Synthesis and characterization of silver nanoarticles from extract of Eucalyptus citriodora

The primary motivation for the study to develop simple eco-friendly green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using leaf extract of Eucalyptus citriodora as reducing and capping agent. The green synthesis process was quite fast and silver nanoparticles were formed within 0.5 h. The synthesis of the particles was observed by UV-visible spectroscopy by noting increase in absorbance. Characterization of the particles was carried out by X-ray diffraction, FTIR and electron microscopy. The developed nanoparticles demonstrated that E. citriodora is good source of reducing agents. UV-visible absorption spectra of the reaction medium containing silver nanoparticles showed maximum absorbance at 460 nm. FTIR analysis confirmed reduction of Ag+ to Ag0 atom in silver nanoparticles. The XRD pattern revealed the crystalline structure of silver nanoparticles. The SEM analysis showed the size and shape of the nanoparticles. The method being green, fast, easy and cost effective can be recommended for large scale production of AgNPs for their use in food, medicine and materials

HUNTING APPRENTICESHIP AS INDIGENOUS FORM OF EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION OF WILDLIFE IN MAU FOREST OF KENYA

Mau Forest, the home of the majority of the Ogiek people is located in the Rift Valley Province and straddles Kericho, Nakuru, Narok and Bomet districts .Traditionally, the Ogiek as hunter-gatherers have distinctive histories of interaction with the natural environment. Over the years, the Ogiek have inhabited in the Mau Forest with little impact on the environment. The paper focuses on the influence of hunting apprenticeship as Indigenous Form of Education for sustainable conservation of Wild life in Mau Forest of Kenya. The study was informed by the General Systems Theory and the Cultural Ecology Theory. The argument of the general systems theory is that the intricate relationship of the parts cannot be treated in isolation from the whole. In this case, an analysis of the Ogiek superstructure affirmed that the society’s institutions must be contextualized in their totality. Arguably, an understanding of the Ogiek in general is related to how the community interacts with nature. On the other hand, the cultural ecologists argue that there exist a clear link between the society’s culture, mode of subsistence and the natural environment. An ethno-historical approach was employed in the design, instrumentation, data collection, analysis and interpretation. To achieve systematic collection of data, purposive sampling techniques were used. Forty-five (45) members of the Ogiek community, mainly key cultural consultants were interviewed for the study. Cultural consultants provided the most complete and representative information about particular aspects of Ogiek life because of their experience and training. The main instruments for data collection were observation and interview schedules. In addition to oral interviews, this study used a variety of documentary sources. The information obtained from the various sources was checked for validity and reliability using triangulation as well as external and internal criticism approaches to data analysis. The paper reveals that hunting apprenticeship as indigenous education as practised by the Pre-colonial Ogiek society facilitated sustainable conservation of wild life in Mau Forest of Kenya. In essence, it was arguably revealed that the Ogiek hunting practice and broader socio-cultural contexts as well as human-animal relations incorporated a number of conventions and practices that helped to support and sustain wild life populations.  Article visualizations

Fallout radionuclides as indicators of soil degradation and potential loss of agricultural production in Latin American and Caribbean countries

Land degradation affects about 300 million ha of land in the Latin American and Caribbean region: 51% of this is agricultural land (180 million hectares). The ARCAL Regional Strategy Profile identifies the deficient use of agricultural soil and the resulting permanent loss of productive agricultural areas as one of the most important environmental and alimentary problems in the Latin American and Caribbean continental areas (Alimentary Security, A3, PER-ARCAL, 2007-2013). In recent times, extensive natural areas have been dramatically diminished by various human interventions. In this continental context, regional or national difficulties normally present specific characteristics and relevancies and distinct intervention needs. Indicators of the present soil conservation status are essential for an assessment of national economic impact and an evaluation of social consequences.Fil: Lohaiza, Flavia Analia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis "Prof. Ezio Marchi". Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico, Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis ; ArgentinaFil: Juri Ayub, J.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis "Prof. Ezio Marchi". Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico, Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis ; ArgentinaFil: Velasco, H.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis "Prof. Ezio Marchi". Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico, Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis ; ArgentinaFil: Dercon, G.. International Atomic Energy Agency. Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications. Soil and Water Management & Crop Nutrition Subprogramme; Austri

Multilayer vectorization to develop a deeper image feature learning model

Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) approaches categorise medical images substantially. Shape, colour, and texture can be problem-specific in medical imagery. Conventional approaches rely largely on them and their relationship, resulting in systems that can\u27t illustrate high-issue domain ideas and have weak prototype generalization. Deep learning techniques deliver an end-to-end model that classifies medical photos thoroughly. Due to the improved medical picture quality and short dataset size, this approach may have high processing costs and model layer restrictions. Multilayer vectorization and the Coding Network-Multilayer Perceptron (CNMP) are merged with deep learning to handle these challenges. This study extracts a high-level characteristic using vectorization, CNN, and conventional characteristics. The model\u27s steps are below. The input picture is vectorized into a few pixels during preprocessing. These pixel images are delivered to a coding network being trained to create high-level classification feature vectors. Medical imaging fundamentals determine picture properties. Finally, neural networks combine the collected features. The recommended technique is tested on ISIC2017 and HIS2828. The model\u27s accuracy is 91% and 92%

