A "self-shrinking" supramolecular hydrogel with a 3D shape memory performance from an unnatural amino acid derivative.

A supramolecular hydrogel with 3D self-shrinking, without any assistance, and a shape memory performance at room temperature is discovered from an unnatural amino acid derivative, fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-L-β-phenylalanine, as a minimalistic model. The self-shrinking properties of this hydrogel can be explored for potential applications.

Decorin mediated biomimetic PCL-gelatin nano-framework to impede scarring.

Scars occur as a result of fibrosis after tissue damage or surgery and reports suggest that excessive Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) activity during the process of wound healing leads to progressive fibrosis. Decorin is an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein which regulates collagen fibrillogenesis. However, targeted delivery and effective protein therapy remains a challenge owing to degradation byproteases.

Functionalized electrospun nanofibers for high efficiency removal of particulate matter.

In recent years, introducing electrospun airfilters to enhance the removal of PM and PM has received much interest. In this study, a novel poly-(vinyl) alcohol (PVA)/carbon nanoparticle (CNP)/tea leaf extract (TLE), functionalized nanofibrous air filter (FNA) was fabricated using an electrospinning method. Novelty of the unique work in the blending of CNP and TLE, first of its kind, for the preparation of FNA.

Slaughterhouse and poultry wastes: management practices, feedstocks for renewable energy production, and recovery of value added products.

The slaughterhouse and poultry industry is possibly one of the fastest-growing sectors driven by the increasing demand in food availability. Subsequently, the wastes produced from the slaughterhouse and poultry industry are in huge quantities, which could be a promising resource for the recovery of value added products, and bioenergy production to minimize the dependence on fossil fuels. Furthermore, the wastes from slaughterhouses and poultry are a hub of pathogens that is capable of infecting humans and animals.

Recent developments on bismuth oxyhalides (BiOX; X = Cl, Br, I) based ternary nanocomposite photocatalysts for environmental applications.

Photocatalytic treatment of organic pollutants present in wastewater using semiconductor nanomaterials under light irradiation is one of the efficient advanced oxidation processes. Stable metal oxide (e.g.

Ultrasonication-mediated nitrogen-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes involving carboxy methylcellulose composite for solid-state supercapacitor applications.

In this study, a novel nanohybrid composite containing nitrogen-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes/carboxymethylcellulose (N-MWCNT/CMC) was synthesized for supercapacitor applications. The synthesized composite materials were subjected to an ultrasonication-mediated solvothermal hydrothermal reaction. The synthesized nanohybrid composite electrode material was characterized using analytical methods to confirm its structure and morphology.

Application of Artificial Neural Network as a nonhazardous alternative on kinetic analysis and modeling for green synthesis of cobalt nanocatalyst from Ocimum tenuiflorum.

The present paper is dedicated to analyze non-hazardous kinetic behaviour and modelling of green synthesized cobalt nanocatalyst (CoNCs), using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN). In order to supplement the trace metal in other applications, CoNCs were rapidly synthesized with a Cobalt sulphate solution at room temperature between 30 and 35 ºC at pH 7.2 under less reaction time.

Insights in the structural understanding of amyloidogenicity and mutation-led conformational dynamics of amyloid beta (Aβ) through molecular dynamics simulations and principal component analysis.

Abnormal protein aggregation in the nervous tissue leads to several neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease (AD). In AD, accumulation of the amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide is proposed to be an early important event in pathogenesis. Significant research efforts are devoted so as to understand the Aβ misfolding and aggregation.

Towards safer non-volatile tissue fixatives: Evaluation of choline-based ionic liquids for fixing ocular tissues.

Volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) are routinely used for processing biological tissue samples in clinical laboratories. Recognizing their serious health and environmental impacts, a few non-volatile green solvents (choline based ionic liquids, ILs) were evaluated as tissue fixatives here. Microscopic evaluation of histo-morphology, fixation and staining quality, and macromolecular integrity (DNA and proteins) were assessed in human eye tissues (sclera, choroid, retinal layers and retinal pigmented epithelium, eyelid and orbit) after IL-fixation.

Non-enzymatic reduction of Cr (VI) and it's effective biosorption using heat-inactivated biomass: A fermentation waste material.

The effectiveness of heat-inactivated fungal biomass a fermentation waste of newly isolated laccase enzyme producer Leiotrametes flavida was studied for Cr (VI) removal in water and applied for Cr (VI) removal from tannery effluent. Adsorption parameters pH, biomass concentration and contact time were optimized using Box-Behnken design of response surface methodology. The adsorption process fits the Langmuir isotherm.

Domino Palladium-Catalyzed Double Norbornene Insertion/Annulation Reaction: Expeditious Synthesis of Overcrowded Tetrasubstituted Olefins.

A Pd-catalyzed domino process involving a double norbornene insertion/annulation reaction was developed for the expeditious synthesis of overcrowded olefins. In this one-pot reaction, four new C-C bond formations were achieved by three consecutive Heck carbopalladations and C-H activation across the C≡C triple bond of 2-alkynyl bromobenzenes with two norbornene rings via a reactive vinylic-Pd(II) species. This protocol provides a step-economical synthetic system to access the structurally identical molecular machine motifs of overcrowded olefins with high yields.

Efficacy of mycosynthesised AgNPs from as an antibacterial and wound healing agent.

The silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with their unique chemical and physical properties are proving as a new therapeutical agent. In the present study, the AgNPs synthesised from an aqueous extract of a macrofungus, , were characterised by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and further evaluate for its antibacterial and wound healing efficacy. The mycosynthesised AgNPs exhibited the surface plasmon resonance peak at 410 nm with good stability over a period of a month.

A self-assembly and higher order structure forming triple helical protein as a novel biomaterial for cell proliferation.

