High energy density aluminum battery

Compositions and methods of making are provided for a high energy density aluminum battery. The battery comprises an anode comprising aluminum metal. The battery further comprises a cathode comprising a material capable of intercalating aluminum or lithium ions during a discharge cycle and deintercalating the aluminum or lithium ions during a charge cycle. The battery further comprises an electrolyte capable of supporting reversible deposition and stripping of aluminum at the anode, and reversible intercalation and deintercalation of aluminum or lithium at the cathode.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste

A study on the functional properties of silk and polyester / lyocell mixed fabric

ABSTRACT Silk is one of the valuable fibers in textile industry. It is used for delicate applications in many areas such as sarees, suitings, curtains and luxurious interiors. To diversify the properties and usages silk is mixed with polyester and lyocell. The fabric is dyed with natural dyes (kum kum, indigo, barberry) as well as synthetic dyes (reactive dye (H), reactive dye (M) and sulphur dye). This mixed fabric is compared with 100% silk for some of the basic properties like absorbency, water retention, wicking, water vapour permeability, air permeability, K/S values, colour fastness and antimicrobial property. The silk mixed fabric gives the appreciable results with the 100% silk fabric

Micropropagation and conservation of selected endangered anticancer medicinal plants from the Western Ghats of India

Globally, cancer is a constant battle which severely affects the human population. The major limitations of the anticancer drugs are the deleterious side effects on the quality of life. Plants play a vital role in curing many diseases with minimal or no side effects. Phytocompounds derived from various medicinal plants serve as the best source of drugs to treat cancer. The global demand for phytomedicines is mostly reached by the medicinal herbs from the tropical nations of the world even though many plant species are threatened with extinction. India is one of the mega diverse countries of the world due to its ecological habitats, latitudinal variation, and diverse climatic range. Western Ghats of India is one of the most important depositories of endemic herbs. It is found along the stretch of south western part of India and constitutes rain forest with more than 4000 diverse medicinal plant species. In recent times, many of these therapeutically valued herbs have become endangered and are being included under the red-listed plant category in this region. Due to a sharp rise in the demand for plant-based products, this rich collection is diminishing at an alarming rate that eventually triggered dangerous to biodiversity. Thus, conservation of the endangered medicinal plants has become a matter of importance. The conservation by using only in situ approaches may not be sufficient enough to safeguard such a huge bio-resource of endangered medicinal plants. Hence, the use of biotechnological methods would be vital to complement the ex vitro protection programs and help to reestablish endangered plant species. In this backdrop, the key tools of biotechnology that could assist plant conservation were developed in terms of in vitro regeneration, seed banking, DNA storage, pollen storage, germplasm storage, gene bank (field gene banking), tissue bank, and cryopreservation. In this chapter, an attempt has been made to critically review major endangered medicinal plants that possess anticancer compounds and their conservation aspects by integrating various biotechnological tool

A study on the functional properties of silk and polyester / lyocell mixed fabric

ABSTRACT Silk is one of the valuable fibers in textile industry. It is used for delicate applications in many areas such as sarees, suitings, curtains and luxurious interiors. To diversify the properties and usages silk is mixed with polyester and lyocell. The fabric is dyed with natural dyes (kum kum, indigo, barberry) as well as synthetic dyes (reactive dye (H), reactive dye (M) and sulphur dye). This mixed fabric is compared with 100% silk for some of the basic properties like absorbency, water retention, wicking, water vapour permeability, air permeability, K/S values, colour fastness and antimicrobial property. The silk mixed fabric gives the appreciable results with the 100% silk fabric

DETERMINATION OF SECONDARY METABOLITES, LD50 VALUE AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF SEED EXTRACT OF CUCURBITA PEPO LINN.

