Dung as a potential medium for inter-sexual chemical signaling in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)

Chemical signaling is a prominent mode of male-female communication among elephants, especially during their sexually active periods. Studies on the Asian elephant in zoos have shown the significance of a urinary pheromone (Z7-12:Ac) in conveying the reproductive status of a female toward the opposite sex. We investigated the additional possibility of an inter-sexual chemical signal being conveyed through dung. Sixteen semi-captive adult male elephants were presented with dung samples of three female elephants in different reproductive phases. Each male was tested in 3 separate trials, within an interval of 1-3 days. The trials followed a double-blind pattern as the male and female elephants used in the trials were strangers, and the observer was not aware of the reproductive status of females during the period of bioassays. Males responded preferentially (P < 0.005), in terms of higher frequency of sniff, check and place behavior toward the dung of females close to pre-ovulatory period (follicular-phase) as compared to those in post-ovulatory period (luteal-phase). The response toward the follicular phase samples declined over repeated trials though was still significantly higher than the corresponding response toward the non-ovulatory phase in each of the trials performed. This is the first study to show that male Asian elephants were able to distinguish the reproductive phase of the female by possibly detecting a pre-ovulatory pheromone released in dung. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nonextremality, chemical potential, and the infrared limit of large N thermal QCD

Nonextremal solution with warped resolved-deformed conifold background is important to study the infrared limit of large N thermal QCD. Earlier works in this direction have not taken into account all the backreactions on the geometry, namely from the branes, fluxes, and black-hole carefully. In the present work we make some progress in this direction by solving explicitly the supergravity equations of motions in the presence of the backreaction from the black hole. The backreactions from the branes and the fluxes on the other hand and to the order that we study, are comparatively suppressed. Our analysis reveal, among other things, how the resolution parameter would depend on the horizon radius and how the renormalization group flows of the coupling constants should be understood in these scenarios, including their effects on the background three-form fluxes. We also study the effect of switching on a chemical potential in the background and, in a particularly simplified scenario, compute the actual value of the chemical potential for our case.

System Ho-Rh-O: Phase Equilibria, Chemical Potentials and Gibbs Energy of Formation of HoRhO3

The thermodynamic properties of the HoRhO3 were determined in the temperature range from 900 to 1300 K by using a solid-state electrochemical cell incorporating calcia-stabilized zirconia as the electrolyte. The standard Gibbs free energy of formation of orthorhombic perovskite HoRhO3, from Ho2O3 with C-rare earth structure and Rh2O3 with orthorhombic structure, can be expressed by the equation; Delta G(f)degrees((ox)) (+/- 78)/(J/mol) = -50535 + 3.85(T/K) Using the thermodynamic data of HoRhO3 and auxiliary data for binary oxides from the literature, the phase relations in the Ho-Rh-O system were computed at 1273 K. Thermodynamic data for intermetallic phases in the binary Ho-Rh were estimated from experimental enthalpy of formation for three compositions from the literature and Miedema's model, consistent with the phase diagram. The oxygen potential-composition diagram and three-dimensional chemical potential diagram at 1273 K, and temperature-composition diagrams at constant oxygen partial pressures were computed for the system Ho-Rh-O. The decomposition temperature of HoRhO3 is 1717(+/- 2) K in pure O-2 and 1610(+/- 2) K in air at a total pressure p(o) = 0.1 MPa.

Caryophyllene-Rich Essential Oil of Didymocarpus tomentosa: Chemical Composition and Cytotoxic Activity

The essential oil from the leaves of Didymocarpus tomentosa was extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS. Twenty five constituents amounting to 81.6% of the oil were identified. The leaf oil contained 78.7% sesquiterpenes and 2.9% monoterpenes. The leaf essential oil of D. tomentosa is a unique caryophyllene-rich natural source containing beta-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, alpha-humulene and humulene oxide. The cytotoxic activity of the oil was determined by the BSLT using shrimp larva and the MTT assay using HeLa tumor cell line. The oil showed significant cytotoxic activity with LC50 and IC50 values of 12.26 and 11.4 mu g/mL, respectively. This is the first report on the chemical composition and cytotoxic activity of the essential oil of D. tomentosa.

