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An aryne-based synthetic protocol has been developed for the synthesis of 3-substituted-3-hydroxy-indolin-2-ones. A wide variety of 3-hydroxyindolin-2-ones were synthesized in good yields under metal-free conditions via three component coupling of N-protected isatin, aryne precursor, and 1,3-cyclodione. One of our synthesized compounds has been unambiguously confirmed by single crystal XRD analysis. Further, treating the synthesized 3-hydroxyindolin-2-one derivatives with an inorganic base at high temperature leads to an interesting o-arylated product of 1,3-cyclohexandione.

Purpose The prsA and vraTSR regulatory systems play a unique role in methicillin resistance by modifying the peptidoglycan cell wall PBP2 and involving cell wall stress response in Staphylococcus aureus. This study was designed to observe the transcriptional response of prsA and vraTSR system under oxacillin stress in S.aureus. Methods In this study, three clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and a laboratory strain were examined. All the isolates were tested for mecA gene by PCR assay and were also tested for prsA, vraT, vraS and vraR gene. The transcriptional responses of the prsA gene along with the vraTSR regulatory system in these isolates was observed under normal conditions and exposed to 2 ​μg/ml and 4 ​μg/ml of oxacillin stress by quantitative real-time PCR assay. Results The result of transcriptional analysis confirmed that under oxacillin stress, the expressions of vraS and vraT are increased with the increase in the concentration of oxacillin. However, prsA has shown no significant expression under oxacillin stress. Conclusion Although prsA did not show any specific expressional pattern, the study highlights the role of vraS and vraT regulatory system in conferring a methicillin-resistant phenotype when exposed to subinhibitory concentrations of oxacillin, which could act as a potential target for the next-generation antimicrobials.

The current study utilizes molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) technology to fabricate a cost-effective and reproducible electrode for selective determination and quantitative prediction of epicatechin (EC) in green tea. Acrylamide (AAm) co-polymerized with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) and optically inactive quercetin (Q) as the template has been used to make the MIP-Q@G material. The voltammetric experiment has been performed using the MIP-Q@G electrode with the help of a three-electrode configuration. In addition to a low detection limit (LoD) of 0.33 μM, the electrode exhibited two wide ranges of linearity from 1 μM – 100 μM and 100 μM to 500 μM. The limit of quantitation (LoQ) of the electrode was found to be 1.09 μM. Partial least square regression (PLSR) and principal component regression (PCR) models have been developed to investigate the predictive ability of the MIP-Q@G electrode using the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) signals and the high- performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) data. Both PLSR and PCR models achieved prediction accuracies of 94.54 % and 94.41% with a root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) of 0.113 and 0.119, respectively.

Fungal-fungal interaction often leads to the change in metabolite profile of both the interacting fungus which may have potential implication in industry or agriculture. In the present study, we performed two sets of fungal-fungal interaction - Trametes coccinea (F3) with Leiotrametes lactinea (F9) and Trametes coccinea (F3) with Trametes versicolor (F1) to understand the changes in the metabolite profile during the interaction process and how this process impacts the hyphal/mycelial morphology of the participating fungi. The metabolites produced during interaction of Trametes coccinea (F3) with Leiotrametes lactinea (F9) and Trametes coccinea (F3) with Trametes versicolor (F1) was analysed through Liquid Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectroscopy (LC-MS). Most of the metabolites secreted or produced during interaction are associated with defensive response. Further, visualization with scanning electron microscopy revealed that interaction between the tested fungi led to the change in the hyphal morphology of the one participating fungus. The bipartite fungal interaction resulted in the production of a dark brown colour pigment – melanin as confirmed by the LC-MS, FTIR and NMR analysis. Moreover, the fungal-fungal interaction also led to increase in the production of laccase, a group of multicopper oxidases involved in detoxification of toxic compounds. Further increased activity of superoxide dismutase, an enzyme that catalyzes the dismutation of the superoxide anion to hydrogen peroxide was also recorded during fungal– fungal interaction. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed upregulation of lcc1 (encoding a laccase enzyme) and few other stress related genes of T. versicolor during its hyphal interaction with T. coccinea, suggesting a direct correlation between laccase production and melanin production.

