Variety Of Properties Research Articles

Quinoline and Analogs: Insight into the Synthesis, Biological Activity, Structure-Activity Relationship, and Interaction with Targets

Abstract: Quinoline and its derivatives have been utilized and marketed as antibacterial, antimalarial, anticancer, hypertension, asthma (COPD), etc. The diverse pharmacological properties of quinolone are related to its chemical structure. Nowadays, it is common practice to combine at least two pharmacophores to create a single molecule with powerful pharmacological effects. This helps to synergize pharmacological qualities, enables interaction with several targets, or lessens the negative effects related to them. Various synthetic approaches which have been used in recent times for the synthesis of quinoline and its derivatives are listed in the manuscript with their merits and demerit. The structure-activity relationship relating various pharmacological actions with molecular structure and interaction with several targets has also been highlighted to provide a good comprehension to the researchers for future studies on quinoline.

Unveiling the Latest Breakthroughs: A Comprehensive Review of the Therapeutic Activity and Safety Profile of Aloe vera.

The use of herbal drugs as alternative and complementary medicine has increased in popularity, raising concerns about their safety profile. Aloe vera, a plant with diverse therapeutic properties, has been extensively used for centuries. This review aims to assess the therapeutic activity and safety profile of Aloe vera. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to gather relevant information from various biomedical databases. The chemical composition, mechanism of action, and therapeutic activities of Aloe vera were analyzed. Aloe vera contains numerous active components such as vitamins, enzymes, minerals, sugars, lignin, saponins, and anthraquinones. Its mechanisms of action involve collagen synthesis, anti-inflammatory effects, immune modulation, laxative properties, and antiviral activity. Aloe vera has demonstrated potential therapeutic benefits in wound healing, diabetes management, liver and kidney protection, and glycemic control. However, it is essential to consider potential side effects, such as skin irritation and allergic reactions. This review provides evidence-based information to improve patient safety and promote informed decisions regarding the use of Aloe vera as a therapeutic agent.

Biochar and wood vinegar altered the composition of inorganic phosphorus bacteria community in saline-alkali soils and promoted the bioavailability of phosphorus

As an important part of the ecosystem, saline-alkali soils are in urgent need of efficient and environmentally friendly soil conditioners. Biochar and wood vinegar are regarded as organic soil improvement and plant growth regulators to improve soil physicochemical properties and promote crop growth. However, the mechanism of how inorganic phosphorus bacteria increase phosphorus when biochar and wood vinegar applied to saline-alkali soils is not clear. Herein, the present study was designed to investigate the effects of biochar and wood vinegar with different rates on physicochemical properties of saline-alkali soils and inorganic phosphorus bacteria diversities and to discuss the mechanism of biochar and wood vinegar on available phosphorus by pot experiments. The application of biochar and wood vinegar exhibited an effect on the decrease in pH and salt contents and the increase in soil porosity, soil nutrients, and hundred-grain weight of rice. The 600 kg ha−1 biochar and 1800 kg ha−1 wood vinegar group showed the most significant increment in available phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, and neutral phosphatase activities, with the increases of 49.24%, 40.35%, 48%, and 149%, respectively. The 600 kg ha−1 biochar and 1200 kg ha−1 wood vinegar group significantly enhanced microbial biomass phosphorus concentrations by 41.29%. Moreover, biochar and wood vinegar shifted inorganic phosphorus bacteria composition structure and promoted its diversities, more so at a higher rate of wood vinegar application. The dominant species of inorganic phosphorus bacteria were Proteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Pseudomonas, and Rhizobium in saline-alkali soils. The Alphaproteobacteria and Hydrogenophaga were the key microorganisms reducing pH and salt contents and increasing available phosphorus contents in saline-alkali soils. In conclusion, the application of biochar and wood vinegar was a useful strategy to improve saline-alkali soils.

