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In the present work, sulfur-doped manganese ferrites S@Mn(Fe2O4) nanoparticles were prepared by using the sol-gel and citrate method. The concentration of sulfur varied from 1 to 7% by adding Na2S. The samples were characterized by performing Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Ultraviolet–Visible spectroscopy (UV–Visible). The synthesized sulfur-doped manganese ferrites were applied to evaluate the photocatalytic degradation of the dyes. Further, the degradation studies revealed that the nanoparticles successfully degraded the methylene blue dye by adding a 0.006 g dose under the sunlight. The sulfur-doped manganese ferrite nanoparticles containing 3% sulfur completely degraded the dye in 2 h and 15 min in aqueous medium. Thus, the ferrite nanoparticles were found to be promising photocatalyst materials and could be employed for the degradation of other dyes in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poly(o-anisidine)/BaSO4 nanocomposites were prepared by oxidative polymerization of o-anisidine monomer with BaSO4 filler for the potential antibacterial properties of the composite materials. To achieve the optimal and tunable properties of the nanocomposites, the ratio of BaSO4 filler was changed at the rates of 1%, 3%, 5%, 7%, and 10% with respect to matrix. Different analytical techniques, i.e., FTIR and UV-visible spectroscopy, were employed for functional identification and optical absorption of the poly(o-anisidine)/BaSO4 nanocomposites. The FTIR data revealed the significant interaction between POA and BaSO4, as well as the good absorption behavior of the UV-visible spectra. The conducting properties were controllable by varying the load percentage of the BaSO4 filler. Furthermore, different bacterial strains, i.e., Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive), were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the POA/BaSO4 nanocomposites. The largest zones of inhibition 0.8 and 0.9 mm were reached using 7% and 10% for Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of carbon nanotube aspect ratio (AR) on the percolation characteristics of their polymer composites was investigated by melt blending the multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with different AR with a thermoplastic elastomer. Previously, most studies reported the effect of aspect ratio of MWCNTs only in the context of achieving the maximum electrical conductivity at lower percolation thresholds in the polymer composites. In this study, our results indicate that aspect ratio can also influence other percolation properties such as the pre-percolation conductivity, percolation conductivity and post-percolation conductivity, shape of the percolation curve, and the width of the insulator-conductor transition. We have established that AR can be used to tailor the percolation curves from sharp to quasi-linear ones, which can help us fabricate the percolative composites with stable electrical properties. Experimental results suggested that the mathematically calculated nominal AR of the MWCNTs was an unclear parameter to correlate with the percolation characteristics of the composites. Instead, an approach taking into consideration the nominal length (l) and the diameter (d) of the MWCNTs individually rather than as a combined AR (l/d) parameter gave a better explanation of the relation between MWCNT dimensions and percolation characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 133 samples of whole wheat and barley grains and wheat and barley flour collected from retail markets in the main cities of Punjab, Pakistan, were analyzed for the mycotoxin fumonisin B1 (FB1) using reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Of these samples, 120 (90%) were positive for FB1, and 75 (63%) of the 120 positive samples had FB1 concentrations higher than the European Union maximum (200 μg/kg). The limit of detection was 4 μg/kg. The highest mean (±SD) concentration of FB1 was found in whole wheat samples, 980.5 ± 211.4 μg/kg. The calculated dietary intakes of FB1 from wheat and barley flours were 4,456 and 503.7 ng/g of body weight per day, respectively. FB1 concentrations were determined for wheat and barley grain and flour samples. The highest mean FB1 concentration was found in whole wheat samples, 980.5 ± 211.4 μg/kg. About 63% of samples had FB1 concentrations higher than the recommended limit. Dietary FB1 from wheat and barley flours were 4,456 and 503.7 ng/g of body weight per day, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease in which the infected cells do not have the ability to produce sufficient amount of insulin that results in the abnormality of carbohydrates metabolism and an increase in blood glucose level. Long time exposure to diabetes mellitus results in failure or dysfunction of different organs like kidneys, nerves, heart, eyes, etc. A common practice to cure diabetes is the use of a-glucosidase inhibitors which help in lowering the blood glucose level. We presented 1,2-benzothiazine 1,1-dioxide derivatives as novel and more potent a-glucosidase inhibitors via their in vitro and in silico screenings. Excellent enzyme inhibitions were observed for compounds 2, 8, 10 and 12 having IC50 values of 6.91, 14.0, 4.2, 5.9 and 29.2µM respectively which were found better than the reference acarbose (IC50 =38.31µM). Molecular docking studies suggested high binding energies and good binding interactions of these compounds with the active site residues of the receptor protein. A good agreement was found between the results of both modes of evaluation. Moreover, the envisioned candidates have a good potential to treat diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]