A Review on the Main Phytoconstituents,Traditional Uses,Inventions, and Patent Literature of Gum Arabic Emphasizing Acacia seyal

Acacia seyal is an important source of gum Arabic. The availability, traditional, medicinal, pharmaceutical, nutritional, and cosmetic applications of gum acacia have pronounced its high economic value and attracted global attention. In addition to summarizing the inventions/patents applications related to gum A. seyal, the present review highlights recent updates regarding its phytoconstituents. Traditional, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and medicinal uses with the possible mechanism of actions have been also reviewed. The patent search revealed the identification of 30 patents/patent applications of A. seyal. The first patent related to A. seyal was published in 1892, which was related to its use in the prophylaxis/treatment of kidney and bladder affections. The use of A. seyal to treat cancer and osteoporosis has also been patented. Some inventions provided compositions and formulations containing A. seyal or its ingredients for pharmaceutical and medical applications. The inventions related to agricultural applications, food industry, cosmetics, quality control of gum Arabic, and isolation of some chemical constituents (L-rhamnose and arabinose) from A. seyal have also been summarized. The identification of only 30 patents/patent applications from 1892 to 15 November 2021 indicates a steadily growing interest and encourages developing more inventions related to A. seyal. The authors recommend exploring these opportunities for the benefit of society.     

Soyasapogenol-B as a Potential Multitarget Therapeutic Agent for Neurodegenerative Disorders: Molecular Docking and Dynamics Study

Neurodegenerative disorders involve various pathophysiological pathways, and finding a solution for these issues is still an uphill task for the scientific community. In the present study, a combination of molecular docking and dynamics approaches was applied to target different pathways leading to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Initially, abrineurin natural inducers were screened using physicochemical properties and toxicity assessment. Out of five screened compounds, a pentacyclic triterpenoid, i.e., Soyasapogenol B appeared to be the most promising after molecular docking and simulation analysis. Soyasapogenol B showed low TPSA (60.69), high absorption (82.6%), no Lipinski rule violation, and no toxicity. Docking interaction analysis revealed that Soyasapogenol B bound effectively to all of the targeted proteins (AChE, BuChE MAO-A, MAO-B, GSK3β, and NMDA), in contrast to other screened abrineurin natural inducers and inhibitors. Importantly, Soyasapogenol B bound to active site residues of the targeted proteins in a similar pattern to the native ligand inhibitor. Further, 100 ns molecular dynamics simulations analysis showed that Soyasapogenol B formed stable complexes against all of the targeted proteins. RMSD analysis showed that the Soyasapogenol B–protein complex exhibited average RMSD values of 1.94 Å, 2.11 Å, 5.07 Å, 2.56 Å, 3.83 Å and 4.07 Å. Furthermore, the RMSF analysis and secondary structure analysis also indicated the stability of the Soyasapogenol B–protein complexes.     

A dimeric copper coumarin complex: synthesis and crystal structure of [{Cu(4-methyl-7-(salicylideneamino)coumarin)2}2]

A binuclear copper complex [{Cu(L)₂}₂], C₆₈H₄₈Cu₂N₄O₁₂C (where L is 4-methyl-7-(salicylideneamino)coumarin), has been synthesized and characterized using elemental analysis, molar conductance measurements, and infrared, ultraviolet and ESR spectrosopy. The molecular structure of title compound, determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies, reveals that the two symmetric Cu(L)2 units are associated into a dimer by rather long Cu...O bonds. The Cu(II) ions are bridged via the phenolic oxygen of one of the monomers and have distorted trigonal bipyramidal conformation geometry. Within each monomer the two methylsubstituted coumarin skeletons are trans to one another, but adopt a parallel arrangement with respect to the other monomer. Only half of the complex molecule can be found in the asymmetric unit, Z′ = 0.5, the other half is generated by the symmetry centre.      

Interaction of double-stranded DNA inside single-walled carbon nanotubes

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the genetic material for all living organisms, and as a nanostructure offers the means to create novel nanoscale devices. In this paper, we investigate the interaction of deoxyribonucleic acid inside single-walled carbon nanotubes. Using classical applied mathematical modeling, we derive explicit analytical expressions for the encapsulation of DNA inside single-walled carbon nanotubes. We adopt the 6–12 Lennard–Jones potential function together with the continuous approach to determine the preferred minimum energy position of the dsDNA molecule inside a single-walled carbon nanotube, so as to predict its location with reference to the cross-section of the carbon nanotube. An analytical expression is obtained in terms of hypergeometric functions which provides a computationally rapid procedure to determine critical numerical values. We observe that the double-strand DNA can be encapsulated inside a single-walled carbon nanotube with a radius larger than 12.30 ?, and we show that the optimal single-walled carbon nanotube to enclose a double-stranded DNA has radius 12.8 ?.     

