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Gellan gum is an anionic natural polysaccharide and is produced by the aerobic fermentation of a Gram-negative nonpathogenic bacterium, Sphingomonas elodea (Pseudomonas elodea). The molecular structure of gellan gum comprises the repeating sugar units of α- l -rhamnose, β- d -glucose, and β- d -glucuronate in the molar ratios of 1:2:1. The native gellan gum with two different kinds of acyl substituents, namely l -glyceryl gellan gum and acetyl gellan gum, is available. Since past few decades, gellan gum is being exploited in the formulation of various drug delivery systems such as tablets, beads, microparticles, nanoparticles, films, hydrogels, etc. In recent years, gellan gum is increasingly being used to develop several nanoformulations for the effective delivery of drugs. This chapter deals with a comprehensive discussion on the gellan gum-based nanoscaffolds, specially designed for the drug delivery applications.

Gum arabic is a natural polysaccharidic gum, which is extracted from Acacia nilotica, belonging to the family, Leguminosae. Its molecular structure is very complex. It contains 39%–42% galactose, 15%–16% glucuronic acid, 24%–27% arabinose, 12%–16% rhamnose, 12.5%–16% moisture, 1.5%–2.6% protein, and 0.22%–0.39% nitrogen. It has been widely used in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. During the past few years, gum arabic has been widely exploited as a useful and effective excipient in accomplishing various nanoscaffolds for drug delivery and biomedical applications. This chapter reviews the recently developed gum arabic-based nanomaterials for drug delivery and biomedical applications.

Lead free (0.94-x)Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3–0.06BaTiO3-xK0.5Na0.5NbO3 ceramics are under the spotlight owing to their multifunctional nature. We have systematically investigated the microstructural, structural, dielectric, piezoelectric and energy storage properties of the system in the range 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.08. There is a systematic reduction in grain size with increasing K0.5Na0.5NbO3(KNN) concentration. The enhancement in disorder with K0.5Na0.5NbO3(KNN) doping is evident from the increase in slope of the dielectric dispersion plots. The unpoled compositions have a cubic like structure in the whole range i.e. from x = 0 to x = 0.08. However, the application of electric field(poling) results in a structural transformation to lower symmetry upto x = 0.04. Beyond that the disorder dominates over the applied electric field and the structure is cubic like even in the poled state. The energy storage density increases from 0.08 J/cm3 for x = 0 to 1.19 J/cm3 for x = 0.05 and saturates thereafter. Discharge efficiency also follows a similar trend. The piezoresponse decreases with KNN doping from 151 pC/N for x = 0 to 4 pC/N for x = 0.08. It is observed that energy storage density and piezoresponse are complimentary properties which increase at the expense of each other.

The electricity generation units, network operators, and consumers operate in sync by making commitments based on their projections of the consumption and generation capacities. The balance between generation and demand is very important for smooth operation of the system, reduction in the harmonics and losses, and moreover for the grid stability. This requires accurate forecast of electricity demand along with its self-sufficiency in terms of renewable energy generation. The short-term forecasting of electricity demand and its generation from the renewable sources like solar and wind have been considered in this paper. An hourly forecasting of electricity demand, solar generation, and wind generation has been carried out with 24 and 48 h advance forecasting. To maintain the stability of the grid, it is important to generate the electricity with due consideration to solar and wind generation. We hence present the machine learning-based models to directly forecast the net generation requirement of electricity with solar and wind generation data. We present the exhaustive results to analyze these forecasts with and without the availability of future weather information. For various machine learning algorithms, forecasting accuracy has been compared for different seasons, days of the week, and hours of the day to evaluate the robustness of the algorithms.

Introduction:Lifetech Konar-multifunctional occluder is a novel device which is primarily used for the closure of ventricular septal defects. Being “multifunctional”, the occluder has the potential to be useful in various structural cardiac defects.Materials and methods:We share our retrospective review from two centres regarding non-conventional usage of multifunctional occluders in CHD. Eight patients who underwent interventions using multifunctional occluders for lesions other than ventricular septal defects between March 2019 to September 2019 were included in the study. The patients were analysed based on demography, the size and type of lesion, procedural success, and development of complications. All patients were followed up in the outpatient department for a minimum period of 6 months.Results:The median age and weight of the cohort were 3.2 years and 9 kg, respectively. Six patients had patent ductus arteriosus, while one patient had aorto-pulmonary window and one had a coronary arterio-venous fistula. The sizing of the occluders and the procedural approach were based on the underlying pathology. The most commonly used occluder was 6 × 4 mm variant. One patient had successful implantation but had significant intra-device residual flow and was thus replaced by a different occluder. There were no major complications, nor any incidences of device embolisation or malposition. On follow-up, all patients had uneventful course.Conclusion:Konar-multifunctional occluder can be safely used in lesions other than ventricular septal defects, when needed under specific circumstances. Its unique characteristics make it a versatile choice in a variety of cardiac lesions.

This paper presents a compact circular sectored microstrip antenna embedded with two symmetric circular slots and a sectoral ground plane embedded with an open-ended rectangular slot for enhancement of bandwidth and its applicability for UWB communications. The proposed structure exhibits Fractional Bandwidth(FBW) of 157.38 % (2.38 GHz –19.96 GHz) using Rogers RT Duroid 5880as a substrate for lower surface wave loss and attaining broader bandwidth producing notch band centered at around 5.30 GHz (4.26 GHz – 6.34 GHz) which effectively filters out WLAN(5.2/5.8 GHz) and WiMAX(5.5 GHz) bands. The gain of the antenna ranges from 5.34 – 5.73dBi throughout the resonant frequency band and the results obtained from measurement have good accordance with simulated solutions in terms of return loss, gain, polarization and far field patterns.

