Purification, characterization and application of bromelain from Ananas comosus

Bromelain is a major protease, isolated from pineapple (Ananas comosus). Bromelain is accumulated in the entire plant to a different extent and properties depending on its source. In the present study, Bromelain was extracted from all parts of pineapple using sodium citrate buffer. Bromelain was filtered, centrifuged and used for further studies. After the determination of protease activity and protein content, the Core and Pulp extract of A.comosus was chosen using gelatin as the substrate. The Bromelain was purified by precipitation and dialysis. Then SDS-PAGE was performed in order to determine the molecular size of the obtained protein. Then the effectiveness of Bromelain as an anti-browning agent, extracted and purified from pineapple Core and Pulp was determined. The study showed that Bromelain is a better anti-browning agent when compared with some of the available commercial anti-browning agents. Further, the application of Bromelain was tested by stain removal, compared to the positive control, the ability of stain-removing property for the produced enzyme was observed to be good. Immobilized Bromelain prepared using calcium alginate beads and its stability and characters were noted

Standardization of the method for estimation of ethambutol in pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluid

A simple column chromatographic method for determination of ethambutol (EMB) in pharmaceutical preparations containing EMB in combination with other anti-TB drugs is presented. The method involved extraction of EMB into an organic solvent. followed by basification and column chromatographic separation on Amberlite CG 50 (100-200 mesh) and elution with suitable eluants and estimation at a wavelength of 270 nm. The assay was linear from 25 to 400 μg/ml. The relative standard deviations of intra and inter day assays were lower than 5%. Ethambutol was recovered from human urine quantitatively and stable for a period of atleast one week in urine stored at-20°C

Reverse chemical ecology approach for the identification of an oviposition attractant for Culex quinquefasciatus.

Pheromones and other semiochemicals play a crucial role in today's integrated pest and vector management strategies. These semiochemicals are typically discovered by bioassay-guided approaches. Here, we applied a reverse chemical ecology approach; that is, we used olfactory proteins to lead us to putative semiochemicals. Specifically, we used 7 of the top 10 odorant receptors (ORs) most expressed in the antennae of the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, and which are yet to be deorphanized. We expressed these receptors in the Xenopus oocyte recording system and challenged them with a panel of 230 odorants, including physiologically and behaviorally active compounds. Six of the ORs were silent either because they are not functional or a key odorant was missing. CquiOR36, which showed the highest transcript levels of all OR genes in female antennae, was also silent to all odorants in the tested panel, but yielded robust responses when it was accidentally challenged with an old sample of nonanal in ethanol. After confirming that fresh samples were inactive and through a careful investigation of all possible "contaminants" in the old nonanal samples, we identified the active ligand as acetaldehyde. That acetaldehyde is activating CquiOR36 was further confirmed by electroantennogram recordings from antennae of fruit flies engineered to carry CquiOR36. Antennae of female mosquitoes also responded to acetaldehyde. Cage oviposition and dual-choice assays demonstrated that acetaldehyde is an oviposition attractant in a wide range of concentrations and thus of potential practical applications

Enabling the Acceleration of Electric Vehicle Adoption

Electric vehicle uptake is accelerating as we move from early adopters to the majority. To reach its net-zero target, the UK Government will need to support this transition. Sufficient, accessible and affordable charging will be key to unlocking EV adoption for groups who will not be able to follow the current charging model. A lack of charging infrastructure for regular use remains a barrier to adoption, particularly for residents who can’t charge at home. The first step in removing this barrier is identifying where such residents live and the most valuable locations for charging solutions. Policy to reduce the cost of electricity for charge point operators and incentivise DSOs to offer affordable network upgrades would greatly improve the financial viability of charge points to service those without off-street parking

The economics of heat pumps and the (un)intended consequences of government policy

In Europe, space and water heating account for approximately 80% of final energy use in the domestic sector. For many European countries the electrification of heat provision, via heat pumps (HPs), provides a promising decarbonisation pathway. The UK is no different, but recently concerns have been raised about the financial attractiveness of HPs given how, through various policy choices, taxes and levies are applied more heavily on electricity bills than gas bills. In this paper, we critically examine this argument by assessing the financial attractiveness of HPs across their lifetime for a typical UK household and within the current UK tax and regulatory regime. The results suggest taxes and levies do weaken the economic case for HPs: their current distribution having an unintended impact on the economics of HPs. Nonetheless, they are not the only reason for HPs comparative financial disadvantage. Upfront costs and HP performance, both influence the extent to which taxes and levies impact the economics of HPs. The results have implications for the future deployment of HPs in the UK and point towards policies to increase deployment (to drive down costs) and increase HP performance as being important

Enabling the acceleration of electric vehicle adoption

Electric vehicle uptake is accelerating as we move from early adopters to the majority. To reach its net-zero target, the UK Government will need to support this transition. Sufficient, accessible and affordable charging will be key to unlocking EV adoption for groups who will not be able to follow the current charging model. A lack of charging infrastructure for regular use remains a barrier to adoption, particularly for residents who can&rsquo;t charge at home. The first step in removing this barrier is identifying where such residents live and the most valuable locations for charging solutions. Policy to reduce the cost of electricity for charge point operators and incentivise DSOs to offer affordable network upgrades would greatly improve the financial viability of charge points to service those without off-street parking. </ul

Identification of glucosyl transferase inhibitors from Psidium guajava against Streptococcus mutans in dental caries

Dental caries is a multi factorial disease that starts with microbiological shifts affected by salivary flow, composition, exposure to fluoride, consumption of dietary sugars, and preventive behaviours. The Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is an initiator of caries because there is a variety of a virulence factor unique to the bacterium that has been isolated and plays an important role in caries formation. The aim of the present study is to identify the beneficial effect of bioactive compounds in Psidium guajava (P. guajava) and its inhibitory role against S. mutans in dental caries. The methanolic extract was used for analysis of GC-MS for the identification of bioactive compounds. The results confirm the existence of 7 different compounds. The identified bioactive compounds were corynan-17-ol, 18,19-didehydro-10-methyoxy-acetate, Copaene, 3Bicyclo(5.2.0)nonane, 2-methylene-4,8,8-trimethyl-4-vinyl,Azulene,1,2,3a,4,5,6,7-octahydro-1,4-dimethyl-7-methylethenyl) [1R- (1a,3aa′,4a′,7a′)], α-Caryophyllene, Alloaromadendrene oxide-(1) and Androstan-17-one, 3-ethyl-3-hydroxy-, (5a). The saliva of dental caries during and after treatment of aqueous leaf extract was used for the analysis of bacterial load and determining the activity of Glucosyl transferase (GTF). The result obtained at different time intervals, showed significant decrease (P < 0.01) in the bacterial load of saliva on P. guajava treatment. The molecular docking studies identified the interaction between GTF and the bioactive compounds of P. guajava. The anticariogenic active compounds interacted through active sites of sucrose and inhibit the formation of glucan. The study suggested that it could be maximized the anticariogenic effect of the selected medicinal plant, and further focus is needed to identify the combined plant extract to explore the additional protection against dental caries. Keywords: Glucosyl transferase, Psidium guajava, Streptococcus mutans, Dental caries, Cariogenic plaqu