Mycobacterial Targets for Thiourea Derivatives: Opportunities for Virtual Screening in Tuberculosis Drug Discovery.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a primary global health concern, necessitating the discovery and development of new anti-TB drugs, mainly to combat drug-resistant strains. In this context, thiourea derivatives have emerged as promising candidates in TB drug discovery due to their diverse chemical structures and pharmacological properties. This review aimed to explore this potential, identifying and exploring molecular targets for thiourea derivatives in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and the potential application of virtual screening techniques in drug discovery. We have compiled a comprehensive list of possible molecular targets of thiourea derivatives in Mtb. The enzymes are primarily involved in the biosynthesis of various cell wall components, including mycolic acids, peptidoglycans, and arabinans, or targets in the branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis (BCAA) pathway and detoxification mechanisms. We discuss the potential of these targets as critical constituents for the design of novel anti-TB drugs. Besides, we highlight the opportunities that virtual screening methodologies present in identifying potential thiourea derivatives that can interact with these molecular targets. The presented findings contribute to the ongoing efforts in TB drug discovery and lay the foundation for further research in designing and developing more effective treatments against this devastating disease.

Ocimum sanctum: The Journey from Sacred Herb to Functional Food.

In recent years, the growing demand for herbal-based formulations, including functional foods, has acquired significant attention. This study highlights historical, botanical, ecological, and phytochemical descriptions and different extraction mechanisms of Ocimum sanctum utilized in its processing. Besides this, it explores the utilization of Ocimum sanctum as a functional food ingredient in various food products such as bakery products (biscuits, bread), dairy products (herbal milk, cheese), and beverages (tea, juice, wine) while focusing on their evaluation parameters, preparation techniques, and pharmacological activities. In terms of other pharmacological properties, Ocimum sanctum-infused functional foods exhibited cognitiveenhancing properties, adaptogenic qualities, anti-obesity effects, gastroprotective, antiinflammatory, hypoglycemic, and immuno-modulatory effects. Thus, the diverse properties of Ocimum sanctum offer exciting opportunities for the development of functional foods that can promote specific health issues, so future research should focus on developing and analyzing novel Ocimum sanctum-based functional foods to meet the growing demand of the functional food industry.

Intestinal Delivery of Probiotics: Materials, Strategies, and Applications.

Probiotics with diverse and crucial properties and functions have attracted broad interest from many researchers, who adopt intestinal delivery of probiotics to modulate the gut microbiota. However, the major problems faced for the therapeutic applications of probiotics are the viability and colonization of probiotics during their processing, oral intake, and subsequent delivery to the gut. The challenges of simple oral delivery (stability, controllability, targeting, etc.) have greatly limited the use of probiotics in clinical therapies. Nanotechnology can endow the probiotics to be delivered to the intestine with improved survival rate and increased resistance to the adverse environment. Additionally, the progress in synthetic biology has created new opportunities for efficiently and purposefully designing and manipulating the probiotics. In this article, a brief overview of the types of probiotics for intestinal delivery, the current progress of different probiotic encapsulation strategies, including the chemical, physical, and genetic strategies and their combinations, and the emerging single-cell encapsulation strategies using nanocoating methods, is presented. The action mechanisms of probiotics that are responsible for eliciting beneficial effects are also briefly discussed. Finally, the therapeutic applications of engineered probiotics are discussed, and the future trends toward developing engineered probiotics with advanced features and improved health benefits are proposed.

