Design, synthesis and anticonvulsant activity of some new 6,8-halo-substituted-2H-[1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indole-3(5H)-one/-thione and 6,8-halo-substituted 5-methyl-2H-[1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indol-3(5H)-one/-thione

A new series of 6,8-halo-substituted-2H-[1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indole-3(5H)-one/-thione and 6,8-halo-substituted 5-methyl-2H-[1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indol-3(5H)-one/-thione (5a-5l) were designed and synthesized keeping in view of the structural requirement of pharmacophore. The above compounds were characterized by thin layer chromatography and spectral analysis. Anticonvulsant activity of the synthesized compounds was evaluated by the maximal electroshock (MES) test. Neurotoxicity and CNS depressant effects were evaluated by the rotarod motor impairment and Porsolt’s force swim tests, respectively. A computational study was carried out, for calculation of pharmacophore pattern, prediction of pharmacokinetic properties and toxicity properties. The above study revealed that the compounds 8-chloro-2H-[1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indol-3(5H)-one (5e), 6,8-dibromo-2H-[1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indol-3(5H)-one (5i) and 6,8-dibromo-5-methyl-2H-[1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indol-3(5H)-one (5k) possess excellent anticonvulsant activity in the series with little CNS depressant effect and no neurotoxicity as compared to standard drugs phenytoin and carbamazepine

Design, synthesis and anticonvulsant activity of some new 5,7-dibromoisatin semicarbazone derivatives

A series of 5,7-dibromoisatin semicarbazones have been synthesized in good yield, involving aryl urea and aryl semicarbazide formation. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed on the basis of their spectral data. All the compounds were evaluated for anticonvulsant and CNS depressant activities. Anticonvulsant activity was determined after intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration to mice by maximal electroshock (MES) induced seizure method and minimal motor impairment was determined by rotarod test. A computational study was carried out for prediction of pharmacokinetic properties and making them potentially promising agents for the treatment of epilepsy. Compounds (Z)-1-(5,7-dibromo-2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)-4-(4-chlorophenyl)semicarbazide (DH-05), (Z)-1-(5,7-dibromo-2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)-4-(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)semicarbazide (DH-11) and (Z)-1-(5,7-dibromo-1-methyl-2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)-4-(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)semicarbazide (DH-12) exhibited prominent anticonvulsant effect in the series with little or no neurotoxicity and little CNS depressant effect as compared to standard drug

Pharmacy Access and Health-seeking Behavior: Evidence from a Nationwide Policy

Developing countries have wide geographical differences in access to healthcare services. While programs that aim to improve hospital-supporting institutions might improve access for large swaths of the population that cannot access healthcare, they might have an unintended consequence of substitution away from hospitals or clinics to relying on pharmacies for healthcare. Furthermore, unregulated dispensation of medicines may lead to increased incidence of antibiotic resistance in the population who rely on these pharmacies, bypassing healthcare at a hospital or clinic. In this paper, I study a nationwide program in India that improved access to pharmacies by providing cheap generic medicines. Using a difference-in-differences framework relying on geographic variation in access to these pharmacies, I find that exposed respondents are more likely to report receiving some treatment for acute ailments. This increase in healthcare-seeking behavior, however, leads to a shift away from treatment at a hospital or clinic to treatment at a pharmacy. I also find that economically and socially disadvantaged subgroups are more likely to report this substitution pattern, pointing to worsening inequality in access to quality healthcare. I reflect on potential mechanisms driving the main effect and find evidence for finance as a likely mechanism for the observed healthcare-seeking behavior in the exposed population. My main conclusions are robust to a host of empirical checks

Peace of Mind: Examining Election-Induced Anxiety among Minorities in India

We examine if the national elections held in India differentially affected minorities after the ruling party’s landslide victory in 2019. Employing a measure of anxiety and nationally representative survey data, we find a significant increase in anxiety among minorities, particularly within the Muslim community. Moreover, our results uncover significant heterogeneity in the main effect, with a more pronounced impact in districts characterized by high electoral competitiveness. We establish the credibility of our research design through a battery of empirical tests

Harvesting Hunger: The Impact of Opium Ban on Food Security in Afghanistan

In April 2022, the Taliban imposed a ban on opium cultivation in Afghanistan. As opium was the main crop cultivated in many parts of the country, the ban upended the livelihoods of farmers and cultivators. Leveraging spatial variation in satellite-derived measures of opium cultivation along with detailed household survey data, we examine if, following the ban, there was any effect on food security in the affected areas. Our findings from a difference-indifferences framework suggest that food insecurity emerged in the immediate aftermath of the ban but gradually diminished over time. The sale of livestock and the shift of production from opium to grain on arable soils are potential coping mechanisms for decreasing food insecurity in the medium run

