Effectiveness of protected area revenue-sharing program: Lessons from the key informants of Nepal's buffer zone program.

Finding appropriate mechanism of sharing protected area (PA) benefit with local communities is a critical policy question in biodiversity conservation. The Buffer Zone (BZ) program, practiced in several countries, involves placing partial restrictions on land use in peripherical areas while sharing a portion of PA revenue with the communities therein. However, the effectiveness of this program in promoting conservation and development is unknown.

Gold Nanoparticles in Nanobiotechnology: From Synthesis to Biosensing Applications.

Nanobiotechnology has ushered in a new era of scientific discovery where the unique properties of nanomaterials, such as gold nanoparticles, have been harnessed for a wide array of applications. This review explores gold nanoparticles' synthesis, properties, and multidisciplinary applications, focusing on their role as biosensors. Gold nanoparticles possess exceptional physicochemical attributes, including size-dependent optical properties, biocompatibility, and ease of functionalization, making them promising candidates for the development of biosensing platforms.

Characterization of a Myeloid Differentiation Factor 2-Derived Peptide that Facilitates THP-1 Macrophage-Mediated Phagocytosis of Gram-Negative Bacteria.

Myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD2), the TLR4 coreceptor, has been shown to possess opsonic activity and has been implicated in phagocytosis and intracellular killing of Gram-negative bacteria. However, any MD2 protein segment involved in phagocytosis of Gram-negative bacteria is not yet known. A short synthetic MD2 segment, MD54 (amino acid regions 54 to 69), was shown to interact with a Gram-negative bacterial outer membrane component, LPS, earlier.

Challenges in Emerging Vaccines and Future Promising Candidates against SARS-CoV-2 Variants.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) virus has evolved into variants with varied infectivity. Vaccines developed against COVID-19 infection have boosted immunity, but there is still uncertainty on how long the immunity from natural infection or vaccination will last. The present study attempts to outline the present level of information about the contagiousness and spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest and variants of concern (VOCs).

Exploring microbial diversity responses in agricultural fields: a comparative analysis under pesticide stress and non-stress conditions.

Exposure to pesticides changes the microbial community structure in contaminated agricultural fields. To analyze the changes in the native microbial composition qRT-PCR, a metagenomic study was conducted. The qRT-PCR results exhibited that the uncontaminated soil has a higher copy number of 16S rDNA relative to the soil contaminated with pesticide.

Physical Activity Maintain Immune Response Through TLR-2/TLR-4 Gene Expression in Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Patient at Medan City.

Background: The Increasing in type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) needs to solve comprehensively and holistically. Patients with T2DM should have self-coping due to lifestyle modification. Abdominal fat accumulation can release pro-inflammatory cytokine that leads TLR-2 and TLR-4 to the response.

Nanocellulose: A comprehensive review investigating its potential as an innovative material for water remediation.

Rapid growth in industrialization sectors, the wastewater treatment plants become exhausted and potentially not able to give desirable discharge standards. Many industries discharge the untreated effluent into the water bodies which affects the aquatic diversity and human health. The effective disposal of industrial effluents thus has been an imperative requirement.

Microplastic pollution: Understanding microbial degradation and strategies for pollutant reduction.

Microplastics are ubiquitous environmental pollutants with the potential for adverse impacts on ecosystems and human health. These particles originate from the fragmentation of larger plastic items, shedding from synthetic fibers, tire abrasions, and direct release from personal care products and industrial processes. Once released into the environment, microplastics can disrupt ecosystems, accumulate in organisms, cause physical harm, and carry chemical pollutants that pose risks to both wildlife and human health.

Multi-scale feature fusion-based lightweight dual stream transformer for detection of paddy leaf disease.

Traditionally, rice leaf disease identification relies on a visual examination of abnormalities or an analytical result obtained by growing bacteria in the research lab. This method of visual evaluation is qualitative and error-prone. On the other hand, an artificial neural network system is fast and more accurate.

Assessment of potentially toxic elements in groundwater through interpolation, pollution indices, and chemometric techniques in Dehradun in Uttarakhand State.

Providing safe drinking water for the entire world's population is essential for ensuring sustainable development. The presence of harmful compounds in aquifers, majorly toxic elements, is a serious environmental concern around the globe. This research aimed to quantify for the initial period the amounts of toxic elements in freshwater in the Dehradun Industrial Region of Uttrakhand, India, as well as the associated health risks.

Synthesis of Pectin and Eggshell Biowaste-Mediated Nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAp), Their Physicochemical Characterizations, and Use as Antibacterial Material.

The current study reports the synthesis of sustainable nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAp) using a wet chemical precipitation approach. The materials used in the green synthesis of nHAp were obtained from environmental biowastes such as HAp from eggshells and pectin from banana peels. The physicochemical characterization of obtained nHAp was carried out using different techniques.

Perspectives on Usage of Functional Nanomaterials in Antimicrobial Therapy for Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Infections.

The clinical applications of nanotechnology are emerging as widely popular, particularly as a potential treatment approach for infectious diseases. Diseases associated with multiple drug-resistant organisms (MDROs) are a global concern of morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains has increased the urgency associated with researching and developing novel bactericidal medicines or unorthodox methods capable of combating antimicrobial resistance.

Evolutionary and guided development of novel peptide analogues for antibacterial activity against ESKAPE pathogens.

According to WHO, to combat the resistant strains, new effective anti-microbial agents are needed on an urgent basis and global researchers should focus their efforts and discovery programs on developing them against antibiotic-resistant pathogens or priority pathogens like ESKAPE. In this context, Cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are being explored extensively as promising next-generation antimicrobials due to their broad range, fast kinetics and multifunctional role. Despite recent advances, it is still a daunting challenge to identify and design a potent AMP with no cytotoxicity, but with broad specific antimicrobial activity, stability and efficacy under conditions in a cost-effective and robust manner.

