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Byline: Namratha. Hegde, C. Vidya, Kalika. Bandamwar, Kaushik. Murali, Sowmya. Murthy Purpose: To investigate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak on compliance to amblyopia therapy from the [...]

The present study describes the use Artocarpus Heterophyllus leaves extract for the synthesis of Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). The particles were calcined at 400, 600 and 800°C for 1h. Powder X-Ray Diffraction (PXRD) results showed the ZnO NPs calcined at different temperature to be crystalline with hexagonal wurtzite phase. The morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and elemental composition investigated using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) showed peaks for Zn and O only. The exact size of ZnO particles and its crystalline nature were investigated from transmission electron microscopy (TEM),High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The TEM showed the size range of the ZnO NPs to be ∼ 10–15nm at 400°C, ∼ 15–25nm at 600°C and ∼ 25–30 at 800°C which are in good agreement with the SEM observation. The band gap energy was calculated from UV diffuse reflectance spectra and found to be 3.42, 3.38 and 3.35eV for 400, 600 and 800°C respectively. The fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra of leaf extract confirmed the presence of phyto constituents such as amines, amides, quinines and ketones in the leaf extract. The ZnO NPs calcined at 400°C having higher band gap energy and smaller size was used for photocatalytic degradation. The studies showed the efficiency greater than 90% towards degradation of 20ppm Congo red dye solution at 0.24g/L ZnO NPs in 1h at pH 9.

Background: Stethorini are specialized mite predators in the family Coccinellidae, which are small with black body and brown or yellow colored appendages. This study aimed to survey species of Stethorini associated with phytophagous mites of South India and their prey range. Results: Eight species of Stethorini, viz., Parastethorussp. Stethorus(Allostethorus) forficatus, S. (A.) pauperculus, S. (A.) tetranychi, S. (A.) sp., S. keralicus, S. (S.) raniand S. (S.) sp., each associated with distinct species of mite were identified in this study and part of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences of seven of these species are provided. Barcode gap analysis and distance summary analysis in the BOLD system as well as phylogenetic analysis of these seven species were given. Conclusions: This study revealed the species of Stethorini in South India along with their prey range and associated plants. As all the species look similar with black body and yellow appendages, DNA barcodes generated can be used as an effective bio-identification tool for this group.

Intracellular pathogenesis-related gene (IPR) from tomato was cloned from a salicylic acid (SA) induced cDNA library and was designated asTSI-1(tomato stress induced-1). The deduced amino acid sequence ofTSI-1codes for a 178 amino acid polypeptide of molecular weight 20.4 kDa.TSI-1is highly homologous to the potatoSTH-2andSTH-21IPR and tree pollen allergens which cause type I allergic reactions in humans.TSI-1lacks a signal peptide like other IPR members. It is organized as a multigene family and is inducible by SA andFusarium oxysporuminfection.

Abstract: Green synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles using plant extract is a most promising substitute for regular methods that involve chemical synthesis approach. The present study reports the synthesis of ZnO nano rods (ZNRs) using Calotropis gigantea, a plant rich in flavonoids and alkaloids and their application as a photocatalyst in the degradation of titan yellow dye. The synthesized ZNRs were characterized using XRD, FESEM–EDS and HRTEM-SAED. The XRD results confirm the formation of wurtzite ZnO. The FESEM images confirmed that ZNRs have length ranging from 20 to 200 nm, diameter ranging between 20 and 80 nm and width between 20 and 50 nm. The bio-synthesized ZNRs were used for photo-degradation of titan yellow dye, one of the main effluents from textile industries, discharged directly into water bodies. The ZNRs exhibited 95% dye degradation for 10 ppm TY dye concentration in the presence of 60 mg of the ZNRs catalyst at pH 8 for 60 min UV irradiation. The present study reports eco-friendly method for the synthesis of ZNRs and its efficiency as a photo catalyst in the advanced photo assisted oxidation process for degradation of titan yellow dye. Graphic abstract: