Hydro‐ethanolic extract of cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) nut and its principal compound,anacardic acid,stimulate glucose uptake in C2C12 muscle cells

Scope: Products of cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) are used in traditional medicine for various ailments, including diabetes. Methods and results: The anti‐diabetic properties of cashew plant parts were studied using differentiated C2C12 myoblasts (myotubes) and rat liver mitochondria. Hydroethanolic extract of cashew seed (CSE) and its active component, anacardic acid (AA), stimulated glucose transport into C2C12 myotubes in a concentration‐dependent manner. Extracts of other parts (leaves, bark and apple) of cashew plant were inactive. Significant synergistic effect on glucose uptake with insulin was noticed at 100 μg/mL CSE. CSE and AA caused activation of adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase in C2C12 myotubes after 6 h of incubation. No significant effect was noticed on Akt and insulin receptor phosphorylation. Both CSE and AA exerted significant uncoupling of succinate‐stimulated respiration in rat liver mitochondria. Conclusion: Activation of adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase by CSE and AA likely increases plasma membrane glucose transporters, resulting in elevated glucose uptake. In addition, the dysfunction of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation may enhance glycolysis and contribute to increased glucose uptake. These results collectively suggest that CSE may be a potential anti‐diabetic nutraceutical.     

Spectroscopic and photoluminescence properties of Dy-doped lead tungsten tellurite glasses for laser materials

Lead tungsten tellurite (LTT) glasses doped with different Dy³⁺ ion concentrations have been prepared and characterized through optical absorption, photoluminescence and decay measurements. The glassy nature of the LTT host has been confirmed through the XRD measurements. The three phenomelogical intensity parameters Ω_λ (λ = 2, 4, 6) have been determined from the absorption spectral intensities using the Judd-Ofelt (J-O) theory. The hypersensitivity of ⁶H_15/2 → ⁶F_11/2 transition based on the magnitude of Ω₂ parameter has also been discussed. By using the J-O intensity parameters several radiative properties such as spontaneous transition probabilities (A_R), fluorescence branching ratios (β_R) and radiative lifetimes (τ_R) have been determined. The effect of Dy³⁺ ion concentration on the emission intensities of ⁴F_9/2 → ⁶H_J′ (J′ = 15/2, 13/2, 11/2 and 9/2) transitions has also been reported.     

Simplified Impedance Model for Adhesively Bonded Piezo-Impedance Transducers

The electromechanical impedance technique employs surface-bonded lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric ceramic patches as impedance transducers for structural health monitoring and nondestructive evaluation. The patches are bonded to the monitored structures using finitely thick adhesive bond layer, which introduces shear lag effect, thus invariably influencing the electromechanical admittance signatures. This paper presents a new simplified impedance model to incorporate shear lag effect into electromechanical admittance formulations, both one-dimensional and two-dimensional. This provides a closed-form analytical solution of the inverse problem, i.e. to derive the true structural impedance from the measured conductance and susceptance signatures, thus an improvement over the existing models. The influence of various parameters (associated with the bond layer) on admittance signatures is investigated using the proposed model and the results compared with existing models. The results show that the new model, which is far simpler than the existing models, models the shear lag phenomenon reasonably well besides providing direct solution of a complex inverse problem.     

Optimization of paste formulation for TiO2 nanoparticles with wide range of size distribution for its application in dye sensitized solar cells

Dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) can be an economically viable and technically simpler alternate to the silicon based solar cells. Films of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide (TiO₂) are considered as the most suitable photoelectrode for DSSC. For this study, TiO₂ powder of anatase phase, synthesized in acidic environment was used. The average diameter of the nanoparticles was ～20 nm and BET surface area was 64.68 m²/g. Different TiO₂ pastes were prepared by varying the proportion of TiO₂ powder, α-terpineol, and ethyl cellulose (EC) in their composition. The TiO₂ paste was cast on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass surface using doctor blade to prepare photoelectrode of TiO₂ film. Composition of the paste ingredients was optimized by comparing the conversion efficiencies of the DSSCs fabricated with the photoelectrode of thickness ～18 μm. The outcome of this study can be crucial for the preparation of reliable TiO₂ paste in a simple way for its application in DSSC.     