Objective: To quantify the secondary metabolites, acute toxicity profile and the antioxidant potential of seed extract of Cucurbita pepo, an edible vegetable commonly used by people of Asian countries.Methods: The methanolic seed extract of C.pepo (MSCP) was analyzed by HPLC and GC to determine various phytochemicals. Free radicals scavenging activity of MSCP was measured against DPPH, NO and superoxide radicals generated in vitro. Male Sprague Dawley rats were administered 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 2500 and 3000 mg/kg body weight of MSCP as a single dose or 3 equally divided doses within 8 hrs and observed for any abnormal symptoms of toxicity. Serum biochemistry and histopathological score in the ultra-sections of major organs were also determined.Results: MSCP is found to contain alkaloids (4.09 mg), phenols (0.988 mg), flavonoids (1.223 mg) and terpenoids (2.144 mg) per gram of MSCP. The major flavonoid detected is quercetin. The MSCP is found to possess significant radical scavenging activity against DPPH (IC50 – 40.8 µg/ml), NO (IC50 – 38.70 µg/ml) and superoxide anions (IC50 – 38.4 µg/ml) and the effect is comparable to that of the corresponding reference compounds ascorbic acid and rutin in terms of IC50 value. By applying Karber's formula, 2975 mg/kg b.wt has been confirmed as the LD50value of MSCP.Conclusion: The medicinal property of C.pepo seeds may be attributed to the presence of flavonoids and phenolic compounds which counteract the free radicals responsible for various health complications. Based on the LD50value, it could be recommended that 250 mg/kg b.wt can be administered to rats to study the therapeutic action of C.pepo seed extract. Key words: Cucurbita pepo, phytochemicals, free radicals, LD50 value, scavenging activity

Investigation on the reactivity of α-azidochalcones with carboxylic acids: Formation of α-amido-1,3-diketones and highly substituted 2-(trifluoromethyl)oxazoles

The reaction of α-azidochalcones with carboxylic acids has been investigated resulting in the formation of α-amido-1,3-diketones under microwave irradiation via in situ formation of 2H-azirine intermediates. An interesting reaction is described wherein, with trifluoroacetic acid at lower temperature, it affords highly substituted 2-(trifluoromethyl)oxazoles. These flexible transformations proceed under solvent free conditions in good to excellent yields without any catalyst

Microwave-assisted catalyst-free synthesis of tetrasubstituted pyrroles using dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates and monophenacylanilines

<p>An efficient catalyst-free microwave-assisted synthesis of tetrasubstituted pyrroles using dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates and substituted monophenacylanilines has been developed. Axial chirality has been noticed in some <i>N</i>-(α-naphthyl/2-isopropylphenyl)-2,3-dicarbethoxy-4-arylpyrroles, but not with <i>N</i>-aryl-2,3-dicarbethoxy-4-(α-naphthyl)pyrrole.</p

Metabolic Syndrome Screening and Nutritional Status of Patients with Psoriasis: A Scoping Review

Background: Patients with plaque psoriasis have an increased risk of metabolic syndrome. However, no studies have assessed the nutritional status or screening methods of this population. Aims: This review aimed to identify and summarise metabolic syndrome screening criteria and the tools/methods used in nutrition assessment in patients with plaque psoriasis. Data synthesis: PubMed, Web of Science, Ovid and Scopus were searched from inception to March 2023, following the Arkensey and O’Malley framework, to identify articles that report nutritional assessment methods/tools and metabolic screening criteria. Twenty-one studies were identified. Overall, these studies used four different screening criteria to define metabolic syndrome. Patients with psoriasis had a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome and had a poor nutritional status compared to controls. However, only anthropometric measures such as weight, height and waist circumference were employed to determine the nutritional status. Only two studies assessed the vitamin D status. Conclusions: Patients with psoriasis have a poor nutritional status, and they are at risk of nutrient deficiencies. However, these health aspects are not routinely assessed and may increase the risk of malnutrition among these patients. Therefore, additional assessments, such as body composition and dietary assessment, are needed to determine the nutritional status to provide a suitable intervention

Erbium Triflate Promoted Multicomponent Synthesis of Highly Substituted Imidazoles

The synthesis of highly substituted imidazole derivatives has been achieved from various α-azido chalcones, aryl aldehydes, and anilines. This multicomponent protocol employs erbium triflate as a catalyst resulting in excellent yield of the imidazoles