Major Peak Research Articles

Analysis of Unique Motility of the Unicellular Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii at Low Temperatures down to -8 °C.

Previous studies of motility at low temperatures in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii have been conducted at temperatures of up to 15 °C. In this study, we report that C. reinhardtii exhibits unique motility at a lower temperature range (-8.7 to 1.7 °C). Cell motility was recorded using four low-cost, easy-to-operate observation systems. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis at room temperature (20-27 °C) showed that the main peak frequency of oscillations ranged from 44 to 61 Hz, which is consistent with the 60 Hz beat frequency of flagella. At lower temperatures, swimming velocity decreased with decreasing temperature. The results of the FFT analysis showed that the major peak shifted to the 5-18 Hz range, suggesting that the flagellar beat frequency was decreasing. The FFT spectra had distinct major peaks in both temperature ranges, indicating that the oscillations were regular. This was not affected by the wavelength of the observation light source (white, red, green or blue LED) or the environmental spatial scale of the cells. In contrast, cells in a highly viscous (3.5 mPa·s) culture at room temperature showed numerous peaks in the 0-200 Hz frequency band, indicating that the oscillations were irregular. These findings contribute to a better understanding of motility under lower-temperature conditions in C. reinhardtii.

Bioproduction, purification, partial characterization and phenol removal efficacy of tyrosinase enzyme from Streptomyces sp. strain MR28

The study focused on the production of the tyrosinase enzyme from Streptomyces sp. MR28 and its potency in removal of phenol content from water using free and immobilized tyrosinase enzyme. The tyrosinase was produced by Streptomyces sp. MR28 in liquid tyrosine broth medium, and it was further purified to near its homogeneity by employing, precipitation, dialysis, and column chromatography. After the purification, 44.49% yield with a 4 fold purification was achieved. The characterization of the purified enzyme showed a single major peak on HPLC and a solitary band on SDS-PAGE. The purified tyrosinase enzyme was active at a pH of 7.0 and a temperature of 30 °C. Further immobilization of purified tyrosinase was performed using the sodium alginate entrapment method. The capacity of the purified tyrosinase to remove phenol in water was evaluated by spectrophotometric method. The free tyrosinase enzyme-treated solutions showed a gradual decrease in the concentration of phenol with increased incubation time at 30 °C and 40 °C, at 90 min of the incubation time, it showed maximum efficacy in removing phenol from the solution. At 50 °C and 60 °C, the free tyrosinase enzyme exhibited very less capacity to remove the phenol. The immobilized enzyme showed good capacity for the removal of phenol from the solutions; the concentration of phenol in the solution decreased with an increase in the incubation time. At temperatures of 40 °C and 50 °C, the immobilized tyrosinase enzyme beads showed significant removal of phenol from the solution, and at temperatures of 30 °C and 60 °C, they also exhibited good capacity for the removal of phenol. At the end of the 90 min incubation period, it exhibited good capability. The current study suggests using immobilized microbial tyrosinase enzyme can be used for the removal of phenol from the contaminated water in a greener manner.

Aristolochia bracteolata flower extract based phytosynthesis and characterization of AgNPs: Antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and antioxidant activities potential assessment

The study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the Aristolochia bracteolata water flower extract-mediated AgNPs synthesis and assess their antimicrobial potential. According to the experimental and analytical results, A. bracteolata flower extract can produce valuable AgNPs. The characteristic features of these AgNPs were assessed with UV–visible spectrophotometer, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscope, Scanning Electron Microscopy, as well as. Under UV–vis. spectrum results, showed major peak at 430 nm and recorded essential functional groups responsible for reducing, capping, and stabilizing AgNPs by FT-IR analysis. In addition, the size and shape of the synthesized AgNPs were found as 21.11–25.17 nm and spherical/octahedral shape. The A. bracteolata fabricated NPs showed remarkable antimicrobial activity against fish bacterial pathogens (V. parahaemolytics, Serratia sp., B. subtilis, and E. coli) as well as common fungal pathogens (A. niger, C. albicans, A. flavus, and A. terreus) at the quantity of 100 μg mL−1 than positive controls. Nevertheless, it was not effective against human bacterial pathogens. It concludes that AgNPs synthesized from A. bracteolata aqueous flower extract have excellent antimicrobial activity and may have a variety of biomedical applications.