Occurrence, Isolation, Pharmacological Potential, Metabolism, and Toxicity of Myristicin: A Naturally Occurring Alkoxy-Substituted Allylbenzene

Background: Natural products are secondary metabolites obtained from plants, animals, and microorganisms with diverse chemical structures resulting in diverse biological functions and drug-like properties. Objective: This review article summarizes in detail the occurrence, detection, isolation, various pharmacological properties, metabolism, and toxicity of a natural compound i.e., 5-Allyl-1-methoxy- 2,3-methylenedioxybenzene commonly known as Myristicin. Methods: A relevant literature search was made using the keywords essential oil, mace, myristicin, nutmeg, and pharmacological activities from different databases such as PubMed, Sci Finder, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. The literature search results presented articles from 1963 to 2022. Thereafter, the articles were carefully screened and selected for review. Results: Myristicin, an alkoxy-substituted allylbenzene is present in major to minor amounts in the essential oils obtained from different plant parts and exhibits various pharmacological properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, insecticidal, and hepatoprotective. It forms 10 metabolites by reduction, demethylation, hydroxylation, ring formation, ring-opening, and conjugate formation. In the liver, myristicin has been metabolized by Cytochrome P450 complex enzymes to generate active metabolite (1ˈ hyroxymyristicin) responsible for cytotoxic, genotoxic and apoptotic effects (150 μM). But, myristicin at 600 μM does not produce enough 1ʼ-hydroxymyristicin to give the final toxicant. Conclusion: Myristicin poses no major risk to human health through the consumption of herbs and spices due to its presence in low amounts. It has great potential to be used in the traditional system of medicine. We hope that this review will provide complete knowledge about myristicin on a single platform.

Introducing the TNG-Cluster simulation: Overview and the physical properties of the gaseous intracluster medium

We introduce the new TNG-Cluster project, an addition to the IllustrisTNG suite of cosmological magnetohydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation. Our objective is to significantly increase the statistical sampling of the most massive and rare objects in the Universe: galaxy clusters with log(M200c/M⊙) ≳ 14.3 − 15.4 at z = 0. To do so, we re-simulate 352 cluster regions drawn from a 1 Gpc volume that is 36 times larger than TNG300, keeping the IllustrisTNG physical model entirely fixed as well as the numerical resolution. This new sample of hundreds of massive galaxy clusters enables studies of the assembly of high-mass ellipticals and their supermassive black holes (SMBHs), brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs), satellite galaxy evolution and environmental processes, jellyfish galaxies, intracluster medium (ICM) properties, cooling and active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback, mergers and relaxedness, magnetic field amplification, chemical enrichment, and the galaxy-halo connection at the high-mass end, with observables from the optical to radio synchrotron and the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect, to X-ray emission, as well as their cosmological applications. We present an overview of the simulation, the cluster sample, select comparisons to data, and a first look at the diversity and physical properties of our simulated clusters and their hot ICM.

Investigation of diversified properties in trivalent La doped Bi1−xLaxFeO3 compounds

Investigation of diversified properties in trivalent La doped Bi1−xLaxFeO3 compounds

Therapeutic Implications of Dietary Polyphenols-Loaded Nanoemulsions in Cancer Therapy.

Cancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide, even the second foremost cause related to non-communicable diseases. Cancer cells typically possess several cellular and biological processes including, persistence, propagation, differentiation, cellular death, and expression of cellular-type specific functions. The molecular picture of carcinogenesis and progression is unwinding, and it appears to be a tangled combination of processes occurring within and between cancer cells and their surrounding tissue matrix. Polyphenols are plant secondary metabolites abundant in fruits, vegetables, cereals, and other natural plant sources. Natural polyphenols have implicated potential anticancer activity by various mechanisms involved in their antitumor action, including modulation of signaling pathways majorly related to cellular proliferation, differentiation, relocation, angiogenesis, metastatic processes, and cell death. The applications of polyphenols have been limited due to the hydrophobic nature and lower oral bioavailability that could be possibly overcome through encapsulating them into nanocarrier-mediated delivery systems, leading to improved anticancer activity. Nanoemulsions (NEs) possess diverse feasible properties, including greater surface area, modifiable surficial charge, higher half-life, site-specific targeting, and formulation imaging capability necessary to create a practical therapeutic impact, and have drawn increased attention in cancer therapy research. This review has summarized and discussed the basic concepts, classification, delivery approaches, and anticancer mechanism of various polyphenols and polyphenols-encapsulated nanoemulsions with improved cancer therapy.

