FT-IR study of the effect of zinc exposure on the biochemical contents of the muscle of Labeo rohita

Heavy metal pollution is a major environmental problem in the modern world due to increasing human activities. Zinc is an essential element involved in a wide variety of cellular processes. However, it becomes toxic when elevated concentrations are introduced into the environment. The goal of the present study is to investigate the effect of zinc exposure on the biochemical contents of the muscle tissues of freshwater species Labeo rohita using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Since the muscle constitutes the greatest mass of the fish that is consumed, the present study has paid particular attention to muscle component. The result reveals that the zinc exposure causes significant changes in the biochemical contents of the L. rohita muscle tissues. In addition, it causes an alteration in the protein secondary structures by decreasing the α-helix and increasing the β-sheet contents of muscle tissues. Further, it has been observed that the administration of chelating agent D-penicillamine improves the protein and lipid contents in the muscle tissues compared to zinc exposed tissues. This result shows that D-penicillamine is the effective chelator of zinc in reducing the body burden of L. rohita fingerlings.     

Bayesian stratified random sampling using auxiliary information

Summary Smith (1976,J. R. Statist. Soc., A,139, 183–204) has argued that survey statisticians should attempt to model finite population structures in the same way that statisticians in other disciplines have to provide models of finite or infinite populations. Following this argument, we suggest in this paper that an obvious model for a stratified population when auxiliary information regarding variate values is available, is the one way analysis of covariance model with unequal variances and we consider the problem of estimating the finite population mean. Finally a possible extension of this result is discussed.     

Electrochemical, spectroelectrochemical, and molecular quadratic and cubic nonlinear optical properties of alkynylruthenium dendrimers

A combination of cyclic voltammetry (CV), UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy and spectroelectrochemistry, hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) [including depolarization studies], Z-scan and degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) [including studies employing an optically transparent thin-layer electrochemical (OTTLE) cell to effect electrochemical switching of nonlinearity], pump-probe, and electroabsorption (EA) measurements have been used to comprehensively investigate the electronic, linear optical, and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of nanoscopic pi-delocalizable electron-rich alkynylruthenium dendrimers, their precursor dendrons, and their linear analogues. CV, UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy, and UV-vis-NIR spectroelectrochemistry reveal that the reversible metal-centered oxidation processes in these complexes are accompanied by strong linear optical changes, "switching on" low-energy absorption bands, the frequency of which is tunable by ligand replacement. HRS studies at 1064 nm employing nanosecond pulses reveal large nonlinearities for these formally octupolar dendrimers; depolarization measurements are consistent with lack of coplanarity upon pi-framework extension through the metal. EA studies at 350-800 nm in a poly(methyl methacrylate) matrix are consistent with the important transitions having a charge-transfer exciton character that increases markedly on introduction of peripheral polarizing substituent. Time-resolved pump-probe studies employing 55 ps, 527 nm pulses reveal absorption saturation, the longest excited-state lifetime being observed for the dendrimer. Z-scan studies at 800 nm employing femtosecond pulses reveal strong two-photon absorption that increases significantly on progression from linear complex to zero- and then first-generation dendrimer with no loss of optical transparency. Both refractive and absorptive nonlinearity for selected alkynylruthenium dendrimers have been reversibly "switched" by employing the Z-scan technique at 800 and 1180 nm and 100-150 fs pulses, together with a specially modified OTTLE cell, complementary femtosecond time-resolved DFWM and transient absorption studies at 800 nm suggesting that the NLO effects originate in picosecond time scale processes.     

Preparation of Antiproliferative Terpene-Alkaloid Hybrids by Free Radical-Mediated Modification of ent-Kauranic Derivatives

A convenient strategy for molecular editing of available ent-kauranic natural scaffolds has been developed based on radical mediated C–C bond formation. Iodine atom transfer radical addition (ATRA) followed by rapid ionic elimination and radical azidoalkylation were investigated. Both reactions involve radical addition to the exo-methylenic double bond of the parent substrate. Easy transformations of the obtained adducts lead to extended diterpenes of broad structural diversity and artificial diterpene-alkaloid hybrids possessing lactam and pyrrolidine pharmacophores. The cytotoxicity of selected diterpenic derivatives was examined by in vitro testing on several tumor cell lines. The terpene-alkaloid hybrids containing N-heterocycles with unprecedented spiro-junction have shown relevant cytotoxicity and promising selectivity indexes. These results represent a solid basis for following research on the synthesis of such derivatives based on available natural product templates.     

Anthranilamides with quinoline and β-carboline scaffolds: design,synthesis, and biological activity

Molecular Diversity - In the present study, we report the design and synthesis of novel amide-type hybrid molecules based on anthranilic acid and quinoline or β-carboline heterocyclic...     

Synthesis of gold nanoparticles using herbal Acorus calamus rhizome extract and coating on cotton fabric for antibacterial and UV blocking applications

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been synthesized by greener method using chloroauric acid as precursor and extract of Acorus calamus rhizome as reducing agent. Formation of AuNP was confirmed by the presence of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) peak in UV–Visible spectral analysis. XRD and FT-IR spectral analyses were performed for characterization. SEM images show spherical morphology and HR-TEM images reveal nanosize of AuNPs. The AuNPs were then coated on cotton fabric by pad-dry-cure method and characterized by SEM with EDAX technique. The results reveal the deposition of AuNPs on the surface of cotton fabric. Uncoated cotton, neat extract coated cotton and extract containing AuNPs coated cotton fabrics were then tested for antibacterial activity against Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram negative (Escherichia coli) bacterial strains by AATCC 100 test method. It showed that the extract containing AuNPs coated cotton fabric had higher antibacterial activity than other test samples against E. coli. UV-DRS analysis performed on extract containing AuNPs coated cotton fabric showed improved UV-blocking property than uncoated cotton fabric and neat extract coated cotton fabric.