Search

A new protocol for the synthesis of 2H-indazolo[2,1-b]phthalazine-trione derivatives is described via a one-pot three-component condensation reaction of phthalhydrazide, dimedone or 1,3-cyclohexanedione and aromatic aldehydes catalyzed by SnO2nanoparticles as a heterogeneous catalyst under solvent-free conditions. The SnO2nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized by FT-IR, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDAX). The advantages of the protocol are the shorter reaction time, simple work-up procedure and reusable catalyst.

Background: The Thermoelectric (TE) materials and devices have been receiving much attention over past few decades due to their capacity and conversion between electrical energy and heat energy. The performance of thermoelectric materials can be estimated by the dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) and it is expressed as, ZT = s S2T /?. So researchers are seeking for TE materials with high figure of merit. It is well known that density functional theory calculations and Boltzmann transport theory are suitable methods for predicting TE properties. Strontium titanate (SrTiO3) is the model system for thermoelectric enhancement on Perovskite based oxides. It contains nontoxic and environment friendly substances as compared with other thermoelectric systems. Methods: The theoretical investigations were done using the DFT with the plane wave pseudopotential formalism in Quantum Espresso package. Ultrasoft pseudopotential with the Perdew Burke Ernzerhof (PBE) exchange correlation function under GGA was used for calculations. In addition, theoretical investigations of transport properties for SrTiO3 were conducted within the semi classical Boltzmann transport theory, using a maximally localized Wannier function (MLWF). Results: The band structure clearly shows that valence and conduction bands are present at R and G respectively at Brillouin Zone. It reveals that, SrTiO3 exhibits an indirect band gap. The theoretical indirect band gap at G- R is 1.8616 eV. The transport properties, such as seebeck coefficient, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity and figure of merit as a function of chemical potential, were calculated and compared with other available data. Conclusion: Density of states and electronic band structure are well matched with the available data. The semi classical Boltzmann transport theory was applied to study the transport properties of SrTiO3 using a maximally localized Wannier functions with constant relaxation time approximation. Present calculations suggest that this compound may be suitable candidate for thermoelectric applications.

Electrochemical performances of the Zinc oxide/Nickel oxide loaded multi-walled carbon nanotubes (ZnO/NiO@MWCNT - ZNC) were evaluated under different electrolytes. ZNC nanocomposites (NCs), has been successfully synthesized by a simple one-step hydrothermal method and calcinated at 500 °C. The crystalline phases of ZnO, NiO, and MWCNT, present in the prepared NCs were studied by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and their structural characteristics were revealed. The calcinated samples were further characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic (FT-IR) techniques to evaluate the morphological and functional behaviours, respectively. ZNC NCs modified working electrodes were fabricated using the doctor blade technique and their electrochemical performances were tested using different electrolytes (pure and redox additive added electrolytes), such as 1 M KOH, 1 M KOH + 0.1 M K4[Fe(CN)6], 1 M Na2SO4and 1 M Na2SO4 + 0.1 M K4[Fe(CN)6]. Among these electrolytes, ZNC NCs modified working electrode possessed the superior electrochemical performance with the specific capacitance value of 1988.8 Fg−1under 0.1 M K4[Fe(CN)6] added 1 M Na2SO4aqueous electrolyte and achieved a superior specific capacitance retention of 97.2 % after 2000 GCD cycles. The fabricated asymmetrical type supercapacitors possessed the superior energy and power densities of 43.59 W h kg−1and 4000 W kg−1, respectively under the freshly prepared redox additives added Na2SO4aqueous electrolyte.

The sensitivity of the RT-PCR test is limited, and the method itself is laborious and time-consuming to carry out. When it comes to making a diagnosis of COVID-19, chest CT scans have the potential to be of assistance. If, on the other hand, the infection does not spread to the lungs, then an abnormality check with a CT scan will not be necessary. Complementary assays have the potential to considerably reduce the frequency of false-positive results when they are used in combining with RT-PCR or CT scans. We propose in this study a decision support system that is based on deep learning and has the capability to evaluate the practically commonly required laboratory parameters for the purpose of identifying COVID-19. Here dataset contains the 1428 radiographs (224 COVID-19, 504 Healthy, 700 Pneumonia) are considered for experimentation.

