Phase equilibria in the Co Ni F system and activities in (CoxNi1 x)F2 solid solutions at 1373 K

The tie-lines delineating equilibria between CoF2-NiF2 and Co-Ni solid solutions in the ternary Co-Ni-F system at 1373 K have been determined by electron microprobe and EDAX point count analysis of the equilibrated phases. Activities in the fluoride solid solution have been derived from the knowledge of activitycomposition relation in the metallic solid solution and tie-line data,using a modified form of the Gibbs-Duhem integration. The fluorine potentials corresponding to the tie-line compositions have been calculated.The excess Gibbs' energy of mixing for the fluoride solid solution derived from the present data can be represented by the expression

Tie lines and activities in the system CoO MgO SiO2 at 1373 K

The tie lines between (CoXMg1−X)O solid solution with rock salt structure and orthosilicate solid solution (CoYMg1−Y)-Si0.5O2, and between orthosilicate and metasilicate (CoZMg1-Z)SiO3 crystalline solutions, have been determined experimentally at 1373 K. The compositions of coexisting phases have been determined by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and lattice parameter measurement on equilibrated samples. The metasilicate solid solution exists only for 0 > Z > 0.213. The activity of CoO in the rock salt solid solution was determined as a function of composition and temperature in the range of 1023 to 1373 K using a solid-state galvanic cell: Pt, (CoXMg1−X)O+Co|(Y2O3)ZrO2|Co+CoO, Pt The free energy of mixing of (CoXMg1−X)O crystalline solution can be expressed by the equation ΔGE=X(1 −X)[(6048 − 2.146T)X+ (8745 − 3.09T)(1 −X)] J·mol−1 The thermodynamic data for the rock salt phase is combined with information on interphase partitioning of Co and Mg to generate the mixing properties for the ortho- and metasilicate solid solutions. For the orthosilicate solution (CoYMg1 −Y)Si0.5O2 at 1373 K, the excess Gibbs free energy of mixing is given by the relation ΔGE=Y(1 −Y)[2805Y+ 3261(1 −Y)] J·mol−1 For the metasilicate solution (CoZMg1 −Z)SiO3 at the same temperature, the excess free energy can be expressed by the relation ΔGE=Z(1 −Z)[2570Z+ 3627(1 −Z)] J·mol−1

Thermodynamic activities in the Pb(Zr1−XTiX)O3 solid solution at 1373K

Although Pb(Zr1−XTiX)O3 solid solution is the cornerstone of the piezoelectric ceramics, there is no information in the literature on thermodynamic activities of the component phases in the solid solution. Using inter-crystalline ion exchange equilibria between Pb(Zr1−XTiX)O3 solid solution with cubic perovskite structure and (Zr1−YTiY)O2 solid solutions with monoclinic and tetragonal structures, activities of PbTiO3 and PbZrO3 in the perovskite solid solution have been derived at 1373 K using the modified Gibbs–Duhem integration technique of Jacob and Jeffes. Tie-lines from the cubic solid solution are skewed towards the ZrO2 corner. Activities in the zirconia-rich (Zr1−YTiY)O2 solid solutions are taken from a recent emf study. The results for the perovskite solid solution at 1373 K can be represented by a sub-regular solution model:View the MathML sourcewhere ΔGE,M is the excess Gibbs energy of mixing of the cubic solid solution and Xi represents the mole fraction of component i. There is a significant positive deviation from ideality for PbTiO3-rich compositions and mild negative deviation near the PbZrO3 corner. The cubic solid solution is intrinsically stable against composition fluctuations at temperatures down to 840 K. The results contrast sharply with the recent calorimetric data on enthalpy of mixing which signal instability of the cubic perovskite solid solution.

