Baeyer-villiger oxidation and oxidative cascade reactions with aqueous hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by lipophilic li[b(c(6) f(5) )(4) ] and ca[b(c(6) f(5) )(4) ](2)

Efficient and selective: Two lipophilic catalysts were used for Baeyer-Villiger (BV) oxidations to give lactones in high yields. Cascade reactions involving this BV oxidation were used to selectively obtain either unsaturated carboxylic acids or hydroxylactones in high yields from β-silyl cyclohexanones.     

Stochastic resonance in hybrid scale-free neuronal networks

We study the phenomenon of stochastic resonance in a system of coupled neurons that are globally excited by a weak periodic input signal. We make the realistic assumption that the chemical and electrical synapses interact in the same neuronal network, hence constituting a hybrid network. By considering a hybrid coupling scheme embedded in the scale-free topology, we show that the electrical synapses are more efficient than chemical synapses in promoting the best correlation between the weak input signal and the response of the system. We also demonstrate that the average degree of neurons within the hybrid scale-free network significantly influences the optimal amount of noise for the occurrence of stochastic resonance, indicating that there also exists an optimal topology for the amplification of the response to the weak input signal. Lastly, we verify that the presented results are robust to variations of the system size.     

Anion Cluster: Assembly of Dihydrogen Phosphates for the Formation of a Cyclic Anion Octamer

Structural characterization of a dihydrogen phosphate complex of triprotonated tris[2-(2-thienylmethylamino)ethyl] amine shows that eight dihydrogen phosphate anions are assembled around the host by strong interactions of H-bond donors and acceptors to form a new type of cyclic anion octamer as (H(2)PO(4) (-))(8), an analogy of cyclic water octamer. The presence of an anion cluster has also been identified by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and (31)P NMR experiments.     

On Defining Sets of Full Designs with Block Size Three

A defining set of a t-(v, k, λ) design is a subcollection of its blocks which is contained in no other t-design with the given parameters, on the same point set. A minimal defining set is a defining set, none of whose proper subcollections is a defining set. The spectrum of minimal defining sets of a design D is the set {|M| | M is a minimal defining set of D}. We show that if a t-(v, k, λ) design D is contained in a design F, then for every minimal defining set d _D of D there exists a minimal defining set d _F of F such that \({d_D = d_F\cap D}\). The unique simple design with parameters \({{\left(v,k, {v-2\choose k-2}\right)}}\) is said to be the full design on v elements; it comprises all possible k-tuples on a v set. Every simple t-(v, k, λ) design is contained in a full design, so studying minimal defining sets of full designs gives valuable information about the minimal defining sets of all t-(v, k, λ) designs. This paper studies the minimal defining sets of full designs when t = 2 and k = 3. Several families of non-isomorphic minimal defining sets of these designs are found. For given v, a lower bound on the size of the smallest and an upper bound on the size of the largest minimal defining set are given. The existence of a continuous section of the spectrum comprising approximately v values is shown, where just two values were known previously.     

Effects of the network structure and coupling strength on the noise-induced response delay of a neuronal network

The Hodgkin-Huxley (H-H) neuron model driven by stimuli just above threshold shows a noise-induced response delay with respect to time to the first spike for a certain range of noise strengths, an effect called “noise delayed decay” (NDD). We study the response time of a network of coupled H-H neurons, and investigate how the NDD can be affected by the connection topology of the network and the coupling strength. We show that the NDD effect exists for weak and intermediate coupling strengths, whereas it disappears for strong coupling strength regardless of the connection topology. We also show that although the network structure has very little effect on the NDD for a weak coupling strength, the network structure plays a key role for an intermediate coupling strength by decreasing the NDD effect with the increasing number of random shortcuts, and thus provides an additional operating regime, that is absent in the regular network, in which the neurons may also exploit a spike time code.     

Application Potential of Bacterial Volatile Organic Compounds in the Control of Root-Knot Nematodes

Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) constitute the most damaging group of plant pathogens. Plant infections by root-knot nematodes (RKNs) alone could cause approximately 5% of global crop loss. Conventionally, chemical-based methods are used to control PPNs at the expense of the environment and human health. Accordingly, the development of eco-friendly and safer methods has been urged to supplement or replace chemical-based methods for the control of RKNs. Using microorganisms or their metabolites as biological control agents (BCAs) is a promising approach to controlling RKNs. Among the metabolites, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have gained increasing attention because of their potential in the control of not only RKNs but also other plant pathogens, such as insects, fungi, and bacteria. This review discusses the biology of RKNs as well as the status of various control strategies. The discovery of VOCs emitted by bacteria from various environmental sources and their application potential as BCAs in controlling RKNs are specifically addressed.     

The corrosion behaviour of polypyrrole coating synthesized in phenylphosphonic acid solution

Electrochemical synthesis of polypyrrole (PPy) film was achieved on mild steel (MS), in monomer containing 0.1 M phenylphosphonic acid solution. The synthesis was carried out using cyclic voltammetry technique. It was found that the electrode surface could only become completely passive, after a few successive cycles in solution of 0.1 M pyrrole + 0.1 M phenylphosphonic acid. Then, the thickness of polymer film was increased with help of successive cycles in a relatively narrower potential range. The corrosion performance of polymer coating was investigated in 3.5% NaCl solution, using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and anodic polarization curves. It was shown that the coating had high stability and low permeability, under such aggressive conditions. The EIS results also showed that the coating exhibited important anodic protection behaviour on mild steel. The percent protection efficiency value (E%) was found to be 98.4% and the percent total porosity value (P%) was determined to be 0.752%, after 96 h exposure time to corrosive solution.