Air Pollution and Student Achievement: Evidence from Tanzania

Using novel data on students' performance on national exams administered during secondary schooling in Tanzania, we study how air pollution exposure on the day of the exam affects student performance on these exams. To uncover causal effects, we leverage plausibly exogenous changes in local wind direction in an Instrumental Variables (IV) setup. Our IV estimates imply that an increase in PM2.5 concentration by 10 µg/m3 on the day a student appears for the exam worsens their performance on the exam by 0.04 standard deviations. Our results are robust to a host of falsification checks. We also document that the effects are more pronounced for younger students, females, students appearing for exams in government schools, and those at the lower end of the achievement distribution. Further, we find suggestive evidence that adverse effects of air pollution on exams that test fluid intelligence drive our main results

Unlocking Health Potential: Effects of Free Maternal and Child Health Program

We examine the health effects of the free maternal and child health program (FMCHP) in Nigeria. We leverage variation across states and over time in exposure to the policy in a difference-in-differences (DID) framework. We find that exposure to policy leads to a decline in under-five mortality and children weigh more at birth. We also show that children born after the policy is rolled out are more likely to be delivered at a health facility with assistance from health personnel. Our results are robust to a host of empirical checks and are more pronounced for relatively disadvantaged subpopulations. Having access to healthcare facilities moderates improvement in health outcomes. We highlight increased child immunization, better child nutrition, increased post-natal health checks, improved trust in healthcare providers, and women empowerment as the most likely mechanisms that drive improved health outcomes. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that FMCHP may have averted 405,425 deaths for children under the age of five. Our findings suggest that in areas with low healthcare use improving access to institutional healthcare during pregnancy can lead to better maternal and child health outcomes

Multi-walled carbon nanotube-graphene-polyaniline multiphase nanocomposite with superior electromagnetic shielding effectiveness

The multiphase approach was adapted to enhance the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) of polyaniline (PANI) based nanocomposites. The natural graphite flakes (NGF) incorporated modified PANI was used for the development of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) based nanocomposites. In PANINGF-MWCNTs composites, multilayer graphene was synthesized in situ by ball milling. The resultant PANINGF-MWCNTs nanocomposites were characterized by different techniques. It was revealed from the transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation that in situ derived multilayer graphene acts as a bridge between PANI and MWCNTs, and plays a significant role for improving the properties of multiphase nanocomposites. It was observed that EMI-SE increases with increasing the MWCNTs content from 1 to 10 wt% in the multiphase nanocomposites. The maximum value of total EMI-SE was -98 dB of nanocomposite with 10 wt% of MWCNTs content. The high value of EMI-SE is dominated by the absorption phenomenon which is due to the collective effect of increase in space charge polarization and decrease in carrier mobility. The decrease in carrier mobility has a positive effect on the shore hardness value due to the strong interaction between the reinforcing constituent in multiphase nanocomposites. As a consequence, shore hardness increases from 56 to 91 at 10 wt% of MWCNTs

Improved nanoindentation and microwave shielding properties of modified MWCNT reinforced polyurethane composites

Acid modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes (a-MWCNT) reinforced polyurethane (PU) composite films have been fabricated using a solvent casting technique with 0-10 wt% of a-MWCNTs. A nanoindentation study has been carried out on these films in order to investigate the mechanical properties. Incorporation of a-MWCNTs in a PU matrix led to a drastic increase in the hardness and elastic modulus. The maximum nanoindentation hardness of 217.5 MPa for 10 wt% a-MWCNT loading was observed as compared to 58.5 MPa for pure PU (an overall improvement of 271%). The nanoindentation elastic modulus for a 10 wt% a-MWCNT loaded sample was 1504.2 MPa as compared to 385.7 MPa for pure PU (an overall improvement of 290%). In addition to hardness and elastic modulus, other mechanical properties i.e. plastic index parameter, elastic recovery, ratio of residual displacement after load removal and displacement at the maximum load and plastic deformation energy have also been investigated. The enhancement in the mechanical properties was correlated with spectroscopic and microscopic investigations using Raman spectroscopy, SEM and TEM. Dispersion of a-MWCNTs in the PU matrix was studied using Raman mapping. Besides the improvement in mechanical properties, the electromagnetic interference shielding properties were also investigated in the 8.2-12.4 GHz (X-band) frequency range. A value of similar to 29 dB for the 10 wt% MWCNT loaded sample having a thickness of 1.5 mm was obtained. Therefore, these polyurethane composite films shall not only be useful for hard and scratchless coatings but also for protection from electromagnetic radiation in making electromagnetic shielding bags for packaging of electronic circuits and for scratchless tape for laminating circuit boards

Air Pollution and Time Use: Evidence from India

We investigate how air pollution impacts outdoor activity avoidance, leveraging changes in local wind direction in an instrumental variable setup for causal identification. Our findings reveal a substantial reduction in time spent outdoors during polluted days, mainly driven by decreased engagement in employment-related activities. This effect varies significantly across age, education level, usual principal activity status, consumption expenditure, and residential location. Moreover, reduced outdoor time due to air pollution can potentially promote a more equitable allocation of unpaid caregiving responsibilities within households via increased male involvement. Our results rule out information provision as the primary mechanism and remain robust under various sensitivity tests