Free vibrations of a rectangular plate of variable thickness elastically restrained against rotation along three edges and free on the fourth edge

A literature search has shown that the title problem has received no treatment.In this paper solutions are presented as obtained (I) by use of the Ritz method with deflection functions which are simple polynomials, and (II) by use of the extended Kantorovich Method. The natural boundary conditions along the free edge are not satisfied in the first case, while they are complied with approximately when using the second approach. The fundamental frequency coefficient is determined and good agreement is shown to exist between the results obtained by the two methods.     

Spinning cone water film power meter for high-power CO2 lasers

A laser power meter based on water as an absorbing medium has been developed to measure multi-kilowatt CO₂ laser power with high sensitivity and accuracy. Water absorbs CO₂ laser radiation readily within a very thin layer. Though water has large thermal capacity, due to short absorption length, it could vapourize at high laser powers. In order to circumvent this problem, this power meter has a centre cone and a rapidly spinning water film as the calorimetric medium. The unique feature in this development is the centre cone, which diverges the beam and reduces the power density thus reduces the possibility of vapourization. This minimizes the error in measurements. Due to the rapidly moving fluid film, it exhibits fast response at low as well as high power levels.     

Phosphonate‐Modified UiO‐66 Brønsted Acid Catalyst and Its Use in Dehydra‐Decyclization of 2‐Methyltetrahydrofuran to Pentadienes

Phosphorus‐modified all‐silica zeolites exhibit activity and selectivity in certain Brønsted acid catalyzed reactions for biomass conversion. In an effort to achieve similar performance with catalysts having well‐defined sites, we report the incorporation of Brønsted acidity to metal–organic frameworks with the UiO‐66 topology, achieved by attaching phosphonic acid to the 1,4‐benzenedicarboxylate ligand and using it to form UiO‐66‐PO₃H₂ by post‐synthesis modification. Characterization reveals that UiO‐66‐PO₃H₂ retains stability similar to UiO‐66, and exhibits weak Brønsted acidity, as demonstrated by titrations, alcohol dehydration, and dehydra‐decyclization of 2‐methyltetrahydrofuran (2‐MTHF). For the later reaction, the reported catalyst exhibits site‐time yields and selectivity approaching that of phosphoric acid on all‐silica zeolites. Using solid‐state NMR and deprotonation energy calculations, the chemical environments of P and the corresponding acidities are determined.     

Easy To Synthesize,Robust Organo‐osmium Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation Catalysts

Asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) is an important process in organic synthesis for which the Noyori‐type Ru^II catalysts [(arene)Ru(Tsdiamine)] are now well established and widely used. We now demonstrate for the first time the catalytic activity of the osmium analogues. X‐ray crystal structures of the 16‐electron Os^II catalysts are almost identical to those of Ru^II. Intriguingly the precursor complex was isolated as a dichlorido complex with a monodentate amine ligand. The Os^II catalysts are readily synthesised (within 1 h) and exhibit excellent enantioselectivity in ATH reactions of ketones.     

Development of a novel reporter gene vector for cell based angiogenic studies

Angiogenesis is a promising area of research that targets key therapeutic areas like cancer; wound healing, inflammatory diseases, etc. There is an increasing demand for screening of potential angiogenic and anti-angiogenic agents using sensitive, robust cell-based assays. We have developed a reporter vector containing cis-acting elements that respond to growth factors/angiogenic ligands for use in a cell-based luciferase reporter assay. We performed transient transfection of our reporter gene vector in MCF-7 cells to establish its application for screening of potential pro/anti-angiogenic agents. Reporter gene transactivation studies with different concentrations of fetal bovine serum clearly indicated that the vector is functionally responsive to the angiogenic signals mediated by serum growth factors. We also used endostatin to inhibit transactivation and prove responsiveness to the anti-angiogenic agent. This vector is a promising tool for studying angiogenesis using cell-based reporter gene assays.     