This article explores the symbiotic role of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi and protozoans) associated with xylophagous termites. Members of the subfamily Macrotermitinae belonging to the family Termitidae have evolved symbiosis with fungi, which belong to the genus Termitomyces. The function of Termitomyces varies for different termite groups depending on their feeding behaviour. In some termites, the primary function of Termitomyces fungi is the degradation of lignin to its simpler form and to make cellulose available to termites; however, these fungi also serve as nutrient rich food sources to other groups of termites. The subsequent breakdown of ingested cellulose in termite gut is further facilitated and controlled by the action of various groups of enzymes secreted by gut-borne microflora and micro-fauna. Understanding the function, significance and management of these diverse microbial symbionts associated with pestiferous higher termites may help in developing their effective bio-control.

Silk fibroin (SF) protein was reported as a versatile platform for selective detection of picric acid (PA) as well as for UV photodetection. SF in aqueous media undergoes about 74% fluorescence quenching in the presence of 24 nM concentration of PA in aqueous media with a limit of detection of about 0.203 nM. The quenching was found to due to the combined effect of Forster resonance energy transfer, hydrogen-bonding, and electrostatic interaction. The method is also applicable for real environmental samples. Electrical measurement-based sensing of PA was also performed by fabricating flexible sensor devices from SF and polyvinyl alcohol on polyethylene terephthalate substrates. The sensors show about twofold enhancement in current conduction and about 33% higher ionic conduction in the presence of the analyte. Interestingly, the combination of SF and PA acts as a photoactive material for UV light and generates about 7.15 µA photocurrent under 360 nm light-emitting diodes. The devices exhibit excellent stability in repetitive bending of the devices and also air-stability at varying relative humidity conditions (40–80%). Additionally, an electronic circuit was designed for precise electrical parameters required during optoelectronic measurements. Therefore, it can be stated that, SF can be used as a versatile platform for dual mode PA sensor as well as UV photodetector.

Two bioactive compounds caffeic and sinapic acid were isolated from the fruit of the Piper mullesua Buch-Ham ex D Don using bioassay guided approach. These compounds were isolated from water fraction using column chromatography followed by semi preparative HPLC. These compounds showed very potent anti-diabetic and antioxidant activities. The molecular docking was carried out to predict the mode of interaction of the isolated compounds with α-glucosidase. The in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of caffeic and sinapic acid was determined, and their IC50 values were found 0.67 and 0.82 µg/ml, respectively. A QSAR equation was generated with an R2 value of 84.81%, which is suitable enough for predicting the IC50 values of test molecules. The aforementioned finding confirms the isolated compounds show very significant anti-diabetic potential which is supported by the molecular docking and QSAR study. So, it has ample scope for drug development with further in vivo and clinical study.

The objective of the investigation was to develop turmeric powder with improved quality using an instant decompression-assisted steam curing (IDASC) process. The IDASC treatment was administered on peeled turmeric slices in the ICPD treatment chamber, which was further followed by hot air drying of the treated slices (IDASC-HAD). The process conditions, namely, treatment pressure (TP), treatment time (TT) and temperature of drying (TD) were optimized for the minimization of hot air drying time (DT) and maximization of the yellowness value (YV) and curcumin content (CC) of the turmeric powder, by the application of an approach which combines the benefits of particle swarm optimization (PSO) with the response surface methodology (RSM). Micro-structure of the IDASC-HAD-treated turmeric slices were observed based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image. Turmeric powder obtained by the IDASC-HAD approach was compared with the conventional product for various functional properties. The best quality turmeric powder with DT of 325 min and YV and CC of 60 and 5.05%, respectively, was obtained under the optimum process conditions of the IDASC-HAD process, namely, TP of 3 atm, TT of 50 s and TD of 57 °C. The IDASC-HAD-based turmeric powder samples exhibited higher values of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH), total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) as compared to the conventionally produced ones. The improvements in the particle size and micro-structural characteristics were justified from the results of SEM. Turmeric powder produced by the IDASC-HAD method as applied to turmeric slices can be asserted as a product with improved antioxidant properties, which may have application in development of beverages with potential health benefits.