The current era’s energy demand emphasizes the necessity of advancements in smart and efficient technologies for the conversion and storage of energy. Thereby, supercapacitors were fabricated based on the nanocomposites (NCs) of Bi2O3/MnO2(BM) and Bi2O3/MnO2@MWCNT (BMM), and their electrochemical performances were documented. BM and BMM NCs were prepared by a one-pot hydrothermal process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) analyses were utilized to examine the physicochemical characteristics of the synthesized NCs. Working electrodes were fabricated using BM and BMM NCs and a three-electrode setup was employed to investigate their electrochemical characteristics with 1 M KOH and 0.1 M K4[Fe(CN)6]-added 1 M KOH (RAE) aqueous electrolytes. In RAE, the BMM NC-modified working electrode attained a maximum specific capacitance of 1768 F g–1at 10 mV s–1. Subsequently, asymmetrical supercapacitors were fabricated by assembling a cathode consisting of BM- and BMM-modified working electrodes, respectively, and an anode composed of Ni foam modified with rGO. Device performances were evaluated in a two-electrode configuration using KOH and RAE. The BMM NC-based device exhibited energy and power densities of 8.21 Wh kg–1and 340 W kg–1, respectively, in KOH. These values were enriched to 21.24 Wh kg–1and 1400 W kg–1, respectively, by the addition of 0.1 M K4[Fe(CN)6] in KOH. Since the prepared BMM NCs revealed better performances in RAE, the proposed BMM NC and RAE combination served as a better candidate for real-time energy storage applications.

Macrolide antibiotic binding to the ribosome inhibits catalysis of peptide bond formation between specific donor and acceptor substrates. Why particular reactions are problematic for the macrolide-bound ribosome remains unclear. Using comprehensive mutational analysis and biochemical experiments with synthetic substrate analogs, we find that the positive charge of these specific residues and the length of their side chains underlie inefficient peptide bond formation in the macrolide-bound ribosome. Even in the absence of antibiotic, peptide bond formation between these particular donors and acceptors is rather inefficient, suggesting that macrolides magnify a problem present for intrinsically difficult substrates. Our findings emphasize the existence of functional interactions between the nascent protein and the catalytic site of the ribosomal peptidyl transferase center.

First principle calculations based on density functional theory have been performed on lithium containing transition metal sulfides Li2TiS3and Li3NbS4which are recently identified as novel positive electrode materials for rechargeable Li+batteries. The calculations were performed to investigate the structural stability, electronic and transport properties of Li2TiS3and Li3NbS4along with their corresponding delithiated phases LiTiS3and Li2NbS4. In this study it has been observed that these lithium containing sulfur materials maintain their face-centered cubic structure upon extraction of Li+. To calculate the structural stability and volume change due to lithium extraction, the total energies of Li2TiS3, Li3NbS4and their corresponding delithiated phases LiTiS3and Li2NbS4have been computed by applying full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method implemented in WIEN2K. The equilibrium structural parameters for all the phases were determined by achieving total energy convergence. These electrode materials exhibit very small percentage of volume change with change in Li+concentration which accounts for excellent structural stability. The computed band structure along high symmetry lines in the Brillouin zone, total and partial density of states clearly reveals that the extraction lithium from these electrode materials does not change their metallic nature. The electronic conductivities of both lithiated and delithiated phases have been calculated by employing BoltzTrap which can be interfaced with WIEN2K. The topological distributions of electron charge density at various critical points within the system were analyzed with the use of CRITIC code which is based on Bader’s theory of atoms in molecules (AIM). From the charge density calculations, it was observed that, there is strong ionic bond and weak covalent bond between atoms of the compounds Li2TiS3and Li3NbS4. But the ionic bond nature was found to decrease in the delithiated phases LiTiS3and Li2NbS4. The calculated values of electronic conductivities and discharge voltages for both electrodes are found to be in accordance with the recent experimental reports.

