NEEM (AZADIRACHTA INDICA A. JUSS) AS A SOURCE FOR GREEN SYNTHESIS OF NANOPARTICLES

 Nanoscience has found various applications in different biomedical fields. The synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) has become a vast area of research due to its potential applications. These particles can be prepared by different chemical, physical, and biological approaches. In recent years, green synthesis of NPs using plant extracts has gained much interest due to non-toxicity and very low cost of synthesis. The plant extracts act both as reducing agent as well as capping agent. Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) is a well-known medicinal plant and has been studied for the biosynthesis of NPs. A. indica has various phytochemicals identified that can reduce the metal ions. The bioreduction of NPs from neem extract is an eco-friendly, low cost, and green synthesis method and these NPs are reported to exhibit good antimicrobial, mainly antibacterial, activit

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITIES OF LANTANA CAMARA LINN.

ABSTRACTHerbal drugs are the potential sources of therapeutic aid for the treatment and prevention of number of ailments as recognized very early by Ayurveda,Unani, and traditional folk - medical practitioners. The rich biodiversity of plants makes them a treasure house for obtaining new and novel compoundseither themselves as drugs or lead molecules for drugs with different mechanisms of action. Lantana camara L. belonging to the family Verbenaceaeand universally known as wild or red sage is the most widespread species of the genus. It occurs in most parts of the world as an evergreen notoriousweed species. It is also considered as an ornamental garden plant. It is widely used in different traditional medical practices for treating various healthproblems. Different parts of the plant are used in treating various human ailments. The plant extracts and essential oil of L. camara possess variousbioactivities including antimicrobial activities. The therapeutic potential of the plant is due to the occurrence of many bioactive phytocompounds. Inlast decade, scientists and researchers around the globe have elaborately studied the chemical composition of the whole plant of L. camara as well asits biological activities. This article reviews the antimicrobial activities of L. camara.Keywords: Antimicrobial activities, Essential oils, Nanoparticles, Lantana camara, Solvent extracts

Formation rates of Dark Matter Haloes

We derive an estimate of the rate of formation of dark matter halos per unit volume as a function of the halo mass and redshift of formation. Analytical estimates of the number density of dark matter halos are useful in modeling several cosmological phenomena. We use the excursion set formalism for computing the formation rate of dark matter halos. We use an approach that allows us to differentiate between major and minor mergers, as this is a pertinent issue for semi-analytic models of galaxy formation. We compute the formation rate for the Press-Schechter and the Sheth-Tormen mass function. We show that the formation rate computed in this manner is positive at all scales. We comment on the Sasaki formalism where negative halo formation rates are obtained. Our estimates compare very well with N-Body simulations for a variety of models. We also discuss the halo survival probability and the formation redshift distributions using our method.Comment: 30 pages, 9 figure

THE INFLUENCE OF CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS ON FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE IN HOSPITALITY ORGANIZATIONS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

The purpose of this study is to develop and empirically test a model that examines the relationship between customer perceptions and financial performance in hospitality organizations. A survey has been undertaken in hospitality organizations with a sample size of 387 based on simple random sampling. Meta-analysis of literature was the basis for developing the metric that included the variables constituting the hypothetical research model. The tool used for data analysis was structural equation modeling with partial least square technique. Results indicate that both the product- and nonproduct-related attributes have positive and significant influence on symbolic benefits and experiential benefits, which in turn positively influence customer satisfaction. Further, customer satisfaction positively influences financial services. The findings suggest that financial service managers should consider treating customers as partners in services on their quest to develop successful new services in hospitality organizations. Reciprocal behavior will foster a positive atmosphere, remove barriers arising from risk, and enable relationships to progress, ultimately improving customer satisfaction and financial performance. There are not many models available that deal with the antecedents of customer satisfaction (in terms of the product- and non-product related attributes and the functional, symbolic, and experiential benefits) and financial performance. This study adds to the body of knowledge in this emerging area

Dynamics of Learning Orientation, Innovativeness, and Financial Performance of the Hotel Industry

This paper investigates the moderating influence of firm innovativeness between learning orienta- tion and financial performance in the context of the hotel industry in Qatar. Quantitative research was the approach using Structural Equation Modeling with Partial Least Square Technique. A questionnaire-based survey was undertaken with 165 financial managers of different hotels in Qatar. The findings show that commitment to learning has significant influence on product innovation; shared vision has significant influence on process innovation; intra-organization knowledge shar- ing has influence on product, process, and business system innovation; and open-mindedness to learning has influence on business system innovation. Furthermore, firm innovativeness was also found to have an independent positive effect on financial performance. These findings have led to the development of the implications to the strategic and financial managers of the hotel industry to improve their financial performance