全可信的前提下提高教学质量,有利于学生的个人发展.     

Molecular structure,p<Emphasis Type="Italic">K</Emphasis>a,lipophilicity, solubility,absorption, polar surface area,and blood brain barrier penetration of some antiangiogenic agents

The methods of theoretical chemistry have been used to elucidate molecular properties of selected and novel antiangiogenic agents (semaxanib, sunitinib, N-methylsunitinib, sorafenib, motesanib, ABT-869, vatalanib, vandetanib, AEE 788, CP-547632, A-1, A-2, A-3, and A-4). The geometries and energies of these drugs have been computed using HF/6-31G(d), Becke3LYP/6-31G(d) and Becke3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) model chemistries. Wherever possible the most stable conformations of inhibitors studied are stabilized by means of intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Water has a remarkable effect on the geometry of the antiangiogenic agents studied. Computed partition coefficients (ALOGPS method) varied between 2.3 and 5. Compounds studied are described as lipophilic inhibitors. Semaxanib is inhibitor with lowest lipophilicity. The antiangiogenic agents studied are only slightly soluble in water; their computed solubility (log S) from interval between −3.4 and −5.4 is sufficient for fast absorption. Selection criteria for drug-like properties of VEGFR2 inhibitors investigated were designed. Based on these criteria, three compounds (A-2, A-3, and A-4) were selected for synthesis and biological testing for antianiogenic activity on VEGFR2 receptor.