Determination of ten rare-earth elements and yttrium in silicate rocks by ICP-AES without separation and preconcentration

Lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, dysprosium, erbium, ytterbium, lutetium and yttrium have been determined in 8 international rock standards by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) without prior ion-exchange separation and preconcentration. The results for La, Ce, Nd, Eu, Dy, Yb and Y were in good agreement with the reported values, whereas those for Sm, Gd, Er and Lu were less accurate. However, the results for Sm, Gd, Er and Lu can also be used for studies of petrogenesis.     

Determination of Total Reduced Thiol Levels in Plasma Using a Bromide Substituted Quinone

The exploitation of 2‐bromo‐1,4‐naphthoquinone (NQBr) as a selective redox label for the determination of reduced thiol functionalities (RSH) has been investigated. The system is selective for RSH functionality, giving distinct voltammetric signals for glutathione and cysteine but can also be adapted for broad spectrum thiol detection. Ion chromatographic protocols based on conductimetric detection enable total RSH analysis (protein and monomolecular moieties) within human plasma. Bromide released through the reaction can be easily quantified and integrated within normal IC measurements. The efficacy of the approach has been assessed and the response validated through comparison with the standard colorimetric technique.     

Ni Nanoparticles: Mild and Efficient Catalyst for the Chemoselective Synthesis of 2-Arylbenzimidazoles, 2-Arylbenzothiazoles,and Azomethines

A new and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of biologically significant 2-arylbenzimidazoles, 2-arylbenzothiazoles, and azomethines using recyclable and inexpensive polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)–stabilized Ni nanoparticles in ethylene glycol at room temperature in excellent yields.     

Bioactive Components of Salvia and Their Potential Antidiabetic Properties: A Review

The utilization of therapeutic plants is expanding around the globe, coupled with the tremendous expansion of alternative medicine and growing demand in health treatment. Plants are applied in pharmaceuticals to preserve and expand health—physically, mentally and as well as to treat particular health conditions and afflictions. There are more than 600 families of plants identified so far. Among the plants that are often studied for their health benefit include the genus of Salvia in the mint family, Lamiaceae. This review aims to determine the bioactive components of Salvia and their potential as antidiabetic agents. The search was conducted using three databases (PubMed, EMBASE and Scopus), and all relevant articles that are freely available in the English language were extracted within 10 years (2011–2021). Salvia spp. comprises many biologically active components that can be divided into monoterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes, and phenolic components, but only a few of these have been studied in-depth for their health benefit claims. The most commonly studied bioactive component was salvianolic acids. Interestingly, S. miltiorrhiza is undoubtedly the most widely studied Salvia species in terms of its effectiveness as an antidiabetic agent. In conclusion, we hope that this review stimulates more studies on bioactive components from medicinal plants, not only on their potential as antidiabetic agents but also for other possible health benefits.     

Geometric finite-time inner-outer loop trajectory tracking control strategy for quadrotor slung-load transportation

Nonlinear Dynamics - This paper presents a geometric finite-time inner-outer loop control strategy for slung payload transportation using a quadrotor. The underactuated nature of the quadrotor in...     

Synthesis of photocleavable poly(methyl methacrylate‐block‐d‐lactide) via atom‐transfer radical polymerization and ring‐opening polymerization

The synthesis and characterization of a photocleavable block copolymer containing an ortho‐nitrobenzyl (ONB) linker between poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(d ‐lactide) blocks is presented here. The block copolymers were synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of MMA followed by ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of d ‐Lactide and ROP of d ‐lactide followed by ATRP of MMA from a difunctional photoresponsive ONB initiator, respectively. The challenges and limitations during synthesis of the photocleavable block copolymers using the difunctional photoresponsive ONB initiator are discussed. The photocleavage of the copolymers occurs under mild conditions by simple irradiation with 302 nm wavelength UV light (Relative intensity at 7.6 cm: 1500 μW/cm²) for several hours. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 4309–4316     

Topological estimation of proton-ligand formation constants of potential antitumour agents: Salicylhydroxamic acids

Proton-ligand formation constants of salicylhydroxamic acids (SHA) and their nuclear substituted derivatives have been estimated topologically using the normalized Wiener index, referred to as mean square Wiener index (Wms). Regression analysis of the data indicates that Wms can be used successfully for estimating and monitoring proton-ligand formation constants.     

Specific interaction of jacalin with phycocyanin, a fluorescent phycobiliprotein

Recent research has shown that, like porphyrins, phycocyanin (PC) too can produce singlet oxygen upon excitation with the appropriate radiation and hence could be useful in photodynamic therapy (PDT) for cancer. Unlike porphyrins, PC has the advantage of being a non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, soluble protein. However, the challenge would be to target the fluorescent phycobiliprotein to malignant cells. We report here that the tumor-specific lectin, jacalin, binds PC specifically in a carbohydrate-independent manner and with affinities better than that for porphyrins. Hence the lectin could prove to be a useful carrier for targeted delivery of PC. The interaction involves both ionic and hydrophobic interactions and more than one contact site.     

Glycosyl alkoxythioimidates as complementary building blocks for chemical glycosylation

It is reported that S-glycosyl O-methyl phenylcarbamothioates (SNea carbamothioates) have a fully orthogonal character in comparison to S-benzoxazolyl (SBox) glycosides. This complete orthogonality was revealed by performing competitive glycosylation experiments in the presence of various promoters. The results obtained indicate that SNea carbamothioates have a very similar reactivity profile to that of glycosyl thiocyanates, yet are significantly more stable and tolerate selected protecting group manipulations. These features make the SNea carbamothioates new promising building blocks for further utilization in oligosaccharide synthesis.     

Convenient synthesis of Cu3(BTC)2 encapsulated Keggin heteropolyacid nanomaterial for application in catalysis

Nanomaterial of Cu(3)(BTC)(2) (BTC = benzene tricarboxylic acid) incorporating Keggin heteropolyacid conveniently prepared at room temperature and recovered by freeze drying outperforms ultrastable Y zeolite in acid catalysed esterification reaction.