Digestive Activity of Pancha Harithakadi Churna

The traditional systems of medicine are really effective but the problem with them is they lack in quality assurance. Standardization is the need of the hour in ayurvedic system of medicine. PanchaHarithakadi Churna (PHC) is a traditional polyherbal formulation which consists of five household ingredients used for indigestion. It is mainly used for Constipation and Bloating. Churna’s will play a major role in gastro intestinal problems and they have greater bioavailability because of smaller particle size. It consists of fine powder (sieve 100 size) of ginger rhizomes, fennel fruits, myrobalan fruits, senna leaflets and pink rock salt in equal proportions (1:1:1:1:1) are mixed well. PHC was formulated by standard procedures and evaluated by microscopic characterization, inorganic analysis and digestive studies. Microscopical characters indicate the presence of genuine crude drugs used in the formulation. Inorganic analysis shows the presence of calcium, magnesium, sodium, chloride and phosphate. The PHC showed pronounced amylolytic activity and trypsin activity whereas moderate lipolytic activity, proteolytic activity and pepsin activity, mild chymotrypsin activity in treating indigestion. In future we will carry out in vivo digestive studies.

Environmental Assessment in the Pre-launch Phase of Hayabusa2 for Safety Declaration of Returned Samples From Asteroid (162173) Ryugu: Background Monitoring of Possible Contaminants During Development of the Sampler System

We report the ground-based environmental assessments during development of the sampler system until the launch of the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. We conducted static monitoring of potential contaminants to assess the environmental cleanliness during (1) laboratory work throughout the development and manufacturing of the sampler devices, (2) installation of the sampler system on the spacecraft, and (3) transportation to the launch site at the JAXA’s Tanegashima Space Center. Major elements and ions detected in our inorganic analysis were sodium (Na), potassium (K), and ionized chloride (Cl–); those were positively correlated with the total organic content and with exposure duration in the range from 101 to 103 nanogram per monitor coupon within a ~30 mm-diameter scale. We confirmed that deposits on the coupon were totally less than the microgram-scale order during manufacturing, installation, and transportation in the pre-launch phase. The present assessment yields a nominal safety declaration for sample analysis of the pristine sample (>5 g) returned from asteroid (162173) Ryugu combined with a highly clean environmental background level. We expect that the Hayabusa2-returned sample from Ryugu without severe and/or unknown contamination will allow us to provide native profiles recorded in the carbonaceous asteroid history.

Cloud Point Extraction Used for Separation and Preconcentration of Trace Elements in Food Samples: A Review of Recent Applications

Food safety analysis involves many subfields. One of them is inorganic analysis aimed to the quantification of various trace elements. The main attention in this field is paid to toxic, potentially toxic, and essential trace elements. However in many cases, direct quantification of trace elements in a complex food matrix is almost impossible. To resolve this problem, a combination of a suitable separation procedure with a reliable quantification method is required to deliver accurate results. One of the separation techniques that is currently receiving considerable attention is cloud point extraction (CPE). The use of optimized CPE procedures with commonly available spectrometric methods (e.g., UV-Vis spectrophotometry, flame atomic absorption spectrometry, electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry, cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry) provides the powerful tool for reliable quantification of many trace elements (e.g., Al, As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Mn, Ni, Sb, Se, Sn, Zn, and many others) in various types of food matrices (e.g., fresh vegetables, ground grain samples, canned food samples, various powdered food samples, and many others), as documented by studies included in this review.

Decision Tree for Key Comparisons

This contribution describes a Decision Tree intended to guide the selection of statistical models and data reduction procedures in key comparisons (KCs). The Decision Tree addresses a specific need of the Inorganic Analysis Working Group (IAWG) of the Consultative Committee (CC) for Amount of Substance, Metrology in Chemistry and Biology (CCQM), of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM), and it is likely to address similar needs of other working groups and consultative committees. Because the portfolio of KCs previously organized by the CCQM-IAWG affords a full range of opportunities to demonstrate the capabilities of the Decision Tree, the majority of the illustrative examples of application of the Decision Tree are from this working group. However, the Decision Tree is widely applicable in other areas of metrology, as illustrated in examples of application to measurements of radionuclides and of the efficiency of a thermistor power sensor. The Decision Tree is intended for use after choices will have been made about the measurement results that qualify for inclusion in the calculation of the key comparison reference value (KCRV), and about the measurement results for which degrees of equivalence should be produced. Both these choices should be based on substantive considerations, not on purely statistical criteria. However, the Decision Tree does not require that the measurement results selected for either purpose be mutually consistent. The Decision Tree should be used as a guide, not as the sole and autonomous determinant of the model that should be selected for the measurement results obtained in a KC, or of the procedure that should be employed to reduce these results. The scientists running the KCs ultimately have the freedom and responsibility to make the corresponding choices that they deem most appropriate and that best fit the purpose of each KC. The Decision Tree involves three statistical tests, and comprises five terminal leaves, which correspond to as many alternative ways in which the KCRV, its associated uncertainty, and the degrees of equivalence (DoEs) may be computed. This contribution does not purport to suggest that any of the KCRVs, associated uncertainties, or DoEs, presented in previously approved final reports issued by working groups of the CCs should be modified. Neither do the alternative results question existing, demonstrated calibration and measurement capabilities (CMCs), nor do they support any new CMCs.

Bioproducts characterization of residual periphytic biomass produced in an algal turf scrubber (ATS) bioremediation system

The transformation of residual biomass from bioremediation processes into new products is a worldwide trend driven by economic, environmental and social gain. The present study aimed to evaluate the potential for obtaining bioproducts of technological interest from the remaining periphytic biomass formed during a bioremediation process with an algal turf scrubber (ATS) system installed in a lake catchment. Different methodologies were used according to the target bioproduct. Analyses were performed by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC/DAD), gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results demonstrated that the periphytic biomass presented potential since protein (17.7%), carbohydrates (22.4%), total lipids (3.3%) with 3.6 mg mL−1 of fatty acids, antioxidants (144.5 μmol Trolox eq. g−1) and chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids (1,719.7 μg mL−1, 541.2 μg mL−1 and 317.7 μg mL−1, respectively) were obtained. Inorganic analysis presented a value of 42.3 ± 2.58% of total ash and metal presence was detected, indicating bioaccumulation. The properties found in periphyton strengthen the possibility of its application in different areas, ensuring bioremediation efficiency.

Valency-Based Descriptors for Silicon Carbides, Bismuth(III) Iodide, and Dendrimers in Drug Applications

Silicon carbide (SiC), also called carborundum, is a semiconductor containing silicon and carbon. Dendrimers are repetitively branched molecules that are typically symmetric around the core and often adopt a spherical three-dimensional morphology. Bismuth(III) iodide is an inorganic compound with the formula BiI3. This gray-black solid is the product of the reaction between bismuth and iodine, which once was of interest in qualitative inorganic analysis. In chemical graph theory, we associate a graph to a compound and compute topological indices that help us in guessing properties of the understudy compound. A topological index is the graph invariant number, calculated from a graph representing a molecule. Most of the proposed topological indices are related either to a vertex adjacency relationship (atom-atom connectivity) in the graph or to topological distances in the graph. In this paper, we aim to compute the first and second Gourava indices and hyper-Gourava indices for silicon carbides, bismuth(III) iodide, and dendrimers.

Application of chemometric tools for homogeneity and stability evaluation during the preparation of a powdered milk laboratory reference material for inorganic analysis

Powdered milk and its derivatives are widely consumed worldwide, which require the development of reference materials for the evaluation of analytical methodologies that are developed for the analysis of these samples.