Benzoin condensation: a kinetic monitoring at the oil-water interface - Singh, Anshu; Kumar, Anil (ChemistrySelect, 2018)
The overall kinetics of condensation of benzaldehyde to benzoin has been discussed here with an aim to develop a better understanding of the change in reactivity of the interfacial reaction in the presence of co-solvents. A key aspect of the 'on water' reaction is the chemistry between solvent and reactants that occur at the oil-water interface. In particular the orientation of water molecules at the interface plays a key role in catalyzing the reaction. An initial increase in the rate constants of reaction is observed, followed by sharp fall in the reaction kinetics. An interesting interplay of hydrophobicity, hydrogen bonding and polarity of the binary mixture is inevitable in the present study. The observations are nevertheless important reference point for future investigations of 'on water' reactions.

Beyond hydrofunctionalisation: a well-defined calcium compound catalysed mild and efficient carbonyl cyanosilylation - Yadav, Sandeep; Dixit, Ruchi; Vanka, Kumar; Sen, Sakya S. (Chemistry-A European Journal, 2018)
Organocalcium compounds have been reported as efficient catalysts for various transformations, for cases in which one of the substrates contained an E-H (E=B, N, Si, P) bond. Here, we look at the possibility of employing an organocalcium compound for a transformation in which none of the precursors has a polar E-H bond. This study demonstrates the utilization of a well-defined amidinatocalcium iodide, [PhC(NiPr)(2)CaI] (1) for cyanosilylation of a variety of aldehydes and ketones with Me3SiCN under ambient conditions without the need of any co-catalyst. The reaction mechanism involves a weak adduct formation between 1 and Me3SiCN leading to the activation of the Si-C bond, which subsequently undergoes sigma-bond metathesis with a C=O moiety. Such a mechanistic pathway is unprecedented in alkaline earth metal chemistry. Experimental and computational studies support the mechanism.
Keywords: Ca catalysis; carbonyls; cyanosilylation; Density functional calculations; transition-metal free

Biomass-mediated synthesis of Cu-doped TiO2 nanoparticles for improved-performance lithium-ion batteries - Kashale, Anil A.; Dwivedi, Pravin K.; Sathe, Bhaskar R.; Shelke, Manjusha V.; Chang, Jia-Yaw; Ghule, Anil V. (ACS Omega, 2018)
Pure TiO2 and Cu-doped TiO2 nanoparticles are synthesized by the biomediated green approach using the Bengal gram bean extract. The extract containing biomolecules acts as capping agent, which helps to control the size of nanoparticles and inhibit the agglomeration of particles. Copper is doped in TiO2 to enhance the electronic conductivity of TiO2 and its electrochemical performance. The Cu-doped TiO2 nanoparticle-based anode shows high specific capacitance, good cycling stability, and rate capability performance for its envisaged application in lithium-ion battery. Among pure TiO2, 3% Cu-doped TiO2, and 7% Cu-doped TiO2 anode, the latter shows the highest capacity of 250 mAh g(-1) (97.6% capacity retention) after 100 cycles and more than 99% of coulombic efficiency at 0.5 A g(-1) current density. The improved electrochemical performance in the 7% Cu-doped TiO2 is attributed to the synergetic effect between copper and titania. The results reveal that Cu-doped TiO2 nanoparticles might be contributing to the enhanced electronic conductivity, providing an efficient pathway for fast electron transfer.

BIOPYDB: a dynamic human cell specific biochemical pathway database with advanced computational analyses platform - Chowdhury, S.; Sinha, N.; Ganguli, P.; Bhowmick, R.; Singh, V.; Nandi, S.; Sarkar, R. R. (Journal of integrative bioinformatics, 2018)
BIOPYDB: BIOchemical PathwaY DataBase is developed as a manually curated, readily updatable, dynamic resource of human cell specific pathway information along with integrated computational platform to perform various pathway analyses. Presently, it comprises of 46 pathways, 3189 molecules, 5742 reactions and 6897 different types of diseases linked with pathway proteins, which are referred by 520 literatures and 17 other pathway databases. With its repertoire of biochemical pathway data, and computational tools for performing Topological, Logical and Dynamic analyses, BIOPYDB offers both the experimental and computational biologists to acquire a comprehensive understanding of signaling cascades in the cells. Automated pathway image reconstruction, cross referencing of pathway molecules and interactions with other databases and literature sources, complex search operations to extract information from other similar resources, integrated platform for pathway data sharing and computation, etc. are the novel and useful features included in this database to make it more acceptable and attractive to the users of pathway research communities. The RESTful API service is also made available to the advanced users and developers for accessing this database more conveniently through their own computer programmes.

Bubble size prediction in gas-solid fluidized beds using genetic programming - Sonolikar, R. R.; Patil, M. P.; Mankar, R. B.; Tambe, S. S.; Kulkarni, B. D. (Current Science, 2018)
The hydrodynamics of a gas-solid fluidized bed (FB) is affected by the bubble diameter, which in turn strongly influences the performance of a fluidized bed reactor (FBR). Thus, determining the bubble diameter accurately is of crucial importance in the design and operation of an FBR. Various equations are available for calculating the bubble diameter in an FBR. It has been found in this study that these models show a large variation while predicting the experimentally measured bubble diameters. Accordingly, the present study proposes a new equation for computing the bubble diameter in a fluidized bed. This equation has been developed using an efficient, yet infrequently employed computational intelligence (CI)-based data-driven modelling method termed genetic programming (GP). The prediction and generalization performance of the GP-based equation has been compared with that of a number of currently available equations for computing the bubble diameter in a fluidized bed and the results obtained show a good performance by the newly developed equation.

Calixarene intercalated NiCo layered double hydroxide for enhanced oxygen evolution catalysis - Waghmode, Babasaheb J.; Gaikwad, Aarti P.; Rode, V, Chandrashekhar; Sathaye, Shivaram D.; Patil, Kashinath R.; Malkhede, Dipalee D. (ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 2018)
Water splitting provides a promising, sustainable way to resolve problems arising due to depleting fossil fuels. The success needs development of low-cost and high-performance electrode materials. The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a crucial reaction in water splitting. The combined Ni and Co oxide developed nanostructures having a small overpotential and fast kinetics of OER. They have drawn considerable attention, because of their theoretically high efficiency, high abundance, low cost, and environmental benignity in comparison with precious metal oxides, such as RuO2 and IrO2. However, the desired efficiency needs the developments of enhanced specific active area and conductivity. In the present communication, we address these issues. Specifically, exfoliation of layer double hydroxide (LDH) is applied to enhance the active surface area. The study reveals that intercalation by calixarene in NiCo LDH affords a multifunctional interlayer to deliver a large active surface area and fast electron transport toward the carbon nano-onion (CNO) support. It favorably lowers the overpotentials in OER (290 mV) and attains Tafel slope of 31 mV/decade. Enhanced conductivity is achieved using CNO as a support for the calixarene intercalated NiCo LDH. These developments offer a synergistic effect in achieving superior electrocatalytic activity for OER. This work gives insight into designing binder-free electrodes in alkaline media with good stability for advanced OER activity.
Keywords: Calixarene; electrocatalyst; Exfoliation; NiCo LDH; Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Carbon fabric based solar steam generation for waste water treatment - Higgins, M. W.; Rahmaan, Shakeel A. R.; Devarapalli, Rami Reddy; Shelke, Manjusha V.; Jha, Neetu (Solar Energy, 2018)
Decontamination of waste water is one of the most practical techniques to tackle the worldwide clean water shortage. In recent times, solar steam based decontamination of contaminated water has been attested as a potential sustainable strategy to get clean water using renewable resources. Herein, we report the utilization of Carbon fabric and Titanium Nanorods on Carbon Fabric for solar steam based water purification techniques. The performance of Carbon Fabric was tested under different conditions and the results proved that Carbon Fabric has excellent light to heat conversion capabilities in both real and ideal conditions. Owing to the excellent performance of Carbon Fabric, it was used for purification of different types of contaminated water. About 99.9% of salt and 87% of organic contaminants were removed from saline water and organic waste water respectively, using a simple low cost carbon fabric based homemade prototype. We also present the application of Titanium Nanorods on carbon fabric for the efficient removal of dye molecules like Rhodamine B from contaminated water using solar driven interfacial steam generation mechanism.
Keywords: Desalination; Dye degradation; Solar steam; Waste water treatment

Cascade synthesis of 5-(Acetoxymethyl) furfural from carbohydrates over Sn-mont catalyst - Shinde, Suhas; Deval, Kashmira; Chikate, Rajeev; Rode, Chandrashekhar (ChemistrySelect, 2018)
The 5-(Acetoxymethyl)furfural (AcMF) is emerged as an important alternative for 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF). It is also a starting material for those products which are typically prepared from HMF. The growing importance of AcMF encouraged us to prepare it directly from cheap and abundant carbohydrates. The production AcMF from glucose and glucose-like carbohydrates is an exigent assignment, owing to tough isomerisation of glucose to fructose. The Sn-Mont catalyst having a unique combination of Lewis as well as Bronsted acid sites was employed for direct glucose conversion into AcMF. Lewis acid sites of Sn-Mont facilitate the isomerisation of glucose to fructose. At the same time, dehydrative-esterification of fructose to AcMF is catalyzed by Bronsted acid sites of Sn-Mont. Different concentrations of Sn containing Sn-Mont catalysts were by prepared mixing montmorillonite clay with different molar concentration (e.g. 0.1 M-0.4 M) of aqueous solutions of SnCl4 center dot 5H(2)O. AcMF was produced in as high as 43% yield directly from glucose over Sn-Mont(0.3 M) catalyst owing to its highest acid strength. The efficacy of Sn-Mont(0.3 M) catalyst was also probed for sucrose and fructose that resulted in 53% and 58% yield of AcMF, respectively. The critical properties of all the prepared Sn-Mont catalysts were investigated through XRD, BET surface area, ICP-OES, temperature-programmed desorption of NH3 and pyridine-FTIR and XPS techniques.
Keywords: 5-(Acetoxymethyl)furfural; Bronsted/Lewis acid; carbohydrates; Dehydrative-esterification; Sn-Mont

Cascade synthesis of dihydrobenzofuran via claisen rearrangement of allyl aryl ethers using FeCl 3 /MCM-41 catalyst - Sakate, Sachin S.; Shinde, Suhas H.; Kasar, Gayatri B.; Chikate, Rajeev C.; Rode, Chandrashekhar V. (Journal of Saudi Chemical Society, 2018)
Dihydrobenzofuran as one of the active ingredients of the naturally occurring motif is synthesized by using in situ generation of ortho allyl phenols. Aryl allyl ethers on reacting with catalytic amounts of non noble metal iron (III) chloride supported on MCM-41 under moderate reaction conditions yield dihydrobenzofuran. First step via Claisen rearrangement gives ortho allyl phenol followed by its in situ cyclization to yield dihydrobenzofuran in very good yields. Both Lewis as well as Brønsted acidity of the catalyst as evidenced by Py-FTIR studies was found to catalyze the cascade synthesis of dihydrobenzofuran. The scope of the present strategy was successfully demonstrated for several substrates with varying electronic effects for the synthesis of corresponding dihydrobenzofuran with high yields in a range of 71-86%.
Keywords: Aryl allyl ether; Claisen rearrangement; Dihydrobenzofuran; Ferric chloride; MCM-41

Catalytic and efficient synthesis of optically active terminal epoxides and 1,2-diols using a new lanthanum triflate assisted C1-symmetric bimetallic chiral salen cobalt complex - Patel, D.; Thakur, S. S.; Shinde, S. S.; Kumar, P. (Letters in Organic Chemistry, 2018)
The catalytic asymmetric synthesis of terminal epoxides and 1,2-diols via a hydrolytic kinetic resolution of racemic terminal epoxides using a new bimetallic chiral salen CoIII complex incorporated with La(OTf)3 as a catalyst is reported. The new bimetallic chiral salen CoIII complex bearing La(OTf)3 was prepared in a one-pot procedure by activation and bimetallic complex formation from the inactive Jacobsen chiral salen CoII complex (salen = N, N′-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-1,2- cyclohexane-diamine). We observed that C1-symmetric chiral bimetallic Co-complex coordinated with La(OTf)3 works as a chiral catalyst and remarkably increased the reactivity and enantioselectivity in the hydrolytic kinetic resolution of terminal epoxides compared to its monometallic analogues. La(OTf)3 plays a crucial role as an achiral Lewis acid in this process, which is supported by the experimental observation presented. To explore the absolute configuration of glycidyl butyrate a vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra was calculated using density functional theory.

Catalytic enantioselective 1,3-alkyl shift in alkyl aryl ethers: efficient synthesis of optically active 3,3 '-diaryloxindoles - Gade, Amol B.; Bagle, Pradip N.; Shinde, Popat S.; Bhardwaj, Vipin; Banerjee, Subhrashis; Chande, Ajit; Patil, Nitin T. (Angewandte Chemie-International Edition, 2018)
Reported is the first organocatalytic asymmetric 1,3-alkyl shift in alkyl aryl ethers for the synthesis of chiral 3,3'-diaryloxindoles using a chiral Bronsted acid catalyst. Preliminary results showed that each enantiomer of the 3,3'-diaryloxindole, and a racemic mixture, showed different antiproliferative activities against HeLa cell lines by using an MTT assay.

Chitosan-based bionanocomposites for biomedical application - Kumari, Sangeeta; Singh, Raj Pal; Chavan, Nayaku N.; Annamalai, Pratheep K. (Bioinspired Biomimetic and Nanobiomaterials, 2018)
Natural polymers have greatly impacted the advancement of modern medicine. Natural polymer-based biomaterials are biodegradable. A significant advantage of natural polymers is that they can be broken down and removed from the body after they have served their function. A wide range of novel biomaterials from natural polymers has been investigated to meet new challenges in medical science. Chitosan is one of the natural polymers which have been widely used in the biomedical field. Nanotechnology is one of the most popular areas of current research. In the area of nanotechnology, polymer and metal/metal oxide nanoparticle matrix-based nanocomposites have generated a significant amount of attention in the recent literature. These bionanocomposites have wide-ranging applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering. This paper discusses polymer-metal/metal oxide nanoparticle matrix-based nanocomposite biomaterials and their applications in the biomedical field - that is, drug delivery and tissue engineering applications.

Cloning and characterization of trehalase: a conserved glycosidase from oriental midge, Chironomus ramosus - Shukla, Ekta; Thorat, Leena; Bendre, Ameya D.; Jadhav, Santosh; Pal, Jayanta K.; Nath, Bimalendu B.; Gaikwad, Sushama M. (3 Biotech, 2018)
Insect trehalase is a multiferous enzyme, crucial for normal physiological functions as well as under stress conditions. In this report, we present a fundamental study of the trehalase gene segment (1587 bp) from Chironomus ramosus (CrTre) encoding for 529 amino acids, using appropriate bioinformatics tools. C. ramosus, a tropical midge is an emerging animal model to investigate the consequences of environmental stresses. We observed that CrTre belongs to GH family 37 in the CAZy database and possess 57-92% identity to dipteran trehalases. In silico characterization provided information regarding the structural, functional and evolutionary aspects of midge trehalase. In the phylogenetic tree, CrTre clustered with the soluble dipteran trehalases. Moreover, domain functional characterization of the deduced protein sequence by InterProScan (IPR001661), ProSite (PS00927 and PS00928) and Pfam (PF01204) indicated presence of highly conserved signature motifs which are important for the identification of trehalase superfamily. Furthermore, the instability index of CrTre was predicted to be < 40 suggesting its in vivo stability while, the high aliphatic index indicated towards its thermal stability (index value 71-81). The modelled 3D tertiary structure of CrTre depicts a (alpha/alpha)(6) barrel toroidal core. The catalytic domain of the enzyme comprised Glu424 and Asp226 as the putative active site residues. Interestingly, the conserved motifs were observed to be formed by the flexible loopy regions in the tertiary structure. This study revealed essential sequence features of the midge trehalase and offers better insights into the structural aspects of this enzyme which can be correlated with its function.
Keywords: Conserved motifs; Homology modelling; Midges; Secondary structure; trehalose

Cobalt-catalyzed acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling of aminoalcohols with alcohols: direct access to pyrrole, pyridine and pyrazine derivatives - Midya, Siba P.; Landge, Vinod G.; Sahoo, Manoj K.; Rana, Jagannath; Balaraman, Ekambaram (Chemical Communications, 2018)
Here, the first example is reported of a new, molecularly defined SNS-cobalt(II) catalyst for the acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling (ADC) of unprotected amino alcohols with secondary alcohols leading to pyrrole and pyridine derivatives.

Co-gasification of high ash coal–biomass blends in a fluidized bed gasifier: experimental study and computational intelligence-based modeling - Tiwary, Shishir; Ghugare, Suhas B.; Chavan, Prakash D.; Saha, Sujan; Datta, Sudipta; Sahu, Gajanan; Tambe, Sanjeev S. (Waste and Biomass Valorization, 2018)
Co-gasification (COG) is a clean-coal technology that uses a binary blend of coal and biomass for generating the product gas; it is environment-friendly since it emits lesser quantities of pollutants compared to the coal gasification process. Although coals found in many countries contain high percentages of ash, co-gasification studies involving such coals, and the process modeling thereof, are rare. Accordingly, this study presents results of the co-gasification experiments conducted in a fluidized-bed gasifier (FBG) pilot plant using as a feed the blends of high ash Indian coals with three biomasses, namely, rice husk, press mud, and sawdust. Since the underlying physicochemical phenomena are complex and nonlinear, modeling of the COG process has been performed using three computational intelligence (CI)-based methods namely, genetic programming, artificial neural networks, and support vector regression. Each of these formalisms was employed separately to develop models predicting four COG performance variables, namely, total gas yield, carbon conversion efficiency, heating value of product gas, and cold gas efficiency. All the CI-based models exhibit an excellent prediction accuracy and generalization performance. The co-gasification experiments and their modeling presented here for a pilot-plant FBG can be gainfully utilized in the efficient design and operation of the corresponding commercial scale co-gasifiers utilizing high ash coals.
Keywords: Artificial neural networks; Co-gasification; Computational intelligence; Fluidized bed gasifier; genetic programming; support vector regression

Composite thin film of simultaneously formed carbon and SnO2 QDs for supercapacitance application - Jadhav, Aarti; Patil, Sagar; Patil, Kashinath Rangu; Sathaye, Shivaram Dattatray; Rode, Chandrashekhar Vasant (New Journal of Chemistry, 2018)
Composite material with uniform size and structure is a critical asset that decides its properties like charge transfer, thermal, photoluminescence, mechanical, etc. and consequently the applications. Here for the first time, we report the concept of flame/combustion at liquid-liquid interface to synthesize in situ, thin film formation of composite consisting of two or more quantum dots. Synthesis of thin films of a composite containing C and SnO2 QDs having particle sizes below 3 nm was successfully done. As compared to a single quantum dots system, the formed composite showed significantly improved specific capacitance due to the synergistic effect arising from strong interaction between C and SnO2 QDs. This was confirmed by XPS, UV visible spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectra. Moreover, it was confirmed that even after 1000 charge/discharge cycles, the interaction between C and Sn remained unaltered; indicating significant stability of capacitance. Some of the advantages of this method include one step, eco-friendly process at ambient conditions. The generality of the method was established by synthesizing C-ZnO and C-TiO2 composite thin film. This new approach can be extended to form many other valuable composite thin films for various applications.

Comprehensive metabolic and transcriptomic profiling of various tissues provide insights for saponin biosynthesis in the medicinally important Asparagus racemosus - Srivastava, Prabhakar Lal; Shukla, Anurag; Kalunke, Raviraj M. (Scientific Reports, 2018)
Asparagus racemosus (Shatavari), belongs to the family Asparagaceae and is known as a "curer of hundred diseases" since ancient time. This plant has been exploited as a food supplement to enhance immune system and regarded as a highly valued medicinal plant in Ayurvedic medicine system for the treatment of various ailments such as gastric ulcers, dyspepsia, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, as a galactogogue and against several other diseases. In depth metabolic fingerprinting of various parts of the plant led to the identification of 13 monoterpenoids exclusively present in roots. LC-MS profiling led to the identification of a significant number of steroidal saponins (33). However, we have also identified 16 triterpene saponins for the first time in A. racemosus. In order to understand the molecular basis of biosynthesis of major components, transcriptome sequencing from three different tissues (root, leaf and fruit) was carried out. Functional annotation of A. racemosus transcriptome resulted in the identification of 153 transcripts involved in steroidal saponin biosynthesis, 45 transcripts in triterpene saponin biosynthesis, 44 transcripts in monoterpenoid biosynthesis and 79 transcripts in flavonoid biosynthesis. These findings will pave the way for better understanding of the molecular basis of steroidal saponin, triterpene saponin, monoterpenoids and flavonoid biosynthesis in A. racemosus.

Conducting nanofibres of solvatofluorochromic cyclohexanetrione-dithiolylidene-based C-3 symmetric molecule - Shivakumar, K.I.; Goudappagouda.; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Babu, Sukumaran Santhosh; Sanjayan, Gangadhar J. (Chemical Communications, 2018)
We report a novel set of easily tailorable C-3 symmetric molecules with a pi-extended core and adorned with different thioalkyl groups, exhibiting solvatofluorochromic and amphoteric redox behaviour. The nearly planar core exhibits intermolecular face-to-face pi-stacking, S...S and intramolecular S...O interactions. Current-sensing atomic force microscopy studies revealed a high conductivity of similar to 0.15 mS cm(-1) in the undoped J-aggregate nanofibres of the thiopropyl appended gelator.

Conformational studies of Ant-Pro motif-incorporated cyclic peptides: gramicidin S and avellanin - Kotmale, Amol S.; Sangtani, Ekta; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Sarkar, Dhiman; Burade, Sachin; Rajamohanan, Pattuparambil R.; Sanjayan, Gangadhar J. (New Journal of Chemistry, 2018)
This paper reports conformational changes observed in cyclic bioactive peptides such as gramicidin S and avellanin upon incorporation of a pseudo-beta (C9) Ant-(D)Pro turn motif in their structural frameworks. Solution-state studies suggested that a synthetic gramicidin S analog exhibits a beta-sheet conformation with C9 and C17 intramolecular hydrogen bonding patterns, while its truncated analog disturbs the beta-sheet conformation. Structural details were obtained using a combination of CD studies, X-ray crystal structure studies and nOe-based MD simulation studies.