Bismuth oxide/Zinc oxide (Bi2O3/ZnO-BZ) and Bismuth Oxide/Zinc Oxide loaded Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube (Bi2O3/ZnO@MWCNT-BZM) nanocomposites (NCs) were successfully synthesized through the one-pot hydrothermal method. The prepared samples were analytically characterized to reveal their structural, morphological and functional group characteristics. The presence of Bi2O3nanoparticles with mixed crystalline phases (Cubic and Monoclinic) and hexagonally structured ZnO nanoparticles in BZM NCs were confirmed by XRD analysis. The electrochemical performances of the prepared NCs were investigated using 1 M KOH electrolyte in an electrochemical workstation under two and three-electrode configurations. The asymmetric supercapacitor fabricated by using BZM NCs modified working electrode possessed the maximum of 204.92 Fg−1specific capacitance, whereas BZ NCs modified working electrode showed only 145.90 Fg−1at the scan rate of 5 mVs−1. BZ NCs retained their electrochemical behaviour of about 78.45 % after 5000 charge-discharge cycles and it was further extended up to 84.62 % by the incorporation of MWCNT. Through the fabrication of supercapacitors using BZM NCs, a maximum of 1800 Wkg−1power density and 9.433 Whkg−1energy density were achieved. The proposed BZM NCs-based electrodes with superior power and energy densities with high cyclic stability provided vital advantages for long-term commercial applications.

A highly efficient 2‐step method, where three nitro groups could be directly introduced upon pyrrole moiety in a single step, was developed as an environmentally benign process for the synthesis of N‐methyltetranitropyrrole (1) employing metal nitrate/conc. sulphuric acid as the nitrating reagent. This method resulted 1in high purity having higher thermal stability (273 °C) along with reduced sensitivity (impact sensitivity >40 J; fricition sensitivity >360 N), which makes it a versatile high energy material. An over‐oxidized new product 1‐methyl‐3,3,4,4‐tetranitropyrrolidine‐2,5‐dione (4) was also isolated during optimization, whose energetic properties are similar to those of RDX. An environmentally benign and highly efficient 2‐step method was developed for the synthesis of N‐methyltetranitropyrrole, which resulted the product in higher purity and higher thermal stability along with reduced sensitivity, thereby, making it a versatile high energy material.

•MHD heat transfer flow of ternary hybrid nanofluid towards a stretching curved surface with radiation effect has been analyzed.•Shooting technique together with RKF45order integration scheme is used to solve the system of equations.•Presented performance for Cu-Al2O3-MWCNT/waterternary hybrid nanofluid.•Cu+Al2O3+MWCNT/waternanofluid award the high rate of heat transfer.•Reveal the ternary hybrid nanofluid with blade shaped nanoparticle provides maximum heat transfer rate.

