An efficient synthesis of the phytoestrogen 8-prenylnaringenin from isoxanthohumol with magnesium iodide etherate

Xanthohumol was isolated from supercritical carbon dioxide-spent hop and transformed into isoxanthohumol. The demethylation of isoxanthohumol with the best yield 93% occurred when MgI₂ etherate in anhydrous THF was applied. Salts such as MgBr₂, MgCl₂, CaI₂, Mg(OAc)₂, Mg(OMe)₂ were also investigated. A convenient method for the xanthohumol isolation from supercritical carbon dioxide-spent hop is also described.     

The process of front-to-side collision of motor vehicles in terms of energy balance

Nonlinear Dynamics - The reconstruction of a road accident can be treated as the resolution of an “inverse problem” in mechanics using analytical or numerical models. In the road...     

AFM diagnostics of graphene-based quantum Hall devices

In this paper we present the results of morphological, mechanical and electrical investigation of the properties of prepared graphene flakes and graphene-based quantum Hall devices. AFM imaging allowed us to identify the local imperfections and unintentional modifications of the graphene sheets which had caused severe deterioration of the device electrical performance. Utilizing the NanoSwing imaging method, based on the time-resolved tapping mode, we could observe non-homogeneities of the structural and mechanical properties. We also diagnosed the device under working conditions by Kelvin probe microscopy and detected its local electric field distribution.     

HPTLC Determination of Catechins in In-Vitro Cultures of Two Species of the Genus Phyllanthus

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - Densitometric HPTLC has been used for determination of catechins in shoot and callus cultures of two species from the genus...     

Pointwise consistency of the hermite series density estimate

The Hermite series estimate of a density f?L_p, p > 1, convergessin the mean square to f (x) for almost all x? |R, ifN (n) → ∞ and N (n) / n² → ) as n → ∞, where N is the number of the Hermite functions in the estimate while n is the number of observations. Moreover, the mean square and weak consistency are equivalent. For m times differentiable densities, the mean squares convergence rate is O(n^?(2m?1)/2m). Results for complete convergence are also given.     

On automorphisms of n-dimensional Laguerre space

We examine some properties of two types of inversions in the isotropical model of n-dimensional Laguerre space. Moreover we establish an isomorphism between the isotropical and the cylinder models of the n-dimensional Laguerre space. We prove also that every automorphism of the n-dimensional Laguerre space is a composition of a pseudodilatation and some involutive maps.     

Leggett-Williams norm-type theorems for coincidences

We study the existence of positive solutions to the operator equation Lx = Nx, where L is a linear Fredholm mapping of index zero and N is a nonlinear operator. Using the properties of cones in Banach spaces and Leray-Schauder degree for completely continuous operators, k-set contractions and condensing mappings, we obtain some refinements of the results established in [3] and [14]. Received: 9 July 2005; revised: 12 January 2006     

Analysis of relative pressure range influence on the identification quality during computer identification of adsorption system parameters by employing the new multilayer adsorption models

The aim of this work has been to analyze the problems related to the identification of microporous structure parameters of carbonaceous materials. The new methods for microporous structure parameters identification have been explored with special focus on the influence of the analyzed relative pressure range on the reliability of parameters identification. For that purpose, the adsorption isotherm of nitrogen on active carbon for different ranges of relative pressures p/p₀ was analyzed. The conducted research was to provide for an answer to the question of whether the range of the analyzed relative pressures has any effect on the quality of adsorption system parameters identification, as well as what range of the relative pressure permits execution of the reliable identification of microporous structure parameters.     

Sulfur-linked cyanobiphenyl-based liquid crystal dimers and the twist-bend nematic phase

ABSTRACT

The synthesis and characterisation of two series of cyanobiphenyl-based liquid crystal dimers containing sulfur links between the spacer and mesogenic units, the 4?-[1,ω-alkanediylbis(thio)]bis-[1,1?-biphenyl]-4-carbonitriles (CBSnSCB), and 4?-({ω-[(4?-cyano[1,1?-biphenyl]-4-yl)oxy]alkyl}thio)[1,1?-biphenyl]-4-carbonitriles (CBSnOCB) are described. The odd members of both series show twist-bend nematic and nematic phases, whereas the even members exhibit only the nematic phase. An analogous cyanoterphenyl-based dimer, 3⁴-{6-[(4?-cyano[1,1?-biphenyl]-4-yl)thio]-hexyl}[1¹,2¹:2⁴,3¹-terphenyl]-1⁴-carbonitrile (CT6SCB), is also reported and shows enantiotropic N_TB and N phases. The transitional properties of these dimers are discussed in terms of molecular curvature, flexibility and biaxiality. The same molecular factors also influence the birefringence of nematic phases. Resonant X-ray scattering studies of the twist-bend nematic phase at both the carbon and sulfur absorption edges were performed, which allowed for the determination of critical behaviour of the helical pitch at the transition to the nematic phase, the behaviour was found to be independent of molecular structure. It was also observed that despite the different molecular bending angle and flexibility, in all compounds the helical pitch length far from the N-N_TB transition corresponds to 4 longitudinal molecular distances.