Investigations of swift heavy ion induced thermoluminescence effect, trapping parameter analysis, and density functional theory of MgB4O7: Eu phosphor

The present work reports swift heavy ion (SHI) induced thermoluminescence (TL) dosimetric properties and density functional theory (DFT) studies of Eu doped MgB4O7 phosphor. Comparative investigations of structural, and luminescent properties of MgB4O7:Eu phosphor upon irradiation by 100 MeV Ag7+ and Ni7+ ion beams at the varied fluence range from 1 × 1010 ion/cm2 to 5 × 1012 ion/cm2 are presented systematically. Eu doped MgB4O7 phosphor is prepared by facile hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction pattern of the material reveals its orthorhombic structure with crystallite size of ∼30 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies demonstrate loss of crystallinity of material after the SHI irradiations. Correlation of stopping powers and projectile range calculations is performed using SRIM software. The investigated photoluminescence properties show emission bands located in the orange-red region with prominent peaks centered at ∼593 nm and ∼625 nm corresponding to 5D0→7F1 and 5D0→7F2 transitions of Eu3+ion. The influence of ion beam fluence on the photoluminescence properties has been explored. Variation in the intensity of the PL peaks without any shift in the peak positions is observed at different ion fluence. The TL glow curve of phosphor exhibits two major dosimetric peaks (a) at 185 °C and 275 °C and (b) at 172 °C and 273 °C upon Ag7+ and Ni7+ ion beam irradiation respectively. The phosphor shows fairly good linear dose response in the range of 1 × 1010 ion/cm2 to 5 × 1012 ion/cm2. Fading measurements reveal 10% and 12% fading for the irradiation of Ag7+ and Ni7+ ions respectively in two months. Trapping parameter calculations of SHI irradiated phosphors are carried out via various TL glow curve analysis methods such as, peak shape method, whole glow peak method, and glow curve deconvolution method. Efficient thermoluminescence properties of MgB4O7:Eu make it a potential phosphor material and promise to provide avenue into swift heavy ion dosimetry applications. DFT computational studies performed to obtain the electronic structure of Eu doped MgB4O7 phosphor support the experimental results of crystal structure, symmetry and electronic structure studies.

The development of reading comprehension ability of Chinese Heritage Language (CHL) learners in Indonesia

This study investigates the evolution of reading comprehension abilities in Indonesian learners of the Chinese Heritage Language (CHL), by comparing their scores on the Chinese Proficiency Test, a test specifically designed for CHL learners. A total of 275 candidates, divided into early adolescent (Mage = 13.56), late adolescent (Mage = 15.78), and adult (Mage = 22.83) groups, were evaluated on four dimensions of reading comprehension: orthographic knowledge, vocabulary knowledge, syntactic awareness, and discourse comprehension. A detailed cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of these four dimensions was conducted across the three groups. The results indicate that horizontally, the order of the four dimensions is orthographic knowledge > vocabulary knowledge > syntactic awareness > discourse comprehension, with significant differences observed in all dimensions. During adolescence, orthographic knowledge is significantly higher than vocabulary knowledge, while in adulthood, vocabulary knowledge is significantly higher than syntactic awareness, and syntactic awareness is significantly higher than discourse comprehension. Longitudinally, reading comprehension abilities appear to stall across adolescence in three dimensions (vocabulary knowledge, syntactic awareness, and discourse comprehension), with a decline in one dimension (orthographic knowledge) occurring in late adolescence. However, the adult group shows improvement in all four dimensions compared to the late adolescence group. Considering both longitudinal and cross-sectional results, the developmental order of reading skills in Indonesian CHL learners is orthographic knowledge, vocabulary knowledge, syntactic awareness, and discourse comprehension. The main developmental peak for orthographic knowledge to vocabulary knowledge occurs in adolescence, while the major developmental peak for vocabulary knowledge to syntactic awareness and for syntactic awareness to discourse comprehension occurs in adulthood. The results suggest that reading comprehension improves significantly upon reaching adulthood in Indonesian. By understanding the trajectory of reading comprehension abilities in Indonesian CHL learners, this study can provide effective suggestions for Indonesian CHL learners and educators, and may also serve as a reference for other heritage languages.