Herein, a printed Ultra-Wideband (UWB) monopole antenna possessing quadruple band-notched characteristics has been investigated. A fiberglass textile composite laminate has been used as the substrate material. Complementary Split Ring Resonating Structures have been introduced at the centre of the fractal radiator to pro-create band notches for the 03.5/05.2 GHz WiMAX/WLAN bands. Two ‘C-shaped’ parasitic structures have been placed near both sides of the microstrip feed to generate a notch for 05.5 GHz WiMAX band. Two ‘L-shaped’ slits have been introduced near the edges of the fractional ground plane to produce a notch for the 05.8 GHz WLAN band. The proposed fractal monopole antenna shows UWB response from 02.7 – 11.5 GHz along with quadruple band-notched features. Simulated and measured responses tallied fairly well. The wearable textile antenna proposed here, is a novel contender for UWB communication possessing multiple band-notched features.

Objective: The various parts of Dregea volubilis (Family: Apocynaceae), locally known as Jukti (Bengali), are commonly used in Indian system of medicine to treat various ailments such as inflammation, piles, leukoderma, asthma, and tumors. Literature review suggested that there has been no detailed work on systemic pharmacognostic and phytochemical studies done on the flowers of the plant. The present study is aimed to lay down quality control parameters for D. volubilis flowers to confirm its identity, quality, and purity. Methods: The present work was designed to study detailed organoleptic, histological, quantitative standards, physicochemical, spectroscopic, and chromatographic characteristics of the flowers of D. volubilis. Results: The total ash, acid insoluble ash, water soluble ash, loss on drying, water, and alcohol soluble extractive values were found to be 11.767±0.130% (w/w), 1.287±0.106% (w/w), 9.140±0.344% (w/w), 14.110±0.061% (w/w), 21.600±0.133% (w/v), and 9.603±0.104% (w/v), respectively. Phytochemical screening of different extracts showed the presence of carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, steroids, glycosides, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and phenolics. The chromatographic study revealed the presence of rhamnose (103.229±4.994 μg/g), fructose (738.670±25.714 μg/g), glucose (285.532±24.465 μg/g), and maltose (49.082±5.206 μg/g). Conclusion: The characterization parameters of the present study may serve as a reference standard for proper authentication, identification and for distinguishing the plant from its adulterants.

Objective: A series of 5-substituted-4-amino-1, 2, 4-triazole-linked hydroxamic acid derivatives have been synthesized and explored in vitro to evaluate antibacterial and antifungal activities. Methods: Different 5-phenyl group substituted-4-amino-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol reacted with chlorine substituted hydroxamic acid to produce the desired compounds and characterized spectroscopically. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), zone of inhibition (ZOI), growth kinetic studies, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to elicit the antimicrobial efficacy of synthesized compounds against a wide range of bacterial and fungal strains. Results: Compounds 6a, 6b, 6d, and 6k (MIC of 25 μg/ml) have been found to be more potent against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus pumilus, Micrococcus luteus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, compounds 6a-6d, 6k, and 6l (MIC of 25–50 μg/ml) have shown potent antibacterial efficacy against Klebsiella pneumonia, P. aeruginosa, and Vibrio cholera compare to the standard drug amoxicillin (MIC of 60 μg/ml, 65 μg/ml, and 25 μg/ml, respectively). Screening for the antifungal activity revealed that the compounds were found to be most active against Candida albicans (6a, 6b, and 6l), Candida tropicalis (6b and 6d), and Aspergillus niger (6a, 6b, 6d, and 6j) with MIC of 15–25 μg/ml. Bacteriostatic and fungistatic effect of titled compounds was revealed from growth kinetics study. Conclusion: Electron donating group at the 5-position of the 5-substituted-1,2,4-triazole-linked hydroxamic acid derivatives conferred the biological effectiveness of the synthesized compounds and also offer a therapeutically effective prototypical structure for further development of new chemical entities with superior antimicrobial activity.

