Desensitization to ATP-Mg inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutarylCoA reductase by heat treatment of microsomes

HMGCoA reductase is found to be inhibited by palmitylCoA and free CoA. The inhibition of this enzyme by ATP-Mg, but not by palmityl CoA, is lost on preincubation of microsomes at 50°C for 15 min.

Two-dimensional fuzzy fault tree analysis for chlorine release from a chlor-alkali industry using expert elicitation

The hazards associated with major accident hazard (MAN) industries are fire, explosion and toxic gas releases. Of these, toxic gas release is the worst as it has the potential to cause extensive fatalities. Qualitative and quantitative hazard analyses are essential for the identification and quantification of these hazards related to chemical industries. Fault tree analysis (FTA) is an established technique in hazard identification. This technique has the advantage of being both qualitative and quantitative, if the probabilities and frequencies of the basic events are known. This paper outlines the estimation of the probability of release of chlorine from storage and filling facility of chlor-alkali industry using FTA. An attempt has also been made to arrive at the probability of chlorine release using expert elicitation and proven fuzzy logic technique for Indian conditions. Sensitivity analysis has been done to evaluate the percentage contribution of each basic event that could lead to chlorine release. Two-dimensional fuzzy fault tree analysis (TDFFTA) has been proposed for balancing the hesitation factor involved in expert elicitation. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of magnesium addition and heat treatment on mild wear of hypoeutectic aluminium-silicon alloys

The effect of magnesium addition and subsequent heat treatment on mild wear of a cast hypoeutectic aluminium-silicon alloy when slid against EN 24 steel is studied. Morphology and chemistry of worn surface and subsurface are studied with a view to identify wear mechanism. Stability of an iron-aluminium mixed surface layer was found to be the key factor controlling wear resistance.

Modulus Spectroscopy and Dielectric Dispersion Studies in Alkali Metal Perchlorates

Alkali metal perchlorates (KClO4, RbClO4, and CsClO4) undergo a structural phase transition from the orthorhombic to the cubic phase at elevated temperatures. A detailed dielectric study of these crystals across the phase transition is carried out at different frequencies. The crystals are found to exhibit pronounced dielectric dispersion in the kHz frequency range. The results support the view that these transitions are of order–disorder type. The dielectric behaviour at temperatures above Tc is discussed in terms of modulus spectroscopy. An estimate of conductivity relaxation times above the phase transition temperatures made from modulus spectroscopy data gives values of 3.1, 12.2 and 17.7 μs for KClO4, RbClO4, and CsClO4, respectively.

Photocatalytic treatment of municipal wastewater using modified neodymium doped TiO2 hybrid nanoparticles

Photocatalytic degradation of municipal wastewater was investigated using reagent grade TiO2 and modified neodymium doped TiO2 hybrid nanoparticles. For the first time, surface modification of Nd3+ doped TiO2 hybrid nanoparticles were carried out with n-butylamine as surface modifier under mild hydrothermal conditions. The modified nanoparticles obtained were characterized by Powder XRD, FTIR, DLS, TEM, BET surface area, zeta potential and UV-Vis Spectroscopy. The characterization results indicated better morphology, particle size distribution and low agglomeration of the nanoparticles synthesized. It was found that photodegradation of wastewater using surface modified neodymium doped TiO2 nanoparticles was more compared to pure TiO2, which can be attributed to the doping and modification with n-butylamine.

Catalytic hydrogen combustion for treatment of combustible gases from fuel cell processors

Catalytic combustion of H-2 was carried out over combustion synthesized noble metal (Pd or Pt) ion-substituted CeO2 based catalysts using a feed stream that simulated exhaust gases from a fuel cell processor The catalysts showed a high activity for H-2-combustion and complete conversion was achieved below 200 C over all the catalysts when O-2 was used in a stoichiometric amount With higher amounts of O-2 the reaction rates Increased and complete conversions were possible below 100 C The reaction was also carried out over Pd-impregnated CeO2 The conversions of H-2 with stoichiometric amount of O-2 were found to be higher over Pd-substituted compound The mechanism of the reaction over noble metal-substituted compounds was proposed on the basis of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies The redox couples between Ce and metal ions were established and a dual site redox mechanism was pi posed for the reaction (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved

13 C nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the binding of alkali and alkaline earth metal salts to amides

13 C resonances of carbonyl and methyl groups in amides are shifted down-field on interaction with alkali and alkaline earth metal salts. The magnitude of the shift depends on the ionic potential of the cation. Ions like Li+ bind to the amide carbonyl group both in neat amide solutions as well as in concentrated salt solutions in water.