Contribution of protein conformational heterogeneity to NMR lineshapes at cryogenic temperatures

While low-temperature Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) holds great promise for the analysis of unstable samples and for sensitizing NMR detection, spectral broadening in frozen protein samples is a common experimental challenge. One hypothesis explaining the additional linewidth is that a variety of conformations are in rapid equilibrium at room temperature and become frozen, creating an inhomogeneous distribution at cryogenic temperatures. Here, we investigate conformational heterogeneity by measuring the backbone torsion angle (Ψ) in Escherichia coli Dihydrofolate Reductase (DHFR) at 105 K. Motivated by the particularly broad N chemical shift distribution in this and other examples, we modified an established NCCN Ψ experiment to correlate the chemical shift of Ni+1 to Ψi. With selective 15N and 13C enrichment of Ile, only the unique I60-I61 pair was expected to be detected in 13C'-15N correlation spectrum. For this unique amide, we detected three different conformation basins based on dispersed chemical shifts. Backbone torsion angles Ψ were determined for each basin: 114 ± 7° for the major peak and 150 ± 8° and 164 ± 16° for the minor peaks as contrasted with 118° for the X-ray crystal structure (and 118° to 130° for various previously reported structures). These studies support the hypothesis that inhomogeneous distributions of protein backbone torsion angles contribute to the lineshape broadening in low-temperature NMR spectra.

Exploring the Structural, Thermal, and Protective Potential of Loquat Seed Starch and Flax Seed Oil Nanoemulsion Coating on Strawberry

AbstractIn recent years, nonconventional sources have been explored for the extraction of starch due to their potential applications. Thus, this study investigates the potential of loquat seeds starch and exploring their structural and thermal properties. Moreover, the nanoemulsion is prepared from starch, flax seed oil, and tween 80 which is further utilized as a coating for the shelf‐life improvement of citrus fruits such as strawberries. The yield of loquat seed starch is 30.04% ± 2.19% with a particle size of 160.4 ± 4.06 nm and −16.2 ± 1.45 mV zeta potential. The gelatinization temperature of starch is observed to be 78.75 °C. Starch samples show major peaks at 3287.52, 2929.52, 1642.07, 1339, 1149.68, 1077.79, and 1003.62, 859.62, 573.01, and 526.25 cm−1. X‐ray diffraction reveals the semicrystalline structure of starch. The characterization of nanoemulsion reveals its excellent structural properties and stability. When the nanoemulsion is coated on strawberries, it effectively delays weight loss and also affects the titratable acidity content and total soluble solids, thereby reducing spoilage. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the nanoemulsion exhibits great potential in the shelf‐life improvement of strawberries. Thus, combining oils with starch represents a promising approach to enhance its effectiveness in controlling foodborne pathogens.

Dynamic hysteresis process in tip vortex cavitation

In this Letter, experiments are conducted on tip vortex cavitation (TVC) over a stationary elliptical hydrofoil with the cross section of NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) 662−415 in a water tunnel. The state of TVC at various cavitation numbers, inflow velocities, and angles of attack is tested. Several macroscopic phase transition processes of TVC are discovered within the hysteresis loop with the operating conditions unchanged, and these new phenomena are defined as the dynamic hysteresis (DH) processes. In addition, the noise characteristics are analyzed to further study the DH. Similar noise spectra are obtained for the DH processes under different working conditions, with a major peak of the same frequency regardless of whether vortex singing occurs or not.