While studies in the past have shown that certain kinds of off-stoichiometry enhance the piezoelectric response of the lead-free piezoceramic Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (NBT), there is a lack of clarity regarding the mechanism associated with this interesting phenomenon from the fundamental structural perspective. In this paper, we have investigated this issue comprehensively and succeeded in establishing a mutual correspondence between off-stoichiometry, grain size, crystal structure, dielectric and piezoelectric properties in Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (NBT). Of the four different types of off-stoichiometric samples synthesized as per nominal formulae namely Na0.5+xBi0.5TiO3 (Na-excess Na-series), Na0.5-xBi0.5TiO3 (Na-deficient Na-series), Na0.5Bi0.5+xTiO3 (Bi-excess Bi-series), and Na0.5Bi0.5+xTiO3 (Bi-deficient Bi-series), the best piezoelectric response (d(33) similar to 100 pC/N) was obtained in the Na-deficient series with x = 0.04. We succeeded in establishing the structural link between off-stoichiometry and piezoelectricity of this series by examining the structural state of the specimens in their poled state. We show that the off-stoichiometric compositions exhibiting higher piezoelectric response contain a higher fraction of the disordered ferroelectric phase coexisting with the field stabilized long-range ferroelectric (R3c) order. Beyond the critical off-stoichiometry (x > 0.04), the dominance of the structural disorder collapses the piezoelectric response of the system. We also show that what can be achieved by off-stoichiometry can as well be achieved by reducing the grain size of stoichiometric NBT. Our results suggest that the enhanced piezoelectric response of the off-stoichiometric compositions is due to their reduced grain size as compared to the stoichiometric composition, and that the nature of the defect species has a secondary role, if any. We found the same phenomenon/mechanism to be operative in the off-stoichiometric morphotropic phase boundary composition 0.94Na(0.5)Bi(0.5)TiO(3)-0.06BaTiO(3) (NBT-6BT). While our experiments confirm the role of the surviving structural heterogeneity (after poling) as an important contributing factor which enhances the piezoelectric response of NBT-based lead-free piezoceramics, we also use dielectric dispersion as a tool to show that the off-stoichiometric composition exhibiting highest piezoelectric response is characterized by maximum suppression of the disordered phase by the poling field. (C) 2018 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Purified gum odina (PGO) from Odina wodier Roxb. was characterized by rheology, AFM, Raman and CD spectroscopy, in vitro antioxidant activity against hydroxyl radical and superoxide radical, and total antioxidant capacity. The PGO dispersions exhibited pseudoplastic behaviour. The viscosity of dispersion increased with increasing PGO concentration, but decreased with increasing temperature and added salt concentration. The loss modulus was higher than storage modulus indicating prevalently viscous characteristics. AFM analysis showed irregular spherical lumps due to inter- and intramolecular interactions. The Raman spectrum of PGO was similar to that of gum arabic. Circular dichroism revealed partial adoption of polyproline II type conformation, suggesting a less compact structure. The PGO was found to scavenge hydroxyl radical (IC50 517.68 ± 3.60 μg/mL) and superoxide radical (IC50 586.21 ± 3.41 μg/mL), and possess total antioxidant capacity (9.64 ± 0.23 mg gallic acid equivalent/g). Overall, this work would exploit PGO as a new hydrocolloid source in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

In the current study, a multiple emulsion (W/O/W) of lamivudine was developed using a new biopolymer, gum odina (GOd) to increase bioavailability and patient compliances. GOd was employed to stabilize both the interfaces of liquid membrane in both the external and internal aqueous phases. The developed W/O/W multiple emulsion of lamivudine was characterized by analyzing droplet size, zeta potential, polydispersity index (PDI), sedimentation, viscosity, rheological properties, drug entrapment efficiency, in-vitro drug release and stability at various storage conditions. The results obtained were also compared with W/O/W multiple emulsion of lamivudine prepared using Tween 80 (a standard emulsion stabilizer). The drug entrapment efficiency of W/O/W multiple emulsion stabilized using GOd was measured as 91.60 ± 3.66% with sustained lamivudine release over a period of 6 h. Rheological and microscopic examinations indicated long term stability of the developed emulsion prepared using GOd. The results of the current study provide a promising scope to attain sustained drug release through the W/O/W multiple emulsions stabilized by GOd in antiviral therapies. Keywords: Gum odina, Lamivudine, Multiple emulsions

In this work we demonstrate that large temperature sensitivity over a wider temperature range is possible by adopting the dual use of Raman and photoluminescence (PL) signals emitted by rare-earth doped crystalline phosphors when excited by a suitable laser light. We define Raman-PL-intensity ratio (RPIR) as an alternative thermometric parameter to define temperature sensitivity and exploited the contrasting effect of temperature on the intensities of the PL and Raman lines of a Eu3+-doped BaTiO3 ferroelectric phosphor and achieved large temperature tuning of color (red ↔ blue/green) and large relative temperature sensitivities in a wide temperature range: +6.4 %K−1 at 65 K, +2.4 %K−1 at 303 K. Our strategy offers greater flexibility for the design of phosphor systems for optical thermometry with high sensitivity published

In this study, we isolated two compounds from the leaves of Salacia oblonga (SA1, mangiferin and SA2, naringenin), and their structures were confirmed by infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. SA1 and SA2 were orally administered to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats at 50 and 100 mg/kg daily for 15 days. Blood glucose level, serum lipid profile, oxidative stress parameters, histopathology, docking, molecular parameters, and NMR-based metabolic perturbation studies were performed to investigate the pharmacological activities of SA1 and SA2. Results suggested that both compounds reduced blood glucose level, restored body weight, and normalized lipid concentrations in the serum and oxidative stress biomarkers in the liver and pancreas. In addition, the docking study on several diabetes-associated targets revealed that both compounds had a strong binding affinity towards peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4). Further real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses were performed to confirm the gene and protein expression levels of PPARγ and GLUT4 in the pancreatic tissues. Data obtained from the molecular studies showed that both compounds exhibited antidiabetic effects through dual activation of PPARγ/GLUT4 signaling pathways. Finally, the NMR-based metabolic studies showed that both compounds normalized the diabetogenic metabolites in the serum. Altogether, we concluded that SA1 and SA2 might be potential antidiabetic lead compounds for future drug development.

