Search

The study was carried out the Student’s instructional farm of Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Narendra Nagar (Kumarganj) Ayodhya (U.P.) during the Rabi season in 2020-2021. The soil of the experimental area was sandy loam in texture. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with 11 treatments replicated thrice. The experimental results revealed that significantly maximum growth parameter like plant height (18.01 cm 30 DAS, 27.97 cm 60 DAS & 40.38 cm at harvest) and yield attributes like Pods/Plant (44.0), Seeds/pod (1.6), Test Weight (20.12 g), total grain yield (14.65 qha-1) were noticed under T11 (Soil nutrient amendment as chemical fertilizers@ half potency (10N : 20P : 0K) +Organic Inputs-IV [Organic Inputs I (FYM + Jeevamrit) + Organic Inputs-III (Rhizobium + PSB)] as compared to rest of the treatments and lowest under T1 (Control), Maximum gross return ( Rs. 88795), net return ( Rs. 56312) and B:C ratio (1:1.73) was also recorded with the treatment T11 (Soil nutrient amendment as chemical fertilizers@ half potency (10N : 20P : 0K) +Organic Inputs-IV [Organic Inputs-I (FYM + Jeevamrit) + Organic Inputs-III (Rhizobium + PSB)].

Today’s hectic schedule, work pressure, and lack of awareness of nutritious and healthy food are creating not only physical and mental unhealthiness but also psychological issues. Our biological clock goes to be misalignment because of wrong food habits, wrong meals, and wrong sleep timing. As the modern world is taking us out of sync with our natural rhythms, we are slipping into the lap and trap of severe health diseases such as obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, cancer, etc. Modern foods are commonly known as Junk food which means zerocalorie food. In zero-calorie foods, important micro-nutrients that are required for bodily functions are absent, but this type of food is high in calories. This means, that the lack of micronutrients, amino acids or minerals, fiber, vitamins, etc. in the modern food items chosen by the consumer due to hectic lifestyle not only affects the normal functioning of the body but also invites serious diseases at times. Furthermore, our biological clocks which are made up of a series of clocks and a master clock, also affect the function of our body when misaligned due to an unhealthy lifestyle. The main function of biological clocks in our circadian system is to maintain or perform body function properly and to make us in a natural rhythm to feel healthy throughout the day. But eating late at night causes our biological clock to get misaligned and exacerbates the issue when our body is unable to process food effectively and efficiently. Misalignment results in heart disease, cancer, and other several diseases. The present study, thus, aims to strengthen the knowledge of the impact of modern food and biological clock misalignment and how to live with sync in our body clock.

Agriculture is the prime importance to human beings. Without agricultural produce, no one can imagine surviving. The influence of monsoon and market on the farm, farmer and farming sector is increasing day by day due to global warming and political interference to some extent. Considering these facts the present review report is focused on the study of the impacts of various aspects of media, market and monsoon on agriculture. This study reports that the media in spite of being the fourth pillar of democracy is not able to play its role properly either intentionally or unintentionally. Media is not giving much importance to covering the farmer’s demands, difficulties, the monsoon forecast and the interference of the middleman/ or Dalal (i.e. intermediaries) in the market. Consequently, the condition of farmers has reached a critical situation and the cases of farmer’s suicide have been increased abruptly in the current decade. This article is, thus, tried to report the farmer’s pain and punctuations in their life and also reported how media and the market, like a monsoon, are exacerbating their wound in place healing. This article also discusses how media can take part in agricultural development to some extent.

Mango, the kind of fruits, is a nutraceutical, most popular, unique and high economic value fruit. Quality assessment (sorting/grading) is a must-do step to ensure the desired values (economical, nutraceutical) of mangoes before marketing (local/abroad). A study of real-time physical characterization system for mangoes is, therefore, essential. Using monochrome computer vision (MCV), some physical properties of Chausa and Dahsehari fruits important for design and development of machines were determined. The external diameters [length (L), width (W), thickness (T)] evaluated by MCV were compared with the results obtained from manual method (i.e., digital vernier calipers) using linear regression, paired t test and difference plot method. Coefficient of determination (R2) of diameters (L, W, T) was found between 0.991 and 0.950 for both types of fruits. Difference plot showed differences in diameters were normally distributed and major differences were located between the 95% limits of agreement (i.e., d − 1.92 SD and d + 1.96). In addition, the other parameters (area, perimeter, etc.) of fruits were also evaluated using MCV system and correlated with the mass/volume, using linear (simple and multi) regression technique. Proposed technique, thus, can be applied for the rapid and reliable assessment of mangoes.

