Synthesis and novel emission properties of Bi3+ -doped Ca2 BO3 Cl phosphor for plant cultivation.

In the present work, a series of Bi3+ -activated Ca2 BO3 Cl phosphors was synthesized using the conventional high-temperature solid-state reaction method. The crystal structure of the prepared sample was determined to be monoclinic with space group P21/c. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis demonstrated the surface morphology with aggregated particles and sizes in the nano range. The presence of vibrational features and their luminescence characteristics were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) techniques, respectively. At the 486 nm excitation wavelength, the PL spectrum revealed a sharp emission centred at 732 nm that was attributed to the 3 P1 →1 S0 transition of Bi3+ . The emission spectra exhibited the highest emission intensity at 0.5 mol% Bi3+ ion concentration, beyond this the emission intensity decreased due to the concentration quenching phenomenon attributed to multipolar interaction. The Commission Internationale de l'éclairage coordinates located at (0.7347, 0.2653) confirmed emission in the deep-red region with a colour purity of 99.98%. The obtained outcomes suggested that the reported material may be a promising candidate as a red-emitting phosphor for w-LEDs and plant growth applications.

Design, Synthesis of 3-(5-Substituted Phenyl-[1,3,4]oxadiazol-2-yl)-1H-indole and Its Microbial Activity.

Fischer indole synthesis of indole by using phenyl-hydrazine and acetaldehyde resulted 1H-Indole while phenyl-hydrazine reacted with malonaldehyde gives 1H-Indole-3-carbaldehyde. Also Vilsmeier-Haack formylation of 1H-Indole gives 1H-Indole-3-carbaldehyde. 1H-Indole-3-carbaldehyde were oxidized to form 1H-Indole-3-carboxylic acid. 1H-Indole reacted with excess of BuLi at -78 °C using dry ice also gives 1H-Indole-3-carboxylic acid. Obtained 1H-Indole-3-carboxylic acid was converted to ester and ester in to acid hydrazide. Finally 1H-Indole-3-carboxylic acid hydrazide reacted with substituted carboxylic acid gives microbial active indole substituted oxadiazoles. Synthesized compounds 9a-j showing promising in vitro anti microbial activities against S. aureus bacteria compared with Streptomycin. Compound 9a, 9f and 9g showing activities against E. coli compared with standards. Compound 9a and 9f are found potent active against B. subtilis compared with reference standard while compound 9a, 9c and 9j active against S. typhi.

Biosorption of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution by chemically modified potato starch: equilibrium and kinetic studies.

The biosorption capacity of chemically modified potato starch (CPS) for Cr(VI) from aqueous solution was investigated. The materials derived from carbohydrates are biodegradable and are generally regarded as safe and environmentally acceptable. The hydroxyl, carboxyl and carbonyl groups are responsible for the biosorption process. In the present study, the influence of various important parameters such as pH, time, biosorbent dose and initial Cr(VI) concentration on the biosorption capacity were investigated. The isotherms such as Langmuir, Freundlich and Tempkin were studied. The Freundlich and the Redlich-Peterson isotherms had been well fitted the biosorption of Cr(VI) with chemically modified potato starch. The kinetics of Cr(VI) removal using chemically modified potato starch was well explained by second-order kinetic model. The thermodynamic parameters were also evaluated from the biosorption measurements. Among the various desorbing agents tested, 98.2 percent chromium recovery was achieved with 0.1molL(-1) NaOH.

Isolation of Antidiabetic Principle from Fruit Rinds of Punica granatum.

Present study was aimed to isolate and evaluate the antidiabetic activity of phytoconstituents from fruit rinds of Punica granatum. With the above objectives Valoneic acid dilactone (VAD) was isolated from methanolic fruit rind extracts of Punica granatum (MEPG) and confirmed by (1)H-NMR, (13)C-NMR, and mass spectral data. Antidiabetic activity was evaluated by Aldose reductase, α-amylase and PTP1B inhibition assays in in vitro and Alloxan-induced diabetes in rats was used as an in vivo model. In bioactivity studies, MEPG and VAD have showed potent antidiabetic activity in α-amylase, aldose reductase, and PTP1B inhibition assays with IC(50) values of 1.02, 2.050, 26.25 µg/mL and 0.284, 0.788, 12.41 µg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, in alloxan-induced diabetes model MEPG (200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.) and VAD (10, 25, and 50 mg/kg, p.o.) have showed significant and dose dependent antidiabetic activity by maintaining the blood glucose levels within the normal limits. Inline with the biochemical findings histopathology of MEPG (200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.), VAD (10, 25, and 50 mg/kg, p.o.), and glibenclamide (10 mg/kg, p.o.) treated animals showed significant protection against alloxan-induced pancreatic tissue damage. These findings suggest that MEPG and VAD possess significant antidiabetic activity in both in vitro and in vivo models.

Carbon Quantum Dots/Polyaniline Nanocomposite (S-CQD/PANI) for High Capacitive Asymmetric Supercapacitor Device.

A sucrose derived carbon quantum dots/polyaniline (S-CQD/PANI) nanocomposite was synthesized as electrode materials by electrodeposition method to achieve excellent electrocapacitive performance for supercapacitor application. The morphology reveals that CQD were distributed uniformly over the surface of PANI. The highest specific capacitance obtained to be 1512.4 Fg-1 at current density 1 Ag-1 for S-CQD/PANI-25 composite in three electrode system with 1 M H2SO4 aqueous electrolyte within the potential range of -0.2 to 0.8 V. In addition asymmetric supercapacitor device was fabricated reveals highest specific capacitance of 295 Fg-1 at 1 Ag-1 with excellent stability over 1000 cycle at 3 Ag-1. Remarkably, the device delivers energy density of 40.86 Whkg-1 at power density 2000 Wkg-1.

