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Raman spectroscopy is commonly used to estimate peak temperatures in rocks containing organic carbon. In geological settings such as fold-thrust belts, temperature constraints are particularly important as complex burial and exhumation histories cannot easily be modelled. Many authors have developed equations to determine peak tempertaures from Raman spectral parameters, most recently to temperatures as low as 75 °C. However, recent work has shown that Raman spectra can be affected by strain as well as temperature. Fold-thrust systems are often highly deformed on multiple scales, with deformation characterised by faults and shear zones, and therefore temperatures derived from Raman spectra in these settings may be erroneous. In this study, we investigate how the four most common Raman spectral parameters and ratios change through a thrust-stacked carbonate sequence. By comparing samples from relatively low-strain localities to those on thrust planes and in shear zones, we show maximum differences of 0.16 for I[d]/I[g] and 0.11 for R2, while FWHM[d] and Raman Band Separation show no significant change between low and high strained samples. Plausible frictional heating temperatures of faulted samples suggest that the observed changes in Raman spectra are not the result of frictional heating. We apply three equations used to derive the peak temperatures from Raman spectra to our data to investigate the implications on predicted temperatures between strained and unstrained samples. All three equations produce different temperature gradients with depth in unstrained samples. We observe that individual equations exhibit apparently varying sensitivities to strain, but calculated temperatures can be up to 140 °C different for adjacent strained and unstrained samples using the same temperature equation. These results have implications for how temperatures are determined in strained rock samples from Raman spectra.

The acetylation of alcohols, phenols or amines is an important and routinely utilized process in organic chemistry. Protection of these functional groups is often necessary during total synthesis o...

Background The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is on rising trend in developing countries like India. In type 2 diabetes patients, albuminuria has been shown to predict development of dysfunction in other organ systems such as kidneys, nervous system, and retina and increase risk of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. In this study, we plan to assess association of microalbuminuria with left ventricular dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Results This cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients attending a tertiary care hospital in Gujarat, Western India. Based on urine albumin excretion status, they were divided in two groups of 50 each—normoalbuminuric and microalbuminuric patients. The mean FBS, PPBS, and HbA1c level was significantly lower in normoalbuminuric group compared to microalbuminuric group. There was an increase in cholesterol, triglyceride, VLDL, and LDL levels and decrease in HDL levels in microalbuminuric group as compared to normoalbuminuric group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that increase in age and a decrease in E/A ratio in patients with microalbuminuria was significantly associated with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD). Conclusion The presence of microalbuminuria is associated with increased likelihood of LVDD in type 2 diabetes patients. Increase in age and decrease in E/A ratio show direct and independent association with LVDD in normotensive diabetic patients with microalbuminuria. Therefore, diabetes patients who have microalbuminuria should be regularly (or more frequently) evaluated for development of LVDD using Echocardiography. This can allow early identification of myocardial diastolic dysfunction.

The single-metallic coordination networks (CNs), simultaneously exhibiting temperature-dependent lifetime (TDLT) and emission band shift (TDEBS), are desirable for application in luminescent thermometers with high accuracy and reliability in a large temperature range. Nonetheless, up to date, there are no reports on such kinds of materials due to the lack of in-depth understanding of the origin of TDLT and TDEBS at a molecule level, being critical for exploiting a universal approach to design a dual-parametric CN phosphorescent thermometer (CN-PT). Herein, we have constructed a thermoresponsive CN [Cu2(L1)Br2]∞ (IAM21-1, L1 = N1,N6-di(pyridin-3-yl)adipamide) via a flexible-ligand-implanted strategy. The TDLT and TDEBS properties of IAM21-1 enable it to be applied as a single-metallic dual-parametric CN-PT in 50-500 K, which is the widest temperature range reported so far. The combination of structure analysis and DFT calculations demonstrates that the redshift of the emission band upon the decreasing temperature originates from the reversible skeleton-shrinkage-triggered narrower band gap. This work has unveiled the origin of TDLT and TDEBS properties and proposed an efficient strategy for designing dual-parametric CN-PTs.