Purpose/objective(s) Historically south Asia had the second highest gender disparity in the world which reflected in professional attributes, like medical practice as well. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the growth pattern and leadership position of woman radiation oncologists (WRO) in South Asia; and, if applicable, forecast the time required to achieve gender neutrality in these countries. Materials/methods Out of the eight countries - viz., Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh (BD), India (IN), Nepal (NP), Pakistan (PK) and Sri Lanka (SL) constituting South Asia, only the last five countries have radiation oncology (RO) facilities. To calculate the growth pattern of oncologists, registration data from national associations in IN, BD, NP and SL were analyzed. PK has none and hence we used data from published literature. Growth rate of WRO and male radiation oncologists (MRO) were calculated based on time function of registration of ROs of different sexes. Based upon calculated growth rate, numbers of WROs and MROs are forecasted for next 10 years. Number of WROs in leadership position was derived from multiple sources. Results The total number of oncologists in the region was 4074 with 91.8% of it belonging to IN. Ratio of WRO to MRO was 1: 2 (1370 WROs and 2704 MROs). Incremental annual growth in the number of WROs was the highest in India (12.7/yr) and the least in Nepal (0.4/yr) with no data available for Pakistan. With the current growth rate, Indian radiation oncologist community will achieve a gender neutrality by 2027. For other countries, gender neutrality is unlikely in foreseeable future with present growth rate of WRO and MRO and their existing numbers at present. Leadership position: Presently WROs lead ≈ 64 of the 430 centers (≈15%) in IN, while the corresponding figures are BD = 1, NP = 0, SL = 1, and PK = 0. Conclusion In all the South Asian countries, patriarchal values and social norms keep gender inequalities alive. Gender equality is a human right which is a must for sustained growth in a peaceful society. With the gender equality index ≈50%, south Asia is the 2nd highest gender disparity region in the world marginally above East-North Africa. With the present growth rates of WROs and MROs, India will achieve the gender equality within a decade; however, rest of the countries may not achieve so in the near future. Presently the % of WRO in IN is better than the developed nation like United States where population of WRO is 26%. Analysis of RO registration with national body reveals radiation oncology is a preferred choice of super specialization for woman clinicians, with an encouraging growth observed in the last 5 yrs compared to previous decades, especially in BD, SL and IN.

This paper describes a compact circular microstrip line fed monopole antenna of dimensions 38.87 × 24.00 × 1.60 mm3 for applications in the Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) range. The −10 dB impedance bandwidth of the proposed antenna is about 118.89% (3.19-12.54 GHz) producing dual notch bands centered at 5.17 GHz and 7.89 GHz with help of an Archimedean spiral slot and defected ground structure (DGS) providing WLAN (5.20 GHz) and satellite X-band (7.5-8.5 GHz) filtering capabilities. The proposed antenna is simulated and optimized to accomplish desirable return loss, gain, polarization and good radiation patterns. The final antenna provides maximum peak gain of 7.46 dBi and the measured results are in better accordance with the simulated results.

Morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) and polymorphic phase boundary ferroelectric solid solutions show enhanced electromechanical response and are sought after as actuator and transducer materials. Compared to others, the lead-free piezoelectric solid solution ${\mathrm{N}}_{0.5}\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{i}}_{0.5}\mathrm{Ti}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{BaTi}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ stands out in two important respects: (i) low piezoelectric coefficients $(\ensuremath{\sim}200\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{pC}/\mathrm{N})$ and (ii) anomalous decrease in the depolarization temperature at the MPB, the reason for which is still unclear. Here we show that both features are related; this is caused by an increasing intervention of a nonferroelectric structural distortion which compromises the gains the system acquires at the MPB via the interferroelectric instability. The propensity of the intervening nonferroelectric distortion, identified as in-phase octahedral tilt, grows considerably as the MPB is approached causing considerable structural-polar disorder, weakening the overall strength of ferroelectric interaction.

Salmonella has emerged as one of the most important food-borne pathogens for humans as well as animals and the ability of biofilm formation by these bacteria has further aided their survival in unfavorable environment. Characterization of these biofilm producing bacteria isolated from pigs and chicken may lead to formulation of strategies for prevention and control of Salmonella infections. Therefore, the present study was conducted to isolate Salmonella from pigs and poultry of Mizoram, determine their biofilm producing ability by phenotypic and genotypic methods along with their virulence and antimicrobial resistance properties. A total of 15 Salmonella spp. (pig=9, poultry=6) was isolated from 100 faecal samples from pigs and 50 cloacal swabs from poultry and biofilm producing ability of the isolates was determined by microtiter plate assay. A total of 10 (66.67%) isolates were found to be biofilm producer. All the biofilm producing bacterial isolates were investigated for antimicrobial sensitivity and distribution of selected biofilm associated genes (csgA, csgD and adrA), virulence genes (invA, stn and sefA) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes (blaTEM, blaSHV and blaCTX-M). The most prevalent resistance was found against ceftazidime (80%), ceftriaxone (80%), cefixime (70%), cefotaxime (70%), gentamicin (70%), cotrimoxazole (60%) and ampicillin (60%). A total of 7 (70%) isolates were resistant to at least three different classes of antimicrobial agents and considered as multidrug resistant. All the isolates were positive for adrA (100%) but negative for csgA and csgD genes. The most frequent virulence gene was invA (100%) and stn (100%). Among the AMR genes, blaTEM (60%) was found to be the major AMR determinants. Moreover, a total of 7 Salmonella isolates were positive for at least one of t biofilm associated genes, virulence genes and AMR genes.

