Acute and sub-acute toxicity studies using Shemamruthaa,a modified indigenous Siddha preparation,in Sprague-Dawley rats

Shemamruthaa (SM), an indigenous herbal formulation (Hibiscus rosa sinensis flowers, Phyllanthus emblica, and pure honey) in a definite ratio was analyzed using acute and sub-acute toxicity studies in Sprague-Dawley rats. The acute toxicity study for 72 h showed no adverse effects in behavior or mortality at a dosage of 75–2,000 mg/kg of BW. The sub-acute toxicity study at 50, 100, 250, and 500 mg/kg of BW for 30 days showed transient rises in the white blood cell count, and levels of hemoglobin, free fatty acids, high density lipoproteins, and cholesterol, and a significant decrease in the blood glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, phospholipid, and LDL levels. Other parameters remained unchanged. Changes observed were significant only at the highest dosage of 500 mg/kg BW. These results proved that the drug SM is safe and not toxic.     

Curcumin attenuates diabetic nephropathy by inhibiting PKC-α and PKC-β1 activity in streptozotocin-induced type I diabetic rats

Scope : We hypothesized that curcumin, a potent anti‐oxidant, might be beneficial in ameliorating the development of diabetic nephropathy through inhibition of PKC‐α and PKC‐β1 activity‐ERK1/2 pathway. Methods and results : Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) (55 mg/kg) in rats. Three weeks after STZ injection, rats were divided into three groups, namely, normal, diabetic and diabetic treated with curcumin at 100 mg/kg/day, p.o., for 8 wk. At 11 wk after STZ injection, diabetic rats exhibited renal dysfunction, as evidenced by reduced creatinine clearance, increased blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and proteinuria, marked increases in lipid peroxidation, NOX4 and p67phox and decrease in anti‐oxidant enzyme. All of these abnormalities were significantly reversed by curcumin. Furthermore, the high‐glucose‐induced PKC‐α and PKC‐β1 activities and phosphorylated ERK1/2 was significantly diminished by curcumin. Curcumin also attenuated the expression of TGF‐β1, CTGF, osteopontin, p300 and ECM proteins such as fibronectin and type IV collagen. The high‐glucose‐induced expression of VEGF and its receptor VEGF receptor II (flk‐1) was also ameliorated by curcumin. Conclusion : These results prove that curcumin produces dual blockade of both PKC‐α and PKC‐β1 activities, which suggests that curcumin is a potential adjuvant therapy for the prevention and treatment of diabetic nephropathy.     

Synthesis and evaluation of trimethylolpropane triacrylate crosslinked superabsorbent polymers for conserving water and fertilizers

A series of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) were synthesized by free radical thermal copolymerization of acrylic acid and N‐isopropyl acrylamide monomers using trimethylolpropane triacrylate as crosslinker. They were characterized by FT‐IR and thermal stability (TGA/DTG), and evaluated for their water and fertilizer uptake and release characteristics under different crosslinker levels, temperature, pressure, and pH. The observed maximum absorption of water by the SAP was 1130 g/g of polymer. The release was modeled which showed a non‐Fickian mechanism. The water uptake of SAP was correlated with the average molecular weight between the crosslinks and crosslink density. Analysis of the weight loss data from TG in air revealed a zero order kinetics for the initial degradation step with an activation energy (AE) of 70.8 kJ/mol. The AEs for water uptake and release for thermal degradation were also determined through Arrhenius plots. The results inferred that the synthesized SAP can be exploited for commercial agricultural applications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

FT-Raman and FT-IR vibrational spectroscopic studies of nanocrystalline Ba2RESbO6 (RE = Sm, Gd, Dy and Y) perovskites

The nanoparticles of Ba₂RESbO₆ (RE = Sm, Gd, Dy and Y) were synthesized using auto ignition combustion process. The structure and phase purity of the as-prepared nanopowders were examined by X-ray diffraction pattern. A systematic analysis of the structure of the four compounds was carried out for the first time by recording Raman and IR spectra. The four Raman active modes A_1g, E_g and 2F_2g were observed as strong or medium intense bands in the Raman spectra and the IR active F_1u(1) mode is obtained as a strong absorption band around 630 cm⁻¹ in all the four compounds. Hence it is confirmed that the above compounds were crystallized in the cubic symmetry with space group.     

FHT algorithm for length N=q.2m

Of late, the discrete Hartley transform (DHT) has become an important real-valued transform. Many fast algorithms for computing the DHT of sequence length N=2^m have been reported. Fast computation of the DHT of length N=q.2^m, where q is an odd integer, is proposed. The key feature of the algorithm is its flexibility in the choice of sequence length N, where N need not necessarily be a power of 2, while giving rise to a substantial reduction in computational complexity when compared to other algorithms     

Effects of Newtonian heating and thermal radiation on micropolar ferrofluid flow past a stretching surface: Spectral quasi‐linearization method

This study article addressesthe flow and heat transfer characteristics of a magnetite Fe₃O₄ micropolar ferrofluid flow past a stretching sheet. For practical interest, thermal radiation, Newtonian heating, and a heat source or sink are considered in this investigation. A useful Tiwari‐Das nanofluid model is considered to analyze the microstructure and inertial characteristics of the water‐based nanofluids containing iron oxide. The dimensionless nonlinear ordinary differential equations are solved by employing suitable similarity variables. The resulting nonlinear system is solved by the spectral quasi‐linearization method. The effects of different nondimensional parameters on various profiles are shown graphically and explored in detail. It is found that the micropolar ferrofluid exhibits a higher energy distribution than that of a classical micropolar fluid. Compared to the classical micropolar liquid, local skin‐friction is more significant for the micropolar magnetite ferrofluid. In the presence of Newtonian heating, the thermal behavior of the micropolar nanofluid is remarkably better than that of the classical micropolar fluid.     

Secured Key Management Scheme for Multicast Network Using Graphical Password

Mobile Networks and Applications - In recent days, management of keys in a group has become a significant part of data communication. The textual and alphanumerical passwords used for security...     

Editorial: Mobile Networks in the Era of Big Data

Mobile Networks and Applications -     

Studies on hexolic anhydride based polyesters,II. Thermogravimetric analysis

Unsaturated polyesters based on hexolic anhydride (5,6,7,8,9,9-hexachloro-1,2,3,4,4a,5,8,8a-octahydro-5,8-methanonaphthalene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride), maleic anhydride, phthalic anhydride, cis-2-butene-1,4-diol, 2,3-dichloro-2-butene-1,4-diol and 2,3-dibromo-2-butene-1,4-diol were synthesized. The thermal behaviour of the polyesters was studied using thermogravimetric technique. The results were compared with those available for other hexolic anhydride and HET-acid (1,4,5,6,7,7-hexachlorobicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic acid) based polyesters. The direct study and comparative study of the polyesters revealed that the bromodiol is prominent in increasing the flame retardant character of the polyesters in which it is incorporated; alkenic diols are inferior compared to saturated diols regarding the thermal stability of the polyesters; as the number of carbon atoms in the saturated diol increases, the stability and flame retardancy of the polyesters decrease; branching in the diol part decreases the stability of the polyesters, with hexolic anhydride based polyesters being thermally more stable than HET-acid based polyesters.