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To understand the expected mode of action, the physicochemical study on the solution properties of medicinal compounds and their interaction with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), under varying experimental conditions, is of prime importance. The present research work illustrates the physicochemical study and interaction of certain medicinal compounds such as; Levofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, and Ibuprofen with DNA. Density, viscosity and surface tension measurements have been performed in order to determine, in a systematic manner, the physicochemical, volumetric and thermodynamic properties of these compounds; and most of these parameters have shown different behavior with varying concentration of solution, temperature of the medium and chemical nature/structure of the compound. In addition, these drugs showed a spontaneous surface-active and association behavior in aqueous solutions. The flow behavior, surface properties, volumetric behavior and solute–solvent interaction of these drugs were prominently influenced by experimental variables and addition of DNA to their solutions. UV–Visible spectroscopy was also used to examine the interaction of these drugs with DNA in aqueous media in detail. Calculated values of binding constants (Kb) for all complexes of drug-DNA are positive, indicating a fruitful binding process. It is seen that a smaller Kb value reflects weaker binding of the drug with DNA and vise versa. Due to the difference in the chemical structure of drugs the values of binding constant are different for various drug-DNA complexes and follow the order Kb(Levofloxacin-DNA) > Kb(Ciprofloxacin-DNA) > Kb(Ibuprofen-DNA). On the basis of spectral changes and Kb it can be said that the binding of all these drugs with DNA may be of physicochemical nature and the dominating binding force be of hydrogen bonding between oxygen of drugs and hydrogen of DNA units and the drug having more oxygen atoms showed stronger binding ability. The data further suggest a limited possibility of chemical type attachment of these drugs with DNA.

Zeolite-A was indirectly synthesised from bagasse ash from the sugar industry using a hydrothermal conversion method. Active silicon dioxide (SiO2) and aluminium oxide (Al2O3) were obtained from the bagasse ash and aluminium sulfate, respectively. The synthesis involves the dissolution of amorphous aluminosilicate releasing [SiO2(OH)2]−2 and Al(OH)−4, the formation of sodium aluminosilicate gel and the crystallisation of zeolite. Results showed that amorphous silica obtained from ash dissolved completely during the first hour of the crystallisation stage. With the increase in crystallisation time up to 4 h, a slight change in the composition of zeolite crystals was observed, due to the dissolution of zeolite-A. The synthesised zeolite showed an excellent adsorption capacity for heavy metal cations from aqueous solutions, especially for Pb++ (187.25 mg/g), followed by Cu++ (63.22 mg/g). This observation indicates that the zeolite-A synthesised from bagasse ash can be used as a low-cost and relatively effective adsorbent for the remediation of heavy metals from the effluents of chemical industries before being released to the environment.

Background: New vessel formation or neovascularization has been recognized as a feature of endometriosis. Treatment with cabergoline suppresses cell proliferation and vascular-endothelial-growth-factor-mediated angiogenesis, thereby promoting regression of endometriotic lesions. Dienogest, a fourth-generation progestin currently in use for the treatment of endometriosis significantly decreases the volume of endometrial implants. Objective: The objective of the study was to see if cabergoline is as effective as dienogest in reducing the size of endometriomas and pelvic pain in women with endometriosis. Methods: The prospective comparative study was carried out on 56 women with endometrioma (diagnosed by ultrasound), divided by odd and even numbers into two groups. Cabergoline, 0.5 mg tablet twice weekly, was given to 28 women for 3 months. Dienogest, 2 mg tablet daily, was given to 28 women for the same duration. Pre- and post-treatment assessment of endometrioma size by transvaginal sonography and pelvic pain using the 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS) were recorded. Results: The percentage reduction in endometrioma size in women given dienogest was twice that compared to the women given cabergoline. Mean VAS score after 3 months was significantly lower in the cabergoline group compared to dienogest ([Formula: see text] ¡ 0.05). The incidence of nausea, vomiting, and headache were similar in cabergoline and dienogest group. There was polymenorrhea in the cabergoline group and irregular spotting in the dienogest group. Conclusions: Reduction of the size of endometrioma is less apparent with cabergoline than dienogest after 3 months of treatment. Cabergoline yields better results in decreasing pelvic pain compared to dienogest.

