Effects of divalent alkaline earth ions on the magnetic and transport features of La0.65A0.35Mn0.95Fe0.05O3 (A = Ca, Sr, Pb, Ba) compounds

We have studied the magnetic and transport properties of Fe doped La_0.65A_0.35Mn_0.95Fe_0.05O₃ (A = Ca, Sr, Pb, Ba) manganites. All the compositions show ferromagnetic/metal to paramagnetic/insulator transition (T_C) except the Pb doped sample which is insulating and ferromagnetic (FM) in the entire temperature range. The magnetization and T_C are decreased by decreasing the cation size on La site. The transition temperature and magnetic moment at 77 K is a maximum for Sr doped sample and is decreasing if we increase or decrease the cation size from Sr size. The maximum value of T_C and magnetic moment for Sr based sample is most likely due to the closer ionic sizes of La and Sr as compared to the other dopants (Ca, Pb, and Ba). We observed a spin freezing type effect in the Pb doped sample below 120 K in resistivity, ac susceptibility and in magnetization. This suggests that the AFM interactions introduced by the Fe are most effective in the Pb doped composition leading to increased competition between the FM and AFM interactions. This FM and AFM interaction generates some degree of frustration leading to the appearance of spin glass like phase whose typical magnetic behavior is studied for small ion when the metallic like behavior is lost.     

Electrophoretic deposition of PVA coated hydroxyapatite on 316L stainless steel

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coated hydroxyapatite was deposited onto a 316L stainless steel substrate by electrophoretic deposition. Deposition was carried out in a methanol suspension at pH 5.5 using a graphite rod as an anode. Parameters such as PVA concentration, deposition voltage and time were optimized to achieve a homogeneous, crack-free adhesive coating. Techniques such as X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to study the phase composition of the coated materials and the stability of hydroxyapatite in the presence of PVA.     

Phytochemical Profiling,In Vitro Biological Activities,and In Silico Molecular Docking Studies of Dracaena reflexa

Dracaena reflexa, a traditionally significant medicinal plant, has not been extensively explored before for its phytochemical and biological potential. The present study was conducted to evaluate the bioactive phytochemicals and in vitro biological activities of D. reflexa, and perform in silico molecular docking validation of D. reflexa. The bioactive phytochemicals were assessed by preliminary phytochemical testing, total bioactive contents, and GC-MS analysis. For biological evaluation, the antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS, CUPRAC, and ABTS), antibacterial, thrombolytic, and enzyme inhibition (tyrosinase and cholinesterase enzymes) potential were determined. The highest level of total phenolic contents (92.72 ± 0.79 mg GAE/g extract) was found in the n-butanol fraction while the maximum total flavonoid content (110 ± 0.83 mg QE/g extract) was observed in methanolic extract. The results showed that n-butanol fraction exhibited very significant tyrosinase inhibition activity (73.46 ± 0.80) and acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity (64.06 ± 2.65%) as compared to other fractions and comparable to the standard compounds (kojic acid and galantamine). The methanolic extract was considered to have moderate butyrylcholinesterase inhibition activity (50.97 ± 063) as compared to the standard compound galantamine (53.671 ± 0.97%). The GC-MS analysis of the n-hexane fraction resulted in the tentative identification of 120 bioactive phytochemicals. Furthermore, the major compounds as identified by GC-MS were analyzed using in silico molecular docking studies to determine the binding affinity between the ligands and the enzymes (tyrosinase, acetylcholinesterase, and butyrylcholinesterase enzymes). The results of this study suggest that Dracaena reflexa has unquestionable pharmaceutical importance and it should be further explored for the isolation of secondary metabolites that can be employed for the treatment of different diseases.     

Iridoids Isolation from a Phytochemical Study of the Medicinal Plant Teucrium parviflorum Collected in Iraqi Kurdistan

Herbal medicines are still widely practiced in Kurdistan Region-Iraq, especially by people living in villages on mountainous regions. Among plants belonging to the genus Teucrium (family Lamiaceae), which are commonly employed in the Kurdish traditional medicine, we have analyzed, for the first time, the methanol and aqueous methanol extracts of T. parviflorum aerial parts. The plant is mainly used by Kurds to treat jaundice, liver disorders and stomachache. We aimed to determine the phytochemical profile of the extracts and the structures of the main components, so to provide a scientific rationale for the ancient use of the plant in the ethno-pharmacological field. TLC analysis of the two extracts on silica gel and reversed phase TLC plates, using different visualization systems, indicated similar contents and the presence of phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids and sugars. The chlorophyll-free extracts exhibited weak/no antimicrobial activities against a panel of bacteria (MICs = 800–1600 µg/mL) and fungal strains (MICs ≥ 5 mg/mL). At the concentration of 600 µg/mL, the methanol extract showed moderate antiproliferative effects against A549 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines in the MTS assay. Moreover, both extracts exhibited a significant dose-dependent free radical scavenging action against the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical (EC₅₀ = 62.11 and 44.25 μg/mL, respectively). In a phytochemical study, a high phenolic content (77.08 and 81.47 mg GAE/g dry extract, respectively) was found in both extracts by the Folin–Ciocalteu assay. Medium pressure liquid chromatographic (MPLC) separation of the methanol extract on a reversed phase cartridge eluted with a gradient of MeOH in H₂O, afforded two bioactive iridoid glucosides, harpagide (1) and 8-O-acetylharpagide (2). The structures of 1 and 2 were established by spectral data, chemical reactions, and comparison with the literature. Interestingly, significant amounts of hepatotoxic furano neo-clerodane diterpenoids, commonly occurring in Teucrium species, were not detected in the extract. The wide range of biological activities reported in the literature for compounds 1 and 2 and the significant antiradical effects of the extracts give scientific support to the traditional use in Iraqi Kurdistan of T. parviflorum aerial parts for the preparation of herbal remedies.     

