Synthesis of α,ω‐Bis(oxazolidinone)polyoxyethylene via a Lithium Bromide–Catalyzed Reaction of Oligoethylene Glycol Diglycidyl Ethers with Isocyanates

The synthesis of bis(oxazolidinone)polyoxyethylene derivatives 2a–h from oligoethylene glycols diglycidyl ethers 1a–e and isocyanates is reported. The reaction was achieved by lithium bromide and tributylphosphine oxide. These bis‐oxazolidinones may have important antibacterial activity.     

A novel method for the reduction of sulfoxides with the N,N,N’,N’-tetrabromobenzene-1,3-disulfonamide (TBBDA)/PPh3 system

A new method is described for the reduction of sulfoxides to sulfides using N,N,N’,N’-tetrabromobenzene-1,3-disulfonamide [TBBDA] in combination with triphenylphosphine. Good to excellent yields, short reaction times, high efficiency and facile isolation of the desired products are the advantages of this method.     

Production of single-walled carbon nanotubes from methane over Co-Mo/MgO nanocatalyst:A comparative study of fixed and fluidized bed reactors

In this study,the performances of fixed and fluidized bed reactors in the production of single-walled carbon nanotubes(SWNTs)have been investigated.In both reactors,single-walled carbon nanotubes were grown by catalytic chemical vapor decomposition(CCVD)of methane over Co-Mo/MgO nanocatalyst under two different operating conditions.The synthesized samples were characterized by TEM,TGA and Raman spectroscopy.It is found that the performance of a fluidized bed in the synthesis of carbon nanotubes is much better than that of a fixed bed.The quality of carbon nanotubes obtained from the fluidized bed was significantly higher than that from the fixed bed and the former one with the ID/IG ratio of 0.11 while the latter one with the ID/IG ratio of 0.71.Also,the yield of SWNTs in the fluidized bed was 92 wt%,while it was 78 wt%in the fixed bed.These advantages of fluidized bed reactors for the synthesis of carbon nanotubes can be attributed to more available space for the growth of carbon nanotubes and more uniform temperature and concentration profiles.     

Comparison of nanostructured silver-modified silver and carbon ultramicroelectrodes for electrochemical detection of nitrate

We report the use of silver (Ag)-modified carbon and Ag ultramicroelectrodes (UMEs) for electrochemical detection of nitrate. We investigated several methods for electrodeposition of Ag; our results show that the addition of a complexation agent (ammonium sulfate) in the Ag deposition solution is necessary for electrodeposition of nanostructured Ag that adheres well to the electrode. The electrodeposited Ag on both types of electrodes has branch-like structures that are well-suited for electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate. The use of UMEs is advantageous; the sigmoidal-shaped cyclic voltammogram allows for sensitive detection of nitrate by reducing the capacitive current, as well as enabling easy quantification of the nitrate reduction current. Both cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry were used to characterize the electrodes; and independent of the electrochemical interrogation technique, both UMEs were found to have a wide linear dynamic range (4–1000 μM) and a low limit of detection (3.2–5.1 μM). More importantly, they are reusable up to ∼100 interrogation cycles and are selective enough to be used for direct detection of nitrate in a synthetic aquifer sample without any sample pretreatment and/or pH adjustment.     

CoFe2O4@SiO2-PA-CC-guanidine nanoparticles: A novel,efficient, and recyclable catalyst for the synthesis of 3,5-disubstituted-2,6-dicyanoaniline derivatives

A new and efficient procedure for the synthesis of 3,5-disubstituted-2,6-dicyanoaniline derivatives by CoFe₂O₄@SiO₂-PA-CC-guanidine magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was reported. 3,5-Disubstituted-2,6-dicyanoaniline derivatives were synthesized from malononitrile, aldehydes, and β-nitrostyrene derivatives in good yields. MNPs used for the synthesis of aniline derivatives were easy to recover and reuse. The CoFe₂O₄@SiO₂-PA-CC-guanidine MNPs were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and vibration sample magnetometry techniques.     

Synthesis,structures and antimicrobial activities of nickel(II) and zinc(II) diaminomaleonitrile-based complexes

Three Ni(II) and Zn(II) complexes [Ni(L1)], [Ni(L2)], and [Zn(L3)(DMSO)] (L1 = 2,3-bis(2-hydroxybenzylideneimino)-2,3-butenedinitrile, L2 = 2,3-bis(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylideneimino)-2,3-butenedinitrile, L3 = 2,3-bis(2-hydroxy-1-naphthylideneimino)-2,3-butenedinitrile) were obtained in DMSO by one-pot syntheses. The complexes were characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. Also, their solid-state structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The geometries of the Ni(II) and Zn(II) complexes were square planar and square pyramidal, respectively. The complexes were screened in vitro against a fungal species and eight species of bacteria, revealing their antimicrobial activity.     

Rapid Detection of Recurrent Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer in Urine Using ATR-FTIR Technology

Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC) accounts for 80% of all bladder cancers. Although it is mostly low-grade tumors, its high recurrence rate necessitates three-times-monthly follow-ups and cystoscopy examinations to detect and prevent its progression. A rapid liquid biopsy-based assay is needed to improve detection and reduce complications from invasive cystoscopy. Here, we present a rapid spectroscopic method to detect the recurrence of NMIBC in urine. Urine samples from previously-diagnosed NMIBC patients (n = 62) were collected during their follow-up visits before cystoscopy examination. Cystoscopy results were recorded (41 cancer-free and 21 recurrence) and attenuated total refraction Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectra were acquired from urine samples using direct application. Spectral processing and normalization were optimized using parameter grid searching. We assessed their technical variability through multivariate analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). We assessed 35 machine learning models on a training set (70%), and the performance was evaluated on a held-out test set (30%). A Regularized Random Forests (RRF) model achieved a 0.92 area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) with 86% sensitivity and 77% specificity. In conclusion, our spectroscopic liquid biopsy approach provides a promising technique for the early identification of NMIBC with a less invasive examination.     

Ranking efficient DMUs using the Tchebycheff norm

One problem that has been discussed frequently in data envelopment analysis (DEA) literature has been lack of discrimination in DEA applications, in particular when there are insufficient DMUs or the number of inputs and outputs is too high relative to the number of units. This is an additional reason for the growing interest in complete ranking techniques. In this paper a method for ranking extreme efficient decision making units (DMUs) is proposed. The method uses L_∞(or Tchebycheff) Norm, and it seems to have some superiority over other existing methods, because this method is able to remove the existing difficulties in some methods, such as Andersen and Petersen [2] (AP) that it is sometimes infeasible. The suggested model is always feasible.     

Lipase-catalyzed amidation of carboxylic acid and amines

The amidation reaction is of a very particular interest, especially in the pharmaceutical industry and always requires the activation of the acid with a large excess of reactants. Therefore, a large amount of waste is generated. In order to reduce the environmental impact of such reaction, we have developed enzymatic amidation conditions which are compatible with a wide range of amines and acids, in particular with the biologically relevant lipoic acid. Water is the only by-product generated during this reaction thus a very high atom economy is obtained. In addition, we have shown that the lipase can be recovered and reused several times without a significant loss of activity.