Eco-system Complementarities and Urban Encroachment: A SWOT Analysis of the East Kolkata Wetlands, India

To understand the complex process caused by the plants, microorganisms, soil matrix and substances in the wastewater and their interactions with sunshine in a hot and humid climate, researchers from different corners of the globe are taking keen interest in the functioning of the East Kolkata Wetland (EKW) as a tutorial ecosystem. However, due to excessive pressure of urban sprawl of Kolkata, a densely populated metropolitan city, this system is facing some threats to sustenance over the decades. This paper attempts to illustrate the inherent nature of eco-system complementarities between the city of Kolkata and EKW, threats imparted by the recent urban developments, inadequacy of the regulatory initiatives taken for its protection and would indicate the untapped opportunities as well as weaknesses, by carrying out a SWOT analysis

Enantiopure trisubstituted tetrahydrofurans with appendage diversity: vinyl sulfone- and vinyl sulfoxide-modified furans derived from carbohydrates as synthons for diversity oriented synthesis

Enantiomerically pure 2-substituted-2,5-dihydro-3-(aryl) sulfonyl/sulfinyl furans have been prepared from the easily accessible carbohydrate derivatives. The orientation of the substituents attached at the C-2 position of furans is sufficient to control the diastereoselectivity of the addition of various nucleophiles to the vinyl sulfone/sulfoxide-modified tetrahydrofurans, irrespective of the size of the group. The orientation of the substituents at the C-2 center also suppresses the influence of sulfoxides on the diastereoselectivity of the addition of various nucleophiles. The strategy leads to the creation of appendage diversity, affording a plethora of enantiomerically pure trisubstituted furanics for the first time

Two Essays on the Airbnb Market

This dissertation analyses the Airbnb market in Orange County, FL to provide insight on the performances of short-term vacation rentals listed on the platform. In the first essay we examine the factors affecting the demand and supply of this real estate sector before and after the Covid-19 pandemic, using occupancy, pricing and revenue models. The results identify the aspects of the Airbnb peer-to-peer sharing model that do and those that do not recover quickly after local covid restrictions are lifted. In particular, host experience, professional management, and proximity to major tourist attractions are some of the key factors that generate greater Airbnb unit occupancy, revenue, and prices. The effects are stronger in the post-covid period. On the other hand, Airbnb consumers appear to steer clear of rentals with popular reviews from previous tenants, located in high-income areas, and in ethnic neighborhoods during the post-covid period. Traditional hotel rooms participating in the Airbnb market exhibit different post-pandemic responses than found for other properties. In addition, there is evidence that, while hotel participation directly competes with other properties, these effects are mediated by shopping externalities created by greater search traffic from hotels on the platform. In the second essay we use a choice theoretic approach to identify factors driving the Airbnb unit owner\u27s choice of management form and the effect of that choice on the unit rentals performance. Property owners looking to let their real-estate assets on a short-term basis on the Airbnb platform can choose between two forms of day-to-day management: owner managed (OM) and third party managed (TPM). Incentives theory shows that asset owners must weigh the input mix inefficiency arising from the incentive structure of TPM against possibly greater TPM management ability. The empirical model reveals that management structure affects pricing and occupancy rates of these units in both the full sample and when controlling for endogenous management form selection using matched sample methods. Airbnb data for Orange County, Florida, over 2014-2022 reveals higher prices and occupancy for TPM units in both cases. Interestingly, TPM fails to outperform OM when the number of units managed for the owner are sufficiently high, consistent with effort-thinning associated with rising marginal management costs for TPM firms. In addition, professional management outcomes vary significantly across property types, with lower prices and occupancy rates for high density apartments and condominiums relative to comparable OM units. Furthermore, TPM hosts\u27 response to the declining demand for vacation properties during the pandemic is found to be stronger than OM hosts

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the Brassinazole-resistant (BZR) Gene Family and Its Expression in the Various Developmental Stage and Stress Conditions in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Brassinosteroids (BRs) play crucial roles in various biological processes, including plant developmental processes and response to diverse biotic and abiotic stresses. However, no information is currently available about this gene family in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In the present investigation, we identified the BZR gene family in wheat to understand the evolution and their role in diverse developmental processes and under different stress conditions. In this study, we performed the genome-wide analysis of the BZR gene family in the bread wheat and identified 20 TaBZR genes through a homology search and further characterized them to understand their structure, function, and distribution across various tissues. Phylogenetic analyses lead to the classification of TaBZR genes into five different groups or subfamilies, providing evidence of evolutionary relationship with Arabidopsis thaliana, Zea mays, Glycine max, and Oryza sativa. A gene exon/intron structure analysis showed a distinct evolutionary path and predicted the possible gene duplication events. Further, the physical and biochemical properties, conserved motifs, chromosomal, subcellular localization, and cis-acting regulatory elements were also examined using various computational approaches. In addition, an analysis of public RNA-seq data also shows that TaBZR genes may be involved in diverse developmental processes and stress tolerance mechanisms. Moreover, qRT-PCR results also showed similar expression with slight variation. Collectively, these results suggest that TaBZR genes might play an important role in plant developmental processes and various stress conditions. Therefore, this work provides valuable information for further elucidate the precise role of BZR family members in wheat

