Silybum marianum (Milk Thistle): Review on Its chemistry, morphology, ethno medical uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities

The oldest remedies identified to mankind are herbal medicines. India is recognized worldwide for its Ayurvedic treatment. India has rich history of using many plants for medicinal purposes. Remedial plants are cooperating extremely dynamic position in customary drugs for the action of a variety of illness. However a key obstacle, which has hindered the promotion in use of alternative medicines in the developed countries, is no evidence of documentation and absence of stringent quality control measures. There is a demand for the evidence of every investigate effort execute on conventional remedies in the appearance of certification. The purpose of current review is to make accessible up-to-date information on, botany, morphology, ecological biodiversity, therapeutic uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities on diverse parts of Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn (S. marianum). This review was assembled using technical literature from electronic search engine such as Springer link, Bio Med Central, Pub Med, Scopus, Science Direct, Scielo, Medline and Science domain. Supplementary texts were obtained from books, book chapters, dissertations, websites and other scientific publications. S. marianum a member of the Asteraceae family, is a tall herb with large prickly white veined green leaves and a reddish-purple flower that ends in sharp spines. It is native of the Mediterranean region and which has also spread in East Asia, Europe, Australia and America. Confident chemical constituents were exposed cognate as silybin A, silybin B, isosilybin A, isosilybin B, silychristin, silydianin, apigenin 7-O-β-(2″- O-α-rhamnosyl)galacturonide, kaempferol 3-O-α-rhamnoside-7-O-β-galacturonide, apigenin 7-O-β-glucuronide, apigenin 7-O-β-glucoside, apigenin 7-O-β-galactoside, kaempferol-3-O-α-rhamnoside, kaempferol, taxifolin and quercetin. The plant is exclusively used as anti-diabetic, hepatoprotective, hypocholesterolaemic, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and as an anti-oxidant. Seeds of the plant are also used as an anti-spasmodic, neuroprotective, anti-viral, immunomodulant, cardioprotective, demulcent and anti-haemorrhagic. The plant is also serves as a galactagogue, agent that induces milk secretion and used in the treatment of uterine disorders. The plant is employed in dissimilar conventional schemes of remedy in the cure of different illness

Magnetic field dependence of superconducting energy gaps in YNi2B2C: Evidence of multiband superconductivity

We present results of in field directional point contact spectroscopy (DPCS) study in the quaternary borocarbide superconductor YNi2B2C, which is characterized by a highly anisotropic superconducting gap function. For I||a, the superconducting energy gap (D), decreases linearly with magnetic field and vanishes around 3.25T which is well below the upper critical field (Hc2~6T) measured at the same temperature (2.2K). For I||c, on the other hand, D decreases weakly with magnetic field but the broadening parameter (G) increases rapidly with magnetic field with the absence of any resolvable feature above 3.5T. From an analysis of the field variation of energy gaps and the zero bias density of states we show that the unconventional gap function observed in this material could originate from multiband superconductivity.Comment: 19 pages including figures (final version

Effect of transport-induced charge inhomogeneity on point-contact Andreev reflection spectra at ferromagnet-superconductor interfaces

We investigate the transport properties of a ferromagnet-superconductor interface within the framework of a modified three-dimensional Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk formalism. In particular, we propose that charge inhomogeneity forms via two unique transport mechanisms, namely, evanescent Andreev reflection and evanescent quasiparticle transmission. Furthermore, we take into account the influence of charge inhomogeneity on the interfacial barrier potential and calculate the conductance as a function of bias voltage. Point-contact Andreev reflection (PCAR) spectra often show dip structures, large zero-bias conductance enhancement, and additional zero-bias conductance peak. Our results indicate that transport-induced charge inhomogeneity could be a source of all these anomalous characteristics of the PCAR spectra.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Thin Film Growth and Device Fabrication of Iron-Based Superconductors

Iron-based superconductors have received much attention as a new family of high-temperature superconductors owing to their unique properties and distinct differences from cuprates and conventional superconductors. This paper reviews progress in thin film research on iron-based superconductors since their discovery for each of five material systems with an emphasis on growth, physical properties, device fabrication, and relevant bulk material properties.Comment: To appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Fluid Ontologies in the Search for MH370

This paper gives an account of the disappearance of Malaysian Airways Flight MH370 into the southern Indian Ocean in March 2014 and analyses the rare glimpses into remote ocean space this incident opened up. It follows the tenuous clues as to where the aeroplane might have come to rest after it disappeared from radar screens – seven satellite pings, hundreds of pieces of floating debris and six underwater sonic recordings – as ways of entering into and thinking about ocean space. The paper pays attention to and analyses this space on three registers – first, as a fluid, more-than-human materiality with particular properties and agencies; second, as a synthetic situation, a composite of informational bits and pieces scopically articulated and augmented; and third, as geopolitics, delineated by the protocols of international search and rescue. On all three registers – as matter, as data and as law – the ocean is shown to be ontologically fluid, a world defined by movement, flow and flux, posing intractable difficulties for human interactions with it

Smoke and Mirrors: U.K. Newspaper Representations of Intimate Partner Domestic Violence

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced pdf of an article accepted for publication in Violence Against Women following peer review. The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Violence Against Women, Vol 23 (1): 114-139, first published April 2016 by SAGE Publishing, and is available on line at doi: 10.1177/1077801216634468. All rights reserved.News media are in a position to project certain perspectives on domestic violence while marginalizing others, which has implications for public understanding and policy development. This study applies discourse analysis to articles on domestic violence in two U.K. national daily newspapers published in 2001-2002 and 2011-2012 to evaluate evidence of change over a 10-year time span. The research examines how discourses of domestic violence are constructed through newspaper representations of victims, predominantly women, and perpetrators, predominantly men. Although one of the newspapers adopts a respectful position toward women, the textual and visual techniques adopted by the other reveal a tendency for blaming the victim and sexualizing violence related to perceptions of “deserving” or “undeserving” women victims.Peer reviewe

Differentials of fertility in North and South Gondar zones, northwest Ethiopia: A comparative cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ethiopia is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa with an estimated population of 77.1 million in mid-2007. Uncontrolled fertility has adversely influenced the socio-economic, demographic and environmental situations of the country. It is one of the largest and poorest countries that, even in the midst of crisis, has maintained high levels of fertility. This study was aimed at investigating the most important factors influencing fertility behavior in Northwest Ethiopia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A comparative cross-sectional study which included 2424 women aged 25 years and above was undertaken in the Amhara region of Northwest Ethiopia. The study subjects were grouped into high fertile and low fertile categories. There were 1011 and 1413 women in the high and low fertile groups, respectively. A multi-stage cluster sampling stratified by place of residence was employed to select the required study subjects. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression techniques were used to analyze the data.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among the 25 variables considered in this study, only 9 of them were found significantly and independently associated with the level of fertility. Women with at least secondary education were at a lower risk of high fertility with OR = 0.37 (95% CI: 0.21 to 0.64) compared to those with no formal education. However, women with primary education did not show any significant difference when compared with the same baseline group. Age at first marriage was inversely associated with the number of children ever born alive. Place of residence, household expenditure, number of children who have died, attitude towards using contraceptives, women's knowledge on the safe period, and current marital status were the other variables that showed significant associations with the level of fertility.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Female education beyond the primary level, reduced infant and child mortality, delayed marriage and correct knowledge on the safe period during the menstrual cycle were amongst the main factors that had a bearing on high fertility.</p