An inverse problem of finding the time‐dependent diffusion coefficient from an integral condition

We consider the inverse problem of determining the time‐dependent diffusivity in one‐dimensional heat equation with periodic boundary conditions and nonlocal over‐specified data. The problem is highly nonlinear and it serves as a mathematical model for the technological process of external guttering applied in cleaning admixtures from silicon chips. First, the well‐posedness conditions for the existence, uniqueness, and continuous dependence upon the data of the classical solution of the problem are established. Then, the problem is discretized using the finite‐difference method and recasts as a nonlinear least‐squares minimization problem with a simple positivity lower bound on the unknown diffusivity. Numerically, this is effectively solved using the lsqnonlin routine from the MATLAB toolbox. In order to investigate the accuracy, stability, and robustness of the numerical method, results for a few test examples are presented and discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of a new series of pyrazolo[1,5‐a]pyrimidines structurally related to zaleplon

The reaction between 3‐(dimethylamino)/3,3‐bis(methylthio)‐1‐(substituted)prop‐2‐en‐1‐ones and 4‐substituted‐5‐amino‐1H‐pyrazoles afforded new pyrazole[1,5‐a]pyrimidines structurally related to Zaleplon. The chemical modifications introduced at the 3‐, 5‐, and 7‐positions of the bicyclic structure revealed new promising candidates for the treatment of sleep disorders.     

Sage,Salvia officinalis L., Constituents,Hepatoprotective Activity,and Cytotoxicity Evaluations of the Essential Oils Obtained from Fresh and Differently Timed Dried Herbs: A Comparative Analysis

Sage, Salvia officinalis L., is used worldwide as an aromatic herb for culinary purposes as well as a traditional medicinal agent for various ailments. Current investigations exhibited the effects of extended dryings of the herb on the yields, composition, oil quality, and hepatoprotective as well as anti-cancer biological activities of the hydrodistillation-obtained essential oils from the aerial parts of the plant. The essential oils’ yields, compositions, and biological activities levels of the fresh and differently timed and room-temperature dried herbs differed significantly. The lowest yields of the essential oil were obtained from the fresh herbs (FH, 631 mg, 0.16%), while the highest yield was obtained from the two-week dried herbs (2WDH, 1102 mg, 0.28%). A notable decrease in monoterpenes, with increment in the sesquiterpene constituents, was observed for the FH-based essential oil as compared to all the other batches of the essential oils obtained from the different-timed dried herbs. Additionally, characteristic chemotypic constituents of sage, i.e., α-pinene, camphene, β-pinene, myrcene, 1, 8-cineole, α-thujone, and camphor, were present in significantly higher proportions in all the dried herbs’ essential oils as compared to the FH-based essential oil. The in vivo hepatoprotective activity demonstrated significant reductions in the levels of AST, ALT, and ALP, as well as a significant increase in the total protein (p < 0.05) contents level, as compared to the acetaminophen (AAP) administered experimental group of rats. A significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the ALT level was demonstrated by the 4WDH-based essential oil in comparison to the FH-based essential oil. The levels of creatinine, cholesterol, and triglycerides were reduced (p < 0.05) in the pre-treated rats by the essential oil batches, with non-significant differences found among them as a result of the herbs dryings based oils. A notable increase in the viability of the cells, and total antioxidant capacity (TAOxC) levels, together with the reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were observed by the essential oils obtained from all the batches as compared with the AAP-treated cell-lines, HepG-2, HeLa, and MCF-7, that indicated the in vitro hepatoprotective effects of the sage essential oils. However, significant improvements in the in vivo and in vitro hepatoprotective activities with the 4WDH-based oil, as compared to all other essential oil-batches and silymarin standard demonstrated the beneficial effects of the drying protocol for the herb for its medicinal purposes.     

Mechanical properties of oriented low‐density polyethylene with an oriented lamellar‐stack morphology

A quantitative study was undertaken of the anisotropy of low‐strain mechanical behavior for specially oriented polyethylene with controlled crystalline and lamellar orientation. The samples were prepared by the die drawing of injection‐molded rods of polyethylene and annealing. This produced a parallel lamellar structure for which a simple, three‐dimensional composite laminate model could be used to calculate the expected anisotropy. Experimental data, including X‐ray strain measurements of the lateral crystalline elastic constants, showed good quantitative agreement with the model prediction. The X‐ray strain measurements confirmed that the amorphous regions exert large constraints on the crystalline phase in the lateral directions, where an order of magnitude difference was found between the measured apparent lateral crystalline compliances in the lamellar‐stack sample and the expected values for a perfect crystal. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 755–764, 2000     

The reactions of 4-substituted-7-aminothieno-[3,4-d]pyridazines and 2-methyl-6-aminothienopyridine-5-thione with electron-poor olefins and acetylenes

Cycloadditions of thienopyridazines and a thienopyridine with electron-poor olefins and acetylenes as dienophiles are described. The nonisolable adducts undergo subsequent loss of hydrogen sulfide to give substituted phthalazines and substituted isoquinolines, respectively. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and electrical conductivity of some poly[4‐amino‐2,6‐pyrimidinodi‐thiocarbamate]–metal complexes

Poly[4‐amino‐2,6‐pyrimidinodithiocarbamate] was prepared from the reaction of 2‐mercapto‐4,6‐diaminopyrimidine with carbon disulfide, followed by condensation through the removal of H₂S gas. Five polymer–metal complexes of manganese, ferrous, ferric, zinc and mercury were then prepared. The polymer–metal complexes are investigated by elemental analyses, ultraviolet Fourier transform infrared and magnetic susceptibility. The DC electrical conductivity variation with the temperature in the region 298–498 K of the five polymer–metal complexes was determined. Doping with 5% ZnCl₂ increased the electrical conductivity of the polymer at all temperatures investigated. All the polymer–metal complexes showed an increase in conductivity with an increase in temperature, which is a typical semiconductor behavior. The proposed structure of the complexes is (MLX₂·mH₂O)_n. All the polymer–metal complexes are thermally stable, are insoluble in common organic solvents and have high melting points. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.