Synthesis of polyketide-type phenols by domino ‘Michael/retro-Michael/Aldol’ reactions of 3-formylchromones with silyl enol ethers derived from ethyl 3,5-dioxohexanoate

Highly functionalized polyketide-type phenols were prepared by domino ‘Michael/retro-Michael/aldol’ reactions of 3-formylchromones with 1-ethoxy-1,3,5-tris(trimethylsilyloxy)-1,3,5-hexatriene and its synthetic precursor, ethyl 3,5-bis(trimethylsilyloxy)-2,4-hexadienoate.     

New steroidal alkaloids from Sarcococca saligna

Two new steroidal alkaloids, salonine-A [(20S)-20-(N,N-dimethylamino)-3beta-(tigloylamino)-5alpha-pregn-14-en-2beta,4beta-diol] (1), and salonine-B [(20S)-20-(N,N-dimethylamino)-3beta-methoxy-pregn-5,16-diene] (2), were isolated from the MeOH extract of Sarcococca saligna, along with a known base, alkaloid-C (3). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods. All three compounds were found to be cholinesterase inhibitors.     

Three new sesquiterpene hemiacetals from Achillea vermicularis

Three new sesquiterpene hemiacetals, tentatively named as achilleanone (1), vermiculone (2) and vermicularone (3) have been isolated from Achillea vermicularis, along with three other known compounds beta-amyrin, oleonolic acid and beta-sitosterol. The structure elucidation of new compounds was based primarily on two-dimensional (2D) NMR techniques including Nuclear Overhauser Effect/Enhancement (NOE), heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (HMQC), heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC) and nuclear overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) experiments. Compounds 1, 2 and 3 have displayed inhibitory potential against lipoxygenase enzyme in a concentration-dependent fashion with promising IC50 values.     

Cholinesterase inhibiting withanolides from Withania somnifera

A total of two new (1, 2) and four known (3-6) withanolides were isolated from the whole plant of Withania somnifera. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic techniques and were characterized as 6alpha,7alpha-epoxy-3beta,5alpha,20beta-trihydroxy-1-oxowitha-24-enolide (1), 5beta,6beta-epoxy-4beta,17alpha,27-trihydroxy-1-oxowitha-2,24-dienolide (2), withaferin-A (3), 2,3-dihydrowithaferin-A (4), 6alpha,7alpha-epoxy-5alpha,20beta-dihydroxy-1-oxowitha-2,24-dienolide (5), and 5beta,6beta-epoxy-4beta-hydroxy-1-oxowitha-2,14,24-trienolide (6), respectively. Compounds 2, 3, 5, and 6 displayed inhibitory potential against butyrylcholinesterase, but only compounds 3, 4, and 6 were found to be active against acetylcholinesterase.     

New cholinesterase inhibiting bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids from Cocculus pendulus

Phytochemical investigation on Cocculus pendulus (J. R. & G. FORST.) resulted in the isolation of two new and three known bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids. The structures of the new alkaloids, kurramine-2'-beta-N-oxide (1) and kurramine-2'-alpha-N-oxide (2), were elucidated with the help of spectroscopic techniques. The cholinesterase inhibitory activities of these bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids are reported here for the first time.     

SER estimation method for 56 GBaud PAM-4 transmission system

In this Letter, we have proposed a generalized Gaussian probability density function(GGPDF)-based method to estimate the symbol error ratio(SER) for pulse amplitude modulation(PAM-4) in an intensity modulation/direct detection(IM/DD) system. Furthermore, a closed form expression of SERGGDfor PAM-4 has been derived. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated through simulation as well as experimental work.The fitting of probability density functions of the received signal is applied via GGPDF and shape parameters P1 and P2 associated with different PAM-4 levels are determined. The optimum single value of shape parameter P is then calculated to estimate the SER. The mathematical relationship of P with different received optical powers and receiver bandwidths has been determined and verified. The proposed method is a fast and accurate method to estimate SER of a PAM-4 system, which is more reliable and in agreement with the error counting method.     

