rac-2-Amino-1,2-diphenyl­ethanol

In the title compound, C14H15NO, the torsion angle about the two Csp 3 atoms adopts a partially eclipsed conformation [−61.5 (1)°]. The dihedral angle between the two rings is 48.1 (1)°. In the crystal, the mol­ecules are connected by O—H⋯N and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into zigzag chains running along [010]. One of the amino H atoms is not involved in hydrogen bonding

rac-2-Methyl­amino-1,2-diphenyl­ethanol

The dihedral angle between the two phenyl rings in the title compound, C15H17NO, is 52.9 (1)°. In the crystal, the mol­ecules are connected by O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds into centrosymmetric dimers. The amino H atom is not involved in hydrogen bonding

3,3-Dieth­oxy-5-fluoro-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-2-one

The title ketal, C12H14FNO3, crystallized with two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit. In each molecule the fused ring system is essentially planar [maximum deviations of 0.0169 (11) and 0.0402 (13) Å]. The mol­ecules are each hydrogen bonded across a center of inversion into a dimer; adjacent dimers are linked by another N—H⋯O hydrogen bond, forming a chain running along [100]

Experimental Investigation of Metal-Based Calixarenes as Dispersed Catalyst Precursors for Heavy Oil Hydrocracking

Slurry-phase hydrocracking utilizing metal-containing oil-soluble compounds as precursors of dispersed catalysts is an effective approach for heavy oil upgrading. We propose applying metal-based p-tert-butylcalix[6]arene (TBC[6]s) organic species as dispersed catalyst precursors to enhance catalytic hydrogenation reactions involved in the upgrading of vacuum gas oil (VGO). Co- and Ni-based TBC[6]s were synthesized and characterized by SEM-EDX, ICP, XRD, and FT-IR. The thermogravimetric and calorimetric behaviors of the synthesized complexes, which are key properties of dispersed hydrocracking catalysts, were also explored. The experimental evaluation of the synthesized catalyst precursors show that the synthesized metal-based TBC[6] catalyst precursors improved the catalytic hydrogenation reactions. A co-catalytic system was also investigated by adding a commercial, first-stage hydrocracking supported catalyst in addition to the dispersed catalysts. The naphtha yields increased from 10.7 wt.% for the supported catalyst to 11.7 wt.% and 12 wt.% after adding it along with Ni-TBC[6] and Co-TBC[6], respectively. Mixing the metal-based precursors resulted in elevated yields of liquid products due to the in situ generation of highly active Co–Ni bimetallic dispersed catalysts.This research was funded by Deanship of Research Oversight and Coordination (DROC) at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), grant number DF181018

Synthesis, Antiviral, and Antimicrobial Evaluation of Benzyl Protected Diversified C-nucleosides

Formyl glycals are the versatile synthetic intermediates and can serves as precursor for the synthesis of various C and N-nucleosides. Due to the presence of electron donating and electron withdrawing character on formyl sugars which makes the molecule more susceptible to nucleophilic attack. Utilizing same strategy, we propose the synthesis of diversified C-nucleosides (3-14) by reaction with N,N dinucleophiles. These nucleoside analogs were than tested against viral, bacterial and fungal strains

A neoclerodane orthoester and other new neoclerodane diterpenoids from Teucrium yemense chemistry and effect on secretion of insulin

Teucrium yemense, a medicinal plant commonly grown in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, is traditionally used to treat infections, kidney diseases, rheumatism, and diabetes. Extraction of the dried aerial parts of the plant with methanol, followed by further extraction with butanol and chromatography, gave twenty novel neoclerodanes. Their structures, relative confgurations and some conformations were determined by MS and 1-D and 2-D NMR techniques. Most were fairly conventional but one contained an unusual stable orthoester, one had its (C-16)–(C-13)–(C-14)–(C-15) (tetrahydro)furan unit present as a succinic anhydride and one had a rearranged carbon skeleton resulting from ring-contraction to give a central octahydroindene bicyclic core, rather than the usual decalin. Mechanisms are proposed for the biosynthetic formation of the orthoester and for the ring-contraction. Four novel neoclerodanes increased the glucose-triggered release of insulin from isolated murine pancreatic islets by more than the standard drug tolbutamide, showing that they are potential leads for the development of new anti-diabetic drugs

Differential cartilaginous tissue formation by human synovial membrane, fat pad, meniscus cells and articular chondrocytes

Objective: To identify an appropriate cell source for the generation of meniscus substitutes, among those which would be available by arthroscopy of injured knee joints. Methods: Human inner meniscus cells, fat pad cells (FPC), synovial membrane cells (SMC) and articular chondrocytes (AC) were expanded with or without specific growth factors (Transforming growth factor-betal, Fibroblast growth factor-2 and Plate let-derived growth factor bb, TFP) and then induced to form three-dimensional cartilaginous tissues in pellet cultures, or using a hyaluronan-based scaffold (Hyaff(R)-11), in culture or in nude mice. Human native menisci were assessed as reference. Results: Cell expansion with TFP enhanced glycosaminoglycan (GAG) deposition by all cell types (up to 4.1-fold) and messenger RNA expression of collagen type II by FPC and SMC (up to 472-fold) following pellet culture. In all models, tissues generated by AC contained the highest fractions of GAG (up to 1.9 were positively stained for collagen type II (specific of the inner avascular region of meniscus), type IV (mainly present in the outer vascularized region of meniscus) and types I, III and VI (common to both meniscus regions). Instead, inner meniscus, FPC and SMC developed tissues containing negligible GAG and no detectable collagen type II protein. Tissues generated by AC remained biochemically and phenotypically stable upon ectopic implantation. Conclusions: Under our experimental conditions, only AC generated tissues containing relevant amounts of GAG and with cell phenotypes compatible with those of the inner and outer meniscus regions. Instead, the other investigated cell sources formed tissues resembling only the outer region of meniscus. It remains to be determined whether grafts based on AC will have the ability to reach the complex structural and functional organization typical of meniscus tissue. (C) 2006 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights rese

Impact of transformational leadership, human capital, and job satisfaction on organizational performance in the manufacturing industry

This study aims to examine the factors that affect organizational performance in the manufacturing industry of Bangladesh. This study identifies transformational leadership, human capital, and job satisfaction as significant determinants of organizational performance. The analysis focused on the employees of diverse manufacturing organizations in Bangladesh treated as the targeted population. The data collection was conducted using a survey methodology, wherein a questionnaire was distributed to the participants via postal mail along with a cover letter to enhance comprehension. The ultimate sample consisted of 294 participants, obtained from a pool of 400 individuals who were sent survey questionnaires. The response rate for the survey was 73.5%. Furthermore, a significance level of 5% was employed to assess the hypotheses, and the data pertaining to the research objective of this study were analyzed using SPSS software. The study results indicate that organizational performance is significantly influenced by transformational leadership, human capital, and job satisfaction. These three independent variables explain (R2) 59.6% variance in organizational performance. It is also found that transformational leadership (β-value = 0.443) has the highest impact on the organizational performance of manufacturing firms. This study provides implications for organizational management to improve long-term organizational performance