Visual Indicator Based on Leuco Crystal Violet for Radiation Processing Technology

One of the important technologies for food preservation and processing is radiation processing, which is growing at ever increasing rate in India. Efforts are being done to make it more cost-effective, so there is always a need for cost-effective, indigenously developed visual indicators for providing an easy identification and segregation of irradiated products. Thus development of cost-effective visual indicator based on leuco crystal violet for doses ≥ 10 kGy was under taken. Current research works deals with fabrication and characterization of various parameters such as optimum composition, light stability, temperature effect and effect of relative humidity on the new indicator

Detection of Secondary Metabolites Using HPTLC and GC-MS Analysis and Assessment of Pharmacological Activities of Phoenix loureiroi Kunth (Arecaceae) Ethanolic Leaves Extract in the Management of Pyrexia, Pain and Inflammation

The present research work was carried out the High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis and assessment of pharmacological activities of Phoenix loureiroi Kunth (Arecaceae) ethanolic leaves extract at doses of 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg, body weight, per os. Preliminary phytochemical screening, HPTLC and GC-MS studies were carried out according to the standard methods. The acute toxicity studies were conducted on Swiss albino mice as per Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines 420. For the screening of analgesic activity, writhing test was conducted for peripheral analgesic activity whereas tail immersion test was conducted for central analgesic activity. Antipyretic activity was performed by using the yeast induced hyperpyrexia method and for the screening of anti-inflammatory activity carrageenan-induced rat paw edema method was used. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the ethanol extract of Phoenix loureiroi leaves (EEPLL) contains sterols, flavonoids, saponins, proteins, reducing sugar, tannins, and phenolic compounds. The HPTLC analysis method employed in this work resulted in good peak shape and enabled good resolution of quercetin present in the extract and GC-MS analysis showed a total of 25 peaks and led to the identification of 22 different phytoconstituents in the ethanolic extract. Lethal Dose 50 (LD50) was above 2,000 mg/kg and no death was recorded. The prevailing study demonstrated that EEPLL possesses widespread analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effects in dose dependent manner. It can be concluded that the ethanolic extract from Phoenix loureiroi leaves possesses promising analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activities

Flux and spectral variability of Mrk 421 during its moderate activity state using NuSTAR: Possible accretion disc contribution?

The X-ray emission in BL Lac objects is believed to be dominated by synchrotron emission from their relativistic jets. However, when the jet emission is not strong, one could expect signatures of X-ray emission from inverse Compton scattering of accretion disc photons by the corona. Moreover, the observed X-ray variability can also originate in the disc, and gets propagated and amplified by the jet. Here, we present results on the BL Lac object Mrk 421 using the NuSTAR data acquired during 2017 when the source was in a moderate X-ray brightness state. For comparison with high jet activity, we also considered one epoch data in April 2013 during a very high X-ray brightness state. Our aim is to explore the possibility of the signature of accretion disc emission in the overall X-ray emission from Mrk 421. The spectral fitting of the data using the two component advective flow model shows gives (a) the size of the dynamic corona at the base of the jet from ~28 to 10 r$_s$, (b) the disc mass accretion rate from 0.021 to 0.051 $\dot M_{\rm Edd}$, (c) the halo mass accretion rate from 0.22 to 0.35 $\dot M_{\rm Edd}$, and (d) the viscosity parameter of the Keplerian accretion disc from 0.18 $-$ 0.25. In the assumed model, the total flux, disc and jet flux correlate with the radio flux observed during these epochs. We conclude that the spectra of all the epochs of Mrk 421 in 2017 are well described by the accretion disc based two component advective flow model. The estimated disc and jet flux relations with radio flux show that accretion disc can contribute to the observed X-ray emission, when X-ray data (that covers a small portion of the broad band spectral energy distribution of Mrk 421) is considered in isolation. However, the present disc based models are disfavoured with respect to the relativistic jet models when considering the X-ray data in conjunction with data at other wavelengths.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, 9 tables, accepted for publication in A&A, comments welcom

