Improvement in the yield and quality of kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata Nees) under the sustainable production system

Andrographis paniculata Nees is an annual erect herb with wide medicinal and pharmacological applications due to the presence of andrographolide and other active chemical constituents. The large-scale cultivation of the kalmegh is not in practice. The aim of this study was to establish sustainable production systems of A. paniculata cv CIM-Megha with the application of different bioinoculants and chemical fertilisers. A. paniculata herb and andrographolide yield in the dried leaves was found to be highest (218% and 61.3%, respectively) in treatment T₃ (NPK+Bacillus sp.) compared with T₁ (control). The soil organic carbon, soil microbial respiration, soil enzymes activity and available nutrients improved significantly with combined application of bioinoculants and chemical fertilisers.     

Highly sensitive hydrazine chemical sensor based on mono-dispersed rapidly synthesized PEG-coated ZnS nanoparticles

Monodispersed PEG-coated ZnS (P-ZnS) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by facile microwave process and utilized as efficient electron mediators for the fabrication of highly sensitive hydrazine chemical sensor. The detailed morphological and structural properties revealed the monodispersity and good crystallinity for synthesized P-ZnS NPs. A high-sensitivity of ∼89.3 μA cm⁻² μM and low limit of detection of 1.07 μM, based on S/N ratio, were obtained for the fabrication of hydrazine chemical sensor based on P-ZnS NPs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report which demonstrates the utilization of P-ZnS NPs for the fabrication of efficient hydrazine chemical sensor. By this work, it could be concluded that simply synthesized ZnS NPs can be used as efficient electron mediators for the fabrication of effective hydrazine chemical sensors.     

Effect of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria Associated with Halophytic Weed (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Psoralea corylifolia</Emphasis> L) on Germination and Seedling Growth of Wheat Under Saline Conditions

Halotolerant bacteria associated with Psoralea corylifolia L., a luxuriantly growing annual weed in salinity-affected semi-arid regions of western Maharashtra, India were evaluated for their plant growth-promoting activity in wheat. A total of 79 bacteria associated with different parts viz., root, shoot and nodule endophytes, rhizosphere, rhizoplane, and leaf epiphytes, were isolated and grouped based on their habitat. Twelve bacteria isolated for their potential in plant growth promotion were further selected for in vitro studies. Molecular identification showed the presence of the genera Bacillus, Pantoea, Marinobacterium, Acinetobacter, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, and Sinorhizobium (LC027447-53; LC027455; LC027457, LC027459, and LC128410). The phylogenetic studies along with carbon source utilization profiles using the Biolog® indicated the presence of novel species and the in planta studies revealed promising results under salinity stress. Whereas the nodule endophytes had minute plant growth-promoting (PGP) activity, the cell free culture filtrates of these strains enhanced seed germination of wheat (Triticum aestivum L). The maximum vigor index was monitored in isolate Y7 (Enterobacter sp strain NIASMVII). Indole acetic acid (IAA) production by the isolates ranged between 0.22 and 25.58 μg mL^?1. This signifies the need of exploration of their individual metabolites for developing next-generation bio-inoculants through co-inoculation with other compatible microbes. This study has potential in utilization of the weed-associated microbiome in terms of alleviation of salinity stress in crop plants.     

Dielectric and electro-optical studies of a nickel-ferrite-nanoparticle- doped ferroelectric liquid crystal mixture

Effect of magnetic nanoparticles (nickel ferrite) doping on the dielectric and electro-optical properties of a ferroelectric liquid crystal mixture has been studied. In a doped ferroelectric liquid crystal mixture, dispersion of a small amount (0.25 wt.%) of nickel ferrite nanoparticles decreases the polarization and improves the response time compared to an undoped mixture. The significant changes in the polarization and response time are explained on the basis of dipole–dipole interaction and anchoring phenomena. Dielectric permittivity also increases with increasing the temperature of the SmC* phase and shows a reduction in dielectric loss in a doped sample. A Goldstone mode is clearly observed at ～200 and ～500 Hz in an undoped and a doped sample, respectively.     