An experiment was carried out during 2017-19 to study the morpho-physical and bio-chemical characters of Thai Apple ber (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk.) grown in Assam. The leaves of Thai Apple ber fruits collected from different locations of Assam showed elliptic shape with serrate leaf margin, obtuse apex and oblique base. The colour of mature leaves was observed to be dark green. The leaf length, leaf breadth and petiole length of Thai Apple ber fruits shows a great variations among all collection. The plant of Gela Pukhuri and Simen Chapori recorded early flowering and harvesting among the Thai Apple ber plants of other locations in the present study. The fruits of Boitamari (BC-8) recorded longest fruit (5.10cm) while, maximum fruit weight (53.08g) was recorded in BC-1 (Simen Chapori). The shape and surface of seeds was found to be ovate and warty and pulp-stone ratio ranged from 18.76 - 23.28.The biochemical analysis reveals that the quality characters like moisture content, TSS, titratable acidity, TSS-acid ratio and ascorbic acid content differed. Total sugar (6.37 - 7.81%) and reducing sugar (2.44 - 3.06%) contents varied significantly among the Thai Apple ber fruits of different locations. The highest vitamin A (16.08 μg/100g) were found in Gela Pukhuri (BC-3) and highest protein (0.87g/100g) was found in BC-2 (Bongalmora). The calcium and phosphorus contents of the Thai Apple ber fruits ranged from 20.48mg/100g to 23.50mg/100g and 24.08mg/100g to 25.25mg/100g, respectively. It can be concluded that Thai Apple apple ber fruits can successfully be grown under sub-tropical area of Assam. The ber fruits collected from Simen Chapori (BC-1) was found best in terms of biochemical composition i.e. TSS, TSS/ acid ratio, total sugar, reducing sugar and moisture content.

This article provides insight into the study of hydromagnetic flow of a chemically reacting water based nanofluid of Copper (Cu), Silver (Ag) and Ferrous Ferric Oxide (Fe 3 O 4 ) nanoparticles over a stretching permeable sheet with heat generation, nanoparticle volume fraction, Soret number, Eckert number and porosity. The governing system of PDEs is reduced to nonlinear ODEs by the tool of similarity transformations, and is solved by fourth order Runge–Kutta scheme with the shooting method via MATLAB. Output of the nanofluid velocity, temperature and concentration for the involved material parameters as well as the correlated engineering physical quantities like coefficient of skin friction and rate of heat transfer are demonstrated via single plots of three nanopartciles and Tables. Heat generation and Soret number for three different nanoparticles play a significant role throughout the investigation. Greater nanoparticle volume fraction decreases the liquid velocity, while a non-decline situation has occurred for liquid temperature. Furthermore, the velocity always overshoots for Fe 3 O 4 -water nanofluid, followed by Cu and Ag–water nanofluid, whereas the reverse performance is observed for the temperature profiles. An excellent validation of this model is accomplished. The adopted numerical scheme of RK-Shooting is stable and convergent in the same domain throughout the numerical calculations. The proposed investigation shows the importance of three nanoparticles in medical industry and biocompatibility engineering. Also, these nanoparticles can be used in physics, engineering, space technology, high temperature and cooling process, medicines, biosensors, paints, cosmetics, conductive coatings and medical devices.

Density functional theory (DFT) has been employed to study the structure, stability and reactivity of curcumin and some of its important analogues by computing HOMO-LUMO energy gap (H-L gap), ionization potential (IP), electron affinity (EA), chemical potential (μ), chemical hardness (η), electrophilicity index (ω) and density of states (DOS). In this study, curcumin is found to be more reactive in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solvent than in the gas phase in both of its enol and keto isomeric forms. Next, reactivities of the keto-based curcumin analogues are found to follow the order of 1,5-bis(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)penta-1,4-dien-3-one (GO-035) > 1,5-bis(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)penta-1,4-dien-3-one (GO-Y016) > 1,5-bis[3,5-bis(methoxymethoxy)phenyl]penta-1,4-dien-3-one (GO-Y031) > 1,5-bis[3,5-dimethoxy-4-(methoxymethoxy)phenyl]penta-1,4-dien-3-one (GO-Y030) > dibenzalacetone (DBA) in both gas and DMSO solvent phases. However, there is enhancement in reactivities of the complexes in DMSO solvent from those in the gas phase. The reactivity order is observed on the basis of H-L gap, IP, μ, η and DOS analyses. Moreover, GO-Y030, GO-Y031 and DBA possess similar electrophilic behaviours as indicated by their comparable EA and ω values, while GO-Y016 and GO-035 behave as the strongest and the weakest electrophiles. Furthermore, the nature of the reactive sites in the curcumin analogues has been identified via local reactivity descriptors and the molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) maps, results of which are consistent with the molecular orbital analyses.