The main objective of this study was to assess the therapeutic activity of gum odina and gelatin based biomimetic scaffold which was previously established as an excellent wound dressing material. In the accelerated stability study, the changes in physicochemical properties were found to be negligible. The cytotoxicity studies were carried out in-vitro and the results showed that upto 90% of the cells remained viable in presence of the scaffold, confirming its biocompatibility. Moreover, results depicted the superior ability of the scaffold to promote cutaneous healing by increasing the rate of wound contraction (about 98%), granulation formation, collagen deposition and formation of an intact epidermis within 18 days. A satisfactory amount of hydroxyproline (240.2 ± 6.67 μg/100 mg tissue) in scaffold treated groups at 21 days ensured the significant deposition of collagen to re-epithelialization. Further it can be hypothesized that the controlled levels of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT) to diminish the oxidative stress in the wounded sites were due to the innate antioxidant properties of both blank and drug loaded scaffold. These results strongly indicated that the prepared scaffolds have strong potential for biomedical applications and it may serve as promising candidate for the next generation of wound treatment systems.

We have synthesized lead-free BZT-xBCT (x = 0.45, 0.50 and 0.55) compositions near morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) using sol-gel technique. Here, we have reported the compositional effect of BCT concentration on structure, surface morphology, dielectric properties and energy storage capacity of BZT-xBCT ceramics. Scanning electron microscopy analysis suggests that the smallest grain size is found for the x = 0.55 composition. The dielectric constant vs temperature measurement indicates that the addition of BCT causes lowering of ordering temperature. In addition, we have performed modified Curie-Weiss fitting to reveal the microscopic behaviour of the synthesized compositions and found Curie constant ‘C’ as 1.3 × 10 6 , 2.1 × 10 7 and 1.7 × 10 7 for x = 0.45, 0.50 and 0.55 compositions, respectively, and diffusion coefficient 1.4 ≤ γ ≤ 1.99 . Polarization (P) vs electric field (E) curves collected at series of temperature, insights that compositions x = 0.50 and 0.55 exhibit slimmer P-E profiles, which causes lowering of remnant polarization (Pr) and hysteresis loss of dielectric system and ensures their suitability in area of pyroelectric based energy harvesting. We also estimated the energy storage density W~189 mJ/cm3 and high discharge efficiency η~75.6% for BZT-0.55BCT ceramic composition. Further, we have employed Arrott plot approach to reveal the involved mechanism of Landau Free Energy flattening in BZT-BCT composition at MPB. It is considered that Landau Free Energy flattening plays key role in exhibiting high electro-mechanical response at MPB. On the basis of findings from dielectric spectroscopy and Arrott plot scheme, we argue that energy flattening phenomenon and high electromechanical response in BZT-xBCT system is achieved via active “polarization rotation mechanism”, instead of “polarization extension”. Our study emphasizes that BCT rich BZT-0.55BCT ceramics are suitable for high energy storage density application.

Flowers of Dregea volubilis (Family: Apocynaceae) are commonly consumed as seasonal vegetable in India but not yet evaluated for its health beneficiary effects. In the present study, the hydroalcoholic flower extract of D. volubilis (DVHA) was evaluated for antioxidant and antidiabetic activities in vitro . With high contents of phenolics (39.82 ± 1.22 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (27.50 ± 0.87 mg QE/g), DVHA showed potential antioxidant activity for scavenging DPPH radical (IC 50 , 237.86 ± 1.05 μg/mL), hydroxyl radical (IC 50 , 170.67 ± 0.98 μg/mL), superoxide radical (IC 50 , 219.07 ± 1.25 μg/mL), nitric oxide radical (IC 50 , 196.38 ± 1.49 μg/mL) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (176.47 ± 3.18 μmol Fe 2 + /g), total antioxidant capacity (39.68 ± 1.62 mg GAE/g) along with remarkable inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase (IC 50 , 3780.09 ± 21.19 μg/mL) and α-amylase (IC 50 , 360.68 ± 1.26 μg/mL). The characterization of the extract was evaluated by FT-IR and UHPLC analysis. The liquid chromatography study led to the identification and quantification of six compounds viz. gallic acid (412.36 ± 2.29 μg/g), ferulic acid (162.72 ± 0.89 μg/g), rutin (386.25 ± 2.00 μg/g), ellagic acid (208.8 ± 2.00 μg/g), quercetin (306.85 ± 2.24 μg/g) and cinnamic acid (213.71 ± 2.14 μg/g). The results explain the therapeutic potentialities of D. volubilis flowers as a potential source of natural antioxidants for use in food and pharmaceutical industries along with their possible applications to control postprandial hyperglycaemia.

It is well established that prebiotics have a profound influence on colonic microbiota which in turn play an essential role in ameliorating the host’s health. This study is focused on Gum Odina (GO), a reported prebiotic in our earlier work, and its impact on colorectal cancer (CRC). GO, upon utilization by probiotics, liberates short-chain fatty acids, acetic acid (0.864 ± 0.050 mg ml−1) and butyric acid (2.303 ± 0.083 mg ml−1) predominantly and increases colonization of Lactobacillus sp. and Bifidobacterium sp. in a gut simulator. The in vivo preventive study of CRC was conducted on Swiss albino mice using 1,2-dimethyl hydrazine (DMH) along with inulin and GO as the standard and test prebiotic, respectively. Scanning electron micrographs of the colon depict that the severity of mucosal dysplasia, flat lesions and loss of goblet cells was quite low in the GO group compared to the DMH alone treated group. The same was noticed in the histomicrograph in terms of alteration of the colonic architecture and abnormalities in the submucosa. Administration of DMH also caused oxidative burst as the levels of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation significantly increased (p < 0.05) but reduced by 29.35% and 27.65%, respectively, in the GO group. Moreover, the levels of glutathione, glutathione-S-transferase, superoxide dismutase and catalase in the colonic tissues significantly increased (p < 0.05) by 31.26%, 10.96%, 12.4% and 6.37%, respectively, when compared to IN, a standard prebiotic. Thus, GO possesses CRC-preventing along with antioxidant properties and slows the overall tumor genesis process.