Controlled release nanocomposite microcapsules for agricultural applications - Shanmuganathan, Kadhiravan; Shukla, Parshuram; Jagtap, Siddheshwar; Patil, Vishal; Sapre, Aditya (256th National Meeting and Exposition of the American-Chemical-Society (ACS) - Nanoscience, Nanotechnology and Beyond, 2018)

Controlled surface/interface structure and spin enabled superior properties and biocompatibility of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles - Ansari, Sumayya M.; Sinha, Bhavesh B.; Pai, Kalpana R.; Bhat, Suresh K.; Ma, Yuan-Ron; Sen, Debasis; Kolekar, Yesh D.; Ramana, C., V. (Allied Surface Science, 2018)
High quality, crystalline, well-dispersed, and stable magnetic oxide nanoparticles (NPs) of inverse spinel cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4; CFO) were prepared by a facile, reproducible, and simple hydrothermal route. The transmission electron microscopy, small-angle scattering and X-ray diffraction analyses demonstrate the structural quality of CFO NPs with a controlled size of similar to 12 nm. Small-angle scattering experiments demonstrate that the pristine CFO NPs have the individual size similar to 8.5 nm and spherical shape. The Raman and infrared spectroscopic measurements further confirm their high chemical quality and cubic symmetry. CFO NPs exhibit a remarkable, maximum coercivity (H-c) value of 18.92 kOe, which is the highest value achieved to date. Surface spins and spins canting along with a weak dipolar interaction accounts for the giant H-c and large effective anisotropy (11.45 x 10(6) erg/cm(3)) of these CFO NPs. The magnetic grain size of NPs reveals that the canted surface spins exist around the magnetic particles. Reorientation of surface spins and interparticle interaction causes the jumping behaviour in M-H hysteresis loops at H = 0. The cell viability of CFO NPs against the cancer (cisplatin resistant ovarian cancer - A2780/CP70) was evaluated to determine their potential application in biomedicine and health science. The mild response of CFO NPs in terms of their anti-proliferative nature against cancer cells and negligible cytotoxicity suggests their human-safe-and-friendly nature which makes them suitable for biomedical/health-related applications. Assessment of toxicity toward human red blood cells (RBC) revealed that hemolysis is less than 5% compared to the positive control confirming the potential applications of CFO NPs targeting human cells and making relevant for adopting them in biomedicine.

Convergent covalent organic framework thin sheets as flexible supercapacitor electrodes - Khayum, Abdul M.; Vijayakumar, Vidyanand; Karak, Suvendu; Kandambeth, Sharath; Bhadra, Mohitosh; Suresh, Karthika; Acharambath, Nikhil; Kurungot, Sreekumar; Banerjee, Rahul (ACS Applied Material & Interfaces, 2018)
Flexible supercapacitors in modern electronic equipment require light-weight electrodes, which have a high surface area, precisely integrated redox moieties, and mechanically strong flexible free-standing nature. However, the incorporation of the aforementioned properties into a single electrode remains a great task. Herein, we could overcome these challenges by a facile and scalable synthesis of the convergent covalent organic framework (COF) free-standing flexible thin sheets through solid-state molecular baking strategy. Here, redox-active anthraquinone (Dq) and pi-electron-rich anthracene (Da) are judiciously selected as two different linkers in a beta-ketoenamine-linked two-dimensional (2D) COF. As a result of precisely integrated anthraquinone moieties, COF thin sheet exhibits redox activity. Meanwhile, pi-electron-rich anthracene linker assists to improve the mechanical property of the free-standing thin sheet through the enhancement of noncovalent interaction between crystallites. This binder-free strategy offers the togetherness of crystallinity and flexibility in 2D COF thin sheets. Also, the synthesized porous crystalline convergent COF thin sheets are benefited with crack-free uniform surface and light-weight nature. Further, to demonstrate the practical utility of the material as an electrode in energy-storage systems, we fabricated a solid-state symmetrical flexible COF supercapacitor device using a GRAFOIL peeled carbon tape as the current collector.

Correlation of intermolecular acyl transfer reactivity with noncovalent lattice interactions in molecular crystals: toward prediction of reactivity of organic molecules in the solid state - Krishnaswamy, Shobhana; Shashidhar, Mysore S. (Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2018)
Intermolecular acyl transfer reactivity in several molecular Acyl transfer reactivity can be predicted in solution based crystals was studied, and the outcome of the reactivity was analyzed in the light of structural information obtained from the crystals of the reactants. in solid state Minor changes in the molecular structure resulted in significant variations in the noncovalent interactions and packing of molecules in the crystal lattice, which drastically affected the facility of the intermolecular acyl transfer reactivity in these crystals. Analysis of the reactivity vs crystal structure data revealed dependence of the reactivity on electrophile ... nucleophile interactions and C-H center dot center dot center dot pi interactions between the reacting molecules. The presence of these noncovalent interactions augmented the acyl transfer reactivity, while their absence hindered the reactivity of the molecules in the crystal. The validity of these correlations allows the prediction of intermolecular acyl transfer reactivity in crystals and co-crystals of unknown reactivity. This crystal structure-reactivity correlation parallels the molecular structure-reactivity correlation in solution-state reactions, widely accepted as organic functional group transformations, and sets the stage for the development of a similar approach for reactions in the solid state.

Correlation trends in the magnetic hyperfine structure of atoms: a relativistic coupled-cluster case study - Talukdar, Kaushik; Sasmal, Sudip; Nayak, Malaya K.; Vaval, Nayana; Pal, Sourav (Physical Review A, 2018)
The role of electron correlation in the hyperfine structure of alkali metals and alkaline earth metal monopositive ions in their ground electronic configuration is investigated using the Z-vector method in a relativistic coupled-cluster regime within the singles and doubles approximation. The systematic effects of core-correlating functions, polarization of core electrons, and high-lying virtual functions on core electrons correlation are studied. The study reveals that the core-correlating function plays a significant role in core polarization and thus is very important for precise calculation of the wave function near the nuclear region. The inner-core electrons (1s-2p) require very high virtual energy functions for proper correlation. Therefore, the all-electron correlation treatment and the inclusion of higher-energy virtual functions are the key factors for precise calculation of the hyperfine structure constant of atoms. Our calculated values are in excellent agreement with the available experimental values, which also implies that the wave function produced by the Z-vector method is accurate enough for further calculation of the parity- and time-reversal symmetry-violating properties in atoms and molecules.

Cross-metathesis of biorenewable dioxalates and diols to film-forming degradable polyoxalates - Rajput, Bhausaheb S.; Ram, Farsa; Menon, Shamal K.; Shanmuganathan, Kadhiravan; Chikkali, Samir H. (Journal of Polymer Science Part A-Polymer Chemistry, 2018)
Starting from commonly available sugar derivatives, a single step protocol to access a small family of isohexide-dioxalates (2a-c) has been established. The synthetic competence of 2a-c has been demonstrated by subjecting them to condensation polymerization. Quite surprisingly, the proton NMR of poly(isomannide-co-hexane)oxalate revealed a 1:2 ratio between isomannide-dioxalate (2a) and 1,6-hexanediol (3a) in the polymer backbone. This intriguing reactivity was found to be an outcome of a cross metathesis reaction between 2a and 3a. The cross metathesis products 3a[2-(2-methoxyacetoxy)ethyl 2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-2-(3-oxydanylidene)acetate] and 2a(3R,6R)-6-hydroxyhexahydrofuro[3,2-b]-furan-3-yl methyl oxalate were isolated in a control experiment. Based on direct and indirect evidence, and control experiments, an alternative polymerization mechanism is proposed. Polymerization conditions were optimized to obtain polyoxalates P1(2a-3a)-P9(2c-3c) with molecular weights in the range of 14,000-68,000 g/mol, and narrow polydispersities. The identity of the polyoxalates was unambiguously established using 1-2D NMR spectroscopy, MALDI-ToF-MS, and GPC measurements. The practical implication of these polymers is demonstrated by preparing transparent, mechanically robust films. The environmental footprint of the selected polyoxalates was investigated by subjecting them to solution and solid-state degradation. The polyoxalates were found to be amenable to degradation. (c) 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018, 56, 1584-1592

CSGID solves structures and identifies phenotypes for five enzymes in toxoplasma gondii - Lykins, Joseph D.; Filippova, Ekaterina V; Halavaty, Andrei S.; Minasov, George; Zhou, Ying; Dubrovska, Ievgeniia; Flores, Kristin J.; Shuvalova, Ludmilla A.; Ruan, Jiapeng; El Bissati, Kamal; Dovgin, Sarah; Roberts, Craig W.; et al. (Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 2018)
Toxoplasma gondii, an Apicomplexan parasite, causes significant morbidity and mortality, including severe disease in immunocompromised hosts and devastating congenital disease, with no effective treatment for the bradyzoite stage. To address this, we used the Tropical Disease Research database, crystallography, molecular modeling, and antisense to identify and characterize a range of potential therapeutic targets for toxoplasmosis. Phosphoglycerate mutase II (PGMII), nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDK), ribulose phosphate 3-epimerase (RPE), ribose-5-phosphate isomerase (RPI), and ornithine aminotransferase (OAT) were structurally characterized. Crystallography revealed insights into the overall structure, protein oligomeric states and molecular details of active sites important for ligand recognition. Literature and molecular modeling suggested potential inhibitors and druggability. The targets were further studied with vivoPMO to interrupt enzyme synthesis, identifying the targets as potentially important to parasitic replication and, therefore, of therapeutic interest. Targeted vivoPMO resulted in statistically significant perturbation of parasite replication without concomitant host cell toxicity, consistent with a previous CRISPR/Cas9 screen showing PGM, RPE, and RPI contribute to parasite fitness. PGM, RPE, and RPI have the greatest promise for affecting replication in tachyzoites. These targets are shared between other medically important parasites and may have wider therapeutic potential.

Curcumin: pharmaceutical solids as a platform to improve solubility and bioavailability - Suresh, Kuthuru; Nangia, Ashwini (Crystengcomm, 2018)
Curcumin (CUR) is the prime curcuminoid in the Indian dietary spice turmeric, Curcuma longa, a plant of the Zingiberaceae family. CUR has promising and diverse therapeutic benefits, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, anti-hyperglycemic, antimalarial, antibacterial, and antiviral activity, including anti-Alzheimer's disease. However, CUR is yet to reach the status of a therapeutic drug candidate mainly because a standard solid dosage of curcumin suffers from poor oral bioavailability (0.05 g mL(-1), less than 1%). The reasons behind its low bioavailability include poor solubility (<8 g mL(-1) in water), low permeability and absorption, and rapid metabolism (short elimination half-life of <2 h). A successful CUR therapy requires an appropriate formulation system that will enhance the bioavailability and offer greater therapeutic efficacy. This review covers a comprehensive description of the CUR pharmaceutical solids, such as polymorphs, cocrystals, eutectics, and coamorphous solid-state forms with aim to determine ways to improve its physicochemical properties, including dissolution rate, solubility, physicochemical stability, mechanical strength, compressibility for tablet formation, and oral bioavailability. The cumulative publications in the past decade have forecast a bright future for development of an oral drug formulation of curcumin.

Curcumin-artemisinin coamorphous solid: Xenograft model preclinical study - Mannava, M. K. Chaitanya; Suresh, Kuthuru; Bommaka, Manish Kumar; Konga, Durga Bhavani; Nangia, Ashwini (Pharmaceutics, 2018)
Curcumin is a natural compound present in Indian spice turmeric. It has diverse pharmacological action but low oral solubility and bioavailability continue to limit its use as a drug. With the aim of improving the bioavailability of Curcumin (CUR), we evaluated Curcumin-Pyrogallol (CUR-PYR) cocrystal and Curcumin-Artemisinin (CUR-ART) coamorphous solid. Both of these solid forms exhibited superior dissolution and pharmacokinetic behavior compared to pure CUR, which is practically insoluble in water. CUR-ART coamorphous solid showed two fold higher bioavailability than CUR-PYR cocrystal (at 200 mg/kg oral dose). Moreover, in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids (SGF and SIF), CUR-ART is stable up to 3 and 12 h, respectively. In addition, CUR-PYR and CUR-ART showed no adverse effects in toxicology studies (10 times higher dose at 2000 mg/kg). CUR-ART showed higher therapeutic effect and inhibited approximately 62% of tumor growth at 100 mg/kg oral dosage of CUR in xenograft models, which is equal to the positive control drug, doxorubicin (2 mg/kg) by i.v. administration.

Cyclometallation of a germylene ligand by concerted metalation-deprotonation of a methyl group - Bakthavachalam, K.; Dutta, Sayan; Arivazhagan, C.; Raghavendra, Beesam; Haridas, Anagha; Sen, Sakya S.; Koley, Debasis; Ghosh, Sundargopal (Dalton Transactions, 2018)
The reaction of [CH{(CMe)(2,6-iPr(2)C(6)H(3)N)}(2)]GeCl with LiN(SiMe3)(2) was previously reported, which led to the formation of a hetero-fulvene type germylene, [CH{(CMe)(C?CH2)(2,6-iPr(2)C(6)H(3)N)}(2)]Ge through the deprotonation of the C-H bond from the methyl substituents. In this paper, we attempted the analogous reaction with (Dipp)NCMeCHCOMeGeCl using LiN(SiMe3)(2) which gave rise to a metathesis product, (Dipp)NCMeCHCOMeGeN(SiMe3)(2) (2). However, the reactions of 2 with [M2Cl2(-Cl)(2)((5)-Cp*)(2)] (M = Rh and Ir) resulted in cyclometallated Rh and Ir complexes through the activation of the C-H bond from the germylene ligand. The complexes were characterized by single crystal X-ray analysis, which authenticated the presence of Ge-Rh and Ge-Ir bonds. DFT studies have been performed to understand the mechanism.

Deposition of Au nanoparticles inside porous CeO2 nanocubes using Langmuir-Blodgett technique - Das, Subhasis; Bhattacharjee, Gourab; Satpati, Biswarup; Kumar, Mukesh; Deka, Sasanka; Ghosalya, Manoj Kumar; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S.; Bala, Tanushree (New Journal of Chemistry, 2018)
Porous 3D CeO2 nanocubes were synthesized using hot injection technique. These nanocubes were able to form a stable monolayer over water and HAuCl4 subphase in Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) trough due to the presence of surface capped oleic acid and oleylamine. CeO2-Au nanocomposites were synthesized exploiting the ability of oleylamine to reduce AuCl4 ions to Au-0, via LB method. CeO2 nanocubes gave rise to excellent long-range assembly at air/water interface and gold nanoparticles were formed inside these porous nanocubes without disturbing this arrangement. The formation of a stable monolayer was evidenced from the surface pressure-area (P-A) isotherm. The development of Au nanoparticles was confirmed with great effort from a comprehensive study using UV-Vis spectroscopy, XRD, XPS, FTIR, TEM, STEM, EDX, tomography and chemical mapping.

Design and synthesis of 2-amino-thiophene-tethered ureidopenicillin analogs with potentantibacterial and antitubercular activity - Wagh, Mahendra A.; Baravkar, Sachin B.; Jedhe, Ganesh S.; Borkute, Rachna; Choudhari, Amit S.; Sarkar, Dhiman; Sanjayan, Gangadhar J. (ChemistrySelect, 2018)
Ureidopenicillins are a class of penicillins which are antibiotics active against gram-negative bacteria. Herein, we report the synthesis of 2-aminothiophene-tethered ureidopenicillin analogues and their in vitro antibacterial and antitubercular activity. Intriguingly, unlike the reported ureidopenicillins which are active against gram-negative bacteria, the synthesised 2-aminothiophene-tethered ureidopenicillins were significantly active against Gram-positive bacterial strains and showed moderate inhibition towards gram-negative bacterial strains. Among all the analogs, compound 1b containing 2-aminothiophene moiety with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC): 0.29, 0.32, > 10, > 10 mg/ml for Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively, showed better anti-bacterial profile as compared to cephalexin and equipotent to ampicillin and amoxicillin on gram-positive bacterial strains. All the derivatives were also screened for anti-TB activity against mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra. Among the series, cycloocta-thiophene-tethered cephalexin analog 3c displayed excellent antitubercular activity with MIC values 0.78 mg/ml. Low cytotoxicity and high selectivity index indicate the efficacy of 3c against mycobacterial infections. The results from present study offer a novel approach to modify the existing drug class of ureidopenicillins to yield antimicrobials with promising utility.

Design, synthesis and biological screening of novel 1,3,4-oxadiazoles as antitubercular agents - Tambe, Macchindra S.; Choudhari, Amit; Sarkar, Dhiman; Sangshetti, Jaiprakash; Patil, Rajesh; Gholap, Somnath S. (Chemistryselect, 2018)
A series of novel 2,5-disubstitued 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives bearing 2,2-dimethyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran scaffold has been synthesized and screened for antitubercular activity. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, H-1 NMR, C-13-NMR and Mass spectral study. The in vitro antitubercular activity of the synthesized compounds was evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra(ATCC 25177) strain. Among the synthesized compounds, four compound displayed good antitubercular activity IC50 values in low micro-gram range (<10 mu g/mL). The antitubercular data suggested that growth inhibition MTB can be imparted by the introduction of a 4- trifluoromethyl phenyl acetylene substituent. Specificity of these compounds was checked by screening them for their anti-bacterial activity against four bacterial strains (Gram-negative strains: E. coli, S. aureus; Gram-positive strains: P. aeruginosa and B. subtilis). None of the compound displayed antibacterial activity against any of the seleted strain. Molecular docking studies were carried out on InhA (FabI/ENR) which shows that the synthesized compounds bind at the catalytic site in a most favourable manner suggesting their potential as anti-mycobacterial agents. The research presented here was found to be adventitious for the development of new therapeutic agents against Mycobacterium infection.

Design, synthesis, and gas permeation properties of polyimides containing pendent imidazolium groups - Shrimant, Bharat; Kharul, Ulhas K.; Wadgaonkar, Prakash P. (Journal of Polymer Science Part A-Polymer Chemistry, 2018)
Film-forming polymers containing ionic groups have attracted considerable attention as emerging materials for gas separation applications. The aim of this article was to synthesize new film-forming polyimides containing imidazolium groups (PI-IMs) and establish their structure-performance relationship. In this context, a new aromatic diamine, namely, N-1-(4-aminophenyl)-N-1-(4-(2-phenyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl)phenyl)benzene-1,4-diamine (ImTPADA), was synthesized and polycondensed with three aromatic dianhydrides, namely, 4,4-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride, 4,4-(4,4-isopropylidenediphenoxy) bis(phthalic anhydride), and 4,4-oxydiphthalic anhydride to form the corresponding polyimides containing pendent 2-phenylimidazole groups (PI-IEs). Next, PI-IMs were prepared by N-quaternization of pendent 2-phenylimidazole groups present in PI-6FDA using methyl iodide followed by anion exchange with bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide lithium salt (LiTf2N). PI-IEs and PI-IMs exhibited reasonably high molecular weights, amorphous nature, good solubility, and could be cast into self-standing films from their DMAc solutions. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that 10% weight loss temperature of PI-IEs and PI-IMs were in the range 545-475 degrees C and 303-306 degrees C, respectively. Gas permeability analysis of films of PI-IEs and PI-IMs was investigated by variable-volume method and it was observed that incorporation of ionic groups into PI-6FDA resulted in increased permeability while maintaining selectivity. In particular, polymer bearing Tf2N- anion exhibited high CO2 permeability (33.3 Barr) and high selectivity for CO2/CH4 (41.1) and CO2/N-2 (35.4). (c) 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018, 56, 1721-1729

Design, synthesis, and pharmacological evaluation of fluorinated azoles as anti-tubercular agents - Gholap, Somnath; Tambe, Macchindra; Nawale, Laxman; Sarkar, Dhiman; Sangshetti, Jaiprakash; Damale, Manoj (Archiv Der Pharmazie, 2018)
Design, synthesis, and biological screening of 2,2-dimethyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran tethered 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives as anti-tubercular agents were described. The synthesis of the target compounds was conducted by a series of reaction schemes. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, and mass spectrometry. The therapeutic potential of the synthesized compounds was confirmed by molecular docking studies. Among the synthesized compounds, 12a, 12c, 12d, 12e, 12g, and 12j were found to be more active against non-replicating than against replicating cultures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra ex vivo and in vitro. These compounds exhibit minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values in the range of 2.31-23.91g/mL. The cytotoxicity study was conducted against the cell lines THP-1, A549 and PANC-1, and the compounds were observed to be non-toxic to host cells. Molecular docking was conducted with InhA (FabI/ENR) and suggested the antimycobacterial potential of the synthesized compounds. The investigation presented here was found to be adventitious for the development of new therapeutic agents against Mycobacterium infection.
Keywords: 1; 2; 2-dimethyl-2; 3; 3-dihydrobenzofuran; 4-Oxadiazole; anti-tubercular agents; Cytotoxicity; Molecular docking

Design, synthesis, docking studies and biological screening of 2-thiazolyl substituted-2,3-dihydro-1H-naphtho[1,2-e][1,3]oxazines as potent HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors - Gawali, Rakhi; Trivedi, Jay; Bhansali, Sujit; Bhosale, Raghunath; Sarkar, Dhiman; Mitra, Debashis (European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2018)
1,3-oxazine nucleus and thiazolyl group features prominently in many biologically important natural products as well as bioactive molecules. A series of novel 2-thiazolyl substituted-2,3-dihydro-1H-naphtho [1,2-e][1,3]oxazine derivatives were designed and synthesized based on their structure-activity relationships (SARs) from 2-naphthol, substituted thiazolyl amines and formalin through ring closure by one-pot three component reaction. These derivatives were first evaluated for their inhibitory effect on HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase (RT) enzyme activity. Out of 14 compounds, 4 showed potent inhibition of HIV-1 RT activity at significantly low concentration. Docking studies of these molecules revealed their high affinity binding to several amino acids of HIV-1 RT which are less sensitive to point mutations. Furthermore, anti-HIV activity of these molecules was analysed in a CD4(+) T cell-line, which indicates that Therapeutic Index (TI) of some of these compounds is better than Zidovudine and Efavirenz, known HIV-1 RT inhibitors. Taken together, our studies report for the first time some novel naphthoxazine derivatives with significant TI, which is through inhibition of HIV-1 RT activity. (C) 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Disintegrable NIR light triggered gold nanorods supported liposomal nanohybrids for cancer theranostics - Chauhan, Deepak S.; Prasad, Rajendra; Devrukhkar, Janhavi; Selvaraj, Kaliaperumal; Srivastava, Rohit (Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2018)
In this work, facile synthesis and application of targeted, dual therapeutic gold nanorods-liposome (GNR-Lipos) nanohybrid for imaging guided photothermal therapy and chemotherapy is investigated. The dual therapeutic GNR-Lipos nanohybrid consists of GNR supported, and doxorubicin (DOX) loaded liposome. GNRs not only serve as a photothermal agent and increase the drug release in intracellular environment of cancer cells, but also provide mechanical strength to liposomes by being decorated both inside and outside of bilayer surfaces. The designed nanohybrid shows a remarkable response for synergistic chemophotothermal therapy compared to only chemotherapy or photothermal therapy. The NIR response, efficient uptake by the cells, disintegration of GNR-Lipos nanohybrid, and synergistic therapeutic effect of photothermal and chemotherapy over breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 are studied for the better development of a biocompatible nanomaterial based multifunctional cancer theranostic agent.