The concept of piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) and triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) as sustainable, clean, reliable and cost-efficient power sources has come a long way since their first discovery in 2006 and 2012 respectively. A significant amount of research has been conducted to improve the performance of nanogenerators for its successful implementation in Internet of Things, wearable electronics and self-powered systems. Here, this paper reviews the recent advancements in materials and their output parameters along with their specialties based on experimental and theoretical studies in the literatures. Basic working modes of the triboelectric nanogenerator are explained in detail and the general procedure to synthesize, measure and characterize a nanogenerator is introduced in a straightforward structure.

Introduction: The continuous availability of open micropores is crucial for a successful microneedle (MN) drug delivery strategy. However, micropore lifetime depends on intrinsic skin functional and anatomical characteristics, which vary significantly at different anatomical sites. Objective: This pilot study explored if differences exist in micropore closure timeframes at 3 anatomical sites – upper arm, volar forearm, and abdomen. Methods: Healthy subjects (n = 35) self-identifying as Asian (n = 9), Bi-/multiracial (n = 2), Black (n = 9), Latino (n = 6), and White (n = 9) completed the study. The upper arm, volar forearm, and abdomen were treated with MNs; skin impedance and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) were measured at baseline and post-MN to confirm micropore formation. Impedance was measured for 3 days to evaluate micropore lifetime. Measurements of L*, which quantifies the skin lightness/darkness, were made using a tristimulus colorimeter. Micropore lifetime was determined by comparing baseline and post-MN impedance measurements, and micropore closure half-life was predicted using mathematical modeling. Results: Post-MN increase in TEWL and decrease in impedance were significant (p < 0.05), confirming successful micropore formation at all anatomical sites. When data were analyzed according to subject self-identified racial/ethnic groups, the mean micropore closure time at the abdomen (63.09 ± 13.13 h) was longer than the upper arm (60.34 ± 14.69 h) and volar forearm (58.29 ± 16.76 h). The predicted micropore closure half-life at anatomical sites was the abdomen (25.86 ± 14.96 h) ≈ upper arm (23.69 ± 13.67 h) > volar forearm (20.2 ± 11.99 h). Differences were not statistically significant between groups. Objective categorization by L* showed that the darker skin may be associated with longer micropore closure time at the abdomen site. Conclusions: Our results suggest that anatomical site of application may not be a source of significant variability in micropore closure time. These findings may help reduce the number of physiological parameters that need to be explicitly considered when developing drug products to support MN-assisted drug delivery strategies.

This study focused on gemcitabine (GTB) delivery of cationic polymeric nanoparticles to treat ovarian cancer in order to promote effective localized delivery and drug retention during biological discharge. To begin, four GTB-loaded polymer nanoparticles were prepared: chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NPs), polysarcosin nanoparticles (PSar-NPs), poly-l-lysinepolysarcosin nanoparticles (PLL-PSar-NPs), and chitosanpolysarcosin nanoparticles (CS-PSar-NPs). Based on preliminary particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, DSC, surface morphology, release profiling, and cellular internalization studies using rhodamine 123 and Nile red fluorescent markers, it was hypothesized that CS-PSar-NPs could be the best cationic formulation with strong biocompatibility and anticancer activity against the OVCAR-8 ovarian cancer cell line. To improve effective targeting, cellular penetration, and

Biofilm mediated bacterial infections are the key factors in the progression of infectious diseases due to the evolution of antimicrobial resistance. Traditional therapy involving antibiotics is not adequate enough for treatment of such infections due to the increased resistance triggered by biofilm. To overcome this challenge, we developed anacardic acid (Ana) loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), further coated with chitosan and DNase (Ana-SLNs-CH-DNase). The DNase coating was hypothesized to degrade the e-DNA, while chitosan was coated to yield positively charged SLNs with additional adhesion to biofilms. The SLNs were developed using homogenization method and further evaluated for particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, and entrapment efficiency. Drug excipient compatibility was confirmed by using FT-IR study, while encapsulation of Ana in SLNs was confirmed by X-ray diffraction study. The SLNs demonstrated sustained release for up to 24 h and excellent stability at room temperature for up to 3 months. The developed SLNs were found non-toxic against human immortalized keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells while demonstrated remarkably higher antimicrobial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus. Excellent effect of the developed SLNs on minimum biofilm inhibition concentration and minimum biofilm eradication concentration further confirmed the superiority of the developed formulation strategy. A significant (p < 0.05) reduction in biofilm thickness and biomass, as confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy, was observed in the case of developed SLNs in comparison with control. Cumulatively, the results suggest the enhanced efficacy of the developed formulation strategy to overcome the biofilm-mediated antimicrobial resistance. Graphical abstract.

