α-Zirconium phosphate supported metal–salen complex: synthesis,characterization and catalytic activity for cyclohexane oxidation

Metal–salen intercalated α-zirconium phosphate, abbreviated as {α-ZrP·M(Salen), where M = Fe(III) and Mn(II)} was synthesized insitu by the flexible ligand method. The structure of resulting compounds was characterized by BET surface area, powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and UV–visible spectroscopy. The catalytic activity of α-ZrP·M(Salen) was tested for the oxidation of cyclohexane using dry tert-butylhydroperoxide as an oxidant. In the oxidation reaction, cyclohexane was oxidized to cyclohexanol (A), cyclohexanone (K) and some unidentified products. It was found that the reactivity of α-ZrP·Fe(Salen) is greater than α-ZrP·Mn(Salen) in the oxidation reaction. Influence of various reaction parameters viz. reaction temperature, catalyst concentration, substrate to oxidant molar ratio was studied using α-ZrP·Fe(Salen) catalyst to obtain maximum conversion (29.30%) of cyclohexane. The catalyst was reused for five cycles without significant loss of catalytic activity.     

Geometric discord and measurement-induced nonlocality for well known bound entangled states

We employ geometric discord and measurement induced nonlocality to quantify quantumness of some well-known bipartite bound entangled states, namely the two families of Horodecki’s ( $2\otimes 4, 3\otimes 3$ and $4\otimes 4$ dimensional) bound entangled states and that of Bennett et al.’s in $3\otimes 3$ dimension. In most of the cases our results are analytic and both the measures attain relatively small value. The amount of quantumness in the $4\otimes 4$ bound entangled state of Benatti et al. and the $2\otimes 8$ state having the same matrix representation (in computational basis) is same. Coincidently, the $2m\otimes 2m$ Werner and isotropic states also exhibit the same property, when seen as $2\otimes 2m^2$ dimensional states.     

Rotavirus

Rotavirus, the most common diarrheal pathogen in children worldwide, causes approximately one third of diarrhea-associated hospitalizations and 800,000 deaths per year. Because natural infection reduces the incidence and severity of subsequent episodes, rotavirus diarrhea might be controlled through vaccination. Serotypespecific immunity may play a role in protection from disease. Tetravalent rhesus-human reassortant rotavirus vaccine (RRV-TV) (which contains a rhesus rotavirus with serotype G3 specificity and reassortant rhesus-human rotaviruses with G1, G2, and G4 specificity) provides coverage against the four common serotypes of human rotavirus. In clinical trials in industrialized countries, RRV-TV conferred 49% to 68% protection against any rotavirus diarrhea and 61% to 100% protection against severe disease. This vaccine was licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on August 31, 1998, and should be cost-effective in reducing diarrheal diseases in industrialized countries. The vaccine's efficacy and cost-effectiveness in developing countries should be evaluated.     

An uncalibrated lightfield acquisition system

Acquisition of image data for lightfield usually requires an expensive, complex and bulky setup. In this paper, we describe a simple method of acquiring the image data set. The method requires a normal handheld video camera, which is taken around the object to be rendered. We employ homography from the viewing/camera plane to the lightfield plane for obtaining the ray intersections with the lightfield planes. The computations involved are simple and make the method suitable for online lightfield acquisition.     

Comment on “Groverian entanglement measure and evolution of entanglement in search algorithm for n(= 3, 5)-qubit systems with real coefficients” (volume 6, number 4, August 2007), by Arti Chamoli and C. M. Bhandari

We point out that the main results—the analytic expressions for the Groverian measure of entanglement, in the above mentioned paper are erroneous. The technical mistake of the paper is discussed. It is shown by an explicit example that the formula for calculating the Groverian measure yields ${G(|\psi\rangle)=0}We point out that the main results—the analytic expressions for the Groverian measure of entanglement, in the above mentioned paper are erroneous. The technical mistake of the paper is discussed. It is shown by an explicit example that the formula for calculating the Groverian measure yields G(|y?)=0{G(|\psi\rangle)=0} for some entangled states.     

Electrical behaviour of discontinuous silver films deposited on compatible Polystyrene/Poly (2-vinylpyridine) composite

Polystyrene (PS) and Poly (2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) was melt blended. The compatibility of PS/P2VP was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transmission Infrared (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated the single glass transition temperature for the blend. Results of the studies carried out on the electrical behaviour of silver island films deposited on the composite of PS and P2VP are presented here. The substrates were held at 457 K, much above the glass transition temperature of the polymers to ensure sufficient polymer fluidity during deposition, to obtain a sub-surface particulate film. A constant deposition rate of 0.4 nm/s was used through out the study. Silver films deposited on softened PS give rise to a very high room temperature resistance approaching that of the substrate resistance due to the formation of a highly agglomerated structure. On the other hand, films on softened P2VP gives rise to a room temperature resistance in the range of tens to a few hundred MΩ/□ which is desirable for device applications. The composite of PS and P2VP show resistances at room temperature. The films show an increase in resistance, when they are exposed to atmosphere. This is attributed to the oxidation of silver islands. The film resistances in the desired range could be obtained even, after exposure to atmosphere with PS concentration of 50%.     

Study of Mode I Fracture of Graphene Sheets Using Atomistic Based Finite Element Modeling and Virtual Crack Closure Technique

In this letter a finite element based atomistic model is proposed. This model was employed to study the mode I fracture characteristics of graphene monolayers. The proposed model was found to be less numerically intensive with fewer degrees of freedom in comparison to other numerical techniques, such as Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics modeling. An approach based on the virtual crack closure technique was employed to develop the atomistic formulation for estimating strain energy release rates for graphene sheets under opening mode.     

Topical antimicrobials applied to the umbilical cord stump: a new intervention against neonatal tetanus

Primary epididymal malignancies are uncommon, and epididymal adenocarcinomas are exceedingly rare. We report a case of primary adenocarcinoma of the epididymis in a 62-year-old man and review the world literature on epididymal adenocarcinoma.