Dinuclear zinc-catalyzed asymmetric desymmetrization of acyclic 2-substituted-1,3-propanediols: a powerful entry into chiral building blocks

The asymmetric acylation of meso-2-substituted-1,3-propanediols by using an amphoteric chiral dinuclear zinc catalyst is described. It is has been demonstrated that both 2-alkyl- and 2-aryl-1,3-propanediols can be desymmetrized in high yields and enantioselectivities by using the same family of ligands. Given that both antipodes of the chiral catalyst are available, both enantiomers of the desymmetrized product can be obtained from the same starting material. The synthetic utility of the desymmetrized products has been demonstrated by the synthesis of several chiral building blocks with high enantiomeric purities.     

Sol–gel derived nanoporous cerium oxide film for application to cholesterol biosensor

Cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) has been immobilized onto sol–gel derived nano-structured cerium oxide (NS-CeO₂) film deposited on indium-tin-oxide (ITO) coated glass substrate. Phase identification of sol–gel NS-CeO₂ film carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) yields reflection peak at 29.4° corresponding to (1 1 1) plane with oriented crystallite (34 nm) along c-axis normal to the substrate. Electrochemical studies reveal that NS-CeO₂ provides electroactive surface for the loading of ChOx and enhances electron transfer rate in the ChOx/NS-CeO₂/ITO bioelectrode. The low value of Michaelis–Menten constant (K_m) obtained as 2.08 mM indicates enhanced ChOx affinity to cholesterol. The observed results show application of sol–gel derived NS-CeO₂ for biosensing without any functionalization.     

Polyaniline Langmuir-Blodgett film based cholesterol biosensor

Cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) has been covalently linked to Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) monolayers of polyaniline (PANI)-stearic acid (SA) prepared onto indium-tin-oxide (ITO) coated glass plates via glutaraldehyde (Glu) chemistry. These ChOx/Glu/PANI-SA LB film/ITO electrodes have been characterized by FT-IR, cyclic voltammetry, and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The results of response measurements carried out on these bioelectrodes using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) reveal linearity from 25 to 400 mg/dL of cholesterol concentration with sensitivity of 88.9 nA mg(-1) dL. The linear regression analysis of bioelectrode reveals standard deviation and correlation coefficient of 0.737 microA and 0.9988, respectively. The low value of the Michaelis-Menten constant of these bioelectrodes obtained as 1.21 mM for the immobilized enzyme indicates increased interaction between ChOx and cholesterol in the PANI-SA LB film.     

Green synthesis of nanocomposites consisting of silver and protease alpha chymotrypsin

The synergy of ultrasonication and the exposure to light radiation was found to be necessary in the formation of nanocomposites of silver and a protease alpha chymotrypsin. The reaction was carried out in aqueous medium and the process took just less than 35 min. Ultrasonication alone formed very negligible number of nanoparticles of <100 nm size whereas light alone produced enough number but the size of the particles was >100 nm.The effects of pH (in the range of 3–5, 9–10), ultrasonication time periods (0–30 min), ultrasonication intensity (33–83 W cm^?2), energy of light radiation (short UV, long UV and Fluorescent light) and time period of exposure (5–60 min) to different light radiations were studied.The formation of nanocomposites under these effects was followed by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectra, dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Ag–chymotrypsin nanocomposites of sizes ranging from 13 to 72 nm were formed using the synergy of ultrasonication and exposure to short UV radiation. Results show that ultrasonication promoted nuclei formation, growth and reduction of polydispersity by Ostwald ripening.     

Polypyrrole/multiwalled carbon nanotubes‐based biosensor for cholesterol estimation

The nanocomposite electrode comprising of polypyrrole (PPY) and carboxy functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) has been electrochemically fabricated onto indium–tin–oxide (ITO) electrode using p‐toluene sulfonic acid (PTS). Cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) and cholesterol esterase (ChEt) have been immobilized onto this PPY– MWCNT/ITO nanocomposite electrode using N‐ethyl‐N‐(3‐dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide and N‐hydroxy succinimide chemistry for estimation of esterified cholesterol. The ChEt–ChOx/PPY–MWCNT/PTS/ITO bioelectrode has been characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, electrochemical techniques, and scanning electron microscope. This ChEt–ChOx/PPY–MWCNT/PTS/ITO nanobioelectrode has a response time of about 9 s, linearity of 4 × 10^?4 to 6.5 × 10^?3 M/l of cholesterol oleate concentration, K_m of 0.02 mM, and thermal stability of upto 45°C. This electrode exhibits improved biosensing characteristics compared with other total cholesterol electrodes reported in literature till date and can be used to estimate cholesterol in blood serum samples. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance evaluation of 16 channel DWDM radio-over-fiber link

In this article, generation of DWDM-RoF signal utilizing an SOA-MZI multichannel frequency up-conversion is demonstrated. The simulation results of a 16 channel, 10 km DWDM-RoF link at baseband signal of 500 Mbps, over the wavelength range 1545.80–1552.20 nm are reported. BER of the order of e⁻¹⁸ and Q factor above 18 dB over the entire bandwidth signify negligible crosstalk and error free transmission of radio signal.     

SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION OF DIAMIDE-DIIMIDE-DIAMINES BASED ON L-CYSTEINE AMINO ACID AND THEIR EFFECT ON THE THERMAL PROPERTIES OF DIGLYCIDYL ETHER OF BISPHENOL-A (DGEBA)

The curing behavior of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A(DGEBA) with aromatic diamide-diimide-diamines having aryl ether,sulfone and methylene linkages was studied by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC).Nine diamide-diimide-diamines of varying structure were synthesized by reacting 1 mole of dianhydride with 2 moles of L-cysteine(S) in a mixture of acetic acid and pyridine(3:2 V/V) followed by activation with thionyl chloride(SOCl_2) and then condensation with excess of diamines.Structural characterizat...     

Modulation in Techno-Functional,Textural Properties,In Vitro Starch Digestibility and Macromolecular–Structural Interactions of Pasta with Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

The replacement of semolina with potato flour (PF) and potato mash (PM) at different levels was assessed for its effects on pasta quality. The results showed that the addition of PF and PM increased the pasting viscosity of the blends; in addition, PF enhanced the functional properties, while PM reduced them. The minimum cooking time decreased with PF and PM, while the PF pasta exhibited a higher cooking loss (5.02 to 10.44%) than the PM pasta, which exhibited a lower cooking loss. The pasta with PF and PM showed an increase in the total phenolic and flavonoid content, with reduced in vitro digestibility as confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The PF pasta exhibited lower lightness and higher yellowness than the PM pasta, and its firmness and toughness also modulated owing to the complex interaction between potato starches and the gluten protein matrix, as evident from scanning electron microscopy. Sensory data revealed that pasta containing 30% PF and 16% PM was highly acceptable.