Neutral Portion Research Articles

Evaluation of Calpurnia aurea leaf extracts as natural insect repellents for stored product insect pests in Ethiopia

The repellency of solvent extracts of Calpurnia aurea leaves was evaluated on the maize weevils and the red flour beetles. Nine-cm Whatman number 1 filter paper that is partitioned into treatment, neutral and non-treatment portions was used for the experiment. Each solvent extract treatment was applied at 2.5, 5 and 10% rates. Insects were released in the neutral portion, while the untreated part served as a control. A choice bioassay experimental method that is laid down in a completely randomized design within three replications was used. 5 and 10% rates of the polar solvent extracts of Calpurnia aurea leaves induced significantly (p < 0.05) higher percentage weevils and beetles repellency (≥50.00%) at 2 days after treatment than non-polar and partial polar solvent extract treatments and the untreated check. 10% dosage of Calpurnia aurea leaves’ polar solvent extract treatments caused 100% weevils and beetles repellency three days after treatment. Consequently, the polar solvent extracts of the tested plant were potent and could be used at 5 and 10% rates for the maize weevils and the red flour beetles’ management under farmers’ maize storage conditions. Nevertheless, their impact on cost-effectiveness, natural enemies and human beings needs additional study.

Fetuin-A: A Biomarker for Type II Diabetes Mellitus

Fetuins are blood glycoproteins manufactured in the liver and secreted into the bloodstream. These glycoproteins make up a large group of binding proteins which mediates the transit and presence of a myriad of substances in the blood stream. Serum albumin, which is the most abundant protein in adult animal plasma is best known as the representative of these carrier proteins. In bone homeostasis, it is the circulating glycoprotein that plays a critical role. It plays major roles also in prevention of vascular calcification, disruption of adipocyte function and impairment of insulin signaling. Even with its major role, it is highly dependable in preventing and/or amplifying of the above disease processes. Certain diseases have been associated with high levels of Fetuin A. Although low levels of it in the plasma assist potentially in the protective effect of artery calcification in non-Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients, high levels of the glycoprotein are the greatest concern in patients at higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. The range of serum fetuin A in healthy adults is between 0.4 and 1mg/ml serum. The most studied function of fetuin A is mediated by the D1 domain. But the domain that binds with insulin receptor is yet to be known. The B chain consists of 27 amino acid residues which are distributed unevenly among the charged and neutral portion. Fetuins are proteins highly expressed in the liver blood plasma. They bear post translational modifications in proteolytic processing, phosphorylation, complex glycosylation and sulfation. The precussors of Fetuin A in humans are single-chained to the mature circulating double-chain form. In septicaemia and bovine, human fetuin A is perceptible to further proteolytic cleavage. Since the discovery of Fetuin A as a glycoprotein that inhibits vascular calcification in early 1990s, the biologic attributed roles has increased and still increasing exponentially. Apart from the roles it plays in type II diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease, other roles have been noted. Other effects and roles of Fetuin A are still being researched on.

Antibacterial Susceptibility of the Constituents of Ethanol Crude Extract and the Neutral Metabolite of the Root of Curculigo pilosa Hypoxidaceae

Powdered fresh rhizomes of Curculigo pilosa Hypoxidaceae (African Crocus) were analyzed for their phytochemicals and antibacterial activities. The crude ethanol extract showed the presence of saponins, flavonoids, steroids, alkaloids, glycosides and phenols. This crude sample was partitioned into acidic, basic and neutral metabolites. The neutral portion indicated the presence of saponin, flavonoid, steroid, glycoside, phenol and alkaloid. The antimicrobial susceptibility tests using the crude sample and the metabolites were carried out on four human pathogens; Escherichia coli, staphylococcus aureus, pseudomonas aeruginosa and streptococcus faecalis. At a concentration of 100 mg/mL: the crude sample showed IZD values of 22 mm for Escherichia coli , 29 mm for staphylococcus aureus , 23 mm for pseudomonas aeruginosa and 38 mm for streptococcus faecalis . The neutral metabolite at the same concentration gave IZD values of 35 mm for Escherichia coli , 36 mm for staphylococcus aureus , 35 mm for pseudomonas aeruginosa and 43 mm for streptococcus faecalis . The acidic and basic metabolites did not show any significant antibacterial activity. The control drug ampiclox at 100 mg/mL showed IZD values of 40 mm for Escherichia coli ; 32 mm for staphylococcus aureus ; 26 mm for pseudomonas aeruginosa and 22 mm for streptococcus faecalis respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the ethanol crude extract and the neutral metabolite were at 25 mg/mL, 50 mg/mL and100 mg/mL, the result apparently justified the use of fresh rhizomes of Curculigo pilosa in the treatment of infections.