The present research work pursues GMDH for predicting thermal and energy transport of 2-D radiative magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow of hybrid Sutterby nanofluid across a moving wedge with activation energy. An exclusive class of nanoparticles SWCNT–Fe3O4and MWCNT–Fe3O4are dispersed into the ethylene glycol as regular fluid. The hybrid nanofluid mathematical model has been written as a system of partial differential equations (PDEs), which are then converted into ordinary differential equations (ODEs) through similarity replacements. Numerical solutions are attained Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg’s fourth fifth-order (RKF-45) scheme by adopting the shooting technique. The ranges of diverse sundry parameters used in our study are Hartree parameter 0.1≤m≤0.5, magnetic parameter 0.3≤M≤1, Deborah number 0.1≤De≤1, moving wedge parameter 0.3≤γ≤0.9, Reynolds number 0≤Re≤2.5, solid volume fraction of Fe3O4and CNTs0.005≤φ1≤0.1,0.005≤φ2≤0.06, Browanian motion 0.1≤Nb≤0.4, thermophoresis parameter 0.1≤Nt≤0.25, Eckeret number 0.05≤Ec≤1, radiation parameter 1≤Rd≤2.5, Lewis number 0.5≤Le≤1.5, chemical reaction rate 0.1≤σ≤0.7, heat source parameter, 0≤δ≤1.5and activation energy 1≤E≤4which shows up during the speed, thermal, and focus for Fe3O4/C2H6O2nanofluid and CNTs-Fe3O4/C2H6O2hybrid nanofluid. Additionally, the friction coefficient (C⌣fx), rate of heat transport (H⌣tx), and rate of nanoparticle transport (N⌣txare calculated using GMDH. The numerical results for the current analysis are illustrated via tables, graphs, and contour plots. The efficiency of the proposed GMDH models is assessed using statistical measures such as MSE, MAE, RMSE, R, Error mean and Error StD. The predicted values are very close to the numerical results, and the coefficient of determination R2ofC⌣fx,N⌣tx, and H⌣txare 1, 0.97836 and 0.9960, respectively, which shows the best settlement.

Mungbean yellow mosaic virus(MYMV) is a bipartite begomovirus that infects many pulse crops such as blackgram, mungbean, mothbean, Frenchbean, and soybean. We tested the efficacy of the transgenically expressed intron-spliced hairpin RNA gene of the transcriptional activator protein (hpTrAP) in reducing MYMV DNA accumulation. Tobacco plants transformed with the MYMV hpTrAPgene accumulated 21–22 nt siRNA. Leaf discs of the transgenic plants, agroinoculated with the partial dimers of MYMV, displayed pronounced reduction in MYMV DNA accumulation. Thus, silencing of the TrAPgene, a suppressor of gene silencing, emerged as an effective strategy to control MYMV.

Eucalyptus, one of the most widely planted forestry species, is an introduced species to India which is mainly exploited for its pulpwood. Presently, the largest clonal forestry programs are in practice with species of Eucalyptusand the variable rooting potential among the selections are considered to be a hindrance to the success of clonal propagation. Many breeding programs target intra- and inter-specific hybridization for the transfer of vegetative propagation traits and hence SSR markers linked with vegetative propagation traits gained importance for practicing marker assisted selection. Eucalyptusspecies show high synteny and marker correspondence across genome of different species favoring use of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) linked to quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for association analysis. In this study, 43 accessions of E.tereticornisand 40 accessions of E.camaldulensiswere examined for their rooting parameters and subjected to association analysis. The rooting percentage of Eucalyptusaccessions showed continuous variation (0–100 %). Association analysis with 62 loci showed that two SSR loci (Embra40 and Embra7) were associated with rooting and mortality percent and shoot length in E.tereticornis. Two SSR loci (Embra167 and Embra39) were associated with shoot length and root length in E.camaldulensis. This study validated the presence of generic genomic regions through SSR markers, which enabled the identification of orthologous QTL regions for vegetative propagation properties in E.tereticornisand E.camaldulensis.

Introduction:Adipocytes and their products play essential roles in tumor establishment and progression. As the main cellular component of the bone marrow, adipocytes may contribute to the development of hematologic tumors.Areas covered:This review summarizes experimental data on adipocytes and their interaction with various cancer cells. Special focus is set on the interactions of bone marrow adipocytes and normal and transformed cells of the hematopoietic system such as myeloma and leukemia cells. Current in vitroand in vivodata are summarized and the potential of novel therapeutic targets is critically discussed.Expert opinion:Targeting lipid metabolism of cancer cells and adipocytes in combination with standard therapeutics might open novel therapeutic avenues in these cancer entities. Adipocyte-derived products such as free fatty acids and specific adipokines such as adiponectin may be vital anti-cancer targets in hematologic malignancies. However, available data on lipid metabolism is currently mostly referring to peripheral fat cell/cancer cell interactions and results need to be evaluated specifically for the bone marrow niche.

The problem taken to solve in this manuscript is a kind of nonlinear differential equation. Many nonlinear systems will not give us an exact solution. So we are obliged to study the numerical solution for our present problem. To fix the vagueness, we fuzzify the problem and present the solution in a fuzzy range. A new method of identifying the stability of the system without linearization technique is established in a theorem. The complete study will be demonstrated using an example.

Highly monodisperse nanostructures are becoming the centre of focus in the field of material science towards the application of sensors, photocatalysis, gas sensing, antibacterial activity, drug delivery and energy applications. Monodisperse resembles uniform nanostructures towards better device performances and applications. In order to minimize the reaction time and characterization costs, an attempt has been made for development of a prediction model for the synthesis of monodisperse silica nanospheres using Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) software. Experimental parameters of the Stober method such as precursor's ratio (ethanol, water and ammonia), Tetraethyl Orthosilicate (TEOS) and sphere size were predicted in the model. The results from the prediction model were used for carrying out experimentation on thin films using vertical deposition technique. The prepared substrates were characterized by FE-SEM & XRD analysis. Obtained Experimental results shows that nanosphere with a size range of 200- 250 nm will form monodisperse layer. XRD analysis confirms the amorphous nature of SiO2film. ANFIS has predicted best suitable size of silica nanospheres and optimized precursor's ratios for attaining highly monodisperse structure. The optimized parameters predicted from the ANFIS network matches well with the experimental results.

One of the most important discoveries in the field of microbiology in the last two decades is that bacterial cells have intricate subcellular organization. This understanding has emerged mainly from the depiction of spatial and temporal organization of proteins in specific domains within bacterial cells, e.g., midcell, cell poles, membrane and periplasm. Because translation of bacterial RNA molecules was considered to be strictly coupled to their synthesis, they were not thought to specifically localize to regions outside the nucleoid. However, the increasing interest in RNAs, including non-coding RNAs, encouraged researchers to explore the spatial and temporal localization of RNAs in bacteria. The recent technological improvements in the field of fluorescence microscopy allowed subcellular imaging of RNAs even in the tiny bacterial cells. It has been reported by several groups, including ours that transcripts may specifically localize in such cells. Here we review what is known about localization of RNA and of the pathways that determine RNA fate in bacteria, and discuss the possible cues and mechanisms underlying these distribution patterns.

The worldwide expansion of hybrid breeding and clonal forestry is to meet the demands of paper pulp and bioenergy. Although India was one of the pioneers in hybrid production of eucalypts only recently the hybrid clonal forestry is gaining momentum. Inter-specific hybrids are being produced to exploit the hybrid vigor of F1individuals. Quality control genotyping for hybrid purity and parentage confirmation at the early stage is one of the essential criteria for clonal propagation and field trails for the assessment of growth performance. Eucalyptus being a obligatory outcrossed species with potential to self pollination, possibilities of pollen contamination are high. Hence, in the present study, Eucalyptus camaldulensis× E. tereticornisinter-specific hybrids were genotyped using 25 fluorescent labeled microsatellite markers available in public domain. Multiplex loading of PCR products was performed successfully for most of the microsatellite loci. Hybrid purity index was calculated and parentage was confirmed. Hybrid purity values ranged from 85 to 100 % showed the efficiency of controlled pollination techniques. A subset of six fully informative simple sequence repeats was identified for routine quality control genotyping for these hybrids. Detection of non-essential genotypes observed among the hybrid seedlings proved the significance of hybrid purity tests and the false hybrids were removed at the seedling stage. The hybrids with proven hybridity will be used for generation of genetic linkage, discovery of quantitative trait loci and the individuals with high productivity can enter into mass clonal multiplication.