USING FOURIER TRANSFER INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY TO ANALYSIS EFFECTS OF CADMIUM TREATMENT ON RICE (ORYZA SATIVA L.) SEEDLINGS

The present study is aimed to analyse the DMSO (Dimethyl sulfoxide) extract of shoots and roots of Oryza sativaL. (var IET 4786) through FTIR spectroscopy method. These studies contain different characteristic of the peak values with various functional compounds in the extracts. This analysis revealed the presence of different types of biomolecules in plant extracts. The FTIR analysis of DMSO leaf extracts of Oryza sativaL. confirmed the presence of alcohols, phenols, amides, alkanes, carboxylic acids, aldehydes, ketones, alkenes, aromatics, esters, alkyl halides and aliphatic amines compounds each of the functional group showed major peaks. This method was performed on a spectrophotometer system which was used to detect the characteristics peak values and their functional groups. In this present study, the FTIR spectrum profile for the plant Oryza sativa L. is generated andcan be used in the industry.

Land spreading of olive mill wastewater (OMW): Biodegradation of organic matter and polyphenols in soil and effect on the activity of the total soil microflora

Abstract Agricultural spreading of olive mill wastewater (OMW) can represent a promising alternative solution, provided that the operation is controlled and the doses applied are respected. However, a reserve toward OMW spreading remains, for fears of possible microbiological negative incidences on the soil. To contribute to assessing this area, we have tried to study their microbiological impact and the fate of OMW polyphenols in soil in a greenhouse. In comparison with untreated soil with OMW (control), the application of 50, 100, and 200 m3/ha was studied for two months. The results obtained revealed that phenolic extracts from raw OMW showed five major peaks by HPLC at 280 nm, which were present only in trace amounts after 2 weeks of treatment at neutral pH. The phenols and organic matter (OM) from OMW were biodegraded or reorganized, and the bacterial population of soil treated with 50 and 100 m3/ha OMW was significantly higher compared to the soil that received water. However, a dose of 200 m3/ha did not affect soil microflora. Consequently, using OMW by direct spreading can be recommended at doses of 50 and 100 m3/ha. Doses higher than those studied, which are considered excessive and not recommended, could have undesirable repercussions.

In-vitro Approaches to Investigate the Detrimental Effect of Light on Dopaminergic Neurons

Our recent study revealed that fluorescent lamp light can penetrate deep into the brain of mice and rats leading to the development of typical histological characteristics associated with Parkinson’s disease such as the loss of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra. Monochromatic LED lights were thus used in this work to deepen our knowledge on the effects of the major wavelength peaks of fluorescent light on mouse and human dopaminergic cells. In particular, we exposed immortalized dopaminergic MN9D neuronal cells, primary cultures of mouse mesencephalic dopaminergic cells and human dopaminergic neurons differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) to different LED light wavelengths. We found that chronic exposure to LED light reduced overall undifferentiated MN9D cell number, with the most significant effects observed at wavelengths of 485 nm and 610 nm. Moreover, LED light especially at 610 nm was able to negatively impact on the survival of mouse mesencephalic dopaminergic cells and of human dopaminergic neurons derived from hiPSC. Notably, differentiated MN9D dopaminergic cells, which closely resemble mature dopamine neuronal phenotype, acutely exposed for 3 h at 610 nm, showed a clear increase in ROS production and cytotoxicity compared to controls undifferentiated MN9D cells. These increases were even more pronounced by the co-treatment with the oxidative agent H2O2. Collectively, these findings suggest that specific wavelengths, particularly those capable of penetrating deep into the brain, could potentially pose an environmental hazard in relation to Parkinson's disease.

Effect of sourdough addition on gluten‐free sorghum bread fortified with plant‐based protein and dietary fiber: Functional, textural, and structural properties

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesThe production of high‐quality gluten‐free bread still poses a major technological challenge. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of sourdough fermentation and structural/nutritional enrichment on gluten‐free sorghum bread quality. Lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus acidophilus) and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) were used as starter cultures.FindingsThe bread crust color and titratable acidity were comparable; although, the crumb color of sourdough bread made with L. acidophilus was measured darker. In both starter cultures, sourdough bread had a softer texture than the control, with significant (p < .05) differences in hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, and gumminess values. The sourdough bread showed similar Fourier Transformed Infraredtransformed infrared (FTIR) spectra with the control bread, with four major peaks in the functional group region (4000–1200 cm−1) and a unique peak in the fingerprint region (1200–600 cm−1).ConclusionBreads made with L. acidophilus (at 20% and 30% addition levels) showed better quality attributes such as softer texture, higher total phenolic content (97.75 mg GAE/100 g), and antioxidant capacity (341.49 µmol TEAC/100 g).Significance and NoveltyThe results suggested that selected lactic acid bacteria‐based sorghum sourdough might be a promising ingredient for the development of gluten‐free bread with improved quality and nutritional value.

