622 results match your criteria: "University of North Bengal[Affiliation]"

In fluvial environments, the shifting of river channels and bank erosion are frequently caused by both natural and anthropogenic factors. Riverine hazards like bank erosion and course alterations offer severe issues to the riparian villages along the lower basin of the Tista River in India, which substantially influence the livelihoods of inhabitants living there. This research addressed river channel shifting tendency and identified major bank erosion-prone villages along the lower course of the Tista River and challenges to the livelihoods of the riparian people.

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Application of Carbon Quantum Dots Derived from Waste Tea for the Detection of Pesticides in Tea: A Novel Biosensor Approach.

ACS Omega

December 2024

Tea Chemistry and Pharmacology Laboratory, Department of Tea Science, University of North Bengal, Raja Rammohunpur, Bairatisal, Siliguri, West Bengal 734013, India.

Chemical pesticide residues have negative consequences for human health and the environment. Prioritizing a detection method that is both reliable and efficient is essential. Our innovative research explored the application of biosensors based on carbon quantum dots (CQDs) derived from waste tea to detect commonly used pesticides in tea.

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This study aimed to assess the impact of sources of social support and dimensions of self-efficacy on psychological symptoms and mental wellbeing among early adolescents. A total of 274 adolescents aged 10-14 from Darjeeling, India, participated in the study. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C) were utilized to assess dimensions of protective/promotive factors.

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Cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, poses significant global concern. A strain of the genus Pseudomonas, CD3, demonstrating significant cadmium resistance (up to 3 mM CdCl.HO) was identified from a pool of 26 cadmium-resistant bacteria isolated from cadmium-contaminated soil samples from Malda, India.

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Arsenic-mediated neurodegenerative disorders affect millions of individuals globally, but the specific impact of environmental arsenic on adult cerebellar degeneration and neurogenesis is incompletely understood. Of particular concern is arsenic-induced apoptosis-driven neurodegeneration. Our major objective was to investigate the molecular signaling intricacies associated with arsenic-induced death of cerebellar neurons and to propose folic acid as a possible intervention.

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Naga chilli (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) have garnered significant attention due to the plant's possible health benefits and variety of phytochemical components. Utilizing cutting-edge analytical techniques such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) in conjunction with bioautography, this study conducts a thorough phytochemical profiling and biological activity assessment of the Naga chilli plant.

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Impact of microplastics on aquatic flora: Recent status, mechanisms of their toxicity and bioremediation strategies.

Chemosphere

December 2024

Plant Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of North Bengal, Raja Rammohunpur, Dist. Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. Electronic address:

The accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environments has occurred pervasively. The MPs affect almost all the aquatic plants including the aquatic microorganisms, ultimately disturbing the food chain. Aquatic flora attracts MPs due to the formation of several chemical bonds and interactions, including hydrogen bonds, electrostatic, hydrophobic, and van der Waals.

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Organic luminescent materials having photoluminescence in their solid state have become emerging trends in chemistry, materials science, and biology due to their versatile potential applications. In the present contribution, we have introduced some methylenebis(4,1-phenylene) electron donor-acceptor-based fashionable solid-state fluorescent molecules, MBA, MBB, and MBH, having exciting photoluminescence characteristics in their solid and aggregate states. Interestingly, all probes exhibited a compelling aggregation-induced enhanced emission (AIEE) phenomenon in aqueous media.

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This research aims to comprehensively investigate and analyze the UV-visible spectroscopic behavior of the methyl red (MR)-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) system under the influence of sodium polystyrene sulfonate (NaPSS) in aqueous and different volume fractions (v.f.) of ethanol (EtOH)-HO (0.

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Optical Biosensor for Bacteremia detection from human blood samples at a label-free Liquid Crystal-Aqueous Interface: A Rapid and Point-of-Care approach.

J Colloid Interface Sci

December 2024

Nanocarbon and Sensor Laboratory, Department of Physics, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Greater Noida, India. Electronic address:

Detection of bacteremia requires recognizing bloodstream bacteria. Early identification of bacteremia is imperative for treatment and prevents the escalation to systemic infections like septicaemia. This paper introduces a novel, label-free biosensor based on liquid crystals (LCs), designed to offer rapid and reliable optical detection of blood pathogens without using traditional PCR methods.