Multi-UAV Task Allocation using Team Theory

A multiple UAV search and attack mission in a battlefield involves allocating UAVs to different target tasks efficiently. This task allocation becomes difficult when there is no communication among the UAVs and the UAVs sensors have limited range to detect the targets and neighbouring UAVs, and assess target status. In this paper, we propose a team theoretic approach to efficiently allocate UAVs to the targets with the constraint that UAVs do not communicate among themselves and have limited sensor range. We study the performance of team theoretic approach for task allocation on a battle field scenario. The performance obtained through team theory is compared with two other methods, namely, limited sensor range but with communication among all the UAVs, and greedy strategy with limited sensor range and no communication. It is found that the team theoretic strategy performs the best even though it assumes limited sensor range and no communication.

Oleosin Is Bifunctional Enzyme That Has Both Monoacylglycerol Acyltransferase and Phospholipase Activities

In plants, fatty oils are generally stored in spherical intracellular organelles referred to as oleosomes that are covered by proteins such as oleosin. Seeds with high oil content have more oleosin than those with low oil content. However, the exact role of oleosin in oil accumulation is thus far unclear. Here, we report the isolation of a catalytically active 14 S multiprotein complex capable of acylating monoacylglycerol from the microsomal membranes of developing peanut cotyledons. Microsomal membranes from immature peanut seeds were solubilized using 8 M urea and 10 mM CHAPS. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, we identified 27 proteins in the 14 S complex. The major proteins present in the 14 S complex are conarachin, the major allergen Ara h 1, and other seed storage proteins. We identified oleosin 3 as a part of the 14 S complex, which is capable of acylating monoacylglycerol. The recombinant OLE3 microsomes from Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been shown to have both a monoacylglycerol acyltransferase and a phospholipase A(2) activity. Overexpression of the oleosin 3 (OLE3) gene in S. cerevisiae resulted in an increased accumulation of diacylglycerols and triacylglycerols and decreased phospholipids. These findings provide a direct role for a structural protein (OLE3) in the biosynthesis and mobilization of plant oils.

Soil and Groundwater Pollution from Agricultural Activities

This book introduces the major agricultural activities in India and their impact on soil and groundwater. It lists the basic aspects of agricultural activities and introduces soil properties, classification and processes, and groundwater characteristics, movement, and recharge aspects. It further discusses soil and groundwater pollution from various sources, impacts of irrigation, drainage, fertilizer, and pesticide. Finally, the book dwells upon conservation and management of groundwater and soil.

Synthesis, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of sulfone linked bis heterocycles

A new class of sulfone linked bis heterocycles viz., pyrrolyl/pyrazolyl arylaminosulfonylmethyl 1,3,4-oxadiazoles, 1,3,4-thiadiazoles, and 1,2,4-triazoles were prepared and tested for antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity. The chloro-substituted compounds 5c, 8c and 14c showed comparable antibacterial activity to chloramphenicol against Pseudomonasaeruginosa and compound 5c exhibited comparable antifungal activity to ketoconazole against Penicilliumchrysogenum. One of the compounds, vinylsulfonyl oxadiazole showed appreciably cytotoxic activity on A549 lung carcinoma cells with an IC50 at a concentration of 31.7 mu M. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Differential Activities of the Two Closely Related Withanolides, Withaferin A and Withanone: Bioinformatics and Experimental Evidences

Background and Purpose: Withanolides are naturally occurring chemical compounds. They are secondary metabolites produced via oxidation of steroids and structurally consist of a steroid-backbone bound to a lactone or its derivatives. They are known to protect plants against herbivores and have medicinal value including anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, adaptogenic and anti-oxidant effects. Withaferin A (Wi-A) and Withanone (Wi-N) are two structurally similar withanolides isolated from Withania somnifera, also known as Ashwagandha in Indian Ayurvedic medicine. Ashwagandha alcoholic leaf extract (i-Extract), rich in Wi-N, was shown to kill cancer cells selectively. Furthermore, the two closely related purified phytochemicals, Wi-A and Wi-N, showed differential activity in normal and cancer human cells in vitro and in vivo. We had earlier identified several genes involved in cytotoxicity of i-Extract in human cancer cells by loss-of-function assays using either siRNA or randomized ribozyme library. Methodology/Principal Findings: In the present study, we have employed bioinformatics tools on four genes, i.e., mortalin, p53, p21 and Nrf2, identified by loss-of-function screenings. We examined the docking efficacy of Wi-N and Wi-A to each of the four targets and found that the two closely related phytochemicals have differential binding properties to the selected cellular targets that can potentially instigate differential molecular effects. We validated these findings by undertaking parallel experiments on specific gene responses to either Wi-N or Wi-A in human normal and cancer cells. We demonstrate that Wi-A that binds strongly to the selected targets acts as a strong cytotoxic agent both for normal and cancer cells. Wi-N, on the other hand, has a weak binding to the targets; it showed milder cytotoxicity towards cancer cells and was safe for normal cells. The present molecular docking analyses and experimental evidence revealed important insights to the use of Wi-A and Wi-N for cancer treatment and development of new anti-cancer phytochemical cocktails.