Thermal degradation and evolved gas analysis of thiourea-formaldehyde resin (TFR) during pyrolysis and combustion

Thiourea formaldehyde resin (TFR) has been synthesized by condensation of thiourea and formaldehyde in acidic medium and its thermal degradation has been investigated using TG-FTIR-MS technique during pyrolysis and combustion. The results revealed that the thermal decomposition of TFR occurs in three steps assigned to drying of the sample, fast thermal decomposition of polymers, and further cracking. The similar TG and DTG characteristics were found for the first two stages during pyrolysis and combustion. The combustion process was almost finished at 680?°C, while during pyrolysis a total mass loss of 93 wt% is found at 950?°C. The release of volatile products during pyrolysis are NH₃, CS₂, CO, HCN, HNCS, and NH₂CN. The main products in the second stage are NH₃ CO₂, CS₂, SO₂, and H₂O during combustion. In the next stage, the combustion products mentioned above keep on increasing, but some new volatiles such as HCN, COS etc., are identified. Among the above volatiles, CO₂ is the dominant gaseous product in the whole combustion process. It is found that the thermal degradation during pyrolysis of TFR produced more hazardous gases like HCN, NH₃, and CO when compared with combustion in similar conditions.     

Optical Soliton Perturbation with Generalized Quadratic–Cubic Nonlinearity by Semi-Inverse Variation

Optics and Spectroscopy - The current work recovers a perturbed bright 1-soliton solution to the governing model that maintains generalized quadratic–cubic nonlinearity. The perturbation...     

Hierarchical Tubular Architecture Constructed by Vertically Aligned CoS2-MoS2 Nanosheets for Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalysis

Developing efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for establishing a sustainable and environmentally friendly energy system, but it is still a challenging issue. Herein, hierarchical tubular-structured CoS₂-MoS₂/C as efficient electrocatalysts are fabricated through a unique metal–organic framework (MOF) mediated self-sacrificial templating. Core–shell structured MoO₃@ZIF-67 nanorods are used both as a precursor and a sacrificial template to form the one-dimensional tubular heterostructure where vertically aligned two-dimensional CoS₂-MoS₂ nanosheets are formed on the MOF-derived carbon tube. Trace amounts of noble metals (Pd, Rh, and Ru) are successfully introduced to enhance the electrocatalytic property of the CoS₂-MoS₂/C nanocomposites. The as-synthesized hierarchical tubular heterostructures exhibit excellent HER catalytic performance owing to the merits of the hierarchical hollow architecture with abundantly exposed edges and the uniformly dispersed active sites. Impressively, the optimal Pd-CoS₂-MoS₂/C-600 catalyst delivers a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² at a low overpotential of 144 mV and a small Tafel slope of 59.9 mV/dec in 0.5 m H₂SO₄. Overall, this MOF-mediated strategy can be extended to the rational design and synthesis of other hollow heterogeneous catalysts for scalable hydrogen generation.     

ATP‐Mediated Transient Behavior of Stomatocyte Nanosystems

In nature, dynamic processes are ubiquitous and often characterized by adaptive, transient behavior. Herein, we present the development of a transient bowl‐shaped nanoreactor system, or stomatocyte, the properties of which are mediated by molecular interactions. In a stepwise fashion, we couple motility to a dynamic process, which is maintained by transient events; namely, binding and unbinding of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The surface of the nanosystem is decorated with polylysine (PLL), and regulation is achieved by addition of ATP. The dynamic interaction between PLL and ATP leads to an increase in the hydrophobicity of the PLL–ATP complex and subsequently to a collapse of the polymer; this causes a narrowing of the opening of the stomatocytes. The presence of the apyrase, which hydrolyzes ATP, leads to a decrease of the ATP concentration, decomplexation of PLL, and reopening of the stomatocyte. The competition between ATP input and consumption gives rise to a transient state that is controlled by the out‐of‐equilibrium process.     

A Highly Energetic N‐Rich Metal–Organic Framework as a New High‐Energy‐Density Material

Metal–organic framework (MOF)‐based energetic material [Cu₃(MA)₂(N₃)₃] ( 1 ; MA=melamine) was synthesized and structurally characterized (47.55 % N). The structural analysis revealed the existence of unusual multiwalled tubular channels and interweaving of single and double helical units in 1 . The standard molar enthalpy of formation was found to be 1788.73 kJ mol^?1, which is the highest value among previously reported MOF‐based energetic materials. The calculated detonation properties showed that 1 can be used as a potential explosive. Sensitivity tests revealed that 1 is insensitive and thus can function as a high‐energy‐density material with a favorable level of safety.