Effect of elevated concentrations of strontium and iron on the structural and dielectric characteristics of Ba(1−x−y)Sr(x)Ti Fe(y)O3 prepared through sol–gel technique

Nano-composite Ba_1−xSr_(x)TiO₃ (BST), where x=0.01–0.50 and doped with different concentrations of iron Ba_(1−x−y)Sr_(x)TiFe _(y)O₃ (BSTF), where x=0.01 and y=0.01–0.05 powders were prepared by sol–gel method.     

Three-dimensional dynamical systems with four-dimensional Vessiot-Guldberg-Lie algebras

Dynamical systems attract much attention due to their wide applications. Many significant results have been obtained in this field from various points of view. The present paper is devoted to an algebraic method of integration of three-dimensional nonlinear time dependent dynamical systems admitting nonlinear superposition with four-dimensional Vessiot-Guldberg-Lie algebras $L_4.$ The invariance of the relation between a dynamical system admitting nonlinear superposition and its Vessiot-Guldberg-Lie algebra is the core of the integration method. It allows to simplify the dynamical systems in question by reducing them to \textit{standard forms}. We reduce the three-dimensional dynamical systems with four-dimensional Vessiot-Guldberg-Lie algebras to 98 standard types and show that 86 of them are integrable by quadratures.     

Synthesis,potentiometric and antimicrobial activity studies on 2-pyridinilidene-DL-amino acids and their complexes

To investigate the relationship between antimicrobial activities and the formation constants of Cu^II, Ni^II and Co^II complexes with three Schiff bases, which were obtained by the condensation of 2-pyridinecarboxyaldehyde with DL-alanine, DL-valine and DL-phenylalanine, have been synthesized. Schiff bases and the complexes have been characterized on the basis of elemental analyses, magnetic moments (at ca. 25 °C), molar conductivity, thermal analyses and spectral (i.r., u.v., n.m.r.) studies. The i.r. spectra show that the ligands act in a monovalent bidentate fashion, depending on the metal salt used and the reaction pH = 9, 8 and 7 medium, for Cu^II, Ni^II and Co^II, respectively. Square-planar, tetrahedral and octahedral structures are proposed for Cu^II, Ni^II and Co^II, respectively. The protonation constants of the Schiff bases and stability constants of their ML-type complexes have been calculated potentiometrically in aqueous solution at 25 ± 0.1 °C and at 0.1 M KCl ionic strength. Antimicrobial activities of the Schiff bases and the complexes were evaluated for three bacteria (Bacillus subtillis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli) and a yeast (Candida albicans). The structure–activity correlation in Schiff bases and their metal(II) complexes are discussed, based on the effect of their stability contants.     

Anticorrosive and Microbial Inhibition Performance of a Coating Loaded with Andrographis paniculata on Stainless Steel in Seawater

With the trend for green technology, the study focused on utilizing a forgotten herb to produce an eco-friendly coating. Andrographis paniculata or the kalmegh leaves extract (KLE) has been investigated for its abilities in retarding the corrosion process due to its excellent anti-oxidative and antimicrobial properties. Here, KLE was employed as a novel additive in coatings and formulations were made by varying its wt%: 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12. These were applied to stainless steel 316L immersed in seawater for up to 50 days. The samples were characterized and analyzed to measure effectiveness of inhibition of corrosion and microbial growth. The best concentration was revealed to be 6 wt% KLE; it exhibited the highest performance in improving the ionic resistance of the coating and reducing the growth of bacteria.     

