Spectrophotometric determination of molybdenum(VI)

Molybdenum(IV) gives a red colour with ammonium thiocyanate in 5-8M hydrochloric acid medium, the Sandell sensitivity index being 0.018 ppm Mo(VI)/cm(2). Molybdenum(VI) in 4-7M hydrochloric acid medium forms a red complex with ethyl xanthate and ammonium thiocyanate and this can be extracted into acetophenone. Beer's law is obeyed over the range of 1.2-13.8 ppm, and the Sandell indices at 370 and 470 nm are 0.0016 and 0.0068 ppm/cm(2) respectively. The colour is stable for 40 hr. Most cations do not interfere.     

Spectrophotometric determination of molybdenum(VI) with 2-mercaptobenzo-γ-thiopyrone and ammonium thiocyanate

Molybdenum(VI) in 1.4–3.6 M hydrochloric acid medium forms an acetophenone-extractable orange-red complex with the potassium salt of 2-mercapto-benzo-γ-thiopyrone and ammonium thiocyanate in the presence of tin(II) chloride. The limit of identification of the spot test based on this reaction is 0.1 μg of molybdenum (dilution limit, 1:1·10⁶). The spectrophotometric method is fairly selective, the sensitivity being 0.005μg Mo cm^-2 at 470 nm. The colour system obeys Beer's law; the optimal concentration range is 0.75–8.5 μg Mo ml^-1, the relative photometric error being 1.675%. The complex is stable for over 24 h. Common ions can be tolerated in amounts greater than 1000-fold. Interferences of Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Ag⁺ are avoided by complexing these ions with 2-mercaptobenzo-γ-thiopyrone at pH 6–10 and extracting with ethyl acetate or chloroform. The proposed method is applied to the determination of molybdenum in steel and in artificial mixtures.     

Euphorbiasteroid Abrogates EGFR and Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cells to Impart Anticancer Activity

EGFR and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways play a prominent role in tumor progression in various human cancers including non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Transactivation and crosstalk between the EGFR and Wnt/β-catenin pathways may contribute to the aggressiveness of cancers. Targeting these oncogenic pathways with small molecules is an attractive approach to counteract various types of cancers. In this study, we demonstrate the effect of euphorbiasteroid (EPBS) on the EGFR and Wnt/β-catenin pathways in NSCLC cells. EPBS induced preferential cytotoxicity toward A549 (wildtype EGFR-expressing) cells over PC-9 (mutant EGFR-expressing) cells. EPBS suppressed the expression of EGFR, Wnt3a, β-catenin, and FZD-1, and the reduction in β-catenin levels was found to be mediated through the activation of GSK-3β. EPBS reduced the phosphorylation of GSK-3β^S9 with a parallel increase in β-TrCP and phosphorylation of GSK-3β^Y216. Lithium chloride treatment increased the phosphorylation of GSK-3β^S9 and nuclear localization of β-catenin, whereas EPBS reverted these effects. Forced expression or depletion of EGFR in NSCLC cells increased or decreased the levels of Wnt3a, β-catenin, and FZD-1, respectively. Overall, EPBS abrogates EGFR and Wnt/β-catenin pathways to impart its anticancer activity in NSCLC cells.     

Time series model for GLWB with surrender benefit and stochastic interest rate: Dynamic withdrawal approach

This study investigates the pricing problem of a variable annuity (VA) contract embedded with a guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit (GLWB) rider. VAs are annuities in which the value is linked to a bond and equity sub-account fund. The guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit rider regularly provides a series of payments to the policyholder for the term of the policy while he/she is alive, regardless of portfolio performance. At the time of the policyholder's death, the remaining fund value is given to his nominee. Therefore, proper fund modeling is critical in the pricing of VA products. Several writers in the literature used a GBM model in which variance is considered to be constant to represent the fund value in a variable annuity contract. However, on the other hand, the returns on financial assets are non-normally distributed in real life. A bit much Kurtosis, leverage effect, and Non-zero Skewness characterize the returns. The generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedastic (GARCH) models are also used for presenting a discrete framework for the pricing of GLWB. Still, the interest rate was kept constant without including the surrender benefit and the static withdrawal approach, which keeps the model far from the real scenario. Thus, in this research, the generalized GARCH models are used with surrender benefit and dynamic withdrawal strategy to develop a time series model for the pricing of annuity that overcomes the constraints of previous models. A numerical illustration and sensitivity analysis are used to examine the suggested model.     