The present work elucidates a method for the economic development of a reproducible electrode for sensitive determination and prediction of the amount of gallic acid (GA) in green tea (GT) by molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) technology. The electrode material has been synthesized by co-polymerization of itaconic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) followed by implantation of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs). The electrode demonstrated two wide linear ranges, i.e., $1~\mu \text{M}$ – $100~\mu \text{M}$ and $100~\mu \text{M}$ to $900~\mu \text{M}$ with a low detection limit of 12.6 nM. The practical applicability of the electrode has been validated by quantifying the amount of GA in GT samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) has been performed and class separability index (SI) of 31.27 has been obtained. To explore the predictive ability of the electrode, partial least square regression (PLSR) and principal component regression (PCR) models have been developed. This has been done by correlating the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) signals from the electrode and the corresponding high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) data. While with PLSR, average prediction accuracy of 88.97 % is obtained with root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) as low as 1.35, PCR results in an average prediction accuracy of 87.24 % with RMSEC being 1.38.

Androgen-disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the biosynthesis, metabolism or function of endogenous androgens affecting normal male reproductive development and health. Several epidemiological studies have indicated a link between exposure to androgen disrupting chemicals with reduced sperm counts and increased infertility. The actions of androgens within target cells are transduced by the androgen receptors (ARs). Chlorpyrifos (CPF), a chlorinated organophosphorus pesticide, is known to cause impairment in both male and female reproductive systems. Recent publications have shown molecular interactions of CPF and its environmental degradation products with human progesterone receptor and human estrogen receptor. Exposure to CPF causes a marked reduction in sperm counts with lowering in serum testosterone level, which suggests possible molecular interaction of CPF with AR. The investigation to reveal the possibility and the extent of binding of CPF and some of its degradation products (chlorpyrifos-oxon [CPYO], desethyl chlorpyrifos [DEC], trichloromethoxypyridine [TMP] and trichloropyridinol [TCP]) with AR using molecular docking simulation are reported. The findings of the present docking, binding energy and molecular dynamics studies reveal that CPF and its degradation products may bind to ARs and act as a potent androgen disruptor.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

In recent decades, o-quinone methides and o-quinone sulfides have been extensively highlighted as reactive intermediates for the synthesis of diversely functionalized ortho-disubstituted arenes and heterocycles. Additionally, ortho-disubstituted arenes offer a constructive path for the synthesis of fused carbocycles, heterocycles, natural products, and drug candidates. In the lieu of that, this Synopsis highlights a comprehensive overview on the potential applications of in situ generated o-quinone methides and o-quinone sulfides for one-pot synthesis of ortho-disubstituted arenes and heterocycles via arynes.

Epstein–Barr virus is a tumor-associated, enveloped virus with glycoprotein receptor gHgL on its surface. gH attaches to epithelial or B cells and mediates internalization. Till date, no specific anti-EBV FDA approved drug is available. Targeting gH may aid in designing virus-specific therapeutics and reducing the drug induced complications in host. We investigated the influence of antiviral phytochemicals on gH using computational approaches. Through molecular docking, we performed binding energy analysis of cellocidin, bruceantin, EGCG, formononetin and sesquiterpene lactones with gH DII/DIII interface, crucial for gH functions. Further, to cause any perturbations in the protein function, the molecules must bind stably to gH. Bruceantin and EGCG interacted with high affinities to gH. Simulation of these two molecules revealed stable binding with gH throughout 100 ns moreover, van der Waal interactions stabilized overall binding. Mutation of amino acids like V265, L269, L315, I423, I459, L474 and F475 involved in stable binding to gH was predicted deleterious to protein function. We obtained no difference in RMSD between these two ligands and minor deviations in the RMSF were noticed compared to gH. Conclusively, our study provided insights into the potential of bruceantin and EGCG to target gH. Different amino acids are involved in binding of each ligand to gH, engagement of certain amino acids may affect the virus binding with epithelial or B cells. The interaction of the ligand with gH may trap it in its native conformation or induce structural flexibility thereby inhibiting the interaction with host receptors or other glycoproteins. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Arynes are highly reactive transient intermediates having enormous applications in organic synthesis. In the last three decades aryne chemistry has shown incredible developments in carbon–carbon and carbon–heteroatom bond formation reactions. After the discovery of Kobayashi's protocol for the generation of aryne intermediates in a mild way, this field of chemistry witnessed rapid growth in synthetic organic chemistry. One aspect of development in this field involves C–S bond formation under mild conditions which has a tremendous scope for the synthesis of various important organosulfur building blocks.

Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides Lam. (Family: Araliaceae) is used widely in the preparation of food in different cuisines of the world. The study was designed to explore the protective effect of different standardised extracts of H. sibthorpioides on the AlCl3 induced neurotoxicity in Alzheimeric rats. When AlCl3 at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight was administered i.p. for 60 days showed a significant increase in aluminium (Al) level, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) level and protein expressions of amyloid precursor proteins, β and γ secretase, and β-amyloid (Aβ1–42) in the cortex and hippocampus comparing to the control. Moreover, there was a significant reduction in locomotor activity, muscle coordination and cognition and memory. On the other hand, animals treated with chloroform and methanolic extracts of H. sibthorpiodes given at 200 and 100 mg/kg body weight orally with AlCl3 altered the behavioural impairment caused by Al and Al concentration, activity of AChE, synthesis molecules of Aβ generation. The report of histological studies in hippocampus and cortex supported the neuroprotective role of chloroform and a methanolic extract of H. sibthorpioides, which conserved a normal histoarchitecture pattern of cortex and hippocampus. Finally, it can be concluded that chloroform and methanolic extract of H sibthorpioides can alter memory loss induced by aluminum toxicity by enhancing AChE activity and by its involvement in amyloidogenic pathway.

Hydrothermal synthesis of a ZSM-5/MCM-41 composite has been carried out from pre-synthesized ZSM-5 zeolite as a silica source and CTAB as a template. The ZSM-5/MCM-41 composite materials were further loaded with varying wt% of cobalt with respect to ZSM-5 by an in situ modification method using cobaltous nitrate as a metal source. Detailed analysis of the synthesized materials was performed using different characterization techniques such as PXRD, FT-IR, TGA, UV-Vis DRS, N2 adsorption–desorption and SEM-EDX. The catalytic activity of the synthesized materials for liquid phase oxidation of diphenylmethane was investigated in the presence of 70% TBHP as an oxidant where benzophenone was obtained as a major product. The effects of various reaction parameters were studied to perceive the conversion of diphenylmethane and enhance the selectivity towards benzophenone.

The present study focuses on polishing of the Copper (Cu) metal by exploring various oxidizers in the presence of fumed silica slurry. Screening of oxidizers was done in order to get a desired polish rate for copper metal at two extreme pH regimes. Slurry is formulated to find robust polish rate for Cu Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP). The removal rate was investigated by using ammonium peroxydisulphate, potassium persulphate and potassium hydrogen phthalate in fumed silica slurry. Potassium persulphate showed highest material removal rate (RR) among all oxidizers at pH 9. For polishing Cu, alkaline slurry is always preferred due to the accumulation of passive layer on surface, which restricts direct dissolution of metal ions, which is prevalent in acidic region. Cu polishing done after addition of fumed silica abrasive in potassium persulphate solution at all pH values enhanced polishing rate due to the added mechanical abrasion to the chemical action. Addition of benzotriazole (BTA) as corrosion inhibitor to the slurry decreased polishing rate for complete pH range, attributed to the deposition of insoluble Cu compounds on the Cu metal surface. With increase in pressure and turntable speed an increase in removal rate was observed signifying that the proposed slurry follows non-Prestonian behaviour.