Thermodynamics of TmRhO3, Phase Equilibria, and Chemical Potentials in the System Tm-Rh-O

Phase equilibria in the system Tm-Rh-O at 1200 K is established by isothermal equilibration of selected compositions and phase identification after quenching to room temperature. Six intermetallic phases (Tm3Rh, Tm7Rh3, Tm5Rh3, Tm3Rh2, TmRh, TmRh2 +/-delta) and a ternary oxide TmRhO3 are identified. Based on experimentally determined phase relations, a solid-state electrochemical cell is devised to measure the standard free energy of formation of orthorhombic perovskite TmRhO3 from cubic Tm2O3 and beta-Rh2O3 in the temperature range from (900 to 1300) K. The results can be summarized as: Delta G(f,ox)(o) +/- 104/J.mol(-1) = -46474 + 3.925(T/K). Invoking the Neumann-Kopp rule, the standard enthalpy of formation of TmRhO3 from its constituent elements at 298.15 K is estimated as -1193.89 (+/- 2.86) kJ.mol(-1). The standard entropy of TmRhO3 at 298.15 K is evaluated as 103.8 (+/- 1.6) J.mol(-1).K-1. The oxygen potential-composition diagram and three-dimensional chemical potential diagram at 1200 K and temperature-composition diagrams at constant partial pressures of oxygen are computed from thermodynamic data. The compound TmRhO3 decomposes at 1688 (+/- 2) K in pure oxygen and at 1583 (+/- 2) K in air at standard pressure.

Full Chemical Kinetic Simulation of Biogas Early Phase Combustion in SI Engines

This paper presents computational work on the biogas early phase combustion in spark ignition (SI) engines using detailed chemical kinetics. Specifically, the early phase combustion is studied to assess the effect of various ignition parameters such as spark plug location, spark energy, and number of spark plugs. An integrated version of the KIVA-3V and CHEMKIN codes was developed and used for the simulations utilizing detailed kinetics involving 325 reactions and 53 species The results show that location of the spark plug and local flow field play an important role. A central plug configuration, which is associated with higher local flow velocities in the vicinity of the spark plug, showed faster initial combustion. Although a dual plug configuration shows the highest rate of fuel consumption, it is comparable to the rate exhibited by the central plug case. The radical species important in the initiation of combustion are identified, and their concentrations are monitored during the early phase of combustion. The concentration of these radicals is also observed to correlate very well with the above-mentioned trend.Thus, the role of these radicals in promoting faster combustion has been clearly established. It is also observed that the minimum ignition energy required to initiate a self-sustained flame depends on the flow field condition in the vicinity of the spark plug.Increasing the methane content in the biogas has shown improved combustion.

Impact of chemical treatment on the surface, structure, optical and electrical properties of SnS thin films

The impact of chemical treatment on the surface morphology and other physical properties of tin monosulphide (SnS) thin films have been investigated. The SnS films treated with selected organic solvents exhibited strong improvement in their crystalline-quality and considerable decrease in electrical resistivity. Particularly, the films treated with chloroform showed very low electrical resistivity of similar to 5 Omega cm and a low optical band gap of 1.81 eV as compared to untreated and treated SnS films with other chemicals. From these studies we realized that the chemical treatment of SnS films has strong impact on their surface morphology and also on other physical properties. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical unfolding of chicken villin headpiece in aqueous dimethyl sulfoxide solution: cosolvent concentration dependence, pathway, and microscopic mechanism

