Simultaneous microemulsion liquid chromatographic analysis of fat-soluble vitamins in pharmaceutical formulations: Optimization using genetic algorithm

An environmentally benign and simple method has been proposed for separation and determination of fat-soluble vitamins using isocratic microemulsion liquid chromatography. Optimization of parameters affecting the separation selectivity and efficiency including surfactant concentration, percent of cosurfactant (1-butanol), and percent of organic oily solvent (diethyl ether), temperature and pH were performed simultaneously using genetic algorithm method. A new software package, MLR-GA, was developed for this purpose. The results indicated that 73.6 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate, 13.64% (v/v) 1-butanol, 0.48% (v/v) diethyl ether, column temperature of 32.5 °C and 0.02 M phosphate buffer of pH 6.99 are the best conditions for separation of fat-soluble vitamins. At the optimized conditions, the calibration plots for the vitamins were obtained and detection limits (1.06–3.69 μg mL⁻¹), accuracy (recoveries > 94.3), precision (RSD < 3.96) and linearity (0.01–10 mg mL⁻¹) were estimated. Finally, the amount of vitamins in multivitamin syrup and a sample of fish oil capsule were determined. The results showed a good agreement with those reported by manufactures.     

Estimates of B-decays into K-resonances and dileptons

Short and long distance contributions to the exclusive B-decays into various K-resonances and dileptons, i.e. $B \to K^i \ell \bar \ell (\ell = e,\mu ,\nu )$ , are examined. The heavy quark effective theory has been used to calculate the hadronic matrix elements. Substantial branching fractions are obtained for the dileptonic B-decays into some higher excited states of K-mesons. The long distance (resonance) contributions to these exclusive rare B-decay modes dominate the short distance contributions mostly by two orders of magnitude. It is pointed out that, excluding the resonance contributions, the P-wave channels are dominant, accounting for about 50% of the inclusiveB??X _s ? ⁺ ? ^? branching fraction.     

Mixed mode axisymmetric annular cracks in a finite layer: Off angle crack initiation

The solutions of axisymmetric Volterra type climb and glide edge dislocations are obtained in a layer by means of the Hankel transforms. Utilizing the same procedure, Green’s function solution is obtained for a layer under self-equilibration normal ring traction. The distributed dislocation technique is used to construct integral equations for a system of co-axial annular cracks where the layer is under axisymmetric normal loads. These equations are solved numerically to obtain dislocation density on the cracks surfaces. The results are employed to determine stress intensity factors for annular and penny-shaped cracks and the interaction between two co-axial penny-shaped cracks is studied. Moreover, the stress intensity factors of the interacting cracks are determined such that they can be further used in conjunction with strain energy density (SED) failure criterion to obtain the possible direction of crack initiation that may not be apparent under mixed mode conditions.     

A numerical approach for solving weakly singular partial integro‐differential equations via two‐dimensional‐orthonormal Bernstein polynomials with the convergence analysis

In this paper, we develop an efficient matrix method based on two‐dimensional orthonormal Bernstein polynomials (2D‐OBPs) to provide approximate solution of linear and nonlinear weakly singular partial integro‐differential equations (PIDEs). First, we approximate all functions involved in the considerable problem via 2D‐OBPs. Then, by using the operational matrices of integration, differentiation, and product, the solution of Volterra singular PIDEs is transformed to the solution of a linear or nonlinear system of algebraic equations which can be solved via some suitable numerical methods. With a small number of bases, we can find a reasonable approximate solution. Moreover, we establish some useful theorems for discussing convergence analysis and obtaining an error estimate associated with the proposed method. Finally, we solve some illustrative examples by employing the presented method to show the validity, efficiency, high accuracy, and applicability of the proposed technique.     

Synthesis of Novel 3-(5-(Alkyl/arylthio)-1,3,4-Oxadiazol-2-yl)-8-Phenylquinolin-4(1H)-One Derivatives as Anti-HIV Agents

Novel quinolone derivatives featuring an 1,3,4-oxadiazole ring as a metal-chelating component and a benzyl group base on HIV-1 integrase inhibitors pharmacophore were designed and synthesized. An antiviral assay revealed that most analogues inhibited HIV-1 replication in the cell culture. Our results showed that compounds bearing small alkyl groups as R group were inactive in anti-HIV-1 assay, whereas compounds possessing benzyl or substituted benzyl at the same position showed good anti-HIV activity with the range of 20–57% at 100 μM concentration. Among them, 3-(5-((2-fluorobenzyl)thio)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)-8-phenylquinolin-4-(1H)-one (compound 13) showed reasonable cell-based antiviral activity (EC₅₀ = 50 μM) with no considerable cytotoxicity (CC₅₀ > 100 μM) in the cell viability assay, suggesting that it may be amenable to further development for identifying new anti-HIV-1 agents. Docking studies using the later crystallographic data available for PFV integrase corroborate favorable binding to the active site of HIV integrase, providing a basis for the design of more potent analogues.     

Fabrication of poly(ϵ-caprolactone)/paclitaxel (core)/chitosan/zein/multi-walled carbon nanotubes/doxorubicin (shell) nanofibers against MCF-7 breast cancer

In the present study, paclitaxel (PTX), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and doxorubicin (DOX) have been simultaneously doped into the poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL)/chitosan/zein core-shell nanofibers to increase its cytotoxicity for MCF-7 breast cancers killing. The physico-chemical properties of synthesized nanofibers were determined by scanning electron microscope, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, tensile strength, and degradation rate determinations. The in vitro release studies demonstrated the sustained release of drugs from core-shell nanofibrous scaffold. The cytotoxicity and compatibility of core-shell nanofibers were investigated by their treating with MCF-7 breast cancer cells and L929 normal cells, respectively. PCL/PTX/chitosan/zein/MWCNTs/DOX core-shell nanofibers containing 1 wt% MWCNTs, 100 μg ml⁻¹ DOX and 100 μg ml⁻¹ PTX had a high biocompatibility with a 84% MCF-7 cancer cells killing. The in vivo studies revealed the synergic effects of MWCNTs and anticancer drugs on the tumor inhibition. This method could be considered as a new way for developing of MWCNTs loaded-nanofibers for cancer treatment in future.     

Swampland dS conjecture in mimetic f(R,T) gravity

In this paper, we study a theory of gravity called mimetic f(R, T) in the presence of swampland dS conjecture. For this purpose, we introduce several inflation solutions of the Hubble parameter H(N) from f(R, T) = R + δT gravity model, in which R is Ricci scalar, and T denotes the trace of the energy–momentum tensor. Also, δ and N are the free parameter and a number of e-fold, respectively. Then we calculate quantities such as potential, Lagrange multiplier, slow-roll, and some cosmological parameters such as n_s and r. Then we challenge the mentioned inflationary model from the swampland dS conjecture. We discuss the stability of the model and investigate the compatibility or incompatibility of this inflationary scenario with the latest Planck observable data.