Looking Inward

Selective attention plays a fundamental role in emotion regulation. To date, research has examined individuals’ use of selective attention to regulate emotional responses during stimulus presentation. In the present study, we examined whether selective attention can be used to regulate emotional responses during a poststimulus period when representations are active within working memory (WM). On each trial, participants viewed either a negative or a neutral image. After the offset of the image, they maintained a representation of it in WM and were cued to focus their attention on either neutral or arousing aspects of that representation. Results showed that, relative to focusing on an arousing portion of a negative-image representation within WM, focusing on a neutral portion of the representation reduced both self-reported negative emotion and the late positive potential, a robust neural measure of emotional reactivity. These data suggest that selective attention can alter emotional responses arising from affective representations active within WM.

Hypoglycemic Effects Of Whole And Fractionated &lt;i&gt;Azadirachta Indica&lt;/i&gt; (Neem) Seed Oils On Alloxan-Induced Diabetes In New Zealand White Rabbits

Diabetes is a common condition that can contribute to illness, disability and early death world-wide. In an attempt to find remedy to this disease, the hypoglycemic effects of whole and frac-tionated neem seed oil on alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits were investigated. Oil from the neem seed was soxlet-extracted and some physicochemical properties determined. The whole neem seed oil had an acid value of 4.56�0.11, saponification value of 191.25�0.84, a pH of 4.85�0.15, a refractive index of 1.4653 at 29oC, a density of 0.9048 at 29oC. On fractionation of the whole neem seed oil, the acidic, basic and neutral portion obtained had pH values of 4.35�0.10, 8.50 �0.24, 7.75�0.01,respectively. IRspectrophotometric analysis suggests the presence of �OH, -C=O, -CH3. Rf values obtained from TLC analysis indicates a close relation in chemical compo-nents between the whole oil and acidic fraction. On administration of these oils to alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits (2.5 ml/kg p.o.), the whole oil and the acidic portion of oil had very sig-nificant (P 0.05) after five days of treatment. The data suggests that the whole neem seed oil and the acidic portion of the neem seed oil could be of benefit in controlling the blood sugar in subjects presenting with diabetes mellitus.

Effect of irradiation with gamma-ray photons on the charge-transport mechanism in n-CdS/p-CdTe heterostructures

Effect of irradiation with γ-ray photons on the mechanism of charge transport in an n-CdS/p-CdTe heterostructure is considered. It is shown that the forward current-voltage characteristic of an n-CdS/p-CdTe heterostructure before and after irradiation is described by two exponential dependences: I = I01exp(qV/C01kT) and I = I02exp(qV/C02kT). It is found that, in the first portion of the current-voltage characteristic, the current is limited by thermoelectronic emission while, in the second portion, the current is limited by recombination of nonequilibrium charge carriers in the electrically neutral portion of a CdTe1 − xSx alloy at the n-CdS/p-CdTe heteroboundary. Anomalous dose dependences of parameters of the n-CdS/p-CdTe heterosystem are attributed to a variation in the degree of compensation of local centers at the CdS-CdTe1 − xSx interface and in the CdTe1 − xSx layers in relation to the dose of irradiation with γ-ray photons.