Parallel analysis of v-Src mutant protein function using reverse transfection cell arrays

The conversion of the genomic information produced by the recent sequencing projects into a comprehensive understanding of the human proteome has yet to occur. A new technology that represents a potential bridge between genomics and proteomics is reverse transfection. Reverse transfection cell microarrays are produced by overlaying cDNA arrays with mammalian cells, generating localized clusters of transfected cells with each cluster overexpressing a unique protein. This miniaturized cell-based microarray format affords parallel functional analysis of thousands of cDNA constructs in a high throughput format. In this report we document the development of a co-transfection methodology for reverse transfection applications. The demonstrated high co-transfection efficiency with a "marker" plasmid encoding for GFP enables the identification of transfected cells and eliminates the need for epitope-tagged constructs in cell-based high throughput screening applications using reverse transfection. This co-transfection method was used to study in parallel the structure/function of multiple versions of the v-Src protein using automated fluorescence microscopy. The wild-type v-Src protein and four mutants having insertions or deletions in the SH2 or SH3 domains displayed high levels of tyrosine kinase activity in HEK293T cells. Three other mutated v-Src proteins, including a kinase-dead version, were shown to be defective for tyrosine kinase activity. This reverse co-transfection approach is applicable for high throughput screening of both cDNA libraries and positional scanning recombinant protein libraries.     

Densities,Ultrasonic Speeds,Viscosities and Refractive Indices of Binary Mixtures of Benzene with Benzyl Alcohol,Benzonitrile, Benzoyl Chloride and Chlorobenzene at 303.15 K

Densities,ρ, ultrasonic speeds, u, viscosities,η, and refractive indices, n, of pure benzene, benzyl alcohol (BA), benzonitrile (BN), benzoyl chloride (BC), chlorobenzene (CB) and their thirty six binary mixtures, with benzene as common component, were measured at 303.15 K over the entire mole fraction range. From these experimental data the values of deviations in ultrasonic speed, △u, isentropic compressibility, △k_s,excess acoustic impedance, Z^E, deviation in viscosity, Dh, and excess Gibbs free energy of activation of viscous flow, G^*E, and partial molar isentropic compressibility, Kφ,2⁰ of BA, BN, BC and CB in benzene were computed. The variation of these derived functions with composition of the mixtures suggested the increased cohesion (molecular order) in the solution and that interaction (A-B)＞(A-A) or (B-B).Moreover, theoretical prediction of ultrasonic speed, viscosity and refractive index of all the four binary mixtures was made on the basis of empirical and semi-empirical relations by using the experimental values of the pure components. Comparison of theoretical results with the experimental values was made in order to assess the suitability of these relations in reproducing the experimental values of u, η and n. Also, molecular radii of pure liquids and the average molecular radii of binary mixtures were evaluated using the corresponding refractive indices of pure liquids and binary mixtures. The average molecular radii of binary mixtures were found to be additive with respect to mole fraction of the pure component.     

Periodic Mesoporous Silicas and Organosilicas: An Overview Towards Catalysis

Micelle-templated mesoporous and organic–inorganic hybrid mesoporous materials are important in many fields of material research, especially for hosting catalysts in confined space. Among this class, the recent discovery of periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) represent an exciting new group of organic–inorganic nanocomposites targeted for a broad range of applications ranging from catalysis to microelectronics. Compared to the earlier generation of organic–inorganic hybrid mesoporous samples, obtained by the cocondensation reaction or by the grafting reaction, PMOs represent the right combination of organic and inorganic groups in the frame wall positions. This article reviews the current state of art in organic–inorganic hybrid mesoporous material research with special emphasis over periodic mesoporous organosilica materials having various redox centers (Ti, V, Cr) suitable for oxidation reactions as well as acidic sites (Al, –SO₃H) for the organic transformation of bulky molecules.     

Comparative Pharmacokinetics Profile of Vasa Swaras with Vasicine and Vasicinone

An RP-LC method was developed and validated for comparing the pharmacokinetics profile of Vasa Swaras (leaf juice of Adhatoda vasica Nees., Fam. Acanthaceae) with that of the pure vasicine and vasicinone (chief marker compounds of A. vasica) upon oral administration of Vasa Swaras in rats, and also in different animal groups. Significant difference with p < 0.05 was found in the oral bioavailability of vasicine and vasicinone when administered as Vasa Swaras and as single vasicine and/or vasicinone. Vasicine and vasicinone were found to be more bioavailable from Vasa Swaras than pure vasicine and/or vasicinone.