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Delayed–release dimethyl fumarate (DMF), Tecfidera®, is approved globally for treating relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The disposition of DMF was determined in humans after administration of a single oral dose of [14C]DMF, and the total recovery was estimated to be between 58.4% to 75.0%, primarily through expired air.The absorption of [14C]DMF-derived radioactivity was rapid, with Tmax at 1h postdose. Glucose was the predominant circulating metabolite, accounting for ∼60% of the total extractable radioactivity. Cysteine and N-acetylcysteine conjugates of mono- or di-methyl succinate were found to be the major urinary metabolites.In vitro studies showed that [14C]DMF was mainly metabolised to MMF, and fumarase exclusively converted fumaric acid to malic acid and did not catalyse the conversion of fumaric acid esters to malic acid. DMF was observed to bind with human serum albumin through Michael addition to the Cys-34 residue when exposed to human plasma.These findings indicate that DMF undergoes metabolism via hydrolysis, GSH conjugation, and the TCA cycle, leading to the formation of citric acid, CO2, and water. These ubiquitous and well-conserved metabolism pathways minimise the risk of drug-drug interactions and reduce variability related to pharmacogenetics and ethnicity. Delayed–release dimethyl fumarate (DMF), Tecfidera®, is approved globally for treating relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The disposition of DMF was determined in humans after administration of a single oral dose of [14C]DMF, and the total recovery was estimated to be between 58.4% to 75.0%, primarily through expired air. The absorption of [14C]DMF-derived radioactivity was rapid, with Tmax at 1h postdose. Glucose was the predominant circulating metabolite, accounting for ∼60% of the total extractable radioactivity. Cysteine and N-acetylcysteine conjugates of mono- or di-methyl succinate were found to be the major urinary metabolites. In vitro studies showed that [14C]DMF was mainly metabolised to MMF, and fumarase exclusively converted fumaric acid to malic acid and did not catalyse the conversion of fumaric acid esters to malic acid. DMF was observed to bind with human serum albumin through Michael addition to the Cys-34 residue when exposed to human plasma. These findings indicate that DMF undergoes metabolism via hydrolysis, GSH conjugation, and the TCA cycle, leading to the formation of citric acid, CO2, and water. These ubiquitous and well-conserved metabolism pathways minimise the risk of drug-drug interactions and reduce variability related to pharmacogenetics and ethnicity.

The tremendous interest for robust, clean energy storage devices to comprehend the growing needs of modern gadgets has led to exploration of materials having unprecedented electrochemical and interfacial properties. Here, the present study deals with the synergistic effects of multi walled carbon nanotubes and polyaniline nanocomposites on the electro-chemical and thermal properties for wide-range of applications. The microstructural, structural, and optical characterizations have been evaluated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The thermal stability of the product was also studied through thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and the room temperature electrical conductivity was also measured. An exceptional enhancement in thermal stability and conductivity has been observed apparently due to interfacial properties of polyaniline (PANI) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Further, in present study we are going to report a comparative analysis of thermal and electrical properties of PANI/MWCNT nanocomposites with different loadings of MWCNTs. The room temperature conductivity as calculated for 1%, 2%, 4% and 8% MWCNT loading is around 2.019, 3.075, 4.48, 8.73 S/cm respectively. The mechanism for thermal and electrical enhancements in PANI-coated MWCNT nanocomposites is also expounded.

We have successfully prepared a challenging and wonderful material, reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/graphene with improved quality from high pure graphite (HPG) efficiently by planetary ball milling process followed by arc plasma treatment under hydrogen atmosphere. Graphene oxides (GO) have been synthesized with varying degrees of oxidation via the planetary ball milling route by milling HPG between 3 – 8 h. The lowest C/O ratio (0.965) was observed for the 8 h ball milled sample. The as-prepared GOs were taken for only five min of arc plasma treatment under a hydrogen atmosphere. As the typical GO (prepared by 8 h ball milling) underwent a reduction by plasma treatment for producing a typical RGO sample, it was found that the C/O ratio increased from 0.965 in GO to 14.86 in RGO. RGO shows a hexagonal structure with well-defined crystallinity. Bi-layered and transparent types of structures were found in the RGO sample. The typical plasma treated RGO sample (prepared from 8 h ball milled GO sample) exhibits extraordinary BET surface area and electrical conductivity values of 1230.0 m2 g−1 and 4.587 × 103 S cm−1, respectively, compared to those of HPG.

Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn (AG 1-IA) is one of the most devastating pathogens of rice causing sheath blight disease and being a prime reason for the unsatisfactory productivity of rice in India. The goal of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized using an agriculturally important bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens OKC, in managing the sheath blight disease of rice. Successful biosynthesis of AgNPs was monitored by UV-visible spectroscopy, showing a peak at 432 nm. The AgNPs were further characterized using a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The TEM result confirmed that the size of the synthesized nanoparticles was less than 100nm. DLS results revealed that the average particle size of the AgNPs was 74 nm and the zeta potential was -23.6 mV, indicating that the synthesized nanoparticles were of good stability at room temperature. The antifungal potential of AgNPs was tested against the test fungus in vitro and maximum growth inhibition was recorded in AgNPs treatment (69.09%) as compared to the control. Moreover, this result was further authenticated under net house conditions, where AgNPs successfully reduced the incidence of R.solani Kuhn. The findings showed that the biosynthesized AgNPs inhibited the growth of R. solani Kuhn and could be useful in the management of sheath blight disease in rice.

An Experiment has been performed to find out effect of coiled spring turbulators on the heat transfer and pressure drop in a triple tube heat exchanger using water and CuO/water (0.8%vol/vol) as working media. Two spring turbulators having pitch 5 mm and 10 mm with a common wire diameter of 1 mm are being used. The experiment was carried out under turbulent flow at different Reynolds numbers varying between 4000 to 16,000. In this experiment, the variation in the rate of heat transfer and friction factor have been analyzed for parallel and counter flow arrangements. The combination of the lower-pitched insert with CuO attained the maximum heat transfer increment in the counter flow pattern. For counter flow arrangement, augmentation in Nusselt number for a triple tube with lower spring pitch with CuO nanofluid is 63.33%, which is higher in comparison to the plain triple tube with water as working fluid. The maximum thermal performance value is observed for plain tube with CuO nanofluid having the value 1.04 at Reynolds number of 4000.

Modification of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles via aryl diazonium produces up to 160% increase in saturation magnetization and 190% increase in pseudocapacitance.

Ti3C2Tx MXene-integrated porous carbon nanofiber freestanding/flexible electrodes are engineered and the optimized MX-5@PCNF is used for the fabrication of flexible symmetric and asymmetric supercapacitor devices with high energy density.

Achiral silver nanoparticles are modified with amino acids to make the overall chiral nano-assembly. Electrical measurements are performed, and XOR logic gate is implemented.

Water scarcity has been a major problem of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). Different interventions are being attempted to solve this problem including the highly discussed Melamchi Drinking Water supply project. Thus, so rainwater harvesting (RWH) could be a promising approach to satisfy water to some extent. The study has aimed to assess the status of rainwater harvesting practices in KMC and to examine its effectiveness in overcoming the water shortage. A total of 244 households were surveyed covering 32 wards of KMC through random sampling method and semi structured questionnaire forms were laid for the data collection. The annual rainfall data of interval 30 years (1990-2019) of KMC, collected from department of Hydrology and Meteorology for trend analysis. Study revealed 58.2% of households are practicing RWH and among them 63.2% installed RWH system more than five years ago. About 63% of households are practicing roof top harvesting which is found to be more convenient in terms of cost and space. Strong positive correlation (R2=0.876, r=0.942) was observed among amount of water harvested and space occupied by RWH system and was statistically significant (P

Efforts were made to verify the effect of metacognitive scaffolding as an instructional strategy on learning outcomes related to concepts of acids, bases, and salts for ninth-grade pupils in physical science. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was employed. One hundred and seven (107) students from two government-sponsored schools chosen using a purposive sampling technique in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India, were sampled. For the experiment, 55 learners in the experimental group and 52 in the control group were selected. Only the experimental group of learners received treatment via metacognitive scaffolding. To obtain data, the researcher administered a self-developed and standardised criteria test (with a reliability coefficient of 0.86 and a validity of 0.93) and a reaction scale. For data analysis, one-way ANCOVA, percentiles, means, standard deviations, and coefficients of variation were applied. Results of the study demonstrated that the students who received treatment acquired better learning outcomes than the others. Furthermore, treatment recipients responded favourably to the use of metacognitive scaffolding when learning physical science.

Many engineering components are subjected to random nature of loading during their life period. In this work, the fatigue crack growth in friction stir welded dissimilar AA6061 and AA7075 was investigated under different stress ratio. AA6061 was kept on the advancing side due to having a higher solidus temperature and softer than AA7075 for smooth material flow. The microstructure characterization, tensile and crack growth behavior was studied. It was observed that the joint material exhibited lower strength and ductility as compared to the base material. About 41%, 34%, and 66% reduction in tensile strength, yield strength, and percentage of elongation as compared to AA6061 (base material) were observed. About 27% higher hardness in the HAZ of retreating side than the advancing side was noticed. The crack deflection and tortuosity features were observed in the fatigue fractured specimens. In this paper, a comparative study using different crack growth models has been studied and a simple crack growth rate equation has been proposed considering the crack closure effect.