Influence of Sorption Intensity on Solute Mobility in a Fractured Formation

Diffusive mass transfer between fracture and matrix accompanied with sorption significantly influences the efficiency of natural attenuation in hard rocks. While these processes have extensively been studied in a fractured formation, limited information exists on the sorption nonlinearity. For this purpose, a numerical model is developed that couples matrix diffusion and nonlinear sorption at the scale of a single fracture using the dual-porosity concept. The study is limited to a constant continuous solute source boundary condition. The influence of both favorable and unfavorable sorption intensities on solute mobility is investigated using the method of spatial moments. The differing capacities of available sorption sites between fracture surfaces at the fracture-matrix interface and the solid grain surfaces within the rock matrix result in a slower migration of solutes along the fracture, and a larger amount of diffusive mass transfer away from the high permeability fracture.     

Size and morphology-controlled synthesis of mesoporous hydroxyapatite nanocrystals by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method

We report the rapid microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of mesoporous hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanocrystals with controlled size, morphology, and surface area using various organic modifiers as regulators. The products were analyzed for their crystalline nature, phase purity, morphology, particle size and pore size distribution. Results indicated that ascorbic acid, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) play an important role to obtain needle like, rod like and fiber like mesoporous HAp nanocrystals with different specific surface area by controlling growth habit of HAp along c-axis. In addition, the prepared samples were B-type carbonated HAp similar to bone minerals. Therefore, the present approach can be a promising way to obtain precursor for making tissue engineering scaffolds, drug/protein delivery carriers and bone fillers with tunable characteristics.     

Systemic inflammatory load in humans is suppressed by consumption of two formulations of dried,encapsulated juice concentrate

Chronic inflammation contributes to an increased risk for developing chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. A high “inflammatory load” is defined as elevated inflammation markers in blood or other tissues. We evaluated several markers of systemic inflammation from healthy adults and tested the hypothesis that two formulations of encapsulated fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrate with added berry powders (FVB) or without (FV) could impact markers of inflammatory load. Using a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled approach, 117 subjects were randomly assigned to receive placebo, FV, or FVB capsules. Blood was drawn at baseline and after 60 d of capsule consumption. We measured inflammatory markers (high sensitivity C‐Reactive Protein, Monocyte Chemotactic Protein‐1, Macrophage Inflammatory Protein 1‐β, and Regulated upon Activation, Normal T cell Expressed and Secreted), superoxide dismutase, and micronutrients (β‐carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E). Results showed Monocyte Chemotactic Protein‐1, Macrophage Inflammatory Protein 1‐β, and RANTES levels were significantly reduced and superoxide dismutase and micronutrient levels were significantly increased in subjects consuming both FV and FVB, relative to placebo. Data suggest a potential health benefit by consuming either formulation of the encapsulated juice concentrates through their anti‐inflammatory properties.     

Statistical analysis of the fracture strengths of aluminum alloy–alumina (Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>) particulate composites

The mechanics of composite materials and their “fracture behaviors” are relatively complex phenomena to analyze and establish due to their inconsistent process stability and reliability, combined with production and related processing problems. In this work, an attempt has been made to statistically analyze the tensile behavior of metal matrix composites. Composites of aluminum alloy containing 5–20% volume fraction of Al₂O₃ particles of 15 μm size were prepared by adding alumina particles to a vigorously agitated semi-solid aluminum alloy. Prior to this, alumina particles were subjected to preheating at 800 °C for 5 h. Particles were then added to the aluminum alloy and further heated to 850 °C by using a mixer in a nitrogen medium. A total of 20 tension tests were performed for each volume fraction according to ASTM Standards B557 and using these test data, the initial estimators for an empirical model were obtained. Using this empirical model, the reliability of the composite characteristics in terms of its tensile strength was assessed. Another significant implication of the present study is proving the ability and utility of the Weibull statistical distribution for describing the experimentally measured data on the tensile strength of metal matrix composites, in a more appropriate manner.