Purification of vitellogenin from the air breathing catfish, Clarias gariepinus.

Vitellogenin (Vtg) is a female specific glycophospholipoprotein which can be induced both in male and female with estradiol and xeno-estrogens. The basic theme behind the purification of vitellogenin from the fish is to understand the evolutionary relationship and for the purification and characterization of the Vtg receptor. The male catfish, Clarias gariepinus was administrated with estradiol over a period of time for the synthesis of Vtg and the serum was collected. The Vtg was purified from the serum using a two step chromatographic technique. The serum was passed on to DEAE-ion exchange column and the protein was eluted using a salt gradient. The fractions containing the Vtg were pooled and passed onto a gel permeation chromatography column and the pure protein was obtained. The molecular weight is around 200 kDa on the SDS-PAGE and around 520 kDa on the native gel electrophoresis.

Synthesis of vanillin ethers from 4-(bromomethyl) coumarins as anti-inflammatory agents.

4-(Bromomethyl) coumarins 1 have been reacted with vanillins, 2 and 2A to obtain the corresponding ethers 3 and 5. Ethers 3 have been reacted with ethyl cyanoacetate to obtain the unsaturated esters 4. Ethers 5 have been converted to the corresponding 4-(2'-benzo[b] furanyl) coumarins 6 by an intramolecular aldol condensation. Eight compounds have been screened for their anti-inflammatory activity. Out of these the 5,6-benzo-4-2'-benzo[b]furanyl) coumarin (6c) and the aryloxymethyl coumarin (4) with p-formyl group were found to be most active.

Removal of mercury(II) from aqueous solutions and chlor-alkali industry wastewater using 2-mercaptobenzimidazole-clay.

The 2-mercaptobenzimidazole loaded natural clay was prepared for the removal of Hg(II) from aqueous media. Adsorption of the metal ions from aqueous solution as a function of solution concentration, agitation time, pH, temperature, ionic strength, particle size of the adsorbent and adsorbent dose was studied. The adsorption process follows a pseudo-second-order kinetics. The rate constants as a function of initial concentration and temperature were given. The adsorption of Hg(II) increased with increasing pH and reached a plateau value in the pH range 4.0-8.0. The removal of Hg(II) was found to be >99% at an initial concentration of 50 mg/l. Mercury(II) uptake was found to increase with ionic strength and temperature. Further, the adsorption of Hg(II) increased with increasing adsorbent dose and decrease with adsorbent particle size. Sorption data analysis was carried out using Langmuir and modified Langmuir isotherms for the uptake of metal ion in an initial concentration range of 50-1,000 mg/l. The significance of the two linear relationships obtained by plotting the data according to the conventional Langmuir equation is discussed in terms of the binding energies of the two population sites involved which have a widely differing affinity for Hg(II) ions. Thermodynamic parameters such as changes of free energy, enthalpy, and entropy were calculated to predict the nature of adsorption. It was found that the values of isosteric heat of adsorption were varied with surface loading. The chlor-alkali industry wastewater samples were treated by MBI-clay to demonstrate its efficiency in removing Hg(II) from wastewater.

Phosphate removal from wastewaters using a weak anion exchanger prepared from a lignocellulosic residue.

Surface modifications of lignocellulosic residues has become increasingly important for improving their applications as adsorbents. In this study a new adsorbent system (BS-DMAHP) containing dimethylaminohydroxypropyl (DMAHP) weak base groups was prepared by the reaction of banana stem (BS), a lignocellulosic residue with epichlorohydrin and dimethylamine followed by treatment of hydrochloric acid. The original BS and BS-DMAHP were characterized with the help of surface area analyzer, infrared spectroscopy (IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Surface charge density of the samples as a function of pH was investigated using potentiometric titrations. Adsorbent exhibits very high adsorption potential for phosphate and more than 99.0% removal was achieved in the pH range of 5.0-7.0. Adsorption has been found to be concentration dependent and endothermic and follows a reversible second-order kinetics. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to describe the equilibrium data. Equilibrium data agreed very well with the Langmuir model. Adsorption experiments were conducted using a commercial chloride form Duolite A-7, a weak base anion exchanger. The removal efficiency was tested using fertilizer industry wastewater. Adsorbed phosphate on BS-DMAHP can be recovered by treating with 0.1 M NaOH solution. A stability test operated for four cycles indicate a capacity loss of < 12.0%.

Childlessness in India.

PIP: The 1981 Census data were analyzed to show the pattern of childlessness among ever-married women in India. 18.5% of the ever-married women in India are childless. In the younger age groups a large percentage of women are childless, but the percentage drops rapidly and stabilizes at a lower level above age 35. Rural and urban areas show similar age patterns, with rural areas having a slightly higher percentage at the beginning of the childbearing period. The higher percentage of childless women in younger ages is due primarily to shorter exposure to risk of pregnancy and most likely also in part to adolescent subfecundity. The age groups that are unlikely to be affected by these factors were examined further. In the data for 1981, median age at marriage ranges from 15-23 years for different subgroups of population, so women in the 30-49 age range were chosen. For comparison purposes, the percentage of childless women was standardized for age, but this made little difference. In India as a whole, there are 5.6% of women in the 30-49 age group who are childless, and the percentages in rural and urban areas are almost the same. There is little variation according to religious affiliation. The Hindu, who comprise nearly 84% of all married women, have the highest percentage of childless women, closely followed by the Muslim -- the 2nd largest religious group with approximately 11% of the population. The percentages of childless women are quite similar among those in the primary and middle educational categories, higher in women who are illiterate and in those who are more highly educated, and highest in those who had attended college. The distribution thus appears to be U-shaped, but this conclusion must be regarded as tentative because of the small number of married women who are in the secondary and college educational categories.^ieng