Agricultural and biomedical application of Silver Nanoparticles synthesized by Halimeda gracilis Harvey ex J. Agardh

The present work is focused on the biosynthesis of the Silver (Ag) Nanoparticles using an aqueous extract of the green seaweed Halimeda gracilis. The visible colour change indicated the biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles and the specific peak produced within the UV-Vis spectrum confirmed the biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles. The possible functional groups were identified with Fourier Infrared Spectroscopy. The morphological characterization of biosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles was done by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Dynamic light scattering measurements and Zeta potential. The average size distribution of Ag-Nanoparticles were 295.9 (d.nm) and fairly stable with a zeta potential value of -28.6 mV. The size of biosynthesized Ag-Nanoparticles was also measured with X-ray diffraction assay. Due to agglomeration, the size difference of biosynthesized Ag-Nanoparticles in case of SEM and EDX occurred. The biosynthesized Ag-Nanoparticles were assayed for their antibacterial activity against some human pathogens and for their potential on seed germination of Abelmoschus esculentus and Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus. The antibacterial activity of biosynthesized Ag Nanoparticles was the highest against Proteus mirabilis (2.33±0.2 cm), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae, (1±0.0 cm). The effect of biosynthesized Ag-Nanoparticles on the seed germination of Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus was excellent as the germination rate was 100 percent for Ag-Nanoparticles treated seeds, which was better than normal seaweed extract and seaweed liquid fertilizer treated seeds. The seed germination was also good for Abelmoschus esculentus with the treatment of seaweed mediated Ag-Nanoparticles as germination rate was 60 percent. This work proved that seaweed synthesized Ag-Nanoparticles are Phyto-friendly in nature and in future nano-bio fertilizer may be used as the growth promoter and eco-friendly Nano-bio-fertilizer

Feminism-Intersectional Feminism/Gender and Queer Theory: A Review on the Identity- Women in The Color Purple and Rudali

Stevie Jackson and Jackie Jones in their article- Contemporary Feminist Theory said that Jackson says “The concepts of gender and sexuality as a highly ambiguous term, as a point of reference”. Sexual orientation is an intricately planned, socially developed and questionably interrelated gadget utilized not in violation of our spending plan of Women's liberation that considers "sex" as an employable term to conjecture its deconstructive social viewpoints. Helene Cixous notes in Laugh of Medusa that people enter the emblematic request contrastingly and the subject position open to either sex is unique. This difference of entrance points of the marked and un-marked bodies results in variation of rights! Within the corpus of Human Rights, the considerable printed rules include all those entitlements which permits any ‘human being’ to sustain and appreciate the self as an acceptable and floatable being not as an ‘othered and subjugated’ life! The idea, of being recognized and categorized within the binarized construction of either inferior or superior in relation to caste and gender, is somewhat normalized under the framework of birth of the body in and within a specific standard of the ‘brahminical structure of Indian society’. Marginalization has numerous branches of oppression, out of which I prefer discussing how from Feminism the journey top Intersectional Feminism including Gender theory has enriched our comprehension and percepts to visualize the numerous and multiple oppressions taking place. I will therefore discuss selective literary works to showcase the multiple marginalizations of Women

Towards chiral diamines as chiral catalytic precursors for the borane-mediated enantioselective reduction of prochiral ketones

Two chiral diamines (3S)-3-anilinomethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (1) and (2R)-2-anilinomethylpiperidine (2) have been employed as chiral catalytic sources in the borane-mediated asymmetric reduction of prochiral ketones thus providing the resulting secondary alcohols in good enantiomeric purities (up to 81% ee)

The Presentation and Management of Facial Artery Pseudoaneurysm: A Review of the Literature

Pseudoaneurysm is a rare vascular complication of trauma, causing an incomplete tear of the vessel wall. We present a clinical case report arising from the distal branch of facial artery in an infant. Facial artery pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication of facial trauma and can easily be misdiagnosed especially in the paediatric age group. Prompt investigation and diagnosis with timely and apt intervention is the key to the successful management of facial artery pseudoaneurysm

Interaction of a fluorescent analog of N -deacetyl-N -methyl-colchicine (colcemid) with liver alcohol dehydrogenase

The evidence for specific binding of N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)-colcemid (NBD-colcemid), a fluorescent analog of colcemid (N-deacetyl-N-methyl-colchicine), to liver alcohol dehydrogenase is presented. Alcohol dehydrogenase bound NBD-colcemid in a time-dependent manner, enhanced the fluorescence intensity, and caused a large blue shift of the emission maximum of the free drug. The specificity of binding was determined for both the colchicine nucleus and the NBD moiety. The binding was not affected by the presence of alcohol or NAD in the reaction mixture. Preincubation of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase with colcemid inhibited the binding to a considerable extent. NBD-colcemid inhibited the enzymic activity of alcohol dehydrogenase in a mixed-type noncompetitive mode with a Ki value of 32 μM, whereas colcemid showed noncompetitive inhibition with a Ki of 100 μM. The association rate constant of NBD-colcemid binding with liver alcohol dehydrogenase was 587 M-1 s-1 at 25 °C. The stoichiometry and dissociation constant of the binding reaction were 0.62/dimer and 12 μM, respectively. Donor quenching experiments showed that both tryptophans of alcohol dehydrogenase transferred energy to the bound NBD-colcemid. Thus, this study reports the binding of a colchicine analog to a protein other than tubulin with high affinity. It is concluded that NBD-colcemid binding to dehydrogenases is a general phenomenon, but the common structural element(s) that is responsible for the binding activity, and which exists among tubulin and dehydrogenases, has yet to be determined