Studies on the interactions of polymer-anchored copper(II) complexes with tRNA

The binding interactions between tRNA and polyethyleneimine-anchored copper(II) complexes with 1,10-phenanthroline and 2,2′-bipyridine ligands and varying degrees of coordination have been studied using physico-chemical techniques. In both sets of polyethyleneimine-anchored complexes, the complexes with higher degree of coordination bind more strongly to tRNA than those with lower degree of coordination. Binding to tRNA appears to be mainly electrostatic in nature.     

Elucidation of efficient dual performance in photodegradation and antibacterial activity by a promising candidate Ni-doped MoO3 nanostructure

Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology - In the present work, Nickel doped Molybdenum trioxide (NixMoO3) where Ni = X (X = 5, 10, and 15%) nanoparticles (NPs) were...     

Bifunctional coordination polymers as efficient catalysts for carbon dioxide conversion

The multidentate ligand H₂ L upon complexation with Zn (II) and Cd (II) provide a one‐dimensional polymeric networks. These coordination polymers (CPs) CP‐1 and CP‐2 containing Zn (II) and Cd (II) metals respectively are well characterized. The single crystal structural analysis confirms the formation of one‐dimensional coordination polymer with zigzag fashion in CP‐1 and ladder chain CP‐2 . Both the CPs are applied as catalysts to synthesize various cyclic carbonates from epoxides and carbon dioxide. The catalysts are giving better conversion under solvent‐free and additive‐free condition using 10 bar CO₂ and 100 °C as optimized pressure and temperature. The detailed kinetic experiments suggesting the first order kinetics, the energy of activation (Ea) is calculated for this catalytic conversion.     

Construction of anion‐responsive crosslinked polypseudorotaxane based on molecular recognition of pillar[5]arene

A pillar[5]arene pendant polymer (Poly‐P[5]A) is synthesized via ROMP using Grubb's first‐generation catalyst. GPC analysis of the polymer suggested ~30 pendant pillar[5]arene units in the polymer. Supramolecular polypseudorotaxane assembly is constructed by intermolecularly crosslinking pendant pillar[5]arene units using a bispyridinium guest via host–guest complexation. Formation of the polypseudorotaxane assembly is characterized by 1D/2D NMR techniques and DLS analysis. Moreover, anion‐responsiveness of the polypseudorotaxane assembly is demonstrated by ¹H NMR spectroscopic analysis using chloride anion as external stimulus. Scanning electron microscopic analysis of the poly‐P[5]A showed breath‐figure assembly and upon crosslinking with G.2PF₆ the polymer self‐assemble to give a supramolecular polymer network. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 1508–1515     

Multielemental characterisation of cobalt by glow discharge quadrupole mass spectrometry

Multielemental determination and the assessment of purity of cobalt metal used in the preparation of Ni-based super-alloys have been carried out by glow discharge quadrupole mass spectrometry (GD-QMS). Relative sensitivity factors (RSF) generated from certified iron matrix reference samples (NIST 663 and 664 low alloy steel pin standards) could be used for the determination of different trace element constituents of the sample. Different wet chemical procedures were also carried out for the determination of the trace constituents in the sample. The GD-QMS results are in reasonably good agreement with those obtained from wet chemical procedures, validating the use of the RSF values generated on low alloy steel standards for the computation of trace element concentrations in cobalt metal. A variety of molecular ions formed through the reaction of cobalt (matrix) with the discharge gas (argon) were also detected.     

Robust stability analysis of stochastic neural networks with Markovian jumping parameters and probabilistic time‐varying delays

This article discusses the issue of robust stability analysis for a class of Markovian jumping stochastic neural networks (NNs) with probabilistic time‐varying delays. The jumping parameters are represented as a continuous‐time discrete‐state Markov chain. Using the stochastic stability theory, properties of Brownian motion, the information of probabilistic time‐varying delay, the generalized Ito's formula, and linear matrix inequality (LMI) technique, some novel sufficient conditions are obtained to guarantee the stochastical stability of the given NNs. In particular, the activation functions considered in this article are reasonably general in view of the fact that they may depend on Markovian jump parameters and they are more general than those usual Lipschitz conditions. The main features of this article are described in the following: first one is that, based on generalized Finsler lemma, some improved delay‐dependent stability criteria are established and the second one is that the nonlinear stochastic perturbation acting on the system satisfies a class of Lipschitz linear growth conditions. By resorting to the Lyapunov–Krasovskii stability theory and the stochastic analysis tools, sufficient stability conditions are established using an efficient LMI approach. Finally, two numerical examples and its simulations are given to demonstrate the usefulness and effectiveness of the proposed results. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 59–72, 2016