Ecotoxicity of the Adipate Plasticizers: Influence of the Structure of the Alcohol Substituent

A significant increase in the production of plastic materials and the expansion of their areas of application contributed to the accumulation of a large amount of waste of polymeric materials. Most of the polymer composition is made up of plasticizers. Phthalate plasticizers have been recognized as potentially hazardous to humans and the environment due to the long period of their biodegradation and the formation of persistent toxic metabolites. It is known that the industrial plasticizer dioctyl adipate is characterized by reduced toxicity and a short biodegradation period. The paper describes the synthesis of a number of new asymmetric esters based on adipic acid and ethoxylated butanol by azeotropic esterification. The receipt of the products was confirmed by IR spectra. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized compounds were investigated. The glass transition temperatures of PVC composites plasticized with alkyl butoxyethyl adipates were determined using DSC analysis. The ecological safety of esters was assessed by the phytotesting method. Samples of adipates were tested for fungal resistance, and the process of their biodegradation in soil was also studied. It is shown that the synthesized esters have good plasticizing properties and are environmentally safe. When utilized under natural conditions, they can serve as a potential source of carbon for soil microorganisms and do not form stable toxic metabolites; therefore, they are not able to accumulate in nature; when the plasticizers under study are disposed of in the soil, toxic substances do not enter.     

Novel thiazole‐piperazine derivatives as potential cholinesterase inhibitors

Dementia is a cognitive disorder mostly associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in addition to being seen in many other diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). The limited number of drugs is not sufficient to provide adequate improvement to increase the quality of life of patients suffering from this symptom; therefore, all treatment options should be evaluated in detail. In this study, new molecules, [2‐(4‐(2/3/4‐substituted phenyl)piperazin‐1‐yl)‐4‐phenylthiazol‐5‐yl][3/4‐substituted phenyl]methanone derivatives ( 1‐44 ), were obtained and analyzed in terms of their anticholinesterase activities. Kinetic mode and molecular interactions were also evaluated. An enzyme inhibition study was undertaken on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) using the Ellman method. Maestro program was used in molecular modeling studies. Forty‐four compounds were evaluated on AChE and BChE enzymes at 10^?3 and 10^?4 concentrations. The inhibition concentrations were calculated as 0.268μM to 2.104μM for six compounds ( 4 , 5 , 16 , 27 , 37 , and 38 ) on AChE. Compound 5 including the 4‐methoxy substituent (IC₅₀: 0.268μM) and compound 38 containing the 4‐methoxy and 3‐methyl substituents (IC₅₀: 0.286μM) showed the highest AChE inhibitory activity. They were further examined in terms of hydrogen bonding with Arg296 and Ar‐Ar interaction with Trp286. The activity of compound 5 was also assessed in mixed‐type kinetic mode.     

Synthesis,characterization, and evaluation of silver(I) complexes with mixed-ligands of thiosemicarbazones and diphenyl(p-tolyl)phosphine as biological agents

Five new silver(I) complexes were synthesized with mixed ligands of thiosemicarbazone derivatives and diphenyl(p-tolyl)phosphine in search of new biologically active compounds. A CHN elemental analysis, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) data and several spectroscopic techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray, ¹H, ¹³C, and ³¹P{¹H} NMR were performed to elucidate the structure of these complexes. Elemental analysis suggested that the stoichiometry of the complexes formed by the reaction of silver nitrate with thiosemicarbazone in the presence of (p-tolyl)PPh₂ was indeed 1:2:1 molar ratio. The silver ions were discovered to be coordinated to the sulfur of thiosemicarbazone and phosphorus of (p-tolyl)PPh₂, having a tetrahedral geometry based on the spectroscopic data obtained. The PXRD patterns were studied to see the degree of crystallinity of the complexes. The in vitro antiproliferative activity of these complexes was investigated toward the MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines, as well as the HT-29 colon cancer cell line, which yielded IC₅₀ values in low micromolar range. The antiplasmodial activity of these complexes was also examined against chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasite which demonstrated good activity and further tested for their selectivity index.     