This study endeavoured to explore and fabricate antiviral and antibacterial facemasks using zinc (oligo-lactate) (ZL), developed through a microwave synthesis technique. The prepared nano-fabric layer has excellent antiviral and antibacterial properties against Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) and E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of ZL shows a two-step thermal degradation, which confirms the formation of low molecular weight end group lactyl units with zinc ions. Another investigation using varying ZL concentration and silk nanocrystal (SNC) with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and electrospinning them into nanofibres led to the fabrication of a facile and sustainable nanofabric that can be utilized as a protective layer for facemasks. Morphological analysis revealed the successful preparation of the nanofabric with proper distribution and uniformity in fibre diameter. Hydrophobicity of the prepared nanofabric confirmed excellent protection from water droplets that may transpire during coughing or sneezing by an infected individual. Breathability and reusability tests confirmed that the prepared facemask could be reused by ethanol washing without compromising its surface properties till 4 cycles. The PLA/ZL nanofabric layer demonstrated 97% antiviral efficacy against NDV in 10 minutes. In conclusion, the electrospun nanofabric layer can be used as a facemask having high hydrophobicity, good breathability, antibacterial, and antiviral properties to control the spread of contagious diseases.

Gold nanoparticles are one of the widely used metallic nanoparticle having unique surface plasmon characteristic, offers major utility in biomedical and therapeutic fields. However, chemically synthesized nanoparticle creates toxicity in the living organisms and contradicts the eco-friendly and cost-effective nature. So, developing greener synthetic route for synthesis of gold nanoparticle using natural materials is an enthralling field of research for its effectiveness in synthesizing eco-friendly, non-toxic materials. Moreover, biological components attached as stabilizing agent can exert its own effect along with the advantages of nanoparticle conjugation. In this work, we used for the first time methanolic leaf extract of Moringa oleifera as this fraction of M. oleifera exerts a neuroactive modulation against seizure as evidenced by earlier literature. The green gold nanoparticles synthesized were characterized by different characterization tools, dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy techniques etc. Prepared nanoparticles were biologically (antioxidant, antimicrobial and blood cytotoxicity) characterized to screen their further utility in therapeutic strategies. Characteristics and activities of green gold nanoparticles were compared with conventional citrate stabilized gold nanoparticles. It was observed that green gold nanoparticles prepared using M. oleifera show less cytotoxicity and helps in regeneration of neuronal cells in animal model study. It establishes the fact that conjugation of different plant extract fraction for stabilization of gold nanoparticle may be responsible factor for enhancement of bioactive nature of green gold nanoparticle. In addition, the green gold nanoparticle show efficient photo-catalytic efficiency. Development of such bioactive gold nanoparticles will lead to functional materials for biomedical and therapeutic applications.

Application of an alliin-based precursor for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) which is an emerging, reliable and rapid sensor of heavy metal ion contaminants in water is reported here. The Ag NPs were characterized by using UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy analysis techniques. The Ag NPs simultaneously and selectively detect Hg2+ and Sn2+ ions from aqueous solution. The sensitivity and selectivity of the prepared Ag NPs towards other representative transition-metal ions, alkali metal ions and alkaline earth metal ions were also studied. For more precise evidence, a density functional theory study was carried out to understand the possible mechanism and interaction in the detection of Hg2+ and Sn2+ by Ag NPs. The limits of detection for Hg2+ and Sn2+ ions were found as 15.7 nM and 11.25 nM, respectively. This assay indicates the possible use of garlic extract-synthesized Ag NPs for sensing Hg2+ and Sn2+ in aqueous solution very significantly. So, the simple, green, eco-friendly and easy method to detect the dual metal ions may further lead to a potential sensor of heavy metal ion contaminants in water of industrial importance.

Sulfonylhydrazones are a novel hydrazone-based organic molecular photoswitch. The four derivatives with unsubstituted and o-, m- and p-nitro substituted sulfonylhydrazone (SH-1, SH-2, SH-3, and SH-4, respectively) derived from p-toluenesulfonyl hydrazide and corresponding benzaldehydes were examined with respect to their solution state photoswitching and photomechanical response in the crystalline state. All the compounds displayed UV-induced E → Z isomerization in the solution state, whereas the back conversion was slow. Single crystals of SH-3 displayed rapid and large photomechanical bending, whereas SH-1 and SH-4 crystals underwent slow bending to a comparatively lesser extent. On the contrary, SH-2 crystals did not show any photomechanical effects. The photomechanical deflection of the crystal tip of SH-1 increased linearly; for SH-3, the deflection increased in a sub-linear manner for few seconds, after which it started to revert towards the light source. For SH-4 crystals, the photo-induced tip deflection initially increased in a sub-linear fashion, after which no motion was observed even after continuous exposure to UV light irradiation. The photomechanical behavior of the crystals was also inspected with the aid of velocity-time and acceleration-time plots that unravelled the instantaneous photomechanical motion at various time intervals.