The spectroscopic orbits and the geometrical configuration of the symbiotic binary AR Pavonis

We analyze optical and near infrared spectra of intermediate and high resolution of the eclipsing symbiotic system AR Pavonis. We have obtained the radial velocity curves for the red and the hot component from the M-giant absorption lines and from the wings of Halpha, H and He II4686 emission profiles, respectively. From the orbital elements we have derived the masses, Mgiant=2.5 and Mhot =1.0 solar masses, for the red giant and the hot component, respectively. We also present and discuss radial velocity patterns in the blue cF absorption spectrum as well as various emission lines. In particular, we confirm that the blue absorption lines are associated with the hot component. The radial velocity curve of the blue absorption system, however, does not track the hot companion's orbital motion in a straightforward way, and its departures from an expected circular orbit are particularly strong when the hot component is active. We suggest that the cF-type absorption system is formed in material streaming from the giant presumably in a region where the stream encounters an accretion disk or an extended envelope around the hot component. The broad emission wings originate from the inner accretion disk or the envelope around the hot star.We also suggest that the central absorption in H profiles is formed in a neutral portion of the cool giant's wind which is strongly concentrated towards the orbital plane. The nebula in AR Pav seems to be bounded by significant amount of neutral material in the orbital plane. The forbidden emission lines are probably formed in low density ionized regions extended in polar directions and/or the wind-wind interaction zone.

Properties of erythrocyte light refraction in diabetic patients

Since hyperglycaemia changes the erythrocyte cell membrane fluidity and impairs cell deformity, our goal was to characterize hemoglobin and red blood cell (RBC) light refractive property changes in diabetic patients. Microscopic investigation was carried out on intact and fixed RBCs. To determine the refractive index (RI): smears of peripheral blood were air dried and fixed for 3 min in methanol. Mixtures of polyvinylpyrolidine and buffer of different pH (1:1) were used as embedding media. Intact RBCs were mixed with a buffered embedding medium, placed on a slide and overlaid with a coverslip. Interference microscopy was used for RI measurements at 18 different pH (pH=2-13). The results showed that curves of the RI of diabetic patients and of a control group were of similar configuration, with one branch in the acidic portion of the pH scale, a maximum and two minima in the neutral (middle) portion, and one branch in the alkaline portion. The curves of the individuals from the control group overlapped each other. To the contrary, the curves of the diabetic patients were not uniform in the neutral portion and the alkaline portion. The curves of the diabetic patients in the neutral zone were shifted towards the alkaline end of the pH scale, and the RBC RI curves were lower in comparison to the control curves. The center maximum of the curves of diabetic patients corresponded to pH=6.6 whereas the central maximum of the control group curves was at pH=6.2-6.8. Contrary to in the diabetic group, intact RBC RI curves in the control group revealed only one significantly different minimum at pH of 7.2 in the neutral zone. Using this method it is possible to show phenotypic differences between uniform type intact and fixed cells, erythrocytes of diabetic patients and of healthy donors.

Structure of Ferkuhinin

(ester), and 1590 and 1520 (aromatic ring). The composition and IR spectrum indicate that ferkuhinin is a diester of a sesquiterpene alcohol with aromatic and aliphatic acids. The PMR of ferkuhinin (taken on a Tesla BS 567 instrument, 100 MHz, CDCl , 0 = HMDS, , ppm, J/Hz): 0.81 and 3 0.93 (3H, d, J = 7, C -2CH ), 1.3 (3H, s, CH -1), 1.4 (3H, s, CH -8), 2.40 (1H, d, J = 10, H-5), 2.70 (1H, t, J = 7, H-9), 4.78 11 3 3 3 (1H, d, J = 5, H-2), 5.32 (1H, sext, J = 10, 10, 2, H-6), 2.05 (3H, s, CH -11), 6.8 (2H, d, J = 8, H-22, H-62), 7.8 (2H, d, J = 8, 3 H-32, H-52), 3.86 (3H, s, OCH ). 3 The PMR spectrum of ferkuhinin suggests that the compound is a carotane diester with acetic and anisic acids. In fact, a sesquiterpene alcohol of composition C H O with mp 194-195 C was isolated from the neutral portion of 15 26 4 o