A Bifunctional Enzyme That Has Both Monoacylglycerol Acyltransferase and Acyl Hydrolase Activities

Monoacylglycerol acyltransferase (MGAT) catalyzes the synthesis of diacylglycerol, the precursor of triacylglycerol biosynthesis and an important signaling molecule. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of the peanut (Arachis hypogaea) MGAT gene. The soluble enzyme utilizes invariant histidine-62 and aspartate-67 residues of the acyltransferase motif for its MGAT activity. A sequence analysis revealed the presence of a hydrolase (GXSXG) motif, and enzyme assays revealed the presence of monoacylglycerol (MAG) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) hydrolytic activities, indicating the bifunctional nature of the enzyme. The overexpression of the MGAT gene in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) caused an increase in triacylglycerol accumulation. Similar to the peanut MGAT, the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) homolog (At1g52760) also exhibited both acyltransferase and hydrolase activities. Interestingly, the yeast homolog lacks the conserved HX4D motif, and it is deficient in the acyltransferase function but exhibits MAG and LPC hydrolase activities. This study demonstrates the presence of a soluble MGAT/hydrolase in plants. The predicted three-dimensional homology modeling and substrate docking suggested the presence of two separate substrate (MAG and LPC)-binding sites in a single polypeptide. Our study describes a soluble bifunctional enzyme that has both MGAT and hydrolase functions.

Assessment of the Relationships Among Design Methods, Design Activities, and Creativity

This paper presents an experimental study that was conducted to compare the results obtained from using different design methods (brainstorming (BR), functional analysis (FA), and SCAMPER) in design processes. The objectives of this work are twofold. The first was to determine whether there are any differences in the length of time devoted to the different types of activities that are carried out in the design process, depending on the method that is employed; in other words, whether the design methods that are used make a difference in the profile of time spent across the design activities. The second objective was to analyze whether there is any kind of relationship between the time spent on design process activities and the degree of creativity in the solutions that are obtained. Creativity evaluation has been done by means of the degree of novelty and the level of resolution of the designed solutions using creative product semantic scale (CPSS) questionnaire. The results show that there are significant differences between the amounts of time devoted to activities related to understanding the problem and the typology of the design method, intuitive or logical, that are used. While the amount of time spent on analyzing the problem is very small in intuitive methods, such as brainstorming and SCAMPER (around 8-9% of the time), with logical methods like functional analysis practically half the time is devoted to analyzing the problem. Also, it has been found that the amount of time spent in each design phase has an influence on the results in terms of creativity, but results are not enough strong to define in which measure are they affected. This paper offers new data and results on the distinct benefits to be obtained from applying design methods. DOI: 10.1115/1.4007362]

Synthesis, crystal structure, DNA binding and cleavage activities of oximato bridged cationic dinuclear copper(II) complex having labile ligands