Toxicity of Nanoscaled Zero-Valent Iron Particles on Tilapia, .

This research effort aims to evaluate the hazardous potential of the redox state (OH) of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) and its histopathological and oxidative stress toward Mozambique tilapia, . X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) validated the nZVI nanoparticles' chemical composition, while transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that their physical form is round and oval. The exposure to 10 g/mL of nZVI induced the activation of the cellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity.

Spermine-Conjugated Short Proline-Rich Lipopeptides as Broad-Spectrum Intracellular Targeting Antibacterial Agents.

Toward the design of new proline-rich peptidomimetics, a short peptide segment, present in several proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), was selected. Fatty acids of varying lengths and spermine were conjugated at the N- and C-terminals of the peptide, respectively. Spermine-conjugated lipopeptides, C-PR-Spn and C-PR-Spn, exhibited minimum inhibitory concentrations within 1.

Identifying and prioritising climate change adaptation actions for greater one-horned rhinoceros () conservation in Nepal.

Climate change has started impacting species, ecosystems, genetic diversity within species, and ecological interactions and is thus a serious threat to conserving biodiversity globally. In the absence of adequate adaptation measures, biodiversity may continue to decline, and many species will possibly become extinct. Given that global temperature continues to increase, climate change adaptation has emerged as an overarching framework for conservation planning.

Predicted declines in suitable habitat for greater one-horned rhinoceros () under future climate and land use change scenarios.

Rapidly changing climate is likely to modify the spatial distribution of both flora and fauna. Land use change continues to alter the availability and quality of habitat and further intensifies the effects of climate change on wildlife species. We used an ensemble modeling approach to predict changes in habitat suitability for an iconic wildlife species, greater one-horned rhinoceros due to the combined effects of climate and land use changes.

Modulation of protein phosphatase 1 gamma 2 during cell division of cervical cancer HeLa cells.

Introduction: Protein phosphatases (PP) and kinases are known to regulate the cell cycle dynamics. Although kinases have been studied extensively, most of the phosphatases are still unexplored. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the association of an isoform of PP1 family protein phosphatases 1 gamma 2 (PP1γ2) in the regulation of cervical cancer HeLa cell proliferation.

Tandem Repeat of a Short Human Chemerin-Derived Peptide and Its Nontoxic d-Lysine-Containing Enantiomer Display Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial and Antitubercular Activities.

To design novel antimicrobial peptides by utilizing the sequence of the human host defense protein, chemerin, a seven-residue amphipathic stretch located in the amino acid region, 109-115, was identified, which possesses the highest density of hydrophobic and positively charged residues. Although this 7-mer peptide was inactive toward microorganisms, its 14-mer tandem repeat (Chem-KVL) was highly active against different bacteria including methicillin-resistant , a multidrug-resistant strain, and slow- and fast-growing mycobacterial species. The selective enantiomeric substitutions of its two l-lysine residues were attempted to confer cell selectivity and proteolytic stability to Chem-KVL.

Anti-mycobacterial activity evaluation of designed peptides: cryptic and database filtering based approach.

Worldwide, TB is one of the deadly airborne diseases, which accounts for 10.4 million deaths annually. Serious toxicity issue, prolonged treatment regimens of the current drugs, rise in multidrug-resistant strains, and the unique defensive mechanism makes the development of novel therapeutic molecules against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT) an urgent need.

Phytotoxic effects of invasive Ageratina adenophora on two native subtropical shrubs in Nepal.

The response of native plants to allelopathic interference of invasive species may differ from species to species. In this study, the phytotoxic effects of Ageratina adenophora were tested on two native shrubs (Osbeckia stellata and Elsholtzia blanda) of Nepal. Both the shrubs were grown in pots under treatments of A.

Biological approaches practised using genetically engineered microbes for a sustainable environment: A review.

Conventional methods used to remediate toxic substances from the environment have failed drastically, and thereby, advancement in newer remediation techniques can be one of the ways to improve the quality of bioremediation. The increased environmental pollution led to the exploration of microorganisms and construction of genetically engineered microbes (GEMs) for pollution abatement through bioremediation. The present review deals with the successful bioremediation techniques and approaches practised using genetically modified or engineered microbes.

Air quality assessment among populous sites of major metropolitan cities in India during COVID-19 pandemic confinement.

The present study aims to determine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic confinement on air quality among populous sites of four major metropolitan cities in India (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai) from January 1, 2020 to May 31, 2020 by analyzing particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO), ammonia (NH), sulfur dioxide (SO), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone levels. The most prominent pollutant concerning air quality index (AQI) was determined by Pearson's correlation analysis and unpaired Welch's two-sample t test was carried out to measure the statistically significant reduction in average AQI for all the four sites.

A Noncytotoxic Temporin L Analogue with Antibacterial and Antiendotoxin Activities and a Nonmembrane-Lytic Mode of Action.

Cytotoxic frog antimicrobial peptide Temporin L (TempL) is an attractive molecule for the design of lead antimicrobial agents due to its short size and versatile biological activities. However, noncytotoxic TempL variants with desirable biological activities have rarely been reported. TempL analogue Q3K,TempL is water-soluble and possesses a significant antiendotoxin property along with comparable cytotoxicity to TempL.

Trends and current state of research on greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis): A systematic review of the literature over a period of 33 years (1985-2018).

Greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is one of the most iconic wildlife species in the world. Once reduced to fewer than 500 during the 1960s, its global population has been recovering and is now over 3500, thanks to effective conservation programs in India and Nepal, the only two countries in the world where this species is found. It is one of the greatest success stories in biodiversity conservation given that hundreds of other species have disappeared, and thousands of species are on the verge of extinction.