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In the world of industrial drying processes, foam mat microwave drying is a significant and valuable approach. Its advantages include increased drying effectiveness, preservation of product quality, energy and cost savings, flexibility in application, and improved safety. Development of Nagpur mandarin juice powder is tedious and time-consuming due to its bitter test and less total soluble solid, therefore the present research carried out with the process parameters for microwave drying include microwave power levels (180, 360, 540, 720, and 900 W) and drying bed thicknesses (2, 4, and 6 mm). Foamed juice is produced using soy protein isolate (2.10 %), GMS (2.75 %), CMC (1.75 %), and sugar (5.10 %), with whipping times of 8 min. Additional foaming agents include guar gum (0.45 %), soy protein isolate (3.30 %), and sugar (10 %) with whipping times of 6 min. The optimal conditions for drying Nagpur mandarin juice were determined through analysis using Design-Expert 11.0.4.1 software. These conditions include 540 W of microwave power, a drying bed thickness of 3 mm, and the use of a foaming agent comprising 2.10 % soy protein isolate, 2.75 % GMS, 1.75 % CMC, and 5.10 % sugar, with an 8-min whipping period. Under these optimized conditions, the resulting powder exhibited the following characteristics: color b value of 19.59, ΔE (change in color) of 6.24, acidity of 0.40 %, ascorbic acid content of 36.64 mg/100 g, water activity of 0.26, drying time (in minutes), and overall acceptability rating of 7.77. These findings highlight the effectiveness of the optimized process parameters in achieving desirable quality attributes for Nagpur mandarin juice powder production., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: The effectiveness of a biological control agent depends on how well it can control pests and how compatible it is with pesticides. Therefore, we reported the multigenerational effect of a commonly used insecticide, imidacloprid, on the functional response of a widely acclaimed egg parasitoid, Trichogramma chilonis Ishii, to different densities of the host Corcyra cephalonica Stainton eggs. The study investigated the outcomes of the median lethal concentration (LC 50 ) and sublethal concentrations (LC 5 , LC 30 ), along with control treatments for five continuous generations (F 1 to F 5 )., Results: The results showed that the F 5 generation of LC 30 , both of the F 1 and F 5 generations of LC 50 , and the control all had a Type II functional response. A Type I functional response was exhibited for the F 1 generation of LC 30 and both generations of LC 5 . The attack rate on host eggs treated with LC 5 and LC 30 did not change (decrease) with the shift in the type of functional response as compared to the control. A significant increase in the searching efficiency (a) was observed in the later generation (F 5 ) under the exposure of LC 5 and LC 30 imidacloprid concentrations. A lower handling time (T h ) in both generations of the LC 5 followed by LC 30 treated individuals was observed when compared with the control and LC 50 treatments. The per capita parasitization efficiency (1/T h ) and the rate of parasitization per handling time (a/T h ) were also considerably higher in both the generations of LC 5 and LC 30 than in the control and LC 50 , thereby implying positive effects of imidacloprid on the parasitization potential of T. chilonis., Conclusion: Altogether, these multigenerational outcomes on the functional response of T. chilonis could be leveraged to control the intractable lepidopteran pests under the mild exposure of imidacloprid in integrated pest management (IPM) programs as well as in the mass rearing of the parasitoid, T. chilonis. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Background: The rice moth, Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is a pest of stored grains and widely used as a factitious host during the mass rearing of several natural enemies of crop pests. Hormesis is well-documented in pest insects, to some extent in natural enemies of pests., Results: We report transgenerational stimulatory effects of the widely used fumigant, phosphine. The study reports the consequences of sublethal, low lethal and median lethal concentrations (LC 5 , LC 25 and LC 50 ) and untreated control for two sequential generations of the species (G 1 to G 2 ). In this study, we investigated the life-history traits, nutrient reserves (protein, lipid and carbohydrate) and larval gut microbiome (using 16 s rRNA V3-V4 metagenomics sequencing) of C. cephalonica. Stimulatory effects were observed for various biological traits of C. cephalonica, notably adult longevity, emergence and increased egg hatchability when exposed to LC 5 of phosphine. The total protein, lipid and carbohydrate contents of C. cephalonica also were found to be significantly increased by LC 5 in both generations. The microbial diversity of LC 5 treated larval gut was higher and found to be different from the rest of the treatments. This is the first report showing hormesis to a fumigant insecticide., Conclusion: Our findings increase knowledge on the interaction between hormesis, nutrient reserves and gut bacteria in C. cephalonica exposed to insecticides. Overall, the present study establishes phosphine-induced hormesis at LC 5 in the host C. cephalonica, which might help improve the quality of mass rearing of various natural enemies. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Triflumezopyrim (TMP), a mesoionic insecticide, is commonly used for controlling planthoppers in rice. However, the relationship between the TMP residue and toxicity against brown planthoppers (BPHs) has not been studied in detail. We are reporting the dissipation of TMP from rice plant and soil under field conditions. The median lethal dose and median lethal concentration were 0.036 ng per insect and 0.525 mg L -1 , respectively. TMP at recommended dose (25 g a.i. ha -1 ) recorded 1.25 live BPH per hill as against 25.5 per hill in control at 14 days after treatment. TMP was considered to be harmless to the natural enemies, namely, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis and Lycosa pseudoannulata in the rice ecosystem. The residue of TMP from rice plant and soil was estimated using the QuEChERS method using three different doses (12.5, 25, and 50 g a.i. ha -1 ). The limit of quantitation (LOQ) of TMP in plant and soil was 5 µg kg -1 and 1 µg kg -1 , respectively. The maximum content of TMP in soil was less than 1% that of plant content on day 1. The dissipation pattern of TMP both from plant and soil was better explained by the first-order double-exponential decay model (FODED) as compared to the first-order kinetic model. Overall, the half-lives of TMP were ranged from 2.21 to 3.02 days in plant tissues and 3.78 to 4.79 days in soil as per the FODED model. Based on the persistence and toxicity of TMP, we could conclude that TMP will be effective against BPH up to 7-10 days after application. Triflumezopyrim with reasonable persistence and high efficacy could be recommended as an alternate pesticide in BPH management in rice., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Herein we report for the first time, an advanced continuous flow synthesis of the blockbuster Leishmaniasis drug miltefosine from simple starting materials by a sequence involving four steps of chemical transformation including a continuous mechanochemical step. First three reaction steps were performed in simple tubular reactors in a telescopic mode, while in the last step the product precipitated from the 3 rd step was used for a continuous mechanochemical synthesis of miltefosine. When compared to a typical batch protocol that takes 15 h, miltefosine was obtained in 58 % overall yield in flow synthesis mode at the laboratory scale in a total residence time 34 min at synthesis rate of 10 g/hr, which is sufficient to treat 4800 patients per day., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Thyroglossal cyst is the most common congenital neck anomaly in children with equal sex incidence, but papillary carcinoma of the thyroglossal cyst in children is rare with only 10 cases reported so far. Even in adults, the incidence of malignancy in the thyroglossal cyst is only 1%. Most cases are diagnosed following surgery on histopathological examination; there is no consensus on the management owing to this rarity and indolent but unpredictable behavior of thyroid cancers. Here, we present one such rare case., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Indian Association of Pediatric Surgeons.)

Different factitious hosts were used to mass rear Trichogramma japonicum Ashmead in different parts of the globe because thorough details were lacking in both the laboratory and the field. The objective of this study was to compare, parasitoid, T. japonicum reared in different factitious hosts. Three commonly used factitious host eggs, Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton), Ephestia kuehniella Zeller and Sitotroga cerealella Olivier were tested under laboratory conditions and then in the field over a yellow stem borer, Scirpophaga incertulus (Walker) of rice. The highest parasitism by T. japonicum was observed on E. kuehniella eggs. The parasitoid's highest emergence (88.99%) was observed on S. cerealella eggs at 24 h exposure, whereas at 48 h it was on E. kuehniella eggs (94.66%). Trichogramma japonicum females that emerged from E. kuehniella eggs were significantly long-lived. The days of oviposition by hosts and the host species were significant individually, but not their interaction. Higher proportions of flying T. japonicum were observed when reared on E. kuehniella and C. cephalonica eggs. Field results showed that T. japonicum mass-reared on E. kuehniella showed higher parasitism of its natural host, S. incertulus eggs. Hence, by considering these biological characteristics and field results, E. kuehniella could be leveraged for the mass rearing of quality parasitoids of T. japonicum in India, the Asian continent and beyond., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Chlorantraniliprole (CAP) is extensively used for rice pest management. Lack of information on the role of standing water and amount and timing of rainfall on CAP dissipation in rice ecosystem could hamper its prospective use. Present study was performed to investigate the effects of different water regimes (saturated, 5 and 10 cm standing water) and simulated rainfall (40 and 100 mm occurred at 4, 8 and 24 h after CAP application) on leaching, surface runoff and dissipation of CAP into components of rice ecosystem. The results showed highest concentration of CAP residues in soil and plant under saturated condition followed by 5 and 10 cm standing water conditions. Whereas, the highest concentration of CAP in leachates was detected