The Ultraviolet‐Optical Albedo of Broad Emission Line Clouds

We explore the effective UV-optical albedos of a variety of types of broad emission line clouds, as well as their possible effects on the observed spectra of AGN. An important albedo source in moderately ionized ionization-bounded clouds is that due to neutral hydrogen: Rayleigh scattering of continuum photons off the extreme damping wings of Lya. The photons resulting from this scattering mechanism may contribute significantly to the Lya emission line, especially in the very broad wings. In addition, line photons emitted near 1200 Angstroms (e.g., N V 1240) that stream toward the neutral portion of the cloud may be reflected off this Rayleigh scattering mirror, so that they preferentially escape from the illuminated face. Inclusion of this effect can alter predicted emission line strengths and profiles. In more highly-ionized ionization-bounded clouds, Thompson scattering dominates the UV-optical albedo, but this albedo is lessened by the hydrogen gas opacity. These clouds are most reflective on the long wavelength side of the hydrogen recombination edges; this feature may then alter the shapes of the spectral regions near the recombination edges. We illustrate the effects of gas density and line broadening on the effective albedo. We also discuss the reflection effects of the accretion disk and the ``dusty torus.'' The accretion disk is an effective reflector of UV-optical photons, whether by electron or Rayleigh scattering, and it is possible that we observe a significant fraction of this light from the AGN in reflection. This effect can alter the emission line profiles and even destroy emission at the Lyman jump emitted by broad line clouds. Finally, we discuss the possibility that continuum reflection from broad line clouds is at least in part responsible for the polarized broad absorption line troughs.

A method for determining the fast neutral portion of ion beams : M. Nedialkov, V. Zinenko and D. Karpuzov. Vacuum, 46 (12), 1455 (December 1995).

A method for determining the fast neutral portion of ion beams : M. Nedialkov, V. Zinenko and D. Karpuzov. Vacuum, 46 (12), 1455 (December 1995).

A method for determining the fast neutral portion of ion beams

A method based on a thermocouple detector measuring simultaneously the total flux of energetic particles and the portion of the charged particles is proposed and studied. These data allow the neutral fraction of the ion beam to be easily calculated and the fraction is determined for different values of the working gas pressure in Ar and SF 6. The results obtained are in good agreement with the theoretical model, for an ion beam accelerating bias of 500 V.

Separation of branched sialylated oligosaccharides using high-pH anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection

Ten characterized sialylated oligosaccharides from bovine fetuin (B. Bendiak, M. Harris-Brandts, S. W. Michnick, J. P. Carver, and D. A. Cumming, Biochemistry, in press; and D. A. Cumming, C. G. Hellerqvist, M. Harris-Brandts, S. W. Michnick, J. P. Carver, and B. Bendiak, Biochemistry, in press) were chromatographed using high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. At near neutral pH values, oligosaccharides were separated according to their number of formal negative charges from sialic acid; however, at alkaline pH, the neutral portion of the oligosaccharides enhanced resolution due to oxyanion formation. Specifically, trisialylated triantennary oligosaccharides containing a Gal-β(1,3)GlcNAc sequence were more retained and could be completely separated from those having only Gal-β(1,4)GlcNAc units. Oligosaccharides containing the same number of sialic acids were separated according to the combination of α(2,6)- and α(2,3)-linked sialic acids (α(2,6)-linked sialic acid reduced retention time). The relative molar electrochemical responses for di-, tri-, tetra-, and pentasialylated oligosaccharides were found to be similar (4.8 ± 14% relative to glucose). Coelution studies were performed with each of the characterized oligosaccharides and the mixture of oligosaccharides which were released from fetuin with N-glycanase. The relative proportion of the major classes of sialylated oligosaccharides (bi-, tri-, tetra-, and penta-) varied significantly in bovine fetuin from different sources.

Mutagenicity of the nakatsu river sediment.