Conventional and new-breeding technologies for improving disease resistance in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik)

Lentil, an important cool season food legume, is a rich source of easily digestible protein, folic acid, bio-available iron, and zinc nutrients. Lentil grows mainly as a sole crop in the winter after harvesting rice in South Asia. However, the annual productivity is low due to its slow growth during the early phase, competitive weed infestation, and disease outbreaks during the crop growth period. Disease resistance breeding has been practiced for a long time to enhance resistance to various diseases. Often the sources of resistance are available in wild crop relatives. Thus, wide hybridization and the ovule rescue technique have helped to introgress the resistance trait into cultivated lentils. Besides hybridization, induced mutagenesis contributed immensely in creating variability for disease tolerance, and several disease-resistant mutant lines have been developed. However, to overcome the limitations of traditional breeding approaches, advancement in molecular marker technologies, and genomics has helped to develop disease-resistant and climate-resilient lentil varieties with more precision and efficiency. This review describes types of diseases, disease screening methods, the role of conventional and new breeding technologies in alleviating disease-incurred damage and progress toward making lentil varieties more resilient to disease outbreaks under the shadow of climate change

Mixed gas adsorption of carbon dioxide and methane on a series of isoreticular microporous metal-organic frameworks based on 2-substituted imidazolate-4-amide-5-imidates

Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.In this work the adsorption of CO2 and CH4 on a series of isoreticular microporous metal–organic frameworks based on 2-substituted imidazolate-4-amide-5-imidates, IFP-1–IFP-6 (IFP = Imidazolate Framework Potsdam), is studied firstly by pure gas adsorption at 273 K. All experimental isotherms can be nicely described by using the Tòth isotherm model and show the preferred adsorption of CO2 over CH4. At low pressures the Tòth isotherm equation exhibits a Henry region, wherefore Henry's law constants for CO2 and CH4 uptake could be determined and ideal selectivity αCO2/CH4 has been calculated. Secondly, selectivities were calculated from mixture data by using nearly equimolar binary mixtures of both gases by a volumetric–chromatographic method to examine the IFPs. Results showed the reliability of the selectivity calculation. Values of αCO2/CH4 around 7.5 for IFP-5 indicate that this material shows much better selectivities than IFP-1, IFP-2, IFP-3, IFP-4 and IFP-6 with slightly lower selectivity αCO2/CH4 = 4–6. The preferred adsorption of CO2 over CH4 especially of IFP-5 and IFP-4 makes these materials suitable for gas separation application.DFG, SPP 1362, Poröse metallorganische Gerüstverbindunge

Physics Potential of the ICAL detector at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)

The upcoming 50 kt magnetized iron calorimeter (ICAL) detector at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is designed to study the atmospheric neutrinos and antineutrinos separately over a wide range of energies and path lengths. The primary focus of this experiment is to explore the Earth matter effects by observing the energy and zenith angle dependence of the atmospheric neutrinos in the multi-GeV range. This study will be crucial to address some of the outstanding issues in neutrino oscillation physics, including the fundamental issue of neutrino mass hierarchy. In this document, we present the physics potential of the detector as obtained from realistic detector simulations. We describe the simulation framework, the neutrino interactions in the detector, and the expected response of the detector to particles traversing it. The ICAL detector can determine the energy and direction of the muons to a high precision, and in addition, its sensitivity to multi-GeV hadrons increases its physics reach substantially. Its charge identification capability, and hence its ability to distinguish neutrinos from antineutrinos, makes it an efficient detector for determining the neutrino mass hierarchy. In this report, we outline the analyses carried out for the determination of neutrino mass hierarchy and precision measurements of atmospheric neutrino mixing parameters at ICAL, and give the expected physics reach of the detector with 10 years of runtime. We also explore the potential of ICAL for probing new physics scenarios like CPT violation and the presence of magnetic monopoles.Comment: 139 pages, Physics White Paper of the ICAL (INO) Collaboration, Contents identical with the version published in Pramana - J. Physic