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxy-tryptamine), which is generally considered as pleiotropic and multitasking molecule, secretes from pineal gland at night under normal light or dark conditions. Apart from circadian regulations, Melatonin also has antioxidant, anti-ageing, immunomodulation and anticancer properties. From the epidemiological research, it was postulated that Melatonin has significant apoptotic, angiogenic, oncostatic and anti-proliferative effects on various oncological cells. In this review, the underlying anticancer mechanisms of Melatonin such as stimulation of apoptosis, Melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) stimulation, paro-survival signal regulation, the hindering of angiogenesis, epigenetic alteration and metastasis have been discussed with recent findings. The Melatonin utilization as an adjuvant with chemotherapeutic drugs for the reinforcement of therapeutic effects was also discussed. This review precisely emphasizes the anticancer effect of Melatonin on various cancer cells. This review exemplifies the epidemiology and anticancer efficiency of Melatonin with prior attention to the mechanisms of actions.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) is a major complication which aggravates the disease complexity and progression. The improvement of antimicrobial therapy against the P. aeruginosa biofilm infection in CF by dissembling the extracellular matrix is a fundamental concept of this study. Chitosan nanoparticle was successfully fabricated and characterized. Furthermore, various in vitro antimicrobial efficacy, biofilm dispersal potential, and in vitro as well as in vivo toxicity were assessed. The chitosan nanoparticles of ciprofloxacin functionalized with DNase-I had spherical shape with desired quality attributes (particle size—212.3 ± 8.9; polydispersity index—0.288 ± 0.06, zeta potential—14.6 ± 1.3, and entrapment efficiency—53.7 ± 3.8%). The developed DNase-I functionalized chitosan nanoparticles laden with ciprofloxacin demonstrated substantial and prolonged microbial inhibition, efficiently prevented the biofilm development, and possessed the excellent biofilm dispersal potential. Moreover, the confocal study demonstrated that the biofilm treated with DNase-I functionalized chitosan nanoparticles of ciprofloxacin had minimum biofilm thickness, biomass, and microbial density compared to the other treatment groups. Additionally, the developed formulation was found to be safe and had minimal in vitro as well as in vivo toxicity. Thus, the findings of this study suggests ciprofloxacin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles functionalized with DNase-I as an effective and safe treatment approach for the P. aeruginosa infection in CF.

Development methodology of color computer vision for defects detection of two commercial varieties (Chausa and Dashehari) of Indian mangoes has been proposed in this research. First, images of the fruits of both cultivars were acquired using color (RGB) camera and proper lighting regime and arrangement to avoid highlights and light reflection. Second, an algorithm was developed for pre-processing and processing to segment the external defects of mangoes using LabView software. After image processing and filtering the defected particles, the number of pixels was counted whose gray level was found to be lower than the threshold value during the particle analysis. Performance of algorithm was also evaluated in terms of accuracy, efficiency and the overall time taken by the image during processing and analysis. The overall accuracy and efficiency of proposed algorithm was found to be 88.6% and 93.3%, respectively. The average time of inspection was found to be increased as the severity of defects on mango fruit’s surface increased.

In crime scene investigations, particularly in cases of homicide, the pattern or the shape of bloodstains at the crime scene is of crucial importance. Bloodstain pattern defines the facts surrounding some incident that is in question. The shape and size of the bloodstain pattern is helpful in determining the area of convergence, point of origin, the direction of the blood droplet at the time of impact, the angle of impact, the nature of force involved, direction from which force was applied, the nature of the object used and the relative positions of the suspect, victim and other related objects during the incident. When the examination of bloodstains is done efficiently and carefully and if all possibilities are exhausted, shape, location and site of bloodstain can give important details about the circumstances of the crime. Keeping the importance of physical properties of blood in mind the present study is carried out with the aim to study the inter species variations in the patterns formed by the blood of four commonly found animal species; pig (Sus scrofa domestica), goat (Capra ibex), human (Homo sapien sapiens) and chicken (Gallus gallus), and red ink as control. In the present study, the variations in bloodstain pattern of four common animal species, when blood is allowed to fall from a fixed height at various surface angles are demonstrated.

