Scavenging Action of Zinc and Green Tea Polyphenol on Cisplatin and Nickel Induced Nitric Oxide Generation and Lipid Peroxidation in Rats

Objective Toxic metal ions have been implicated in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO). Metallothionines (MT) and plant flavonoids have been reported in the intervention against oxidative damage. We investigated the effect of zinc induced MT and green tea polyphenol (GTP) in reducing the oxidative responses induced by nickel and platinum. Methods Zinc (10 mg/kg b. wt, sc) was administered to rats twice at a gap of 24hrs and GTP (10 mg/100 mL in drinking water) was fed ad libitum for 8 days. Nickel chloride (150 umol/kgb.wt, ip) and cisplatin (50 mmol/kg b.wt, sc) was administered to rats 24 h after Zn or GTP pre-treatment. Animals of all the groups were sacrificed 16 hrs after treatment and biochemical markers for toxicity were monitored. Results Zinc or GTP pre-treatment caused significant protection against nickel or cisplatin enhanced mortality in rats, and reduction in lipid peroxidation and NO. Conclusion It is proposed that inhibition of ROS and NO by GTP and zinc may prove useful as a selective pharmacological agent in the amelioration of metal toxicity.

Investigation of two coronal mass ejections from circular ribbon source region:Origin,Sun-Earth propagation and Geoeffectiveness

In this article,we compare the properties of two coronal mass ejections(CMEs)that show similar source region characteristics but different evolutionary behaviors in the later phases.We discuss the two events in terms of their near-Sun characteristics,interplanetary evolution and geoeffectiveness.We carefully analyzed the initiation and propagation parameters of these events to establish the precise CMEinterplanetary CME(ICME)connection and their near-Earth consequences.The first event is associated with poor geomagnetic storm disturbance index(Dst≈-20 n T)while the second event is associated with an intense geomagnetic storm of DST≈-119 n T.The configuration of the sunspots in the active regions and their evolution are observed by Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager(HMI).For source region imaging,we rely on data obtained from Atmospheric Imaging Assembly(AIA)on board Solar Dynamics Observatory(SDO)and Hαfiltergrams from the Solar Tower Telescope at Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences(ARIES).For both the CMEs,flux rope eruptions from the source region triggered flares of similar intensities(≈M1).At the solar source region of the eruptions,we observed a circular ribbon flare(CRF)for both cases,suggesting fan-spine magnetic configuration in the active region corona.The multi-channel SDO observations confirm that the eruptive flares and subsequent CMEs were intimately related to the filament eruption.Within the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronograph(LASCO)field of view(FOV)the two CMEs propagated with linear speeds of 671 and 631 km s-1,respectively.These CMEs were tracked up to the Earth by Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory(STEREO)instruments.We find that the source region evolution of CMEs,guided by the large-scale coronal magnetic field configuration,along with near-Sun propagation characteristics,such as CME-CME interactions,played important roles in deciding the evolution of CMEs in the interplanetary medium and subsequently their geoeffectiveness.

Structural,Wettability and Optical Investigation of Titanium Oxynitride Coatings:Effect of Various Sputtering Parameters

The objective of the present work is to investigate the effect of various sputtering parameters such as nitrogen flow rate, deposition time and sputtering pressure on structural, wettability and optical properties of titanium oxynitride films deposited on glass substrate by reactive magnetron sputtering. The X-ray diffraction graphs of titanium oxynitride films show evolution of various textures of TiO=N and TiN phases with increasing nitrogen flow rate and deposition time, but an increase in sputtering pressure from 4.0 to 8.0 Pa results in decline of various textures observed for TiO=Ny and TiN phases. The stress and strain calculated by sin2~ method are compressive, which decrease with increasing nitrogen flow rate from 55 to I00 sccm （standard cubic centimeter per minute） and increase with increasing deposition time from 80 to I40 min due to atomic penning effect and increasing thickness of the deposited films. The titanium oxynitride films have contact angle values above 90 deg., indicating that films are hydrophobic. The maximum contact angle of I09.1 deg. is observed at deposition time of 140 min. This water repellent property can add value to potential protective, wear and corrosion resistant application of titanium oxynitride films. The band gap decreases from 1.98 to 1.83 eV as nitrogen flow rate is increased from 55 to 100 sccm; it decreases from 1.93 to 1.79 eV as deposition time is increased from 80 to 140 min as more nitrogen incorporation results in higher negative potential of valence band N2p orbital. But it increases from 2.26 to 2.34 eV for titanium oxynitride films as sputtering pressure increases from 4.0 to 8.0 Pa.