Orthometalated N‑(Benzophenoxazine)‑o‑aminophenol: Phenolato versus Phenoxyl States

The molecular and electronic structures of the orthometalated ruthenium­(III) and osmium­(III) complexes of N-(benzophenoxazine)-o-aminophenol (OXLH2) that exhibits versatile redox activities are reported. The redox chemistry of OXLH2 is remarkably different from that of N-(aryl)-o-aminophenol (APLH2). The study established that OXLH2 is redox noninnocent and is a precursor of a phenoxyl radical. One of the C–H bonds of OXLH2 is activated by ions, and OXLH2 reveals three different redox states as dianionic phenolato (OXL2–), monoanionic phenoxyl radical (OXL•–), and zwitterionic phenoxium cation (OXL±) states. The reaction of OXLH2 with [RuII(PPh3)3Cl2] in boiling toluene in air affords an orthometalated OXL2– complex of ruthenium­(III), trans-[(OXL2–)­RuIII(PPh3)2(Cl)] (1), whereas the similar reaction with [OsII(PPh3)3Br2] yields an orthometalated OXL•– complex, cis-[(OXL•–)­OsIII(PPh3)­Br2] (2). 1 and 2 exhibit ligand-based reversible redox waves due to OXL•–/OXL2–, OXL±/OXL•–, and MIII/MII couples. The 1+ ion is a OXL•– complex of ruthenium­(III). 2– exhibits temperature-dependent valence tautomerism due to [OsII(OXL•–) ↔ OsIII(OXL2–)] equilibrium. 22– is a OXL2– complex of osmium­(II), while 12+ and 2+ are OXL± complexes of metal­(III). 2 is an oxidant and effective catalyst for oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol to the corresponding quinone, and the turnover number is 119.7 h–1. The UV–vis–NIR absorption spectrum of 1 displays an NIR band at 800 nm due to an intra-ligand-charge-transfer transition, which is absent in 2 incorporating a OXL•– radical. The molecular and electronic structures of 1 and 2 and their oxidized and reduced analogues were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography, variable-temperature electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, spectroelectrochemical measurements, and density functional theory calculations

Improved Analytical Performance of an Amphiphilic Probe upon Protein Encapsulation: Spectroscopic Investigation along with Computational Rationalization

An easily synthesizable pyrene-based amphiphilic probe (Pybpa) has been developed, which exhibited no responses with metal ions in the pure aqueous medium despite possessing a metal ion-chelating bispicolyl unit. We believe that spontaneous aggregation of Pybpa in aqueous medium makes the ion binding unit not accessible to the metal ions. However, the sensitivity and selectivity of Pybpa toward Zn2+ ions drastically improve in the presence of serum albumin protein, HSA. The differences in the microenvironment inside the protein cavity, in terms of local polarity, and conformational rigidity might be attributing factors for that. The mechanistic investigations also suggest that there might be the involvement of polar amino acid residues that take part in coordination with Zn2+ ions. Pybpa shows no detectable spectroscopic changes with Zn2+ ions in aqueous medium in the absence of HSA. However, it can effectively recognize Zn2+ ions in the protein-bound form. Moreover, the photophysical behavior of Pybpa and its zinc complex have been investigated with DFT and docking studies. Noteworthy, such an unusual sensing aspect of Zn2+ exclusively in the protein-bound state and particularly in aqueous medium is truly rare and innovative

A Redox-Active Cascade Precursor: Isolation of a Zwitterionic Triphenylphosphonio–Hydrazyl Radical and an Indazolo–Indazole Derivative

