Exploiting damped techniques for nonlinear conjugate gradient methods

In this paper we propose the use of damped techniques within Nonlinear Conjugate Gradient (NCG) methods. Damped techniques were introduced by Powell and recently reproposed by Al-Baali and till now, only applied in the framework of quasi-Newton methods. We extend their use to NCG methods in large scale unconstrained optimization, aiming at possibly improving the efficiency and the robustness of the latter methods, especially when solving difficult problems. We consider both unpreconditioned and Preconditioned NCG. In the latter case, we embed damped techniques within a class of preconditioners based on quasi-Newton updates. Our purpose is to possibly provide efficient preconditioners which approximate, in some sense, the inverse of the Hessian matrix, while still preserving information provided by the secant equation or some of its modifications. The results of an extensive numerical experience highlights that the proposed approach is quite promising.     

An approximate collision operator in the theory of collisional transport for quiescent magnetoplasmas

Summary A model of collision operator is presented for weakly collisional symmetric magnetoplasmas and its predictions are compared with those stemming from a variational approach. It is proven that the two methods yield for the particle and kinetic energy fluxes results which are in agreement up to terms of first order with respect to an appropriate expansion parameter which characterizes the inhomogeneities of the equilibrium magnetic field.

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Sommario Nella Nota si presenta un modello di operatore di collisione per plasmi simmetrici debolmente collisionali e le sue predizioni sono confrontate con quelle che discendono da un approccio variazionale. Si dimostra che i due metodi forniscono per i flussi di particelle ed energia cinetica risultati in accordo e ciò (almeno) fino al primo ordine in termini di uno sviluppo perturbativo in funzione di un parametro che caratterizza le inomogeneità del campo magnetico di equilibrio.

     

An alternative quinoline synthesis by via Friedländer reaction catalyzed by Yb(OTf)3

Quinolines have been synthesized in very good yields from 2-aminoarylketones and differently substituted carbonyl compounds in the presence of Yb(OTf)₃ as the catalyst. The method is applicable to both cyclic and acyclic carbonyl compounds with only slight differences in the experimental procedure.     

Electroless silver plating of the surface of organic semiconductors

The integration of nanoscale processes and devices demands fabrication routes involving rapid, cost-effective steps, preferably carried out under ambient conditions. The realization of the metal/organic semiconductor interface is one of the most demanding steps of device fabrication, since it requires mechanical and/or thermal treatments which increment costs and are often harmful in respect to the active layer. Here, we provide a microscopic analysis of a room temperature, electroless process aimed at the deposition of a nanostructured metallic silver layer with controlled coverage atop the surface of single crystals and thin films of organic semiconductors. This process relies on the reaction of aqueous AgF solutions with the nonwettable crystalline surface of donor-type organic semiconductors. It is observed that the formation of a uniform layer of silver nanoparticles can be accomplished within 20 min contact time. The electrical characterization of two-terminal devices performed before and after the aforementioned treatment shows that the metal deposition process is associated with a redox reaction causing the p-doping of the semiconductor.     

Reversible binding of metal ions onto bacterial layers revealed by protonation-induced ATR-FTIR difference spectroscopy

The ability of microorganisms to adhere to abiotic surfaces and the potentialities of attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy have been exploited to study protonation and heavy metal binding events onto bacterial surfaces. This work represents the first attempt to apply on bacteria the recently developed method known as perfusion-induced ATR-FTIR difference spectroscopy. Such a technique allows measurement of even slight changes in the infrared spectrum of the sample, deposited as a thin layer on an ATR crystal, while an aqueous solution is perfused over its surface. Solutions at different pH have been used for inducing protonation/deprotonation of functional groups lying on the surface of Rhodobacter sphaeroides cells, chosen as a model system. The interaction of Ni(2+) with surface protonable groups of this microorganism has been investigated with a double-difference approach exploiting competition between nickel cations and protons. Protonation-induced difference spectra of simple model compounds have been acquired to guide band assignment in bacterial spectra, thus allowing identification of major components involved in proton uptake and metal binding. The data collected reveal that carboxylate moieties on the bacterial surface of R. sphaeroides play a role in extracellular biosorption of Ni(2+), establishing with this ion relatively weak coordinative bonds.     

Enantioselective cycloadditions of 2-alkenoylpyridine-N-oxides catalysed by a bis(oxazoline)/Cu(II) complex: structure of the reactive intermediate

Diels–Alder and 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions involving (E)‐3‐aryl‐1‐(pyridin‐2‐yl‐N‐oxide)prop‐2‐en‐1‐ones as the 2π components are efficiently catalysed by bis(oxazoline)–Cu^II complexes. The cycloadducts are obtained in quantitative yields with up to 98 % ee; absolute configurations were determined by X‐ray analysis. The structure of the reactive complex, determined by X‐ray analysis, is fully consistent with the stereochemical outcome of the catalysed process (approach of the diene or nitrone to the less hindered face of the coordinated pyridine‐N‐oxide derivative).     