An isothermal kinetic study of a novel technique for reducing agglomerated iron ore by volatiles released by pyrolysis of lean-grade non-coking coal was carried out at temperature from 1050 to 1200°C for 10–120 min. The reduced samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and chemical analysis. A good degree of metallization and reduction was achieved. Gas diffusion through the solid was identified as the reaction-rate-controlling resistance; however, during the initial period, particularly at lower temperatures, resistance to interfacial chemical reaction was also significant, though not dominant. The apparent rate constant was observed to increase marginally with decreasing size of the particles constituting the nuggets. The apparent activation energy of reduction was estimated to be in the range from 49.640 to 51.220 kJ/mol and was not observed to be affected by the particle size. The sulfur and carbon contents in the reduced samples were also determined.

This study investigates the design of sunflower oil entrapped floating and mucoadhesive beads of amoxicillin trihydrate using sodium alginate and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose as matrix polymers and chitosan as coating polymer to localize the antibiotic at the stomach site against Helicobacter pylori. Beads prepared by ionotropic gellation technique were evaluated for different physicochemical, in-vitro and in-vivo properties. Beads of all batches were floated for >24 h with a maximum lag time of 46.3 ± 3.2 s. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the beads were spherical in shape with few oil filled channels distributed throughout the surfaces and small pocket structures inside the matrix confirming oil entrapment. Prepared beads showed good mucoadhesiveness of 75.7 ± 3.0% to 85.0 ± 5.5%. The drug release profile was best fitted to Higuchi model with non fickian driven mechanism. The optimized batch showed 100% Helicobacter pylori growth inhibition in 15 h in in-vitro culture. Furthermore, X-ray study in rabbit stomach confirmed the gastric retention of optimized formulation. The results exhibited that formulated beads may be preferred to localize the antibiotic in the gastric region to allow more availability of antibiotic at gastric mucus layer acting on Helicobacter pylori , thereby improving the therapeutic efficacy.

A detailed investigation is made to study the effect of the presence of gangue materials like SiO2, Al2O3 and P2O5 on the reducibility of iron ores in the blast furnace and sponge iron/DRI plants. The shatter index and abrasion index are found to improve marginally with increased content of the gangue materials, though the improvement is not significant. The rate of reduction decreases with time, and interfacial chemical reaction is identified as the rate-controlling resistance. The apparent activation energy is determined from the slope of the plot $${1-(1-f)^{0.5 }}$$ versus time, where f denotes the extent of reduction. At a high temperature (1373 K), a little deviation from linearity is observed, indicating greater contribution of diffusion. The apparent activation energy is found to vary between 125.82 and 149.49 kJ/mol for different composition of the nuggets. The presence of SiO2 and Al2O3 is found to reduce the apparent activation energy, E, while the presence of P2O5 increases the value of E. The average decrease in the apparent activation energy is found to be 1.63 and 1.33 kJ/mol per unit mass% increase in SiO2 and Al2O3, respectively, and the average increase in the apparent activation energy is 2.69 kJ/mol per unit mass% increase in P2O5.

Apart from being a model ferroelectric, BaTiO3 and its derivatives are materials of considerable technological importance in the capacitor industry and as a potential Pb-free piezoelectric. Here, we have examined BaTiO3 for its propensity to stabilize local low symmetry distortions and induce structural heterogeneity for two different situations, namely, (1) by introducing inhomogeneous lattice strain and (2) by restricting the average grain size to the submicrometer regime. We have introduced Eu+3 ions in BaTiO3 in a very dilute concentration to act as local probes. Our strategy relies on exploiting the great sensitivity of the 5D0 → 7F2 transition of Eu+3 with regard to the variation in the asymmetric distribution of the ligand field around itself to probe the structural heterogeneity developed in BaTiO3. The Eu+3 photoluminescence signal revealed a remarkable increase in the local structural heterogeneity in submicrometer (∼0.4 μm) sized BaTiO3. This manifests as an ∼170% increase in the intensity of the 7F2 band with respect to the structure insensitive 7F1 band. Although to a lesser extent, a similar scenario was observed when the large grain BaTiO3 develops residual strain. The structural insights presented here can be helpful in explaining the properties of BaTiO3-based multilayered ceramics wherein the two conditions of submicrometer size and residual strain is a common occurrence.

A Super Wideband (SWB), compact sized, coplanar waveguide fed monopole antenna having dual-band notch feature has been investigated in this paper. The antenna exhibits an extremely wide impedance-bandwidth of 33.12 GHz (01.19 GHz – 34.31 GHz) and an equivalent fractional bandwidth of 186.59 %. The antenna proposed here, shows dual band-notch features at WiMAX (03.3 GHz - 03.7 GHz) and WLAN (05.15 GHz – 05.85 GHz) bands. The band rejection characteristics, for the WLAN band centered at 05.5 GHz has been obtained by introducing a Split Ring Rectangular Resonating Structure (SRRRS) at the lower section of the elliptical radiator. A Defected Spiral Microstrip Structure (DSMS) has been introduced in the feed line segment for obtaining a second band-notch for the WiMAX band centered at 03.5 GHz. The dimension of the whole structure is $W\ x\ L = 20 \times 22\ \mathrm{mm}^{2} = 0.079 \lambda_{\mathrm{o}} \times 0.087 \lambda_{\mathrm{o}}\ \mathrm{mm}^{2}$ . The proposed antenna is applicable for Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) based communications.