This research reports the comparison study of manual (digital vernier caliper, DVC) method and application of computer vision system (CVS) for evaluation of size attributes (length, width and thickness) of two mango cultivars (Chausa and Dashehari). The color RGB (red, green and blue) camera was used in CVS for capturing of required profile image of fruit. The profile image was then processed and developed algorithms for image analysis and extraction of fruit’s quality attributes. Various morphological features such as area, perimeter, Max Feret diameter (MFD), hydraulic radius, Waddel disk diameter (WDD), elongation factor, compactness factor, Heywood circulatory factor and type factor of both cultivars were also evaluated using developed algorithms and attempted to describe the morphology of the outline and shape of the biological object. Area, perimeter, Max Feret diameter and Waddel disk diameter, further, correlated with the weight and volume of fruit. Various multilinear regression (MLR) models were developed for determining weight and volume of mango fruit of both cultivars using dimensional characteristics (length, width and thickness) of mango fruit evaluated by CVS. The major diameter (single variable) and all three (major, intermediate and minor) diameter (multiple variables)-based models were identified as the best models. Similarly, CVS has yielded above 97.9%, 93.5% and 92.5% accuracy in estimating mango fruits major, intermediate and minor diameters of both cultivars.

Despite 60% oral absorption, high first-pass metabolisms resulted in 2% oral bioavailability of raloxifene and also suffer poor water solubility. In this study, we developed the penetration enhancer rich hydrogel containing raloxifene-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (RL-SLNs) for transdermal route. Interestingly, SLN offers higher solubility and thermodynamic activity due to amorphization of drug and evasion of first-pass metabolism by transdermal route. Cumulative effect will contribute to enhanced permeation flux, controlled drug release and enhanced bioavailability. Nanoparticles were synthesized using solvent emulsification–evaporation method and evaluated further for various physicochemical properties, ex vivo permeation and hydration studies. RL-SLN3 with particle size 227.9 ± 12.6 nm, polydispersity index 0.283 ± 0.021, zeta potential 15.4 ± 1.7 mV and entrapment efficiency 77.04 ± 5.08% was selected for further studies as optimized formulation. Differential scanning calorimetric method revealed that 54.75% of RL had changed to amorphous state adding to enhanced solubility. Furthermore, the results of ex vivo permeation studies on human skin elucidated that 10% d-limonene in combination with RL-SLN had excellent permeation flux (7.24 ± 0.49 µg/cm2 h) compared to RL-SLN alone and other penetration enhancers tested. Thus, the output of above studies suggested that transdermal delivery of RL-SLN using d-limonene as penetration enhancer can be a promising approach to evade the first-pass metabolism and increase the systemic bioavailability of RL.

Gas sensors are widely used in industries for detecting different kinds of harmful gas leakages. Since the requirement of sensors is such that it must not effects the engineering environment of the process. So over all the sensors and its circuitry must not consume much space. So the best solution in this era is to use the nanotechnology based sensors which consumes much less space along with its other components. So the researchers are continuously focusing on the nanotech based sensors. Along with the IOT technology it makes working environment much comfortable and ease for living. In this paper a review was given about the graphene sheet containing the gold nano particles which act as a co2 absorber.

Quality assessment through quick sorting and grading of mangoes is today’s need, for not only to enhance the post harvest management process but also to minimize the post harvest losses and to recover more economic and nutritional values. Near infrared (NIR) based computer vision (CV) which is very close to human vision was used for rapid measurements of some physical properties of mangoes (Chausa, Dashehari). Lab View s/w was used to process the image and development of algorithm steps for analysis of the image properties. Fruit’s diameters were measured and compared with manual measurements using paired t-test, the 95% limits of agreement (Bland-Altman plot) and both measurements correlated using regression analysis. The results obtained were consistent and the correlations of the mean dimensions between both methods were found to be noticeably high. Coefficient of determination (R2) for all diameters was found between 0.951 and 0.90. Various fruit’s shape attributes important in design of harvest and post harvest equipment were also evaluated using NIR-CV technique. The present research, thus, could be the basis for the development of real time CV systems which would be near to human vision.

