HEPATOPROTECTIVE EVALUATION OF EPALTES DIVARICATA (L.) CASS. WHOLE PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST PARACETAMOL-INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY IN RATS

Objective: The plant of Epaltes divaricata (L.) Cass. Traditionally used for jaundice. The present work aimed to investigate the hepatoprotective activity of alcohol and aqueous extract of the whole plant against paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in rats to substantiate its traditional use.Methods: The alcohol and aqueous (200 and 400 mg/kg) extract of Epaltes divaricata prepared by cold maceration were administered orally to the animals with hepatotoxicity induced by paracetamol (1000 mg/kg). Silymarine (40 mg/k) was given as reference standard. Hepatoprotective activity was assessed by estimating marker enzymes and by histopathological studies.Results: Both alcohol and aqueous (200 and 400 mg/kg) extract treatment significantly restored the paracetamol-induced elevations in levels of serum enzymes aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphate (ALP) and total bilirubin in a dose-dependent manner. Histopathological examination revealed that the treatment attenuated the paracetamol-induced damage to the liver. The hepatoprotective effect of both extracts was comparable to that of the standard hepatoprotective agent, silymarin.Conclusion: The alcohol and aqueous extract of E. divaricata exhibited hepatoprotective effect against paracetamol-induced liver damage in rats. This study also validated their traditional medicinal use in jaundice

Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic application of ZnWO4/ZrO2 nanocomposite towards degradation of methyl orange dye

Visible light active ZnWO4/ZrO2 nanocomposite was prepared via hydrothermal method. The nanocomposite was characterized by UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis-DRS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The XRD results showed that average particle size of ZrO2, ZnWO4 and ZnWO4/ZrO2 were found to be 29.20 nm, 23.78 nm and 20.14 nm respectively and the phase structure for ZrO2 and ZnWO4 in the composite was Rhombohedral and Monoclinic respectively. The UV–vis absorption spectra of the ZnWO4/ZrO2 nanocomposite noticeably shifted to the visible light region compared to that of the ZrO2. The prepared photocatalyst were composed of plate and spongy sphere with little agglomeration was seen from SEM result. The photocatalytic activities of the prepared nanocomposite was evaluated for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiations. The effect of operational parameters such as initial dye concentration, pH, catalyst concentration and irradiation time have been investigated in detail. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of ZnWO4/ZrO2, ZnWO4 and ZrO2 for 95%, 72% and 60 % respevtively. The high photocatalytic activity can be attributed to stronger absorption in the visible light region, a greater specific surface area, smaller crystal sizes, more surface OH groups, and to the effect of ZnWO4 doping, which resulted in a lower band gap energy

Learning Interpretable Rules for Multi-label Classification

Multi-label classification (MLC) is a supervised learning problem in which, contrary to standard multiclass classification, an instance can be associated with several class labels simultaneously. In this chapter, we advocate a rule-based approach to multi-label classification. Rule learning algorithms are often employed when one is not only interested in accurate predictions, but also requires an interpretable theory that can be understood, analyzed, and qualitatively evaluated by domain experts. Ideally, by revealing patterns and regularities contained in the data, a rule-based theory yields new insights in the application domain. Recently, several authors have started to investigate how rule-based models can be used for modeling multi-label data. Discussing this task in detail, we highlight some of the problems that make rule learning considerably more challenging for MLC than for conventional classification. While mainly focusing on our own previous work, we also provide a short overview of related work in this area.Comment: Preprint version. To appear in: Explainable and Interpretable Models in Computer Vision and Machine Learning. The Springer Series on Challenges in Machine Learning. Springer (2018). See http://www.ke.tu-darmstadt.de/bibtex/publications/show/3077 for further informatio

Assessing Land Use Dynamics of Lower Bhavani Basin Using Multiple GIS Platforms

Land use describes the actual form of land, such as a forest or open water and classification based on human utilization. Land use map provides the information about the current landscape of an area. In this study, the Lower Bhavani basin's land use and land cover were classified using GIS platforms and data from the Landsat 8 satellite. The platform utilized in this study were Semi-Automated Plugin (SAP) in QGIS and Random forest method in Google Earth Engine (GEE). The findings suggested that both platforms performed efficiently and displayed comparable percentages of land covered by various land use features. The accuracy of the resulting land use map was evaluated using a Google Earth image, and it was discovered that SAP and GEE hold 91.8% and 92.6% of the total accuracy. This study aids in evaluating and classifying the various Geographic Information System platforms land use trends

Enhancement of Optical and Thermal Properties of γ-Glycine Single Crystal: in the Presence of 2-Aminopyridine Potassium Chloride