A new, simple, accurate, precise and reproducible UV-Spectrophotometric method is being developed for the simultaneous estimation of Metformin Hydrochloride and Voglibose in tablet dosage form. The stock solutions were prepared in methanol. The λmax for Metformin Hydrochloride and Voglibose were found to be248 nm and 287nm respectively. The Metformin Hydrochloride and Voglibose obeyed Beer’s law in concentration range of 8-16µg/ml and 4-20µg/ml respectively. Results of analysis of absorbance ratio method were analysed and validated for various parameters according to ICH guidelines for accuracy, precision, linearity, robustness, LOD and LOQ. The proposed method is highly sensitive, precise and accurate, therefore can be used for intended purpose.

The authors of the title paper (Journal of Optics 49:181–186, 2020) claim to have grown a so-called urea potassium dichromate (UPDC) by slow evaporation of an aqueous solution containing equimolar amounts of urea and potassium dichromate and characterized it based on a unit cell study. A critical analysis reveals that the claims in the title paper are erroneous. Hence, we reinvestigated the crystal growth reaction and determined the structure of the product crystal. Based on these studies, we prove that due to no chemical reaction between the reagents fractional crystallization of potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) occurs and not formation of any so-called UPDC crystal. Taking the title crystal as an example we show the importance of reporting single-crystal structure for new compound characterization.

In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) micro-flower like morphology aluminum-doped molybdenum disulfide/reduced graphene oxide (Al@MoS2/rGO) nanohybrids have been developed using a simple and sensitive hydrothermal approach. Their electromagnetic (EM) parameters (permittivity, permeability) and microwave shielding parameters (S11, S12) have been analyzed and reported for the first time in the microwave frequency range of 8.0–12.0 GHz. It is interesting to note that the electrical conductivity of the nanohybrids increases with the doping concentration of Al-ions, whereas skin-depth has a reverse trend. The 12% Al@MoS2/rGO nanohybrid shows a higher total electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) value about SET ~33.38 dB, whereas undoped MoS2/rGO nanohybrid exhibits a lower value around ~17.07 dB at the same thin thickness. The higher doping concentration of Al-ion creates lattice distortion and crystal defects with high charge carrier mobility between multiple interfaces and at defective sites. Hence, the Al-doping into MoS2 lattice supported on the rGO surface can greatly enhance EM wave absorption and EMI SE value. The present work suggests that the 12% Al@MoS2/rGO nanohybrid can be treated as a good microwave absorbing and shielding material and useful in various techno-commercial devices.

Pectin is a complex form of polysaccharide and is composed of several structural components that require the concerted action of several pectinases for its complete degradation. In this study, in s...

A novel biosorbent for the sequestration of phosphate from the water was explored by loading Zr(IV) onto saponified watermelon rind (SWR). SEM, FT-IR and EDX were carried out for the structural cha...

We report facile methods of preparing nanosized hydrotalcite-like compounds, the layered double hydroxides (LDH), with ordinary chemistry laboratory settings to educate the young scientists from high schools to undergraduate university level fostering their research interest in preparing these nanomaterials of practical importance. Coprecipitation and urea hydrolysis methods have been recommended as facile routes of preparing the magnesium-aluminum layered double hydroxides (Mg-Al LDHs). The LDH thus prepared were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The observed weakening of some FTIR peaks and XRD planes shifting concerning standard JCPDS 89-5434 data implied the slight structural variation of the compounds and the presence of impurities. The average grain diameter of LDH particles was found in the range of 20 to 60 nm.

Toward the development of selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, a series of pyrrolidine derivatives is described. All the compounds containing sulfonamide, ester, nitrile, acid, amide and urea functionalities were computationally screened, and binding affinity scores for all synthesized compounds with cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase -2 were compared. The computational observations showed three top-ranked compounds (8b, 8d and 10a) having selectively more affinity for cyclooxygenase -2. These were selected for pharmacological evaluation using carrageenan-induced rat paw edema model. Compound 8b showed maximum activity (54.83%) which was closer to standard drug indometacin (57.48%). The safety parameter of the potent compound (8b) was assessed using aspirin induced gastric ulceration animal model.

Background: Persistent diarrhea (PD) is a common disease in childhood worldwide. Clinical studies suggested that zinc supplementation is useful in most PD children. However, the relationship between the zinc and immune status of the PD children has not been reported. Objective: To examine serum zinc levels and immune status in 6 to 24 months old children with PD before and after 120 days of oral zinc supplementation and to evaluate the effects of zinc supplementation on serum zinc levels and immune status in PD children. Methods: A case control study was carried. Fifty-eight children aged 6 to 24 months with PD were enrolled. 58 patients were divided into two groups, zinc group (28 cases) and control group (30 cases). Laboratory investigation of serum zinc levels, Lymphocyte subsets (CD3+%, CD4+%, CD8+% and CD4+/CD8+ ratio) and immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA and IgM) levels was carried out in all these patients once at enrollment and again after 120 days of treatment. Results: Before treatment, the serum zinc concentration was 4.37 ± 1.23 μmol/L in zinc group and 4.42 ± 1.45 μmol/L in control group (P > 0.05). However, after treatment, the serum zinc concentrations in the zinc group were significantly higher (8.81 ± 2.56 μmol/L), as compared to the control group (4.12 ± 1.02 μmol/L) (P P > 0.05) before giving treatment. However, after 120 days of treatment, in the zinc group there was a significant rise in CD4+% (53.60 ± 5.78). The CD4 was significantly higher in the zinc group as compared to the control group (44.73 ± 4.39) (P P P > 0.05). Regarding immunoglobulins, there were no significant differences between zinc and control group in IgG, IgA and IgM levels (P > 0.05) at the time of enrollment (before treatment). However, after treatment, the mean IgG levels in zinc group and control group were 6.36 ± 0.95 g/l and 5.67 ± 0.74 g/l, respectively, P P < 0.05) but no significant differences in IgA levels were evident between the two groups after treatment. Conclusion: Administration of oral zinc supplement improved both serum zinc levels and immune status in children with PD. Zinc supplementation should be administered as adjunctive therapy for PD children.

Polymers are made from the monomers that are used for packaging purposes. The degradation of polymers can take place either abiotic or biotic pathways. Abiotic pathway occurs from thermal, photo-degradation, and catalytic methods whereas, biotic occurs in presence of different types of microorganisms. The degradation of polymers (polyethylene and polylactic acid) was explained by the thermal, catalytic, and biodegradation process. The thermal degradation of polyethylene and polylactic acid was explained by the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) curve. Catalysts such as zeolites and amorphous silica-alumina are used for the degradation of polyethylene whereas, tin for polylactic acid. Microorganisms such as bacteria, fungus, and actinomycetes help for the degradation of polyethylene and polylactic acid. BIBECHANA 18 (2021) 240-253

Bi2Fe4O9 crystalline ceramic was successfully synthesized through a soft chemical route at lower sintering temperature for analysis of photocatalytic behavior with respect to adsorption of Congo Red (CR) in the presence of UV-VIS irradiation. The single-phase formation of Bi2Fe4O9 ceramic was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction studies and particle size observed by TEM analysis was found to be 148 ± 5 nm which reveals the crystalline nature of the materials. Additionally, the photocatalytic activity of Bi2Fe4O9 ceramic was evaluated by the degradation of Congo Red in presence of visible light. The optical band gap (Eg) of the synthesized materials was found to be 1.8 eV. It exhibited greater photocatalytic activity than other synthesized materials like BiFeO3 as well as TiO2 due to a smaller band gap (1.8 eV). Furthermore, process variables such as pH.

Wear always influences the life span of metal components, which should be reduced by proper precautionary measures like lubrication, coatings, reduced surface roughness, etc. Due to exclusive properties like strength to weight ratio and less density, Aluminium (Al) is mostly preferred metal in various fields like aerospace, automobile, satellite parts, and many more. To reduce Al's wear rate and enhance the life span of components, they must be coated with wear resistive materials. In the present work, an attempt has been made to presage the wear rate of Al component coated with Co-Cr-Mo alloy by electrolysis process for a period of 30 min in 5% Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) solution. The experimentation is done in two parts, bare Al specimen, coated Al specimen, and the results. The Pin on Disc apparatus is used to conduct the wear test with different loads by dry sliding with constant speed and constant time. After experimentation, the results exhibit that the Co-Cr-Mo alloy coating plays a vital role in the decrement of aluminum's specimen under test conditions, and exhibits that aluminum sample coated with Co-Cr-Mo alloy shows nearly 50% less wear rate than the specimen tested without Co-Cr-Mo alloy coating.

Uric acid (UA) level quantification is crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular, arthritis, renal disorder, and preeclampsia diseases. We report the solvent-assisted synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) which we used to make a seed layer on a conductive fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) electrode. Vertically-arranged ZnO nanorods (NRs) were grown using a hydrothermal method. The ZnO NPs and NRs were characterized in detail, which revealed the smaller sizes (10–15 nm) of the NPs and the vertically-arranged nature of the NRs. Furthermore, a highly sensitive UA biosensor was constructed with vertically-arranged ZnO NRs. The electrochemical characterization of the UA biosensor (Nafion/uricase/ZnO NRs–ZnO NPs/FTO) using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) demonstrated linearity over a wide UA concentration range (0.01–1.5 mM) with a high sensitivity (345.44 μA mM−1 cm−2) and limit of detection (LOD; 2.5 μM). The biosensor also showed good selectivity, high reproducibility, and enhanced shelf-life. Additionally, practical feasibility was tested in a real (i.e., human blood serum) sample. The boosted UA biosensor performance is attributed to the vertically-arranged ZnO NRs, which immobilize a large amount of enzyme owing to their high surface-to-volume ratio, compared to flat surface-based biosensors. The present strategy, using vertically-arranged ZnO NRs on NP-seeded electrodes, can be extended to fabricate different ZnO NR-based chemical/biosensing devices.

Hexokinase (EC 2.7.1.1, Adenosine Tri Phosphate (ATP): D-hexose-6-phosphotransferase) is a crucial regulatory enzyme of the glycolytic pathway (Embden-Meyerhof pathway). Hexokinase deficiency is associated with chronic non-spherocytic haemolytic anaemia (HA) with some exceptional cases showing psychomotor/mental retardation and fetus death. The proband is a four-and-half-year-old female child born of a four-degree consanguineous marriage hailing from South India with autosomal recessive congenital HA associated with developmental delay. She was well till 3 months of her age post an episode of diarrhoea when she was noted to be severely anaemic and requiring regular transfusions. The common causes of HA, haemoglobinopathies, red cell membranopathies and common red cell enzymopathies (G6PD, GPI, PK and P5N) were ruled out. Targeted analysis of whole exome sequencing (WES) using an insilico gene panel for hereditary anaemia was performed to identify pathogenic variants in the patient. Next-generation sequencing revealed a novel homozygous variant in hexokinase gene c.2714C>A (p. Thr905Lys) in exon-18. The pathogenic nature of the variant p. Thr905Lys in theHK1gene was confirmed collectively by biochemical and molecular studies. Insilico analysis (PolyPhen-2, Provean, Mutation Taster) predicted the variant to be severe disease causing. Multiple sequence alignment demonstrated the conservation of p. Thr905 across the species. The impact of the mutation on the protein structure was studied by PyMOL and Swiss Protein databank viewer.

Water deficit (WD), a major contributor to yield reductions in faba bean (Vicia faba), is a complex phenomenon that varies across daily to seasonal cycles. Several studies have identified various morphological and physiological indicators of WD tolerance, which generally show limited water use during WD. Limited information is available on the impact of WD on nutrient content and reproductive biology of the faba bean. We studied carbohydrates, amino acids, mineral nutrients and the abundance of naturally occurring carbon isotopes (δ13 C) in leaf and grain tissues of faba bean genotypes grown under well-watered (WW) and WD conditions. δ13 C of leaf tissues were found to indicate changes in water use due to WD but this was not reflected in grain tissues. Nutrient concentrations with regard to amino acids and minerals were not influenced by WD. However, carbohydrate accumulation was found to be significant for WD, specifically through the presence of a higher concentration of myo-inositol in WD leaf tissues. Alternatively, sucrose concentration in grain tissues was reduced under WD treatment. WD hampered reproductive functionality by reducing pollen viability and germination with the severity and duration of stress and this reduction was less prominent in the drought-tolerant genotype (AC0805#4912) compared to the sensitive one (11NF010c-4). It was also demonstrated that WD caused developmental impairment in the stamen and pistil, where the pistil appeared more sensitive than stamen. These findings suggest that WD impairs pollen viability and pistil function reducing yield volume, but the nutrient content of the resulting yield is not significantly affected.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major health problem affecting millions of patients globally. There is no effective treatment for AKI and new therapies are urgently needed. Novel drug development, testing and progression to clinical trials is overwhelmingly expensive. Drug repurposing is a more cost-effective measure. We identified 2 commonly used drugs (colchicine and metformin) that alter inflammatory cell function and signalling pathways characteristic of AKI, and tested them in models of acute and chronic kidney injury to assess therapeutic benefit. We assessed the renoprotective effects of colchicine or metformin in C57BL/6 mice challenged with renal ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI), treated before or after injury. All animals underwent analysis of renal function and biomolecular phenotyping at 24 h, 48 h and 4 weeks after injury. Murine renal tubular epithelial cells were studied in response to in vitro mimics of IRI. Pre-emptive treatment with colchicine or metformin protected against AKI, with lower serum creatinine, improved histological changes and decreased TUNEL staining. Pro-inflammatory cytokine profile and multiple markers of oxidative stress were not substantially different between groups. Metformin augmented expression of multiple autophagic proteins which was reversed by the addition of hydroxychloroquine. Colchicine led to an increase in inflammatory cells within the renal parenchyma. Chronic exposure after acute injury to either therapeutic agent in the context of reduced renal mass did not mitigate the development of fibrosis, with colchicine significantly worsening an ischemic phenotype. These data indicate that colchicine and metformin affect acute and chronic kidney injury differently. This has significant implications for potential drug repurposing, as baseline renal disease must be considered when selecting medication.

PurposeGlaucoma patients with peripheral vision loss have in the past subjectively described their field loss as ‘blurred’ or ‘no vision compromise’. We developed an iPad app for patients to self-characterise perception within areas of glaucomatous visual field loss.MethodsTwelve glaucoma patients with visual acuity ≥20/40 in each eye, stable and reliable Humphrey Visual Field (HVF) over 2 years were enrolled. An iPad app (held at 33 cm) allowed subjects to modify ‘blur’ or ‘dimness’ to match their perception of a 2×2 m wall-mounted poster at 1 m distance. Subjects fixated at the centre of the poster (spanning 45° of field from centre). The output was degree of blur/dim: normal, mild and severe noted on the iPad image at the 54 retinal loci tested by the HVF 24-2 and was compared to threshold sensitivity values at these loci. Monocular (Right eye (OD), left eye (OS)) HVF responses were used to calculate an integrated binocular (OU) visual field index (VFI). All three data sets were analysed separately.Results36 HVF and iPad responses from 12 subjects (mean age 71±8.2y) were analysed. The mean VFI was 77% OD, 76% OS, 83% OU. The most common iPad response reported was normal followed by blur. No subject reported dim response. The mean HVF sensitivity threshold was significantly associated with the iPad response at the corresponding retinal loci (For OD, OS and OU, respectively (dB): normal: 23, 25, 27; mild blur: 18, 16, 22; severe blur: 9, 9, 11). On receiver operative characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the HVF retinal sensitivity cut-off at which subjects reported blur was 23.4 OD, 23 OS and 23.3 OU (dB).ConclusionsGlaucoma subjects self-pictorialised their field defects as blur; never dim or black. Our innovation allows translation of HVF data to quantitatively characterise visual perception in patients with glaucomatous field defects.

The structure and molecular dynamics of α-L-arabinofuranosidase (PsGH43_12) of family 43 glycoside hydrolase, subfamily 12 from Pseudopedobacter saltans were studied. The modeled PsGH43_12 structure displayed 5-bladed β-propeller fold at N-terminal and β–sandwich fold at C terminal. Ramachandran plot showed 95.7% residues in favored and 3.3% in the generously allowed region and only 1% residues in the disallowed region. The secondary structure analysis of PsGH43_12 by circular dichroism revealed 2.7% α-helices, 30.33% β-strands and 66.97% random coils. Protein melting study of PsGH43_12 showed complete unfolding at 65°C and did not require any metal ion for its stability. Molecular docking analysis confirmed the involvement of active site residues Asp71, Asp180 and Glu247 in the catalysis, which was also confirmed by the site-directed mutagenesis of these residues. SAXS analysis displayed that PsGH43_12 is monomeric and a fully folded state in solution form. Guinier analysis gave the radius of gyration (Rg) 2.8 ± 0.09 nm. The maximum dimension and Rg of PsGH43_12 estimated from P(R) plot were 9.7 nm and 2.81 nm, respectively. The ab initio derived dummy model of PsGH43_12 displayed a bell-like shape. The ab initio derived dummy model superposed well with its comparative modeled structure except the N-terminal His6-tag region.

Xylan extracted from neem sawdust gave 22.5%, (w/w) yield. The extracted xylan was composed of xylose and glucuronic acid at a molar ratio of 8:1 and with a molecular mass, ~66 kDa. FTIR and NMR analyses indicated a backbone of xylan substituted with 4-O-methyl glucuronic acid at the O-2 position. FESEM analysis showed a highly porous and granular surface structure of xylan. A thermogravimetric study of xylan showed thermal denaturation at 271 °C. The hydrolysis of xylan by recombinant endo-β-1,4-xylanase produced a mixture of xylooligosaccharides ranging from degree of polymerization 2–7. Xylooligosaccharides inhibited cell growth of human colorectal cancer (HT-29) cells but did not affect the mouse fibroblast cells confirming its biocompatibility. Western blotting, DNA laddering and flow cytometric analysis displayed inhibition of HT-29 cells by xylooligosaccharides. FLICA staining and mitochondrial membrane potential analyses confirmed the activation of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. The study amply indicated that the xylooligosaccharides produced from neem xylan could be potentially used as an antiproliferative agent.

ABBV-321 (serclutamab talirine), a next-generation EGFR-targeted antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) incorporates a potent pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimer toxin conjugated to the EGFR-targeting ABT-806 affinity-matured AM1 antibody. ABBV-321 follows the development of related EGFR-targeted ADCs including depatuxizumab mafodotin (depatux-m, ABT-414), ABT-806 conjugated to monomethyl auristatin F (MMAF), and ABBV-221 (losatuxizumab vedotin), AM1 antibody conjugated to monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE). The distinct tumor selectivity of ABBV-321 differentiates it from many previous highly active antibody PBD conjugates that lack a therapeutic window. Potency of the PBD dimer, combined with increased binding of AM1 to EGFR-positive tumor cells, opens the possibility to target a wide array of tumors beyond those with high levels of EGFR overexpression or amplification, including those insensitive to auristatin-based ADCs. ABBV-321 exhibits potent antitumor activity in cellular and in vivo studies including xenograft cell line and patient-derived xenograft glioblastoma, colorectal, lung, head and neck, and malignant mesothelioma tumor models that are less sensitive to depatux-m or ABBV-221. Combination studies with ABBV-321 and depatux-m suggest a promising treatment option permitting suboptimal, and potentially better tolerated, doses of both ADCs while providing improved potency. Collectively, these data suggest that ABBV-321 may offer an extended breadth of efficacy relative to other EGFR ADCs while extending utility to multiple EGFR-expressing tumor indications. Despite its highly potent PBD dimer payload, the tumor selectivity of ABBV-321, coupled with its pharmacology, toxicology, and pharmacokinetic profiles, support continuation of ongoing phase I clinical trials in patients with advanced EGFR-expressing malignancies.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the phenomenon developed by microorganism on exposure to antimicrobial agents, making them unresponsive. Development of microbial confrontation is a severe rising risk to global community well-being as treatment in addition, management of such resistant microbial infections is difficult and challenging. The situation requires action across all government sectors and society. The change in the molecular target on which antimicrobial drugs act is one of the key mechanisms behind AMR. One of the approaches to battle with AMR can be exploring newer molecular targets in microbes and discovering new molecules accordingly. There are various examples of novel targets such as biomolecules involving in biosynthesis of cell wall, biosynthesis of aromatic amino acid, cell disunion, biosynthesis of fatty acid, and isoprenoid biosynthesis and tRNA synthetases. Fatty acid biosynthesis (FAB) and their enzymes among all the above is the more appealing target for the advancement of new antimicrobial agents. Number of promising inhibitors have been developed for bacterial fatty acid synthesis (FAS) and also few of them are clinically used. Some of these potential inhibitors are found to be used in development of new antibacterial as a lead compound and have been discovered from high throughput screening processes like Platencimycin and their analogue, Platencin. The review majorly encompasses bacterial FAB in type II FAS system and potential inhibitors with respective targets of novel antibacterial.

In this paper, Co-doped molybdenum disulfide anchored on the surface reduced graphene oxide (Co@MoS2/rGO) has been successfully synthesized using a simple and effective hydrothermal approach to measure their microwave shielding properties. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique confirmed the successful doping of magnetic atoms into the MoS2 lattice. The experiments show that 15% and 20% Co@MoS2/rGO nanocomposite have higher electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) value up to SET ~ 38.26 and ~ 46.02 dB, respectively. But pure MoS2/rGO nanocomposite demonstrates a lower EMI SE value of around ~ 28.90 dB over the frequency range of 8.0–12.0 GHz with a 1.7 mm thickness. A higher value of the EMI SE depends mainly on the doping percentage of Co-ion. This nanocomposite network enhances the defect dipole polarization, electric conduction, interfacial polarization, and impedance matching characteristics. It is favorable for strong attenuation and dissipation loss ability of microwave energy inside the shielding material. The actual role of Co-doping is to form a highly conductive and magnetic channel between multi-interfaces leading to enhance the migration and hopping of electrons at defective sites or interface. Therefore, the 20% Co@MoS2/rGO nanocomposite is considered as novel microwave shielding material and can be widely used in electronic information and communication devices.

In this study, pyrolysis of agricultural residues, such as rice straw (RS), wheat straw (WS), and sugarcane bagasse (SB), was performed in a fixed-bed reactor. The experiments were carried out at varying operating conditions, such as temperature, heating rate, biomass particle size and sweeping gas flow rate, such that the bio-oil yield could be maximized. Small particle size and high heating rate contributed to more bio-oil yield as compared to large particle size and low heating rate. Physicochemical properties of bio-oil samples, evaluated in a comparative manner with maximum focus devoted on analyzing the chemical constituents through GC–MS and FTIR analysis. Biochar was also examined through different physicochemical techniques (e.g., HHV, pH, SEM–EDX, FTIR, CHNS, ICP-AES) for understanding pyrolysis mechanism and its practical usability. Analysis of non-condensable gas through GC-TCD, revealed co-existence of H2, CO, CO2 and CH4 molecules, with greater percentage of H2 and CH4 at high temperature resulted enhancement in calorific value.

Syngas is a mixture of hydrogen and CO and it is considered as a cleaner alternative fuel for engines. Hydrogen, a component of syngas, is a sub-unity Lewis number (Le) fuel and the influence of Le on pure hydrogen flames has been documented in the past. However, the effect of Lewis number and turbulence on heat release rate (HRR) in a turbulent premixed syngas flames has not received enough attention. DNS of a turbulent premixed syngas flame in a radially expanding flame kernel is performed to investigate the effect of Lewis number, turbulence, and initial curvature on HRR. An equimolar mixture of hydrogen and CO is considered for most of the simulations except for one simulation which had higher mole fraction of CO. Enhancement in HRR at low temperature due to the chain terminating reaction H + O2 + M↔HO2 + M is observed. Higher diffusivity of hydrogen-containing species, viz. H2, H, and OH, is found to be responsible for the enhancement in HRR. Among these species, diffusion of atomic hydrogen is shown to have maximum influence on HRR at low temperature. The influence of differential diffusion of hydrogen is observed to diminish when the mole fraction of CO is raised to 70%. Syngas flame at high temperature and high pressure is also studied to mimic the conditions seen in SI engine. The shift of HRR towards low temperature zone observed in the atmospheric flames is absent under high temperature and pressure conditions. Non-unity Lewis number of hydrogen-containing species increases the conditional fluctuation of mass fraction and HRR, in the progress variable space. A care has to be taken while using first-order conditional moment closure for such flames, where conditional fluctuations cannot be neglected.

Isobaric vapor–liquid equilibrium data of the binary systems comprising 2-ethoxyethanol, 2-ethoxyethyl acetate, and toluene were measured using an ebulliometer. The boiling temperatures of the bina...