With rapid digitalization, the use of social -media is increasing in our lives. It has become fourth meal of the day. Young or old no one is left behind who may not have used any of the social media platforms. This study was set out to determine social media addiction and it’s influence on parent- child interaction and social-interaction and behaviour among B.Ed. trainees. The study was conducted with 70 students enrolled in B.Ed. training programme of Government colleges in Kumaun University. For the data collection a structured interview schedule on social media addiction, parent-child interaction and social interaction and behaviour were used. The results showed that students have a moderate to high level of addiction. 56% of them usually spend 5-7 hours each day on social media. They check their phones while at study or work as well. 78% accepted, they keep on checking social media account when they talk with friends and colleagues. Only 50% of them spend 3-5 hours with parents daily and carry phone while having meal with their family. And when in stress 45% prefer to spend time alone than to have time with friends and 30% use social media to hang upon. Most of them use social media for their leisure and personal socialization and when they get free time are pre-occupied with phones.

Finite element simulation using ANSYS software, to analyze the effect of coating layers of different materials on piston compression ring. Similar material properties to that in the actual structural piston-compression-ring were considered on the simulated model. Three different coating materials, MgZrO3, La2Zr2O6, 3YSZ, and NiCrAl as bond coat materials of 1.6 mm thickness, were chosen to investigate the deformation, von Misses stress-strain, temperature distribution, heat flux of the core and coating layers. The results showed that the total elastic deformation was maximum for coating type MgZrO6, which was equal to 1.767 µm, and was higher by 0.46 times than uncoated ring. While, maximum von Misses stress was observed for coating type La2Zr2O6, which was higher by 1.69 times than that of the uncoated ring. Moreover, the maximum elastic strain was for type MgZrO6, which was equal to 0.003576, higher by 12.33 times comparing with the uncoated ring. Also, temperature rise and heat flux were maximum in the case of the uncoated ring.

Transparent conductive oxides such as indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates are commonly employed as prime materials for optoelectronic applications. Enhancement in functions of such devices often compels stable and robust modification of the ITO substrate to improve its interfacial charge transfer characteristics. Thereby, in this work, naphthyl modifier multilayer films are fabricated on ITO substrate using conventional electrochemical reduction of 1-naphthyl diazonium salts (NAPH-D) via altering its concentration ranging from 2 mM to 12 mM with a step size of 2. Surface coverage was significantly tuned by varying NAPH-D concentration, keeping other parameters such as the number of scans and scan rate constant. For lower concentrations (2 mM), the molecular thickness ∼6 nm was obtained, whereas higher concentrations (12 mM) produced around 15–18 nm thickness. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in the presence of a ferrocene redox probe also supports the formation of well packed molecular film grown on the ITO surface. Further, the wettability property of the grafted naphthyl film was investigated at different surface coverages and correlated with charge transfer resistance (RCt) obtained from EIS studies.

Management of gluten intolerance is currently possible only by consumption of gluten free diet (GFD) for a lifetime. The scientific community has been searching for alternatives to GFD, like inclusion of natural proteases with meals or pre-treatment of gluten containing foods with glutenases. Actinidin from kiwifruit has shown considerable promise in digesting immunogenic gliadin peptides as compared to other plant derived cysteine proteases. Through this article, we have attempted to understand the structural basis for elevated protease action of actinidin against gliadin peptides by using an in silico approach. Docking experiments reveal key differences between the binding of gliadin peptide to actinidin and papain, which may be responsible for their differential digestive action. Sequence comparison of different plant cysteine proteases highlights amino acid residues surrounding the active site pocket of actinidin that are unique to this molecule and hence likely to contribute to its digestive properties.

Plasmodium falciparum(Pf) causes the most fatal form of malaria owing to its ability to cytoadhere in the microvasculature of various organs in the body. In addition to the Pf erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) family that binds diverse host receptors, CX3CL1 binding proteins 1 and 2 (CBP1 and 2) also bind the endothelial chemokine ‘CX3CL1’ to effect cytoadhesion of parasite infected erthrocytes. CBP2 is a multifaceted protein that binds nucleic acids, Pf skeleton binding protein (PfSBP1) and ATP. ATP binding to the cytoplasmic domain of CBP2 (cCBP2) induces structural changes in the protein, and hints at its role in cell signaling. In this study, we have attempted to identify the ATP binding pocket of CBP2 using anin silicoapproach. We have also delineated the type of interactions and amino acid residues that are likely to bind ATP. As CX3CL1 binding proteins are central to parasite biology, the obtained information is likely to form the basis for inhibitor and drug design against this molecule.

