Facile two-step synthesis of crispine A and harmicine by cyclopropylimine rearrangement

The synthesis of 4 and 8 is reported. These intermediates are obtained by a one-pot tandem cyclization of 1 and 6, respectively, via Bischler Napieralski reaction followed by cyclopropylimine rearrangement. Compounds 4 and 8 were reduced by sodium borohydride in methanol to afford cytotoxic alkaloid (±)-crispine A and antileishmania compound (±)-harmicine.     

Phase transitions in ultraoriented polyethylene fibers under moderate pressures: A synchrotron X-ray study

The effect of pressure on phase transformations of ultradrawn ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers was examined by in situ X-ray diffraction measurements with synchrotron radiation. The mesomorphic hexagonal phase was metastable even at a relatively low pressure of about 100 bar. The effect of pressure on the melting transitions was larger than in chain-folded structures. The existence and metastability of the hexagonal phase is the basis of compaction technology of UHMWPE fibers in composite materials. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 53–59, 2004     

Cr-free Co-Cu/SBA-15 catalysts for hydrogenation of biomass-derivedα-,β-unsaturated aldehyde to alcohol

Cr-free bi-metallic SBA-15-supported Co–Cu catalysts were examined in the conversion of bio-mass-derived α-, β-unsaturated aldehyde (furfural) to value-added chemical furfuryl alcohol (FOL). Co–Cu/SBA-15 catalysts with a fixed Cu loading of 10 wt% and varying Co loadings (2.5, 5, and 10 wt%) were prepared by the impregnation method. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray dif-fraction, N2 sorption, H2 temperature-programmed reduction, scanning electron microscopy, ener-gy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, CO chemi-sorption, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The influence of different reaction parameters such as temperature, pressure, catalyst dosage, and furfural concentration on the cata-lyst performance was evaluated. Relative to catalysts supported on amorphous silica, the current SBA-15-supported Co–Cu catalysts displayed higher performance, attaining a furfural conversion of 99% and furfuryl alcohol selectivity of 80%. The catalytic reactions were conducted in a 100-mL autoclave at 170 °C and 2 MPa H2 pressure for 4 h.     

Structural,optical and secondary electron emission properties of diamond like carbon thin films deposited by pulsed-DC plasma CVD technique

Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique using pulsed-DC power supply was used to fabricate diamond like carbon (DLC) films at deposition rates as high as 110 nm/min. The DLC films deposited by pulsed-DC and DC based power supplies under different gas flow ratios were studied for their suitability as dielectric layer coatings in plasma display panels (PDPs). The effect of deposition parameters on the properties of the DLC films were studied using Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). FTIR reveals that higher hydrogen dilution in gas mixture leads to higher sp³ content. SE studies in wide spectral range were analyzed using Tauc-Lorentz model dielectric function. A rise in the extracted refractive index was seen on increasing the H₂ content in the feed gas, thus resulting in optically denser films. Secondary electron emission coefficient (γ) was measured in the films deposited by the DC and pulsed-DC based PECVD. Firing voltage in the DLC samples was found to have very low variation in the operating pressure range used in commercial PDPs, suggesting possibility of enhanced long term reliability of DLC coatings in future PDP applications.     

Solvent free,palladium catalyzed highly facile synthesis of diaryl disulfides from aryl thiols

An efficient solvent free Pd(pCH₂S)₂dba catalyzed green-chemical strategy for the synthesis of diaryl disulfides from aryl thiols in moderate to excellent yield is reported. Variety of diaryl disulfides were synthesized. The catalyst is recyclable up to four cycles.     

Synergistic extraction and spectrophotometric determination of copper(II) using 1-(2',4'-dinitro aminophenyl)-4,4,6-trimethyl-1,4-dihydropyrimidine-2-thiol: analysis of alloys, pharmaceuticals and biological samples

A simple and selective spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of copper(II) with 1-(2',4'-dinitro aminophenyl)-4,4,6-trimethyl-1,4-dihydropyrimidine-2-thiol [2',4'-dinitro APTPT] as a chromogenic reagent. The procedure was based on the synergistic extraction of copper(II) with 2',4'-dinitro APTPT in the presence of 0.5 mol L(-1) pyridine to give green colored ternary complex of a molar ratio 1:2:2 (M:L:Py) in the pH range 8.7-10.5. It exhibits a maximum absorption of colored complex at 445 nm and 645 nm in chloroform against the reagent blank. Beer's law was followed in the concentration range 10-80 μg mL(-1) of copper(II) and optimum range of 20-70 μg mL(-1) the metal as evaluated from Ringbom's plot. The molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity of copper(II)-2',4'-dinitro APTPT-pyridine complex in chloroform are 0.87×10(3) L mol(-1)c m(-1) and 0.072 μg cm(-2), respectively. The interfering effects of various cations and anions were also studied, and use of suitable masking agents enhances the selectivity of the method. The proposed method is rapid, reproducible and successfully applied for the determination of copper(II) in binary and synthetic mixtures, alloys, pharmaceutical formulations, environmental and fertilizer samples. Comparison of the results with those obtained using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer also tested the validity of the method.     

A facile route to the synthesis of pyrimido[2,1-b]quinazoline core from the primary allyl amines afforded from Baylis–Hillman adducts

A highly simplified approach for the generation of substituted pyrimido[2,1-b]quinazoline core from the primary allyl amines afforded from the Baylis–Hillman adducts is described. Sequential reductive alkylation of the primary allyl amine with 2-nitrobenzaldehyde, reduction of the aromatic nitro group with In, CNBr-promoted intramolecular cyclization followed by NaOMe-mediated another intramolecular cyclization furnish the title compounds.     

Estimation of Inverse Lindley Distribution Using Product of Spacings Function for Hybrid Censored Data

Methodology and Computing in Applied Probability - This article presents different estimation procedure for inverse Lindley distribution for Type-I hybrid censored data. We have obtained the...     

On Faltings parabolic theta functions

In this article, we prove that the Faltings theta functions on moduli of parabolic bundles over a smooth projective curve can be used to give an explicit scheme-theoretic projective embedding.     

Evaluation of the role of magnetization transfer imaging in prostate: a preliminary study

Results of the preliminary study on the evaluation of the role of magnetization transfer imaging (MTI) of prostate in men who had raised prostate-specific antigen (PSA) (>4 ng/ml) or abnormal digital rectal examination (DRE) are reported. MT ratio (MTR) was calculated for 20 patients from the hyper- (normal) and hypo-intense regions (area suspicious of malignancy as seen on T2-weighted MRI) of the peripheral zone (PZ) and the central gland (CG) at 1.5 T. In addition, MTR was calculated for three healthy controls. Mean MTR was also calculated for the whole of the PZ (including hyper- and hypo-intense area) in all patients. Out of 20 patients, biopsy revealed malignancy in 12 patients. Mean MTR value (8.29+/-3.49) for the whole of the PZ of patients who were positive for malignancy on biopsy was statically higher than that observed for patients who were negative for malignancy (6.18+/-3.15). The mean MTR for the whole of the PZ of controls was 6.18+/-1.63 and is similar to that of patients who were negative for malignancy. Furthermore, for patients who showed hyper- (normal portion) and hypo-intense (region suspicious of malignancy) regions of the PZ, the MTR was statistically significantly different. These preliminary results reveal the potential role of MT imaging in the evaluation of prostate cancer.