Herbs and spices have a prolonged history of use in culinary purposes, as preservatives and also as pharmaceuticals. Their characteristic flavour and aroma is mainly due to the volatiles accumulated within them. These compounds are very sensitive to different factors (e.g. high temperature, moisture or oxygen), therefore the methods used for preserving herbs and spices can influence not only their healing characteristics but also organoleptic properties and enjoyment value. During the drying process, the temperature of plant parts is increased, which results in the loss of essential oils. Among the artificial drying methods, lyophilization or freeze-drying helps to obtain dried products with good organoleptic properties, as this method uses a low temperature and a shorter processing time. In recent times, lyophilization has become an accepted method for preserving different herbs and spices as it has many advantages compared with other drying and preservation techniques. However, only relatively little and contradictory information is available in relation to the formation of essential oils during freeze-drying. This review aims to summarize the effects of lyophilization on the essential oil content and composition of herbs and spices.

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of Al on nutrient profile of soil grown with various pea genotypes. The study involved growing two tolerant pea (Kashi Samrath and Kashi Samridhi) and two susceptible (Matar Ageta-7 and AP-3) genotypes with increasing added rate of Al (0, 12 ppm and 24 ppm) in soil. Al application in soil resulted in significant decrease in nutrient availability of soil mainly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The addition of Al caused decrease in soil pH causing a negative effect on the yield of susceptible pea genotypes. However, in tolerant genotypes, there was no significant effect on yield, despite a decrease in soil pH and an imbalance of nutrients.

Objectives Trachyspermum khasianum H. Wolff is a rare medicinal plant characteristically used by the traditional healers in traditional medicine for the treatment of throat-pain, toothache, and stomach ache. The study was designed to determine the anthelmintic and analgesic properties of the aerial parts of Trachyspermum khasianum H. Wolff (Family Apiaceae). The aqueous and ethanol extract of T. khasianum H. Wolff was prepared and subjected for evaluation to determine the possible therapeutic effects. Methods Anthelmintic activities of the extracts were determined by observing the time taken to paralyze and the time taken for the death of earthworms (Eisenia foetida) as compared to the standard drug-Albendazole (20 mg/ml) and control. Analgesic potential of the extracts was evaluated using Eddy's hot plate method to understand the analgesic activity in rats (Wistar rats) at 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg body weight doses and compared with the standard reference (Diclofenac sodium 10 mg/kg of animals). Results The extracts showed a significant dose-dependent anthelmintic effect at the different concentrations (10, 20, and 40) mg/ml, compared to that of the standard drug (20 mg/ml). Also, the results suggested that the plant extracts possess significantly analgesic activity in rats. Conclusion The studies indicate that Trachyspermum khasianum shows anthelmintic and potent analgesic activities. Further research should be carried out to identify the specific phytoconstituents responsible for both analgesic and anthelmintic activities and its possible mechanism of action.

Chicken nuggets prepared by incorporating three different levels of black rice flour along with other non- meat ingredients. The formulations prepared were – Control (0% Black Rice Flour), T1 (1% Black Rice Flour), T2 (3% Black Rice Flour) and T3 (5% Black Rice Flour). Proximate composition of the study revealed significant (P>0.01) increase in the moisture and ash content, whereas the per cent crude protein and the per cent ether extract decreased significantly from the control to the treated groups. The texture profile analysis studies revealed a non-significant difference in all the parameters, which are hardness, chewiness, gumminess, springiness and cohesiveness. The microbiological studies revealed that products were acceptable up to fifteen days. Based on the results obtained in the study it might be concluded that chicken nuggets could be prepared satisfactorily on addition of up to 5% black rice flour without adverse effect on the quality of the products.