Dynamics of loops at the substrate entry channel determine the specificity of iridoid synthases - Sandholu, Anand S.; Mohole, Madhura; Duax, William L.; Thulasiram, Hirekodathakallu V.; Sengupta, Durba; Kulkarni, Kiran (Febs Letters, 2018)
Iridoid synthases belong to the family of short-chain dehydrogenase reductase involved in the biosynthesis of iridoids. Despite having high sequence and structural homology with progesterone 5 beta- reductase, these enzymes exhibit differential substrate specificities. Previously, two loops. L1 and L2 at substrate-binding pocket, were suggested to be involved in generating substrate specificity. However, the structural basis of specificity determinants was elusive. Here, combining sequence and structural analysis, site-directed mutagenesis, and molecular dynamics simulations, we have shown that iridoid synthase contains two channels for substrate entry whose geometries are altered by L1-L2 dynamics, primarily orchestrated by interactions of residues Glu161 and Gly162 of L1 and Asn358 of L2. A complex interplay of these interactions confer the substrate specificity to the enzyme.
Keywords: iridoid synthase; iridoids; Molecular dynamics simulations; progesterone 5 beta-reductase; Substrate specificity

Easily accessible lithium compound catalyzed mild and facile hydroboration and cyanosilylation of aldehydes and ketones - Bisai, Milan; Das, Tamal; Vanka, Kumar; Sen, Sakya S. (Chemical Communications, 2018)
Simple and readily accessible lithium compounds such as 2,6-ditertbutyl phenolate lithium (1a), 1,1' dilithioferrocene (1b) and nacnac lithium (1c) are found to be efficient single site catalysts for hydroboration of...

Effect of alkali and alkaline earth metal on Co/CeO2 catalyst for the water gas shift reaction of waste derived synthesis gas - Lee, Yeol-Lim; Jha, Ajay; Jang, Won-Jun; Shim, Jae-Oh; Rode, Chandrashekhar V.; Jeon, Byong-Hun; Bae, Jong Wook; Roh, Hyun-Seog (Applied Catalysis A-General, 2018)
We prepared a series of alkali (Na and K) and alkaline earth metal (Ca and Ba) promoted Co/CeO2 catalysts to investigate the effect of the promoter on the catalytic performance of the catalyst in the high-temperature water gas shift (WGS) reaction of waste derived synthesis gas. Interestingly, alkali metal promoted catalysts deactivated rapidly compared to alkaline earth metal promoted catalysts. Alkaline earth metal promoted catalysts showed relatively higher stability (>50 h) even at a very high gas hourly space velocity of 143,000 h(-1). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results reveal that the higher stability of the alkaline earth metal promoted catalysts was due to the strong resistance to sintering, showing a relatively small crystallite size of metallic cobalt compared to the alkali metal promoted catalysts after WGS reaction.
Keywords: Alkaline earth metal; Co/CeO2; High temperature water-gas shift; Sintering resistance; stability; Waste derived synthesis gas

Effect of crystal packing on the thermosalient effect of the pincer-type diester naphthalene-2,3-diyl-bis(4-fluorobenzoate): a new class II thermosalient solid - Tamboli, Majid I.; Karothu, Durga Prasad; Shashidhar, Mysore S.; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Naumov, Pance (Chemistry-A European Journal, 2018)
The pincer-like double ester naphthalene-2,3-diyl-bis(4-fluorobenzoate) (2) is pentamorphic. Upon heating crystals of form I to below their melting point (441-443 K), they undergo a phase transition accompanied by a thermosalient effect, that is, rare and visually striking motility whereby the crystals jump or disintegrate. The phase transition and the thermosalient effect are reversible. Analysis of the crystal structure revealed that form I is a class II thermosalient solid. Crystals of form III also underwent a reversible phase transition in the temperature range of 160 to 170 K; however, they were not thermosalient. Comparison of the structures and the mechanical responses of the two polymorphs revealed that the thermosalient effect of form I was due to reversible closing and opening of the arms of the diester molecules in a tweezer-like action.

Effect of hyperglycemic conditions on the early self-assembly of the alzheimer's amyloid beta peptide: implications for neurotoxicity - Menon, Sneha; Sengupta, Neelanjana (Biophysical Journal, 2018)

Effect of membrane composition on receptor association: implications of cancer lipidomics on ErbB receptors - Pawar, Aiswarya; Sengupta, Durba (Journal of Membrane Biology, 2018)
The association of single transmembrane receptors, such as the ErbB receptors is a key event in initiating cell signaling networks. The interactions between these receptors have been well characterized for both ligand-driven and pre-formed dimers. However, the role of the membrane in modulating association is less well understood and assumes greater importance in light of altered membrane composition in diseased states. Here, we discuss how membrane composition has been observed to induce both structural and dynamic differences in receptor association. Computational studies, especially those using coarse-grain simulations have been successful in predicting the role of the membrane and calculating the related free energy landscapes. Membrane perturbations and differences in lipid chain order, related to the lipophobic effect, have been shown to play a large role in driving membrane protein association. Further, we review lipid compositions reported in diseased conditions and its effect on transmembrane receptor association, focusing on the ErbB growth factor receptor dimers in cancer. Understanding the role of the membrane in receptor association will provide general design principles driving receptor organization, as well as help to identify novel therapeutic strategies.

Effect of structural properties of organosolv lignins isolated from different rice husks on their liquefaction using acidic ionic liquids - Singh, Sandip K.; Dhepe, Paresh L. (Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 2018)
Lignin is the only naturally available sustainable resource of aromatic compound on the Earth. Depending on the properties of lignin and the reaction conditions employed for the liquefaction, it is observed that the product distribution alters. Since ionic liquids (ILs) are considered as green and have tuneable properties, in the current work, imidazolium-based acidic ILs were employed to liquefy organosolv lignins derived from different varieties of rice husks. When liquefaction was carried out at 120 A degrees C for 1 h 36% yield for EtOAc- and DEE-soluble products with high mass balance (97 +/- 3%) was observed. The detailed characterisations of lignins and organic solvent-soluble products were done by variety of techniques [GC-MS, FT-IR, UV-Vis, 2D (HSQC) NMR], and based on this, the correlation between activity and properties of catalyst and lignin was established. Depolymerisation of organosolv lignin (derived from three rice husks) into aromatic product was done, and experimental correlation studies were performed in both.

Effect of titration time on the catalytic performance of Cu/CeO2 catalysts for water-gas shift reaction - Na, Hyun-Suk; Shim, Jae-Oh; Jang, Won-Jun; Jeon, Kyung-Won; Kim, Hak-Min; Lee, Yeol-Lim; Lee, Da-We; Yoo, Seong-Yeun; Bae, Jong Wook; Rode, Chandrashekhar V.; Roh, Hyun-Seog (Catalysis Today, 2018)
We herein report the preparation of ceria (CeO2) via a simple precipitation method for use as a catalyst support in the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction. More specifically, we optimized the titration time required to obtain highly active CeO2-supported catalysts for the WGS reaction. As such, Cu was employed as the active metal coupled with the CeO2 support. Notably, the CeO2-0 supported Cu catalyst (where the precipitant was immediately injected into a cerium nitrate solution) exhibited the highest CO conversion at a gas hourly space velocity of 36,050 h(-1). This high catalytic activity of the Cu/CeO2-0 catalyst was mainly due to its high Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, enhanced Cu dispersion, high number of oxygen vacancies, and enhanced reducibility.

Effect of turbulent dispersion on hydrodynamic characteristics in a liquid jet ejector - Sharma, Deepankar; Patwardhan, Ashwin; Ranade, Vivek (Energy, 2018)
Gas induction using a liquid jet is an extensively studied phenomenon. Many studies have been published detailing various hydrodynamic and mass transport aspects of gas induction in ejectors. Conversely, multiple studies have been published detailing jet dynamics, jet break up, nozzle geometry, effects of turbulence etc. In the modelling of the jet ejector systems CFD framework is used as the flow of gas is coupled with the liquid flow and the flow parameters like volume fraction, pressure drop/profile and velocity profiles both local and average are highly interdependent. Hence, it becomes important to capture all the flow physics in the simulations in order to understand the hydrodynamics. In the previous models the effect of turbulent dispersion was not included which led to incorrect calculation of phase profile, and other related parametric values. In the present work, the turbulence effects and its impact on the jet dynamics and gas induction rate in an ejector have been studied. Capturing the correct phase as well as velocity profile is imperative for the extension of the model to mass transfer and reactions. Lastly, other hydrodynamic properties like pressure drop, phase hold up and pressure profile help better the design correlations for jet ejectors.

Efforts to access the potent antitrypanosomal marine natural product janadolide: synthesis of des- tert -butyl janadolide and its biological evaluation - Athawale, Paresh R.; Jachak, Gorakh; Shukla, Anurag; Shanmugam, Dhanasekaran; Reddy, Srinivasa (ACS Omega, 2018)
To identify novel antitrypanosomal agents based on Janadolide, a potent macrocyclic polyketide–peptide hybrid, a macrolactonization strategy was explored. We prepared des-tert-butyl Janadolide and evaluated its antitrypanosomal activity. Our findings suggest that the tert-butyl group is necessary for the desired bioactivity.

Electrochemical capacitive energy storage in PolyHIPE derived nitrogen enriched hierarchical porous carbon nanosheets - Deshmukh, Ashvini B.; Nalawade, Archana C.; Karbhal, Indrapal; Qureshi, Mohammed Shadbar; Shelke, Manjusha V. (Carbon, 2018)
Porous and interconnected electrodes based on carbon nanoarchitectures offer comprehensive advantages of large specific surface area and high porosity consequently increasing the specific capacitance of ultracapacitor energy storage systems. Emulsion-templated polymers, PolyHIPEs (Polymerized High Internal Phase Emulsions) are highly porous polymers with a structure of cages interconnected by windows thus provide suitable framework to create such porous carbon nanostructures. Herein, nitrogen enriched porous carbon nanosheets are synthesized by pyrolysis of polymer-silica hybrid PolyHIPE and subsequent silica removal. This nitrogen enriched porous carbon nanosheets when tested as an electrode for ultracapacitor, showed specific capacitance as high as 209 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g in 1 M H2SO4 with excellent capacity retention over long cycling. (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Energy storage; Nitrogen enriched porous carbon nanosheets; PolyHIPE template; Ultracapacitor

Electron transfer rate analysis of a site-specifically wired copper oxidase - Schlesinger, Orr; Pasi, Mor; Dandela, Rambabu; Meijler, Michael M.; Alfonta, Lital (Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2018)
Electron transfer kinetic parameters of site-specifically wired copper oxidase were investigated. The enzyme's orientation towards the electrode was controlled by incorporation of propargyl-L-lysine as a site-specific anchoring point. Herein, we demonstrate the importance of immobilization orientation and how it affects electron transfer efficiency and kinetics to each of the enzyme's two active sites.

Electronic structure of Gd based transition metal antimonides GdTSb (T = Ni, Pt) - Sahariya, Jagrati; Kumar, Pancham; Bhamu, K. C.; Soni, Amit (2nd International Conference on Condensed Matter and Applied Physics (ICC-2017), 2018)
We report the electronic and magnetic properties of ternary GdNiSb and GdPtSb compounds with cubic MgAgAs type structure. The energy bands, density of states and atom specific magnetic moments of compounds have been computed using GGA+U approach. The calculations predict that GdNiSb is a small band gap semiconductor whereas GdPtSb is metallic in nature.

Electrospinning of non-ionic cellulose ethers/polyvinyl alcohol nanofibers: characterization and applications - Wali, Ashwini; Zhang, Yucheng; Sengupta, Poulomi; Higaki, Yuji; Takahara, Atsushi; Badiger, Manohar V. (Carbohydrate Polymers, 2018)
The morphology of spin-coated films and electrospun fibers of ethyl hydroxy ethyl cellulose (EHEC), hydrophobically modified ethyl hydroxy ethyl cellulose (HM-EHEC) and their blends with Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was examined by AFM, SEM and contact angle measurements. These polysaccharides upon blending with PVA exhibited smooth surface which was evidenced by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) observation. The electrospinnability of above polysaccharides with PVA was demonstrated for the first time. The oriented fibers could be obtained using a rotating disc collector. Contact angles of spin-coated films and electrospun fibers were discussed in terms of hydrophobicity and wetting characteristics. Further, The nanofibers of EHEC/PVA were in-situ crosslinked using citric acid and were used for controlled release of an antibacterial drug, Chlorhexidine Digluconate (ChD). In-vitro studies of cytotoxicity, cell growth and cell proliferation were performed using L929 mouse fibroblast cells. These nanofiber mats show potential in drug delivery and as scaffolds in tissue engineering applications.
Keywords: cellulose; drug delivery; electrospinning; Ethyl hydroxy ethyl cellulose; Hydrophobically modified ethyl hydroxy ethyl; scaffold; Spin coating

Enantioselective N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed cascade reaction for the synthesis of pyrroloquinolines via N-H functionalization of indoles - Mukherjee, Subrata; Shee, Sayan; Poisson, Thomas; Besset, Tatiana; Biju, Akkattu T. (Organic letters, 2018)
Functionalization of the indole N-H bond for enantioselective synthesis of biologically important pyrroloquinoline derivatives has been reported under oxidative N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis conditions. The interception of catalytically generated chiral alpha,beta-unsaturated acylazoliums with the indole derivatives proceeds in an aza-Michael/Michael/lactonization sequence to deliver the pyrroloquinoline derivatives in good yields, diastereoselectivities, and enantioselectivities. The simultaneous enhancement of reactivity and selectivity observed in polar aprotic solvents is noteworthy.

Enhanced activity of Withania somnifera family-1 glycosyltransferase (UGT73A16) via mutagenesis - Singh, Somesh; Patel, Krunal A.; Sonawane, Prashant D.; Vishwakarma, Rishi K.; Khan, Bashir M. (World Journal Of Microbiology & Biotechnology, 2018)
This work used an approach of enzyme engineering towards the improved production of baicalin as well as alteration of acceptor and donor substrate preferences in UGT73A16. The 3D model of Withania somnifera family-1 glycosyltransferase (UGT73A16) was constructed based on the known crystal structures of plant UGTs. Structural and functional properties of UGT73A16 were investigated using docking and mutagenesis. The docking studies were performed to understand the key residues involved in substrate recognition. In the molecular model of UGT73A16, substrates binding pockets are located between N- and C-terminal domains. Modeled UGT73A16 was docked with UDP-glucose, UDP-glucuronic acid (UDPGA), kaempferol, isorhamnetin, 3-hydroxy flavones, naringenin, genistein and baicalein. The protein-ligand interactions showed that His 16, Asp 246, Lys 255, Ala 337, Gln 339, Val 340, Asn 358 and Glu 362 amino acid residues may be important for catalytic activity. The kinetic parameters indicated that mutants A337C and Q339A exhibited 2-3 fold and 6-7 fold more catalytic efficiency, respectively than wild type, and shifted the sugar donor specificity from UDP-glucose to UDPGA. The mutant Q379H displayed large loss of activity with UDP-glucose and UDPGA strongly suggested that last amino acid residue of PSPG box is important for glucuronosylation and glucosylation and highly specific to sugar binding sites. The information obtained from docking and mutational studies could be beneficial in future to engineer this biocatalyst for development of better ones.

Enhanced and synergistic downregulation of oncogenic miRNAs by self-assembled branched DNA - Nahar, S.; Nayak, A. K.; Ghosh, A.; Subudhi, U.; Maiti, S. (Nanoscale, 2018)
miRNAs, a group of small non-coding RNA molecules, regulate the expression of many genes involved in various cellular processes. Acute evidence suggests that one miRNA can regulate many genes as its targets, while one gene can be targeted by many miRNAs that co-operatively regulate the gene. Thus, targeting a single miRNA is not sufficient enough to rescue the disease phenotype but it is also essential to target multiple miRNAs simultaneously. This inspired us to design a novel DNA nanostructure that can concurrently downregulate multiple oncomiRNAs. Here we designed a programmable antimiR branched DNA (antimiR-bDNA) nanostructure having antimiRNAs for selective binding to oncomiRNAs miRNA-27a, 96 and 182 which collectively downregulate FOXO1a expression. The antimiR-bDNAs show enhanced stability compared to naked antimiRNAs in serum and are able to knockdown these miRNAs with up to similar to 50% greater repression as compared to antimiRNAs. This synergistic miRNA repression leads to the restoration of FOXO1a protein levels which in turn inhibit G1-S traversion in cancer cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study harnessing the ability of bDNA structures to silence multiple miRNAs simultaneously.

Enhanced selectivity of 3-D ordered macroporous Pt/Al2O3 catalysts in nitrites removal from water - Sekhar, A. C. Sunil; Zaki, A.; Troncea, S.; Casale, S.; Vinod, C. P.; Dacquin, J. P.; Granger, P. (Applied Catalysis A-General, 2018)
Tailored macroporous mesoporous alumina supports have been successfully prepared using a single hard templating approach. Pt nanoparticles, showing similar physico-chemical properties, were homogeneously dispersed throughout the different alumina frameworks as catalytic active phase for drinking water treatment. We demonstrated that careful modification of pore properties of the catalyst (size and connectivity) by pseudomorphic transformation can strongly modulate the reaction rate and selectivity through the limited access to Pt active sites within the alumina porous particles. Specifically, 3-D Ordered Macroporous Pt-Al2O3 catalysts with a high degree of interconnectivity yield to superior catalytic properties (enhanced activity and selectivity) over pure mesoporous counterparts in the hydrogenation of nitrites in water. We found that large pores (240 nm) interconnected with windows (110 nm) alleviate mass transfer limitations and clearly improve NZ selectivity. The findings of this study further suggest the possibility of engineering the pore architecture of the support to fine tune the selectivity for a particular reaction rather than investigating more on tuning the properties of the costly active metallic phase.

Enhancement of field electron emission in topological insulator Bi2Se3 by Ni doping - Mazumder, K.; Sharma, A.; Kumar, Y.; Bankar, P.; More, M. A.; Devan, R.; Shirage, P. M. (Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2018)
Nanostructures of bismuth selenide (Bi2Se3), a 3D topological insulator material, and nickel (Ni) doped Bi2Se3 samples were prepared by a hydrothermal method to explore the field emission properties. An enrichment in the field electron emission (FE) properties in terms of the threshold and turn-on field values of Bi2Se3 and Ni doped Bi2Se3 nanostructures was measured at a base pressure of ∼1 × 10−8 mbar. Using the background of the Fowler–Nordheim (FN) theory a field enhancement factor (β) of 5.7 × 103 and a threshold field value of 2.5 V μm−1 for 7.5% Ni doped Bi2Se3 were determined by investigating the J–E plot of the FE data. The value of β is three times higher than that of pure Bi2Se3 confirming the superior FE properties. The emission current was found to be very stable with the property of long standing durability as a negligible amount of variation was observed when measured at a constant value of 5 mA for 3 hours. The experimental results signify many opportunities for potential applications of Ni doped Bi2Se3 as a source of electrons in scanning as well as transmission electron microscopy, flat panel displays and as an X-ray generator, etc.

Entacapone: improving aqueous solubility, diffusion permeability, and cocrystal stability with theophylline - Bommaka, Manish Kumar; Mannava, M. K. Chaitanya; Suresh, Kuthuru; Gunnam, Anilkumar; Nangia, Ashwini (Crystal Growth & Design, 2018)
Cocrystallization is a well-established technique to improve the solubility, bioavailability, and stability of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) but permeability and diffusion rate control via cocrystals is relatively less well studied, and the exact role of coformers in influencing the diffusion rate of drug cocrystals is still not fully understood. The aqueous solubility and permeability diffusion of Entacapone, ETP, a Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS) Class IV drug of low solubility and low permeability, with Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) coformers has been studied. Fixed stoichiometry cocrystals of ETP with acetamide (ACT, 1:1), nicotinamide (NAM, 1:1), isonicotinamide (INAM, 1:1), pyrazinamide (PYZ, 1:1), and isoniazid (INZ), 1:1) were prepared by solvent-assisted grinding. Theophylline (THP) resulted in a cocrystal hydrate (ETP-THP-FIYD 1:1:1). The cocrystals were structurally characterized by single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, DSC and TGA thermal measurements, and IR and NMR spectroscopy. Solubility and dissolution rate showed that there is a correlation between cocrystal stability and solubility governed by the heteromeric N-H center dot center dot center dot O, O-H center dot center dot center dot N, and O-H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bonds and conformational changes of ETP in cocrystal structures. ETP-THP-HYD and ETP-PYZ exhibit faster dissolution rate and high solubility and they are stable in phosphate buffer medium compared to the other cocrystals which dissociate partially during solubility experiments. Diffusion rates in a Franz cell showed that the stable and high solubility ETP-THP-HYD cocrystal has good permeability. Given that stability, solubility, and permeability are in general inversely correlated, the entacapone-theophylline hydrate cocrystal is a unique example of the thermodynamically stable cocrystal exhibiting high solubility and high permeability.

Enzymatic formation of a skipped methyl‐substituted octaprenyl side chain of longestin (KS‐505a): involvement of homo‐IPP as a common extender unit - Taro Ozaki; Shinde, Sandip S.; Gao, Lei; Okuizumi, Ryo; Liu, Chengwei; Ogasawara, Yasushi; Lei, Xiaoguang; Dairi, Tohru; Minami, Atsushi; Oikawa, Hideaki (Angewandte Chemie, 2018)
Longestin (KS‐505a), a specific inhibitor of phosphodiesterase, is a meroterpenoid that consists of a unique octacyclic terpene skeleton with branched methyl groups at unusual positions (C1 and C12). The biochemical analysis of Lon23, a methyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of longestin, demonstrated that methylation of IPP afforded 3Z‐3‐methyl IPP. This compound as well as IPP was selectively accepted as extender units by Lon22, a geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) synthase homolog, to yield dimethylated GGPP (dmGGPP). Absolute configuration of dmGGPP was determined to be (4R, 12R) by degradation and chiral GC analysis. These findings led us to propose key steps of the biosynthetic pathway of the unusual homoterpenoid longestin.

Evaluating antimalarial efficacy by tracking glycolysis in Plasmodium falciparum using NMR spectroscopy - Shivapurkar, Rupali; Hingamire, Tejashri; Kulkarni, Akshay S.; Rajamohanan, P. R.; Reddy, D. Srinivasa; Shanmugam, Dhanasekaran (Scientific Reports, 2018)
Glucose is an essential nutrient for Plasmodium falciparum and robust glycolytic activity is indicative of viable parasites. Using NMR spectroscopy, we show that P. falciparum infected erythrocytes consume similar to 20 times more glucose, and trophozoites metabolize similar to 6 times more glucose than ring stage parasites. The glycolytic activity, and hence parasite viability, can be measured within a period of 2 h to 5 h, using this method. This facilitates antimalarial bioactivity screening on ring and trophozoite stage parasites, exclusively. We demonstrate this using potent and mechanistically distinct antimalarial compounds such as chloroquine, atovaquone, cladosporin, DDD107498 and artemisinin. Our findings indicate that ring stage parasites are inherently more tolerant to antimalarial inhibitors, a feature which may facilitate emergence of drug resistance. Thus, there is a need to discover novel antimalarial compounds, which are potent and fast acting against ring stage parasites. The NMR method reported here can facilitate the identification of such molecules.

