Optimal allocation of carbon credits to emitting agents in a carbon economy

Reduction of carbon emissions is of paramount importance in the context of global warming. Countries and global companies are now engaged in understanding systematic ways of achieving well defined emission targets. In fact, carbon credits have become significant and strategic instruments of finance for countries and global companies. In this paper, we formulate and suggest a solution to the carbon allocation problem, which involves determining a cost minimizing allocation of carbon credits among different emitting agents. We address this challenge in the context of a global company which is faced with the challenge of determining an allocation of carbon credit caps among its divisions in a cost effective way. The problem is formulated as a reverse auction problem where the company plays the role of a buyer or carbon planning authority and the different divisions within the company are the emitting agents that specify cost curves for carbon credit reductions. Two natural variants of the problem: (a) with unlimited budget and (b) with limited budget are considered. Suitable assumptions are made on the cost curves and in each of the two cases we show that the resulting problem formulation is a knapsack problem that can be solved optimally using a greedy heuristic. The solution of the allocation problem provides critical decision support to global companies engaged seriously in green programs.

Fluorescent metal-organic framework for selective sensing of nitroaromatic explosives

Highly luminescent micrometre-sized fine particles of a Zn(II) metal-organic framework (MOF) of a new pi-electron rich tricarboxylate dispersed in ethanol is demonstrated as a selective sensory material for the detection of nitroaromatic explosives via a fluorescence quenching mechanism.

Design, synthesis and docking studies of new quinoline-3-carbohydrazide derivatives as antitubercular agents

Three new series of 4-hydroxy-8-trifluoromethyl-quinoline derivatives were synthesized through multi step reactions. All the newly synthesized compounds were characterized by spectral and elemental analyses. The structure of 5j was evidenced by X-ray crystallographic study. The newly synthesized title compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities including antimycobacterial activity. Amongst the tested compounds, 5b, 5e, 5h, 5j, 6c and 7c displayed promising antimicrobial activity. The mode of action of these active compounds was carried out by docking of receptor enoyl-ACP reductase with newly synthesized candidate ligands, 5b, 5e, 5h, 5j and 6c. (C) 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Characterization of Major Zinc Containing Myonecrotic and Procoagulant Metalloprotease `Malabarin' from Non Lethal Trimeresurus malabaricus Snake Venom with Thrombin Like Activity: Its Neutralization by Chelating Agents

A major myonecrotic zinc containing metalloprotease `malabarin' with thrombin like activity was purified by the combination of gel permeation and anion exchange chromatography from T. malabaricus snake venom. MALDI-TOF analysis of malabarin indicated a molecular mass of 45.76 kDa and its N-terminal sequence was found to be Ile-Ile-Leu-Pro(Leu)-Ile-Gly-Val-Ile-Leu(Glu)-Thr-Thr. Atomic absorption spectral analysis of malabarin raveled the association of zinc metal ion. Malabarin is not lethal when injected i.p. or i.m. but causes extensive hemorrhage and degradation of muscle tissue within 24 hours. Sections of muscle tissue under light microscope revealed hemorrhage and congestion of blood vessel during initial stage followed by extensive muscle fiber necrosis with elevated levels of serum creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activity. Malabarin also exhibited strong procoagulant action and its procoagulant action is due to thrombin like activity; it hydrolyzes fibrinogen to form fibrin clot. The enzyme preferentially hydrolyzes A alpha followed by B beta subunits of fibrinogen from the N-terminal region and the released products were identified as fibrinopeptide A and fibrinopeptide B by MALDI. The myonecrotic, fibrinogenolytic and subsequent procoagulant activities of malabarin was neutralized by specific metalloprotease inhibitors such as EDTA, EGTA and 1, 10-phenanthroline but not by PMSF a specific serine protease inhibitor. Since there is no antivenom available to neutralize local toxicity caused by T. malabaricus snakebite, EDTA chelation therapy may have more clinical relevance over conventional treatment.