The photocatalytic water and nitrogen reduction in the presence of solar light gives rise to an alternative route for sustainable green energy. This novel approach can resolve the difficulty of greenhouse gas emanation from fossil fuels and global warming and energy crisis. Making headway for developing more robust and efficient photocatalytic systems still remains an enormous challenge toward industrial usage on a large scale. To meet this challenge, herein we report hydrothermally prepared ZnO nanorods (NRs) coupled with nickel phosphide (NiₓPy) via a low-temperature phosphidation method. NiₓPy acts as a robust co-catalyst, which increases the visible light absorption efficacy and photocatalytic performance of ZnO NRs toward nitrogen reduction and hydrogen evolution. The nanorod morphology of the ZnO-NiₓPy hybrid is revealed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis while the formation of the Ni–P moiety and its interaction with ZnO NRs are verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. Besides, the excellent photogenerated charge separation and transfer efficiency are further confirmed using photoluminescence (PL), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and transient analysis, which are the main aspects for activity enhancement in the nickel phosphide-modified ZnO NRs. The optimized ZnO-NiₓPy nanocomposite exhibits an outstanding ammonia production rate of 2304.43 μmol h–¹ g–¹ without using any organic scavenger or precious noble metal. On the other hand, this catalyst also exhibits stupendous performance with a H₂ generation rate of 10 481 μmol h–¹ g–¹ using methanol as a hole scavenger. This magnificent result can be attributed to (i) Ni–P sites acting as active reaction sites for nitrogen and proton adsorption and activation, (ii) efficacious charge carrier segregation, and (iii) proficient charge transfer to the surface of nickel phosphide. This finding offers a new avenue for developing noble metal-free phosphide-based hybrids toward highly efficient photocatalytic reactions.

Currently, world is dealing with two major hurdles towards a prosperous economy, i.e., energy crisis and environmental pollution, which challenge the development and growth of the living society. In this regard, semiconductor-oriented heterogeneous photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and photoelectrocatalysis via fuel cell technology are green and sustainable technologies that have been receiving wide attention by the scientific community for tackling these two issues. In addition, in the present scenario, the synthesis of cost-effective and robust catalysts with high stability, corrosion resistance in any medium, and size and morphology oriented in the micro and nanoscale is a hot topic of research. Therefore, transition metal phosphides (TMPs) and their composite-based catalysts are extensively used in these fields, replacing previously used noble metals such as Pt, Au, and Ag due to scarcity, instability, and high price. Predominantly, nickel phosphide-based materials among all TMPs have proven to be excellent catalysts regarding these fields of application. The metal–phosphorus bonding, basically the Ni–P bonding present in the catalyst, and its resemblance with the [NiFe] hydrogenase makes it more stable and resistive. Several phases of nickel phosphides are available with different lattice structures. Moreover, according to their metal and phosphorus proportion, they can be divided in two categories as metal-rich nickel phosphides and phosphorus-rich nickel phosphides. With respect to this, their activities are also reflected by their elemental contents; the phosphorus-rich nickel phosphides are excellent in electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reactions (HER), whereas metal-rich nickel phosphides are excellent in electrocatalytic oxygen evolution (OER). However, some metal-rich nickel phosphides with high P/Ni ratio, i.e., Ni5P4, show better activity towards HER because of the high P content. The Ni2P phase also plays an active role in both HER and OER, though it belongs to the metal-rich phase. This shows good catalytic behavior towards HER due to presence of well-defined exposed facets and proper proportion of Ni and P atoms. Furthermore, different types of composites are still being developed by modifying their morphology and size through different synthetic strategies with the expectation of more enhanced activity. This review gives an overview of the design and development of nanostructured nickel phosphide-based materials and their recent significant trends in electrocatalytic, photoelectrocatalytic, and photocatalytic water splitting reactions. Moreover, we present the state-of-art various nickel phosphide materials in last five years, which highlight challenges and future prospects involving some critical issues in these emerging fields that await further exploration, and opportunities in the present and future research.