Dititanium-containing 19-tungstodiarsenate(III) [Ti2(OH)2As2W19O67(H2O)]8-: synthesis, structure, electrochemistry, and oxidation catalysis

The dititanium-containing 19-tungstodiarsenate(III) [Ti(2)(OH)(2)As(2)W(19)O(67)(H(2)O)](8-) (1) has been synthesized and characterized by IR, TGA, elemental analysis, electrochemistry, and catalytic studies. Single-crystal X-ray analysis was carried out on Cs(8)[Ti(2)(OH)(2)As(2)W(19)O(67)(H(2)O)].2CsCl.12H(2)O (Cs-1), which crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P2(1)/m, with a=12.7764(19), b=19.425(3), c=18.149(3) A, beta=110.234(3) degrees, and Z=2. Polyanion 1 comprises two (B-alpha-As(III)W(9)O(33)) Keggin moieties linked through an octahedral {WO(5)(H(2)O)} fragment and two unprecedented square-pyramidal {TiO(4)(OH)} groups, leading to a sandwich-type structure with nominal C(2v) symmetry. Synthesis of 1 was accomplished by reaction of TiOSO(4) and K(14)[As(2)W(19)O(67)(H(2)O)] in a 2:1 molar ratio in aqueous, acidic medium (pH 2). Polyanion 1 could also be isolated as a tetra-n-butyl ammonium (TBA) salt, {(n-C(4)H(9))(4)N}(5)H(3)[Ti(2)(OH)(2)As(2)W(19)O(67)(H(2)O)] (TBA-1). TBA-1 was studied by cyclic voltammetry in acetonitrile (MeCN) solutions containing 0.1 M LiClO(4) and compared with the results obtained with Cs-1 in aqueous media. In MeCN, the Ti(IV) and W(VI) waves could not be separated distinctly. An important adsorption phenomenon on the glassy carbon working electrode was encountered both in cyclic voltammetry and in controlled potential electrolysis and was confirmed by Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance (EQCM) studies on a carbon film. TBA-1, dissolved in MeCN, reacts with H(2)O(2) to give peroxo complexes stable enough for characterization by UV-visible spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and EQCM. TBA-1 shows high catalytic activity (TOF=11.3 h(-1)) in cyclohexene oxidation with aqueous H(2)O(2) producing products typical of a heterolytic oxidation mechanism. The stability of TBA-1 under turnover conditions was confirmed by using IR, UV-visible spectroscopy as well as cyclic voltammetry.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Antimony(III) Complexes of Thioamides,and Crystal Structure of {[Sb(Imt)2Cl2]2((2‐Imt)}Cl2(Imt=Imidazolidine‐2‐thione)

Antimony(III) complexes of thioamides [thioamides=thiourea (Tu), N,N′‐dimethylthiourea (Dmtu), tetramethylthiourea (Tmtu), imidazolidine‐2‐thione (Imt) and diazinane‐2‐thione (Diaz)] with the general formulae, Sb(thione)_nCl₃ (n=1, 2, 2.5, 3) were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, IR and NMR (¹H, ¹³C) spectroscopic methods. The spectral data of the complexes are consistent with the coordination of the thiones to antimony(III). The crystal structure of one of them, {[Sb(Imt)₂Cl₂]₂(μ₂‐Imt)}Cl₂ ( 1 ), was determined by X‐ray crystallography, which shows that the complex is dinuclear consisting of two [Sb(Imt)₂Cl₂] units bridged by an Imt molecule. In 1 , the antimony atom is bonded to two chlorine atoms, two sulfur atoms of coordinated Imt molecules and one sulfur atom of a bridging Imt molecule. The antimony environment can be considered to be distorted octahedral with one Cl^? ion weakly bound to antimony.     

Intraband effects on ultrafast pulse propagation in semiconductor optical amplifier

High bit-rate (>10 Gb/s) signals are composed of very short pulses and propagation of such pulses through a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) requires consideration of intraband phenomena. Due to the intraband effects, the propagating pulse sees a fast recovering nonlinear gain which introduces less distortion in the pulse shape and spectrum of the output pulse but introduces a positive chirping at the trailing edge of the pulse.