COVID-19 Testing Trend: A Retrospective Analysis of the Three Major Pandemic Waves in Punjab, Pakistan.

There is some evidence in the literature of under-testing of COVID-19 cases in Pakistan. This study aims to exploreCOVID-19 testing trends and the factors affecting them in a lower middle-income country for future infectious disease policy-making and intervention strategies. The study was conducted as a serial cross-sectional study during the three major peaks from March 2020 to June 2021 on 1616 participants in Punjab, Pakistan. This is the first study to explore COVID-19 testing trends in association with flu-like symptoms (FLS)and the factors affecting all three major waves in Pakistan. The results show that in all three waves, only 18.8% reported COVID-19 tested despite that 86.7% thought they had already had COVID-19, with 51.3% reporting having FLS and 35.6% with exposure to FLS from their families and 19.8% of positive testing rate among their family members. Out of the survey participants, 66% received vaccination, and over 80% had their eligible family members immunized. Fear of contracting COVID-19 was 69.7% in all three waves. Factors positively associated with the uptake of testing were the age group of 31-40 years with an adjusted odds ratio of 3.27 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.09-5.12) for the second wave and an adjusted odds ratio of 13.75 (95% CI: 9.43-20.01) for the third wave and traveling abroad with odds of 3.08 times when the reference was inland traveling. The adjusted odds ratio to test for FLS was 1.62 (95% CI: 1.21-2.16). In this study, there is convincing evidence of COVID-19 under-testing and thus under-reporting. This study also suggests that fear-based interventions may be counterproductive; however, economic factors such as education, employment, and traveling are significant in guiding the behavior for infectious disease prevention and management.

Synchronous activation of praseodymium vanadate/graphitic carbon nitride nanocomposite: A promising electrode material for detection of flavonoid– Quercetin

Flavonoids or phenolic compounds are part of the daily intake of every human being. Though they are positive traders for metabolism, excessive intakes bring about detrimental impacts on human health. Herein, the anti-cancer capacitive nature quercetin (Qc) was electrochemically detected through the rare earth metal-based sphere like praseodymium vanadate (PrVO4) entrapped graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) as electrode modifiers. The nanocomposite was prepared by the one-pot hydrothermal method and characterized by phase compositional and morphology-based techniques. The existing synergistic nature between the PrV@g-CN (praseodymium vanadate@graphitic carbon nitride) makes them have an enhanced electrochemical response towards the Qc than the individual material. The obtained cyclic voltammogram and differential pulse voltammogram profile show one major oxidation peak which is attributed to the conversion of quercetin to quercetin-o-quinone. The PrV@g-CN/GCE (GCE- glassy carbon electrode) shows a good electrochemical active surface area (A = 110 cm2) and linear range between 0.05 and 252.00 μM with a LOD (limit of detection) of 0.002 µM. Moreover, the PrV@g-CN/GCE exhibits good current retention (94.76 %) around 14 days and appreciable repeatability (RSD- 0.5 %) and reproducibility (RSD- 1.3 %) towards the Qc. The real-time implementation of the proposed sensor exhibits a good recovery range towards the black tea (95.00–98.10 %) and green tea (97.80–99.60 %).