Evaluation of Candida tropicalis (NCIM 3321) extracellular phytase having plant growth promoting potential and process development - Puppala, Kumar Raja; Naik, Tejali; Shaik, Alfina; Dastager, Syed; Kumar, V. Ravi; Khire, Jayant; Dharne, Mahesh (Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology, 2018)
Phytase is known to provide a solution for depletion of phosphorus (P). It helps it by hydrolyzing the insoluble P source in soil which is phytate. In this study, provides insight on yeast Candida tropicalis (NCIM 3321) which produces cell bound and extracellular thermostable phytase. The media components were optimized to enhance the enzyme production and checked for plant growth promoting activity. On optimization the isolate exhibited enhanced cell bound and extracellular phytase activity by four folds (from 236 to 1024 IU DCG⁻¹) and by five folds (from 0.46 to 1.95 IU ml⁻¹) respectively in 36 h. The production time decreased to 24 h compare to shake flask on Up-scaling the production process upto 10 L scale, thus increasing the productivity of cell bound (1810 IU DCG⁻¹day⁻¹) and extracellular phytase (6.08 IU ml⁻¹ day⁻¹). The crude phytase (12 IU) from NCIM 3321 strain was studied for plant growth promotion activity in lab scale and field level experiments with maize crop. Findings of the study revealed that the extracellular phytase derived from non pathogenic C. tropicalis (NCIM 3321) was found to be plant growth stimulating by increasing the available P in soil. Our findings of phytase isolated from non-pathogenic yeast C. tropicalis NCIM 3321 exhibited dephytinization potential. Therefore, current study may have profound application in sustainable agriculture.

Evolutionary perspectives of genotype-phenotype factors in leishmania metabolism - Subramanian, Abhishek; Sarkar, Ram Rup (Journal of Molecular Evolution, 2018)
The sandfly midgut and the human macrophage phagolysosome provide antagonistic metabolic niches for the endoparasite Leishmania to survive and populate. Although these environments fluctuate across developmental stages, the relative changes in both these environments across parasite generations might remain gradual. Such environmental restrictions might endow parasite metabolism with a choice of specific genotypic and phenotypic factors that can constrain enzyme evolution for successful adaptation to the host. With respect to the available cellular information for Leishmania species, for the first time, we measure the relative contribution of eight inter-correlated predictors related to codon usage, GC content, gene expression, gene length, multi-functionality, and flux-coupling potential of an enzyme on the evolutionary rates of singleton metabolic genes and further compare their effects across three Leishmania species. Our analysis reveals that codon adaptation, multi-functionality, and flux-coupling potential of an enzyme are independent contributors of enzyme evolutionary rates, which can together explain a large variation in enzyme evolutionary rates across species. We also hypothesize that a species-specific occurrence of duplicated genes in novel subcellular locations can create new flux routes through certain singleton flux-coupled enzymes, thereby constraining their evolution. A cross-species comparison revealed both common and species-specific genes whose evolutionary divergence was constrained by multiple independent factors. Out of these, previously known pharmacological targets and virulence factors in Leishmania were identified, suggesting their evolutionary reasons for being important survival factors to the parasite. All these results provide a fundamental understanding of the factors underlying adaptive strategies of the parasite, which can be further targeted.
Keywords: Codon usage; Evolutionary rate variation; Leishmania metabolism; Multi-functionality; Physiological fluxcoupling; Principal component regression (PCR)

Experimental and theoretical investigations of different diketopyrrolopyrrole-based polymers - Murugan, Pachaiyappan; Raghavendra, Venkatraman.; Chithiravel, Sundaresan; Krishnamoorthy, Kothandam; Mandal, Asit Baran; Subramanian, Venkatesan; Samanta, Debasis (ACS Omega, 2018)
Diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based polymers are often considered las the most promising donor moiety in traditional bulk heterojunction solar cell devices. In this paper, we report the synthesis, characterization of various DPP-based copolymers with different molecular weights, l and polydisper sity where other aromatic repeating units (phenyl or thiophene based) are connected by alternate double bonds or triple bonds. Some of the copolymers were used for device fabrication and the crucial parameters such as fill factor (FF) and open circuit voltage (V-oc) were calculated. The density functional theory was used to optimize the geometries and deduce highest occupied molecular orbital lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gaps of all the polymers and'theoretically predict their optical and electronic properties. Optical properties of all the polymers, electrochemical properties and band gaps were also obtained experimentally and compared with the theoretically predicted values.

Experimental evidences for existence of varying moieties and functional groups in assorted crop waste derived organosolv lignins - Singh, Sandip K.; Dhepe, Paresh L. (Industrial Crops and Products, 2018)
Isolation of organosolv lignins (ORGLs, water:ethanol, 180 degrees C, 1 h, 93 +/- 5% mass balance) from various lignocellulosic materials like rice husk (RH), wheat straw (WS), bagasse (BG) & wood chips (WC) was done and experimental evidences are provided to perceive the differences in the structures of isolated lignins. To achieve this on bulk level, lignins were characterized by XRD, GPC, TGA & elemental analysis and on molecular level using UV-vis, ATR, 1D/2D HSQC NMR techniques. Besides isolated lignins, crop wastes and pulps were also characterized to divulge details on their properties. It was revealed that lignins have varying concentrations of sinapyl (S), coniferyl (G) and p-coumaryl alcohols (H) and tricin (T) moieties. While, Tricin (T) type lignin moieties are observed only in RH and WS derived lignins, RH derived lignin has higher concentration of side chains than other isolated lignins. Additionally, it is discovered that most lignins have G as main moiety.

Exploiting functionalities of biomass in nanocomposite development: application in dye removal and disinfection along with process intensification - Kirti, Saumaya; Bhandari, Vinay M.; Jena, Jyotsnarani; Sorokhaibam, Laxmi Gayatri; Bhattacharyya, Arnab S. (Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 2018)
A green synthesis of multifunctional superparamagnetic nanocomposites using the whole unripened fruit of Cassia fistula (Golden shower) with potential for removal of both cationic and anionic dyes and antimicrobial property is reported for the first time in the present work. A natural medium in the form of clarified butter was used to enhance the multifunctional character. The surface morphology, textural characteristics and composition of the prepared nanoparticles and composites were studied to understand the multifunctional nature. The dye removal was investigated for four different dyes, namely methyl blue, Congo red, rhodamine-B and auramine. Iron nanoparticles were largely effective in the removal of acidic dyes, while the magnetic nanocomposites were effective for the removal of both acidic and basic dyes which can be attributed to the functionalities imparted from Cassia fistula and clarified butter. The dye removal behavior can be significantly enhanced (similar to 50%) using process intensification-adsorption coupled with acoustic cavitation, which also indicated a reduced adsorbent loading as compared to the conventional adsorptive dye removal. The nanomaterials were completely separated from dye solution with absolute ease of separation by applying simple magnetic field. Also, the developed materials were useful in disinfection of E. coli with a high efficiency of 90% confirming significant antimicrobial property at lower concentrations.

Exploring GPCR lipid interactions by molecular dynamics simulations: excitements, challenges, and the way forward - Sengupta, Durba; Prasanna, Xavier; Mohole, Madhura; Chattopadhyay, Amitabha (Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2018)
Gprotein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are seven transmembrane receptors that mediate a large number of cellular responses and are important drug targets. One of the current challenges in GPCR biology is to analyze the molecular signatures of receptor-lipid interactions and their subsequent effects on GPCR structure, organization, and function. Molecular dynamics simulation studies have been successful in predicting molecular determinants of receptor-lipid interactions. In particular, predicted cholesterol interaction sites appear to correspond well with experimentally determined binding sites and estimated time scales of association. In spite of several success stories, the methodologies in molecular dynamics simulations are still emerging. In this Feature Article, we provide a comprehensive overview of coarse-grain and atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of GPCR-lipid interaction in the context of experimental observations. In addition, we discuss the effect of secondary and tertiary structural constraints in coarse-grain simulations in the context of functional dynamics and structural plasticity of GPCRs. We envision that this comprehensive overview will help resolve differences in computational studies and provide a way forward.

Exploring immuno-regulatory mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment: model and design of protocols for cancer remission - Ganguli, Piyali; Sarkar, Ram Rup (Plos One, 2018)
The tumor microenvironment comprising of the immune cells and cytokines acts as the 'soil' that nourishes a developing tumor. Lack of a comprehensive study of the interactions of this tumor microenvironment with the heterogeneous sub-population of tumor cells that arise from the differentiation of Cancer Stem Cells (CSC), i.e. the 'seed', has limited our understanding of the development of drug resistance and treatment failures in Cancer. Based on this seed and soil hypothesis, for the very first time, we have captured the concept of CSC differentiation and tumor-immune interaction into a generic model that has been validated with known experimental data. Using this model we report that as the CSC differentiation shifts from symmetric to asymmetric pattern, resistant cancer cells start accumulating in the tumor that makes it refractory to therapeutic interventions. Model analyses unveiled the presence of feedback loops that establish the dual role of M2 macrophages in regulating tumor proliferation. The study further revealed oscillations in the tumor sub-populations in the presence of T-H1 derived IFN-gamma that eliminates CSC; and the role of IL10 feedback in the regulation of T-H1/T-H2 ratio. These analyses expose important observations that are indicative of Cancer prognosis. Further, the model has been used for testing known treatment pro-tocols to explore the reasons of failure of conventional treatment strategies and propose an improvised protocol that shows promising results in suppressing the proliferation of all the cellular sub-populations of the tumor and restoring a healthy T-H1/T-H2 ratio that assures better Cancer remission.

Facile activation of Si-H bond by an electrophilic carbene - Swamy, V. S. V. S. N.; Kundu, Gargi; Sen, Sakya S. (Indian Chemical Society, 2018)
Herein, we have explored the chemistry of 1,3-bis(2,6-di-isopropylphenyl)-5,5-dimethy1-4,6-diketopyrimidinyl-2-ylidene (1) with various silanes under mild conditions. The oxidative addition of Si-H bond of phenylsilane with DAC 1 affords the compound 2, which is unambiguously characterized by muitinuclear NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and X-ray single crystal diffraction studies. Interestingly, DAC 1 activates silicon hydride bond of chlorosilanes at room temperature and results in the corresponding silylation products.

Facile and solvent-free domino synthesis of new quinolidinyl-2,4-thiazolidinones: antifungal activityand molecular docking - Subhedar, Dnyaneshwar D.; Shaikh, Mubarak H.; Tupe, Santosh G.; Deshpande, Mukund V.; Khedkar, Vijay M.; Jha, Prakash C.; Shingate, Bapurao B. (Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, 2018)
Objective: We have synthesized new quinolidinyl-thiazolidinones via Knoevenagel condensation-alkylation reaction, catalyzed by [Et3NH][HSO4]. The present approach offers several advantages such as higher yields, eco-friendly reaction condition and economic availability of the catalyst. Method: The newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antifungal activity against six fungal strains. Some of the synthesized conjugates displayed good to moderate antifungal activity. Conclusion: Again, the molecular docking study performed against the fungal sterol 14 alpha-demethylase (CYP51) showed an excellent binding affinity towards the enzyme which could rationalize the promising antifungal activity portrayed by these derivatives and provides a platform for structure based drug design.

Facile, environmentally benign and scalable approach to produce pristine few layers graphene suitable for preparing biocompatible polymer nanocomposites - George, Gejo; Sisupal, Suja Bhargavan; Tomy, Teenu; Kumaran, Alaganandam; Vadivelu, Prabha; Suvekbala, Vemparthan; Sivaram, Swaminathan; Ragupathy, Lakshminarayanan (Scientific Reports, 2018)
The success of developing graphene based biomaterials depends on its ease of synthesis, use of environmentally benign methods and low toxicity of the chemicals involved as well as biocompatibility of the final products/devices. We report, herein, a simple, scalable and safe method to produce defect free few layers graphene using naturally available phenolics i.e. curcumin/tetrahydrocurcumin/ quercetin, as solid-phase exfoliating agents with a productivity of similar to 45 g/batch (D/G = 0.54 and D/D' <= 1.23). The production method can also be employed in liquid-phase using a ball mill (20 g/batch, D/G <= 0.23 and D/D' <= 1.12) and a sand grinder (10 g/batch, D/G <= 0.11 and D/D similar to = 0.78). The combined effect of p-p interaction and charge transfer (from curcumin to graphene) is postulated to be the driving force for efficient exfoliation of graphite. The yielded graphene was mixed with the natural rubber (NR) latex to produce thin film nanocomposites, which show superior tensile strength with low modulus and no loss of % elongation at break. In-vitro and in-vivo investigations demonstrate that the prepared nanocomposite is biocompatible. This approach could be useful for the production of materials suitable in products (gloves/condoms/catheters), which come in contact with body parts/ body fluids.

Facile one-pot multicomponent synthesis and molecular docking studies of steroidal oxazole/thiazole derivatives with effective antimicrobial, antibiofilm and hemolytic properties - Ansari, Anam; Ali, Abad; Asif, Mohd; Rauf, Mohd Ahmar; Owais, Mohammad; Shamsuzzaman (Steroids, 2018)
A series of steroidal oxazole and thiazole derivatives have been synthesized employing thiosemicarbazide/semicarbazide hydrochloride and ethyl 2-chloroacetoacetate with a simple and facile one-pot multicomponent reaction pathway. The antimicrobial activity of newly synthesized compounds were evaluated against four bacterial strains namely Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes) in addition to pathogenic fungi (Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neofonnans). Bioactivity assay manifested that most of the compounds exhibited good antimicrobial activity. To provide additional insight into antimicrobial activity, the compounds were also tested for their antibiofilm activity against S. aureus biofilm. Moreover, molecular docking study shows binding of compounds with amino acid residues of DNA gyrase and glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase (promising antimicrobial target) through hydrogen bonding interactions. Hemolytic activity have been also investigated to ascertain the effect of compounds over RBC lysis and results indicate good prospects for biocompatibility. The expedient synthesis of steroidal heterocycles, effective antibacterial and antifungal behavior against various clinically relevant human pathogens, promising biocompatibility offer opportunities for further modification and potential applications as therapeutic agents.

Fast dissolving moxifloxacin hydrochloride antibiotic drug from electrospun Eudragit L-100 nonwoven nanofibrous mats - Giram, Prabhanjan S.; Shitole, Ajinkya; Nande, Smita S.; Sharma, Neeti; Garnaik, Baijayantimala (Materials Science & Engineering C-Materials For Biological Applications, 2018)
Antimicrobial electrospun nonwoven Eudragit L-100 nanofibrous mats containing Moxifloxacin hydrochloride (MOX-HCL) were fabricated for fast dissolving drug delivery systems (DDSs) associated with wound infection. The morphological characterization of nanofibers using ESEM revealed that the average diameter of non-woven nanofibrous mats ranges 200-600 nm. The nanofiber showed cylindrical shape with crack on the surface. Differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) and Wide Angle X-ray diffraction (WAXRD) demonstrate that the drug exists in an amorphous state in the nanofibers. Nanofibrous mats were also tested for mechanical strength, contact angle, swelling assay, haemolysis and disintegration test. In vitro disintegration tests demonstrated that the dissolution of Eudragit L-100 fiber mats was within 25 s which was higher compared to the pure drug. The Eudragit nanofibers showed pH-dependent drug release profiles, with slow release at pH 1.2 and burst release (around 30 s) at pH 6.8. The in-vitro quantitative and qualitative antimicrobial assay showed that the developed Eudragit L-100 nanofibrous mats with MOX-HCL concentration of 1%, 5% and 15 wt% exhibited antibacterial activities against both gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. The invitro cytotoxicity assay using mouse fibroblast NIH/3T3 cells demonstrated significant biocompatibility of nanofiber mats. As per the results of biological evaluation, Eudragit L-100 nanofibrous mats with 1wt% MOX-HCL could be a suitable substrate for biomedical applications. Eudragit L-100 nanofibrous mats containing Moxifloxacin hydrochloride (MOX-HCL) showed immediate DDSs for localized drug release in the wound infection at slightly acidic or alkaline conditions where faster drug release rate is required for wound healing.

First total synthesis of the proposed structure of pandangolide 1 - Show, Krishanu; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Kumar, Pradeep (European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2018)
The first total synthesis of the proposed structure of pandangolide 1 is reported. The synthesis was carried out using both an organocatalytic approach and a chiral-pool approach. The required stereochemistry at C-3 and C-5 was installed by using an organocatalytic aldol reaction and a stereoselective ketone reduction. The construction of the 12-membered core was achieved by 2-methyl-6-nitrobenzoic anhydride-mediated Shiina lactonization. The structure of target molecule was confirmed unambiguously by single-crystal X-ray analysis, but the optical rotation and NMR spectroscopic data of the synthetic pandangolide 1 were found to be inconsistent with the natural product.
Keywords: lactones; Macrocycles; Natural products; structure elucidation; synthesis design; Total synthesis

Flexible composite mechanical energy harvester from a ferroelectric organoamino phosphonium salt - Vijayakanth, Thangavel; Srivastava, Anant Kumar; Ram, Farsa; Kulkarni, Priyangi; Shanmuganathan, Kadhiravan; Praveenkumar, Balu; Boomishankar, Ramamoorthy (Angewandte Chemie-International Edition, 2018)
A new binary organic salt diphenyl diisopropylamino phosphonium hexaflurophosphate (DPDPPF6) was shown to exhibit a good ferroelectric response and employed for mechanical energy harvesting application. The phosphonium salt crystallizes in the monoclinic noncentrosymmetric space group Cc and exhibits an H-bonded 1D chain structure due to N-HF interactions. Ferroelectric measurements on the single crystals of DPDPPF6 gave a well-saturated rectangular hysteresis loop with a remnant (P-r) polarization value of 6Ccm(-2). Further, composite devices based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films for various weight percentages (3, 5, 7, 10 and 20wt%) of DPDPPF6 were prepared and examined for power generation by using an impact test setup. A maximum output peak-to-peak voltage (V-PP) of 8.5V and an output peak-to-peak current (I-PP) of 0.5A was obtained for the non-poled composite film with 10wt% of DPDPPF6. These results show the efficacy of organic ferroelectric substances as potential micropower generators.
Keywords: binary phosphonium salts; energy conversion; ferroelectricity; hydrogen bonding; polymer composites

Fluorinated nanocellulose-reinforced all-organic flexible ferroelectric nanocomposites for energy generation - Ram, Farsa; Ambone, Tushar; Sharma, Aakash; Murugesan, Rajarathinam; Kajale, Deepak; Borkar, Vivek; Ali, Shaikh Faruque; Balu, Praveen Kumar; Kumaraswamy, Guruswamy; Shanmuganathan, Kadhiravan (Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2018)
We report here enhanced ferroelectric crystal formation and energy generation properties of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) in the presence of surface-modified crystalline nanocellulose. Incorporation of only 2-5 wt % fluorinated nanocellulose (FNC) in PVDF has been found to significantly induce polar beta/gamma-phase crystallization as compared to the addition of unmodified nanocellulose (carboxylated nanocellulose). A device made up of electrically poled PVDF/FNC composite films yielded 2 orders of magnitude higher voltage output than neat PVDF in vibrational energy harvesting. This remarkable increase in energy generation properties of PVDF at such a low loading of an organic natural biopolymer could be attributed to the tailored surface chemistry of nanocellulose, facilitating strong interfacial interactions between PVDF and FNC. Interestingly, energy harvesting devices fabricated from PVDF/FNC nanocomposites charged a 4.7 mu F capacitor at significantly faster rate and the accumulated voltage on capacitor was 3.8 times greater than neat PVDF. The fact that PVDF/FNC nanocomposites still retain a strain at break of 10-15% and can charge a capacitor in few seconds suggests potential use of these nanocomposites as flexible energy harvesting materials at large strain conditions.

Framework for building a portfolio of disruptive technologies for sustainable mobility - Venugopal, S.; Shankar, S. (37th FISITA World Automotive Congress, 2018)
We provide a framework that would help the CTO to (a) assess the disruptive power of new technologies at an early stage (b) systematically track its evolution and (c) build a sustainable plan for the company to respond to the disruption. We have applied our framework to illustrate how the CTO of an automotive OEM can build a portfolio of disruptive technologies in electric, autonomous and connected vehicles to create sustainable mobility for the future. We describe qualitative and quantitative tools and metrics that would help the CTO to make investment decisions on new disruptive technologies and communicate to the stakeholders

Friedel–crafts alkylation over Zr-mont catalyst for the production of diesel fuel precursors - Shinde, Suhas; Rode, Chandrashekhar Vasant (ACS Omega, 2018)
Heterogeneous Zr-Mont catalyst prepared by a simple protocol was employed for the production of diesel fuel precursors via Friedel–Crafts (FC) alkylation of petroleum-derived arenes (e.g., mesitylene, xylene, and toluene) with biomass-derived 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF), HMF derivatives, and carbohydrates. Initially, several acidic catalysts were screened for the FC alkylation of mesitylene with HMF in nitroethane solvent. Among all, Zr-Mont catalyst gave an exceptionally high yield (80%) of mesitylmethylfurfural (MMF). The catalytic activity of Zr-Mont was also evaluated for the alkylation of different petroleum-derived arenes with ester/halogen derivatives of HMF. Suitable acid strength and high surface area of Zr-Mont were its major attributes to make it the most efficient solid acid catalyst for this FC reaction. Even after several reuses, the catalytic activity of Zr-Mont was found to be consistent, which was also evidenced by the acidity measurements of fresh and reused Zr-Mont catalysts by temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia and pyridine Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. Direct conversion of glucose to diesel fuel precursors was also attempted over Zr-Mont catalyst in mesitylene and polar nonacidic solvents at 150 °C. However, the activity of Zr-Mont catalyst was limited for glucose dehydration to HMF and MMF did not form. When the same experiment was performed in formic acid medium, MMF was produced in 34% yield. After the addition of formic acid, the reaction becomes biphasic which contains mesitylene as an organic phase and formic acid as an aqueous phase. Formic acid worked as a solvent, reactant, and cocatalyst, whereas mesitylene worked as a reactant and product extraction phase to enable easy product isolation. With this strategy, other diesel fuel precursors were also produced in 26–30% yields from glucose and different arenes. Similar strategy was successfully extended for the conversion of sucrose to diesel fuel precursors.

Functionalized carbon nanotube reinforced polymer nanocomposite microcapsules with enhanced stiffness - Jagtap, Siddheshwar B.; Patil, Vishal D.; Suresh, Karthika; Ram, Farsa; Mohan, Muthu Subramanian; Rajput, Shatruhan S.; Patil, Shivprasad; Shukla, Parshuram G.; Shanmuganathan, Kadhiravan (Colloids and Surfaces A-Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 2018)
Microcapsules with tunable mechanical properties are highly desirable in pressure sensitive applications. We report here a facile approach to prepare polyurea/multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) nanocomposite microcapsules (MICs) with enhanced stiffness. A model compound dimethyl phthalate (DMP) was used as core material. MWCNTs were modified with reactive functional groups namely carboxyl (-COOH), amines (-NH2), and isocyanates (-NCO) to ensure a stronger interface between polymer wall and MWCNTs. Functionalization of MWCNTs was corroborated by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to study the surface morphology of MICs. The presence of MWCNTs in the microcapsule wall was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). MICs with functionalized MWCNTs show almost 100% increase in stiffness with respect to pristine capsules. All MICs show 92-97 +/- 1% encapsulation efficiency. The approach used in this paper can be broadly utilized to tune the mechanical properties of the microcapsules.