Growth Kinetics of ZnO Nanocrystals in the Presence of a Base: Effect of the Size of the Alkali Cation

Following an earlier study (J. Am. Chem Soc. 2007, 129, 4470) describing a very unusual growth kinetics of ZnO nanoparticles, we critically evaluate here the proposed mechanism involving a crucial role of the alkali base ion in controlling the growth of ZnO nanoparticles using other alkali bases, namely, LiOH and KOH. While confirming the earlier conclusion of the growth of ZnO nanoparticles being hindered by an effective passivating layer of cations present in the reaction mixture and thereby generalizing this phenomenon, present experimental data reveal an intriguing nonmonotonic dependence of the passivation efficacy on the ionic size of the alkali base ion. This unexpected behavior is rationalized on the basis of two opposing factors: (a) solvated cationic radii and (b) dissociation constant of the base.

An Investigation Of Alkali Aluminosilicate Glasses By Si-29 And Al-27 Magic-Angle-Spinning Nmr-Spectroscopy

Alkali aluminosilicate glasses prepared by the gel and the melt routes have been investigated by Si-29 and Al-27 MAS NMR spectroscopy. It is found that Al has a tetrahedral coordination in the gel glasses modified with equivalent proportions of alkalis unlike in a pure aluminosilicate glass where Al has both four and six coordinations. Silicon is present as Q4 units in all the 5M2O 5Al2O3 9OSiO2 ( M = Li, Na and K) gel glasses studied whereas it is present in Q2 or Q3 species in the lithium aluminosilicate glasses of compositions 40Li2O x Al2O3 (1-x)SiO2 (1 less-than-or-equal-to x less-than-or-equal-to 15) and xLi2O 10Al2O3 (1-x)SiO2 (20 less-than-or-equal-to x less-than-or-equal-to 40). The combination of Q2 and Q3 is also found in certain sodium aluminosilicate glasses, but they change to Q2 and Q1 as the concentration of SiO2 decreases.

Casting and heat treatment variables of Al–7Si–Mg alloy

A review of the research work that has been carried out thus far relating the casting and heat treatment variables to the structure and mechanical properties of Al–7Si–Mg (wt-%) is presented here. Although specifications recommend a wide range of magnesium contents and a fairly high content of iron, a narrow range of magnesium contents, closer to either the upper or lower specified limits depending on the properties desired, and a low iron content will have to be maintained to obtain optimum and consistent mechanical properties. A few studies have revealed that the modification of eutectic silicon slightly increases ductility and fracture toughness and also that the effect of modification is predominant at low iron content. Generally, higher solidification rates give superior mechanical properties. Delayed aging (the time elapsed between quenching and artificial aging during precipitation hardening) severely affects the strength of the alloy. The mechanism of delayed aging can be explained on the basis of Pashley's kinetic model. It has been reported that certain trace additions (cadmium, indium, tin, etc.) neutralise the detrimental effect of delayed aging. In particular, it should be noted that delayed aging is not mentioned in any of the specifications. With reference to the mechanism by which trace additions neutralise the detrimental effect of delayed aging, various hypotheses have been postulated, of which impurity–vacancy interaction appears to be the most widely accepted.

Role of lipid peroxidation in impairment of mitochondrial function at complex I by methyl isocyanate treatment of rats in vivo

The subcutaneous administration of methyl isocyanate (MIC) in 1.0 LD50 dose in rats caused a significant effect on hepatic mitochondrial function only at complex I region of the respiratory chain. MIC administration at 1.0 LD50 dose also resulted in significant increases in malondialdehyde and ferrous ion concentration in liver mitochondria. It is suggested that the augmented lipid peroxidation in hepatic mitochondria, catalyzed by iron, possibly mobilized from intracellular stores leads to the inhibition of enzymes of mitochondrial respiration at complex I region, in vivo, in rats receiving a lethal dose of MIC subcutaneously.

Synthesis of Novel Oxide Pyrochlores, A2BB?O7 (A = La, Nd; BB? = Pb, Sn, Bi), by Alkali Melt Route

Oxide pyrochlores of the formula A2BB? O7 (A = La, Nd; BB? = Pb, Sn, Bi) have been synthesized by a low-temperature ambient-pressure route employing KOH melts. All the compositions, including La2Bi2O7 and its strontium-substituted derivatives, La2-xSrxBi2O7-?, are deeply colored insulators, confirming that a metallic ground state is not achieved for Pb(IV) and Bi(IV/V) oxides with the pyrochlore structure.