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Engineering the surface of metal halide perovskite nanocrystals (MHPNCs) is crucial for optimizing their optical properties, repairing surface defects, enhancing quantum yield, and ensuring long-term stability. These enhancements make surface-engineered MHPNCs ideal for applications in light-emitting devices (LEDs), displays, lasers, and photodetectors, contributing to energy efficiency. This article delves into an introduction to MHPNCs, their structure and types, particularly the ABX type (where A represents monovalent organic/inorganic cations, B represents divalent metal ions mainly Pb metal, and X represents halide ions), synthesis methods, unique optical properties, surface modification techniques using various agents (particularly inorganic molecules/materials, organic molecules, polymers, and biomolecules) to tune optical properties and applications in the aforementioned light-emitting technologies, challenges and opportunities, including advantages and disadvantages of surface-modified APbX MHPNCs, and a summary and future outlook.

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Haematological parameters as predictors of severe dengue: a study from northern districts of West Bengal.

J Vector Borne Dis

December 2024

Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of North Bengal, Raja Rammohunpur, P.O. North Bengal University, Siliguri, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India.

Background Objectives: A hike in dengue cases was recorded in last two years, resulting from both single and multiple-serotypes of dengue virus (DENV) and secondary infections, culminating in significant hospitalizations and deaths in India. This study focuses on evaluating symptomatic and haematological parameters in acute dengue patients of the northern part of West Bengal to predict disease severity early on and also to analyze the correlation between circulating DENV serotypes with severity.

Methods: Dengue patients (N=540) diagnosed as NS1 positives were categorized into 13.

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Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) are excellent prebiotic which improve health through selective modulation of beneficial gut microbiome. Its production from agroresidues using microbial xylanase is considered as sustainable and economic approach. In this study a xylanase producing bacterium isolated from decaying wood soil was phylogenetically identified and designated as Bacillus stercoris DWS1.

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Genotoxic impact of agricultural insecticides as contaminants of river Teesta on the resident fish Pethia Conchonius.

Sci Rep

November 2024

Genetics and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of North Bengal, P.O. NBU. Dist., Darjeeling, 734013, West Bengal, India.

Fish, being highly sensitive to changes in the physico-chemical parameters of water, are good indicators of contamination. Teesta, a prominent northern West Bengal River system, is increasingly contaminated due to anthropogenic activities. This study aims to determine agricultural pesticide contamination and its genotoxic impact on the resident fish, Pethia conchonius, as an experimental organism.

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Hepatic complications are the major health issues associated with dietary intake of calorie saturated food e.g. high-fat diet (HFD).

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Bioprospecting amylase from Samiti Lake, situated in the eastern Himalayas.

Int J Biol Macromol

November 2024

Department of Microbiology, University of North Bengal, District Darjeeling 734013, India. Electronic address:

Enzymes, especially amylases, have been an economic boon to the industrial sector, their bioprospective and biotechnological use is an added advantage. Our primary focus of the study was to isolate the most potent amylase producer and to optimize its production parameters through One Factor At A Time (OFAT), Central Composite Rotatable Design Response Surface Methodology (CCRD RSM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). Based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis, SLAB1 was selected as the most potent amylase producer out of the potential isolates.

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Comprehensive analysis of water and sediment from holy water body 'Pokhri' reveals presence of biomolecules that may educe skin, gastroenterological and neurological dysfunction.

Sci Total Environ

December 2024

Plant Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Postgraduate Department of Botany, Darjeeling Government College, Darjeeling 734101, West Bengal, India. Electronic address:

'Pokhri mai' refers to the natural pond amidst the hilly forest slopes of the Buxa tiger reserve (BTR) nearby Jayanti considered to be sacred by the local ethnic groups serving as the prime source of water for wild animals and occasionally by neighbouring inhabitants. However, the water body is designated to be noxious by a group of native people with no scientific validation. This paper focuses to explore its toxicity status and allied environmental concerns through Pokhri water and sediment sample analysis through physicochemical assessment, in vitro antioxidant assay, microbiological investigation followed by AAS, GC-MS and in silico study.

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Azoxystrobin induced genotoxicity in Pethia conchonius, a freshwater fish of river Teesta, India.