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) pollution has now become a subject of great concern with the rapid development of delicate electronic equipment in commercial, civil, and military operations. There has been a surge in pursuit of light-weight, adaptable, effective, and efficient EMI screening materials in recent years. The present article addresses a simple and sensitive approach to synthesize a core/shell carbon nanotube/MoS2 heterostructure supported on reduced graphene oxide (CNT/MoS2-rGO nanohybrid) as an efficient electromagnetic shielding material. The structural and morphological characteristics were accessed through X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, augmenting successful formation of the CNT/MoS2-rGO nanohybrid. The shielding performance of the as-synthesized samples has been accessed in a wide frequency range of 8-12 GHz. A CNT/MoS2-rGO nanohybrid demonstrates a better EMI shielding performance in comparison to MoS2 nanosheets and MoS2-rGO nanohybrid individually. The CNT/MoS2-rGO nanohybrid having a thickness ∼1 mm shows excellent total shielding effectiveness (SET) as high as 40 dB, whereas MoS2 and MoS2-rGO hybrid lags far, with the average value of SET as 7 and 28 dB, respectively. It also demonstrates that the nanohybrid CNT/MoS2-rGO shields the EM radiation by means of absorption through several functional defects and multiple interfaces present in the heterostructure. Herein, we envision that our results provide a simple and innovative approach to synthesize the light-weight CNT/MoS2-rGO nanohybrid having flexibility and high shielding efficiency and widen its practical applications in stealth technology.

Thermal rectification is an exotic thermal transport phenomenon which allows heat to transfer in one direction but block the other. We demonstrate an unusual dual-mode solid-state thermal rectification effect using a heterogeneous “irradiated-pristine” polyethylene nanofiber junction as a nanoscale thermal diode, in which heat flow can be rectified in both directions by changing the working temperature. For the nanofiber samples measured here, we observe a maximum thermal rectification factor as large as ~50%, which only requires a small temperature bias of, Here, the authors present a dual-mode solid state thermal rectification effect using a heterogeneous irradiated-pristine polyethylene nanofiber junction as a nanoscale thermal diode, in which heat flow can be rectified in both directions by changing the working temperature.

The crystal structures of two coordination compounds of N-benzoylglycine, viz. catena-poly[[[diaquabis(N-benzoylglycinato)cobalt(II)]-μ-aqua] dihydrate], {[Co(C9H8NO3)2(H2O)3]·2H2O} n , 1, and catena-poly[[[diaquabis(N-benzoylglycinato)nickel(II)]-μ-aqua] dihydrate], {[Ni(C9H8NO3)2(H2O)3]·2H2O} n , 2, are described. The structures of 1 and 2 were reported previously [Morelock et al. (1979). J. Am. Chem. Soc. 101, 4858–4866] and redetermined in this work to determine the H-atom coordinates. In the isostructural compounds, the central metal is located on an inversion centre and exhibits a distorted octahedral geometry. A pair of terminal aqua ligands disposed trans to each other and a pair of monodentate N-benzoylglycinate ligands form the square base and account for four of the six vertices of the octahedron. A μ2-bridging aqua ligand links the bivalent metals into one-dimensional chains extending along the c-axis direction. The one-dimensional chains stabilized by O—H...O hydrogen bonds are interlinked by N—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions.

Bismuth ferrite nanostructure, BiFeO3, (BFO) belonging to perovskite family, was synthesised by a chemical route sintering temperature at 800°C for 6 h. The crystalline phase of the materials was i...

The major objectives of this review are to elucidate the role of antioxidants and cannabidiol (CBD) in reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and glutamate levels, which contribute to the pathogenesis of human neurological diseases. Antioxidants act by: (a) donation of electrons to molecules with unpaired electrons to neutralize them, (b) activation of ROS-resistant Nrf2 to enhance the levels of antioxidant enzymes, (c) restoration of deficiency of antioxidants to normal levels, (d) alterations in the expression of microRNAs, which guide their respective mRNAs to translate protective proteins, and (e) prevention of the release and toxicity of glutamate. CBD acts by: (a) activating endocannabinoid system, which consists of anandamide and archidonoylglycerol, cannabinoid receptors CB1R and CB2R, and their synthesizing and degrading enzymes, (b) acting as an agonist to non-cannabinoid receptors, such as dopamine, serotonin, and adenosine, (c) acting as an inhibitor of serotonin re-uptake, and (d) acting as an antagonist to glutamate receptors. Since antioxidants and CBD act primarily by different mechanisms, it is proposed that combination of the two may be more effective than either individually. No review on this topic has been published. Pre-clinical and clinical studies are suggested to test the efficacy of proposed combination in selected neurodegenerative diseases.