Lack of rapid, non-destructive, and precision sorting and grading automatic tools for quality and safety assurance of mango fruit, in India, limits its share in the global market (

Nano-drug delivery carriers have fascinated researchers worldwide for the last two to three decades. The nanoformulations are preferred over conventional dosage forms as they provide improved drug solubility, bioavailability, drug stability under adverse external or physiological conditions, controlled drug release for prolonged action and target specificity using ligand binding and many more. Multiple essential aspects must be carefully studied and implemented for the development of efficient drug delivery vehicles. These aspects include rationale of nanoparticle preparation; use of polymeric or lipid nanoparticle; selection of polymer, lipid and excipients; method of preparation; screening of critical formulation or process parameters that affect the critical quality attributes; optimization of process to obtain the desired formulation characteristics; characterization of nanoparticles; strategy to improve the low entrapment efficiency and stability, etc. This chapter comprehensively summarizes all these aspects of nanoformulation development and proposes solutions for these challenges. Although a variety of nanoformulations have been described in literature, this chapter is restricted to discuss in detail the liposomes and polymeric and lipid nanoparticles.

This work was aimed to formulate transferrin (Tf) receptor targeted gold based theranostic liposomes which contain both docetaxel (DCX) and glutathione reduced gold nanoparticles (AuGSH) for brain-targeted drug delivery and imaging. AuGSH was prepared by reducing chloroauric acid salt using glutathione. The co-loading of DCX and AuGSH into liposomes was achieved by the solvent injection technique, and Tf was post-conjugated on the surface of the liposomes using carboxylated Vit-E TPGS (TPGS-COOH) as a linker. The liposomes were characterized for various parameters such as size, shape, surface charge, and drug release. The Tf receptor targeted gold liposomes were evaluated for the cytotoxicity by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) based colorimetric assay and in-vitro qualitative cellular uptake studies using confocal microscopy. The in-vivo site specific delivery of DCX was analyzed by the brain distribution study of DCX in comparison with marketed formulation (Docel™). A sustained drug release of about 70% was observed from liposomes in the span of 72 h. The in-vivo results demonstrated that targeted gold liposomes were able to deliver DCX into the brain by 3.70, 2.74 and 4.08-folds higher than Docel™ after 30, 120 and 240 min of the treatment, respectively. Besides, the results of these studies have suggested the feasibility of Tf decorated AuGSH and DCX co-loaded liposomes as a promising platform for targeted nano-theranostics.

Biofilm resistance is one of the severe complications associated with chronic wound infections, which impose extreme microbial tolerance against antibiotic therapy. Interestingly, deoxyribonuclease-I (DNase-I) has been empirically proved to be efficacious in improving the antibiotic susceptibility against biofilm-associated infections. DNase-I hydrolyzes the extracellular DNA, a key component of the biofilm responsible for the cell adhesion and strength. Moreover, silver sulfadiazine, a frontline therapy in burn wound infections, exhibits delayed wound healing due to fibroblast toxicity. In this study, a chitosan gel loaded with solid lipid nanoparticles of silver sulfadiazine (SSD-SLNs) and supplemented with DNase-I has been developed to reduce the fibroblast cytotoxicity and overcome the biofilm-imposed resistance. The extensive optimization using the Box-Behnken design (BBD) resulted in the formation of SSD-SLNs with a smooth surface as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and controlled release (83%) for up to 24 h. The compatibility between the SSD and other formulation excipients was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared, differential scanning calorimetry, and powder X-ray diffraction studies. Developed SSD-SLNs in combination with DNase-I inhibited around 96.8% of biofilm of Pseudomonas aeruginosa as compared to SSD with DNase-I (82.9%). In line with our hypothesis, SSD-SLNs were found to be less toxic (cell viability 90.3 ± 3.8% at 100 μg/mL) in comparison with SSD (Cell viability 76.9 ± 4.2%) against human dermal fibroblast cell line. Eventually, the results of the in vivo wound healing study showed complete wound healing after 21 days' treatment with SSD-SLNs along with DNase-I, whereas marketed formulations SSD and SSD-LSNs showed incomplete healing after 21 days. Data in hand suggest that the combination of SSD-SLNs with DNase-I is an effective treatment strategy against the biofilm-associated wound infections and accelerates wound healing.