Fused fluorenylindolenine-donor-based unsymmetrical squaraine dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells - Bisht, Rajesh; Sudhakar, Vediappan; Kavungathodi, Munavvar Fairoos Mele; Karjule, Neeta; Nithyanandhan, Jayaraj (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2018)
A series of four unsymmetrical squaraine dyes, XSQ1-4, were synthesized using a fused fluorenylindolenine-based donor unit for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The fused structure of fluorenylindolenine helped in moving the absorption toward the near-infrared (NIR) region, and the two sp(3)-C centers available on this donor were utilized to incorporate out-of-plane alkyl chains in opposite directions to control the dye-dye interactions on the TiO2 surface. High extinction coefficient (epsilon >= 10(5) M-1 cm(-1)) for absorbing NIR photons and suitable highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy levels with respect to the conduction band of TiO2 and electrolyte for charge injection and dye regeneration processes, respectively, make these dyes potential sensitizers for DSSCs. Introduction of branched alkyl groups in the pi-framework helped in controlling dye aggregation to reduce exciton quenching and assisted in TiO2 surface passivation to avoid the charge recombination process. Furthermore, having a naphthyl group on the indole part of the anchoring group containing segment helped to red-shift the absorption spectrum of dyes 15 nm toward the NIR region (XSQ3-4). Among all of the dyes under investigation, XSQ2 gave the best photovoltaic performance, having a short-circuit current density (J(SC)) of 13.99 mA cm(-2), open -circuit voltage (V-OC) of 0.66 V, and a fill factor (ff) of 0.71, with a device performance (eta) of 6.57%. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed higher electron lifetime on TiO2 for XSQ2, which helps to avoid the charge recombination process.
Keywords: Dye-sensitized solar cells; fluorenylindolenine; H- and J-type aggregation; NIR absorption; out-of-plane alkyl groups; squaraine dyes

Genetic and phytochemical investigations for understanding population variability of the medicinally important tree Saraca asoca to help develop conservation strategies - Hegde, Satisha; Pai, Sandeep Ramchandra; Bhagwat, Rasika M.; Saini, Archana; Rathore, Poonam Kanwar; Jalalpure, Sunil Satyappa; Hegde, Harsha Vasudev; Sugunan, Attayoor Purushottaman; Gupta, Vidya S.; Kholkute, Sanjiva D.; Roy, Subarna (Phytochemistry, 2018)
Saraca asoca (Roxb.) De Wilde (Caesalpiniaceae) is a highly traded IUCN red listed tree species used in Ayurvedic medicines for the treatment of various disorders, especially gynaecological problems. However, information about the genetic variations between populations and corresponding variation in specialized metabolites of S. asoca remains unclear. To address this issue, we analysed 11 populations of S. asoca with 106 accessions collected from Western Ghats of India using ISSR markers along with selected phytocompounds using RP-HPLC. Twenty primers were screened, out of which seven were selected for further analysis based on generation of clear polymorphic banding patterns. These seven ISSR primers produced 74 polymorphic loci. AMOVA showed 43% genetic variation within populations and 57% among the populations of S. asoca. To estimate the genetic relationships among S. asoca populations, UPGMA and Bayesian Models were constructed, which revealed two clusters of similar grouping patterns. However, excluding minor deviations, UPGMA and dissimilarity analysis showed close association of genotypes according to their geographical locations. Catechin (CAT), epicatechin (EPI) and gallic acid (GA) were quantified from bark and leaf samples of corresponding genotypes collected from 106 accessions. ROC plots depicted the sensitivity and specificity of the concentrations of tested phytocompounds at various cut-off points. Although, multiple logistic regression analysis predicted some association between few loci with GA, EPI and CAT, but PCA for phytochemical data failed to distinguish the populations. Overall, there were no significant trends observed to distinguish the populations based on these phytocompounds. Furthermore, the study advocates the delineate provenance regions of S. asoca genotypes/chemotype snapshots for in-situ conservation and ex-situ cultivation.

Genetic engineering approach using early Vinca alkaloid biosynthesis genes led to increased tryptamine and terpenoid indole alkaloids biosynthesis in differentiating cultures of catharanthus roseus - Sharma, A.; Verma, P.; Mathur, A.; Mathur, A.K. (Protoplasma, 2018)
Catharanthus roseus today occupies the central position in ongoing metabolic engineering efforts in medicinal plants. The entire multi-step biogenetic pathway of its very expensive anticancerous alkaloids vinblastine and vincristine is fairly very well dissected at biochemical and gene levels except the pathway steps leading to biosynthesis of monomeric alkaloid catharanthine and tabersonine. In order to enhance the plant-based productivity of these pharma molecules for the drug industry, cell and tissue cultures of C. roseus are being increasingly tested to provide their alternate production platforms. However, a rigid developmental regulation and involvement of different cell, tissues, and organelles in the synthesis of these alkaloids have restricted the utility of these cultures. Therefore, the present study was carried out with pushing the terpenoid indole alkaloid pathway metabolic flux towards dimeric alkaloids vinblastine and vincristine production by over-expressing the two upstream pathway genes tryptophan decarboxylase and strictosidine synthase at two different levels of cellular organization viz. callus and leaf tissues. The transformation experiments were carried out using Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA1119 strain having tryptophan decarboxylase and strictosidine synthase gene cassette. The callus transformation reported a maximum of 0.027% dry wt vindoline and 0.053% dry wt catharanthine production, whereas, the transiently transformed leaves reported a maximum of 0.30% dry wt vindoline, 0.10% catharanthine, and 0.0027% dry wt vinblastine content. © 2017 Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria
Keywords: Agroinfiltration; Strictosidine Synthase (CrSTR); Terpenoid Indole Alkaloids (TIAs)

Genomic roadmaps for augmenting salinity stress tolerance in crop plants - Suprasanna, P.; Ghuge, S. A.; Patade, V. Y.; Mirajkar, S. J.; Nikalje, G. C. (Salinity Responses and Tolerance in Plants, 2018)
Serious antagonistic impacts of saline environment on plant growth, development, and yield are well established. In this regard, researchers and breeders have been utilizing many conventional as well as modern approaches to aid the pro- cess of developing salt-tolerant crops. Biotechnological tools have made the task of engineering salinity tolerance in plants easier. Currently, two major annexes are effectively employed to develop salt-tolerant crops, first, investigation of genetic variation via marker-assisted selection (MAS) and second the transgenic technology. Sustenance of plants under dynamically growth-limiting saline environment depends on alterations and/or switching between multiple biochemical pathways involved in response. A number of key regulatory genes have been successfully identified and characterized in this context which can be explored to serve the purpose of alleviation in salt-tolerant nature of plants. Several genomics-abetted approaches have been reported aiming toward improvement in growth and yield of crops under saline envi- ronment. Present chapter focuses on genomic roadmaps for augmentation of crop salt tolerance by various methods including MAS, transgenic breeding, manipulations in small non-coding RNAs, and genome editing. These approaches utilize key players involved in salinity-mediated plant defense mechanisms, such as ion transporters, osmolytes, antioxidants, transcription factors, signaling proteins, and microRNA. The chapter attempts to summarize the effective targets and exploration of these key entities to raise salt-tolerant plants through various genomics-related tools.

Global transcriptome analysis of grapevine ( Vitis vinifera L.) leaves under salt stress reveals differential response at early and late stages of stress in table grape cv. Thompson Seedless - Upadhyay, Anuradha; Gaonkar, Tulsi; Upadhyay, Ajay Kumar; Jogaiah, Satisha; Shinde, Manisha P.; Kadoo, Narendra; Gupta, Vidya Shrikant (Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 2018)
Among the different abiotic stresses, salt stress has a significant effect on the growth and yield of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). In this study, we employed RNA sequence based transcriptome analysis to study salinity stress response in grape variety Thompson Seedless. Salt stress adversely affected the growth related and physiological parameters and the effect on physiological parameters was significant within 10 days of stress imposition. A total of 343 genes were differentially expressed in response to salt stress. Among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) only 42 genes were common at early and late stages of stress. The gene enrichment analysis revealed that GO terms related to transcription factors were over-represented. Among the DEGs, 52 were transcription factors belonging to WRKY, EREB, MYB, NAC and bHLH families. Salt stress significantly affected several pathways like metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, membrane transport development related pathways etc. 343 DEGs were distributed on all the 19 chromosomes, however clustered regions of DEGs were present on chromosomes 2, 5, 6 and 12 suggesting probable QTLs for imparting tolerance to salt and other abiotic stresses. Real-time PCR of selected genes in control and treated samples of grafted and own root vines demonstrated that rootstock influenced expression of salt stress responsive genes. Microsatellite regions were identified in ten selected salt responsive genes and highly polymorphic markers were identified using fifteen grape genotypes. This information will be useful for the identification of key genes involved in salt stress tolerance in grape. The identified DEGs could also be useful for genome wide analysis for the identification of polymorphic markers for their subsequent use in molecular breeding for developing salt tolerant grape genotypes.

Glycolysis is important for optimal asexual growth and formation of mature tissue cysts by Toxoplasma gondii - Shukla, Anurag; Olszewski, Kellen L.; Llinas, Manuel; Rommereim, Leah M.; Fox, Barbara A.; Bzik, David J.; Xia, Dong; Wastling, Jonathan; Beiting, Daniel; Roos, David S.; Shanmugam, Dhanasekaran (International Journal for Parasitology, 2018)
Toxoplasma gondii can grow and replicate using either glucose or glutamine as the major carbon source. Here, we have studied the essentiality of glycolysis in the tachyzoite and bradyzoite stages of T. gondii, using transgenic parasites that lack a functional hexokinase gene (Delta hk) in RH (Type-1) and Prugniaud (Type-II) strain parasites. Tachyzoite stage 411k parasites exhibit a fitness defect similar to that reported previously for the major glucose transporter mutant, and remain virulent in mice. However, although Prugniaud strain Delta hk tachyzoites were capable of transforming into bradyzoites in vitro, they were severely compromised in their ability to make mature bradyzoite cysts in the brain tissue of mice. Isotopic labelling studies reveal that glucose-deprived tacyzoites utilise glutamine to replenish glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathway intermediates via gluconeogenesis. Interestingly, while glutaminedeprived intracellular Delta hk tachyzoites continued to replicate, extracellular parasites were unable to efficiently invade host cells. Further, studies on mutant tachyzoites lacking a functional phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (Delta pepck1) revealed that glutaminolysis is the sole source of gluconeogenic flux in glucose-deprived parasites. In addition, glutaminolysis is essential for sustaining oxidative phosphorylation in zihk parasites, while wild type (wt) and Delta pepck1 parasites can obtain ATP from either glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation. This study provides insights into the role of nutrient metabolism during asexual propagation and development of T. gondii, and validates the versatile nature of central carbon and energy metabolism in this parasite. (C) 2018 Australian Society for Parasitology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gold(I)-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of aryldiazonium salts with organostannanes - Akram, Manjur O.; Shinde, Popat S.; Chintawar, Chetan C.; Patil, Nitin T. (Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 2018)
Gold(I)-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of aryldiazonium salts with organostannanes are described. This redox neutral strategy offers an efficient approach to diverse biaryls, vinyl arenes and arylacetylenes. Monitoring the reaction with NMR and ESI-MS provided strong evidence for the in situ formation of Ph3PAuIR (R = aryl, vinyl and alkynyl) species which is crucial for the activation of aryldiazonium salts.

G-quadruplex motif at the 3' end of sgRNAs improves CRISPR-Cas9 based genome editing efficiency - Nahar, Smita; Sehgal, Paras; Azhar, Mohammad; Rai, Manish; Singh, Amrita; Sivasubbu, Sridhar; Chakraborty, Debojyoti; Maiti, Souvik (Chemical Communications, 2018)
Originating as a component of prokaryotic adaptive immunity, the type II CRISPR/Cas9 system has been repurposed for targeted genome editing in various organisms. Although Cas9 can bind and cleave DNA efficiently under in vitro conditions, its activity inside a cell can vary dramatically between targets owing to differences between genomic loci and availability of enough Cas9/sgRNA (single guide RNA) complex molecules for cleavage. Most methods to improve CRISPR/Cas9 activity have so far relied on Cas9 protein engineering or base modifications in the sgRNA sequence. Here we demonstrate that a structure based rational design of sgRNAs can enhance the efficiency of Cas9 cleavage in vivo. By appending a naturally forming RNA G-quadruplex motif to the 3′ end of sgRNAs we can improve its stability and target cleavage efficiency in zebrafish embryos without inducing off-target activity, thereby underscoring its value in the design of better and optimized genome editing triggers.

Greener L-lactic acid production through in situ extractive fermentation by an acid-tolerant Lactobacillus strain - Singhvi, Mamata S.; Zendo, Takeshi; Gokhale, Digambar; Sonomoto, Kenji (Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2018)
Lactic acid (LA) fermentation requires a neutralizer for a physiologically acceptable range. However, a neutralizer generates a large amount of gypsum, an environmental pollutant. Furthermore, the downstream processing is complicated and expensive, comprising 50–70% of the total cost. We previously developed a Lactobacillus delbrueckii FM1, which can produce undissociated LA without neutralizer. Here, we improved FM1 by adaptive evolution at pH 4.5, which generated Adp FM1 showing an ~ 1.80-fold increase in LA production compared to FM1. The LA production via fed-batch fermentation yielded 36.2 g/L of LA, with a productivity of 0.500 g/L/h. However, cell viability was reduced due to the acidic pH and/or end-product inhibition. Therefore, an in situ LA recovery process using an extractive solvent was employed to maintain cell viability. Adp FM1 produced 49.2 g/L of LA via in situ LA-extractive fed-batch fermentation, which was ~ 1.4-fold higher than that without LA extraction. Adp FM1 provided a total LA productivity of 0.512 g/L/h in 96 h. Among the tested strains, Adp FM1 exhibited the highest H⁺-ATPase activity and a 415-fold increase in H⁺-ATPase gene expression compared to the parent strain. These results suggest that the in situ LA extractive fermentation process will ease downstream processing and prove to be a more economical and environmentally friendly option compared to the present fermentation. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the production of undissociated L-LA by Lactobacillus using an in situ recovery process, with high LA production levels and productivity.

Harnessing nucleophilicity of allenol ester with p-quinone methides via gold catalysis: application to the synthesis of diarylmethine-substituted enones - Sharma, Brijesh M.; Rathod, Jayant; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Kumar, Pradeep (Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2018)
A gold(I)-catalyzed protocol for intermolecular 1,6-conjugate addition of nucleophilic allenol ester generated in situ through [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement with p-quinone methides (p-QMs) has been developed. The gold catalyst plays a dual role by the pi-acid-triggered activation of alkynes and at the same time as a Lewis acid for activation of p-QMs toward nucleophilic attack. This method enables rapid access to a wide range of densely functionalized diarylmethine-substituted enones, a Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) product with high selectivity, excellent yields, and broad substrate scope.

Helically structured peptide architecture engineered using dimedone as a rigid organic scaffold - Nadimpally, Krishna C.; Madica, Krishnaprasad; Kotmale, Amol S.; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Sanjayan, Gangadhar J. (ChemistrySelect, 2018)
This communication reports the use of a rigid organic scaffold to attach two unsymmetrical peptide chains on a single carbon atom. The approach describes the step-by-step attachment of peptide chains to the rigid dimedone template (5,5-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione) - a molecular scaffold that directs orientation of the peptide helices in a well-defined arrangement via intra-molecular hydrogen bonding. The overall topology of the final molecules was studied using CD spectroscopy which suggested existence of helical architecture.

High surface area nanoporous carbon derived from high quality jute from Bangladesh - Khan, Junayet Hossain; Lin, Jianjian; Young, Christine; Matsagar, Babasaheb M.; Wu, Kevin C. W.; Dhepe, Paresh L.; Islam, Md Tofazzal; Rahman, Md Mahbubur; Shrestha, Lok Kumar; Alshehri, Saad M.; Ahamad, Tansir; Salunkhe, Rahul R.; et al. (Materials Chemistry and Physics, 2018)
We report an economically viable and environment-friendly strategy for the preparation of nanoporous carbon (NC) from jute which is one of the most abundant natural fibers produced in Bangladesh and some South Asian countries. Nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, UV spectroscopy, and scanning/transmission electron microscopy were performed to characterize the obtained NC. Three different types of jute-derived NCs have been synthesized at three different temperatures, 700 degrees C, 800 degrees C and 900 degrees C. The NC prepared at 800 degrees C resulted in a high surface area (981 m(2) g(-2)) and was associated with the retention of the original fibrous shapes. This study shows a promising future for jute as a natural precursor for NCs for a myriad of applications ranging from water purification to gas separation to energy conversion and storage.
Keywords: Adsorbents; Graphitization; Jute; Nanoporous carbons; porous materials

Highly diverged novel subunit composition of apicomplexan F-type ATP synthase identified from Toxoplasma gondii - Salunke, Rahul; Mourier, Tobias; Banerjee, Manidipa; Pain, Arnab; Shanmugam, Dhanasekaran (Plos Biology, 2018)
The mitochondrial F-type ATP synthase, a multisubunit nanomotor, is critical for maintaining cellular ATP levels. In T. gondii and other apicomplexan parasites, many subunit components necessary for proper assembly and functioning of this enzyme appear to be missing. Here, we report the identification of 20 novel subunits of T. gondii F-type ATP synthase from mass spectrometry analysis of partially purified monomeric (approximately 600 kDa) and dimeric (> 1 MDa) forms of the enzyme. Despite extreme sequence diversification, key F-O subunits a, b, and d can be identified from conserved structural features. Orthologs for these proteins are restricted to apicomplexan, chromerid, and dinoflagellate species. Interestingly, their absence in ciliates indicates a major diversion, with respect to subunit composition of this enzyme, within the alveolate clade. Discovery of these highly diversified novel components of the apicomplexan F-type ATP synthase complex could facilitate the development of novel antiparasitic agents. Structural and functional characterization of this unusual enzyme complex will advance our fundamental understanding of energy metabolism in apicomplexan species.

Highly efficient field emission properties of radially aligned carbon nanotubes - Tripathi, P.; Gupta, B.K.; Bhatnagar, A; Patel, C.R.P; Banker, P.K.; Late, D.J.; More, M.A.; Lalla, N.P.; Phase, D.M.,; Choudhary, R.J.; Shaz, M.A.; Ajayan, P.M.; et al. (Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 2018)
Here, we report extraordinary field emission properties from one pot synthesized aligned carbon nanotubes endowed with related Fe nanoparticles (NPs). The CNT configuration is in the form of a carbon hollow cylinder (CHC) with CNTs radially aligned towards the CHC axis. The structure generates electron field emission properties such as an ultralow turn on field (0.35 V μm−1 at 10 μA cm−2), a low threshold field (0.41 V μm−1 at 100 μA cm−2) and a high field emission current density (7.71 mA cm−2 at 0.78 V μm−1). It also exhibits multi-fold improvement in the field enhancement factor (1.34 × 104) with highly stable current emission at 100 μA measured for 14 h. No post synthesis treatment is required for enhanced field emission characteristics. The growth related Fe NPs assist in lowering the work function and hence enhancing the field emission properties. The possibility of assembling nano-structured field emitters into macroscale architectures suggests new prospects for next generation three dimensional electron sources.

High-performance field emission device utilizing vertically aligned carbon nanotubes-based pillar architectures - Gupta, Bipin Kumar; Kedawat, Garima; Gangwar, Amit Kumar; Nagpal, Kanika; Kashyap, Pradeep Kumar; Srivastava, Shubhda; Singh, Satbir; Kumar, Pawan; Suryawanshi, Sachin R.; Seo, Deok Min; Tripathi, Prashant; More, Mahendra A.; et al. (AIP Advances, 2018)
The vertical aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-based pillar architectures were created on laminated silicon oxide/silicon (SiO2/Si) wafer substrate at 775 degrees C by using water-assisted chemical vapor deposition under low pressure process condition. The lamination was carried out by aluminum (Al, 10.0 nm thickness) as a barrier layer and iron (Fe, 1.5 nm thickness) as a catalyst precursor layer sequentially on a silicon wafer substrate. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show that synthesized CNTs are vertically aligned and uniformly distributed with a high density. The CNTs have approximately 2-30 walls with an inner diameter of 3-8 nm. Raman spectrum analysis shows G-band at 1580 cm(-1) and D-band at 1340 cm(-1). The G-band is higher than D-band, which indicates that CNTs are highly graphitized. The field emission analysis of the CNTs revealed high field emission current density (4mA/cm(2) at 1.2V/mu m), low turn-on field (0.6 V/mu m) and field enhancement factor (6917) with better stability and longer lifetime. Emitter morphology resulting in improved promising field emission performances, which is a crucial factor for the fabrication of pillared shaped vertical aligned CNTs bundles as practical electron sources. (c) 2018 Author(s).

Homo- and heterodimeric dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells: panchromatic light absorption and modulated open circuit potential - Sil, Manik Chandra; Sudhakar, Vediappan; Singh, Ambarish Kumar; Kavungathodi, Munavvar Fairoos Mele; Nithyanandhan, Jayaraj (ChemPlusChem, 2018)
The design of dyes for panchromatic light absorption has attracted much attention in the field of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). An approach to enhance panchromatic light absorption utilizes mixtures of complementary light-absorbing dyes as well as dyes with specific anchoring groups that facilitate interfacial charge transfer with TiO2. Dipole-dipole interactions between the dye molecules on the surface broaden the spectrum, which results in decreased DSSC device performance. However, controlled aggregation of dyes results in broadening the spectral profile along with enhanced photocurrent generation. To control the dye-dye interaction, dimeric dyes with different dipole lengths D-1-D-sq, D-sq-D(sq)were systematically designed and synthesized. The photophysical and electrochemical properties were evaluated and the E-HOMO and E-LUMO levels were determined; these energy levels determines the electron injection from E-LUMO of the dye to E-CB of TiO2 and regeneration of oxidized dye by the electrolyte, respectively. The absorption spectra of D-sq-D-sq, D-1-D-sq were broadened in solution compared to model dye D-sq; this indicates that the dye-dye interaction is prominent in solution. In D-1-D-sq excitation energy transfer between photoexcited D-1 and D-sq was explained by using Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET). The homodimeric dye showed a device performace of 2.8 % (V-oc 0.607, J(sc) 6.62 mA/cm(2), ff 69.3 %),whereas the heterodimeric dye D-1-D-sq showed a device performance of 3.9 % (V-oc 0.652 V, J(sc) 8.89 mA/cm(2), ff 68.8 %). The increased photocurrent for D-1-D(sq)is due to the panchromatic IPCE response compared to D-sq-D-sq. The increased V(oc)is due to the effective passivation of the TiO2 surface by the spirolinker, and the effective dipole moment that shifts the conduction band on TiO2. Hence, the open circuit potential, V-oc, for the devices prepared from D-sq, D-1-D-sq and D-sq-D(sq)were systematically modulated by controlling the intermolecular pi-pi and intramolecular dipole-dipole interactions of the dimeric dyes.