PRODUCTION AND PURIFICATION OF ANGIOTENSIN-CONVERTING ENZYME INHIBITOR BY SELECTED BACTERIAL STRAIN FOR CANCER THERAPY

Objective: The present study was planned to explore safer, innovative and economic Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) from beef extract by the action of a proteolytic Micrococcus luteus. Cytotoxicity of the stable peptide was predicted using MCF-7 cell line in vitro.Methods: ACEi was purified by sequential steps of ethanol precipitation, ion exchange column chromatography (MonoQ) and gel filtration column chromatography (Sephadex G25). The apparent molecular mass was determined by SDS-PAGE. The anticancer property was analyzed by studying the cytotoxicity effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor using Breast cancer MCF-7 cell linesResults: The peptide was purified and molecular mass was determined as 4.5 kDa. The IC50 value of peptide was found to be 59.5 µg/ml. The DNA fragmentation was not observed in the treated cells. The purified peptide has demonstrated to induce apoptosis of cancer cell. The results proved that the peptide has the ability to be used for cancer therapy.Conclusion: The presence of ACE inhibition activities in the fermentation of beef extract using Micrococcus luteus has been investigated. The Peptide has been determined as an active compound that inhibited the activity of ACE. These properties indicate the possibilities of the use of purified protein as a potent anticancer agent.Keywords: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, Micrococcus luteus, Anti-proliferative, Anti-metastatic, MCF-7 cell line, Anticancer activity

Biodegradação de glifosato pela microbiota de solos cultivados com macieira.

Resumo: O glifosato é um herbicida sistêmico, pós-emergente, não seletivo do grupo dos organofosforados, sendo amplamente usado em pomares de macieira no sul do Brasil, podendo causar consequências negativas para microrganismos benéficos do solo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a capacidade de biodegradação do glifosato pela microbiota de solos de pomares de macieira, com diferentes históricos de aplicação do produto. Para isso, amostras de solos da região de Vacaria, RS, foram utilizadas, cuja biodegradação do glifosato foi avaliada monitorando a liberação de CO2 pelos microrganismos durante 32 dias, bem como quantificando os resíduos de glifosato e seu metabólito, o ácido aminometilfosfônico (AMPA), no início e no final do período pela extração seguidade análise por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência. Os resultados evidenciaram que houve degradação do glifosato pelos microrganismos edáficos durante o período avaliado com formação do metabólito AMPA. O glifosato diminuiu o número de bactérias do solo, porém favoreceu o aumento da atividade microbiana. As bactérias presentes nos solos com histórico de menor tempo de aplicação do herbicida apresentaram maior capacidade de degradação do produto, quando comparadas àquelas existentes em solos com maior período de aplicação de glifosato. Abstract: Glyphosate is a systemic post-emergent herbicide of the non-selective organophosphate group widely used in apple orchards in the South of Brazil. It may have adverse effects on beneficial soil microorganisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biodegradability of glyphosate by soil microbiota in apple orchards with different histories of application of the product. For that purpose, soil samples from the region of Vacaria, Rio Grande do Sul, were used, with the biodegradation of glyphosate being evaluated by monitoring the release of CO 2 by microorganisms over 32 days, as well as quantifying the residues of glyphosate and its metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), at the beginning and end of the period through extraction followed by analysis by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that there was glyphosate degradation by soil microorganisms during the period evaluated, with formation of the metabolite AMPA. Glyphosate decreased the number of soil bacteria, but favored increased microbial activity. The bacteria present in soils with lower herbicide exposure showed more degradability of the product when compared to those found in soils with a greater period of glyphosate application

Unpuzzling COVID-19:Tissue-related signaling pathways associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission

The highly infective coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is caused by a novel strain of coronaviruses - the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) - discovered in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan (Hubei Province, China). Remarkably, COVID-19 has rapidly spread across all continents and turned into a public health emergency, which was ultimately declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in early 2020. SARS-CoV-2 presents similar aspects to other members of the coronavirus family, mainly regarding its genome, protein structure and intracellular mechanisms, that may translate into mild (or even asymptomatic) to severe infectious conditions. Although the mechanistic features underlying the COVID-19 progression have not been fully clarified, current evidence have suggested that SARS-CoV-2 may primarily behave as other β-coronavirus members. To better understand the development and transmission of COVID-19, unveiling the signaling pathways that may be impacted by SARS-CoV-2 infection, at the molecular and cellular levels, is of crucial importance. In this review, we present the main aspects related to the origin, classification, etiology and clinical impact of SARS-CoV-2. Specifically, here we describe the potential mechanisms of cellular interaction and signaling pathways, elicited by functional receptors, in major targeted tissues/organs from the respiratory, gastrointestinal (GI), cardiovascular, renal, and nervous systems. Furthermore, the potential involvement of these signaling pathways in evoking the onset and progression of COVID-19 symptoms in these organ systems are presently discussed. A brief description of future perspectives related to potential COVID-19 treatments is also highlighted

ISOLATION OF ANGIOTENSIN-CONVERTING ENZYME INHIBITOR PRODUCING BACTERIA FROM COW MILK

Objective: To evaluate the potential of protease producing organism for the production of Angiotensin I–converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor by fermentation of various protein substrates.Methods: Bacterial strains were isolated from cow milk collected in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India by using serial dilution technique, plated on nutrient agar medium. The identity of the strain was ascertained by 16s rRNA gene sequencing method and was submitted to the NCBI GenBank nucleotide database. Various substrates were screened for ACE inhibitor production by the fermentation with the isolated strain.Results: The isolated coded as BUCTL09, which showed a significant zone of clearance was selected and identified as Micrococcus luteus (KF303592.1). Among the seven substrates, only beef extract fermented broth showed an inhibition of 79% and was reported as the best substrate.Conclusion: In the search for non-toxic, and economic ACE inhibitors as an alternative to the synthetic drugs, many natural ACE inhibitors have been isolated from a microbial source. In the present study, isolate BUCTL09 was selected for the production of ACE inhibitor from the beef extract. Findings from this study lead us to investigate this potent ACE inhibitor further for its biological properties and to explore the impending efficacy of the ACE inhibitor which may conceivably be developed into a prospective drug