Exogenous Sodium Nitroprusside Mitigates Salt Stress in Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) by Affecting the Growth,Yield, and Biochemical Properties

Soil salinity disrupts the physiological and biochemical processes of crop plants and ultimately leads to compromising future food security. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a contributor to nitric oxide (NO), holds the potential to alleviate abiotic stress effects and boost tolerance in plants, whereas less information is available on its role in salt-stressed lentils. We examined the effect of exogenously applied SNP on salt-stressed lentil plants by monitoring plant growth and yield-related attributes, biochemistry of enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD)) amassing of leaf malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Salinity stress was induced by NaCl application at concentrations of 50 mM (moderate salinity) and 100 mM (severe salinity), while it was alleviated by SNP application at concentrations of 50 µM and 100 µM. Salinity stress severely inhibited the length of roots and shoots, the relative water content, and the chlorophyll content of the leaves, the number of branches, pods, seeds, seed yield, and biomass per plant. In addition, MDA, H₂O₂ as well as SOD, CAT, and POD activities were increased with increasing salinity levels. Plants supplemented with SNP (100 µM) showed a significant improvement in the growth- and yield-contributing parameters, especially in plants grown under moderate salinity (50 mM NaCl). Essentially, the application of 100 µM SNP remained effective to rescue lentil plants under moderate salinity by regulating plant growth and biochemical pathways. Thus, the exogenous application of SNP could be developed as a useful strategy for improving the performance of lentil plants in salinity-prone environments.     

An expeditious and environmentally friendly synthesis of 3-substituted isocoumarins using microwave irradiation

A microwave-assisted, environmentally friendly, high-yielding, time-saving synthesis of medicinally important 3-substituted isocoumarins was carried out in a single step by direct condensation of homophthalic acid with aryol and acyl chlorides under solvent-free conditions without any solid support. The synthesised isocoumarins were structurally characterised by microanalysis, 1H NMR, EI, IR and UV.     

Electrical and Sensing Properties of Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes Network: Effect of Alignment and Selective Breakdown

The electrical transport and NH₃ sensing properties of randomly oriented and aligned SWNT networks were presented and discussed. The results indicate that aligned SWNT‐FETs have better FET characteristics due to the reduced number of interconnected nodes. This was particularly true as the resistance of the devices increased. Gated electrical breakdown was implemented to selectively remove metallic (m‐) SWNTs, thereby reducing scattering centers. This technique provided significant improvements in FET characteristics resulting in greater on/off ratio (e.g. 10⁴). AC dielectrophoretic alignment followed by selective electrical breakdown of m‐SWNTs can significantly enhance the semiconducting properties of SWNT networks which resulted in highly sensitive sensors.     

Synthesis,In Vitro α-Amylase Activity,and Molecular Docking Study of New Benzimidazole Derivatives

Russian Journal of Organic Chemistry - New benzimidazole derivatives were synthesized by reacting substituted phenacyl bromides with 1H-benzimidazole-2-thiols. The synthesized compounds were...     

Tandem catalytic condensation and hydrogenation processes in ionic liquids

A domino reaction composed of a Knoevenagel condensation combined with a simultaneous catalytic hydrogenation is reported in an ionic liquid solvent under mild conditions (298-363 K and 300 kPa). No interference between the catalysts (Pd/C and amine acetate salt) of the two diverse steps was monitored. The product could be neatly extracted by diethyl ether and the solvent containing the catalysts could be recycled and reused five times without any loss in activity or selectivity. The same methodology in a common organic solvent such as DMA resulted in significant competing parallel hydrogenation of the aldehyde to alcohol.     

Bounded <Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis><Superscript>∞</Superscript>-Calculus for Strip-Type Operators

We study the functional calculus for operators of strong strip type, including both a characterisation by means of weak bounded variation of the resolvent and some perturbation theory. The results are broadly similar in style to those for sectorial operators, but they are not corollaries and there are some surprising differences.     

Oxidative coupling of thiols to disulfides using a solid anhydrous potassium phosphate catalyst

Thiols are oxidized to the corresponding disulfides with a mild base, anhydrous potassium phosphate, under ambient conditions in the presence of air.     

Elucidating the Photoluminescence Quenching in Ensulizole: an Artificial Water Soluble Sunscreen

Journal of Fluorescence - Employing natural or artificial sunscreens is essential to protect the skin from ultraviolet radiations that cause premature aging and develop melanoma and other forms of...