The benzoic acid solubility in aqueous phase and in various aqueous mixtures of methanol, ethanol and 2-propanol was determined at temperatures ranging from 303 to 333 K by an analytical technique. The results showed that the solubility of the acid in alcohols-water binary mixtures is high as compared to pure aqueous phase. The addition of alcohols to water favors the dissolution of benzoic acid which increases further with the increase in alcohols content of water within the investigated temperature range. The benzoic acid solubility in water alone and aqueous mixtures of the selected alcohols was in the order of; 2-propanol in water > ethanol in water > methanol in water > pure water. It is also observed that within the investigated temperature range, the acid solubility increases with rise in temperature in both the aqueous phase and alcohols-water binary solvents. The logarithm of the mole fraction of the acid’s solubility also showed a linear trend against the temperature. The experimental results obtained in the current study were compared with the reported literature for the studied acid and other organic acids in various solvents and showing a good agreement. The study will have implications in the processes involving separation, crystallization and pharmaceutical formulation in various industries.

In the current investigation, a new insight into the adsorptive interaction of iron–silicon mixed oxide with arsenate was proposed through comparative studying the behavior of arsenate on the mixed oxide and on the parent oxides, i.e., iron hydroxide and silica. All the oxides were characterized by using different physiochemical methods. The arsenate concentration, pH, temperature, co-ion effect, and calcination of adsorbents were the key parameters of this investigation. The Langmuir model was used for the interpretation of the adsorption data. The thermodynamic parameters and spectroscopic evidences of the samples before and after arsenate adsorption confirmed that the mechanisms of arsenate adsorption by Fe(OH)3 and mixed oxide showed close similarity.

The Haber–Bosch process enables the industrial production of NH3 from N2 and H2, it represents a high energy consumption route and also releases a large amount of anthropogenic CO2. However, solar light mediated N2 photoreduction through a semiconductor photocatalyst is a green and sustainable route, which could help to suppress global warming and serve as an attractive hydrogen fuel storage medium. Herein, we have synthesized a phosphide protected FeS2–FeP–CeO2NS ternary nanohybrid through a simple hydrothermal method followed by a sulfidation–phosphidation technique. The physicochemical and morphological properties of the synthesized materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The optimum CPS3 nanohybrid exhibits a remarkable ammonia evolution rate of up to 5.6 mmol h−1 g−1 under mild reaction conditions and without using any precious noble metal or organic scavengers. The obtained results were superior to those obtained from recently reported hybrid materials. The main reason for the high photofixation may be because: (i) the Ov/Ce3+ and Fe–P act as active sites for nitrogen adsorption and activation; and (ii) the photoelectrons are well separated and transfer to the activated N2 and the overall kinetic study reveals the two electron proton coupled reduction reaction. This work gives some insightful and significant information about the construction and selection of earth abundant photocatalysts for use in the ideal solar driven nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR).

The impact of different parameters on the compressive strength of geopolymer synthesized from clay and bagasse bottom ash is reported. Geopolymer was synthesized from thermally activated clay and bottom bagasse ash using sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide as activator. The maximum dissolution of alumina and silica from the bagasse ash and clay maintaining different alkali conditions is studied. The resulting geopolymer synthesized under different conditions is studied for compressive strength. Different characterizations of the resulting geopolymer were carried out using different analytical instruments. The results indicated that the dissolution and strength of geopolymer have close relationships with the alkali concentration, solution to solid ratio and curing period. The highest compressive strength of 25 MPa was observed for 8M NaOH, 24 MPa for 0.3 solution to solid ratio, 30 MPa for 60% clay and 30 MPa for 27 days of compressive strength.

