The in vitro a-glucosidase inhibition activity of various solvent fractions of Tamarix dioica and 1H-NMR based metabolite identification and molecular docking analysis

The Tamarix dioica (T. dioica) is widely used medicinal plant to cure many chronic ailments. T. dioica is being used to manage diabetes mellitus in traditional medicinal system; however, very little scientific evidence is available on this plant in this context. The current study involves the fractionation of crude methanolic extract of T. dioica using n-hexane, ethyl acetate, chloroform, and n-butanol. The screening for antioxidant activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay was carried out. The in vitro antidiabetic potential was assessed by measuring α-glucosidase inhibition. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were also determined for each fraction. The metabolites were identified using highly sensitive and emerging 1H-NMR technique. The results revealed the ethyl acetate fraction as the most potent with DPPH scavenging activity of 84.44 ± 0.21% and α-glucosidase inhibition with IC50 value of 122.81 ± 2.05 µg/mL. The total phenolic and flavonoid content values of 205.45 ± 1.36 mg gallic acid equivalent per gram dried extract and 156.85 ± 1.33 mg quercetin equivalent per gram dried extract were obtained for ethyl acetate fraction. The bucketing of 1H-NMR spectra identified 22 metabolites including some pharmacologically important like tamarixetin, tamaridone, quercetin, rutin, apigenin, catechin, kaempferol, myricetin and isorhamnetin. Leucine, lysine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, serine, and tyrosine were the major amino acids identified in ethyl acetate fraction. The molecular docking analysis provided significant information on the binding affinity among secondary metabolites and α-glucosidase. These metabolites were most probably responsible for the antioxidant activity and α-glucosidase inhibitory potential of ethyl acetate fraction. The study ascertained the ethnomedicinal use of T. dioica to manage diabetes mellitus and may be a helpful lead towards naturopathic mode for anti-hyperglycemia

Natural 'Sketching Interface' for designers

In this research work a technique is developed that approximates the straight lines, given the freehand user sketch for the lines. It further integrates the sketch input with the 3D Reconstruction program, which converts the 2D sketch input into a 3D model. Object oriented methodologies are used for designing generic tools which can be used by any existing or future sketching applications. A system design for the sketch system is suggested as a part of this work. All the existing and future research work can use this design to have an integrated sketch system which uses a system design approach.Master of Science (Computer Integrated Manufacturing

Molecular Analysis of Carbapenem and Aminoglycoside Resistance Genes in Carbapenem-Resistant <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Clinical Strains: A Challenge for Tertiary Care Hospitals

Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) strains have become a global threat due to their remarkable capability to survive and disseminate successfully by the acquisition of resistance genes. As a result, the treatment strategies have been severely compromised. Due to the insufficient available data regarding P. aeruginosa resistance from Pakistan, we aimed to investigate the resistance mechanisms of 249 P. aeruginosa strains by antimicrobial susceptibility testing, polymerase chain reaction for the detection of carbapenemases, aminoglycoside resistance genes, extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), sequence typing and plasmid typing. Furthermore, we tested silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to evaluate their in vitro sensitivity against antimicrobial-resistant P. aeruginosa strains. We observed higher resistance against antimicrobials in the general surgery ward, general medicine ward and wound samples. Phenotypic carbapenemase-producer strains comprised 80.7% (201/249) with 89.0% (179/201) demonstrating genes encoding carbapenemases: blaNDM-1 (32.96%), blaOXA48 (37.43%), blaIMP (7.26%), blaVIM (5.03%), blaKPC-2 (1.12%), blaNDM-1/blaOXA48 (13.97%), blaOXA-48/blaVIM (1.68%) and blaVIM/blaIMP (0.56%). Aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme genes and 16S rRNA methylase variants were detected in 43.8% (109/249) strains: aac(6′)-lb (12.8%), aac(3)-lla (12.0%), rmtB (21.1%), rmtC (11.0%), armA (12.8%), rmtD (4.6%), rmtF (6.4%), rmtB/aac(3)-lla (8.2%), rmtB/aac(6′)-lla (7.3%) and rmtB/armA (3.6%). In total, 43.0% (77/179) of the strains coharbored carbapenemases and aminoglycoside resistance genes with 83.1% resistant to at least 1 agent in 3 or more classes and 16.9% resistant to every class of antimicrobials tested. Thirteen sequence types (STs) were identified: ST235, ST277, ST234, ST170, ST381, ST175, ST1455, ST1963, ST313, ST207, ST664, ST357 and ST348. Plasmid replicon types IncFI, IncFII, IncA/C, IncL/M, IncN, IncX, IncR and IncFIIK and MOB types F11, F12, H121, P131 and P3 were detected. Meropenem/AgNPs and Amikacin/AgNPs showed enhanced antibacterial activity. We reported the coexistence of carbapenemases and aminoglycoside resistance genes among carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa with diverse clonal lineages from Pakistan. Furthermore, we highlighted AgNP’s potential role in handling future antimicrobial resistance concerns

