On Einstein four-manifolds with <Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis><Superscript>1</Superscript>-actions

We study closed Einstein 4-manifolds which admit S¹ actions of a certain type, i.e., warped products. In particular, we classify them up to isometry when the fixed point of the S¹ action satisfies certain natural geometric conditions. The proof uses the Bochner-Weitzenböck formula for 1-forms and the theory of minimal surfaces in 3-manifolds.in final form: 22 January 2003     

Multi-Item Scheduling by Benders' Decomposition

Scheduling the production of several items requires the determination of production quantities in different periods in the presence of resource constraints. Several approximate and heuristic algorithms have been proposed to solve this problem. However, no method for finding an optimal solution has as yet been developed. It is shown that the problem may be solved advantageously using Benders' decomposition. The subproblem in Benders' decomposition is shown to be a transportation problem, and some strategies for solving the master problem are indicated. The paper concludes with a sample problem demonstrating the application of the method.     

LC–MS Determination of Gabapentin from Human Plasma

Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant drug used for the treatment of epilepsy. It is not bound to plasma protein and is not metabolized. A high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometric micro method is described in this report for its determination from human plasma. Chromatography was performed on a 50 × 4.6 mm, 4 μm nitrile column and the parent ion detected in the positive ionization mode on single quadrupole analyzer (Q1MI) with atmospheric pressure ionization source. Extraction was carried out on C₁₈, 100 mg/3cc cartridge using 10 μL sample volume. The mean extraction recovery was 97% and within batch and between batch coefficients of variation were <9%. Lack of interference from endogenous substances helped in achieving a highly sensitive method without the need for monitoring fragment ions. The lowest concentration injected on column for calibration curve was 195 pg (range 0.5–64 ng). The method was applied for analysis of samples from a cross-over bio-equivalence study comparing two formulations.     

An efficient, rapid and regioselective nuclear bromination of aromatics and heteroaromatics with NBS using sulfonic-acid-functionalized silica as a heterogeneous recyclable catalyst

A simple, efficient and rapid method has been developed for high-yielding regioselective nuclear monobromination of aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds using NBS in the presence of sulfonic-acid-functionalized silica at room temperature. The catalyst works under heterogeneous conditions and can be recycled.     

Cellulose acetate and polyethersulfone blend ultrafiltration membranes. Part I: Preparation and characterizations

The overall objective of this investigation is to achieve high‐performance membranes with respect to flux and rejection characteristics, with an interplay of blending polymers having desired qualities. Thus, cellulose diacetate and polyethersulfone as candidate materials, in the presence of polyethylene glycol 600 as a pore forming agent, were blended in 100/0, 95/5, 90/10, 85/15, 80,20 and 75/25% compositions using N,N′‐dimethylformamide as solvent and membranes were prepared by the phase inversion technique. Polymer blend composition, additive concentration, and casting and gelation conditions were standardized for the preparation of asymmetric membranes with various pore statistics and morphology. These blend membranes were characterized for compaction in ultrafiltration experiments at 414 kPa pressure in order to attain steady state flux and is reached within 4–5 hr. The pure water flux was measured at 345 kPa pressure and is determined largely by the composition of polyethersulfone and additive concentration. The flux was found to reach the highest values of 66.5 and 275 1/(cm² hr) at 0 and 10 wt% additive concentrations respectively, at 25% SPS content of the blend. Membrane hydraulic resistance derived by measuring water flux at various transmembrane pressure and by using an algorithm was found to be inversely proportional to pure water flux. Water content is estimated by simple drying and weighing procedures and found proportional to pure water flux for all the membranes. The molecular weight cut‐offs (MWCOs) of different membranes were determined with proteins of different molecular weights and found to vary from 20–69 kDa (globular proteins) depending on the PEG and SPS content in the casting dope. Skin surface porosity of the membranes were analyzed by scanning the frozen membrane samples using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at different magnifications. The surface porosity is in direct correlation to the MWCO derived from solute retention experiments. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transition metal chemistry of oxime-containing ligands,VI: magnetic and structural properties of mono (pyridine-2-aldoxime) dithiocyanato iron (II) and mono (6-methylpyridine-2-aldoxime) dithiocyanato iron (II) complexes

The complexes of pyridine-2-aldoxime (HPOX) and 6-methylpyridine-2-aldoxime (HMPX) with iron (II) thiocyanate of the type [Fe(L)(NCS)₂] (L=HPOX and HMPX) have been prepared and characterized. A study of X-ray, magnetic, vibrational spectra (conventional and far-infrared), electronic spectra andMössbauer spectra has indicated that these complexes have polymeric, pseudo octahedral, coordination geometry with linear bridging thiocyanate ligands. The electronic spectra of mono complexes show a larger, low symmetry, ligand field than that present in [Fe(L)₂(NCS)₂] complexes. UnperturbedMössbauer spectra show a large quadrupole splitting, E _Q, and smaller isomer shift values in these iron (II) thiocyanate complexes. The magnetically perturbedMössbauer spectra of these iron(II) thiocyanate complexes at room temperature show that the principal component of the electric field gradient tensor is positive and corresponds to ad _xy (⁵B₂) ground state.With 2 Figures     

Temperature Dependent Dielectric Relaxation in Solvent Mixtures at Microwave Frequencies

By the use of time domain reflectometry method, dielectric measurements were carried out on dimethylformamide‐2‐nitrotoluene solvent mixtures in the frequency range 10 MHz‐20 GHz, at various temperatures from 15 °C to 45 °C. These solvent mixtures as well as pure solvents display a Debye type dispersion. Their frequency dependent dielectric properties can be summarized by the three parameters in the Debye equation: a static permittivity, permittivity at high frequency and a dielectric relaxation time constant. The free energy of activation for dipolar relaxation process and the Kirkwood correlation factor were determined using these fitting parameters for these solvent mixtures at various concentrations and temperatures. By using these dielectric parameters, the excess permittivity and excess inverse relaxation time is obtained. The excess permittivity is found to be positive for all concentrations and temperatures whereas the excess inverse relaxation time is negative.     

A Sensitive HPTLC Method for Estimation of Amentoflavone,a Bioactive Principle from Biophytum sensitivum (Linn.) DC. and Putranjiva roxburghii Wall.

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - A sensitive high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method has been developed for estimation of amentoflavone, an...