under 10 cm standing water (12.19 ng mL -1 ). The results revealed large amount of leaching (21.99 ng mL -1 ) and surface runoff (42.25 ng mL -1 ) losses of CAP when 100 mm rainfall occurred at 4 h after pesticide application. The total quantity of CAP residues in soil and plant was highest when rainfall occurred at 24 h after pesticide application under both the rainfall amounts. Water stagnation and high intensity rainfall occurred shortly after pesticide application will contribute to pesticide loss to non-target sites through surface run-off and leaching. There will be less pesticide available in soil for plant uptake which may not be sufficient to kill the target organisms., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Point pollution of pesticides originating from the washing of spraying machines could be controlled by biobed system and it is in use in temperate countries. The biobed system is yet to be established in tropical countries. An indigenous biobed system was prepared using local resources like rice straw, farm yard manures (FYM) and paddy field soil to suit the tropical climate. Lowermost 3 cm layer of the biobed system was filled with rice husk biochar to prevent leaching of pesticides from the system. This model system was tested with high doses of imidacloprid (178 mg/column), a commonly used pesticide against number of insect-pests in different crops, for its degradation. The bio-mix trapped a major part of the imidacloprid on the top most layer of the biobed column and only a very small part of imidacloprid recovered from the leachate. The biobed system could degrade 70.13% of applied imidacloprid within 15 days of the experiment and only 5.27% of the total pesticide recovered 90 days after incubation. Addition of biochar layer adsorbed imidacloprid from the outgoing leachate from the biobed column. Biomixture boosted microbial activity more particularly fungal population, which might be responsible for imidacloprid degradation. Microbial biomass carbon, and soil enzymes indicated faster dissipation of imidacloprid from the top layer of the biobed. This simple but efficient biobed system using local resources can fulfill the need of the small and marginal farmers of Asian countries for pesticide decontamination., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Plant species, viz Cleistanthus collinus, Lantana camara, and Strychnos nux-vomica are being traditionally used for pest management in rice. However, limited investigation has been carried out to understand the toxic effect of these materials on soil microbes. Hot water extracts of these plants were evaluated for their effects on soil microbial population and enzyme activities along with neem oil and chlorpyrifos as check. Soil microbial population, viz bacteria, fungi, phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB), and asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were unchanged after application of plant extracts. Maximum population of bacteria including PSB and asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were observed in control, whereas, S. nux-vomica, and C. collinus-treated soil had higher number of actinomycetes and fungal population, respectively. Soil microbial biomass did not vary differently among the plant extracts. Application of plant extracts did not alter dehydrogenase, β-glycosidase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, and urease content in soil. Secondary metabolites present in these plant extracts may be responsible for variable effects on soil microbes. Chlorpyrifos had a fleeting negative effect on soil microbes and enzymes in comparison to plant extracts. All the three plants did not have any negative effect on soil microbes and enzymes and can be safely recommended in rice pest management.

An experiment was set up to determine the rate of dissipation of chlorantraniliprole (CTP) from two soils with contrasting properties. The other objective of the study was to find out the effect of CTP on soil microorganisms (population, microbial biomass carbon and soil enzymes) under controlled environment. CTP residues when applied at recommended dose ((RD) (at 40 g a.i./ha)) could not be recovered either from alluvial soil or red soil at 60 days post application of CTP in a microcosm study. Higher clay content led to higher half-life in alluvial soil compared to red soil. CTP could not be recovered from RD treatment at 30 days after pesticide application under controlled environment. Faster dissipation of CTP was observed in rice rhizosphere soil with 23.89 and 34.65 days dissipation half-lives for RD and double the recommended dose (DRD) treatments, respectively. Different doses of chlorantraniliprole did not have considerable negative effect on actinomycetes, fungi, biological nitrogen fixers and phospahte solubilising bacteria except the bacteria population. Among the treatments, DRD recorded the lowest activity of dehyrodeganse, fluoresein diacetate hydrolase, acid and alkaline phosphatases followed by RD treatment. Microbial biomass carbon, β -glycosidase and urease did not vary significantly among the different doses of CTP. In general, RD did not have negative effcts on soil microbes. Hence, CTP can be recommeded in rice pest managment maintaining existing soil microbes and soil enzymes activity., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There is a growing demand for an appropriate and safe antimicrobial dressing