Experimental investigation of effect of welding parameters on surface roughness, micro-hardness and tensile strength of AISI 316L stainless steel welded joints using 308L filler material by TIG welding

Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding is type of arc welding with area of applications in food industry, pharmaceutical industry, chemical plants, marine, aerospace, medical devices, and implants, etc. TIG welding process involve several parameters. Many parameters are controllable by the operator, and these parameters have a direct or indirect impact on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints. In the present study, three TIG welding parameters, arc current, voltage, and shielding gas flow rate, were changed up to three levels and their effects on surface roughness, hardness and tensile strength were investigated. Experiments were carried out on a 3 mm thick plate of austenitic stainless steel AISI 316L utilizing a TIG welding equipment and were designed according to Taguchi L9 orthogonal array (OA). ER308L was used as filler material. Results were analyzed using signal to noise S/N ratio and analysis of variance. It was observed that, for optimization of each response, arc current is the most influential factor. Minimum surface roughness was achieved at parametric combination of current 125 A, voltage 18 V and gas flow rate 12 L/min. Maximum hardness was achieved at parametric combination of current 125 A, voltage 20 V and gas flow rate 9 L/min. Maximum tensile strength was achieved at parametric combination of current 100 A, voltage 18 V and gas flow rate 6 L/min

Investigating the synergistic effects of biochar, trans-zeatin riboside, and Azospirillum brasilense on soil improvement and enzymatic activity in water-stressed wheat

Abstract Background Water stress is a major danger to crop yield, hence new approaches to strengthen plant resilience must be developed. To lessen the negative effects of water stress on wheat plants, present study was arranged to investigate the role of synergistic effects of biochar, trans-zeatin riboside (t-ZR), and Azospirillum brasilense on soil improvement and enzymatic activity in water-stressed wheat. Results In a three-replication experiment comprising of four treatments (T0: Control, T1: Drought stress (DS), T2: DS + t-ZR with biochar, T3: DS + A. brasilense with biochar), we observed notable improvements in soil quality and enzymatic activities in water-stressed wheat plants with the application of t-ZR and A. brasilense with biochar. In drought stress, Treatment having the application of A. brasilense with biochar performs best as compared to the other and significant increased the enzymatic activities such as peroxidase (7.36%), catalase (8.53%), superoxide dismutase (6.01%), polyphenol oxidase (14.14%), and amylase (16.36%) in wheat plants. Different enzymatic activities showed different trends of results. Soil organic C, dissolved organic C, dissolved organic N also enhanced 29.46%, 8.59%, 22.70% respectively with the application of A. brasilense with biochar under drought stress condition. Conclusions The synergistic action of A. brasilense and biochar creates an effective microbiological environment that supports essential plant physiological processes during drought stress. This enhancement is attributed to improved soil fertility and increased organic matter content, highlighting the potential of these novel strategies in mitigating water stress effects and enhancing crop resilience