Biosynthesis of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Using Ethyl Acetate Extract of Chaetomium Cupreum and their Anticancer Activity

Background: The biosynthesis of iron oxide nanoparticle (NP) formation was carried out using ethyl acetate extract of fungus Chaetomium cupreum as reducing agents. The C. cupreum contains azaphilones pigments which poses various biological activities. Objectives: The synthesis of iron oxide NP and their anticancer potential was investigated. Materials and Methods: The anticancer activities of biosynthesized iron oxide NP were evaluated using tetrazolium bromide assay, measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and inhibition of tumorsphere formation. Results: In the present study, the X-ray diffraction shows the presence of gamma phase iron oxide NP withe the type of Fe2O3. The anticancer potential of iron oxide NP was investigated against human breast cancer cell line. The anticancer activity of biosynthesized iron oxide NP against MCF-7 was 20.5, 30.5, 41.1, 55.3 67.5, and 75.25 at 50 μg/ml after 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 24 h of treatment, respectively. The results showed that Fe2O3NP induced ROS generation to 68.22% at the concentration of 25 μg/ml and 83.66% at 50 μg/ml as compared to 48.22 in control after 15 h of treatment. The results showed that Fe2O3NP treatment increased depolarization MMP to 8.52% at 25 μg/ml and 10.74% at 50 μg/ml as compared to 6.35% in untreated cells after 24 h. Thus, treatment with Fe2O3NPs showed significant inhibition of MCF-7 tumorsphere formation at higher concentration. Conclusion: The biosynthesized iron oxide NP using ethyl acetate extract of C. cupreum exhibit significant anticancer activity

Examine the Impact of Addition Al2O3 as Nano Additive to Used Temple Oil Biodiesel Blends on Performance, Combustion and Emission Characteristics of CI Engine

An experimental study was performed in the gist research to determine the effect of adding Al2O3 nano additive to B20 UTOME blend with different concentrations of 25, 50 and 75 ppm on CI Engine's performance, combustion, and gaseous emission characteristics. Nano particles are blended with biodiesel blend by using an ultrasonicator to get the nano additive correctly dispersed. The characteristics like BTE, BSFC, Peak Pressure, HRR and emissions CO, HC and NOx were quantified at constant speed of 1800rpm. The results of B20UTOME and B20UTOME +75Al2O3 were compared with the neat diesel. Experimental results reveal that there will be enhancement in the BTE by 4.6% and 6.4%, but BSFC decreases by 1.91% and 9.01% for B20UTOME and B20UTOME +75Al2O3 than the neat diesel will be noticed. B20UTOME will show maximum HRR followed by B20UTOME +75Al2O3, similar trend will continue as compared with diesel for peak pressure at higher load. B20UTOME and B20UTOME +75Al2O3 gaseous emission products such as CO and HC will be lowered and NOx reduction will also been observed

Experimental and Numerical Studies on Setback Buildings considering the SSI Effect under Seismic Response

From the previous studies it is observed that due to the effect of the earthquake, several irregular buildings failed vulnerably. Further the effect of sub soil conditions where these buildings have been founded also play an important role on the seismic response of these buildings. In the past, experimental studies on the seismic response of different setback building configurations have not been carried out. Therefore, in the present study the seismic behaviour of setback buildings considering Soil Structure Interaction (SSI) has been evaluated by conducting experimental and numerical investigations. Buildings with various setback configurations were considered and are designed as pile foundation supported structures. The irregularity index of these building configurations have been determined as per the existing codal provisions. These piles supported buildings representing the prototype structure have been scaled down according to geometric, kinematic and dynamic scaling laws. The scaled building models are subjected to vibrations beyond resonant frequencies using shake table facility. A comparison of the results has been made between experimental and numerical investigations. Based on the study it has been observed that storey displacements of building with regular configurations are higher in comparison with the setback buildings. It is also found that asymmetrical and symmetrical setback buildings having different irregularity indices as per IS:1893-2016 indicate nearly the same displacements at resonant frequencie

Diversity and antimicrobial potential of endophytic fungi from aromatic plants of bhadra wildlife sanctuary, western ghats, Karnataka

Endophytic fungi are the main sources of novel bioactive compounds because of their unique inhabitation ability. This work focus on studying the diversity of fungal endophytes from eleven aromatic plants in three locations of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary i.e. Baba Budangiri, Lakkavalli, Mullayanagiri and screened for antimicrobial potential. Three hundred and forty-three endophytic fungi were isolated, and the highest colonization frequency was in Plectranthus amboinicus (60%) collected from the Baba Budangiri region. Fusarium sp., was the most prominent genus isolated from all plant samples. The relative density (RD) of isolates varied within plant parts, with leaf fragments of the Baba Budangiri region having the highest RD 42% and root segments showed the least RD value from all three locations. The Shannon-Wiener and species richness was highest in the Lakkavalli region. The Jaccard's similarity indices of fungal endophytes compared between the three sites ranged from 0.33-0.38. The antimicrobial activity showed that the endophyte Chaetomium globosum had maximum inhibition of 22 mm against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. Also, a wide range of antifungal activity was exhibited by C. globosum, inhibiting the radial growth of Fusarium oxysporum by 74.5%. C. globosum can be further exploited for the production of bioactive compounds. © 2021 Jagadish and Chowdappa

Correlates of sperm quality parameters and oxidative stress indices in diabetic rats exposed to cold stress: Role of moringa oleifera leaf extract