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxy-tryptamine), which is generally considered as pleiotropic and multitasking molecule, secretes from pineal gland at night under normal light or dark conditions. Apart from circadian regulations, Melatonin also has antioxidant, anti-ageing, immunomodulation and anticancer properties. From the epidemiological research, it was postulated that Melatonin has significant apoptotic, angiogenic, oncostatic and anti-proliferative effects on various oncological cells. In this review, the underlying anticancer mechanisms of Melatonin such as stimulation of apoptosis, Melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) stimulation, paro-survival signal regulation, the hindering of angiogenesis, epigenetic alteration and metastasis have been discussed with recent findings. The Melatonin utilization as an adjuvant with chemotherapeutic drugs for the reinforcement of therapeutic effects was also discussed. This review precisely emphasizes the anticancer effect of Melatonin on various cancer cells. This review exemplifies the epidemiology and anticancer efficiency of Melatonin with prior attention to the mechanisms of actions.

Surface defects such as mechanical damage, black lesion, latex stains and shriveling of mango fruit are very common and responsible for lowering of market prices as well as postharvest losses. Current research, thus, focused on the study of reflected ultraviolet imaging (UV) technique, its potential of detecting defected mangoes and to develop a computer vision system which could find the reflected area on injured or defected mango’s surface. The visual visualization of the bruised areas was noticed different when viewed under 15 W fluorescent UV tube (100–400 nm) light by UV camera. Hidden defects on fruit’s surface detected just after the image acquisition by UV camera and brightness enhancement. Defected or injured surface of mangoes recognized easily by reflected UV imaging at 400 nm band-pass filter. The seriousness of injuries which were not detected by RGB color camera, detected by reflected UV imaging technique exactly. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13197-019-03597-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Dense colonization of mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa within the self-secreted extracellular matrix (mainly alginate), called biofilm, is a principal reason for the failure of antimicrobial therapy in cystic fibrotic patients. Alginate is a key component in the biofilm of mucoid P. aeruginosa and responsible for surface adhesion and stabilization of biofilm. To overcome this problem, alginate lyase functionalized chitosan nanoparticles of ciprofloxacin were developed for the effective treatment of P. aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis patients. The developed nanoparticles were found to have desired quality attributes and demonstrated sustained release following the Higuchi release kinetics. Drug compatibility with the chitosan was confirmed by FTIR while powder X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the entrapment of drug within the nanoparticle matrix. Lactose adsorbed NPs showed promising aerodynamic property. Nanoparticles showed prolonged MIC and significant reduction in biofilm aggregation and formation in planktonic bacterial suspension. Nanoparticles exhibited significantly higher inhibitory effect against biofilm of P. aeruginosa and reduced the biomass, thickness and density confirmed by confocal microscopy. Furthermore, developed nanoparticles were haemocompatible and did not exhibit any toxicity in vitro MTT assay and in vivo on lungs male Wistar rats. The data in hand collectively suggest the proposed strategy a better alternative for the effective treatment of cystic fibrosis infections.

The study was designed to fabricate the moxifloxacin nanostructured lipid carriers (MOX-NLCs) loaded in situ gel for opthalmic application to improve the corneal permeation and retention and also subside the toxic effect associated with intracameral injection of moxifloxacin in endophthalmitis treatment. Initially, Box-Behnken design was used to optimize the various factors significantly affecting the final formulation attributes. MOX-NLCs with particle size 232.1 ± 9.2 nm, polydispersity index 0.247 ± 0.031, zeta potential −16.3 ± 1.6 mV, entrapment efficiency 63.1 ± 2.4%, and spherical shape was achieved. The optimized MOX-NLCs demonstrated the Higuchi release kinetics with highest regression coefficient. Besides this, FTIR, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction results suggested that MOX had excellent compatibility with excipients. Furthermore, the results of ex-vivo permeation study demonstrated 2-fold higher permeation (208.7 ± 17.6 μg), retention (37.26 ± 2.83 μg), and flux (9.57 ± 0.73 μg/cm2 h) compared with free MOX in situ gel. In addition, MOX-NLCs exhibited normal corneal hydration and did not show any sign of structural damage to the corneal tissue as confirmed by histology. Therefore, the findings strongly suggest that MOX-NLCs in situ gel with higher permeation and retention can be a better alternative strategy to prevent and treat the endophthalmitis infection.