Highly fluorescent GFPm2+-based genome integration-proficient promoter probe vector to study Mycobacterium tuberculosis promoters in infected macrophages

Study of activity of cloned promoters in slow-growing Mycobacterium tuberculosis during long-term growth conditions in vitro or inside macrophages, requires a genome-integration proficient promoter probe vector, which can be stably maintained even without antibiotics, carrying a substrate-independent, easily scorable and highly sensitive reporter gene. In order to meet this requirement, we constructed pAKMN2, which contains mycobacterial codon-optimized gfpm2+ gene, coding for GFPm2+ of highest fluorescence reported till date, mycobacteriophage L5 attP-int sequence for genome integration, and a multiple cloning site. pAKMN2 showed stable integration and expression of GFPm2+ from M. tuberculosis and M. smegmatis genome. Expression of GFPm2+, driven by the cloned minimal promoters of M. tuberculosis cell division gene, ftsZ (MtftsZ), could be detected in the M. tuberculosis/pAKMN2-promoter integrants, growing at exponential phase in defined medium in vitro and inside macrophages. Stable expression from genome-integrated format even without antibiotic, and high sensitivity of detection by flow cytometry and fluorescence imaging, in spite of single copy integration, make pAKMN2 useful for the study of cloned promoters of any mycobacterial species under long-term in vitro growth or stress conditions, or inside macrophages.

Evaluation of physico-mechanical properties and in vitro biocompatibility of compression molded HDPE based biocomposites with HA/Al2O3 ceramic fillers and titanate coupling agents

The present article demonstrates how the stiffness, hardness as well as the cellular response of bioinert high-density polyethylene (HDPE) can be significantly improved with combined addition of both bioinert and bioactive ceramic fillers. For this purpose, different amounts of hydroxyapatite and alumina, limited to a total of 40 wt %, have been incorporated in HDPE matrix. An important step in composite fabrication was to select appropriate solvent and optimal addition of coupling agent (CA). In case of chemically coupled composites, 2% Titanium IV, 2-propanolato, tris iso-octadecanoato-O was used as a CA. All the hybrid composites, except monolithic HDPE, were fabricated under optimized compression molding condition (140 degrees C, 0.75 h, 10 MPa pressure). The compression molded composites were characterized, using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Importantly, in vitro cell culture and cell viability study (MTT) using L929 fibroblast and SaOS2 osteoblast-like cells confirmed good cytocompatibility properties of the developed hybrid composites. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

Ferrocene-Conjugated Oxidovanadium(IV) Complexes as Potent Near-IR Light Photocytotoxic Agents

Ferrocene-conjugated oxidovanadium(IV) complexes [VO(Fc-tpy)(B)](ClO4)(2) (1-4) and [VO(Ph-tpy)(dppz)](ClO4)(2) (5) as a control [Fc = (eta(5)-C5H4)Fe-II(eta(5)-C5H5), Fc-tpy = 4'-ferrocenyl-2,2':6',2 `'-terpyridine, Ph-tpy = 4'-phenyl-2,2':6',2 `'-terpyridine, B = heterocyclic base: 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy in 1), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen in 2), dipyridoquinoxaline (dpq in 3), dipyridophenazine (dppz in 4)] were prepared and their DNA binding, DNA photocleavage activity and photocytotoxicity studied. The crystal structure of [VO(Fc-tpy)(bpy)](PF6)(2)center dot 3Me(2)CO shows a vanadyl group in six-coordinate (VON5)-O-IV coordination geometry, in which Fc-tpy and bpy display tridentate meridional and bidentate N-donor axial-equatorial binding modes, respectively. The one-electron paramagnetic complexes exhibit a charge-transfer band near 590 nm in DMF. The V-IV/V-III redox couple in 1-4 appears near -0.7 V, whereas the Fc moiety shows a response near 0.6 V vs. SCE in DMF/0.1 M TBAP. The complexes are good binders to calf thymus DNA with K-b values of 10(4)-10(6) M-1. DNA melting and viscometric data suggest groove and/or partial intercalative DNA binding of the complexes. Complexes 3-5 display DNA photocleavage activity in nearIR light of 785 nm. Complex 4 shows significant photocytotoxicity in visible light (400-700 nm) in HeLa cells with low dark toxicity.

Design, synthesis of some new (2-aminothiazol-4-yl)methylester derivatives as possible antimicrobial and antitubercular agents

A series of (2-aminothiazol-4-yl)methylester (5a-t) derivatives were synthesized in good yields and characterized by H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, mass spectral and elemental analyses. The crystal structure of 5a was evidenced by X-ray diffraction study. The compounds were evaluated for their preliminary in vitro antibacterial, antifungal activity and were screened for antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain. The synthesized compounds displayed interesting antimicrobial activity. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Fluoranthene based fluorescent chemosensors for detection of explosive nitroaromatics

A novel fluoranthene based fluorescent chemosensor for the detection of picric acid (PA) at the parts per billion (ppb) level was evaluated. Static fluorescence quenching was the dominant process by intercalative pi-pi interaction between fluoranthene (S-1) and nitroaromatics.