Structure, microstructure and photoluminescence properties of Fe doped SnO2 thin films

In this paper, effects of Fe doping on crystallinity, microstructure and photoluminescence (PL) properties of sol-gel derived SnO₂ thin films are reported. It is shown that doping of Fe³⁺ ions leads to crystallite size reduction and higher strain in SnO₂ thin films. The room temperature PL spectra show marked changes in intensity and blue-shift of the emission lines upon Fe doping. These observations have been correlated with structural changes and defect chemistry of Fe doped SnO₂ thin films.     

Equal matrix languages and Kleene closure

It is shown that the family of equal matrix languages (EML) which intersects the family of context-sensitive and context-free languages is not closed under Kleene closure, intersection and complementation. The family of bounded EML whose generative power lies between that of bounded context-sensitive languages and bounded context-free languages is shown to be a class of unambiguous languages. Operations that preserve unambiguity and certain decidability questions are discussed.     

Phonon dispersion in thorium: A pseudopotential approach

A one parameter model pseudopotential is used in investigating the phonon dispersion in thorium. A very good agreement has been obtained between theory and experiment, especially, in transverse branches. This is attributed to the removal of the discontinuity in the pseudopotential in r-space.     

Catalase and Superoxide Dismutase Activities and the Total Protein Content of Protocorm-Like Bodies of Dendrobium Sonia-28 Subjected to Vitrification

Dendrobium sonia-28 is an important ornamental orchid in the Malaysian flower industry. However, the genus faces both low germination rates and the risk of producing heterozygous progenies. Cryopreservation is currently the favoured long-term storage method for orchids with propagation problems. Vitrification, a frequently used cryopreservation technique, involves the application of pretreatments and cryoprotectants to protect and recover explants during and after storage in liquid nitrogen. However, cryopreservation may cause osmotic injuries and toxicity to cryopreserved explants from the use of highly concentrated additives, and cellular injuries from thawing, devitrification and ice formation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), occurring during dehydration and cryopreservation, may also cause membrane damage. Plants possess efficient antioxidant systems such as the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzymes to scavenge ROS during low temperature stress. In this study, protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) of Dendrobium sonia-28 were assayed for the total protein content, and both SOD and CAT activities, at each stage of a vitrification exercise to observe for deleterious stages in the protocol. The results indicated that cryopreserved PLBs of Dendrobium sonia-28 underwent excessive post-thawing oxidative stress due to decreased levels of the CAT enzyme at the post-thawing recovery stage, which contributed to the poor survival rates of the cryopreserved PLBs.     

Exploring binding properties of gliclazide with human serum albumin

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The thermodynamic parameters of the binding of gliclazide (GL) with human serum albumin (HSA) have been discussed along with the insight into the...     

A misfitting elastic inclusion in an infinite plane containing a crack

The problem discussed in this paper is that of a misfitting circular inclusion in an infinite elastic medium which contains a straight crack. The crack is stress free. The stresses develop in the elastic medium because of the misfit. The point force method is used to solve the problem. The problem reduces to finding two sets of complex potential functions: {(z), (z)}: One for the infinite medium and the other for the misfitting inclusion. The solution has been obtained in closed form. Graphs are drawn for stress intensity at the crack tip and also for normal, shear and hoop stresses at the common interface of medium and misfitting inclusion.     

Investigation of nonlinear optical parameters of zinc based amorphous chalcogenide films

Third order nonlinear optical properties of amorphous Zn_x–S_y–Se_100−x−y chalcogenide films have been investigated using single beam transmission z-scan technique at 1064 nm of Nd:YAG laser. Measurement of optical properties of amorphous Zn_x–S_y–Se_100−x−y chalcogenide films prepared by thermal evaporation technique has been made. X-ray diffraction patterns of chalcogenide films confirm the amorphous nature. Optical band gap (E_g) has been estimated using Tauc's plot method from transmission spectra that is found to decrease with increase in content due to valence band broadening and band tailing the system. Nonlinear refractive index (n₂), nonlinear absorption coefficient (β) and third order nonlinear susceptibility (χ³) of chalcogenide films have been estimated. Self-focusing effect has been observed in closed aperture and reverse saturable absorption in open aperture scheme. Limiting threshold and dynamic range have been calculated from optical limiting studies. The increase in nonlinearity with increase in Zn content has been observed that is understood to be due to decrease in band gap on Zn doping. High nonlinearity makes these films a potential candidate for waveguides, fibers and two photon absorption in optical limiters.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of carbohydrate appended hydrazinocyclopentenes with potent glycation and α-glucosidase inhibition activities

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel alkylidenecyclopentene glycohybrids via palladium and click chemistry are described. Out of the six molecules synthesized, four molecules were screened against α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and glycation reactions. The results showed that the compound 7f with a galactose appendage is a good α-glucosidase inhibitor and a potent anti-glycation agent under in vitro conditions with an IC₅₀ value of 0.075 μM and 0.022 μM, respectively. The toxicity of the compounds against normal cell lines was checked by MTT assay.     

Synthesis,Bifunctionalization, and Remarkable Adsorption Performance of Benzene‐Bridged Periodic Mesoporous Organosilicas Functionalized with High Loadings of Carboxylic Acids

Highly ordered benzene‐bridged periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) that were functionalized with exceptionally high loadings of carboxylic acid groups (COOH), up to 80 mol % based on silica, have been synthesized and their use as adsorbents for the adsorption of methylene blue (MB), a basic dye pollutant, and for the loading and release of doxorubicin (DOX), an anticancer drug, is demonstrated. These COOH‐functionalized benzene? silicas were synthesized by the co‐condensation of 1,4‐bis(triethoxysilyl) benzene (BTEB) and carboxyethylsilanetriol sodium salt (CES), an organosilane that contained a carboxylic acid group, in the presence of non‐ionic oligomeric surfactant Brij 76 in acidic medium. The materials thus obtained were characterized by a variety of techniques, including powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen‐adsorption/desorption isotherms, TEM, and ¹³C and ²⁹Si solid‐state NMR spectroscopy. Owing to the exceptionally high loadings of COOH groups, their high surface areas, and possible π? π‐stacking interactions, these adsorbents have very high adsorption capacities and extremely rapid adsorption rates for MB removal and for the controlled loading/release of DOX, thus manifesting their great potential for environmental and biomedical applications.