Hydrothermal synthesis of rGO-PbBi2Se4 composite and investigation of its structural, chemical and field emission properties - Aher, Rahul; Bhorde, Ajinkya; Sharma, Priyanka; Nair, Shruthi; Borate, Haribhau; Pandharkar, Subhash; Rondiya, Sachin; Chaudhary, Minakshi; Gopinath, Chinnakonda; Suryawanshi, Sachin; More, Mahendra; Jadkar, Sandesh (Journal of Materials Science-Materials in Electronics, 2018)
In the present study we report the one step facile synthesis of pristine lead bismuth selenide (PbBi2Se4) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and its composites with PbBi2Se4. Formation of pristine PbBi2Se4 and rGO-PbBi2Se4 composite were confirmed by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The surface morphology and topography investigated by using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy revealed the formation of nano-flowers pristine PbBi2Se4. After coupling pristine PbBi2Se4 with rGO the surface morphology shows the formation of sharp vertically protruded nano-sheets/nano-flaks originated from the nano-flowers. Finally, the field emission properties of pristine PbBi2Se4 and rGO-PbBi2Se4 composite have been investigated. It has been observed that the rGO-PbBi2Se4 composite emitter exhibited excellent field emission properties with low turn-on field (similar to 2.8 V/A mu m for 10 A mu A/cm(2)), high emission current density (similar to 1288 A mu A/cm(2) at 3.9 V/A mu m) and superior current stability (similar to 4.5 h for similar to 1 A mu A) compare to pristine PbBi2Se4 emitter. Thus, the facile one step synthesis approach and robust nature of rGO-PbBi2Se4 composite emitter can provide prospects for the future development of large-area emitter applications such as flat-panel-display and vacuum micro/nanoelectronics devices.

Identification of potent chromone embedded [1,2,3]-triazoles as novel anti-tubercular agents - Nalla, Viswanadh; Shaikh, Aslam; Bapat, Sanket; Vyas, Renu; Karthikeyan, M.; Yogeeswari, P.; Sriram, D.; Muthukrishnan, M. (Royal Society Open Science, 2018)
A series of 20 novel chromone embedded [1,2,3]-triazoles derivatives were synthesized via an easy and convenient synthetic procedure starting from 2-hydroxy acetophenone. The in vitro anti-mycobacterial evaluation studies carried out in this work reveal that seven compounds exhibit significant inhibition against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain with MIC in the range of 1.56-12.5 mu g ml(-1). Noticeably, compound 6s was the most potent compound in vitro with a MIC value of 1.56 mu g ml(-1). Molecular docking and chemoinformatics studies revealed that compound 6s displayed drug-like properties against the enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase of M. tuberculosis further establishing its potential as a potent inhibitor.

Imido-P(V) trianion supported enantiopure neutral tetrahedral Pd(II) cages - Rajasekar, Prabhakaran; Pandey, Swechchha; Paithankar, Harshad; Chugh, Jeetender; Steiner, Alexander; Boomishankar, Ramamoorthy (Chemical Communications, 2018)
Charge-neutral chiral hosts are attractive due to their ability to recognize a wide range of guest functionalities and support enantio-selective processes. However, reports on such charge-neutral cages are very scarce in the literature. Here, we report an enantiomeric pair of tetrahedral Pd(II) cages built from chiral tris(imido) phosphate trianions and oxalate linkers, which exhibit enantioselective separation capabilities for epichlorohydrin, beta-butyrolactone, and 3-methyl- and 3-ethyl cyclopentanone.

Impact of half-crown/two carbonyl:-Ca2+ metal ion interactions of a low molecular weight gelator (LMWG) on its fiber to nanosphere morphology transformation with a gel-to-sol phase transition - Maity, Arunava; Dey, Ananta; Si, Mrinal Kanti; Ganguly, Bishwajit; Das, Amitava (Soft Matter, 2018)
We report here a smart functional low molecular weight gelator (LMWG) L, containing an unusual metal ion coordination site, i.e. ``half-crown/two carbonyl''. The gelator L shows excellent gelation behavior with typical fibrillar morphology in acetonitrile, methanol and ethanol media. Upon Ca2+ ion binding with its ``half-crown/two carbonyl'' coordination site, the acetonitrile gel of L exhibits a fiber to nanosphere morphology transformation along with a gel-to-sol phase transition as confirmed by microscopic investigation and by direct naked eye visualization, respectively. The mechanism involved in this morphology transformation and gel-to-sol phase transition process was studied thoroughly with the help of computational calculations and various spectroscopic experiments and discussed.

Impairing powerhouse in colon cancer cells by hydrazide–hydrazone-based small molecule - Patil, S.; Kuman, M. M.; Palvai, S.; Sengupta, P.; Basu, S. (ACS omega, 2018)
Mitochondrion has emerged as one of the unconventional targets in next-generation cancer therapy. Hence, small molecules targeting mitochondria in cancer cells have immense potential in the next-generation anticancer therapeutics. In this report, we have synthesized a library of hydrazide–hydrazone-based small molecules and identified a novel compound that induces mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization by inhibiting antiapoptotic B-cell CLL/lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family proteins followed by sequestration of proapoptotic cytochrome c. The new small molecule triggered programmed cell death (early and late apoptosis) through cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase and caspase-9/3 cleavage in HCT-116 colon cancer cells, confirmed by an array of fluorescence confocal microscopy, cell sorting, and immunoblotting analysis. Furthermore, cell viability studies have verified that the small molecule rendered toxicity to a panel of colon cancer cells (HCT-116, DLD-1, and SW-620), keeping healthy L929 fibroblast cells unharmed. The novel small molecule has the potential to form a new understudied class of mitochondria targeting anticancer agent.

Improved performance and reproducibility of perovskite solar cells by jointly tuning the hole transport layer and the perovskite layer deposition - Sharma, Ashish; Rath, Arup K. (Journal of Materials Science Materials in Electronics, 2018)
Solution processed organometal trihalide materials spur tremendous attention due to their unprecedented performance in photovoltaic applications. However, submicron thick perovskite films are prone to morphological defects in the form of cracks, pinholes and porosity; the traits originated from their solution phase processing and subsequent crystallization. Moreover, pinholes and cracks in the thin film of spincoated Spiro-OMeTAD hole transport layer reduce the performance reliability by forming micro shorts and weaken the defense against moisture ingress to the perovskite layer. For the large scale processing of perovskite solar cell from the economically prudent solution phase processing, morphological shortcomings of both perovskite and hole transport layers need an urgent address. By selecting non-conventional lead precursor (lead acetate) and implementing anti-solvent treatment during film deposition, we able to form pinhole free and compact perovskite film. Crack free hole conducting layer is obtained by blending Spiro-OMeTAD with a conducting polymer without compromising in the solar cell performance. A detail investigation of the charge transport and charge extraction properties of the developed hole transport layers have been carried out. The developed CH3NH3PbI3 based perovskite solar cells show improved repeatability and performance.

In situ base release for pH maintenance can allow shake flasks to better mimic bioreactor performance for CHO cell culture - Maralingannavar, Vishwanathgouda; Shenoy, Bharath R.; Hazarika, Jahnabi; Unnikrishnan, Divya; Prabhu, Anuja; Maity, Sunit; Gadgil, Mugdha (Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology, 2018)
BACKGROUNDShake flasks are widely used for evaluating mammalian cells in suspension. Lack of pH control can contribute to differences in culture performance between them and bioreactors. This study evaluates whether a previously reported in situ base releasing hydrogel (pHmH) to counter pH decrease can enable shake flask cultures to better mimic bioreactor cultures. RESULTSCompared with bioreactor culture, fed-batch cultures of a recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell-line in shake flasks without pHmH showed a decrease in pH to 6.6, accompanied by 40, 60 and 22% lower peak cell density, lactate accumulation, and immunoglobulin G (IgG) titer, respectively. Use of pHmH allowed shake flasks to maintain pH above 6.8 and reduced this difference to 20, 30, and 15%, respectively, thus enabling culture performance in shake flasks to better mimic the bioreactor. IgG glycosylation profiles were similar in identically fed cultures across all three platforms. Application of pHmH hydrogel during clone screening was evaluated by comparing correlation between titers for five recombinant CHO clones in bioreactors and shake flasks with and without pHmH; a higher correlation was found in shake flasks with pHmH than without. CONCLUSIONIn situ base release through hydrogel can allow identically fed fed-batch cultures in shake flasks to better mimic cell growth, lactate accumulation and IgG titers in bioreactors, without additional infrastructure. (c) 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

In situ nanoparticle embedding for authentication of epoxy composites - Pansare, Amol V.; Khairkar, Shyam R.; Shedge, Amol A.; Chhatre, Shraddha Y.; Patil, Vishwanath R.; Nagarkar, Amit A. (Advanced Materials, 2018)
In situ reduction of chloroauric acid inside an amine-cured epoxy matrix leads to formation of gold nanoparticles which are embedded inside the part. This phenomenon is leveraged to design an authentication system for composites wherein the particles are embedded spatially and are invisible to the naked eye. Under UV light, the particles diffract light and create an easily visible path. The particles penetrate inside the part and create a permanent, cost-effective, tamper-proof code. The advantage of this technique is that this authentication system can be built in composite parts after fabrication of the composite structure. As very small amount (nanograms) of particles are present in the part, negligible change in the thermal characteristics of the parent matrix is observed. The particles can be embedded easily in carbon fiber as well as glass fiber reinforced epoxy structures.
Keywords: authentication; barcoding; composites; embedded nanoparticles; Epoxy

In situ synthesis of nitrogen- and sulfur-enriched hierarchical porous carbon for high-performance supercapacitor - Mehare, Rupali S.; Ranganath, Suresha P.; Chaturvedi, Vikash; Badiger, Manohar. V.; Shelke, Manjusha V. (Energy & Fuels, 2018)
In this work, we present a simple and facile method for the nitrogen (N)- and sulfur (S)- doped porous three-dimensional (3D) spongelike carbon materials via direct pyrolysis of N and S containing polymer N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide cross-linked poly(acrylamide-co-2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) at varying temperatures under inert atmosphere. The obtained nitrogen- and sulfur-doped porous carbons (NSPCs) possess 3D hierarchical porous structure and contain a significantly high amount of N and S species. The concurrent incorporation of N and S successfully modified the surface properties of carbon materials and lead to enhanced capacitive performance. The presented NSPC exhibits specific capacitance of 230 F g(-1) at a current density of 1 A g(-1) and showed excellent cycling stability, depicting a promising material for energy storage devices.

In vivo examination of folic acid-conjugated gold-silica nanohybrids as contrast agents for localized tumor diagnosis and biodistribution - Prasad, Rajendra; Agawane, Sachin B.; Chauhan, Deepak S.; Srivastava, Rohit; Selvaraj, Kaliaperumal (Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2018)
Enhanced biocompatibility of nanosized contrast agent with high radiodensity and specific biodistribution is an important parameter for localized tumor imaging and organ safety. Various nanoparticles, especially gold nanorods (GNRs), have been applied for tumor diagnosis. However, their toxicity, nonspecific biodistribution, and easy aggregation are critical issues in cancer medicine. To avoid these issues, encapsulation of the GNRs in the core of nanoscopic mesoporous silica (MS) under ambient conditions, yielding multifunctional nanomaterials for cancer nanomedicine, is a recent and active development. Interestingly, GNR embedded MS nanohybrid (GNR-MS), though a promising material in nanomedicine, is rarely examined for tumor diagnosis, in vivo toxicity, organ safety, contrast ability, and excretion. Herein, we report a systematic in vivo examination of folic acid functionalized GNR-MS (GNR-MS-FA) for localized 4T1 breast tumor diagnosis, organ safety, and excretion using a one-time dose administration. The nanomaterials show good aqueous dispersibility, biocompatibility, high radiodensity, and tumor specific targeting ability (in vitro as well as in vivo). The in vivo tumor diagnosis and specific biodistribution of injected nanomaterials clearly demonstrates their potential for the visualization of tumors deep in the body of mice. In addition, all organs including the healthy glomerulus of the kidney are observed to be free of tissue injuries thereby indicating the superior biocompatibility of the nanomaterials.

Influence of silver nanoparticles morphologies on density, viscosity and thermal conductivity of silver nanofluids and silver ionanofluids - Patil, Virendra Sudam; Andry, Cera-Manjarres; Salavera, Daniel; Rode, Chandrashekhar Vasant; Patil, Kashinath R; Coronas, Alberto (Journal of Nanofluids, 2018)
This paper explores the consequence of silver nanoparticles morphology (nanowires, nanoplates, and nanospheres) on density, viscosity and thermal conductivity of nanofluids and IoNanoFluids. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy results reveal that hydroxyl group in cation relates to silver nanoparticle surface of silver IoNanoFluid. Effect on bonding of silver nanoparticles after solvation in an ionic liquid was investigated with Infrared spectroscopy. UV-Visible spectroscopy analysis observed variations in color and optical properties of silver IoNanoFluids compared with nanofluids. Structural and morphological characterization of silver nanofluids and silver IoNanoFluids were carried out with Scanning electron microscopy and Transmission electron microscopy techniques. The presence of silver nanoparticles from the aqueous phase of nanofluids to viscous ionic liquid phase was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Energy dispersive analysis. The thermal stability study unveils that Choline bis(trifluromethylsulfonyl)imide ionic liquid, and its derived silver IoNanoFluids, are more stable than silver nanofluids. There was no considerable impact was observed for the silver nanoparticles morphology on the density of IoNanofluids. Moreover, two-dimensional silver structures raise the viscosity further compare to other two morphologies of silver nanoparticles in a base ionic liquid. Among all three studied morphologies, silver nanowires influence additional in the enhancement of thermal conductivity for silver nanofluids and IoNanoFluids. Enhanced thermal conductivity and reduced viscosity of silver nanowires based IoNanoFluid sorts this fluid as a potential heat transfer fluid.

Inositol to aromatics -benzene free synthesis of poly oxygenated aromatics - Gurale, Bharat P.; Shashidhar, Mysore S.; Sardessai, Richa S.; Gonnade, Rajesh G. (Carbohydrate Research, 2018)
A method for the preparation of benzene derivatives from myo-inositol, an abundantly available phyto chemical is described. 1,3-Bridged acetals of inososes undergo step-wise elimination leading to the formation of polyoxygenated benzene derivatives. This aromatization reaction proceeds through the intermediacy of a beta-alkoxyenone, which could be isolated. This sequence of reactions starting from myoinositol, provides a novel route for the preparation of polyoxygenated benzene derivatives including polyoxygenated biphenyl. This scheme of synthesis demonstrates the potential of myo-inositol as a sustainable non-petrochemical resource for aromatic compounds. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integrated production of diesel fuel precursors from carbohydrates and 2-methylfuran over Sn-mont catalyst - Shinde, Suhas H.; Rode, Chandrashekhar V. (ChemistrySelect, 2018)
A TfOH-catalyzed highly efficient synthesis of biologically active (E)-2-cyanoacrylamides and 3-substituted azetidine-2,4-diones has been reported with 64-94% yields under metal-free conditions. The reaction proceeds through sequential Knoevenagel condensation/stereoselective in situ monohydration of nitrile or C-N cyclization protocol in one-pot. The attractive features of this tandem process are moderate reaction conditions, high atom economy, broad substrate scope, gram-scale reaction and ease of operation.

Integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses suggest the participation of endogenous protease inhibitors in the regulation of protease gene expression in helicoverpa armigera - Lomate, Purushottam R.; Dewangan, Veena; Mahajan, Neha S.; Kumar, Yashwant; Kulkarni, Abhijeet; Wang, Li; Saxena, Smita; Gupta, Vidya S.; Giri, Ashok P. (Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, 2018)
Insects adapt to plant protease inhibitors (PIs) present in their diet by differentially regulating multiple digestive proteases. However, mechanisms regulating protease gene expression in insects are largely enigmatic. Ingestion of multi-domain recombinant Capsicum annuum protease inhibitor-7 (CanPI-7) arrests growth and development of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Using de novo RNA sequencing and proteomic analysis, we examined the response of H. armigera larvae fed on recombinant CanPI-7 at different time intervals. Here, we present evidence supporting a dynamic transition in H. armigera protease expression on CanPI-7 feeding with general down-regulation of protease genes at early time points (0.5 to 6 h) and significant up-regulation of specific trypsin, chymotrypsin and aminopeptidase genes at later time points (12 to 48 h). Further, coexpression of H. armigera endogenous PIs with several digestive protease genes were apparent. In addition to the differential expression of endogenous H. armigera PIs, we also observed a distinct novel isoform of endogenous PI in CanPI-7 fed H. armigera larvae. Based on present and earlier studies, we propose potential mechanism of protease regulation in H. armigera and subsequent adaptation strategy to cope with anti-nutritional components of plants.

Integrative approaches to understand the Mastery in manipulation of host cytokine networks by protozoan parasites with emphasis on Plasmodium and Leishmania species - Mahanta, Anusree; Ganguli, Piyali; Barah, Pankaj; Sarkar, Ram Rup; Sarmah, Neelanjana; Phukan, Saurav; Bora, Mayuri; Baruah, Shashi (Frontiers in Immunology, 2018)
cDiseases by protozoan pathogens pose a significant public health concern, particularly in tropical and subtropical countries, where these are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. Protozoan pathogens tend to establish chronic infections underscoring their competence at subversion of host immune processes, an important component of disease pathogenesis and of their virulence. Modulation of cytokine and chemokine levels, their crosstalks and downstream signaling pathways, and thereby influencing recruitment and activation of immune cells is crucial to immune evasion and subversion. Many protozoans are now known to secrete effector molecules that actively modulate host immune transcriptome and bring about alterations in host epigenome to alter cytokine levels and signaling. The complexity of multi-dimensional events during interaction of hosts and protozoan parasites ranges from microscopic molecular levels to macroscopic ecological and epidemiological levels that includes disrupting metabolic pathways, cell cycle (Toxoplasma and Theileria sp.), respiratory burst, and antigen presentation (Leishmania spp.) to manipulation of signaling hubs. This requires an integrative systems biology approach to combine the knowledge from all these levels to identify the complex mechanisms of protozoan evolution via immune escape during host-parasite coevolution. Considering the diversity of protozoan parasites, in this review, we have focused on Leishmania and Plasmodium infections. Along with the biological understanding, we further elucidate the current efforts in generating, integrating, and modeling of multi-dimensional data to explain the modulation of cytokine networks by these two protozoan parasites to achieve their persistence in host via immune escape during host-parasite coevolution.

Interconverting hydrogen-bonding and weak n -> pi* interactions in aqueous solution: A direct spectroscopic evidence - Deb, Pranab; Jin, Geun Young; Singh, Santosh K.; Moon, Juran; Kwon, Hyejin; Das, Aloke; Bagchi, Sayan; Kim, Yung Sam (Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 2018)
Molecular structure and function depend on myriad noncovalent interactions. However, the weak and transient nature of noncovalent interactions in solution makes them challenging to study. Information on weak interactions is typically derived from theory and indirect structural data. Solvent fluctuations, not revealed by structure analysis, further complicate the study of these interactions. Using 2D infrared spectroscopy, we show that the strong hydrogen bond and the weak n -> pi* interaction coexist and interconvert in aqueous solution. We found that the kinetics of these interconverting interactions becomes faster with increasing water content. This experimental observation provides a new perspective on the existence of weak noncovalent interactions in aqueous solution.

Interlayer hydrogen-bonded covalent organic frameworks as high-performance supercapacitors - Halder, Arjun; Ghosh, Meena; Khayum, Abdul M.; Bera, Saibal; Addicoat, Matthew; Sasmal, Himadri Sekhar; Karak, Suvendu; Kurungot, Sreekumar; Banerjee, Rahul (Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2018)
Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as promising electrode materials in supercapacitors (SCs). However, their insoluble powder-like nature, poor capacitive performance in pristine form, integrated with inferior electrochemical stability is a primary concern for their long-term use in electrochemical devices. Keeping this in perspective, herein we report a redox active and hydrogen bonded COF with ultrahigh stability in conc. H2SO4 (18 M), conc. HCl (12 M) and NaOH (9 M). The as-synthesized COF fabricated as thin sheets were efficiently employed as a free-standing supercapacitor electrode material using 3 M aq. H2SO4 as an electrolyte. Moreover, the pristine COF sheet showcased outstanding areal capacitance 1600 mF cm(-2) (gravimetric 169 F g(-1)) and excellent cyclic stability (>100 000) without compromising its capacitive performance or Coulombic efficiency. Moreover, as a proof-of-concept, a solid-state supercapacitor device was also assembled and subsequently tested.

Intrinsically microporous polyimides containing spirobisindane and phenazine units: synthesis, characterization and gas permeation properties - Shrimant, Bharat; Dangat, Yuvraj; Kharul, Ulhas K.; Wadgaonkar, Prakash P. (Journal of Polymer Science Part A - Polymer Chemistry, 2018)
A new diamine containing spirobisindane and phenazine units, namely, 3,3,3,3-tetramethyl-2,2,3,3-tetrahydro-1,1-spirobi[cyclopenta[b]phen azine]-7,7-diamine (TTSBIDA) was synthesized starting from commercially available 5,5,6,6-tetrahydroxy-3,3,3,3-tetramethyl-1,1-spirobisindane (TTSBI). TTSBI was oxidized to 3,3,3,3-tetramethyl-2,2,3,3-tetrahydro-1,1-spirobi[indene]-5,5,6,6-tet raone (TTSBIQ) which was subsequently condensed with 4-nitro-1,2-phenylenediamine to obtain 3,3,3,3-tetramethyl-7,7-dinitro-2,2,3,3-tetrahydro-1,1-spirobi[cyclope nta[b]phenazine] (TTSBIDN). TTSBIDN was converted into TTSBIDA by reduction of the nitro groups using hydrazine hydrate in the presence of Pd/C as the catalyst. A series of new polyimides of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-PIs) were synthesized by polycondensation of TTSBIDA with commercially available aromatic dianhydrides. PIM-PIs exhibited amorphous nature, high thermal stability (T-10>480 degrees C) and intrinsic microporosity (BET surface area=59-289 m(2)/g). The gas permeation characteristics of films of selected PIM-PIs were evaluated and they exhibited appreciable gas permeability as well as high selectivity. The CO2 and O-2 permeability of PIM-PIs were in the range 185.4-39.2 and 30.6-6.2 Barrer, respectively. Notably, polyimide derived from TTSBIDA and 4,4-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (PIM-PI-6FDA) exhibited high CO2 and O-2 permeability of 185.4 and 30.6 Barrer with CO2/CH4 and O-2/N-2 selectivity of 43.1 and 5.1, respectively. The data of PIM-PI-6FDA for CO2/CH4 and O-2/N-2 gas pairs were located near Robeson upper bound. (c) 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018, 56, 766-775
Keywords: Gas permeability; intrinsic microporosity; polyimides; spirobisindane

Investigating adsorptive deep desulfurization of fuels using metal-modified adsorbents and process intensification by acoustic cavitation - Suryawanshi, N.B.; Bhandari, V.M.; Sorokhaibam, L.G.; Ranade, V.V. (Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 2018)
The harmful impact on the environment due to SOx emissions from fuels and increasingly strict norms over the years have amplified deep-desulfurization challenges, consequently enhancing attractiveness of adsorptive separations. The present work focuses on investigating metal modifications and process intensification using acoustic cavitation for improving sulfur removal behavior and selectivity. The proof of concept was elucidated using two model adsorbents: one commercial Shirasagi TAC adsorbent and another newer adsorbent derived from Cassia fistula biomass. Single- and double-metal modifications were studied using zinc, cobalt, nickel, and copper. An attempt was made to further improve the sulfur removal using process intensification using acoustic cavitation coupled with adsorption. The removal of three refractory sulfur compounds (viz. thiophene, benzothiophene, and dibenzothiophene) was studied, and the performance was compared for both single- and double-metal modifications apart from process intensification. In the case of TAC, a high capacity for sulfur removal, up to 23 mg S/g, was obtained, especially for dibenzothiophene. Process intensification using cavitation coupled with adsorption further improved sulfur removal to the extent of 100%, and for metal-modified TAC, a capacity increase up to 38 mg S/g for dibenzothiophene was obtained. The results indicate that the combined effect of metal modification and process intensification can substantially improve the sulfur-removal efficiency of carbon adsorbents.