Sub-daily solar wind-magnetosphere energy transfer during major geomagnetic storms of solar cycle 23

The solar wind-magnetosphere energy transfer is one major way of quantifying the impacts of space weather on the Earth's environment. Studies on solar wind-magnetosphere energy transfer in terms of sub-daily time scales are quite sparse. Consequently, in order to investigate storm-time characteristics of the solar wind-magnetosphere energy transfer at a 4-hourly time scale over solar cycle 23, a total of 85 major geomagnetic storms (Dst ≤ −100 nT) were categorized into bins, using the points of minimum Dst values as reference points. Additionally, the monthly statistics of the storms occurrences over the solar cycle was carried out. The statistics followed a semi-annual periodicity, with a lesser peak in the months of May and August, and a major peak in October and November. Furthermore, the energy dissipated was estimated by the summation of aurora precipitation, Joule heating, and the ring current injection. Overall, from the data analyzed, we observed storm-time intensification of energy transfer. The magnetosphere received the highest energy during the time interval 0400–0800 UT (0900–1300 LT in the American sector, and most impactful there), while the lowest energy transfer was recorded between 0000 and 0400 UT (0200–0600 LT in the African/European sector, and least impactful there). We observed a synchrony between the energy dissipated and energy input for the storms’ main phases. Generally, storms driven by a composite of two Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections (ICMEs) transients transferred highest energy into the magnetosphere, while those driven by Co-rotating Interaction Regions (CIRs) transferred lowest energy.

Synthesis and characterization of titanium dioxide nanoparticles from Bacillus subtilis MTCC 8322 and its application for the removal of methylene blue and orange G dyes under UV light and visible light.

Over the last decade there has been a huge increase in the green synthesis of nanoparticles. Moreover, there is a continuous increase in harnessing the potential of microorganisms for the development of efficient and biocompatible nanoparticles around the globe. In the present research work, investigators have synthesized TiO2 NPs by harnessing the potential of Bacillus subtilis MTCC 8322 (Gram-positive) bacteria. The formation and confirmation of the TiO2 NPs synthesized by bacteria were carried out by using UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transforms infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX/EDS). The size of the synthesized TiO2 NPs was 80-120nm which was spherical to irregular in shape as revealed by SEM. FTIR showed the characteristic bands of Ti-O in the range of 400-550cm-1 and 924cm-1 while the band at 2930cm-1 confirmed the association of bacterial biomolecules with the synthesized TiO2 NPs. XRD showed two major peaks; 27.5° (rutile phase) and 45.6° (anatase phase) for the synthesized TiO2 NPs. Finally, the potential of the synthesized TiO2 NPs was assessed as an antibacterial agent and photocatalyst. The remediation of Methylene blue (MB) and Orange G (OG) dyes was carried out under UV- light and visible light for a contact time of 150-240min respectively. The removal efficiency for 100ppmMB dye was 25.75% and for OG dye was 72.24% under UV light, while in visible light, the maximum removal percentage for MB and OG dye was 98.85% and 80.43% respectively at 90min. Moreover, a kinetic study and adsorption isotherm study were carried out for the removal of both dyes, where the pseudo-first-order for MB dye is 263.269 and 475554.176mg/g for OG dye. The pseudo-second-order kinetics for MB and OG dye were 188.679 and 1666.667mg/g respectively. In addition to this, the antibacterial activity of TiO2 NPs was assessed against Bacillus subtilis MTCC 8322 (Gram-positive) and Escherichia coli MTCC 8933 (Gram-negative) where the maximum zone of inhibition in Bacillus subtilis MTCC 8322 was about 12mm, and for E. coli 16mm.

Dosimetric properties of Eu-doped Ca2BO3Cl

We prepared Ca2BO3Cl with different concentrations (0.1 %, 0.5 %, and 1.0 %) of Eu2O3 for radiation dosimetry. Sharp photoluminescence peaks derived from 4f → 4f transition of Eu3+ appeared at 575, 590, 610, and 645 nm. On the other hand, the Eu2O3-doped Ca2BO3Cl exhibited a broad scintillation peak at around 600 nm due to 5d → 4f transition of Eu2+, and sharp peaks at approximately 590 and 610 nm derived from 4f → 4f transition of Eu3+. Furthermore, a major thermally-stimulated luminescence glow peak was detected at 250 °C, and a linear response in the range of 1–3000 mGy was observed from the Eu2O3-doped Ca2BO3Cl.