Analysis of Soil by Magnetic Field Assisted Calibration-Free Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (CF-LIBS) and Laser Ablation – Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (LA-TOF-MS)

The qualitative and quantitative analysis of soil samples collected from Sialkot, Pakistan (which contains leather industrial plants), has been performed using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser ablation time of flight mass spectrometry (LA-TOF-MS). The focused beam of a Q-switched Nd: YAG laser (532?nm) was used to ablate the soil samples in air at atmospheric pressure. The optical emission spectra demonstrate the presence of the spectral lines of Si, Fe, Al, Ca, Ti, K, Cr, Mg, Na, Ba, and Li in all of the samples. The emission lines intensities, electron number densities, and excitation temperatures were significantly enhanced in the presence of an external 0.3 T magnetic field applied perpendicular to the plasma plume. A maximum enhancement factor of approximately 8 was observed in the emission intensity. The emergence of several additional lines has also been detected using the magnetic field-assisted LIBS approach. The elemental composition determined using calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (CF-LIBS), with and without magnetic field, reveals that the external magnetic field only adjusts the laser-generated plasma dynamics without affecting the quantitative analysis of the samples. Importantly, the toxic and heavy elements such as chromium and barium were detected and quantified in all of the soil samples by both of these techniques. The variations in the compositional analysis using CF-LIBS with and without the applied magnetic field and LA-TOF-MS were less than 10%.     

A novel natural source Vicia faba L. membranes as colourant: development and optimisation of the extraction process using response surface methodology (RSM)

In this research paper, an eco-friendly extraction process of dyes from Vicia faba L. membranes was developed. In this regard, the influence of independent process factors like the weight of material, the extraction time, the temperature and the sodium hydroxide concentration on the natural dye extraction from Vicia faba membranes was investigated. The optimisation of the extraction conditions and the effect evaluation of the different operating parameters were carried out using a Box–Behnken design under response surface methodology. The optimum conditions were found to be 66 °C, 90 min, 5 g and 0.1628 mol·L^?1 for extraction temperature, time, mass of the material and sodium hydroxide concentration, respectively. The efficiency of this extraction process under these optimum conditions was evaluated by measuring the total phenolic content (TPC), the total flavonoid content and the relative colour yield (K/S). In these operating conditions, good fastness ratios were observed for the dyed fabrics.     

Multifaced Assessment of Antioxidant Power,Phytochemical Metabolomics,In-Vitro Biological Potential and In-Silico Studies of Neurada procumbens L.: An Important Medicinal Plant

This work was undertaken to explore the phytochemical composition, antioxidant, and enzyme-inhibiting properties of Neurada procumbens L. extracts/fractions of varying polarity (methanol extract and its fractions including n-hexane, chloroform, n-butanol, and aqueous fractions). A preliminary phytochemical study of all extracts/fractions, HPLC-PDA polyphenolic quantification, and GC-MS analysis of the n-hexane fraction were used to identify the phytochemical makeup. Antioxidant (DPPH), enzyme inhibition (against xanthine oxidase, carbonic anhydrase, and urease enzymes), and antibacterial activities against seven bacterial strains were performed for biological investigation. The GC-MS analysis revealed the tentative identification of 22 distinct phytochemicals in the n-hexane fraction, the majority of which belonged to the phenol, flavonoid, sesquiterpenoid, terpene, fatty acid, sterol, and triterpenoid classes of secondary metabolites. HPLC-PDA analysis quantified syringic acid, 3-OH benzoic acid, t-ferullic acid, naringin, and epicatechin in a significant amount. All of the studied extracts/fractions displayed significant antioxidant capability, with methanol extract exhibiting the highest radical-scavenging activity, as measured by an inhibitory percentage of 81.4 ± 0.7 and an IC₅₀ value of 1.3 ± 0.3. For enzyme inhibition experiments, the n-hexane fraction was shown to be highly potent against xanthine oxidase and urease enzymes, with respective IC₅₀ values of 2.3 ± 0.5 and 1.1 ± 0.4 mg/mL. Similarly, the methanol extract demonstrated the strongest activity against the carbonic anhydrase enzyme, with an IC₅₀ value of 2.2 ± 0.4 mg/mL. Moreover, all the studied extracts/fractions presented moderate antibacterial potential against seven bacterial strains. Molecular docking of the five molecules β-amyrin, campesterol, ergosta-4,6,22-trien-3β-ol, stigmasterol, and caryophyllene revealed the interaction of these ligands with the investigated enzyme (xanthine oxidase). The results of the present study suggested that the N. procumbens plant may be evaluated as a possible source of bioactive compounds with multifunctional therapeutic applications.