Water structure and mobility in acrylamide copolymer glycohydrogels with galactose and siloxane pendant groups

Glycohydrogels containing 2′‐acrylamidoethyl‐β‐d ‐galactopyranoside and varying levels of N,N′ methylene bisacrylamide and 3‐acrylamidopropyltris(trimethylsiloxy)silane were synthesized to determine the effects of crosslinker and amphipathic balance on equilibrium water content (EWC), bound water population, and hydrogen bonding dynamics at the water–polymer interface. Analogous dimethylacrylamide hydrogels were synthesized for comparison with a system containing lower hydrogen bonding propensity. An approach combining experiment (proton nuclear magnetic resonance, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and dynamic vapor sorption analysis) and molecular dynamics simulations was employed to examine the relationship between bulk hydrogel properties, molecular water mobility, and hydrogen bonding characteristics. It was found that copolymer composition (hydrophobic content) and crosslink concentration in high water content glycohydrogels affect EWC, and by extension, structural water population. The organization of water at the polymer interface is greatly impacted by the surrounding environment, where hindered molecular water mobility promotes water–polymer binding and decreases water–water clustering. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 584–597     

Design and Synthesis of New Aryloxy‐linked Dimeric 1,2,3‐Triazoles via Click Chemistry Approach: Biological Evaluation and Molecular Docking Study

A quest for more potent new antitubercular agents has prompted to design and synthesize aryloxy‐linked dimeric 1,2,3‐triazoles ( 4a – j ), from azides ( 2a‐e ) and bis(prop‐2‐yn‐1‐yloxy)benzene ( 3a – b ) on 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction via copper (I)‐catalyzed click chemistry approach with good to better yields. The titled compounds ( 4a – j ) were designed using molecular hybridization approach by assembling various bioactive pharmacophoric fragments in a single molecular framework. All the synthesized compounds have been screened for their in vitro antitubercular, antifungal, and antioxidant activities against their respective strains. Among them, 4h and 4i show the highest antifungal activity, whereas compounds 4h , 4i , and 4j have revealed promising antitubercular activity against their respective strains. In addition to this, most of the synthesized compounds were found as potent antifungal and antioxidant agents. A significant network of bonded and non‐bonded interactions stabilized these molecules into the active site of fungal CYP51 that is realized from the obtained well‐placed docking poses and the associated thermodynamic interactions with the enzyme. The synthesized compounds have also been analyzed for absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion properties.     

High-performance thin layer chromatography method for estimation of andrographolide in herbal extract and polyherbal formulations

A new, simple, sensitive, precise and robust high-performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method was developed for the estimation of andrographolide in herbal extracts and pharmaceutical dosage forms. Analysis of andrographolide was performed on TLC aluminium plates pre-coated with silica gel 60F-254 as stationary phase. Linear ascending development was carried out in twin trough glass chamber saturated with chloroform:toluene:methanol (66:26:8, v/v/v) at room temperature (25 ± 2 °C). The R_f value of andrographolide was found to be 0.49. Camag TLC scanner III was used for spectrodensitometric scanning and analysis in absorbance mode at 229 nm. The system was found to give compact spots for andrographolide (R_f value of 0.49). The data for calibration plots showed good linear relationship with r² = 0.9986 in the concentration range of 200 ng to 1000 ng with respect to peak area. The present method was validated by precision, recovery, robustness and reproducibility according to ICH guidelines. The limits of detection and quantification were determined and it was found to be 3.5 and 11.7 ng, respectively. Statistical analysis of the data showed that the method is reproducible and selective for estimation of andrographolide.     

Role of toxin producing phytoplankton on a plankton ecosystem

In this paper, a mathematical model is proposed to study the role of toxin producing phytoplankton on a phytoplankton–zooplankton system with nutrient cycling. The model includes three state variables, viz., nutrient concentration, phytoplankton biomass and zooplankton biomass. It is assumed in the model that phytoplankton biomass is producing toxicant harmful for the zooplankton biomass. All the feasible equilibria of the system are obtained and the conditions for the existence of the interior equilibrium are determined. The local stability analysis of all the feasible equilibria are carried out and the possibility of Hopf-bifurcation of the interior equilibrium is studied. The threshold value in terms of constant input rate of nutrient is determined both analytically and numerically.     

Strongly enhanced pinning force density in YBCO–BaTiO3 nanocomposite superconductor

YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ–BaTiO₃ (4 wt.%) (YBCO–BTO (4%)) composite bulk polycrystalline sample has been synthesized by solid state reaction method. The structure of composite sample has been investigated by X-ray diffraction and magnetization measurements were carried out using MPMS SQUID VSM. The superconducting transition temperature of the YBCO–BTO (4%) sample was similar to that of pure YBCO. The critical current density (J_c) for YBCO–BTO (4%) sample increases significantly as compared to pure YBCO sample. The enhancement of the critical current density in the YBCO–BTO (4%) sample has been attributed to the presence of BaTiO₃ nanoparticles acting as artificial pinning centres. The introduction of BaTiO₃ particles in YBCO increases pinning force density from 0.71 GN/m² to 1.41 GN/m² at 4 K and 0.33 MN/m² to 0.97 MN/m² at 77 K.     

Effect of Mg doping and substrate temperature on the properties of pulsed laser deposited epitaxial Zn1?xMgxO thin films

In this paper, we report on the pulsed laser deposition of epitaxial (0002) oriented Zn_1−x Mg _x O thin films onto (0001) sapphire substrate in O₂ ambient at different deposition temperatures. Pulsed laser deposited Zn_1−x Mg _x O films showed (0002) oriented hexagonal wurtzite structure up to 34% of Mg concentration. The bandgap of Zn_1−x Mg _x O thin films is successfully tuned from 3.3 to 4.2 eV by adjusting the Mg concentration x=0.0 to x=0.34. Pulsed laser deposited Zn_1−x Mg _x O thin films were characterized by XRD, AFM, SEM, PL and UV–VIS spectrometer. We have also studied the effect of deposition temperature on to the structure, surface morphology and optical properties of Zn_1−x Mg _x O thin films.     

Comparative Studies on the Analytical and Antioxidant Activities of the Medicinally Important Stem Bark of Holoptelea integrifolia

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - Holoptelea integrifolia (Sanskrit: chirivilva, Hindi: chilbil, family: Ulmaceae) is a large deciduous tree, growing up to 18 m...