Nanoheterostructures consisting of CdS nanorods (NRs) and nanospheres (NSs) with gold nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by a phase transfer method. A considerable enhancement in the luminescence intensity around 9-fold and 5-fold was observed for the CdS (NR)/Au and CdS (NS)/Au nanocomposite, respectively, with respect to the bare CdS. When compared with the single-component bare CdS counterpart a substantial blue shift in the emission peak maximum was observed along with a decrease in the excited state lifetime. The plasmons of the Au NPs collectively interact with the excitons of the CdS NRs and NSs which induces the enhancement of the luminescence by reducing the trap states. Time-resolved emission studies (TRESs) of the CdS/Au nanocomposite clearly resolved the band edge and trap state emission and also clearly revealed that the former has considerably larger contribution to the emission than the latter.

Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV continues to fuel the worldwide pediatric HIV epidemic. Without any intervention to prevent transmission, the rate of MTCT of HIV is estimated at 12-40%. The prevalence of pediatric HIV infection in a given community is the sensor for both the magnitude and the trajectory of the HIV epidemic in that community. A myriad of viral and host risk factors act in tandem to cause MTCT of HIV. In this review, the mechanisms, timing of transmission, and risks factors (i.e. viral and host) associated with MTCT of HIV are discussed. Although significant declines in MTCT have been achieved in both resource-rich and resource-limited countries over time, there are still challenges and threats that have the potential to reverse the gains made so far. Understanding the mechanisms, timing, and viral and host factors associated with MTCT of HIV will help to identify appropriate interventions and suitable antiretroviral chemoprophylaxis regimens to reduce or eliminate MTCT.

Psidium guajavaL. (family Myrtaceae), commonly known as guava, is a plant that grows in tropical and subtropical region. Different parts of the plant have been used extensively in traditional folk medicine. In the present study, the essential oil (EO) isolated from guava leaves was investigated for potential antioxidant, in vitrocytotoxicity and in vitroanti-parasitic activity against Toxoplasma gondiiparasite. The antioxidant activity was evaluated through DPPH scavenging activity. Guava leaves EO served as a moderate antioxidant, with IC value of 460.56 ± 1.33 µg/mL. The in vitrocytotoxicity activity was investigated using Vero cells, while in vitroanti-parasitic assay was studied using the same cells as host for T. gondii. Growth inhibition was determined using MTT assay. Guava leaves EO was found to be not toxic to Vero cells, with 50 values of 37.54 ± 3.81 µg/mL. In the in vitroanti-T. gondiiassay, guava leaves EO showed promising result with EC of 3.94 ± 0.39 µg/mL, as compared to the standard drug clindamycin (EC50 value of 6.24 ± 0.53 µg/mL). In the present study, the potential therapeutic activity of guava leaves EO may have contributed by the in vitroinhibition of free radicals associated with toxoplasmosis pathology.

Enterprises implement their business process as web services in order to meet the market demand. Typically composite business process requires collection of services under composition along with real time access control to provide the integrated functionalities to the consumer by orchestrating the service functionalities in a meaningful manner. Composite services often need to change their execution order under various circumstances based on the business requirements. In Enterprise view order of execution of rules associated with the single service or composite services can be altered dynamically that in turn leads to the many issues such as functionality variation, authentication failure, loss of composition factors, work flow inconsistency and SLA violation. The proposed ac ess control mechanism built over the dynamic work flow management of web service business logic overcomes the issues and provide the secure environment for the enterprises. This fast and efficient access control mechanism is implemented using Finite State Machine, in which the states of the FSM stores the additional attribute called Access Point through that the transition from one state to another state determines the required access control is set to true or false.

One of the difficult tasks in data clustering is clustering the high dimensional data. Clustering high dimensional data has been a major concern owing to the intrinsic sparsity of the data points. Several recent research results signifies that in case of high dimensional data, even the notion of proximity or clustering possibly will not be significant. Fuzzy C-means (FCM) and possibilistic C-means (PCM) has the capability to handle the high dimensional data, whereas FCM is sensitive to noise and PCM requires appropriate initialisation to converge to nearly global minimum. Hence to overcome this issue a fuzzy possibilistic C-means (FPCM) with symmetry-based distance measure has been proposed which can find out the number of clusters that exist in a dataset. In addition with a good fuzzy partitioning of the data, a novel fuzzy cluster validity index called FSym-index is used which depends on the symmetry-based distance. Symmetry-based distance provides a measure of integrity of clustering on several fuzzy partitions of a dataset. If the value of FSym-index is larger, the accuracy also becomes high with less execution time.

Polypyrrole (PPy) based metal composites have obtained considerable attention due to its fascinating properties such as appreciable electronic conductivity. This study is based on the system, pure polypyrrole (PPy) and nano copper doped polypyrrole (n-CuPPy) which were prepared by chemical oxidative polymerization method. The properties of PPy and n-CuPPy have been investigated by FT-IR,SEM-EDX and conductivity measurements. The FT-IR spectra showed the presence of all characteristics absorption peaks of PPy that is 881cm-1(=C-H out of plane vibration),1043cm-1(=C-H in plane vibration), 1182cm-1 (N-C strech vibration ) and 1552cm-1 (pyrrole ring vibration). The morphological structures and semi quantification of elements present in the pure and nano copper doped composite have been analysed using Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy. The conductivity measurements have been measured using two probe technique. We compare the conductivities of pure PPy with nanocomposite. The conductivity of n-CuPPy is 2x10-3 S/cm and PPy is 2.5x10-5 S/cm. The conductivity of n-CuPPy have been increased by two order when compared with PPy. The increase in conductivity in composite materials than PPy is due to the incorporation of nano copper particles into the PPy matrix.

The essential oil of Cymbopogan citratus(lemon grass) was isolated by steam distillation method and subjected to cytotoxicity activity using two different cell lines, human colon carcinoma (HCT-116), breast carcinoma cell lines (MCF-7) and anti-angiogenic activity. The cytotoxicity activity study was determined using the MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2,4-tetrazolium bromide] assay and anti-angiogenic activity using rat aortic ring model. The chemical composition of the essential oil was determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and GC–flame ionization detection (FID). Forty-one compounds, representing 88.5% of the lemon grass oil was identified and the main components were neral (29.8%) and geranial (44.6%). The free radical scavenging activity of the essential oil showed an IC50value of 156.1 μg/mL. The results showed that essential oil of lemon grass possessed potential cytotoxic effect on HCT-116 and with the IC50value of 27.41 ± 4.3 μg/mL comparing to MCF-7 with IC50value of 41.90 ± 1.2 μg/mL. Significant anti-angiogenic activity of the sample was observed with 99 ± 0.8% of inhibition at 100 μg/mL.

Nutmeg (Myristica fragransHoutt.) is the seed kernel of inside the fruit. It has been studied to having number of ethnopharmacological properties. Essential oils are secondary metabolites which originated from different parts of plants and made up of volatile compounds. In the present study, the essential oil extracted from nutmeg was investigated for its in vitrocytotoxicity on Vero cell line (normal cell line) and anti-parasitic activity against Toxoplasma gondiiparasite. Nutmeg essential oil showed very low cytotoxic activity against Vero cells with IC50 value of 24.83μg/mL. In the in vitroanti-T.gondiiassay, the oil extract showed significant inhibiting activity with EC50 value of 24.45μg/mL. This result was comparable to the standard drug clindamycin (EC50=16.57μg/mL.). Based on the promising results, nutmeg essential oil may be further studied for its mechanism of action against T.gondiiand to isolate the bioactive compound(s) to treat toxoplasmosis.

The present study was aimed at evaluating the antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of various extracts of Euphorbia hirta. The ethanolic extract exhibited the strongest antimicrobial activity against Salmonella typhiwith MIC value of 0.031mg/ml. In contrast, hexane extract appeared to be the least active extract as its inhibition potency was been observed only on Proteus vulgaris. Dichloromethane and ethyl acetate extracts demonstrated moderate activities with MIC values in the range between 1- 0.5mg/ml. Interestingly, all the extracts exhibited no cytotoxic effect against Vero cell line. The results showed E.hirtaextracts possess promising antimicrobial properties.