Within recent years, concern over contamination with organic compounds in aquatic environment has risen. But due to the extremely low levels and many kinds of organics present, it is difficult to get sufficient information about all compounds. Therefore mutagenicity is studied on tap water, river water and river sediment. This report is on mutagenicity of dichloromethane (DCM) extracts from the sediments which were collected at 7 points in the Nakatsu river during 1987. The Nakatsu river is a branch of the Sagami river used for drinking water supply in Kanagawa prefecture and has the best quality of water among branches. However, it is obvious that those sediments show mutagenicity (2-20 times as many as spontaneous revertants per 5 g dry weight) by using the strain TA98 of Salmonella typhimurium with S9mix. Certain sediment also shows mutagenicity without S9mix. DCM extract of some sediments are separated to acidic, neutral and basic portions, and the neutral portion is fractionated to three fractions on a silicagel column (Fr. 1, Fr. 2 and Fr. 3). Futhermore Fr. 3 is fractionated to three sub-fractions with HPLC (sub-fr. 1, sub-fr. 2 and sub-fr. 3). Each fraction is surveyed with both the Ames test and GC-MS analysis. As the result it is confirmed that Fr. 2 gives 10-26% of the total mutagenicity observed in the sediment and contains many kinds of mutagenic polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. It is also found that Fr. 3 gives the residual mutagenicity which mainly depends on sub-fr. 2. But the mutagenicity in Fr. 3 is not able to be explained because of the existence of unidentified peaks on GC-MS. We are investigating these unknown compounds which cause the mutagenicity of the Nakatsu river sediments.

Comparative characteristics of methods of separation of nitrogen compounds from diesel fuel

Summary KU-2 Sulpho-cation exchange resin removes all basic nitrogen compounds from diesel fuel fractions, however, a considerable part of the neutral nitrogen compound portion is resinified; 40% sulphuric acid does not fully remove basic nitrogen compounds. Treatment of the diesel fuel distillate twice with sulphuric acid solution leaves behind 0·001% of basic nitrogen. Acetic acid solutions of up to 80 vol.% concentration only remove basic nitrogen compounds. Practically complete recovery of bases from jet fuel distillates may be achieved with a 6-fold extraction of bases using a 70% acetic acid solution. Resins are not formed. Complete recovery from a fuel distillate of nitrogen bases and indole homologues is achieved by 3-fold extraction with 85% orthophosphoric acid.

Formation of sulphur compounds in hydrodenitrogenation of quinoline, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline, pyridine, piperidine and 1-pent-4-enylamine on a nickel-tungsten catalyst in the presence of hydrogen sulphide

Hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) of quinoline and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline on a sulphided nickel-tungsten catalyst in the presence of hydrogen and of its mixture with hydrogen sulphide has been studied in an autoclave at 350 °C. The results show that hydrogen sulphide exhibits rate-accelerating effect on HDN of the above compounds by formation of sulphur compounds. It was found that neutral portion of the reaction mixture contains octahydro-2H-1-benzothiopyran, octahydro-1H-2-benzothiopyran, octahydro-2-methylbenzo(b)thiophene and other sulphur compounds. The reaction scheme for HDN of quinoline that accounts for favourable effect of hydrogen sulphide is proposed. In the neutral portion of the reaction mixture from HDN of piperidine and 1-pent-4-enylamine in the presence of hydrogen sulphide further sulphur-containing compounds were identified.

The asparagine-linked sugar chains of the glycoproteins in rat erythrocyte plasma membrane—Structural studies of the acidic oligosaccharides

