Characterizing generated charged inverse micelles with transient current measurements

We investigate the generation of charged inverse micelles in nonpolar surfactant solutions relevant for applications such as electronic ink displays and liquid toners. When a voltage is applied across a thin layer of a nonpolar surfactant solution between planar electrodes, the generation of charged inverse micelles leads to a generation current. From current measurements it appears that such charged inverse micelles generated in the presence of an electric field behave differently compared to those present in equilibrium in the absence of a field. To examine the origin of this difference, transient current measurements in which the applied voltage is suddenly increased are used to measure the mobility and the amount of generated charged inverse micelles. The mobility and the corresponding hydrodynamic size are found to be similar to those of charged inverse micelles present in equilibrium, which indicates that other properties determine their different behavior. The amplitude and shape of the transient currents measured as a function of the surfactant concentration confirm that the charged inverse micelles are generated by bulk disproportionation. A theoretical model based on bulk disproportionation with simulations and analytical approximations is developed to analyze the experimental transient currents

Characterization and biological activities of <i>Chenopodium </i>leaf hemagglutinin (CLH)

193-198A hemagglutinin (CLH) having native molecular mass of 58 kDa and subunit &nbsp;molecular mass of 33 kDa had been purified from thc leaves of Chenopodium amaranticolor. The protein agglutinated rabbit erythrocytes and no agglutination was observed with any of the groups A, B or O of human blood. The amino acid composition revealed that CLH was rich in aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine and phenylalanine and also significant amount of methionine. Thc N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis showed that CLH had no homology with any of the plant hcmagglutinins studied so far. It was in active towards human peripheral blood cells but mitogenic for mouse spleen B-Iymphocytes. CLH inhibited protein synthesis in rat thymocytes at high concentration. CLH did not inhibit TMV infection of leaves indicating absence of antiviral properties

Immune system and antioxidants, especially those derived from Indian medicinal plants

639-655<span style="font-size: 14.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:8.5pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif""="">During the functioning of the immune system, such as in phagocytosis, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species are generated. <span style="font-size: 14.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:8.5pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif""="">If they are left unchecked they can affect the components of the immune system by inducing oxidative damage. This is more so in the elderly or during inflammation where there is excess generation of these reactive species than can be taken care of by the defenses in the form of antioxidants. Dietary supplementation with antioxidants may greatly help in such conditions. <span style="font-size: 14.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:8.5pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif""="">There are some indications of possible benefits of antioxidant supplementation. Natural compounds from medicinal plants having antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities have potential as therapeutic agents in this regard. Indian medicinal plants with these activities have been identified and their antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects reviewed. The possible future prospects in this regard are also outlined. </span