Gamma spectrometric analysis of ore samples from Sandur of Bellary, Karnataka, India

In the present paper the gamma spectrometric technique has been used to study the natural radioactivity levels present in the iron ore samples collected from the Sandur of Karnataka, India. This region, a member of Dharwar craton, known as Sandur schist belt is rich in Manganese and Hematite ore (Fe). The entire belt is characterized by numerous bands of banded magnetite and hematite quartzite. The ore samples were collected and prepared as per the ASTM standard procedures. The gamma spectrometric measurements were performed using a HPGe detector (Eurosys) based high-resolution 8k multi channel analyzer. The detector has a relative efficiency of 50% and resolution of 2.0?keV for 1.332?MeV gamma energy of ⁶⁰Co. The output of the detector was analyzed using a PC based 8k channel analyzer system. The mean activity concentrations of the ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in the ore samples were found to be 14.59, 16.54 and 25.29?Bq/kg, respectively. The mean absorbed dose rate and the annual dose equivalent were estimated to be 18.97?nGy?h^?1 and 24.93???Sv?y^?1, respectively, which is lower than the world recommended average of 1?mSv?y^?1. The present work concludes that the natural radioactivity levels in ore samples of this region is within the natural limits and pose no health hazard to the public.     

Study of polycarbonate–bismuth nitrate composite for shielding against gamma radiation

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Polycarbonate (PC) loaded with different filler levels equal to 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 2.5, 3.5 and 5.0 wt% (weight percent) of...     

Structure and Functional Characterisation of a Distinctive β-Lactamase from an Environmental Strain EMB20 of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus cereus</Emphasis>

The rampant use and misuse of antibiotics in human medicine, agriculture and veterinary have become the key contributors to global antimicrobial resistance. One of the significant resistance mechanisms that inactivates antibiotics and impedes treatment of bacterial infections is the expression of β-lactamases. Rising evidence of newer variants of β-lactamases in the environment is therefore a serious threat to the presently available antibiotic armoury. The present work describes the purification of a variant β-lactamase isolated from a soil strain EMB20 of Bacillus cereus. The lactamase was purified using three-phase partitioning and gel filtration chromatography to a 30-fold purification and 15% recovery yield. Contrary to the general trend, the lactamase was not a metalloenzyme, but its activity was enhanced in the presence of Mg²⁺ and Mn²⁺. The EMB20 lactamase exhibited improved stability against inhibitors and denaturing agents such as urea and GdmCl as compared to its commercial analogue. The improved stability of EMB20 lactamase was further validated by circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy. This study reemphasizes the rising prevalence of environmental lactamase variants. Decoding the structure–function correlation of such lactamases in the presence of inhibitors will provide insights into the response of this enzyme towards inhibitors as well as its substrates.     

Ruthenium(III)‐mediated oxidation of D‐mannitol by cerium(IV) in aqueous sulfuric acid medium: A kinetic and mechanistic approach

The oxidation of D ‐mannitol by cerium(IV) has been studied spectrophotometrically in aqueous sulfuric acid medium at 25°C at constant ionic strength of 1.60 mol dm^?3. A microamount of ruthenium(III) (10^?6 mol dm^?3) is sufficient to enhance the slow reaction between D ‐mannitol and cerium(IV). The oxidation products were identified by spot test, IR and GC‐MS spectra. The stoichiometry is 1:4, i.e., [D ‐mannitol]: [Ce(IV)] = 1:4. The reaction is first order in both cerium(IV) and ruthenium(III) concentrations. The order with respect to D ‐mannitol concentration varies from first order to zero order as the D ‐mannitol concentration increases. Increase in the sulfuric acid concentration decreases the reaction rate. The added sulfate and bisulfate decreases the rate of reaction. The active species of oxidant and catalyst are Ce(SO₄)₂ and [Ru(H₂O)₆]³⁺, respectively. A possible mechanism is proposed. The activation parameters are determined with respect to a slow step and reaction constants involved have been determined. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 42: 440–452, 2010     

A computational investigation on the photochemistry of the popular spin-trap agent N-tert-butyl-α-phenylnitrone (PBN) and thermal isomerization pathways of its photoproduct oxaziridine