Spermatogenesis is extremely sensitive to fluctuations in the environment, particularly temperature and hormones. Sperm dysfunction, a root cause of male infertility, is a commonly allied complication of diabetes mellitus. Our previous studies cogitate that cold stress (15°C) exacerbates the complications and the resultant oxidative stress plays a major role in testicular and epididymis dysfunction in diabetic rats. Despite the strong biologic prospect for this postulation, establishing a direct link between free radicals and specific disease is an in-dire need, and in this context, this study focuses on investigating the sperm quality parameters and their relationship to testicular oxidative stress indices of cold stress diabetes in Wistar rats. The results indicate a cumulative impact by diminishing sperm parameters, viz. sperm density, viability, motility, mortality, and acrosome intactness in cold-stressed diabetic rats. The findings also reveal a strong positive Pearson’s correlation between the sperm quality parameters and testicular lipid peroxidation, which reflects the influence of oxidative stress on sperm dysfunction. Together with duel stressor effects, the efficacy of Moringa oleifera leaf ethanolic (MOLE) extract is appended to assess its therapeutic role. The apparent effectiveness of MOLE therapy at 250 and 500 mg/kg bw for 60 days aided in suppressing oxidative stress and improved semen quality demonstrating the causative nature of these associations; hence, Moringa usage is recommended as a therapeutic agent for male reproductive dysfunctions in population residing in colder climates. © 2021 Basha, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License-NonCommercial-ShareAlike Unported License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

Evaluation of Photoswitching Properties for Hockey Stick-Shaped Mesogens Bearing Azo Benzene Moieties

In this paper, we report the photoresponsive behavior of hockey stick-shaped mesogens bearing azo wing with different terminal alkoxy chains at one terminal end. Except for the compound E16, which exhibits SmC along with nematic phase, all other mentioned compounds exhibit nematic phase alone. Influence of chain length on the photophysical properties were investigated using UV-Vis spectroscopy. It is observed here that influence of chain length is negligible on thermal back relaxation time. Spectroscopic investigation with variable intensities of UV light studies reveals that reverse cis-trans isomerization process was inversely proportional to the intensity of illuminated light. The present study also reveals that the structure-property relationship plays a dominant role on shape anisotropic structures. A spectroscopic study of the solid sample using guest-host mixture was also carried out and the compilation of results forecast these mesogens as ideal candidates for optical storage devices

Turmeric, red pepper, and black pepper affect carotenoids solubilized micelles properties and bioaccessibility: Capsaicin/piperine improves and curcumin inhibits carotenoids uptake and transport in Caco-2 cells

This study aimed to evaluate the role of spices/spice active principles on physical, biochemical, and molecular targets of bioaccessibility/bioavailability. Carotenoids-rich micellar fraction obtained through simulated digestion of green leafy vegetables (GLV) with individual or two/three combinations were correlated to their influence on bioaccessibility, cellular uptake, and basolateral secretion of carotenoids in Caco-2 cells. Results suggest that carotenoids' bioaccessibility depends on micelles physicochemical properties, which is affected due to the presence of co-treated dietary spices and their composition. Increased bioaccessibility of β-carotene (BC) and lutein (LUT) is found in GLV (spinach) digested with turmeric (TM) than red pepper (RP) and black pepper (BP). In contrast, enhanced cellular uptake and secretion of BC and LUT-rich triglyceride-rich lipoprotein is observed in the presence of RP and BP compared to the control group. In contrast, TM inhibited absorption, while retinol levels significantly reduced in the presence of TM and RP than BP. Control cells have indicated higher cleavage of β-carotene to retinol than the spice-treated group. Besides, spice active principles modulate facilitated transport of carotenoids by scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SR-B1) protein. The effect of spices on carotenoids’ bioavailability is validated with active spice principles. Overall, carotenoids’ bioavailability (cellular uptake and basolateral secretion) was found in the following order of treatments; piperine > capsaicin > piperine + capsaicin > curcumin + capsaicin + piperine > control > turmeric. These findings suggested that the interaction of specific dietary factors, including spice ingredients at the enterocyte level, could provide greater insight into carotenoid absorption. Practical Application Spices/spice active principles play a role in the digestion process by stimulating digestive enzymes and bile acids secretion. Since carotenoids are lipid soluble and have low bioavailability, spice ingredients' influence on intestinal absorption of carotenoids is considered crucial. Hence, understanding the interaction of co-consumed spices on the absorption process of carotenoids may help to develop functional foods/formulation of nutraceuticals to improve their health benefits

Product Recommendation System using Scalable Alternating Least Square Algorithm and Collaborative Filtering using Apache Spark in E-Commerce

Recommender System is tremendously used in numerous spaces, such as e-commerce and entertainment to enhance businesses by increasing the chance of sales. Earlier researches have focused more on traditional Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based approaches. Developing a scalable recommender system has been challenging concerning high availability and fault tolerance. The traditional collaborative filtering approach used with the recommender system also faces challenges due to the absence of explicit product ratings by the customer and the cold start problem. We have proposed a scalable Alternating least square (ALS) and collaborative filtering-based approach for the recommender system. The experimental results of the proposed hybrid approach show improved performance as compared with the traditional approach

Optimization study for enhanced production of hyaluronic acid from Streptococcus equisimilus MK156140

Hyaluronic acid finds its complete application in areas such as therapeutics, cosmetics, and as a health supplement. In the present investigation, standardization for the production of hyaluronic acid by Streptococcus equisimilus MK156140 in complex media was performed. Some of the selected physicochemical parameters such as pH, temperature, speed, incubation time, sucrose, yeast extract, and beef extract were screened using Plackett-Burman foldover design. Further, the screened parameters interaction was investigated using central composite design (CCD) and closely compared with OVAT studies. At a pH of 7.38, with beef extract, 12.15%, and yeast extract 7.64%, the observed yield was 7.16 g/L, which was in close line with the predicted value of 7.21 g/L. © 2021, The Korean Institute of Chemical Engineers