Investigations on optical properties of ZnO decorated graphene oxide (ZnO@GO) and reduced graphene oxide (ZnO@r-GO) - Kumar, Pushpendra; Som, Sudipta; Pandey, Mukesh K.; Das, Subrata; Chanda, Anupama; Singh, Jai (Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2018)
The present investigation is based on the production of reduced graphene oxide (r-GO) from the graphene oxide using Hummer's (GO) and improved Hummer's methods (IGO) at elaborated conditions, named as GO and IGO, respectively hereafter. In contrast to previously known techniques, the presented process does not generate toxic gas. Meanwhile, the reduction temperature can be easily controlled. This approach provides a more significant amount of hydrophilic oxidized graphene as compared to GO and IGO with the use of additional KMnO4. Thus synthesized IGO was used to produce r-GO by thermal treatment. The morphological characteristics show that the obtained samples have a wrinkled paper-like morphology with severely folded lines. However, r-GO has double layers and multilayer at the edges. All the products (GO, IGO, and r-GO) have been decorated with ZnO nanoparticles (NPs). The XRD patterns of ZnO@GO composites have confirmed the characteristic peaks of wurtzite ZnO indicating the formation of ZnO nanoparticles onto the surface of graphene. The microscopic studies confirm the random growth/decoration of ZnO NPs on the surface of GO/IGO/r-GO sheets. However, in IGO and r-GO, loading/growth of ZnO NPs are less as compared to ZnO@GO. Overall structural studies indicate the oxidation of graphite and reduction of graphene oxide into r-GO sheets and ZnO decoration. Upon UV excitations, a bright blue emission has been exhibited by the GO that originates from geminate recombination of localized e-h pairs in sp(2) clusters those primarily act as the luminescent centers. The noteworthy enhancement in the emission intensities after the incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles on the surface of GO is observed. The improved synthesis method and low-temperature reduction technique of GO may be essential for the large-scale production of r-GO as well as the construction of devices composed of ZnO@GO/IGO/r-GO. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ion pairing in 1-butyl-3-methylpyridinium halide ionic liquids studied using NMR and DFT calculations - Swamy, Vincent P.; Thulasiram, Hirekodathakallu V.; Rastrelli, Federico; Saielli, Giacomo (Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2018)
We present the H-1, C-13 and N-15 NMR chemical shifts of bulk ionic liquids based on 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium (the cation also known as 1-butyl-3-picolinium) halides (Cl-, Br- and I-) and tribromide (Br-3(-)) salts. A characterization in solution of the analogous ICl2- and I-3(-) salts is also reported. A series of DFT calculations has been run to predict the features of the NMR spectra of the pure ILs based on a few selected supramolecular ionic aggregates. To test the effect of temperature, and vibrational and conformational motions, only for the chloride salt, we also run first-principles molecular dynamics simulations of the ion pair in the gas phase, using the ADMP scheme (Atom Centered Density Matrix Propagation molecular dynamics model). The aim of our investigation is to test whether a simple DFT based approach of ion-pairing in ionic liquids is capable of providing reliable results and under which conditions the protocol is robust. We obtained a very good agreement between the calculated and experimental spectra for the three halides, where the bulk structure of the ILs is dominated by H-bond interactions between the X- anion (X = Cl, Br and I) and the ortho protons of the pyridinium ring (a structural arrangement not too different from the solid-state structure of pyridinium halides). In contrast, when the H-bond is weak, as in the Br-3(-) case, a number of supramolecular arrangements exist in solution and the simple DFT calculations of a few selected cases cannot exhaustively explore the complete energy landscape. Moreover, the dynamic effects due to thermal motion, evaluated by ADMP MD simulations of the chloride salt, appear to be not very significant.

Iron Catalyzed Hydroformylation of Alkenes under Mild Conditions: Evidence of an Fe(II) Catalyzed Process - Pandey, Swechchha; Raj, K. Vipin; Shinde, Dinesh R.; Vanka, Kumar; Kashyap, Varchaswal; Kurungot, Sreekumar; Vinod, C. P.; Chikkali, Samir H. (Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2018)
Earth abundant, first row transition metals offer a cheap and sustainable alternative to the rare and precious metals. However, utilization of first row metals in catalysis requires harsh reaction conditions, suffers from limited activity, and fails to tolerate functional groups. Reported here is a highly efficient iron catalyzed hydroformylation of alkenes under mild conditions. This protocol operates at 10-30 bar syngas pressure below 100 degrees C, utilizes readily available ligands, and applies to an array of olefins. Thus, the iron precursor [HFe(CO)(4)](-)[Ph3PNPPh3](+) (1) in the presence of triphenyl phosphine catalyzes the hydroformylation of 1-hexene (S2), 1-octene (S1), 1-decene (S3), 1-dodecene (S4), 1-octadecene (S5), trimethoxy(vinyl)silane (S6), trimethyl(vinyl)silane (S7), cardanol (S8), 2,3-dihydrofuran (S9), allyl malonic acid (S10), styrene (S11), 4-methylstyrene (S12), 4-iBu-styrene (S13), 4-tBu-styrene (S14), 4-methoxy styrene (S15), 4-acetoxy styrene (S16), 4-bromo styrene (S17), 4-chloro styrene (S18), 4-vinylbenzonitrile (S19), 4-vinylbenzoic acid (S20), and allyl benzene (S21) to corresponding aldehydes in good to excellent yields. Both electron donating and electron withdrawing substituents could be tolerated and excellent conversions were obtained for S11-S20. Remarkably, the addition of 1 mol % acetic acid promotes the reaction to completion within 16-24 h. Detailed mechanistic investigations revealed in situ formation of an iron-dihydride complex [H2Fe(CO)(2)(PPh3)(2)] (A) as an active catalytic species. This finding was further supported by cyclic voltammetry investigations and intermediacy of an Fe(0)-Fe(II) species was established. Combined experimental and computational investigations support the existence of an iron-dihydride as the catalyst resting state, which then follows a Fe(II) based catalytic cycle to produce aldehyde.

Kitchen grinder: a tool for the synthesis of metal-organic frameworks towards size selective dye adsorption - Samal, Mahalaxmi; Panda, Jagannath; Biswal, Bishnu P.; Sahu, Rojalin (Crystengcomm, 2018)
In this report, we present a simple, swift mechanochemical synthesis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) using a kitchen grinder. By adopting this tool, we could synthesize ZIF-8, CuBTC, and MIL-100(Fe) in multi gram-scale and successfully employ MIL-100(Fe)-KG for the efficient (ca. 98%) removal of an organic dye (methylene blue) from aqueous solution. In particular, we demonstrated the significance of pore aperture for effective dye adsorption by comparing the adsorption behaviours of ZIF-8-KG and MIL-100(Fe)-KG. We believe that this approach could be of economic interest towards the green synthesis of porous adsorbents for waste-water treatment.

Layered TiO2 nanosheet‐supported NiCo2O4 nanoparticles as bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting - Raji, Vadakkekara; Rajith, Illathvalappil; Sreekumar, Kurungot (ChemElectroChem, 2018)
Exploring the generation of efficient and long‐lasting bifunctional electrocatalysts obtained from low‐cost transition metal oxides is crucial to the optimal production of hydrogen and oxygen by electrocatalytic water splitting. This study aims to demonstrate the applicability of layered TiO2 nanosheets as support for designing electrocatalysts. We have demonstrated the performance by decorating the TiO2 support with NiCo2O4 nanoparticles (NiCo2O4/TiO2) as catalysts for electrocatalytic overall water splitting. Moreover, the corrosion effect of usually used carbon‐based supporting materials can decrease the working efficiency and, thus, the overall performance of the catalysts. In this aspect, TiO2 can be a better alternative to carbon‐based systems. Layered TiO2 was synthesized at room temperature, and a simple heat treatment protocol was employed for the large‐scale synthesis of NiCo2O4/TiO2. TiO2 facilitated the formation of smaller NiCo2O4 nanoparticles, also improving the dispersion. This bifunctional electrocatalyst exhibits high OER and HER performance with a low overpotential of 309 mV and 185 mV respectively, at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. TiO2 supported catalyst also exhibits other advantages like remarkable durability in the alkaline medium along with high turnover frequency (TOF) values. This inexpensive catalyst can deliver a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at only 1.64 V with a steady performance for more than 12 h for overall water splitting. Thus, this homemade system provides a proficient and low‐cost alternative to the more expensive systems such as RuO2, IrO2 or Pt for the electrochemical water splitting applications.

The Leishmania donovani IMPACT-like protein possesses non-specific nuclease activity - Rao, Shilpa J.; Shukla, Ekta; Bhatia, Varsha; Lohiya, Bharat; Gaikwad, Sushama M.; Kar, Anita; Pal, Jayanta K. (International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2018)
IMPACT (Imprinted and Ancient)-like proteins are known to be regulators of GCN2 (General control non-derepressible 2) kinases involved in translation regulation. Here, we report on cloning and characterization of an IMPACT-like protein, LdIMPACT from Leishmania donovani which harbours two domains. 'RWD domain' at the N-terminal end that mediates GCN2 regulation, while a conserved 'ancient domain' lies at the C-terminal end whose function remains elusive. Interestingly, our observations indicated that LdIMPACT has a novel nonspecific nuclease activity. In silico analysis further revealed the resemblance of ancient domain of LdIMPACT to RNase PH domain (known to bind to nucleic acids). The recombinant LdIMPACT exhibited a Mg2+-dependent nuclease activity. Moreover, thermostability and pH stability assays of the protein suggest it to be a stress responsive protein. Circular dichroism studies elucidated the conformational transitions of the enzyme in response to various temperature and pH conditions which correlated well with the activity profiles. Thus, the current study highlights the structural and functional characteristics of LdIMPACT which interestingly also possesses a novel nuclease activity. With its physiological relevance unresolved, the multifaceted LdIMPACT might therefore lie in a hitherto unknown network, whose perturbation could be an attractive therapeutic approach for treating leishmaniasis. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ligand-solvent compatibility: the unsung hero in the digestive ripening story - Shimpi, Jayesh R.; Chaudhari, Vijay Raman; Prasad, Bhagavatula L. V. (Langmuir, 2018)
Digestive ripening (DR) is a process where a polydisperse nanocrystal (NC) system is converted into a monodisperse one with the aid of thermal heating of NCs in the presence of an excess surface-active organic ligand called digestive ripening agent (DRA) and a solvent. Here, we demonstrate that the solvent-DRA compatibility influences the final size and size distribution of the NCs in a significant manner. Accordingly, in this study, using the DR of gold NCs as the test case with alkanethiol (decanethiol/C10HT) and fluorinated thiol (1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecanethiol/C10FT) as DRA's and toluene and alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluoro-toluene (TFT) and their combination as solvents, we clearly establish that alkanethiols result in best-quality NCs after DR in toluene while the fluorinated thiols provide reasonably monodispersed NCs in TFT. Our results also ascertain that even when DR is carried out in a mixture of solvents, as long as the compatible solvent is the major component, the DR process results in reasonably monodisperse NCs. As soon as the amount of uncompatible solvent exceeds a threshold limit, there is perceptible increase in the polydispersity of the NCs. We conclude that the polarity of the solvent, which affects the buildup of ligated atoms/clusters, plays a key role in controlling the size distributions of the NCs.

Limonene inhibits Candida albicans growth by inducing apoptosis - Thakre, Archana; Zore, Gajanan; Kodgire, Santosh; Kazi, Rubina; Mulange, Shradha; Patil, Rajendra; Shelar, Amruta; Santhakumari, Bayitigeri; Kulkarni, Mahesh J.; Kharat, Kiran; Karuppayil, Sankunny Mohan (Medical Mycology, 2018)
Anti-Candida potential of limonene was evaluated against planktonic growth, biofilm (adhesion, development and maturation) and morphogenesis of Candida albicans in this study. Limonene is a major constituent of citrus oil and most frequently used terpene in food and beverage industry due to its pleasant fragrance, nontoxic, and is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) flavoring agent as well as treatment option in many gastrointestinal diseases. Limonene exhibited excellent anti-Candida activity and was equally effective against planktonic growth of C. albicans isolates differentially susceptible to FLC (N = 35). Limonene inhibited morphogenesis significantly at low concentration. However, it showed stage dependent activity against biofilm formation, that is, it was more effective against adhesion followed by development and maturation. Limonene also exhibited excellent synergy with FLC against planktonic and biofilm growth. SWATH-MS analysis led to identification of limonene responsive proteins that provided molecular insight of its anti-Candida activity. Proteomic analysis revealed upregulation of proteins involved in cell wall glucan synthesis (Kre6); oxidative stress (Rhr2, Adh7 and Ebp1); DNA damage stress (Mbf1 and Npl3); nucleolar stress (Rpl11, Rpl7, Rpl29, Rpl15) and down regulation of cytoskeleton organization (Crn1, Pin3, Cct8, Rbl2), and so forth, in response to limonene. Limonene mediated down regulation of Tps3 indicates activation of caspase (CaMca1) and induction of apoptosis in C. albicans. These results suggest that limonene inhibits C. albicans growth by cell wall/membrane damage induced oxidative stress that leads to DNA damage resulting into modulation of cell cycle and induction of apoptosis through nucleolar stress and metacaspase dependent pathway.

Lithium hydride as an efficient reagent for the preparation of 1,2-anhydro inositols: does the reaction proceed through 'axial rich' conformation? - Sarkar, Nitai; Sardessai, Richa S.; Shashidhar, Mysore S.; Tamboli, Majid I.; Gonnade, Rajesh G. (Carbohydrate Research, 2018)
scyllo-Inositol derived 1,2-trans-diequatorial halohydrins can be efficiently converted to the corresponding epoxides in the presence of lithium hydride. The structure of one of the epoxides was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. This provides a potential route for the preparation of ring modified inositol derivatives. DFT calculations suggest that this epoxide formation could be proceeding through the intermediacy of the cyclohexane ring-inverted axial-rich conformer (1,2-trans-diaxial halohydrin). This is supported by the results of DFT calculations on the formation of inositol orthoformate, where the product is locked in the axial-rich conformation, while the starting inositol has the equatorial-rich conformation.

Machine learning prediction of interaction energies in rigid water clusters - Bose, Samik; Dhawan, Diksha; Nandi, Sutanu; Sarkar, Ram Rup; Ghosh, Debashree (Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2018)
Classical force fields form a computationally efficient avenue for calculating the energetics of large systems. However, due to the constraints of the underlying analytical form, it is sometimes not accurate enough. Quantum mechanical (QM) methods, although accurate, are computationally prohibitive for large systems. In order to circumvent the bottle-neck of interaction energy estimation of large systems, data driven approaches based on machine learning (ML) have been employed in recent years. In most of these studies, the method of choice is artificial neural networks (ANN). In this work, we have shown an alternative ML method, support vector regression (SVR), that provides comparable accuracy with better computational efficiency. We have further used many body expansion (MBE) along with SVR to predict interaction energies in water clusters (decamers). In the case of dimer and trimer interaction energies, the root mean square errors (RMSEs) of the SVR based scheme are 0.12 kcal mol(-1) and 0.34 kcal mol(-1), respectively. We show that the SVR and MBE based scheme has a RMSE of 2.78% in the estimation of decamer interaction energy against the parent QM method in a computationally efficient way.

Manganese-catalyzed direct conversion of ester to amide with liberation of H 2 - Mondal, Akash; Subaramanian, Murugan; Avanashiappan, Nandakumar; Balaraman, Kambaram (Organic Letters, 2018)
A simple and efficient Mn-catalyzed acylation of amines is achieved using both acyl and alkoxy functions of unactivated esters with the liberation of molecular hydrogen as a sole byproduct. The present protocol provides an atom-economical and sustainable route for the synthesis of amides from esters by employing an earth-abundant manganese salt and inexpensive phosphine-free tridentate ligand.

Mechanical activation in reduced graphite oxide/boron nitride nanocomposite electrocatalysts for significant improvement in dioxygen reduction - Patil, Indrajit M.; Jijil, Chamundi P.; Lokanathan, Moorthi; Swami, Anita; Kakade, Bhalchandra (Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 2018)
A nanocomposite of reduced graphite oxide (rGO) with hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is prepared using a simple hydrothermal method. Significant enhancement in the surface area of the composite is mainly due to the pre-mechanical activation of pristine GO. The structural and morphological study reveals the formation of a homogeneous nanocomposite and masking of rGO sheets over micron sized h-BN particles respectively. Interestingly, the as-synthesized GOBN2-BM composite (nanocomposite of 2 wt% h-BN with mechanically activated GO) catalyst exhibits significant oxygen electroreduction kinetics in terms of onset potential (E-onset = 0.89 V), half-wave potential (E-1/2 = 0.74 V) and limiting current density (J(L) = 4.4 mA cm(-2)) with a single step similar to 4-electron transfer pathway in alkaline medium. Though the composite catalysts exhibit higher overpotential (110 mV) than state-of-the-art Pt/C catalysts, they are much superior to previously reported carbon or h-BN based nanocomposite electrocatalysts. Importantly, the GOBN2-BM nanocomposite shows excellent tolerance towards both methanol oxidation and CO poisoning. Moreover, the nanocomposite catalysts show substantially higher stability than Pt/C catalysts even after 5000 cycles under similar conditions. Additionally, they show a better relative current stability (95% retention) than that of a Pt/C catalyst, signifying immense selectivity and durability towards oxygen electroreduction kinetics. The electrocatalytic oxygen reduction activity of the nanocomposite is mainly attributed to the high surface area (thanks to mechanical activation of GO, leading to increased pore distribution) as well as the synergistic mechanism between the h-BN and carbon network of rGO. Hence, it could be a potential cathode catalyst to replace precious-metal based catalysts in alkaline fuel cells.

Melamine formaldehyde-metal organic gel interpenetrating polymer network derived intrinsic Fe-N-doped porous graphitic carbon electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction - Shijina, Kottarathil; llathvalappil, Rajith; Sumitha, N. S.; Sailaja, G. S.; Kurungot, Sreekumar; Nair, Balagopal N.; Mohamed, A. Peer; Anilkumar, Gopinathan M.; Yamaguchig, Takeo; Hareesh, U. S. (New Journal of Chemistry, 2018)
Fe, N doped porous graphitic carbon electrocatalyst (Fe-MOG-MF-C), obtained by pyrolysis of an Interpenetrating Polymer Network (IPN) comprised of melamine formaldehyde (MF as hard segment) and Metal-Organic Gel (MOG as soft segment), exhibited significant Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) activity in alkaline medium. BET surface area analysis of Fe-MOG-MF-C showed high surface area (821 m(2) g(-1)), while TEM, Raman and XPS results confirmed Fe and N co-doping. Furthermore, a modulated porous morphology with a higher degree of surface area (950 m(2) g(-1)) has been accomplished for the system (Fe-MOG-MFN-C) when aided by a sublimable porogen, such as naphthalene. XPS results further demonstrated that these systems exhibited a better degree of distribution of graphitic N and an onset potential value of 0.91 V vs. RHE in 0.1 M KOH solution following an efficient four-electron ORR pathway. The electrocatalytic activity of Fe-MOG-MFN-C is superior to that of Fe-MOG-MF-C by virtue of its higher graphitic N content and surface area. Thus, the study presents a new class of IPN derived MF-MOG nanocomposites with the potential to generate extended versions of in situ Fe-N doped porous graphitic carbon structures with superior ORR activity.

Melanin-based composite materials for multifunctional applications - Shanmuganathan, Kadhiravan; Ram, Farsa; Pimpalkar, Nikhil (256th National Meeting and Exposition of the American-Chemical-Society (ACS) - Nanoscience, Nanotechnology and Beyond, 2018)
256th National Meeting and Exposition of the American-Chemical-Society (ACS) - Nanoscience, Nanotechnology and Beyond

Membrane-induced organization and dynamics of the N-terminal domain of chemokine receptor CXCR1: insights from atomistic simulations - Kharche, Shalmali; Joshi, Manali; Sengupta, Durba; Chattopadhyay, Amitabha (Chemistry and Physics of Lipids, 2018)
The CXC chemokine receptor 1 (CXCR1) is an important member of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family in which the extracellular N-terminal domain has been implicated in ligand binding and selectivity. The structure of this domain has not yet been elucidated due to its inherent dynamics, but experimental evidence points toward membrane-dependent organization and dynamics. To gain molecular insight into the interaction of the N-terminal domain with the membrane bilayer, we performed a series of microsecond time scale atomistic simulations of the N-terminal domain of CXCR1 in the presence and absence of POPC bilayers. Our results show that the peptide displays a high propensity to adopt a beta-sheet conformation in the presence of the membrane bilayer. The interaction of the peptide with the membrane bilayer was found to be transient in our simulations. Interestingly, a scrambled peptide, containing the same residues in a randomly varying sequence, did not exhibit membrane-modulated structural dynamics. These results suggest that sequence-dependent electrostatics, modulated by the membrane, could play an important role in folding of the N-terminal domain. We believe that our results reinforce the emerging paradigm that cellular membranes could be important modulators of function of G protein-coupled receptors such as CXCR1.
Keywords: All atom MD simulations; beta-sheet; CXCR1; Membrane interaction; N-terminal

Mesoporous shell@macroporous core aluminosilicates as sustainable nanocatalysts for direct N-alkylation of amines - Sekhar, Anandakumari C. Sunil; Ashokkumar, Anumol Erumpukuthickal; Cygnet, Choorapoikayil T.; Lakshmi, Saseendranpillai Vidhya; Deepak, Francis Leonard; Vinod, Chathakudath P. (Chemnanomat, 2018)
Aluminosilicate spheres with a macroporous core and mesoporous shell (Si/Al ratio of 11) is synthesised by a sol-gel method utilizing cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as a structure directing agent in basic medium. The selective incorporation of aluminium in the silica matrix results in the formation of aluminosilicates with an overall acidity of 0.32mmol/g with interconnected pores. Direct N-alkylation reaction is a prototype of C-N bond formation reaction and meso- macroporous aluminosilicate is shown to catalyze this reaction with excellent yield. The catalyst is tested and found sustainable for five catalytic cycles even without any high temperature regeneration step.
Keywords: Aluminosilicates; macroporous; Mesoporous; N-alkylation; nanocatalysis

Mesoporous tin oxide: an efficient catalyst with versatile applications in acid and oxidation catalysis - Manjunathan, Pandian; Marakatti, Vijaykumar S.; Chandra, Prakash; Kulal, Atul B.; Umbarkar, Shubhangi B.; Ravishankar, Raman; Shanbhag, Ganapati V. (Catalysis Today, 2018)
Mesoporous tin oxide was prepared by template assisted and template-free methods. As-prepared materials were calcined at various temperatures to generate different nature (Bronsted and Lewis), amount and strength of acidic sites. The physico-chemical properties of the catalysts were studied by XRD, N-2 sorption, pyridine-FTIR, NH3-TPD, DRS UV-vis, TGA, SEM, TEM, H-1 MAS and Sn-119 MAS NMR analyses. The catalytic behavior of mesoporous tin oxide catalysts was evaluated for acetalization and ketalization of glycerol with benzaldehyde and acetone respectively under solvent free conditions. The catalytic performance of mesoporous tin oxide was compared with that of other conventional solid acid catalysts namely H-ZSM-5, H-mordenite, H-beta, Al-MCM-41, Al-SBA-15 and Al-TUD-1. The efficiency of mesoporous tin oxide was also tested for cyclohexene epoxidation reaction. The catalyst prepared by template assisted method showed excellent catalytic performance compared to other catalysts due the difference in nature and amount of acidic sites in the catalyst. Meso-SnO2-T-350 was stable and reusable catalyst for four cycles without any appreciable loss in activity, and therefore it offers a good catalyst for potentially wide applications.