International audienceIn this research paper, an overview of polymorph γ-form glycine single crystal crystallization in the presence of 2-aminopyridine potassium chloride as an additive at an ambient temperature by slow evaporation solution growth technique (SEST) has been presented. FTIR and NMR studies confirm the presence of functional groups in the grown crystal. In the UV–Visible NIR optical absorption spectral studies from 200 nm to 900 nm, the observed 0% absorption with lower cutoff wave length at 240 nm and high band gap (5. 5eV) enabled enhanced linear optical properties. Powder XRD study confirms crystalline nature of the grown γ-glycine crystal. The single crystal XRD study shows that the grown crystal possesses hexagonal structure and belongs to space group P31 with the cell parameters a=7. 09 Å; b=7. 09; c=5. 52 Å; α = β = 90˚; and γ = 120˚. Thermal studies have been carried out to identify the elevated thermal stability and decomposition temperature of the grown sample. Dielectric studies of as grown γ-glycine crystal exhibit low dielectric constant at higher frequencies, which is most essential parameters for nonlinear optical applications. Enhanced SHG efficiency of the grown crystal was confirmed by the Kurtz powder technique using Nd:YAG laser and found 1. 6 times greater than that of inorganic standard potassium dihydrogen phosphate. 1. Introduction. Highly polarizable conjugated system of organic molecule possesses non-centro symmetry structure and the inorganic molecule (anion), linking through hydrogen bond with organic molecule (cation) yields strong mechanical and high thermal stability [1, 2]. Molecular charge transfer induced in semiorganic complex by delocalized π electron, such that moving between electron donor and electron acceptor which are in opposite sides of the molecules [3, 4]. In the base acid interaction of organic and inorganic molecules, there is a high polarizable cation derived from aromatic nitro systems, linked to the polarizable anion of inorganic molecules through hydrogen bond network yields a noncentrosymmetric structural systems and this hydrogen bonding energy between organic and inorganic molecules made the dipole moment in parallel fashion ensures the increase of second harmonic generation activity [5]. The structures of 2-aminopyridine complexes have already been studied by Chao and his co-workers [6]. In recent years metal organic complexes have been played reasonable attention in advancement of technology [2,7]. Growth of 2-aminopyridine complex crystals is widely used in the rapid advancement in technology, such as ultra-fast phenomena, optical communication and optical storage devices , frequency doublers and optical modulators [8]. Optical properties of 2-aminopyridine complexes and their suitability for optoelectronic devices have been reported [9-14]. Metal organic nonlinear optical crystals possess good second harmonic generation efficiency, hence rich demand in optical storage devices, color display units and optical communication systems [7]. Recent research focus is on designing of new materials capable of attaining SHG processes by strong interaction with an oscillating field of light. Amino acids with ionic salt complex crystals have been investigated and recognized as materials having good nonlinear optical properties [1,3,15-17]. In this present work, synthesis and crystallization of glycine into γ-form glycine in the presence of aqueous solution 2-aminopyridine potassium chloride and their suitability for device fabrication with various enhanced optical and thermal properties are reported

Ochronosis

Ochronosis is a rare disorder, which presents with distinct clinical and biochemical features. A fifty seven year old male presented with fracture femur, osteoarthritis, Oslerâ€s sign, alkaptonuria and cutaneous ochronosis. Though the clinical progression of his alkaptonuria was typical, he presented interesting features including non-uniting fracture and arthritis of big and small joints

Real Time Soil Moisture (RTSM) Based Irrigation Scheduling to Improve Yield and Water-Use Efficiency of Green Pea (<i>Pisum sativum</i> L.) Grown in North India

A field experiment on green pea (Pisum Sativum L.) was conducted under drip irrigation to determine the irrigation schedule based on real-time soil moisture measurements with irrigation treatments (main plots) and fertilizer treatments (sub-plots) in a split-plot design with three replications. Main plots consisted of fourirrigation levels at different matric potential ranges (I1: −20 kPa; I2: −30 kPa; I3: −35 kPa; and I4: −40 kPa), while the sub-plots consisted of three fertigation levels (F1: 120%, F2: 100% and F3: 80%) of recommended dose of fertilizers (40:60:50 kg/ha of NPK). The tensiometer with digital pressure transducer transferred the soil matric potential data to the irrigation controller, which activated the solenoid valves for irrigation. Observations were collected on plant growth parameters, pod yield, and quality parameters. Descriptive statistics of different plant growth parameters were made. The higher SMP threshold (−20 kPa) and lower SMP threshold (−40 kPa) greatly reduced the yield and water-use efficiency. Considering the results, real-time soil moisture-based irrigation at the soil matric potential threshold level of −30 kPa with 120% of recommended dose of fertilizers through fertigation was recommended for attaining maximum green pea pod yield and water-use efficiency under semi-arid Inceptisols