N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)colcemid, a probe for different classes of colchincine-binding site on tubulin

The nature of binding of 7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl-colcemid (NBD-colcemid), an environment-sensitive fluorescent analogue of colchicine, to tubulin was tested. This article reports the first fluorometric study where two types of binding site of colchincine analogue on tubulin were detected. Binding of NBD-colcemid to one of these sites equilibrates slsowly. NBD-colcemid competes with colchicine for this site. Binding of NBD-colcemid to this site also causes inhibition of tubulin self-assembly. In contrast, NBD-colcemid binding to the other site is characterised by rapid equilibration and lack of competition with colchicine. Nevertheless, binding to this site is highly specific for the cholchicine nucleus, as alkyl-NBD analogues have no significant binding activity. Fast-reaction-kinetic studies gave 1.76 × 105 M-1 s-1 for the association and 0.79 s-1 for the dissociation rate constants for the binding of NBD-colcemid to the fast site of tubulin. The association rate constants for the two phases of the slow site are 0.016 × 10-4 M-1 s-1 and 3.5 × 10-4 M-1 respectively. These two sites may be related to the two sites of colchicine reported earlier, with binding characteristics altered by the increased hydrophobic nature of NBD-colcemid

The Role of Intestinal Fatty Acid Binding Proteins in Protecting Cells from Fatty Acid Induced Impairment of Mitochondrial Dynamics and Apoptosis

Background/Aims: The conformation, folding and lipid binding properties of the intestinal fatty acid binding proteins (IFABP) have been extensively investigated. In contrast, the functional aspects of these proteins are not understood and matter of debates. In this study, we aim to address the deleterious effects of FA overload on cellular components, particularly mitochondria; and how IFABP helps in combating this stress by restoring the mitochondrial dynamics. Methods: In the present study the functional aspect of IFABP under conditions of lipid stress was studied by a string of extensive in-cell studies; flow cytometry by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), confocal imaging, western blotting and quantitative real time PCR. We deployed ectopic expression of IFABP in rescuing cells under the condition of lipid stress. Again in order to unveil the mechanistic insights of functional traits, we arrayed extensive computational approaches by means of studying centrality calculations along with protein-protein association and ligand induced cluster dissociation. While addressing its functional importance, we used FCS and in-silico computational analyses, to show the structural distribution and the underlying mechanism of IFABP’s action. Results: Ectopic expression of IFABP in HeLa cells has been found to rescue mitochondrial morphological dynamics and restore membrane potential, partially preventing apoptotic damage induced by the increased FAs. These findings have been further validated in the functionally relevant intestinal Caco-2 cells, where the native expression of IFABP protects mitochondrial morphology from abrogation induced by FA overload. However, this native level expression is insufficient to protect against apoptotic cell death, which is rescued, at least partially in cells overexpressing IFABP. In addition, shRNA mediated IFABP knockdown in Caco-2 cells compromises mitochondrial dynamics and switches on intrinsic apoptotic pathways under FA-induced metabolic stress. Conclusion: To summarize, the present study implicates functional significance of IFABP in controlling ligand-induced damage in mitochondrial dynamics and apoptosis

Diversity and Distribution of Archaea in the Mangrove Sediment of Sundarbans

Mangroves are among the most diverse and productive coastal ecosystems in the tropical and subtropical regions. Environmental conditions particular to this biome make mangroves hotspots for microbial diversity, and the resident microbial communities play essential roles in maintenance of the ecosystem. Recently, there has been increasing interest to understand the composition and contribution of microorganisms in mangroves. In the present study, we have analyzed the diversity and distribution of archaea in the tropical mangrove sediments of Sundarbans using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The extraction of DNA from sediment samples and the direct application of 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing resulted in approximately 142 Mb of data from three distinct mangrove areas (Godkhali, Bonnie camp, and Dhulibhashani). The taxonomic analysis revealed the dominance of phyla Euryarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota (Marine Group I) within our dataset. The distribution of different archaeal taxa and respective statistical analysis (SIMPER, NMDS) revealed a clear community shift along the sampling stations. The sampling stations (Godkhali and Bonnie camp) with history of higher hydrocarbon/oil pollution showed different archaeal community pattern (dominated by haloarchaea) compared to station (Dhulibhashani) with nearly pristine environment (dominated by methanogens). It is indicated that sediment archaeal community patterns were influenced by environmental conditions