Isolation and characterization of piperine from the fruits of black pepper (Piper nigrum)

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a spice vine crop which is used as a food preservative and as an essential component in traditional medicines. The aim of this study was to extract, isolate and characterize the structure of piperine. The fruits of black pepper were extracted in ethanol and compounds present identified by TLC under iodine vapour. A compound (A2) having Rf value 0.54 was isolated by column chromatography which may be responsible for the pungency of black pepper. After recrystallization of the isolate with benzene and chloroform mixture (7:1) gave pale yellow crystals of m.p. 128~129o C (reported 130o C). The IR, 1 H NMR and mass spectra of the pure crystalline compound (A2) were recorded. The mass spectra of the compound (A2) showed molecular ion peak M+· at 284.5 which was similar to that of piperine (mol. wt. 285)

Synthesis of nanostructured spherical aluminum oxide powders by plasma engineering

Irregularly shaped aluminum oxide particles were plasma atomized resulting in narrow size range distribution of spherical nanostructured powders. Cooling rates, on the order of 106 to 108 K/s, were obtained from the different quenching medias, viz. air, water, and liquid nitrogen. Plasma-engineered powder particles developed nanosize crystallites, while solidification provided insight into the morphological feasibility in refinement of grain size. X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods have been used to quantify the crystallite size obtained with different quenching media. Raman peak shift validated the X-ray analysis in anticipating the grain refinement with increasing cooling rates. Salient structural morphology characteristics and a detailed understanding of spheroidized plasma-sprayed alumina powders were analyzed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies. Formation of nanograins, novel metastable phases, and amorphous structure were endorsed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations

In This Life: The Impact of Gender and Tradition on Sexuality and Relationships for Devadasi Sex Workers in Rural India

In the popular imagination and certain academic fields, sex workers\u27 experiences of sexuality and intimate relationships are often naturalized, to the point where they are assumed to be deviant or completely different than those of women in mainstream society. Researchers and sex worker organizations are challenging these reified constructions by examining more diverse and representative models of sexuality and relationships. However, the experiences of women selling sex in the third world are consistently portrayed as violent, non-pleasurable, and oppressive, characteristics often applied universally to third world women . Using data from ethnographic fieldwork with girls and women who belong to the Devadasi (servant/slave of the God) tradition of sex work in rural Karnataka, India, this paper examines the cultural dynamics of sexuality and relationships. Gender and dominant models of feminine identity emerge as powerful factors in shaping these facets of life, producing experiences among Devadasis that are similar to those of other Indian women. Yet, Devadasis also encounter additional constraints in their lives because of their participation in the morally and culturally contested Devadasi system. These data contribute to emerging research that destabilizes images of sex workers as different from other women, while also highlighting the impact of tradition on sexual mores and relationship structure in this unique cultural context