Ammonia is the most necessitate and second largely produces chemical reagent worldwide to address the need of the fertilizer industry, as a precursor for many value-added chemicals and a competing source (17.6 wt% H2) for the blooming hydrogen economy. Although N2 constitutes 78.09 % of the earth's atmosphere, however, its conversion to ammonia is strenuous because of its non-polar and triple bond character. To address the burgeoning demand, ammonia is typically synthesized via the conventional energy and capital intensive Haber-Bosch technique utilizing natural gas and releasing tons of (CO2) to the environment. On this basis, cost-effective photon-driven dinitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is aroused thriving attention as a sustainable and eco-friendly process for ammonia production under ambient conditions. Yet, the photocatalytic ammonia production is not up to the mark for industrial application due to low conversion rate, less catalytic selectivity, ambiguous mechanism, and limited faradic or solar-to-chemical efficiency. Further, the NRR activity of a catalyst essentially depends upon its electronic and surface texture; hence the fabrication of advanced materials is of paramount interest to enhance the performance. The present review covers the underlying mechanism of N2 photoreduction, prevailing theories, different catalytic engineering techniques, various detection methods, and critical challenges encountered in the theme of photofixation of dinitrogen to ammonia. Additionally, the overarching goal of this review is to bestow an outline of recent research articles in earmarking high-caliber photocatalytic systems and hence planting a strong foundation to ensure the succeeding improvement in this promising and hastily stretching field of dinitrogen photofixation research.

Organochlorine compounds (OCs) are very toxic, highly persistent, and ubiquitous contaminants in the environment. Degradation of lindane, a selected OC, by simulated solar light-activated TiO2 (SSLA-TiO2) photocatalysis was investigated. The film types of the TiO2 photocatalyst were prepared using a dip-coating method. The physical properties of the films were investigated using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and environmental scanning electron microscopy. The SSLA-TiO2 photocatalysis led to a lindane removal of 23% in 6 h, with 0.042 h&minus, 1 of an observed pseudo first-order rate constant (kobs). The SSLA-TiO2 photocatalysis efficiency was greatly enhanced by adding hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), persulfate (S2O82&minus, ), or both combined, corresponding to a 64%, 89%, and 99% lindane removal in the presence of 200 &micro, M of H2O2, S2O82&minus, or equimolar H2O2-S2O82&minus, respectively. The hydroxyl and sulfate radicals mainly participated in lindane degradation, proven by the results of a radical scavenger study. The degradation kinetics were hindered in the presence of the water constituents, indicated by a 61%, 35%, 50%, 70%, 88%, and 91% degradation of lindane in 6 h, using a SSLA-TiO2/S2O82&minus, /H2O2 photocatalysis system containing 1.0 mg L&minus, 1 humic acid (HA), or 1 mM of CO32&minus, HCO3&minus, NO3&minus, SO42&minus, and Cl&minus, respectively. The TiO2 film demonstrated high reusability during four runs of lindane decomposition experiments. The SSLA-TiO2/S2O82&minus, /H2O2 photocatalysis is very effective for the elimination of a persistent OC, lindane, from a water environment.

Natural resources are non-renewable and facing a regular depletion due to their immense use which demands new and additional material's reserves, recycling technologies and materials with no or less bad environmental effects. Reuse of waste materials will be rewarding technically, economically and environmentally. Here, we report the incorporation of industrial ceramic wastes in polymer matrix as composite materials to investigate their potentials for various applications. Ceramic wastes were collected from the premises of ceramic producing industries located at Peshawar (Pakistan). The composites of ceramic particles and polyaniline (PANI) were produced via in-situ free polymerization technique. SEM and FT-IR analysis confirmed composite formation. Thermal, dielectric and mechanical properties of the prepared materials were studied. It was found that both the constituent materials (ceramic and polymer) have a synergistic effect on each other. At one hand, ceramic wastes support and enhance the thermal and mechanical properties of the polymer in composites and the polymer in turn beautify the wastes with good dielectric and electrical properties. Based on their properties, the low cost and environmentally friendly novel composites could be used for various applications such as semi-conductors, capacitors and microwave devices., Ceramic wastes, Polyaniline, FTIR, Capacitance, Rheology