In this paper, a novel approach in Microstrip Patch Antenna analysis and design has been introduced. Here, a low-profile fractal microstrip antenna has been presented. ‘Sierpinski Triangular’ fractal geometry has been applied in the designing the antenna. Evolutionary Particle Swarm Optimization technique has been utilized for optimizing the design parameters. Triangular slots have been etched in the ground plane, repeated in the subsequent iterative stages. An inverted triangular patch has been placed on top of almost 1.00 mm thick Roger 4350 substrate having an electrical permittivity of 3.48 and loss tangent of 0.004. The antenna resonating frequency is 3.5 GHz with an impedance bandwidth of 700 MHz. The antenna finds its application in 3.5 GHz WiMAX band with a maximum gain of 3.34 dBi and return loss factor of 24 dB at the resonant frequency, which is reasonably better than conventional microstrip patches.

Gum odina is a plant-derived gum. It is naturally nontoxic and readily found with low-cost input. The uses of gum odina have already gained the importance as pharmaceutical excipients in the formulations of different pharmaceutical dosage forms such as primary emulsion, multiple emulsion, immediate releasing tablets, sustained release matrix tablets, etc. This chapter includes a comprehensive and useful discussion of gum odina as pharmaceutical excipients. In addition, this chapter also briefly discusses about the source and properties of gum odina.

This paper describes a coaxial probe-fed slotted antenna with Defected Ground Structures (DGS) which can be tuned to resonate at our desired frequency bands by changing the position of DGS and width of the slots in the ground plane. The proposed antenna can be made to work in the WLAN (2.4/5.2/5.8 GHz) band and WiMAX applications. In this paper, we have tried to reflect a detailed study of the slots in the ground plane and its effect on the antenna parameters such as gain, polarization, return loss, radiation pattern, etc. The proposed antenna produced a multi-band application providing return loss of 11.81 dB at 1.69 GHz, 18.81 dB at 2.5 GHz, 19.59 dB at 2.89 GHz, 22.98 dB at 4.81 GHz, 19.80 dB at 5.80 GHz and 12.70 dB at 6.17 GHz by using FR-4 Epoxy substrate with dielectric constant (Ɛr) of 4.4 and a substrate height (h) of 1.60 mm.

We report here the synthesis of a self-grown 0–3 particulate multiferroic composite by controlled precipitation of the ferrimagnetic garnet phase using additive (MnO2) assisted sintering of a multi-cation ferroelectric system (Bi, Pb, Dy)(Fe, Ti)O3. The particulate multiferroic composite derived in this manner exhibits a favorable microstructure, wherein, although the volume fraction of the garnet phase is kept low (6%), which helps in retaining the electrical insulating character of the specimen, the number fraction of the garnet grains vis-a-vis the ferroelectric grains is ∼1:1. The composite shows a nearly ∼50% increase in saturation polarization at room temperature under a modest magnetic field of 1 T, suggesting a considerable improvement in ferroelectric domain switching due to the efficient strain transfer from the minority garnet grains to the majority piezoelectric grains.

The methanolic extract of

The toxicity of nanomaterials can sometimes be attributed to photogenerated reactive oxygen species (ROS), but these ROS can also be scavenged by nanomaterials, yielding opportunities for crossover between the properties. The morphology of nanomaterials also influences such features due to defect-induced properties. Here we report morphology-induced crossover between pro-oxidant activity (ROS generation) and antioxidant activity (ROS scavenging) of MgO. To study this process in detail, we prepared three different nanostructures of MgO (nanoparticles, nanoplates, and nanorods) and characterized them by HRTEM. These three nanostructures effectively generate superoxide anions (O2•–) and hydroxyl radicals (•OH) at higher concentrations (>500 μg/mL) but scavenge O2•– at lower concentrations (40 μg/mL) with successful crossover at 200 μg/mL. Nanorods of MgO generate the highest levels of O2•–, whereas nanoparticles scavenge O2•– to the highest extent (60%). Photoluminescence studies reveal that such crossover i...

Local structural heterogeneity is known to enhance the piezoelectric response of perovskite-based ferroelectrics. Here we investigate how this heterogeneity is affected by strong electric fields using dilute doped ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{+3}$ ions as local structural probes. We make use of the extreme sensitivity of the $^{5}D_{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{7}F_{2}$ hypersensitive transition of ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{+3}$ vis-\`a-vis the asymmetric distribution of the ligand field around the doped ion to demonstrate that a strong electric field (poling) increases the overall low-symmetry regions on the local length scale in a ${\mathrm{BaTiO}}_{3}$-based lead-free piezoceramic near the $P4mm\text{\ensuremath{-}}Amm2$ polymorphic phase boundary (PPB). Our study suggests that the mandatory treatment of poling given to a ceramic to make it piezoactive also contributes to the microscopic mechanisms that improve the system's piezo-response.