Hydrogen atom abstraction selectivity in the reactions of alkylamines with the benzyloxyl and cumyloxyl radicals. The importance of structure and of substrate radical hydrogen bonding

A time-resolved kinetic study on the hydrogen abstraction reactions from a series of primary and secondary amines by the cumyloxyl (CumO(?)) and benzyloxyl (BnO(?)) radicals was carried out. The results were compared with those obtained previously for the corresponding reactions with tertiary amines. Very different hydrogen abstraction rate constants (k(H)) and intermolecular selectivities were observed for the reactions of the two radicals. With CumO(?), k(H) was observed to decrease on going from the tertiary to the secondary and primary amines. The lowest k(H) values were measured for the reactions with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (TMP) and tert-octylamine (TOA), substrates that can only undergo N-H abstraction. The opposite behavior was observed for the reactions of BnO(?), where the k(H) values increased in the order tertiary < secondary < primary. The k(H) values for the reactions of BnO(?) were in all cases significantly higher than those measured for the corresponding reactions of CumO(?), and no significant difference in reactivity was observed between structurally related substrates that could undergo exclusive α-C-H and N-H abstraction. This different behavior is evidenced by the k(H)(BnO(?))/k(H)(CumO(?)) ratios that range from 55-85 and 267-673 for secondary and primary alkylamines up to 1182 and 3388 for TMP and TOA. The reactions of CumO(?) were described in all cases as direct hydrogen atom abstractions. With BnO(?) the results were interpreted in terms of the rate-determining formation of a hydrogen-bonded prereaction complex between the radical α-C-H and the amine lone pair wherein hydrogen abstraction occurs. Steric effects and amine HBA ability play a major role, whereas the strength of the substrate α-C-H and N-H bonds involved appears to be relatively unimportant. The implications of these different mechanistic pictures are discussed.     

Development and validation of a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of the novel inhibitor of angiogenesis E-3810 in human plasma and its application in a clinical pharmacokinetic study

E-3810, 6-[[7-[(1-aminocyclopropyl)methoxy]-6-methoxy-4-quinolyl]oxy]-N-methyl-naphthalene-1-carboxamide, is a novel, potent, dual inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor and fibroblast growth factor receptors with antiangiogenic properties, now under early clinical evaluation as an anticancer agent. To investigate its clinical pharmacokinetics, a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated to measure the drug in human plasma on the basis of simple protein precipitation with methanol after addition of deuterated E-3810 as internal standard. The method requires a small volume of sample (100 μl) and is rapid and selective, allowing good resolution of peaks in 5 min. It is sensitive, precise, and accurate, with overall precision, expressed as CV%, always ≤7.1%, accuracy in the range 92.7%-104.4%, and high recovery, close to 100%. The limit of detection is 0.01 ng/ml, and the lower limit of quantitation is 2.0 ng/ml. The assay was validated in the range from the lower limit of quantitation up to 500.0 ng/ml. This is the first method developed and validated for analyzing E-3810 in human plasma. The method has been successfully applied to study E-3810 pharmacokinetics in cancer patients with solid tumors who are receiving daily oral doses of the drug during the phase I trial.     

Solubility of metal atoms in helium droplets: exploring the effect of the well depth using the coinage metals Cu and Ag

We report a theoretical investigation of the solution properties of Cu and Ag atoms dissolved in He clusters. Employing our recent ab initio ground state pair potential for Me-He (Me = Ag, Cu), we simulated the species Me@He (n) (n = 2-100) by means of diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) obtaining exact information on their energetics and the structural properties. In particular, we investigated the sensitivity of structural details on the well depth of the two interaction potentials. Whereas Ag structures the first He solvation layer similarly, to some extent, to a positive ion such as Na(+), Cu appears to require the onset of a second solvation shell for a similar dense structure to be formed despite an interaction well of 28.4 μhartree. An additional signature of the different solution behavior between Ag and Cu appears also in the dependence of the energy required to evaporate a single He atom on the size of the MeHe(n) clusters. The absorption spectrum for the (2)P ← (2)S excitation of the metals was also simulated employing the semi-classical Lax approximation to further characterize Me@He(n) (n = 2-100) using novel accurate interaction potentials between He and the lowest (2)P state of Ag and Cu in conjunction with the Diatomic-in-Molecules approach. The results indicated that Ag exciplexes should not form via a direct vertical excitation into an attractive region of the excited manifolds and that there is an interesting dependence of the shape of the Cu excitation bands on the local structure of the first solvation shell.