Unfolding of a protein often proceeds through partial unfolded intermediate states (PUIS). PUIS have been detected in several experimental and simulation studies. However, complete analyses of transitions between different PUIS and the unfolding trajectory are sparse. To understand such dynamical processes, we study chemical unfolding of a small protein, chicken villin head piece (HP-36), in aqueous dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solution. We carry out molecular dynamics simulations at various solution compositions under ambient conditions. In each concentration, the initial step of unfolding involves separation of two adjacent native contacts, between phenyl alanine residues (11-18 and 7-18). This first step induces, under appropriate conditions, subsequent separation among other hydrophobic contacts, signifying a high degree of cooperativity in the unfolding process. The observed sequence of structural changes in HP-36 on increasing DMSO concentration and the observed sequence of PUIS, are in approximate agreement with earlier simulation results (in pure water) and experimental observations on unfolding of HP-36. Peculiar to water-DMSO mixture, an intervening structural transformation (around 15% of DMSO) in the binary mixture solvent retards the progression of unfolding as composition is increased. This is reflected in a remarkable nonmonotonic composition dependence of RMSD, radius of gyration and the fraction of native contacts. At 30% mole fraction of DMSO, we find the extended randomly coiled structure of the unfolded protein. The molecular mechanism of DMSO induced unfolding process is attributed to the initial preferential solvation of the hydrophobic side chain atoms through the methyl groups of DMSO, followed by the hydrogen bonding of the oxygen atom of DMSO to the exposed backbone NH groups of HP-36.

Hydrolysis of aromatic beta-glucosides by non-pathogenic bacteria confers a chemical weapon against predators

Bacteria present in natural environments such as soil have evolved multiple strategies to escape predation. We report that natural isolates of Enterobacteriaceae that actively hydrolyze plant-derived aromatic beta-glucosides such as salicin, arbutin and esculin, are able to avoid predation by the bacteriovorous amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum and nematodes of multiple genera belonging to the family Rhabditidae. This advantage can be observed under laboratory culture conditions as well as in the soil environment. The aglycone moiety released by the hydrolysis of beta-glucosides is toxic to predators and acts via the dopaminergic receptor Dop-1 in the case of Caenorhabditis elegans. While soil isolates of nematodes belonging to the family Rhabditidae are repelled by the aglycone, laboratory strains and natural isolates of Caenorhabditis sp. are attracted to the compound, mediated by receptors that are independent of Dop-1, leading to their death. The b-glucosides-positive (Bgl(+)) bacteria that are otherwise non-pathogenic can obtain additional nutrients from the dead predators, thereby switching their role from prey to predator. This study also offers an evolutionary explanation for the retention by bacteria of `cryptic' or `silent' genetic systems such as the bgl operon.

Heat and mass transfer and chemical transformation in a cerium nitrate droplet

This paper deals with the thermo-physical changes that a droplet undergoes when it is radiatively heated in a levitated environment. The heat and mass transport model has been developed along with chemical kinetics within a cerium nitrate droplet. The chemical transformation of cerium nitrate to ceria during the process is predicted using Kramers' reaction mechanism which justifies the formation of ceria at a very low temperature as observed in experiments. The rate equation modeled by Kramers is modified suitably to be applicable within the framework of a droplet, and predicts experimental results well in both bulk form of cerium nitrate and in aqueous cerium nitrate droplet. The dependence of dissociation reaction rate on droplet size is determined and the transient mass concentration of unreacted cerium nitrate is reported. The model is validated with experiments both for liquid phase vaporization and chemical reaction. Vaporization and chemical conversion are simulated for different ambient conditions. The competitive effects of sensible heating rate and the rate of vaporization with diffusion of cerium nitrate is seen to play a key role in determining the mass fraction of ceria formed within the droplet. Spatially resolved modeling of the droplet enables the understanding of the conversion of chemical species in more detail.