Among the four acidic oligosaccharide fractions obtained by paper electrophoresis of the hydrazinolysate of the plasma membrane glycoproteins of rat erythrocytes, one was further separated into two by prolonged paper electrophoresis using 120-cm paper. Three fractions were mixtures of monosialyl oligosaccharides and two of disialyl oligosaccharides. After desialylation, their neutral portions were fractionated by Bio-Gel P-4 column chromatography and by affinity chromatography using a Con A-Sepharose column. Structural studies of the neutral oligosaccharides, thus obtained, indicated that at least 26 different complex-type oligosaccharides are present as a neutral portion of the acid oligosaccharides. Structurally they can be classified into bi-, tri-, and tetraantennary oligosaccharides with Manα1 → 6(Manα1 → 3)Manβ1 → 4GlcNAcβ1 → 4(±Fucα1 → 6)GlcNAc OT as their common cores. Galβ1 → 3Galβ1 → 4GlcNAc, Siaα2 → 3Galβ1 → 4GlcNAc, Siaα2 → 6Galβ1 → 4GlcNAc, and a series of Siaα2 → (Galβ1 → 4GlcNAcβ1 → 3) n · Galβ1 → 4GlcNAc were found as their outer chains. Their structures together with the structures of neutral oligosaccharides reported in the preceding paper indicated that the outer chain moieties of the asparagine-linked sugar chains of rat erythrocyte membrane glycoproteins are formed not by random concerted action of glycosyl transferases in Golgi membrane but by the mechanism in which the formation of one outer chain will regulate the elongation of others.

The state of water in swollen ionomers containing sulfonic acid salts

The proton magnetic resonance relaxation times and heat capacity of water in perfluoroethylene sulfonic acid (Nafion), chlorosulfonated polyethylene (SPE), and sulfonated polysulfone (SPS) were measured as a function of temperature. Only the relaxation data for water present in Nafion conformed to the BPP model. The data indicate that the presence of fine pores, ∼12 A in diameter, causes water–surface interactions to play a significant role. For materials with the same pore size, a difference in spin-lattice relaxation time T1 may be correlated to the Flory–Huggins parameter χ calculated for the interaction of water with the neutral portion of the polymer backbone. Only a part of the water present in Nafion and SPE undergoes freezing, while no transition was observed for water in SPS for temperatures down to −60°C. For Nafion and SPE, the heat of fusion ΔHf calculated from combined FID data and the DSC study was ⋍20 cal/g.

On the determination and investigation of the terrestrial ionospheric refractive indices using GEOS‐3/ATS‐6 satellite‐to‐satellite tracking data

When the radio link between two satellites (GEOS‐3/ATS‐6) is intercepted by the Earth's ionosphere and neutral atmosphere, a change in the Doppler frequency results. Travel through the atmosphere causes the Doppler phase to be advanced in the ionosphere's portion and retarded in the neutral portion of the atmosphere. Analysis of the shortening and lengthening of the phase of the Satellite‐to‐Satellite Tracking (SST) data that passed within 40–700 km above the Earth's surface during its ATS‐6 to GEOS‐3 to ATS‐6 path, caused by the atmosphere, results in refractivity versus height profiles. The SST Doppler data were used directly to adjust the GEOS‐3 orbit. Perturbation from the Moon, Sun, and a 15th‐order/degree Earth gravity field were included in the orbit solution. This orbit was continued through the occultation period and a model ionosphere was estimated by a least‐squares adjustment of the Chapman ionosphere parameters from the SST data residuals. The refractivity profile obtained by this model ionosphere was compared to a refractivity profile obtained by a direct integral inversion of the SST data residuals. Systematic differences between the two methods were caused by orbital errors, which propagated into the solution. The SST data yielded refractive index profiles in a novel economical manner because no additional or special on‐board equipment were required.

Buoyant titration of ovalbumin in four alkali halides. Hydration and ion binding

The buoyant titrations of ovalbumin in CsCl, RbCl, CsBr and RbBr were measured between pH 2 and 13. The buoyant densities were found to depend on the salt employed to generate the density gradient and the solution pH. At low pH, nearly identical buoyant densities were observed in solutions having a common anion while at high pH, salt solutions having the same cation produced nearly indentical buoyant densities. The buoyant density of ovalbumin in RbBr was found to decrease as the pH was increased from 2 to 6. This is the first demonstration of a drop in the buoyant titration curve for a biopolymer.A model based on an invariant partial specific volume, normal titration of all amino acid residues, the binding of a counter-ion to each ionized residue and all hydration associated with these salt pairs was constructed and satisfactorily accounted for all four buoyant titration curves. These results indicate that no water is bound to the neutral portion of this protein.