Elevated levels of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) enhance translation of many malignancy-related proteins, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), c-Myc and osteopontin. In non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), levels of eIF4E are significantly increased compared with normal lung tissue. Here, we used an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) to inhibit the expression of eIF4E in NSCLC cell lines. eIF4E levels were significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner in NSCLC cells treated with eIF4E-specific ASO (4EASO) compared with control ASO. Treatment of NSCLC cells with the 4EASO resulted in decreased cap-dependent complex formation, decreased cell proliferation and increased sensitivity to gemcitabine. At the molecular level, repression of eIF4E with ASO resulted in decreased expression of the oncogenic proteins VEGF, c-Myc and osteopontin, whereas expression of β-actin was unaffected. Based on these findings, we conclude that eIF4E-silencing therapy alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy represents a promising approach deserving of further investigation in future NSCLC clinical trials.

Modification of natural polymers by graft copolymerization is a promising technique as it functionalizes these biopolymer to their potential, imparting desirable properties onto them. Grafting with vinyl monomers is the route for modifying the properties of the naturally occurring guar-gum for their better industrial exploitation and development of various commercial products. Acrylated guar-gum chain is synthesized and analysed using Fourier transform infrared, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction techniques to gain an insight into the particle size and structural features. Chlorpyrifos is then entrapped into the polymer, and its release is studied under various conditions. Critical factors influencing the size, entrapment efficiency and release behaviour of entrapped chlorpyrifos have been studied.

The methanolic extract of Cycas revoluta cone (MECR) was analyzed by GC-MS and UHPLC for metabolite profiling and was evaluated for anti-colon cancer property by using in vitro assays like Cell Viability Assay, Colony Formation Assay, ROS Determination, Flowcytometry, DAPI staining assay, Tunel assay. GC-MS and HPLC analysis confirmed the presence of different phytochemicals in the extract of Cycas revoluta cone. In-vitro studies showed MECR extract showed significant anti-colon cancer activity by reducing proliferation and inducing apoptosis in colon cancer cell (HCT-8) line, but no such activity was seen in normal colon cell (CCD-18Co) line. The investigation confirms that MECR may be a promising candidate in colon cancer protection.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the antiproliferative action of isolated M1 (6,7-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid) from Mucuna pruriens seeds using human hepatic carcinoma cell line (Huh-7 cells). Initially, docking studies was performed to find out the binding affinities of M1 to caspase-3 and 8 enzymes. Later, cytotoxic action of M1 was measured by cell growth inhibition (MTT), followed by caspase-3 and 8 enzymes assay colorimetrically. Our results collectively suggested that M1 had strong binding affinity to caspase-8 in molecular modelling. M1 possessed antiproliferative activity on Huh-7 cells (EC50 = 13.97 μM) and also inhibited the action of caspase-8 enzyme, signified process of apoptosis. M1 was active against Huh-7 cells that may be useful for future hepatic cancer treatment.

Magnetic cobalt nanoparticles, stabilized using ionic liquid [bmim]BF 4 , have been used for catalyzing aza- and thia-Michael reactions under environmentally benign conditions at room temperature. The products were isolated in high yields in short reaction times, while the catalyst was efficiently recycled multiple times using a magnetic field.

1,4-benzothiazines have ameliorative effects through inhibition of COX-2 mediated STAT-3 pathways at G-protein couple receptor site. As per this scenario, we recently prepared and tested novel 1,4-benzothiazine derivatives against HT-29 human colon cancer cell line. Two compounds namely AR13 and AR15 showed higher inhibitions among all the synthesized compounds. In the present context, we conducted the in vivo antiproliferative action and identified the molecular mechanism associated to cytotoxic action of AR13 and AR15 in dimethylhydrazine (DMH) induced colorectal carcinoma (CRC) model. Various physiological, oxidative stress, histopathology, ELISA, qRT-PCR, western blot and NMR-based metabolomics were accomplished to evaluate the anticancer effect of titled compounds. Both compounds were subjected to histological and biochemical tests to observe the protective action of the compounds. ELISA showed potential role of these compounds to normalize increased levels of IL-2, IL-6 and COX-2 mediators. This action was more pronounced for COX-2 rather than IL-2 and IL-6. Gene expression analyses further revealed that both of them attenuated the over-expressed COX-2 gene. Furthermore, it was confirmed that these compounds exerted antitumor potential via preventing COX-2 induced JAK-2 and STAT-3 phosphorylation. This action was substansiated by immunohistochemistry using JAK2, p-JAK2, STAT3 and p-STAT3 targets in colon tissue. Finally, score plots of PLS-DA models exhibited significant metabolic discriminations between the treated and CRC groups, and both compounds showed ability to restore the imbalance of multiple metabolites during CRC. In conclusion, our study provided the evidence towards better antiproliferative effect of AR13 and AR15 in DMH-induced CRC through the blockade of COX-2/JAK-2/STAT-3 signal transduction pathway and could be demonstrated as useful anti-CRC candidate molecules for future anticancer therapy.

In this study, we isolated two compounds from the leaves of Salacia oblonga (SA1, mangiferin and SA2, naringenin), and their structures were confirmed by infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. SA1 and SA2 were orally administered to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats at 50 and 100 mg/kg daily for 15 days. Blood glucose level, serum lipid profile, oxidative stress parameters, histopathology, docking, molecular parameters, and NMR-based metabolic perturbation studies were performed to investigate the pharmacological activities of SA1 and SA2. Results suggested that both compounds reduced blood glucose level, restored body weight, and normalized lipid concentrations in the serum and oxidative stress biomarkers in the liver and pancreas. In addition, the docking study on several diabetes-associated targets revealed that both compounds had a strong binding affinity towards peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR