Investigation and comparison of biological effects of regioselectively synthesized thiazole derivatives

In this study, anticancer, antibacterial (against hospital-isolated antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli strains), antifungal, and antioxidant effects of synthesized heterocyclic compounds 5 and 7 containing thiazole core were examined. Cytotoxicity testing was utilized against MCF-7 breast cancer cells via MTT cell viability assay. Antibacterial and antifungal activities were checked out according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines, and antioxidant properties were evaluated through scavenging 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals. Results showed the viability of breast cancer cell lines was reliant on concentration of heterocycles and time of incubation. Synthetic compounds exhibited excellent antibacterial and antifungal properties base on their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values as well as high antioxidant activities according to their IC₅₀ values. Higher anticancer and antibacterial properties were observed with compound 7; on the contrary, thiazole 5 had better antioxidant effects. They can be introduced as potent antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer agents.     

Effect of Crystallization Kinetics on Microstructure and Charge Transport of Polythiophenes

We have examined the effects of crystallization kinetics of poly(3‐hexylthiophene) and poly[2,5‐bis(3‐hexadecylthiophen‐2‐yl)thieno(3,2‐b)thiophene] on microstructure and charge transport. Rapid crystallization increases the density of tie molecules in polythiophenes. As a consequence, ordered regions are better connected resulting in higher charge carrier mobilities. Our results suggest that controlling the crystallization kinetics might be an important factor for maximizing the charge mobility in semicrystalline polythiophene thin films.     

Zirconium Catalyzed Ethylene Oligomerization

A review of the scientific and patent literature on oligomerization of ethylene to linear olefins in the presence of homogenous or heterogeneous zirconium complexes and various aluminum organic compounds has been fulfilled for last twenty-five years. Over these years, a wide range of studies had been conducted for selective oligomerization of ethylene into a narrow fraction of linear α-olefins such as C₄-C₈ and C₆-C₁₀ fractions. During the discussion of these catalytic systems, exceptional attention is also paid to feature works such as the activity of the catalysts and the acquisition of clear liquid product without any trace of polymer, all of which play important roles in the selection of the best technology.     

Inverse vibration problem for un-damped 3-dimensional multi-story shear building models

Various researchers have contributed to the identification of the mass and stiffness matrices of two dimensional (2-D) shear building structural models for a given set of vibratory frequencies. The suggested methods are based on the specific characteristics of the Jacobi matrices, i.e., symmetric, tri-diagonal and semi-positive definite matrices. However, in case of three dimensional (3-D) structural models, those methods are no longer applicable, since their stiffness matrices are not tri-diagonal. In this paper the inverse problem for a special class of vibratory structural systems, i.e., 3-D shear building models, is investigated. A practical algorithm is proposed for solving the inverse eigenvalue problem for un-damped, 3-D shear buildings. The problem is addressed in two steps. First, using the target frequencies, a so-called normalized eigenvector matrix, which is a banded matrix containing the information related to the frequencies and mode shapes of the target structural system, is determined. In this regard, similar to the solution of inverse problem for 2-D shear building structural models in which an auxiliary structure is constructed by adding constraints (or springs) to the original system, three auxiliary structures are proposed to solve the problem for 3-D cases. In the second step, the normalized eigenvector matrix is utilized to obtain the normalized stiffness matrix; in turn, this matrix is decomposed into the stiffness and mass matrices of the system. Finally, a numerical example is presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm in determining the mass and stiffness matrices of a 3-D structural model for a given set of target vibrational frequencies.     

Direct measurements of exciton diffusion length limitations on organic solar cell performance

Through a combination of X-ray scattering and energy-filtered electron microscopy, we have quantitatively examined the relationship between the mesostructure of the photoactive layer and device performance in PBTTT/PC(71)BM solar cells. We can predict device performance from X-ray structural data through a simple morphological model which includes the exciton diffusion length.     

Effect of miscibility and percolation on electron transport in amorphous poly(3-hexylthiophene)/phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester blends

Recent evidence has demonstrated that amorphous mixed phases are ubiquitous within mesostructured polythiophene-fullerene mixtures. Nevertheless, the role of mixing within nanophases on charge transport of organic semiconductor mixtures is not fully understood. To this end, we have examined the electron mobility in amorphous blends of poly(3-hexylthiophene) and phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester. Our studies reveal that the miscibility of the components strongly affects electron transport within blends. Immiscibility promotes efficient electron transport by promoting percolating pathways within organic semiconductor mixtures. As a consequence, partial miscibility may be important for efficient charge transport in polythiophene-fullerene mixtures and organic solar cell performance.     

Effects of the plenum chamber volume and distributor geometry on fluidized bed hydrodynamics

Most hydrodynamic fluidized bed models,including CFD codes,neglect any effects of the plenum chamber volume.Experiments were performed in a 0.13 m ID fluidization column to determine plenum chamber volume effects on fluidized bed hydrodynamics for FCC and glass particles.Two low-pressure-drop distributors were used,one with a single orifice,and the other with 33 orifices and the same total open area as the single orifice.The results show two peaks in the frequency spectra for the single-orifice distributor,...