Chemosensor properties of 7-hydroxycoumarin substituted cyclotriphosphazenes

The newly synthesized cyclotriphosphazene cored coumarin chemosensors 5, 6, and 7 were successfully characterized by ¹ H NMR, ³¹ P NMR, and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Additionally, the photophysical and metal sensing properties of the targeted compounds were determined by fluorescence spectroscopy in the presence of various metals (Li ⁺ , Na ⁺ , K ⁺ , Cs ⁺ , Mg ²⁺ , Ca ²⁺ , Ba ²⁺ , Cr ³⁺ , Mn ²⁺ , Fe ³⁺ , Co ²⁺ , Al ³⁺ , Hg ⁺ , Cu ²⁺ , Zn ²⁺ , Ag ⁺ , and Cd ²⁺ ) . The fluorescence titration results showed that compounds 5, 6, and 7 could be employed as fluorescent chemosensors for Fe ³⁺ ions with high sensitivity. The complex stoichiometry between final cyclotriphosphazene chemosensors and Fe ³⁺ ions was also determined by Job’s plots.     

The Biological Activities and Therapeutic Potentials of Baicalein Extracted from Oroxylum indicum: A Systematic Review

In Southeast Asia, traditional medicine has a longestablished history and plays an important role in the health care system. Various traditional medicinal plants have been used to treat diseases since ancient times and much of this traditional knowledge remains preserved today. Oroxylum indicum (beko plant) is one of the medicinal herb plants that is widely distributed throughout Asia. It is a versatile plant and almost every part of the plant is reported to possess a wide range of pharmacological activities. Many of the important bioactivities of this medicinal plant is related to the most abundant bioactive constituent found in this plant—the baicalein. Nonetheless, there is still no systematic review to report and vindicate the biological activities and therapeutic potential of baicalein extracted from O. indicum to treat human diseases. In this review, we aimed to systematically present in vivo and in vitro studies searched from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Google Scholar database up to 31 March 2020 based on keywords “Oroxylum indicum” and “baicalein”. After an initial screening of titles and abstracts, followed by a full-text analysis and validation, 20 articles that fulfilled all the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in this systematic review. The searched data comprehensively reported the biological activities and therapeutic potential of baicalein originating from the O. indicum plant for anti-cancer, antibacterial, anti-hyperglycemia, neurogenesis, cardioprotective, anti-adipogenesis, anti-inflammatory and wound healing effects. Nonetheless, we noticed that there was a scarcity of evidence on the efficacy of this natural active compound in human clinical studies. In conclusion, this systematic review article provides new insight into O. indicum and its active constituent baicalein as a prospective complementary therapy from the perspective of modern and scientific aspect. We indicate the potential of this natural product to be developed into more conscientious and judicious evidencebased medicine in the future. However, we also recommend more clinical research to confirm the efficacy and safety of baicalein as therapeutic medicine for patients.     

An efficient biosorption‐based dispersive liquid‐liquid microextraction with extractant removal by magnetic nanoparticles for quantification of bisphenol A in water samples by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry detection

In this work, a simple, fast, sensitive, and environmentally friendly method was developed for preconcentration and quantitative measurement of bisphenol A in water samples using gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. The preconcentration approach, namely biosorption‐based dispersive liquid‐liquid microextraction with extractant removal by magnetic nanoparticles was performed based on the formation of microdroplet of rhamnolipid biosurfactant throughout the aqueous samples, which accelerates the mass transfer process between the extraction solvent and sample solution. The process is then followed by the application of magnetic nanoparticles for easy retrieval of the analyte‐containing extraction solvent. Several important variables were optimized comprehensively including type of disperser solvent and desorption solvent, rhamnolipid concentration, volume of disperser solvent, amount of magnetic nanoparticles, extraction time, desorption time, ionic strength, and sample pH. Under the optimized microextraction and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry conditions, the method demonstrated good linearity over the range of 0.5–500 µg/L with a coefficient of determination of R² = 0.9904, low limit of detection (0.15 µg/L) and limit of quantification (0.50 µg/L) of bisphenol A, good analyte recoveries (84–120%) and acceptable relative standard deviation (1.8–14.9%, n = 6). The proposed method was successfully applied to three environmental water samples, and bisphenol A was detected in all samples.