Search

Leishmania donovani are intracellular, human blood parasites that cause visceral leishmaniasis or kala-azar. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have been shown to modulate intracellular processes and cargo delivery, whereas host defense peptides (HDPs) promote proliferation of both naïve and antigen activated CD4+ T-cells. We report newly designed tripeptides that were able to trigger proinflammatory cytokine (IL-12 and IFN-γ) secretion by CD4+CD44+ T-cells in response to Leishmania donovani infection. These peptides can be used to induce antigen specific TH1 responses to combat obstacles of cytotoxicity and drug resistance associated with current anti-leishmanial drugs. Furthermore, these peptides can also be used as adjuvants to develop an effective immunoprophylactic approach for immunity restoration against visceral leishmaniasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Gloriosa superba L. is an endangered ornamental plant of significant medicinal, commercial, and cultural value. This study establishes an efficient protocol for rapid in vitro propagation of this plant species through callus-mediated organogenesis using non-dormant corm explants. Methods: Plant tissue culture techniques were employed to facilitate the in vitro regeneration process of Gloriosa superba L. This encompassed various stages, including the acquisition of plant material, surface sterilization, formulation of growth media, and the execution of callogenesis, shooting, rooting, and acclimatization experiments. Results and Discussion: Investigation into the impact of plant growth regulators on callogenesis unveiled diverse callus morphologies, dependent on regulator type and concentration, with the NAA and KN combination emerging as the most effective for callus induction. Specifically, the callus induction medium supplemented with 1.5 mg L-1 NAA, 0.5 mg L-1 KN, and 10 mg L-1 casein hydrolysate (CH) achieved remarkable results, boasting an 81.25% callus induction rate and a substantial callus biomass fresh weight of 333 mg. Furthermore, the combination of BAP and NAA facilitated optimal shoot primordia induction and shooting in callus derived from non-dormant corm explants. The shoot induction medium, enriched with 2.0 mg L-1 BAP, 0.5 mg L-1 NAA, 5 mg L-1 CH, and 20% (v/v) coconut water (CW), resulted in an impressive 83.33% shoot primordia formation rate and an average of 6.86 shoot primordia per callus. For root induction, the medium supplemented with 1.0mg L-1 IBA displayed a high root induction rate of 81.25% and robust rooting (+++). Successful acclimatization of in vitro plantlets in controlled environments and shade net houses culminated in thriving growth, and upon transplantation into a garden soil blend (garden soil: sand: vermiculite, 2:1:1, v/v), with direct sunlight exposure, the plantlets demonstrated commendable development and form, boasting a 69% survival rate at the seven-week mark. These findings offer a robust foundation for scalable and sustainable propagation strategies, ensuring the conservation and utilization of this valuable species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report three complexes of CdII and HgII with two purine rare tautomers, N9‐(pyridin‐2‐ylmethyl)‐N6‐methoxyadenine, L1 and N7‐(pyridin‐2‐ylmethyl)‐N6‐methoxyadenine, L2, highlighting diverse crystallographic signatures exhibited by them. Influence of substituents, binding sites, steric effects and metal salts on the different modes of binding enabled an insight into metal‐nucleobase interactions. L1 interacted with two and three equivalents of Cd(NO3)2.4H2O and HgCl2, respectively, while L2 interacted with two equivalents of HgCl2, altogether leading to three different complexes (1 [C48H48Cd6N34O50], 2 [C12H12Cl4Hg2N6O] and 3 [C12H12Cl2HgN6O]) possessing varied dimensionality and stabilising interactions. The photoluminescent properties of these coordination frameworks have also been probed. Notably, nanoring‐like structures were obtained, as a result of self‐assembly of 3 when investigated by transmission electron microscopy, additionally supported by molecular dynamics simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quasi-2D thin film of TI material TlBiSe2, as well as TlBiSe2/GaN configuration, have been fabricated employing the thermal evaporation technique. Raman peaks of vibrational modes were analyzed in a TlBiSe2/GaN heterojunction showing a substrate-induced signal for the surface phonon mode (SPM). The study of ultrafast kinetics of charge carriers and transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) gave excited-state spectrum characteristics and exciton dynamics in TlBiSe2/GaN heterojunction. The electrical characterization showed that the heterojunction device exhibited a good diode nature with an excellent rectification ratio of 160. The photodetection capabilities were examined by optical power varying from 2.37 µW to 3.78 µW in the ultraviolet to near-infrared region (300–900 nm). It demonstrated maximum photoresponse at 500 nm in forward and reverse bias. The current conduction mechanism and enhancement in current under light impact were explained using energy band modeling. The present work is important in regarding the development of photodetectors of succeeding generations with a topological insulator material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non‐destructive ultrasonic technique is a great employ for knowing the solute–solvent interaction in the polymer blend. By the ultrasonic velocity and attenuation evaluation, the visco‐elastic behaviors of the polymer solution have been assessed and compared with the results of conventional dynamic mechanical analysis. In the present research work, a comprehensive ultrasonic investigation of molecular interaction in a polymeric mixture of Poly (ethylene oxide) PEO and dimethyformamide (DMF) at 333 K has been executed by using the information provided by the literature. For this purpose, ultrasonic waves of two different frequencies such as 2 and 5 MHz have been implemented. Several acoustical parameters such as adiabatic compressibility, acoustic impedance, relaxation time, and ultrasonic attenuation coefficient (훼/푓2) are explored. Thermodynamic parameters like relative association and intermolecular free path length are also estimated. The evaluated values have been associated with the previous experimental results. The non‐ideal approach of the solution is analyzed and discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]