Radiation pasteurised oil palm empty fruit bunch fermented with Pleurotus sajor-caju as feed supplement to ruminants

In solid state fermentation, Pleurotus sajor-caju has been found to be able to degrade at least 30% oil palm empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) fibre leaving 70 % useful materials. Conditions under which fermentation carried out were investigated. It was found that, in the temperature range between 25– 28 °C, relative ph between 6–8, moisture between 60–70 % and medium composition of CaCO₃: rice bran 2 %: 5 % were the optimum conditions. The results showed in fermented products that, there were substantial reduction in cellulosic component such as Crude Fiber (CF, 18 %); Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF, 45 %), Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF, 61 %) and Acid Detergent Lignin (ADL, 14 %). However, Crude Protein (CP, 10%) increased resulted from single cell protein enrichment of mycelial microbial mass. The mass reductions of substrate in fermentation process corresponds to the CO₂ released during fermentation. Hence, attributable to the decreased in content of CF, ADF, NDF, and ADL. The digestibility study has also been carried out to determine the useful level of this product to ruminant. Aflatoxin content was detected low in both the initial substrates and products. Based on nutritional value and low content of aflatoxin, the product is useful as a source of roughage to ruminant.     

On nonlinear programming with support functions

Optimality conditions are derived for a nonliear program in which a support function appears in the objective as well as in each constraint function. Wolfe and Mond-Weir type duals to this program are presented and various dualityresults are established under suitable convexity and generalized convexity assumptions. Special cases that often occur in the literature are those in which a support function is the square root of a positive semidefinite quadratic form or anLp norm. It is pointed out that these special cases can easily be generated from our results.     

Separation and determination of m-phenoxybenzaldehyde reaction products by capillary gas chromatography

A capillary GC method employing an internal standard has been developed and successfully used for quantitative determination both of the raw materials used for the manufacture of m-phenoxybenzaldehyde and for the components of the reaction mixtures obtained at various stages of the development of the process. A complete analysis can be performed in a single temperature programmed run.     

Three new cholinesterase-inhibiting cis-clerodane diterpenoids from Otostegia limbata

Three new tricyclic cis-clerodane type diterpenoids trivially named as limbatolide A (1), limbatolide B (2) and limbatolide C (3) have been isolated from the roots of Otostegia limbata along with two known compounds; oleanic acid and beta-sitosterol. The structure elucidation of the new compounds was based primarily on two-dimensional (2D) NMR techniques. Compounds 1-3 displayed inhibitory potential in a concentration-dependent manner against acetylcholinesterase (AChE; EC 3.1.1.7) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE; EC 3.1.1.8) enzymes, respectively.     

Structure determination of bioactive galloyl derivatives by NMR spectroscopy

The investigation of the chemical constituents of Symplocos racemosa Roxb led to the isolation of two new glycosides, symcomoside A (1) and symcomoside B (2), together with one known glycoside, tortoside C (3), which is reported for the first time from this plant. The structures of the new compounds were determined by 1D and 2D homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy, from chemical evidence and by comparison with published data for closely related compounds. Symcomoside B (2) showed potent inhibitory activity against alpha-glucosidase in a concentration-dependent fashion with an IC50 value of 0.733 +/- 0.033 mM whereas symcomoside A (1) showed very weak inhibitory activity against alpha-glucosidase (9.90% in 0.70 mM).     

New asymmetric N2S2 macrocycles,their metal chelates and the photokinetics of DNA-complex interaction

New asymmetric ligands have been synthesized by condensing o-phenylene diamine with CS₂ and PhCHO/MeCHO, and their complexes with Mn^II, Co^II, Ni^II, Cu^II and Zn^II were prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, conductivity measurements, i.r., u.v.–vis., e.p.r. and n.m.r. spectra. The transition metals in the complexes show square planar geometry and are ionic. Photokinetic studies of the DNA-metal complexes [C₁₀H₁₀S₄N₂Cu](NO₃)₂ and [C₁₀H₁₀S₄N₂Ni](NO₃)₂ were carried out and the rate constants k_{(DNA-complex)} were calculated. The results indicate that DNA reacts with the metal complex in two steps. DNA first undergoes structural degradation and is then completely hydrolysed as indicated by spectral changes consistent with earlier results. The asymmetric N₂S₂ macrocyclic metal complexes show a strong propensity for DNA inhibition and can be used as an intercalating binding model.     

Interaction of a new cobalt(II) complex of five-coordinated chiral porphyrin with calf thymus DNA

A new template-directed chiral porphyrin [(TPP)Co(Trp)], where TPP = tetraphenylporphyrin and Trp = 1-tryptophan, was prepared and characterized by various physico-chemical methods. Interaction of [(TPP)Co(Trp)] with calf thymus DNA was studied by u.v.–vis. spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The complex [(TPP)Co(Trp)], after interaction with calf thymus DNA, shows a shift in the absorption spectrum and a large hypochromicity, indicating an intercalating binding mode. This observation was further confirmed by the electrochemical behavior of [(TPP)Co(Trp)] before and after interaction with calf thymus DNA. The complex experiences a negative shift in E _1/2 and a decrease in E _p. The ratio of cathodic to anodic peak currents i _pc/i _pa was 1 for [(TPP)Co(Trp)] while for DNA bound complex i _pc/i _pa 1, suggesting that the calf thymus DNA moiety is bound strongly to the complex [(TPP)Co(Trp)]. Kinetic studies of the DNA-porphyrin complex reveal a psuedo-first order rate law as the plot of k _obs versus calf thymus DNA is linear passing through the origin.