Some Themes in Chemical Crystallography Pertinent to the Indian Contribution

It is particularly appropriate that the Journal of the Indian Institute of Science is bringing out a commemorative issue to mark the International Year of Crystallography 2014 (IYCr2014). India has had a strong crystallographic tradition, and the earliest work in what may be described as structural crystallography from this country is the work of K. Banerjee on the determination of the crystal structure of naphthalene in 1930. The Indian Institute of Science itself has played no small part in establishing and sustaining the subject of crystallography in this country. A large number of papers in this special issue are written by authors who have either have been trained in the Institute or who have some kind of professional association with this organization. In this article I will try to capture some unique features that characterize the intersection of the crystallographic and the chemical domains, mostly as they pertain to the Indian contribution to this subject. Crystallography is of course is as old as chemistry itself, and some would say it is even older. The relationships between chemistry and crystallography go back to much before the discovery of diffraction of X-rays by crystals.The discovery of polymorphism by Mitscherlisch in 1822, Haüy’s formulation of the molecule integrante, and the work of Fedorov and Groth on the identification of crystals from their morphology alone, are well known examples of such relationships.A very early article by Tutton speaks of “crystallo-chemical analysis”. In this article, I shall, however, be dealing with the interplay of chemistry and crystallography only in the post diffraction era, that is, after 1912. Much had been written and said about chemical crystallography, and even within the context of the present special issue, there is a review of chemical crystallography in India including some futuristic trends. This topic was also reviewed by Nangia in a special publication brought out by Indian Academy of Sciences in 2009,and by Desiraju in a special publication brought out by the Indian National Science Academy in 2010. A rather detailed account of crystallography in India appeared in 2007 in the newsletter of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) in which chemical crystallography was detailed. Since all these publications are fairly recent there is little need for me to attempt a comprehensive coverage of chemical crystallography in India in this short review

Carbon nanoflake growth from carbon nanotubes by hot filament chemical vapor deposition

We report the growth of carbon nanoflakes (CNFs) on Si substrate by the hot filament chemical vapor deposition without the substrate bias or the catalyst. CNFs were grown using the single wall carbon nanotubes and the multiwall carbon nanotubes as the nucleation center, in the Ar-rich CH4-H-2-Ar precursor gas mixture with 1% CH4, at the chamber pressure and the substrate temperature of 7.5 Ton and 840 degrees C, respectively. In the H-2-rich condition, CNF synthesis failed due to severe etch-removal of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) while it was successful at the optimized Ar-rich condition. Other forms of carbon such as nano-diamond or mesoporous carbon failed to serve as the nucleation centers for the CNF growth. We proposed a mechanism of the CNF synthesis from the CNTs, which involved the initial unzipping of CNTs by atomic hydrogen and subsequent nucleation and growth of CNFs from the unzipped portion of the graphene layers. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical vapor detection using nonlinear electrical properties of carbon nanotube bundles

We demonstrate the electrical transport behavior of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) upon exposure to organic analytes (namely ethanol, benzene, acetone and toluene). The resulting nonlinear current-voltage characteristics revealed a power law dependence of the differential conductivity on the applied bias voltage. Moreover, suppression of differential conductivity at zero bias is found to be dependent on different selective analytes. The power law exponent values have been monitored before, during and after exposure to the chemicals, which revealed a reversible change in the number of electron conducting channels. Therefore, the reduction in the number of conductive paths can be attributed to the interaction of the chemical analyte on the CNT surfaces, which causes a decrease in the differential conductivity of the CNT sample. These results demonstrate chemical selectivity of CNTs due to varying electronic interaction with different chemical analytes.

Calculation of Chemical Potentials and Occupancies in Clathrate Hydrates through Monte Carlo Molecular Simulations

The flexibility of the water lattice in clathrate hydrates and guest-guest interactions has been shown in previous studies to significantly affect the values of the thermodynamic properties, such as chemical potentials and free energies. Here we describe methods for computing occupancies, chemical potentials, and free energies that account for the flexibility of water lattice and guest-guest interactions in the hydrate phase. The methods are validated for a wide variety of guest molecules, such as methane, ethane, carbon dioxide, and tetrahydrodfuran by comparing the predicted occupancy values of guest molecules with those obtained from isothermal isobaric semigrand Monte Carlo simulations. The proposed methods extend the van der Waals and Platteuw theory for clathrate hydrates, and the Langmuir constant is calculated based on the structure of the empty hydrate lattice. These methods in combination with development of advanced molecular models for water and guest molecules should lead to a more thermodynamically consistent theory for clathrate hydrates.