Oximato bridged dinuclear copper(II) complex Cu(L)(CH3OH)](2)(ClO4)(2) with an oxime-Schiff base ligand, viz. 3-2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]imino]-2-butanoneoxime (HL), has been synthesized and structurally characterized. The dinuclear copper(II) complex crystallizes in monoclinic space group P2(1)/n with the unit cell parameters, a = 13.3564(9) angstrom, b = 12.0821(8) angstrom, c = 17.5045(11) angstrom, beta = 90.097, V = 2824.8(3) angstrom(3), Z = 4, R = 0.0769. The complex shows quasi-reversible cyclic voltammetric response at 0.844V (Delta E-p = 276 mV) at 100 mVs(-1). The binding studies of the complex with calf thymus DNA has been investigated using absorption spectrophotometry. Cleavage activity of the complex has been carried out on double stranded pBR 322 plasmid DNA by using gel electrophoresis experiments in the absence and in the presence of the oxidant, viz., H2O2.

Synthesis, Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activities of Sulfonamidomethane Linked Heterocycles

A new class of sulfonamidomethane pyrrolyl-oxadiazoles/thiadiazoles and pyrazolyl-oxadiazoles/thiadiazoles was prepared from arylsulfonylaminoacetic acid hydrazides and E-cinnamic acid. The lead compounds were tested for antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities. The thiadiazole compounds having chloro substituent on the aromatic ring 4c, 8c and 10c exhibited comparable antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and also antifungal activity against Penieillium ehrysogenunz. The styryl oxadiazole compound 3c showed appreciable cytotoxic activity on A549 lung carcinoma cells which can be used as a lead compound in the future studies.

Mining large-scale response networks reveals `topmost activities' in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

Mycobacterium tuberculosis owes its high pathogenic potential to its ability to evade host immune responses and thrive inside the macrophage. The outcome of infection is largely determined by the cellular response comprising a multitude of molecular events. The complexity and inter-relatedness in the processes makes it essential to adopt systems approaches to study them. In this work, we construct a comprehensive network of infection-related processes in a human macrophage comprising 1888 proteins and 14,016 interactions. We then compute response networks based on available gene expression profiles corresponding to states of health, disease and drug treatment. We use a novel formulation for mining response networks that has led to identifying highest activities in the cell. Highest activity paths provide mechanistic insights into pathogenesis and response to treatment. The approach used here serves as a generic framework for mining dynamic changes in genome-scale protein interaction networks.

Synthesis, Antioxidant, and Cytotoxic Activities of N-Azole Substituted Thiomorpholine Derivatives

A new class of N-azole substituted thiomorpholine derivatives were prepared and their antioxidant and cytotoxic activities were studied. The methyl substituted oxazolyl thiomorpholine dioxide 9b exhibited radical scavenging activity greater than the standard ascorbic acid. On the other hand, the thiazolyl thiomorpholine 10c having a chloro substituent on the aromatic ring was identified as a remarkable lead molecule for cytotoxic activity against A549 and HeLa cells, with IC50 values of 10.1 and 30.0 mu M, respectively.

Synthesis, crystal structure, DNA interaction and cleavage activities of mononuclear and trinuclear copper(II) complexes

Mono- and trinuclear copper(II) complexes with 2-1-(2-dimethylamino-ethylamino)-ethyl]-phenol (HL) have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The mononuclear complex Cu(L)(H2O)(ONO2)] (1) crystallizes in monoclinic space group P2(1) /n with a square pyramidal Cu(II) center coordinated by the tridentate Schiff base (L) and a water ligand in the equatorial plane and an oxygen atom from nitrate in the axial position. The trinuclear complex (CuL)(3)(mu(3)-OH)](ClO4)(2)center dot H2O (2) crystallizes in hexagonal space group P6(3); all three copper atoms are five-coordinate with square pyramidal geometries. The interactions of these complexes with calf-thymus DNA have been investigated using absorption spectrophotometry. The mononuclear complex binds more strongly than the trinuclear complex. The DNA cleavage activity of these complexes has been studied on double-stranded pBR 322 plasmid DNA by gel electrophoresis experiments in the absence and in the presence of added oxidant (H2O2). The trinuclear complex cleaves DNA more efficiently than the mononuclear complex in the presence of H2O2.