Control of Nucleation in Gel by GNGT — II

The Graded Neutral Gel Technique (GNGT) of controlling the nucleation was extended to the gel growth of crystals by a solubility reduction process. Successful and interesting results were obtained in five systems, of the six tried. Attainment of morphological stability, growth around the axial region, and elimination of the growth of pseudo-structures and salting out effect were the salient features observed.     

Kinetics and adsorption equilibrium in the system aqueous solution of copper ions—granulated activated carbon

The feasibility of using granulated activated carbon for adsorption removal of copper from aqueous solution was studied. The influence of pH, amount of the adsorbent, contact time, and copper concentration on adsorption of copper was investigated. The single-component equilibrium data on copper adsorption were analyzed using the Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich—Peterson, Temkin, and Toth adsorption isotherms. The adsorption process was followed by two simplified kinetic models including pseudo-first- and pseudo-second-order equations. Kinetic parameters, rate constants, equilibrium sorption capacities, and the corresponding correlation coefficients were calculated and examined for each kinetic model. It was shown that copper adsorption can be described by the pseudo-second-order equation.     

Selective Electrochemical Epinephrine Sensor Using Self‐Assembled Monomolecular Film of 1,8,15,22‐Tetraaminophthalocyanatonickel(II) on Gold Electrode

This article describes the highly sensitive and selective determination of epinephrine (EP) using self‐assembled monomolecular film (SAMF) of 1,8,15,22‐tetraamino‐phthalocyanatonickel(II) (4α‐Ni^IITAPc) on Au electrode. The 4α‐Ni^IITAPc SAMF modified electrode was prepared by spontaneous adsorption of 4α‐Ni^IITAPc from dimethylformamide solution. The modified electrode oxidizes EP at less over potential with enhanced current response in contrast to the bare Au electrode. The standard heterogeneous rate constant (k°) for the oxidation of EP at 4α‐Ni^IITAPc SAMF modified electrode was found to be 1.94×10^?2 cm s^?1 which was much higher than that at the bare Au electrode. Further, it was found that 4α‐Ni^IITAPc SAMF modified electrode separates the voltammetric signals of ascorbic acid (AA) and EP with a peak separation of 250 mV. Using amperometric method the lowest detection limit of 50 nM of EP was achieved at SAMF modified electrode. Simultaneous amperometric determination of AA and EP was also achieved at the SAMF modified electrode. Common physiological interferents such as uric acid, glucose, urea and NaCl do not interfere within the potential window of EP oxidation. The present 4α‐Ni^IITAPc SAMF modified electrode was also successfully applied to determine the concentration of EP in commercially available injection.     

Mushroom Polysaccharide-Assisted Anticarcinogenic Mycotherapy: Reviewing Its Clinical Trials

Of the biologically active components, polysaccharides play a crucial role of high medical and pharmaceutical significance. Mushrooms have existed for a long time, dating back to the time of the Ancient Egypt and continue to be well explored globally and experimented with in research as well as in national and international cuisines. Mushroom polysaccharides have slowly become valuable sources of nutraceuticals which have been able to treat various diseases and disorders in humans. The application of mushroom polysaccharides for anticancer mycotherapy is what is being reviewed herein. The widespread health benefits of mushroom polysaccharides have been highlighted and the significant inputs of mushroom-based polysaccharides in anticancer clinical trials have been presented. The challenges and limitation of mushroom polysaccharides into this application and the gaps in the current application areas that could be the future direction have been discussed.     

Modeling the mechanism involved during the sorption of methylene blue onto fly ash

Batch sorption experiments were carried out to remove methylene blue from its aqueous solutions using fly ash as an adsorbent. Operating variables studied were initial dye concentration, fly ash mass, pH, and contact time. Maximum color removal was observed at a basic pH of 8. Equilibrium data were represented well by a Langmuir isotherm equation with a monolayer sorption capacity of 5.718 mg/g. Sorption data were fitted to both Lagergren first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models and the data were found to follow pseudo-second-order kinetics. Rate constants at different initial concentrations were estimated. The process mechanism was found to be complex, consisting of both surface adsorption and pore diffusion. The effective diffusion parameter D(i) values were estimated at different initial concentrations and the average value was determined to be 2.063 x 10(-9)cm2/s. Analysis of sorption data using a Boyd plot confirms the particle diffusion as the rate-limiting step for the dye concentration ranges studied in the present investigation (20 to 60 mg/L).     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In-silico</Emphasis> Screening using Flexible Ligand Binding Pockets: A Molecular Dynamics-based Approach

Summary In-silico screening of flexible ligands against flexible ligand binding pockets (LBP) is an emerging approach in structure-based drug discovery. Here, we describe a molecular dynamics (MD) based docking approach to investigate the influence on the high-throughput in-silico screening of small molecules against flexible ligand binding pockets. In our approach, an ensemble of 51 energetically favorable structures of the LBP of human estrogen receptor α (hERα) were collected from 3 ns MD simulations. In-silico screening of 3500 endocrine disrupting compounds against these flexible ligand binding pockets resulted in thousands of ER–ligand complexes of which 582 compounds were unique. Detailed analysis of MD generated structures showed that only 17 of the LBP residues significantly contribute to the overall binding pocket flexibility. Using the flexible LBP conformations generated, we have identified 32 compounds that bind better to the flexible ligand-binding pockets compared to the crystal structure. These compounds, though chemically divergent, are structurally similar to the natural hormone. Our MD-based approach in conjunction with grid–based distributed computing could be applied routinely for in-silico screening of large databases against any given target.     

Synthesis of AgI?AgCl?CuI solid solutions for ice nucleation studies

Lattice parameter calculation and the nucleation temperature of AgI AgCl CuI system are reported in this study. By vacuum fusion three samples of different molar compositions were prepared. The formation of the cubic solid solution of the above system was confirmed by X-ray analysis. It is found that the 50:25:25 mole% composition of AgI AgCl CuI has the highest nucleation temperature of −1.0 °C, which is far greater than −2.53 °C, −4.02 °C and −2.26 °C for pure AgI, AgCl, and CuI, respectively.     

Solvent effect on DNA base stacked dimers: An isodensity polarizable continuum model approach

The role of solvent on the base stacking properties of various stacked dimers has been analyzed. Ab initio calculations have been performed on the various stacked dimers using the isodensity polarizable continuum model (IPCM), in the framework of the HF/6‐31G** level. It is observed that the stacked dimers undergo different levels of stabilization for different rotated conformations, and the total energy of stacked dimers depends on the twist angle. The results reveal that DNA stacked dimers prefer the twisted (rotated conformation) conformation in water environment, so as to escape from water, due to their hydrophobic nature. In addition, the presence of solvent stabilizes the stacking interaction between bases. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2001