Multifarious plant growth-promoting traits of mangrove yeasts: growth enhancement in mangrove seedlings (Rhizophora mucronata) for conservation.

Plant Growth-Promoting Yeasts (PGPY) have garnered significant attention in recent years; however, research on PGPY from mangroves remains a largely unexplored frontier. This study, therefore, focused on exploring the multifaceted plant growth-promoting (PGP) capabilities of yeasts isolated from mangroves of Puthuvype and Kumbalam. The present work found that manglicolous yeasts exhibited diverse hydrolytic properties, with the predominance of lipolytic activity, in addition to other traits such as phosphate solubilization, and production of indole acetic acid, siderophore, ammonia, catalase, nitrate, and hydrogen cyanide. After screening for 15 PGP traits, three strains P 9, PV 23, and KV 35 were selected as the most potent ones. These strains also exhibited antagonistic activity against fungal phytopathogens and demonstrated resilience to abiotic stresses, making them not only promising biocontrol agents but also suited for field application. The potent strains P 9, PV 23, and KV 35 were molecularly identified as Candida tropicalis, Debaryomyces hansenii, and Aureobasidium melanogenum, respectively. The potential of these strains in enhancing the growth performance of mangrove seedlings of Rhizophora mucronata, was demonstrated using the pot-experiment. The results suggested that the consortium of three potent strains (P 9, PV 23, and KV 35) was more effective in increasing the number of shoot branches (89.2%), plant weight (87.5%), root length (83.3%), shoot height (57.9%) and total leaf area (35.1%) than the control seedlings. The findings of this study underscore the significant potential of manglicolous yeasts in contributing to mangrove conservation and restoration efforts, offering a comprehensive understanding of their diverse plant growth-promoting mechanisms and highlighting their valuable role in sustainable ecosystem management.

Prediction of Critical Heat Flux during Downflow in Fully Heated Vertical Channels

Boiling with downflow in vertical channels is involved in many applications such as boilers, nuclear reactors, chemical processing, etc. Accurate prediction of CHF (Critical Heat Flux) is important to ensure their safe design. While numerous experimental studies have been done on CHF during upflow and reliable methods for predicting it have been developed, there have been only a few experimental studies on CHF during downflow. Some researchers have reported no difference in CHF between up- and downflow, while some have reported that CHF in downflow is lower or higher than that in upflow. Only a few correlations have been published that are stated to be applicable to CHF during downflow. No comprehensive comparison of correlations with test data has been published. In the present research, literature on CHF during downflow in fully heated channels was reviewed. A database for CHF in downflow was compiled. The data included round tubes and rectangular channels, hydraulic diameters 2.4 mm to 15.9 mm, reduced pressure 0.0045 to 0.6251, flow rates from 15 to 21,761 kg/m2s, and several fluids with diverse properties (water, nitrogen, refrigerants). This database was compared to a number of correlations for upflow and downflow CHF. The results of this comparison are presented and discussed. Design recommendations are provided.

Advancements in Olive-derived Carbon: Preparation Methods and Sustainable Applications.

In the realm of material science, carbon materials, especially olive-derived carbon (ODC), have become vital due to their sustainability and diverse properties. This review examines the sustainable extraction and use of ODC, a carbohydrate-rich by-product of olive biomass. We focus on innovative preparation techniques like pyrolysis, which are crucial forenhancing ODC's microstructure and surface properties. Variables such as activating agents, impregnation ratios, and pyrolysis conditions significantly influence these properties. ODC's high specific surface area renders it invaluable for applications in energy storage (batteries and supercapacitors) and environmental sectors (water purification, hydrogen storage). Its versatility and accessibility underscore its potential for broad industrial use, makingit as a key element in sustainable development. This review provides a detailed analysis of ODC preparation methodologies, its various applications, and its role in advancing sustainable energy solutions. We highlight the novelty of ODC research and its impact on future studies, establishing this review as a crucial resource for researchers and practitioners in sustainable carbon materials. As global focus shifts towards eco-friendly solutions, ODC emerges as a critical component in shaping a sustainable, innovation-driven future.