This investigation analyzes the propagation of nonlinear ion-acoustic waves (IAWs) in an unmagnetized, collisionless plasma composed of inertial positive ions and inertialess Maxwellian positrons as well as the inertialess non-Maxwellian electrons that obey (r, q)-distribution. To observe the impact of particle trapping on the nonlinear IAWs in an electron–positron–ion plasma, the Korteweg–De Vries (KdV) and modified KdV (mKdV) equations are derived using a reductive perturbation method. In the distribution function, the spectral parameters (r, q) put up their contribution to the flatness and high-energy tails, respectively. An important aspect of this investigation is the determination of well-known quasi-periodic solutions, multi-soliton solutions, breathers, and shocks under the variation of different physical parameters, especially spectral indices (r, q). Finally, the interaction of solitons is also presented for discussion of the complete profile. In addition, a detailed comparison, especially in a periodic wave, is made between the generalized (r, q)-distribution and the limiting cases of Kappa and Maxwellian distributions. The results presented in this study contribute to a better understanding of the characteristics of both high- and low-energy parts of the electron distribution function as well as the formation of periodic, soliton, multi-soliton, breathers, and shocks in space and astrophysical plasmas.

Background Present antiretroviral therapy reduces the viremia among HIV infected individuals but fails to eradicate the viral genome from the host. Consequently, the infected individuals are not cured of HIV and they depend on the antiretroviral therapy for their life time. Frequent emergence of drug resistant strains and drug induced toxicity entails the development of new anti-HIV drugs. The present study evaluated the anti-HIV potential of guava leaf extracts. Methods Dried P.guajava L. leaves were subjected to bioassay guided fractionation using different solvents followed by silica gel column chromatography and preparative TLC. Viral inhibition was examined by in vitro primer extension and intrinsic fluorescence quenching and in cell culture by GFP reporter expression, RT-PCR and western blotting. Compounds were identified by HR-LCMS and analyzed in silico for interaction with HIV-1 RT. Results The chromatographically purified fraction A2 showed 97.3% inhibition of HIV-1 RT activity by in vitro primer extension assay and 87% quenching of intrinsic fluorescence of HIV-1 RT. In cell culture, ~72% and ~68% inhibition of viral replication was observed by RT-PCR and western blotting, respectively. By HR-LCMS, 11 compounds were identified in A2 fraction. Molecular docking indicated 5 of them, 18-acetoxy-PGF2alpha-11-acetate, irigenindibenzyl ether, colforsin, deoxygedunol acetate and dihydromyricetin strongly bind in the catalytic domain of HIV-1 RT. In silico analysis indicated 18-acetoxy-PGF2alpha-11-acetate interacted with HIV-1 RT similar to nevirapine, the known HIV-1 RT inhibitors. It showed -11.4 kcal/mol binding energy while the efavirenz and zidovudine the two positive controls had -6.2 and -6.3 kcal/mol binding energies, respectively. Conclusions The present findings indicate strong anti HIV potential of P. guajava extract. Further studies with the individual compounds will establish the P. guajava as cost effective complementary medicine as well as an alternative drug to counter the frequent emergence of new drug resistant strains of HIV.

Pink oyster mushroom (Pleurotus djamor) owns a pleasant colour, good sensory attributes, high nutritional value, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial and medicinal properties. Cultivation of different types of mushroom has been accepted as a short-term income generating avenue under crop production for livelihood of the farmers. The present study was carried out to assess the nutritional quality, anti-oxidant activities and economic benefits of pink oyster mushroom at Research farm of G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand during 2015–18. The fresh whole mushroom was assessed for yield and physical parameters. It was exposed to 60±20C temperature for 8 h to prepare dried mushroom powder. The dried powder was used for proximate composition analysis and anti-oxidant activity study. The cost to benefit ratio was calculated on the basis of gross expenditure and net profit incurred in the trial field. The high contents of protein, fat and carbohydrate along with good anti-oxidant property and biological efficiency revealed the mushroom as a rich source of quality nutrients. The yield of 740.60 g/kg wheat straw withbenefit to cost ratio of 2.60 depicted economical viability of mushroom farming. The study concludes that, pink oyster mushroom farming can be explored for nutritional security in alleviating the malnutrition with economic benefits to the farmers in Uttarakhand.