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The goal of the decision making process is to find out the most appropriate alternative(s) from the set of the alternatives based on different criteria. Software requirements selection is a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem whose objective is to choose the software requirements (SRs) from the set of the SRs so that the need of the stakeholders can be implemented during the development of software. Due to the increasing complexity of the socio-economic environment, multiple decision makers are involved during SRs selection process because it is difficult for single decision maker to deal with all the SRs. During the SRs selection process, decision makers use linguistic terminologies to specify the preferences of the SRs. Therefore, this paper presents a decision making method for the selection of the SRs using fuzzy TOPSIS method in which linear scale transformation is used to construct the fuzzy decision matrix based on the triangular fuzzy numbers. Finally, the applicability of the proposed method is demonstrated with the help of an example.

Here we report a simple, rapid, environment friendly approach for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles using neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss.) fungal endophyte, which based upon morphological and cultural characteristics was eventually identified as Fusarium oxysporum. The aqueous precursor (HAuCl4) solution when reacted with endophytic fungus resulted in the biosynthesis of abundant amounts of well dispersed gold nanoparticles of 10-40 nm with an average size of 22nm. These biosynthesized gold nanoparticles were then characterized by standard analytical techniques such as UV-Visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Transmission Electron Microscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Cytotoxic activity of these nanoparticles was checked against three different cell types including breast cancer (ZR-75-1), Daudi (Human Burkitt’s lymphoma cancer) and normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), where it was found that our gold nanoparticles are anti-proliferative against cancer cells but completely safe toward normal cells. In addition to this, assessment of toxicity toward human RBC revealed less than 0.1 % hemolysis as compared to Triton X-100 suggesting safe nature of our biosynthesized gold nanoparticles on human cells. Also, our nanoparticles exhibited no anti-fungal (against Aspergillus niger) or anti-bacterial [against Gram positive (Bacillus subtilis & Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram negative (Escherichia coli & Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria] activity thus suggesting their non-toxic, biocompatible nature. The present investigation opens up avenues for ecofriendly, biocompatible nanomaterials to be used in a wide variety of application such as drug delivery, therapeutics, theranostics and so on.

The development of reliable, eco-friendly processes for the synthesis of nanomaterials is an important aspect of nanotechnology. One approach that shows immense potential is based on the biosynthesis of nanoparticles using microorganisms such as bacteria. In this report, we demonstrate the extracellular biosynthesis and complete characterization of metal sulfide (PbS, ZnS, MnS and NiS) nanoparticles using fungus, Fusarium oxysporum. We observed that the exposure of aqueous solution of 1 mM metal sulfate to fungus Fusarium oxysporum resulted in the formation of highly stable technologically important metal sulfide semiconductor nanoparticles. Fusarium oxysporum synthesizes lead sulfide and zinc sulfide nanoparticles of fractal type structure whereas manganese sulfide and nickel sulfide nanoparticles are of variable polydispersed morphology. The variable morphology may be due to the dissimilar interaction of metal sulfide nanoparticles with capping proteins secreted by the fungus in solution. The nanoparticles solution is found to be extremely stable with little evidence of aggregation even after a month of storage. The long term stability of the nanoparticles is due to the proteins secreted by fungus in the nanoparticle solution which bind to the surface of the nanoparticles and thus prevent aggregation.

The present manuscript demonstrates one pot, simple, rapid, reliable and ecofriendly approach for the synthesis of antibacterial and photo catalytically active silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using neem leaves. Aqueous extract of carefully weighed (10 ​gm) amount of neem leaves when added to aqueous precursor (1 ​mM) salt silver nitrate (AgNO3) led to the ultra-fast synthesis of profuse amounts of extracellular almost monodispersed, spherical silver nanoparticles in just 30 ​s. The entire reaction was completed within 12 ​min as can be confirmed by typical Surface Plasmon resonance (SPR) of silver nanoparticles (centered at 425 ​nm). The as synthesized silver nanoparticles were 3–5 ​nm having 3 ​nm as average size. The nanoparticles were characterized using standard analytical techniques such as UV–visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The as synthesized silver nanoparticles were found to be toxic against gram positive bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki, Bacillus subtiliswith zone of inhibition 15 and 20 ​mm respectively as well as gram negative bacteria such as Enterobacter clocaeand Xanthomonaswith zone of inhibition 18 and 14 ​mm respectively.These nanoparticles were also found to be photocatalytically active against organic dye such as Congo red and Potassium permanganate.

This article presents an analysis of the research opportunities in the rapidly growing field of sustainability accounting and reporting (SAR) for supply chains in India. Indian companies are gearing towards the next level of responsible growth. It was found that SAR is based on the principles of full cost accounting that includes the costing of sustainability, natural capital inventory accounting, and input-output analysis. The legal framework in India for SAR is quite old and is still evolving. Sustainability is a present challenge for India in the supply chains and value chains given their massive scales and impact on Indian and global environment, on economy and on people. This article presents an overview of the research opportunities in the field of SAR in India in the area of supply chain management.

The ductal epithelium plays a key role in physiological secretion of pancreatic enzymes into the digestive system. Loss of barrier properties of the pancreatic duct may contribute to the development of pancreatitis and metastatic dissemination of pancreatic tumors. Proinflammatory cytokines are essential mediators of pancreatic inflammation and tumor progression; however, their effects on the integrity and barrier properties of the ductal epithelium have not been previously addressed. In the present study, we investigate mechanisms of cytokine-induced disassembly of tight junctions (TJs) and adherens junctions (AJs) in a model pancreatic epithelium. Exposure of HPAF-II human pancreatic epithelial cell monolayers to interferon (IFN)γ disrupted integrity and function of apical junctions as manifested by increased epithelial permeability and cytosolic translocation of AJ and TJ proteins. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α potentiated the effects of IFNγ on pancreatic epithelial junctions. The cytokine-induced increase in epithelial permeability and AJ/TJ disassembly was attenuated by pharmacological inhibition of Janus kinase (JAK) and protein kinase D (PKD). Loss of apical junctions in IFNγ/TNFα-treated HPAF-II cells was accompanied by JAK and PKD dependent decrease in expression of AJ (E-cadherin, p120 catenin) and TJ (occludin, ZO-1) proteins. Depletion of E-cadherin or p120 catenin recapitulated the effects of cytokines on HPAF-II cell permeability and junctions. Our data suggests that proinflammatory cytokines disrupt pancreatic epithelial barrier via expressional downregulation of key structural components of AJs and TJs. This mechanism is likely to be important for pancreatic inflammatory injury and tumorigenesis.