Normative KGP agents

We extend the logical model of agency known as the KGP model, to support agents with normative concepts, based on the roles an agent plays and the obligations and prohibitions that result from playing these roles. The proposed framework illustrates how the resulting normative concepts, including the roles, can evolve dynamically during the lifetime of the agent. Furthermore, we illustrate how these concepts can be combined with the existing capabilities of KGP agents in order to plan for their goals, react to changes in the environment, and interact with other agents. Our approach gives an executable specification of normative concepts that can be used directly for prototyping applications. Fariba Sadri is a senior lecturer at Imperial College London, from where she received her PhD. Her earlier work concentrated on integrity of deductive databases and temporal reasoning, in particular using the event calculus. In more recent years her work has been on agent technologies and multi-agent systems. She has worked on logic-based agent models, reasoning, dynamic belief revision, and inter-agent communication and negotiation for resources. She was co-awarded an EPSRC grant for research into logic-based multi-agents and was co-investigator in the EU SOCS project. Kostas Stathis is a senior lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London and he holds a PhD from Imperial College London. His research interests are in the area of computational intelligence in general and in the intersection of computational logic and cognitive systems for social computing applications in particular. His research interests include: representation of human-computer (or computer-computer) interaction as a game; cognitive & autonomous agents; artificial agent societies; agent communication; programmable agents and agent platforms. He is a co-investigator of the EU ArguGRID project and was a co-investigator of the EU SOCS project. Francesca Toni is a senior lecturer at Imperial College London, from where she received her PhD. Her earlier work focused on abductive reasoning. In more recent years, she focused on argumentation, agent models and multi-agent systems. She has worked on computational logic-based agent models, agent reasoning, dynamic belief revision, and inter-agent communication and negotiation for resources. She has been co-ordinator of the EU SOCS project, which developed the KGP model of agency, and is coordinator of the EU ArguGRID project, on the application of argumentative agents within grid systems.     

A convenient, general synthesis of 1,1-dimethylallyl esters as protecting groups for carboxylic acids

[reaction: see text] Carboxylic acids were converted in high yield to their 1,1-dimethylallyl (DMA) esters in two steps. Palladium-catalyzed deprotection of DMA esters was shown to be compatible with tert-butyl, benzyl, and Fmoc protecting groups, and Fmoc deprotection could be carried out selectively in the presence of DMA esters. DMA esters were also shown to be resistant to nucleophilic attack, suggesting that they will serve as alternatives to tert-butyl esters when acidic deprotection conditions need to be avoided.     

Diammonium Hydrogen Phosphate as an Efficient and Inexpensive Catalyst for the Synthesis of Bis(indolyl)methanes under Solvent-Free Conditions

Bis(indolyl)methanes were synthesized by the reaction of indole derivatives and aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes in the presence of diammonium hydrogen phosphate as a solid catalyst under solvent-free conditions. This methodology offers significant improvements for the synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes with regard to the yield of products, simplicity in operation, and green aspects by avoiding toxic catalysts and solvents.     

A new approach to the facile synthesis of mono- and disubstituted quinazolin-4(3H)-ones under solvent-free conditions

Quinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives were synthesized successfully via a one-pot, three component reaction of isatoic anhydride and an orthoester with ammonium acetate or a primary amine catalyzed by silica sulfuric acid under solvent-free conditions. This is the first report on the synthesis of 2-substituted quinazolin-4(3H)-ones by this procedure.     

Effect of synthesis method and buffer composition on the LCST of a smart copolymer of N‐isopropylacrylamide and acrylic acid

Responsive polymers have been the focus of many studies during the past decade because of their ability to change according to environmental stimuli. In this paper, we report on the development of a method to synthesize a pH/temperature‐sensitive linear copolymer, poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐ co‐acrylic acid)(poly(NIPAAm‐co‐AAc)), with a molecular weight of about 10⁶–10⁵ Da in water using azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator. The effects of the following on the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the copolymer and homopolymer of NIPAAm were investigated: the type of buffer salts and pH changes of test solutions, molecular weight and concentration of homopolymer/copolymer solutions, and AAc monomer molar feed ratio (mol%). The effects of different synthesis methods on the molecular weight and on the AAc content were also evaluated. The mechanism of action in environments with different pH values is discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A facile procedure for the one-pot synthesis of unsymmetrical 2,5-disubstituted 1,3,4-oxadiazoles

Unsymmetrically 2,5-disubstituted 1,3,4-oxadiazoles were efficiently synthesized from the cyclization-oxidation reaction of acyl hydrazones. Also, the synthesis of the title compounds was achieved by the condensation of acyl hydrazides and aromatic aldehydes in the presence of ceric ammonium nitrate in dichloromethane.     

Functional monomers and polymers 159 synthesis and photochemical reactions of polymers containing thymine photodimer units in the main chain

Polyamides containing thymine photodimer units in the main chain were synthesized, and their photolysis by ultraviolet irradiation below 260 nm were studied in film state. Photodimers of thymine derivatives were obtained by photochemical reaction of the carboxylic acid derivatives of thymine in aqueous solution irradiated above 270 nm. An attempt was made to resolve the isomers of the photodimers, and the two kinds of cis isomers [cis–syn(head to head), and cis–anti(head to tail)] were isolated successfully. The polyamides were prepared by condensation of the photodimers with diamine using an activated ester method. The photodissociation of the thymine photodimer in the polymer main chain caused the breakage of the polymer chains, leading to the production of oligomers and dimer compounds containing thymine bases at the ends of the molecule. The dissociation rate of the polymer did not depend on the kind of the thymine photodimer which was in the main chain of the polymer.     

Catalyst-free,aqueous and highly diastereoselective synthesis of new 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles via a multi-component domino Knoevenagel condensation/1,3 dipolar cycloaddition reaction

An approach for the synthesis of new 5-substituted-tetrazoles via multi-component domino Knoevenagel condensation/1,3 dipolar cycloaddition reaction of carbonyl compounds, malononitrile and sodium azide in water without assistance of any catalyst has been reported. This general protocol provides a wide variety of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles in good yields under mild reaction conditions.     

Enantioselective Diethylzinc Addition to Aromatic Aldehydes Catalyzed by Novel Ti(IV) Complex of Three-Dentate Chiral Sulfonamide Ligands

The synthesis of several novel three-dentate sulfonamide alcohol ligands is described, starting from camphorsulfonyl chloride. The influence of temperature and ligand structure on the asymmetric addition of dietylzinc to aromatic aldehydes has been studied. Enantioselectivities up to 76% have been obtained.