Assessment of Fe-Based Organic Framework (Fe-MOF) as Nutrient-Slow-Releasing Material

There has been serious focus about improving the efficiency of fertilizers so as to substantially ease the problem of food security, deficit of trace elements, soil degradation, groundwater, and air pollution. Hence, assessment of Fe-Based Organic Framework (Fe-MOF) as Nutrient-Slow-Releasing Material (slow-releasing fertilizer); synthesized hydrothermally from ferric chloride, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, diammonium hydrogen phosphate, urea, and oxalic acid (OXA) is herein studied. From the FTIR results, -OH & C=O (OXA) and NH2 (urea) participated in the structural formation of the MOFs. Crystals of the Fe-MOFs at different magnifications with pores sizes of ~1.10 μm were observed from the SEM results. The major peaks are (110) and (111) corresponding to 2𝜃 at 28° and 31°, respectively, as given in MOF1. For MOF2 the peaks of (110), (111), and (121) correspond to 2𝜃 at 22.12°, 27.15°, and 33°, respectively. These indicate that the metal-carbonyl linkage for the MOF. These results agreed with the face and body centered crystals. In the results of nutrient-slow-releasing capability of the iron-MOF, the trend of the release at the end of the 3-week is: PO43- (2.75 mg/L) < Fe3+ (3.30 mg/L) < NH4+ (3.36 mg/L) < K+ (406 mg/L) for MOF1 and PO43- (2.75 mg/L) < Fe3+ (3.30 mg/L) < NH4+ (3.36 mg/L) for MOF2. Therefore, the synthesized MOF is recommended for real-life tests as slow-releasing fertilizer. The use of such products would also ensure food security, soil sustainability, and lessen pollution against the fast-releasing fertilizers. More so, the synthesis is handy and utilizes inexpensive reagents.

Anti-microbial property of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. Methanol Extract [TFGME] on Pathogenic organisms

Methanol extract of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. and its role on pathogenic micro-organisms is the scope of this study. Initially, Trigonella foenum-graecum L. was treated with methanol and the obtained extract was termed as Trigonella foenum-graecum L. Methanol Extract [TFGME]. TFGME shows the presence of Polyphenols, glycosides, phytosterol, saponins and etc., when it subjected to initial preliminary screening. HPLC analysis of TFGME suggests that the presence of several organic molecules as it elutes 9 major peaks after the solvent peak in reverse-phase HPLC at 216nm. In addition, TFGME exhibit anti-microbial property by exhibiting zone of inhibition when it was incubated with pathogenic organisms such as E. coli, S. aureua, Pseudomonas, Salmonela and shigella. The obtained results were recorded in MIC (Minimum Inhibition Concentration) of TFGME values. Furthermore, when TFGME was subjected to analysis of minerals content by using ICP-OES instrument, it was confirmed that TFGME contains aluminium, copper, iron, manganese and zinc in the extract.

Determination of total phenolic content, total antioxidants, and GC–MS analysis of two different solvent extracts of Merremia quinquefolia (L.) Hallier f. Twigs grown in Bundelkhand region of India

Abstract BACKGROUND: Merremia quinquefolia (L.) Hallier f. (MQ) is a species of Merremia belonging to the family Convolvulaceae. It is a herbaceous prostrate or climbing vine that is well-known for its ability to heal burns, scalds, and sores. This study aimed to estimate the total phenolic content and antioxidants and characterize the phytochemical constituents of methanolic and aqueous extracts of MQ twigs. METHODS: The dried powdered twigs of MQ were extracted with methanol and distilled water by hot percolation method. These two prepared extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) to characterize the chemical constituents of crude extracts. The Folin–Ciocalteu reagent method was used to determine the total phenolic content of both extracts, and their total antioxidant content was determined using a phospho-molybdate assay. RESULTS: The results of GC–MS analysis revealed the presence of 17 major peaks of different phytochemicals in the methanol extract and 16 major peaks of various phytochemicals in the distilled water extract. These phytochemicals were identified by comparing their retention time and mass spectra with the literature. In addition, the methanol extract contained high phenolic content but less antioxidant than distilled water extract. CONCLUSION: This study shows that twigs of the MQ plant are rich sources of bioactive compounds that can play an important role in drug design to deal with many diseases.