Computational investigation on the low-lying photo-excited states of N-tert-butyl-α-phenylnitrone (PBN), a well-known spin-trap agent, has revealed its photo-product (oxaziridine) formation channel. The S₀-S₂ vertical excitation in PBN is subsequently followed by a non-radiative decay pathway through S₂/S₁ and S₀/S₁ conical intersections (CIs) with CNO-kinked structures, situated around 23 kcal/mol and 45 kcal/mol below the vertically excited S₂ state, respectively. The reverse photo-process of PBN formation involves photo-excitation of oxaziridine to its S₂ and S₃ photo-excited states. The forward photo-isomerization leads to the trans-oxaziridine with a backside CNO kink (trans-OX_B) while the reverse path studied by us, connects its front-side CNO-kinked analogue (trans-OX_F) with the PBN. Our search for the reverse thermal reaction paths from these two oxazirdines has led to their corresponding transition states, one at 35 kcal/mol and the other at 27 kcal/mol above trans-OX_F and trans-OX_B geometries, respectively. They lead to two different isomers (E and Z) of PBN which supports the reported nature of products from the trans-oxaziridine in this thermal reaction. The inversion path of the chiral nitrogen atom of this N-tert-butyl-oxaziridine (barrier 21 kcal/mol) has also been tracked. This reaction path has been compared with that of the N-methyl (barrier 30 kcal/mol) and N-acyl (barrier 10.5 kcal/mol) oxaziridine analogues.     

Radioactivity measurement in the granites of North Karnataka, India and its radiological implications

The natural radioactivities due to uranium, thorium and potassium in granite samples contribute to the radiation dose received by human beings significantly. It is essential to evaluate the activity levels of these nuclides for the assessment of natural radiation dose. The natural radioactivity levels of some granite samples collected from different quarries of North Karnataka, India are estimated using high-resolution gamma ray spectrometry technique and the results are reported in this paper.     

Kinetics and Mechanism of the Autocatalyzed Oxidation of Theophylline by Permanganate in Aqueous Perchloric Acid Medium

The reaction kinetics for the oxidation of theophylline by permanganate ions have been investigated in perchloric acid medium using spectrophotometric techniques at 25?^°C, and at constant ionic strength 1.60 mol?dm^?3, under pseudo first order conditions. An autocatalyzed reaction is observed due to one of the products formed is Mn(II). The orders with respect to theophylline and Mn(VII) were both found to be unity, whereas fractional order is observed with respect to the autocatalyst, Mn(II). The rate of the reaction increases as the concentration of acid increases, but the order with respect to acid concentration is less than unity. The influence of temperature on the rate of reaction was studied. Based on the experimental results a suitable mechanism is proposed. The activation and thermodynamic parameters were determined with respect to slow reaction step.     

Photoactivatable prodrug for simultaneous release of mertansine and CO along with a BODIPY derivative as a luminescent marker in mitochondria: a proof of concept for NIR image-guided cancer therapy

Controlled and efficient activation is the crucial aspect of designing an effective prodrug. Herein we demonstrate a proof of concept for a light activatable prodrug with desired organelle specificity. Mertansine, a benzoansamacrolide, is an efficient microtubule-targeting compound that binds at or near the vinblastine-binding site in the mitochondrial region to induce mitotic arrest and cell death through apoptosis. Despite its efficacy even in the nanomolar level, this has failed in stage 2 of human clinical trials owing to the lack of drug specificity and the deleterious systemic toxicity. To get around this problem, a recent trend is to develop an antibody-conjugatable maytansinoid with improved tumor/organelle-specificity and lesser systematic toxicity. Endogenous CO is recognized as a regulator of cellular function and for its obligatory role in cell apoptosis. CO blocks the proliferation of cancer cells and effector T cells, and the primary target is reported to be the mitochondria. We report herein a new mitochondria-specific prodrug conjugate (Pro-DC) that undergoes a photocleavage reaction on irradiation with a 400 nm source (1.0 mW cm⁻²) to induce a simultaneous release of the therapeutic components mertansine and CO along with a BODIPY derivative (BODIPY(PPH₃)₂) as a luminescent marker in the mitochondrial matrix. The efficacy of the process is demonstrated using MCF-7 cells and could effectively be visualized by probing the intracellular luminescence of BODIPY(PPH₃)₂. This provides a proof-of-concept for designing a prodrug for image-guided combination therapy for mainstream treatment of cancer.

Simultaneous release of two therapeutic reagents, mertansine and CO through photo-induced cleavage of a mitochondria-specific prodrug with improved drug efficacy.     

LC–MS Determination of Gabapentin from Human Plasma

Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant drug used for the treatment of epilepsy. It is not bound to plasma protein and is not metabolized. A high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometric micro method is described in this report for its determination from human plasma. Chromatography was performed on a 50 × 4.6 mm, 4 μm nitrile column and the parent ion detected in the positive ionization mode on single quadrupole analyzer (Q1MI) with atmospheric pressure ionization source. Extraction was carried out on C₁₈, 100 mg/3cc cartridge using 10 μL sample volume. The mean extraction recovery was 97% and within batch and between batch coefficients of variation were <9%. Lack of interference from endogenous substances helped in achieving a highly sensitive method without the need for monitoring fragment ions. The lowest concentration injected on column for calibration curve was 195 pg (range 0.5–64 ng). The method was applied for analysis of samples from a cross-over bio-equivalence study comparing two formulations.