A redox-active [ML] unit (M = Co^II and Mn^II; LH₂ = <i>N</i>′-(1,4-dioxo-1,4-dihydronaphthalen-2-yl)­benzohydrazide) defined as a cascade precursor that undergoes a multicomponent redox reaction comprising of a C–N bond formation, tautomerization, oxidation, C–C coupling, demetalation, and affording 6,14-dibenzoylbenzo­[<i>f</i>]­benzo­[5,6]­indazolo­[3<i>a</i>,3-<i>c</i>]­indazole-5,8,13,16-tetraone (^IndL₂) is reported. Conversion of LH₂ → ^IndL₂ in air is overall a (6H⁺+6e) oxidation reaction, and it opens a route for the syntheses of bioactive diarylindazolo­[3<i>a</i>,3-<i>c</i>]­indazole derivatives. The reaction occurs via a radical coupling reaction, and the radical intermediate was isolated as a triphenylphosphonio adduct. In presence of PPh₃ the [ML] unit promotes a reaction that involves a C–P bond formation, tautomerization, and oxidation to yield a stable zwitterionic triphenylphosphonio-hydrazyl radical (^PPh3L^±•). Conversion of LH₂ → ^PPh3L^±• is a (3H⁺+3e) oxidation reaction. To authenticate the [ML] unit, in addition to the ^IndL₂, a zinc­(II) complex, [(L₃)­Zn^II(H₂O)­Cl]·2MeOH (<b>1</b>·2MeOH), was successfully isolated (L₃H = a pyridazine derivative of 1,4 naphthoquinone) from a reaction of LH₂ with hydrated ZnCl₂. Conversion of 3LH₂ → <b>1</b> is also a multicomponent (6H⁺+6e) oxidation reaction promoted by zinc­(II) ion via a radical intermediate. Facile oxidation of [L^2–] to [L^•–] that was considered as an intermediate of these conversions was confirmed by isolating a 1,4 naphthoquinone-benzhydrazyl radical (LH^•) complex, [(LH^•)­Zn^II(H₂O)­Cl₂] (<b>2H</b>^•). The intermediates of LH₂ → ^IndL₂, LH₂ → ^PPh3L^±•, and 3LH₂ → <b>1</b> conversions were analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy. The molecular and electronic structures of ^PPh3L^±•, ^IndL₂, <b>1</b>·2MeOH, and <b>2H</b>^• were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations

Acute and sub-acute toxicity studies of hydroalcoholic extract from Acacia suma (Roxb) (Fabaceae) stem barks

Herbal medicines are popular remedies for diseases used by a vast majority of the world’s population. The pharmacological effects of many plants have been studied in various laboratories, whereas there are many limitations regarding the safety and efficacy. Our research group has previously investigated the phytochemical and pharmacological properties of this plant. The present study was carried out to evaluated acute and subacute toxicity of hydroalcoholic extract from stem bark of Acacia suma (Roxb.) var. Acacia polyacantha (Family- Fabaceae). Acute toxicity study was evaluated on male Swiss albino mice (20-25g) and Wistar albino rats (150-200g) were assigned for sub-acute toxicity, after ingestions of the extract during one day (acute model) and during 15 days (subacute model). The acute toxicity studies were conducted as per the OECD guidelines 423, where the limit test dose of 3000 mg/kg b.wt., p.o., used. Results showed that the LD50 of the extract is higher than 3000 mg/kg b.wt., and there was no mortality was observed at 3000 mg/kg b.wt., p.o., dose except with prominent diuresis and purgation, these toxic sign are probably due to the saponins content of the extract; so, testing of the hydroalcoholic extract of Acacia suma stem bark at higher dose was practically non-toxic. In sub-acute toxicity study, the extract treated groups (300 and 600 mg/kg b.wt., p.o.) did not show any significant changes in body weight when compared to the control group. The weight of the liver, kidney and pancreas were found to be unaltered in the experimental groups compared with the control group. The haematological and biochemical parameters (hepatic and renal function tests) did not show any significant changes in the sample treated groups when compared with the control group animals