Structure-aided drug development of potential neuraminidase inhibitors against pandemic H1N1 exploring alternate binding mechanism

Molecular Diversity - The rate of mutability of pathogenic H1N1 influenza virus is a threat. The emergence of drug resistance to the current competitive inhibitors of neuraminidase, such as...     

Symmetric duality for second-order fractional programs

In this paper, a pair of symmetric dual second-order fractional programming problems is formulated and appropriate duality theorems are established. These results are then used to discuss the minimax mixed integer symmetric dual fractional programs.     

Electro-optic,dielectric and optical studies of NiFe2O4-ferroelectric liquid crystal: a soft magnetoelectric material

In the present study, magnetic nanoparticles (NP, nickel ferrite) in different concentrations into ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) mixture have been prepared and studied. The effect of nickel ferrite concentration on the electro-optic, dielectric and optical properties of FLC mixture has been studied and discussed. An improvement in spontaneous polarization, response time in nickel ferrite-FLC-doped samples compared to FLC is observed and explained on the basis of dipole moment and anchoring phenomena. The Goldstone mode (GM) is detected in all samples and follows a Debye-type relaxation behaviour. A twofold increase in relaxation frequency for the doped sample rather than the pure sample has been observed. The band gap was found more or less independent of doping concentration. The activation energy (E_a) also decreases on increasing the doping amount.     

DC electrical conduction and morphological behavior of counter anion‐governed genesis of electrochemically synthesized polypyrrole films

Highly conducting polypyrrole (PPY) films, doped with various anions [pTS^?, ClO₄^?, and NO₃^? and mixed electrolyte system (pTS^? + ClO₄^?)], have been electrochemically synthesized in aqueous solution at ～275 K in an inert atmosphere. PPY exhibits metallic order dc conductivity at room temperature and shows variation of conductivity with respect to time of polymerization. Effect of dopant anion on growth mechanism of PPY is evident from its surface morphology. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), used to examine the surface composition and doping level of various PPY films, confirms the anionic doping into the polymer backbone. Both XPS and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy give evidence of formation of polarons and bipolarons. The temperature (4.2–320 K)‐dependent dc conductivity data of these PPY films have been explained by Mott's 3D variable‐range hopping conduction model. Mott's parameters have been estimated, and structural disorder with doping is correlated for all the samples. Mott's criterion for distant hopping sites prevails in case of moderately doped samples (PPY3, PPY4, and PPY5), whereas the hopping to nearest neighbor sites is found more suitable in case of highly doped samples (PPY1 and PPY2). The origin of these changes is due to the modification in the molecular structure of PPY, which is governed by different growth mechanisms for organic (pTS^?) and inorganic (ClO₄^? and NO₃^?) counter anions. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Discovery,Synthesis and Evaluation of a Ketol-Acid Reductoisomerase Inhibitor

Ketol-acid reductoisomerase (KARI), the second enzyme in the branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis pathway, is a potential drug target for bacterial infections including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Here, we have screened the Medicines for Malaria Venture Pathogen Box against purified M. tuberculosis (Mt) KARI and identified two compounds that have K_i values below 200 nm . In Mt cell susceptibility assays one of these compounds exhibited an IC₅₀ value of 0.8 μm . Co-crystallization of this compound, 3-((methylsulfonyl)methyl)-2H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazin-2-one (MMV553002), in complex with Staphylococcus aureus KARI, which has 56 % identity with Mt KARI, NADPH and Mg²⁺ yielded a structure to 1.72 Å resolution. However, only a hydrolyzed product of the inhibitor (i.e. 3-(methylsulfonyl)-2-oxopropanic acid, missing the 2-aminophenol attachment) is observed in the active site. Surprisingly, Mt cell susceptibility assays showed that the 2-aminophenol product is largely responsible for the anti-TB activity of the parent compound. Thus, 3-(methylsulfonyl)-2-oxopropanic acid was identified as a potent KARI inhibitor that could be further explored as a potential biocidal agent and we have shown 2-aminophenol, as an anti-TB drug lead, especially given it has low toxicity against human cells. The study highlights that careful analysis of broad screening assays is required to correctly interpret cell-based activity data.