Impacts of Bioinoculants Pseudomonas jesenii MP1 and Rhodococcus qingshengii S10107 on Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Yield and Soil Nitrogen Status

Cold-adapted bioinoculants are considered as harbingers of sustainable hill agriculture. Therefore, two previously characterized psychrotolerant diazotrophs, Pseudomonas jesenii MP1 and Rhodococcus qingshengii S10107, were evaluated for their plant growthpromoting potential for chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) grown under natural field conditions. Comparative analysis of agronomical and biochemical crop parameters revealed the irrelevance of chemical fertilizers for chickpea production;the diazotrophs alone were sufficient to fulfil the crop's nutritional requirement. However, the integrated use of bacterial strains in combination with urea at 20 kg N ha^-1 as urea was being recommended for higher crop yield and better soil nitrogen status. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)-based soil bacterial dynamics unveiled the persistence of both diazotrophs until the end of the crop maturation period without affecting the native micro-flora. Therefore, these bioinoculants can be explored as natural nitrogen resource, and an additional incentive in their bio-formulation will be a step towards agricultural sustainability.

Influence of Sputtering Pressure on the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Nanocomposite Ti-Si-N Thin Films

Nanocomposite Ti-Si-N thin films have been deposited on Si （100） substrate by direct current/radio frequency （DC/RF） magnetron sputtering. The effect of varying deposition parameters on the structure and mechanical properties of Ti-Si-N films has been investigated by characterization techniques such as X-ray dif- fraction （XRD）, field emission scanning electron microscopy （FE-SEM）, atomic force microscopy （AFM） and nanoindentation, respectively. XRD analysis of the thin films exhibit all （111）, （200） and （220） peaks initially with varying sputtering pressure, but （111） peak dominates at higher sputtering pressure. The crystallite size calculated from XRD peaks shows that it increases with increasing sputtering pressure. Microstructural analy- sis reveals that the dense blurred grains transform into uniform grains in the films and shows porosity with increasing sputtering pressure. The surface roughness of the Ti-Si-N films increases with varying sputtering pressure. The hardness and Youngrs modulus values of Ti-Si-N films are 33.7 and 278.6 GPa, respectively, with 0.7 Pa sputtering pressure but it decreases with further increase in sputtering pressure due to an increase in porosity of the films.

Influence of Sputtering Gas on Morphological and Optical Properties of Magnesium Films

The influence of sputtering gas（He Ar） on the structural properties of Mg thin films has been investigated.The optical property（reflectance） that results from the growth of films at varying substrate temperatures（Tsub） was also studied.The deposited films were characterized by using X-ray diffraction（XRD）,field emission scaning electron microscopy（FE-SEM）,atomic force microscopy（AFM） and UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer.The smaller crystallite size and lower deposition rate were observed in the presence of Helium atmosphere compared to Argon.Morphology of the films shows 2D hexagonal geometry of grains in the deposition temperature range（Tsub≈50-150℃） in both the sputtering gases.The surface roughness of the polycrystalline films were found to increase with increase in the deposition temperature of both ambient gases.Optical reflectance of Mg films was measured in near infrared region and larger reflectance was observed from Mg films sputtered in He atmosphere compared to that in argon.