Rapid climate change and increase in the demand for hydrocarbon fuels have made the research community to recheck the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and its utilization in a green and efficient way. One of the best ways to utilize CO2 so far considered is its conversion back into fuels using various strategies such as thermal, photochemical, electrochemical and enzymatic. In this critical review the concepts and mechanism of CO2 reducing biocatalysts have been summarized. Specifically, more emphasis was given to enzymes related to the selective conversion of CO2 to fuels (popularly known as artificial photosynthesis). Emphasis has been given to single enzyme and multi-enzymatic systems for CO2 conversion to carbon monoxide, methanol, and formic acid/formate. Semiconducting nano-material integrated enzymatic systems and their mechanism are reviewed and described in detail. Finally, the ultimate challenges underlying the design of next generation enzymatic catalysts are explored.

Eight in ten female readymade garment (RMG) workers in Bangladesh suffer from anemia, a condition which damages both health and productivity. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a workplace nutrition program on anemia reduction in female RMG workers of Bangladesh. A quasi-experimental mixed method study was conducted on 1310 non-pregnant female RMG workers from four factories. Two types of intervention packages (A and C) were tested against their respective controls (B and D) over a 10-month period. Among factories that already provided lunch to workers with regular behavior change counseling (BCC), one intervention (A) and one control (B) factory were selected, and among factories that did not provide lunches to their workers but provided regular BCC, one intervention (C) and one control (D) factory were selected: (A) Lunch meal intervention package: daily nutritionally-enhanced (with fortified rice) hot lunch, once weekly iron-folic acid (IFA) supplement and monthly enhanced (with nutrition module) behavior change counseling (BCC) versus (B) Lunch meal control package: regular lunch and BCC, and (C) Non-meal intervention package: twice-weekly IFA and enhanced BCC versus (D) Non-meal control package: BCC alone. Body weight and capillary hemoglobin were measured. Changes in anemia prevalence were estimated by difference-in-difference (DID) method. Thematic analysis of qualitative in-depth interviews with RMG workers was performed and findings were triangulated. Anemia was reduced significantly in both lunch meal and non-meal intervention (A and C) group (DID: 32 and 12 percentage points, p: &lt, 0.001 and &lt, 0.05 respectively). The mean hemoglobin concentration also significantly increased by 1 gm/dL and 0.4 gm/dL in both A and C group (p: &lt, 0.001 respectively). Weight did not change in the intervention groups (A and C) but significantly increased by more than 1.5 kg in the comparison groups (B and D). The knowledge of different vitamin and mineral containing foods and their benefits was increased significantly among all participants. Workplace nutrition programs can reduce anemia in female RMG workers, with the greatest benefits observed when both nutritionally enhanced lunches and IFA supplements are provided.

Novel microgels of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM)-co-methacrylic acid (MAA) (NIPAM-co-MAA) with different contents of N,N-methylene bis acrylamide (MBA) were prepared by emulsion polymerization technique and were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential measurement. Effect of pH, temperature and different salts concentration on the microgel particles was investigated. DLS results have shown that the hydrodynamic radius of the microgel increased upon increasing pH and decreased upon increasing temperature. The swelling/deswelling behaviors as determined by DLS showed the ionic repulsions of the carboxyl group of the methacrylic acid and hydrophobic interaction of NIPAM. The effect of various salts on volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) was also investigated. Upon increasing salt concentration, VPTT became broad and shifted to a lower temperature. Electrophoretic mobility measurements showed an increase with increasing pH and temperature at a constant ionic strength.

Rapid climate change and increase in the demand for hydrocarbon fuels have made the research community to recheck the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and its utilization in a green and efficient way. One of the best ways to utilize CO2 so far considered is its conversion back into fuels using various strategies such as thermal, photochemical, electrochemical and enzymatic. In this critical review the concepts and mechanism of CO2 reducing biocatalysts have been summarized. Specifically, more emphasis was given to enzymes related to the selective conversion of CO2 to fuels (popularly known as artificial photosynthesis). Emphasis has been given to single enzyme and multi-enzymatic systems for CO2 conversion to carbon monoxide, methanol, and formic acid/formate. Semiconducting nano-material integrated enzymatic systems and their mechanism are reviewed and described in detail. Finally, the ultimate challenges underlying the design of next generation enzymatic catalysts are explored.