Collagen plays a critical role in the structural design of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell signaling in mammals, which makes it one of the most promising biomaterials with versatile applications. However, there is considerable concern regarding the purity and predictability of the product performance. At present, it is mainly derived as a mixture of collagen (different types) from animal tissues, where the selective enrichment of a particular type of collagen is generally difficult and expensive.

Effect of aeration and agitation on yeast inulinase production: a biocalorimetric investigation.

Air flow rate and agitation speed for inulinase production by Kluyveromyces marxianus were optimized based on metabolic heat release profiles. Shear stress and oxygen transfer (ka) values were compared to assess the effects of aeration and agitation. At agitation rates of ≤ 100 rpm, the oxygen mass transfer rates were small and eventually led to less inulinase production, but at agitation rates > 150 rpm, loss of biomass resulted in less inulinase activity.

Excited State Electronic Interconversion and Structural Transformation of Engineered Red-Emitting Green Fluorescent Protein Mutant.

Red fluorescent proteins with a large Stokes shift offer a limited autofluorescence background and are used in deep tissue imaging. Here, by introducing the free amino group in Aequorea victoria, the electrostatic charges of the p-hydroxybenzylidene imidazolinone chromophore of green fluorescent protein (GFP) have been altered resulting in an unusual, 85 nm red-shifted fluorescence. The structural and biophysical analysis suggested that the red shift is due to positional shift occupancy of Glu222 and Arg96, resulting in extended conjugation and a relaxed chromophore.

Side chain torsion dictates planarity and ionizability of green fluorescent protein's chromophore leading to spectral perturbations.

Spectral characteristics of fluorescent proteins (FPs) are well studied, and through protein engineering, several FP variants constituting entire visible spectrum have been created. One of the most common mechanisms attributed to spectral shifts in FP is excited state proton transfer (ESPT), hydroxyl moiety protonation and deprotonation, along with chromophore isomerism. The most widely studied FPs are those derived from avGFP ( GFP) and Dsred (Discosoma coral).

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of bioactive prodigiosin produces from using agricultural waste as a substrate.

The objective of this investigation was to explore the antioxidant and antimicrobial property of bioactive prodigiosin produced from using rice bran. The antioxidant potential of prodigiosin was examined by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2, 2'-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging method via UV-visible, electron spin resonance spectrum (ESR), cyclic voltammetry and excitation emission spectrum. The antimicrobial activity of prodigiosin was examined against foodborne pathogens.

Evaluation of Industrial Biocides on a Novel TANCK-1 and Elucidation of Their Probable Biocidal Mechanism.

Abstract: In the present investigation, a novel fungus was isolated from leather watch strap and identified as TANCK-1 by 18 s rRNA sequencing. The isolated fungus was evaluated against three structurally different fungicides such as 2-(thiocyanomethylthio)benzothiazole (TCMTB), potassium dimethyldithiocarbamate (KDDC) and 2,2-dibromo-3-nitrilopropionamide (DBNP) to control the fungal growth. Among these, TCMTB was found to effectively inhibit the growth at a minimum concentration of 31.

A membrane electroflotation process for recovery of recyclable chromium(III) from tannery spent liquor effluent.

A two-compartment membrane electroflotation reactor has been demonstrated for recovery of recyclable chromium(III) from tannery spent liquor effluent. Dimensionally stable RuO/TiO-Ti and Ti were used as anode and cathode, respectively. The spent liquor effluent was used as catholyte and 0.

Modeling of exo-inulinase biosynthesis by Kluyveromyces marxianus in fed-batch mode: correlating production kinetics and metabolic heat fluxes.

A metabolic heat-based model was used for estimating the growth of Kluyveromyces marxianus, and the modified Luedeking-Piret kinetic model was used for describing the inulinase production kinetics. For the first time, a relationship was developed to relate inulinase production kinetics directly to metabolic heat generated, which corroborated well with the experimental data (with R values of above 0.9).

Starch nanocrystals based hydrogel: Construction, characterizations and transdermal application.

Bio-based nanocomposites were prepared using starch nanocrystals obtained by acid hydrolysis of native starches using different acid sources. In recent times, focuses on starch nanocrystals (SNCs) have been increasing in number of research works dedicated to the development of bio-nanocomposites by blending with different biopolymeric matrices. The work mainly deals with the preparation of starch nanocrystals using different native starches by acid hydrolysis using hydrochloric acid and trifluroacetic acid.

Synthesis of Surface-Modified Iron Oxides for the Solvent-Free Recovery of Bacterial Bioactive Compound Prodigiosin and Its Algicidal Activity.

Prodigiosin (PG) is a bioactive compound produced by several bacterial species. Currently, many technologies are being developed for the production of PG by fermentation processes. However, new challenges are being faced with regard to the production of PG in terms of the recovery and purification steps, owing to the labile nature of PG molecules and the cost of the purification steps.

Transition-metal-catalyzed hydrogen-transfer annulations: access to heterocyclic scaffolds.

The ability of hydrogen-transfer transition-metal catalysts, which enable increasingly rapid access to important structural scaffolds from simple starting materials, has led to a plethora of research efforts on the construction of heterocyclic scaffolds. Transition-metal-catalyzed hydrogen-transfer annulations are environmentally benign and highly atom-economical as they release of water and hydrogen as by-product and utilize renewable feedstock alcohols as starting materials. Recent advances in this field with respect to the annulations of alcohols with various nucleophilic partners, thus leading to the formation of heterocyclic scaffolds, are highlighted herein.

Crystal structure of 4-(2-azido-phen-yl)-5-benzoyl-2-(1H-indol-3-yl)-1H-pyrrole-3-carbo-nitrile.

In the title compound, C26H16N6O, the dihedral angles between the central pyrrole ring and the pendant indole ring system (r.m.s.