to treat infected deep wounds. An amorphous gel formulation (SNP-CMC), containing silver nanoparticles (SNPs) and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), was prepared in one step by the reduction of silver nitrate in situ. Spectrophotometric and microscopic analysis revealed that the SNPs were 7-21 nm in diameter. In simulated wound experiments, SNP-CMC gel was found to absorb 80.48 ± 4.69% w/w of saline and donate 17.43 ± 0.76% w/w of moisture within 24h indicating its dual fluid affinity. Cytocompatibility of the gel was assessed by proliferation studies with primary human skin cells. The antimicrobial activity studies showed that SNP-CMC containing 50 ppm of SNPs was effective against the growth of both Gram negative and Gram positive strains including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). These results indicate that SNP-CMC could be ideal for the treatment of deep infected wounds., (Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Glycogen, a major reservoir of energy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is found to be present as soluble and membrane-bound insoluble pools. Yeast cells can store excess glycogen when grown in media with higher concentration of sugar or when subjected to nutritional stress conditions. Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCIM-3300 was grown in media having ethanol concentrations up to 12% (v/v). The effects of externally added ethanol on glycogen and other carbohydrate content of yeast were studied by using alkali digestion process. Fermentative activities of cells grown in the presence of various ethanol concentrations (2-8% v/v) exhibited increase in values of glycogen and other carbohydrate, whereas cells grown with higher concentrations of ethanol (10-12% v/v) exhibited depletion in glycogen and carbohydrate content along with decrease in cell weight. Such inhibitory effect of ethanol was also exhibited in terms of reduction in total cell count of yeast grown in media with 2-16% (v/v) ethanol and 8% (w/v) sugar. These data suggest that, as the plasma membrane is a prime target for ethanol action, membrane-bound insoluble glycogen might play a protective role in combating ethanol stress. Elevated level of cell-surface alpha-glucans in yeast grown with ethanol, as measured by using amyloglucosidase treatment, confirms the correlation between ethanol and glycogen.

Glycogen in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is present in two pools, one soluble and intracellular, the other present in the cell wall and rendered water-insoluble owing to its covalent linkage to cell wall beta-glucan. The insoluble glycogen fraction was solubilized using beta-1,3-glucanase. The alpha beta-glucan complex obtained showed intense red staining with iodine and was isolated from free beta-glucans by affinity chromatography using concanavalin A sepharose 4B. Further use of molecular sieving has confirmed that glycogen is linked to beta-glucan as the non-retained fraction on Biogel P2 split into two peaks on treatment with amyloglucosidase. Partial acid hydrolysis and subsequent paper chromatography of the alpha beta-glucan complex isolated revealed the presence of gentiobiose and other higher oligosaccharides, indicating that glycogen is linked to beta-1,3-glucan through a beta-1,6 branch. The insoluble glycogen can be extracted in a soluble form by acetic acid treatment and is known as acid-soluble glycogen. The presence of glycogen in the cell wall is confirmed by controlled enzymatic release of alpha beta-glucan complex using lyticase from Arthobacter luteus without disruption of the plasma membrane, as can be visualized using electron microscopy., (Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The effect of different extraction procedures on the yields of water-soluble and water-insoluble glycogen fractions from a number of Saccharomyces strains was studied by using a specific method for glycogen determination. The similarity of the yields obtained by the different procedures showed that neither form of glycogen is an artifact, and variations in the relative amounts of glycogen in the two fractions during cell growth and in different yeast strains suggest that they represent different pools of storage material with specific roles in cell development and differentiation. A proportion of the water-insoluble glycogen fraction, solubilized by mechanical agitation, was shown to be strongly associated with a beta-glucan-like polysaccharide that may be a cell wall component.

Amylose prepared from starch dispersed in 10M-urea, pH6.2, was found to be resistant to the action of beta-amylase and phosphorylase, though it was degraded by alpha-amylase. Amylose isolated by conventional methods was similarly refractory after urea treatment, and was hydrolysed by beta-amylase to the extent of 32-35%; it had no inhibitory effect towards beta-amylase. The physical and chemical properties of the modified amylose were in general comparable with those of normal amylose with a beta-amylolysis limit of 94-98%. Starch and amylopectin were unaffected by urea treatment, i.e. the presence of amylopectin protected amylose against changes induced in it by urea. It is speculated that urea treatment "freezes" amylose molecules in a conformation that renders non-reducing termini inaccessible to the active site of the exo-enzymes. Such changes may limit the degradative action of beta-amylase and phosphorylase.