Purification and functional characterisation of an α‐l‐rhamnosidase from Penicillium citrinum MTCC‐3565

An extracellular α‐l ‐rhamnosidase from Penicillium citrinum MTCC‐3565 has purified to homogeneity from its culture filtrate using ethanol precipitation and cation‐exchange chromatography on carboxymethyl cellulose. The purified enzyme gave a single protein band corresponding to molecular mass of 45.0 kDa in SDS‐PAGE analysis showing the purity of the enzyme preparation. The native PAGE analysis showed the monomeric nature of the purified enzyme. Using p‐nitrophenyl α‐l ‐rhamnopyranoside as substrate, K_m and V_max values of the enzyme were 0.30 mm and 27.0 μm min mg^?1, respectively. The k_cat value was 20.1 s giving k_cat/K_m value of 67.0 mm s^?1 for the same substrate. The pH and temperature optima of the enzyme were 8.5 and 50 °C, respectively. The activation energy for the thermal denaturation of the enzyme was 29.9 KJ mol^?1. The α‐l ‐rhamnosidase was able to hydrolyse naringin, rutin and hesperidin and liberated l ‐rhamnose, indicating that the purified enzyme can be used for the preparation of α‐l ‐rhamnose and pharmaceutically important compounds by derhamnosylation of natural glycosides containing terminal α‐l ‐rhamnose. The α‐l ‐rhamnosidase was active at the level of ethanol concentration present in wine, indicating that it can be used for improving wine aroma.     

Synthesis and Biological Studies of Dodecameric Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides Containing Tetrahydrofuran Amino Acids

We report here a concise route to synthesize various stereoisomers of tetrahydrofuran amino acids (TAAs) and the synthesis of TAA-containing linear cationic dodecapeptides. Some of these linear peptides show slightly better antimicrobial activities than their tetra- and octameric congeners, but no activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, for which octapeptides exhibited by far the best results; this implies that antibacterial activity is dependent on the length of these linear peptides. All the dodecapeptides described here were found to be toxic in nature against Vero cells. The study helps to delineate the optimal length of this series of linear peptides and select potential leads in the development of novel cationic peptide-based antibiotics.     

A perspective of the interlamellar region of organo-clays by adsorption of aromatic hydrocarbons

Adsorption of aromatic hydrocarbons has been investigated on montmorillonite with and without surfactant modification. The enhanced space created in the surfactant modified organo-clay using quaternary ammonium species increased the amount of adsorption of aromatics depending on the size of the alkyl group attached to benzene ring. The diffusivity values calculated, indicate that diffusivity of all the aromatics studied decreased in the organo-clay. The extent of interlayer space available in the modified clay is compared with that in zeolites having different pore dimensions. A bulky molecule like nitron, though enhanced the interlayer distance, simultaneously blocked the access to newly created space in the hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium (HDTMA)-modified clay. Thus the increase in the interlamellar distance may not reveal the effective interlamellar space but depends on the type of quaternary species used. The available interlamellar space in the modified clay is best studied by adsorbing hydrocarbons of different dimensions.     

Adsorption of dimethyl methylphosphonate on metal impregnated carbons under static conditions

Active carbon, grade 80 CTC, of surface area 1199m(2)/g, 12x30 BSS particle size and coconut shell origin was impregnated (5%, W/W) with various impregnants such as Cu(II) 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetonate, Cu(II) 1,1,1-trifluoroacetylacetonate, 1-phenylbute-1,3-dione-2-oxime plus Cu(II) using incipient wetness technique. These impregnated carbons along with active carbon (Grade 80 CTC) and whetlerite were studied for the adsorption of dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) at 33+/-1 degrees C under static conditions. Cu(II) 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetonate impregnated carbon system showed highest uptake (68.5%, W/W) of DMMP amongst all the carbon systems, however, active carbon with higher surface area could adsorb 61.5% (W/W) of DMMP under same conditions. It indicated that the adsorption by Cu(II) 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetonate impregnated carbon was not only due to physisorption but chemisorption as well. Kinetics of adsorption was also studied and various parameters such as equilibration time, equilibration capacity, rate constant (k), diffusional exponent (n) and constant (K) were determined. Carbons with and without DMMP exposure were also studied using IR and TGA techniques. Reaction products were analyzed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and found to be methyl methylphosphonic acid (MMPA) and methylphosphonic acid (MPA) for Cu(II) 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetonate impregnated carbon.     