Anacardic Acid (AnAc), a key constituent of cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL), has been reported to exhibit antibacterial activity against S. aureus but its bioactivity and clinical applicability are limited owing to its poor water solubility and physicochemical stability. The aim of the present study was to develop inclusion complex of AnAc (C15:3) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) to improve its aqueous solubility and antimicrobial activity. The inclusion complex was prepared using the co-evaporation method considering different molar ratios of AnAc (C15:3) and HP-β-CD. The prepared inclusion complex was characterized using FT-IR, DSC, XRD, SEM, and 1H NMR, which provided appropriate evidence to confirm the formation of the inclusion complex. The prepared inclusion complex demonstrated ~2009 times improved aqueous solubility. The developed complex maintained the antimicrobial activity of pure AnAc against S. aureus. AnAc/HP-β-CD complex exhibited excellent biofilm dispersal potential against mature biofilms. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) demonstrated a remarkable decrease in bacterial biomass and thickness upon treatment with the inclusion complex. Conclusively, the developed inclusion complex of Anacardic Acid (C15:3) can be effectively used to overcome the poor aqueous solubility and improve the therapeutic efficacy for many other indications.

Quality inspection of food and agricultural produce are difficult and labor intensive. Simultaneously, with increased expectations for food products of high quality and safety standards, the need for accurate, fast and objective quality determination of these characteristics in food products continues to grow. However, these operations generally in India are manual which is costly as well as unreliable because human decision in identifying quality factors such as appearance, flavor, nutrient, texture, etc., is inconsistent, subjective and slow. Machine vision provides one alternative for an automated, non-destructive and cost-effective technique to accomplish these requirements. This inspection approach based on image analysis and processing has found a variety of different applications in the food industry. Considerable research has highlighted its potential for the inspection and grading of fruits and vegetables, grain quality and characteristic examination and quality evaluation of other food products like bakery products, pizza, cheese, and noodles etc. The objective of this paper is to provide in depth introduction of machine vision system, its components and recent work reported on food and agricultural produce.

This review paper included the recent progress made in heat pump assisted drying, its principle, mechanism and efficiency, type and its application for drying of agricultural produce. Heat pump assisted drying provides a controllable drying environment (temperature and humidity) for better products quality at low energy consumption. It has remarkable future prospects and revolutionaries ability. The heat pump system consists of an expansion valve, two heat exchangers (evaporator and condenser), and a compressor, which are connected by using copper tubes. In this paper we also provided a review discussion on different type of heat pump assisted drying system ready for remarkable and commercial use in different type of food industries. Here we also have given some major advantage and disadvantage of heat pump assisted drying.

Color Kinetics of Capsicum During Microwave Assisted Fluidized Bed Drying From last few decades, many advances in hybrid drying technologies have been emerged with the objective to minimize the degradation of various quality attributes of agricultural produce, shorting time and saving energy during drying. This experiments involves to study the effect of microwave powers on change in color kinetics of capsicum(Capsicum annuum, L.) during drying by microwave assisted fluidized bed dryer. Capsicum samples of average thickness of 6.35 mm and length of 20.25 mm were used in the drying experiments.The drying were carried out at different combinations, selected by RSM design, of microwave output powers such as 180 W, 360 W,and 540 W) and different inlet air velocities and temperatures.

The study shows development and optimization of modified release interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) macromolecules (beads) of oxcarbazepine using sodium alginate–egg albumin prepared by ionotropic gelation method and CaCl2 as a cross-linker. Independent variables were identified based on preliminary study of investigation. The effect of amount of both polymers on drug entrapment efficiency (DEE,%), bead size (μm) and cumulative drug release at 8 h (Q8h, %) were optimized using 32 factorial design. The DEE, average size and Q8h were found in the range of 65.08–91.02%, 976–1084 μm and 73.50–94.06% respectively. The beads were also characterized by FTIR, DSC, SEM and XRD. The experiential responses were coincided well with predicted values obtained by Design-Expert® 8.0.6.1 software. The swelling of beads were influenced by the pH of a release medium. The in vitro drug release from IPN beads exhibited sustained release Hixson–Crowell pattern with anomalous non-Fickian diffusion mechanism concluding that the developed sodium alginate–egg albumin IPN composite beads are suitable for sustained delivery of oxcarbazepine for desired period.