In this paper, we prepared a silicon-containing polymer nanosheet, poly(neo-pentylmethacrylamide- co -4-(trimethylsilyl)phenyl)methacrylamide (p(nPMA/SiPhMA)), for positive-tone photoresist application. p(nPMA/SiPhMA) forms a stable monolayer at the air–water interface and the polymer monolayer can be transferred onto a solid substrate using the Langmuir–Blodgett technique, when the SiPhMA molar contents are below 38%. Sixty layers of p(nPMA/SiPhMA) nanosheet were deposited onto a silicon substrate and deep UV was irradiated through a photomask to the deposited film. After development of the irradiated film with alkaline solution, a positive-tone fine pattern with a 0.75 μm resolution, which is the highest resolution of the photomask, was clearly drawn. UV–vis and FT-IR spectroscopy indicates the formation of alkaline soluble groups, such as C O and Si–O–Si after photodecomposition. Moreover, p(nPMA/PhSiMA) polymer nanosheet shows three times higher oxygen etching resistance compared to poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA). The high plasma resistance of the polymer nanosheet film is caused by not only the presence of Si atom in the film but also a closely packed and high molecular orientated structure of the polymer nanosheets.

In the present work indigenous coal ash of Pakistan was used to prepare polymeric nanocomposites with Poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO)/Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/lithium perchlorate (LiClO4). The coal ash was first characterized by various advanced spectroscopic techniques. The coal ash loading into the polymeric blend composites was considered by Thermo gravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA), universal testing machine (UTM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy dispersive x-rays (EDX) analysis. From TG/DTA data detailed kinetic analysis was performed. By applying various kinetic models, a range of kinetic parameters like ?E, ?G, ?H, ?S and A were successfully calculated for the first time for the studied system. Based upon aforementioned characterization it was established that coal ash incorporation into the polymeric blend composites improves its thermal and mechanical performance.

In this work, an endeavor is made toward structural assessment and morphological variation of titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films when doped with neodymium (Nd). The electron beam deposition technique was employed to fabricate Nd-based TiO2 thin films on n-Type Si substrates. Nd concentration was varied from 0.0 to 2.0 atomic percent (at.%) under identical growth environments. The films were deposited in an oxygen-deficient environment to cause the growth of rutile phases. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy confirmed the presence and variation of Nd dopant in TiO2. X-ray diffraction analysis showed the transformation of amorphous structures of the as-grown samples to anatase polycrystalline after annealing at 500 °C, while atomic force microscopy exposed linearity in grain density in as-grown samples with doping until 1 at.%. Raman spectrums of as-grown and annealed samples revealed the growth of the anatase phase in the annealed samples. Based on these results it can be proposed that Nd doping has pronounced effects on the structural characteristics of TiO2 thin films.

Peganum harmala L. (Zygophyllaceae), commonly known as harmal, grows wild in the semiarid regions of IndoPakistan subcontinent, Iran and Africa. Its different parts have been used in traditional systems of medicine for the treatment of a variety of human ailments (Dymock et al., 1890; Chopra et al, 1956). Peganum harmala is known to contain four main alkaloids, namely harmaline (Ci3Hi40N2) reported by Goebel, harmine (Ci3H120N2) isolated by Fritsche, harmalol (Ci2Hi20NZ) noted by Goebel and prepared by Fischer from harmaline, and peganine (C,,Hi20Nz) obtained by Merk and later found to be identical with vasicine isolated earlier by Hooper (Henry, 1949). Harmal alkaloids have been reported to possess hypotensive activity (Codding, 1983), while earlier the seeds have been shown to have a marked physiological activity (Elger, 1928) and have been used for curative purposes (El-Saad and EI-Rifaie, 1980). Preliminary work on the antimicrobial study of the crude ethanolic extract of seeds of Peganum harmala was perfomed by different groups of workers (Ross et al., 1980; Al-Sharma and co