Aquat Toxicol

December 2024

Genetics and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of North Bengal, P.O. NBU. Dist. Darjeeling, 734013, West Bengal, India. Electronic address:

Azoxystrobin, a widely used fungicide, can contaminate water bodies through surface run-off, posing a risk to aquatic organisms. This study aimed to assess the genotoxic effects of azoxystrobin on the fish Pethia conchonius. The 96 h lethal concentration (LC) of azoxystrobin was determined to be 0.

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We present a systematic experimental dataset on the temperature dependence of specific heat capacity in a binary mixture of the second and seventh homologous series of 5-alkyloxy-2-(4-nonyloxy-phenyl) pyrimidine (PhP) liquid crystal compound. These binary mixtures exhibit nematic, smectic-A, and smectic-C phases within a concentration range of= 0-0.45.

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Trans-Himalayan hot spring waters rich in boron, chlorine, sodium and sulfur (but poor in calcium and silicon) are known based on PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene sequence data to harbor high diversities of infiltrating bacterial mesophiles. Yet, little is known about the community structure and functions, primary productivity, mutual interactions, and thermal adaptations of the microorganisms present in the steaming waters discharged by these geochemically peculiar spring systems. We revealed these aspects of a bacteria-dominated microbiome (microbial cell density ~8.

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A visible-light-induced photocascade strategy is disclosed for the synthesis of -dihydrofuro[3,2-]chromen-4-one scaffolds. The photocascade consists of electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complex enabled formation of arylidene coumarinone, followed by 1,4-radical conjugate addition (1,4-RCA) of an generated pyridinium ylide radical (PyYR) towards diastereoselective formation of the -dihydrofuro[3,2-]chromen-4-one scaffold in good to excellent yield. Thorough mechanistic investigations comprising photophysical, spectroscopic, electrochemical and DFT studies provide further insights into the reaction mechanism.

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Article Synopsis
  • Parkinson's disease (PD) is a rapidly increasing global health issue with no cure, prompting the need for new drug development.
  • The study focused on synthesizing and testing sulfonyl derivatives of benzimidazole as potential treatments by targeting monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) using molecular docking techniques.
  • Results showed that two synthesized compounds exhibited strong binding affinities, suggesting they could be promising candidates for effective PD therapies compared to existing drugs.
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Carbon-halogen bond cleavage in aryl halides through single electron transfer (SET) is a crucial step in radical-based cross-coupling reactions. Accomplishing such cleavage using an organic system without the assistance of any transition metal-based catalyst is highly challenging. In recent years, combining organic molecules and a base has served as a unique system for SET-mediated carbon-halogen bond cleavage.

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Effect of Hypoxia on the Gut Microflora of a Facultative Air-Breathing Loach Lepidocephalichthys guntea.

Curr Microbiol

October 2024

OMICS Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, University of North Bengal, Siliguri, West Bengal, 734013, India.

One of the main risks to fish health in an aquatic environment is hypoxia, which can either lead to respiratory failure or the emergence of various diseases in a fish population. This investigation examined the impact of hypoxia on the gut bacteria of a loach, Lepidocephalichthys guntea, which under the dissolve oxygen stress can gulp air from surface and breathe using its posterior intestine. High-throughput sequencing was used to examine the anterior and posterior parts of the gut of L.

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5-Fluorouracil induces apoptosis in nutritional deprived hepatocellular carcinoma through mitochondrial damage.

Sci Rep

October 2024

Advanced Nanoscale Molecular Oncology Laboratory (ANMOL), Department of Biotechnology, University of North Bengal, Raja Rammohunpur, District - Darjeeling, 734013, Siliguri, West Bengal, India.

Article Synopsis
  • 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a key chemotherapy drug for treating hepatocellular carcinoma, but its effectiveness decreases due to cancer cells developing resistance, mainly through a process called autophagy.
  • This study explores how manipulating nutrient levels, particularly through starvation, can enhance the efficacy of 5-FU by increasing cancer cell death while minimizing harm to normal cells.
  • Results indicate that combining 5-FU with nutritional deprivation boosts cell death via mitochondrial damage and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), which could pave the way for new treatment strategies against liver cancer.
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