An assessment of the radiological scenario around uranium mines in Singhbhum East district, Jharkhand, India

The present work deals with the prevalent radiological scenario around uranium-mining sites in the Singhbhum East district of Jharkhand state, India. The concentration of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) was estimated from 27 soil samples collected around three regions in the study area, namely Bagjata, Turamdih and Jaduguda. The mean activity concentrations of (238)U in Bagjata, Turamdih and Jaduguda regions were found to be 128.6, 95.7 and 49.2 Bq kg(-1), respectively. Similarly for (232)Th and (40)K the activity concentrations were found to be 57.3, 78.4, 68.9 and 530, 425 and 615 Bq kg(-1) in the Bagjata, Turamdih and Jaduguda regions, respectively, which are comparable with other reported values worldwide, except for some high values. The calculated gamma dose rate, obtained from the concentrations of (238)U, (232)Th and (40)K in the samples, was compared with the observed dose rate in air. A good correlation (0.96) was observed between the calculated and the observed gamma dose rate. The annual outdoor effective dose rate was estimated and the values falls between 0.04-0.3, 0.07-0.3 and 0.07-.14 mSv y(-1) with mean values of 0.14, 0.12 and 0.11 mSv y(-1) for the Bagjata, Turamdih and Jaduguda regions, respectively. The terrestrial dose rates in all the three regions are comparable with other reported values worldwide, except for a few high values in Greece, Rio Grande Do Norte (Brazil) and Kalpakkam (India).     

Structure, energetics and diffusion properties of isomers of trimethyl benzene in β zeolite: Uptake and Monte Carlo simulation study

A Monte Carlo study along with experimental uptake measurements of 1,2,3-trimethyl benzene, 1,2,4-trimethyl benzene and 1,3,5-trimethyl benzene (TMB) in β zeolite is reported. The TraPPE potential has been employed for hydrocarbon interaction and harmonic potential of Demontis for modeling framework of the zeolite. Structure, energetics and dynamics of TMB in zeolite β from Monte Carlo runs reveal interesting information about the diameter, properties of these isomers on confinement. Of the three isomers, 135TMB is supposed to have the largest diameter. It is seen TraPPE with Demontis potential predicts a restricted motion of 135TMB in the channels of zeolite β. Experimentally, 135TMB has the highest transport diffusivity whereas MD results suggest this has the lowest self diffusivity.     

Effect of aerosol carriers on ultrasonically prepared nanocrystalline ZnO powders

Nanocrystalline ZnO powders were synthesized using ultrasonic spraying and decomposition technique. The compressed air and pure oxygen were used as aerosol carriers. Effect of aerosol carriers on ultrasonically atomized nanocrystalline ZnO powders was studied. The powders were characterized using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction, absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence. The influence of air and oxygen on crystallite morphology was studied using TEM. It was confirmed from TEM analysis that the crystallites were nearly spherical in powder prepared in the presence of compressed air. In the presence of pure oxygen, the crystallites could acquire regular hexagonal shape. Complete hexagonal shapes may be due to sufficient (100%) supply of pure oxygen during the process of formation of ZnO nanocrystallite. The powder with regular shaped crystallites could be highly pure and also stoichiometric in nature. Pure oxygen could therefore be more advantageous as carrier than air for production of nanocrystalline ZnO powder. The effect of aerosol carriers (compressed air and pure oxygen) on crystallite morphology of nanocrystalline ZnO powders is reported in this article.     

Torsion problem for elastic cylinder with inserts and holes

An integral equation method to solve the classical torsion problem for an elastic cylinder with inserts and holes is treated. The bounded region outside the inserts and the holes will be termed a matrix. As is well-known the solution depends on finding plane harmonic functions in the matrix and inserts such that (a) on the outer boundary of the matrix and the boundaries of the holes the harmonic function in the matrix takes the values $\text{1}\text{2}\text{(x}{}^2\text{+y}{}^2\text{)+c}{}_{\mathrm{j}}$, and (b) on the interfaces of the matrix and the inserts relations exist between the harmonic functions and between their normal derivatives. Here (x, y) are the coordinates of the point on the boundary and c_j, are unknown constants. The usual methods are cumbersome and lengthy. In this paper a straightforward method is presented which is easily programmable. The numerical solution is obtained by evaluating a few integrals either analytically or numerically and solving a system of linear simultaneous equations. An example of a cylinder with an eccentric insert is given which substantiates the theory developed in this paper and is found to agree with known results. However, the method is general and may be applied to a variety of problems.