Enantiopure Trisubstituted Tetrahydrofurans with Appendage Diversity: Vinyl Sulfone- and Vinyl Sulfoxide-Modified Furans Derived from Carbohydrates as Synthons for Diversity Oriented Synthesis

Enantiomerically pure 2-substituted-2,5-dihydro-3-(aryl) sulfonyl/sulfinyl furans have been prepared from the easily accessible carbohydrate derivatives. The orientation of the substituents attached at the C-2 position of furans is sufficient to control the diastereoselectivity of the addition of various nucleophiles to the vinyl sulfone/sulfoxide-modified tetrahydrofurans, irrespective of the size of the group. The orientation of the substituents at the C-2 center also suppresses the influence of sulfoxides on the diastereoselectivity of the addition of various nucleophiles. The strategy leads to the creation of appendage diversity, affording a plethora of enantiomerically pure trisubstituted furanics for the first time

Vinyl sulfone modified hex-3-enopyranosides: novel routes to C3–C4 and C4–C5 cyclopropanated pyranosides

In a departure from metal-based cyclopropanation reactions, 4-sulfonylhex-3-enopyranosides carrying a leaving group at either of the two γ-positions are used as efficient intermediates for the synthesis of C3–C4 and C4–C5 cyclopropanated pyranosides

Vinyl sulfone- and vinyl sulfoxide-modified tetrahydrofurans: a preliminary account of the enantiomeric synthesis of and diastereoselectivity of addition to new classes of Michael acceptors

Enantiomerically pure 2-hydroxymethylene substituted-2,5-dihydro-3-(arylsulfonyl)- and 2-hydroxymethylene substituted-2,5-dihydro-3-(arylsulfinyl)-furans have been prepared from easily accessible carbohydrate derivatives for the first time. The strategy for accessing both these sulfones and sulfoxides is more efficient than the methods reported so far for the synthesis of this type of compounds. Hydroxymethylene group is sufficient to impose diastereoselectivity on the addition of a wide range of nucleophiles to vinyl sulfone-modified tetrahydrofurans. The benzyl protected hydroxymethylene group also suppresses the influence of chirally pure sulfoxides as two diastereomeric vinyl sulfoxide-modified tetrahydrofurans afforded the Michael adducts with same configurations at C-3 and C-4; this has been established by oxidizing the adducts, which were found to be identical to the products obtained by adding the same nucleophiles to the corresponding vinyl sulfones. These highly reactive Michael acceptors may be considered as a new addition to the arsenals of synthetic chemists interested in the functionalization of tetrahydrofurans

Densely functionalized chiral pyrroles from endocyclic, exocyclic, and acyclic vinyl sulfone-modified carbohydrates

A wide range of vinyl sulfone-modified carbohydrates have been prepared as starting materials for the synthesis of polysubstituted chiral pyrroles. All these vinyl sulfones reacted efficiently with ethylisocyanoacetate to generate a plethora of new pyrrole derivatives. Furanosyl rings opened up during pyrrole synthesis, and pyranosyl rings were opened up by reacting the pyrrole with POCl3/DMF. This paper also reports one of the most efficient and practical routes for the synthesis of β-substituted pyrroles

Cytotoxicity and sustained release of modified divinylsulfone from silk based 3D construct

Monovinylsulfones have been extensively studied for its biological activities but modified divinylsulfones (mDVS2) were largely neglected due to the non-availability of appropriate synthetic routes. The present report describes the potential of a unique derivative of divinylsulfone as a remedial molecule. The mDVS2, available in reasonably large amount through an easy synthesis route, incites necrosis in invasive and non-invasive breast cancer cells in a time and concentration dependent manner. This molecule is further used to fabricate mDVS2 embedded silk based 3D scaffolds in order to achieve sustained release. The entrapped molecules retain their activity over time, as 100 % cell death is observed within 7 days. The findings demonstrate the cytotoxic property of mDVS and highlight the importance of under utilized mDVSs as potential therapeutic agents