Solid State Reaction Epitaxy, A New Approach for Synthesizing Van der Waals heterolayers: The Case of Mn and Cr on Bi2Se3

AbstractVan der Waals (vdW) heterostructures that pair materials with diverse properties enable various quantum phenomena. However, the direct growth of vdW heterostructures is challenging. Modification of the surface layer of quantum materials to introduce new properties is an alternative process akin to solid state reaction. Here, vapor deposited transition metals (TMs), Cr and Mn, are reacted with Bi2Se3 with the goal to transform the surface layer to XBi2Se4 (X = Cr, Mn). Experiments and ab initio MD simulations demonstrate that the TMs have a high selenium affinity driving Se diffusion toward the TM. For monolayer Cr, the surface Bi2Se3 is reduced to Bi2‐layer and a stable (pseudo) 2D Cr1+δSe2 layer is formed. In contrast, monolayer Mn can transform upon mild annealing into MnBi2Se4. This phase only forms for a precise amount of initial Mn deposition. Sub‐monolayer amounts dissolve into the bulk, and multilayers form stable MnSe adlayers. This study highlights the delicate energy balance between adlayers and desired surface modified layers that governs the interface reactions and that the formation of stable adlayers can prevent the reaction with the substrate. The success of obtaining MnBi2Se4 points toward an approach for the engineering of other multicomponent vdW materials by surface reactions.

MXene on Textile Substrates: A Review

MXenes have emerged as a promising 2D material on account of their diverse properties and applications, especially in portable, wearable, and flexible smart textiles. This review presents the different properties of MXene, the development of electroconductive MXene‐based fibers, different types of MXene‐based fibers, and fabrics suitable for treatment with MXene. Interactions of natural and man‐made fibers with MXenes have been presented. Functional fibers have been incorporated into textiles, promoting the creation of strain sensors, pressure sensors, antennas, and heaters. Textiles with wearable multifunctional properties, such as humidity sensors, actuators, and electromagnetic interference shielding, are very promising for use in MXene‐based intelligent garments.

Which Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) Designs Work? A Simple Kinetic Model Linking LNP Chemical Structure to In Vivo Delivery Performance.

Although lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are the predominant nanocarriers for short-interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery, most therapies use nearly identical formulations that have taken 30 years to design but lack the diverse property ranges necessary for versatile application. This dearth in variety and the extended timeline for implementation are attributed to a limited understanding of how LNP properties facilitate overcoming biological barriers. Herein, a simple kinetic model was developed by using major rate-limiting steps for siRNA delivery, and this model enabled the identification of a critical parameter to predict LNP efficacy without extensive experimental testing. A volume-averaged log D, the "solubility" of charged molecules as a function of pH weighted by component volume fractions, resulted in a good correlation between LNP composition and siRNA delivery. Both the effects of modifying the structures of ionizable lipids and LNP composition on gene silencing were easily captured in the model predictions. Thus, this approach provides a robust LNP structure-activity relationship to dramatically accelerate the realization of effective LNP formulations.

Properties of new even and odd nonlinear coherent states with different parameters

We construct a class of nonlinear coherent states (NLCSs) by introducing a more general nonlinear function and study their nonclassical properties, specifically the second-order correlation function [Formula: see text], Mandel parameter Q, squeezing, amplitude-squared squeezing and Wigner function of the optical field. The results indicate that the nonclassical properties of the new types of even and odd NLCSs crucially depend on the nonlinear functions. More concretely, we find that the new even NLCSs could exhibit the photon-bunching effect, whereas the new odd NLCSs could show the photon-antibunching effect. The degree of squeezing is also significantly affected by the parameter selection of these NLCSs. By employing various forms of nonlinear functions, it becomes possible to construct the NLCSs with diverse properties, thereby providing a theoretical foundation for the corresponding experimental investigations.

Abridgement of Microbial Esterases and Their Eminent Industrial Endeavors.

Esterases are hydrolases that contribute to the hydrolysis of ester bonds into both water-soluble acyl esters and emulsified glycerol-esters containing short-chain acyl groups. They have garnered significant attention from biotechnologists and organic chemists due to their immense commercial value. Esterases, with their diverse and significant properties, have become highly sought after for various industrial applications. Synthesized ubiquitously by a wide range of living organisms, including animals, plants, and microorganisms, these enzymes have found microbial esterases to be the preferred choice in industrial settings. The cost-effective production of microbial esterases ensures higher yields, unaffected by seasonal variations. Their applications span diverse sectors, such as food manufacturing, leather tanneries, paper and pulp production, textiles, detergents, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, biodiesel synthesis, bioremediation, and waste treatment. As the global trend shifts toward eco-friendly and sustainable practices, industrial processes are evolving with reduced waste generation, lower energy consumption, and the utilization of biocatalysts derived from renewable and unconventional raw materials. This review explores the background, structural characteristics, thermostability, and multifaceted roles of bacterial esterases in crucial industries, aiming to optimize and analyze their properties for continued successful utilization in diverse industrial processes. Additionally, recent advancements in esterase research are overviewed, showcasing novel techniques, innovations, and promising areas for further exploration.

Control of buckling behavior in origami-based auxetic structures by functionally graded thickness

Negative Poisson’s ratio in auxetic structures plays a crucial role in energy absorption and impact mitigation. Origami-based lattices within the realm of auxetic structures offer the advantage of facile fabrication and design. Nevertheless, the utilization of periodic lattices in origami-based auxetic structures constrains the available design space for achieving diverse mechanical properties. Addressing this limitation, our study introduces origami-based auxetic structures with functionally graded thickness, utilizing origami-based lattices known as Tachi–Miura polyhedra. We investigated the impact of functionally graded thickness on buckling behavior and force responses through dynamic loading experiments employing 3D-printed test pieces. The experimental results indicate that functionally graded thickness induces partial auxetic deformation in lattices, and the resulting nonsymmetric deformation prevents global buckling, thereby averting bounded forces observed in structures with uniform thickness. These findings extend the applicability of auxetic structures, spanning from energy absorption to the design of cushioning structures.

Coarse-Grained Crystal Graph Neural Networks for Reticular Materials Design.

Reticular materials, including metal-organic frameworks and covalent organic frameworks, combine the relative ease of synthesis and an impressive range of applications in various fields from gas storage to biomedicine. Diverse properties arise from the variation of building units─metal centers and organic linkers─in almost infinite chemical space. Such variation substantially complicates the experimental design and promotes the use of computational methods. In particular, the most successful artificial intelligence algorithms for predicting the properties of reticular materials are atomic-level graph neural networks, which optionally incorporate domain knowledge. Nonetheless, the data-driven inverse design involving these models suffers from the incorporation of irrelevant and redundant features such as a full atomistic graph and network topology. In this study, we propose a new way of representing materials, aiming to overcome the limitations of existing methods; the message passing is performed on a coarse-grained crystal graph that comprises molecular building units. To highlight the merits of our approach, we assessed the predictive performance and energy efficiency of neural networks built on different materials representations, including composition-based and crystal-structure-aware models. Coarse-grained crystal graph neural networks showed decent accuracy at low computational costs, making them a valuable alternative to omnipresent atomic-level algorithms. Moreover, the presented models can be successfully integrated into an inverse materials design pipeline as estimators of the objective function. Overall, the coarse-grained crystal graph framework is aimed at challenging the prevailing atom-centric perspective on reticular materials design.