Metabolite profiling for biomarkers in schistosoma haematobium infection and associated bladder pathologies - Adebayo, Adewale S.; Mundhe, Swapnil D.; Awobode, Henrietta O.; Onile, Olugbenga S.; Agunloye, Atinuke M.; Isokpehi, Raphael D.; Shouche, Yogesh S.; Santhakumari, Bayatigeri; Anumudu, Chiaka I. (Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2018)
Background Metabolic fingerprinting analysis can offer insights into underlying reactions in a biological system; hence it is crucial to the understanding of disease pathogenesis and could provide useful tools for discovering biomarkers. We sought to examine the urine and plasma metabolome in individuals affected by urogenital schistosomiasis and its associated-bladder pathologies. Methodology Blood and midstream urine were obtained from volunteers who matched our inclusion criteria among residents from Eggua, southwestern Nigeria. Samples were screened by urinalysis, microscopy, PCR and ultrasonography, and categorised as advanced (urogenital schistosomiasis associated-bladder pathologies), infection-only (urogenital schistosomiasis alone) and controls (no infection and no pathology). Metabolites were extracted and data acquired with ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with Thermo Q-Exactive orbitrap HRMS. Data was analysed with MetaboAnalyst, Workflow4Metabolomics, HMDB, LipidMaps and other bioinformatics tools, with univariate and multivariate statistics for metabolite selection. Principal findings There were low levels of host sex steroids, and high levels of several benzenoids, catechols and lipids (including ganglioside, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine), in infection-only and advanced cases (FDR< 0.05, VIP> 2, delta> 2.0). Metabolites involved in biochemical pathways related to chorismate production were abundant in controls, while those related to choline and sphingolipid metabolism were upregulated in advanced cases FDR<0.05). Some of these human host and Schistosoma haematobium molecules, including catechol estrogens, were good markers to distinguish infection-only and advanced cases. Conclusions Altered glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid metabolism could be key factors promoting the development of bladder pathologies and tumours during urogenital schistosomiasis.

Metal-free annulation of β-acylamino ketones: facile access to spirooxazolines and oxazolines via oxidative C–O bond formation - Chavan, Santosh S.; Rupanawar, Bapurao D.; Kamble, Rohit B.; Shelke, Anil M.; Gurunath Suryavanshi (Organic Chemistry Frontiers, 2018)
A metal-free annulation reaction of β-acylamino ketone derivatives has been reported for the synthesis of a group of functionalized spirooxazolines and oxazolines in good to excellent yields. The reaction proceeds via phenyliodine(III) diacetate (PIDA)-mediated oxidative C–O bond formation in the presence of BF3–OEt2. The mild reaction conditions, broad substrate scope, simple execution and synthetic potential of the products make this novel protocol very attractive.

Metal-free hypervalent iodine/tempo mediated oxidation of amines and mechanistic insight into the reaction pathways - Bansode, A.H.; Suryavanshi, G. (RSC Advances, 2018)
A highly efficient metal free approach for the oxidation of primary and secondary amines to their corresponding aldehydes and ketones using PhI(OAc)2 in combination with a catalytic amount of TEMPO as an oxidizing agent is described. This protocol is rapid and provides diverse products under milder reaction conditions in excellent yields. In addition, the mechanistic study is well demonstrated by spectroscopic methods.

"Metal-free'' synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles via tandem azidation, intramolecular [3+2]-cycloaddition and aromatization of ethyl acrylate derivatives - Kumar, B. Senthil; Gadakh, Sunita; Sudalai, Arumugam (Tetrahedron Letters, 2018)
An efficient ``one-pot'' method for the synthesis of substituted 1,2,3-triazole derivatives in excellent yields as single regioisomer is reported. The key transformation involves an atom-efficient tandem azidation, intramolecular [3+2]-cycloaddition and aromatization of acrylate derivatives on treatment with NaN3 in DMF under mild conditions. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Intramolecular cycloaddition; Regioselective; Tandem azidation; triazoles

Methanol oxidation reaction on Pt based electrocatalysts modified ultramicroelectrode (UME): Novel electrochemical method for monitoring rate of CO adsorption - Joshi, Vrushali S.; Poudyal, Durgasha C.; Satpati, Ashis K.; Patil, Kashinath R.; Haram, Santosh K. (Electrochimica Acta, 2018)
Novel fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) based method has been developed to study methanol oxidation reaction on Pt nanoparticles (PtNPs) based catalysts. To support the cyclic voltammetry measurements at higher scan rates, micron-sized electrode geometries viz. PtNPs loaded on the single strand of carbon fiber (SSCF) and PtNPs decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), loaded on commercial ultramicroelectrode (UME) have been employed. Deconvolution of the voltammograms obtained during methanol oxidation revealed three major anodic peaks. These peaks have been plausibly attributed to the electron transfer processes viz. methanol oxidation into CO/other intermediates, oxidation of these intermediates into CO2 and adsorption of un-oxidized CO on the catalyst surface. The peaks due to CO adsorption have been elucidated as a function of scan rates. The area under the peak as a function of time has been correlated to the rate of CO adsorption on these catalysts. The average rate of CO adsorption in methanol oxidation at Pt-SSCF and Pt-MWCNTs/UME are estimated to be 1.08 x 10(-8) mol cm(-2) s(-1) and 13.5 x 10(-8) mol cm(-2) s(-1) respectively. This novel method is proposed to generalize to any electrocatalysts of interest. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Microbacterium telephonicum sp nov., isolated from the screen of a cellular phone - Rahi, Praveen; Kurli, Rashmi; Pansare, Aabeejjeet N.; Khairnar, Mitesh; Jagtap, Shubhangi; Patel, Nisha B.; Dastager, Syed G.; Lawson, Paul A.; Shouche, Yogesh S. (International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 2018)
A cultivation-based study of the microbial diversity of cellular phone screens led to the isolation of a Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, rod-shaped and non-endospore-forming bacterium, designated S2T63(T), exhibiting phenotypic and genotypic characteristics unique to the type strains of closely related species. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the strain is a member of Microbacterium, and most closely related to Microbacterium aurantiacum IFO 15234(T) and Microbacterium kitamiense Kitami C2(T). The DNA-DNA relatedness values of the strain S2T63(T) to M. aurantiacum KACC 20510(T), M. kitamiense KACC 20514(T) and Microbacterium laevaniformans KACC 14463(T) were 65% (+/- 4), 29.5% (+/- 3) and 55.9% (+/- 4), respectively. The genomic DNA G+C content was 71.8 mol%. The major fatty acids were anteiso C-15:0, iso-C-16 : 0, C-16 : 0 and anteiso-C-17 : 0. The main polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and two unidentified polar lipids. The peptidoglycan contained the amino acids glycine, lysine, alanine and glutamic acid, with substantial amounts of hydroxy glutamic acid detected, which is characteristic of peptidoglycan type B1 alpha. The predominant menaquinones were MK-12 and MK-13. Rhamnose, fucose and galactose were the whole-cell sugars detected. The strain also showed biofilm production, estimated by using crystal violet assay. Based on the results of the phenotypic and genotypic characterizations, it was concluded that the new strain represents a novel species of the genus Microbacterium, for which the name Microbacterium telephonicum is proposed, with S2T63(T) (=MCC 2967 T = KACC 18715 T = LMG 29293(T)) as the type strain.
Keywords: actinobacteria; bio-film; MALDI-TOF MS; mobile phone

Microbial synthesis of mammalian metabolites of spironolactone by thermophilic fungus thermomyces lanuginosus - Sreelatha, B.; Prasad, G. Shyam; Vankudoth, Koteswara Rao; Sivadevuni, Girisham (Steroids, 2018)
Mesophilic fungi are well recognized as models of mammalian drug metabolism. Thermophilic fungi remained unexplored despite having a unique mechanism of growing at higher temperatures and performing wide diverse reactions. The present investigation is directed to isolate a promising thermophilic fungal strain capable of biotransformation using spironolactone as a model drug. Two-stage fermentation protocol was followed for the process. The transformation of spironolactone was identified by HPLC and structure elucidation of the metabolites was done with the help of LC-MS/MS analysis and previous reports. A strain of Thermomyces lanuginosus isolated from decomposed banana peel waste was found to be most promising in transforming spironolactone to 4 metabolites viz.7α-thiospironolactone (M1) canrenone (M2), 7α-thiomethylspironolactone (M3) and 6β-OH-7α-thiomethylspironolactone (M4), the major mammalian metabolites reported previously. The synthesis of metabolites of spironolactone by T.lanuginosus similar to mammals clearly states that this fungus possess enzyme system similar to mammals. Hence, this fungus has the potential to use as a model organism for studying drug metabolism.

Microwave-assisted MgO NP catalyzed one-pot multicomponent synthesis of polysubstituted steroidal pyridines - Ansari, Anam; Ali, Abad; Asif, Mohd; Shamsuzzaman (New Journal of Chemistry, 2018)
The present study reports a highly efficient and green synthetic route for the synthesis of steroidal pyridines. The synthetic methodology involves a microwave-assisted one-pot multicomponent reaction using MgO NPs as a heterogeneous, mild and reusable catalyst. The synthesized MgO NPs were characterized by FTIR, TGA/DTA and XRD analyses. The remarkable features of this protocol include simple operational procedure, shorter reaction profiles, mild reaction conditions, minimal chemical waste and economic viability. The recyclability of the catalyst and high yield of products make the proposed method a sustainable alternative.

MiRNA160 is associated with local defense and systemic acquired resistance against Phytophthora infestans infection in potato - Natarajan, Bhavani; Kalsi, Harpreet S.; Godbole, Prajakta; Malankar, Nilam; Thiagarayaselvam, Aarthy; Siddappa, Sundaresha; Thulasiram, Hirekodathakallu V.; Chakrabarti, Swarup K.; Banerjee, Anjan K. (Journal of Experimental Botany, 2018)
To combat pathogen infection, plants employ local defenses in infected sites and elicit systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in distant tissues. MicroRNAs have been shown to play a significant role in local defense, but their association with SAR is unknown. In addition, no such studies of the interaction between potato and Phytophthora infestans have been reported. We investigated the role of miR160 in local and SAR responses to P. infestans infection in potato. Expression analysis revealed induced levels of miR160 in both local and systemic leaves of infected wild-type plants. miR160 overexpression and knockdown plants exhibited increased susceptibility to infection, suggesting that miR160 levels equivalent to those of wild-type plants may be necessary for mounting local defense responses. Additionally, miR160 knockdown lines failed to elicit SAR, and grafting assays indicated that miR160 is required in both local and systemic leaves to trigger SAR. Consistently, SAR-associated signals and genes were dysregulated in miR160 knockdown lines. Furthermore, analysis of the expression of defense and auxin pathway genes and direct regulation of StGH3.6, a mediator of salicylic acid-auxin cross-talk, by the miR160 target StARF10 revealed the involvement of miR160 in antagonistic cross-talk between salicylic acid-mediated defense and auxin-mediated growth pathways. Overall, our study demonstrates that miR160 plays a crucial role in local defense and SAR responses during the interaction between potato and P. infestans.
Keywords: Auxin-salicylic acid antagonism; microRNA; miR160; Phytophthora infestans; Solanum chacoense; Solanum tuberosum; systemic acquired resistance

Modeling the universal viscoelastic response of polymer fibers - Sharma, Aakash; Kumaraswamy, Guruswamy; Thakre, Shirish (Physical Review Materials, 2018)
Polymer fibers, including natural silk and synthetic fibers, exhibit universal viscoelastic response. On stretching below yield, they show logarithmic stress decay. On unloading fibers with a glassy amorphous phase, the stress recovers. A simple phenomenological model accurately describes data from independent mechanical experiments and provides insights into the micro structural origins of the fiber response. Counter to intuition, the model indicates that it is the crystalline regions, rather than the amorphous glass, that deform first on stretching fibers at high strain rates. On holding a stretched fiber, stress decays as a consequence of relaxations in amorphous regions. Finally, unloading the fiber transfers stress from the amorphous to crystalline regions resulting in stress recovery. Model parameters correlate well with the fiber microstructure. Crystal and amorphous moduli from the model match those from x-ray diffraction. Activation energies for the temperature dependence of the peak relaxation time are similar to those reported in the literature. Thus, a simple model that invokes only crystal-amorphous coexistence can successfully model the mechanical response of a wide variety of polymer fibers.

Modern trends in inorganic chemistry: celebration of inorganic chemistry in India - Chikkali, Samir H.; Anand, Venkataramanarao G.; Srinivas, Darbha; Kumbhar, Avinash S. (Journal of Chemical Sciences, 2018)

Modification of porous polyethylene scaffolds for cell attachment and proliferation - Sengupta, P.; Surwase, S. S.; Prasad, B. L. (International journal of nanomedicine, 2018)
Synthetic polymers are widely researched for their use in tissue engineering. Control in size, surface area, pore size, and elasticity are the biggest advantages of using a man-made polymer. However, often the polymers are hydrophobic (do not encourage cell attachment); hence, it is hugely challenging to integrate them with the normal tissues. Herein, we have tried to overcome this disadvantage of polymers by coating them with citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles and arginine. High-density polyethylene, upon multiple treatments, shows low water contact angle, which encourages cell attachment and proliferation in comparison to the untreated polymers.

Modulated photochemical reactivities of O-acetylated (3', 5'-dimethoxyphenyl) heteroaryl acyloin derivatives under direct irradiation and photo-induced electron transfer conditions - Bisht, Rajesh; Singh, Saumya; Krishnamoorthy, Kothandam; Nithyanandhan, Jayaraj (Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, 2018)
3', 5'-Dimethoxybenzoin esters are important photoremovable protecting groups which form 2-phenylbenzofuran derivatives upon photo-release. We utilized a similar concept to test a photochemical method of installing a benzofuran moiety to the conjugated backbone by subjecting O-acetylated (3', 5'-dimethylphenyl) heteroaryl acyloin derivatives through direct photo irradiation and a photo-induced electron transfer reaction. These photochemical methods were explored for a variety of heteroaromatic substrates appended on the ketone part of the O-acetylated cross-acyloin derivatives. The furan, thiophene and bithiophene derivatives led to the expected cyclized (benzofuran capped) products but the derivatives with extended conjugation decomposed under direct irradiation. However, under irradiation in the presence of an electron donor such as triethylamine, the extended acyloin derivatives afforded both cyclized and deacetoxylated products. The semiconducting nature of the extended cyclized products was also explored and tested for solution-processed organic field effect transistors, providing a maximum hole mobility of 1.3 x 10(-6) cm(2) V-1 s(-1).

Modulation of reactivity of singlet radical pair in continuous flow: photo-fries rearrangement - Karjule, Neeta; Sharma, Mrityunjay K.; Nithyanandhan, Jayaraj; Kulkarni, Amol (Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry, 2018)
Photo-Fries rearrangement of phenyl benzoate is studied using continuous flow for modulating the reactivity of singlet radical pair by changing the viscosity of the solvent. The effect of flow and proximity of the reactants with the light source on the reactivity of radical pair, formed from singlet excited state was investigated in details. In non-viscous solvent, the results from flow synthesis were comparable to batch reactor. In viscous solvents, selectivity of ortho- and para-isomers (o-/p- isomer) of the product could be controlled by changing viscosity as well as the flow rate. Using flow synthesis, ortho- and para-isomer ratio was obtained as high as 8.45 which are twice as compared to batch experiment with in fraction of residence time.

Molecular modeling studies and in vitro screening of dihydrorugosaflavonoid and its derivatives against mycobacterium tuberculosis - Puranik, Ninad V.; Srivastava, Pratibha; Swami, Sagar; Choudhari, Amit; Sarkar, Dhiman (RSC Advances, 2018)
Novel drug regimens against tuberculosis (TB) are urgently needed and may be developed by targeting essential enzymes of Mtb that sustain the pathogenicity of tuberculosis. In the present investigation, series of compounds (5a-f and 6a-f) based on a naturally occurring rugosaflavonoid moiety were evaluated by in silico molecular modeling studies against -ketoacyl-ACP reductase (MabA) (PDB ID: IUZN) and pantothenate kinase (PanK) (PDB ID: ; 3AF3). Compounds 5a, 5c, 5d, and 6c, which had docking scores of -8.29, -8.36, -8.17 and -7.39 kcal mol(-1), respectively, displayed interactions with MabA that were better than those of isoniazid (-6.81 kcal mol(-1)). Similarly, compounds 5a, 5c, 5d, and 6c, which had docking scores of -7.55, -7.64, -7.40 and -6.7 kcal mol(-1), respectively, displayed interactions with PanK that were comparable to those of isoniazid (-7.64 kcal mol(-1)). Because of their docking scores, these compounds were screened in vitro against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra (Mtb) using an XRMA protocol. Among the screened compounds, the dihydrorugosaflavonoid derivatives 5a, 5c, and 5d had IC50 values of 12.93, 8.43 and 11.3 g mL(-1), respectively, and exhibited better inhibitory activity than the parent rugosaflavonoid derivatives. The rugosaflavonoid derivative 6c had an IC50 value of 17.57 g mL(-1). The synthesized compounds also displayed inhibitory activity against the Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. The present study will be helpful for the further development of these molecules into antitubercular lead candidates.

Molecular view of CO2 capture by polyethylenimine: role of structural and dynamical heterogeneity - Sharma, Pragati; Chakrabarty, Suman; Roy, Sudip; Kumar, Rajnish (Langmuir, 2018)
The molecular thermodynamics and kinetics of CO2 sorption in Polyethylenimine (PEI) melt have been investigated systematically using GCMC and MD simulations. We elucidate presence of significant structural and dynamic heterogeneity associated with the overall absorption process. CO2 adsorption in a PEI membrane shows a distinct two-stage process of a rapid CO2 adsorption at the interfaces (hundreds of picoseconds) followed by a significantly slower diffusion limited release toward the interior bulk regions of PEI melt (hundreds of nanoseconds to microseconds). The spatial heterogeneity of local structural features of the PEI chains lead to significantly heterogeneous absorption characterized by clustering and trapping of CO2 molecules that then lead to subdiffusive motion of CO2. In the complex interplay of interaction and entropy, the latter emerges out to be the major determining factor with significantly higher solubility of CO2 near the interfaces despite having lower density of binding amine groups. Regions having higher free-volume (entropically favorable) viz. interfaces, pores and loops demonstrate higher CO2 capture ability. Various local structural features of PEI conformations, for example, inter- and intrachain loops, pores of different radii, and di- or tricoordinated pores are explored for their effects on the varying CO2 adsorption abilities.

Morphology and thermophysical properties of non-aqueous titania nanofluids - Murshed, S. M. S.; Santos, F. J. V.; Nieto de Castro, C. A.; Patil, V. S.; Patil, K. R. (Heat and Mass Transfer, 2018)
This work deals with the experimental investigation on thermophysical properties of TiO2-nanofluids and characterization of morphology and structure of TiO2 nanoparticles. Non-aqueous liquids like silicone oil and ethylene glycol are used as base fluids to prepare the nanofluids. Thermophysical properties including viscosity and thermal conductivity of these nanofluids are measured at different concentrations and temperatures. Results showed that silicone oil-based TiO2 nanofluid is Newtonian and the viscosity of this nanofluid increases with the loading of nanoparticles but it decreases nonlinearly with increasing temperature. Existing viscosity models are found unable to predict the viscosity of nanofluids. Although the effective thermal conductivities of both the silicone oil and ethylene glycol-based nanofluids increased with the TiO2 concentration, their enhanced thermal conductivity was found to decrease with increasing temperature.

Multifunctional activated carbon with antimicrobial property derived from Delonix regia biomaterial for treatment of wastewater - Louis, Mary R.; Sorokhaibam, Laxmi Gayatri; Bhandari, Vinay M.; Bundale, Sunita (Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2018)
In this work, we report the development of a multifunctional high surface area activated carbon (DRP), from a biomaterial, Delonix regia, with antimicrobial potential and demonstrated its applicability towards removal of two reactive dyes, Reactive Red (RR-120) and Reactive Blue (RB-4) with an adsorption capacity of ∼6.36 and 24 mg·g−1 respectively. The newer multifunctional activated carbon was prepared from the deseeded pods of Delonix regia through thermo-chemical surface modification and characterized for surface and morphological characteristics, chemical composition, and thermal stability. DRP exhibited a high surface area of 1577 m2·g−1 with various active functional groups. The decolourisation efficiency achieved was very high, ∼98% for both the dyes. The effects of various operating parameters like pH, initial dye concentration, adsorbent dosage, surfactant, salt etc. were investigated and the batch adsorption equilibrium data in each dye system was analyzed with various isotherms-Langmuir, Freundlich, and Tempkin. The kinetics of the adsorption process was best represented by pseudo-second order kinetic model and the adsorption efficiency was also illustrated in the binary system of varying dye compositions. DRP could successfully reduce the microbial growth of Gram positive B. subtilis with a higher zone of inhibition.

Multi-step continuous flow synthesis of the cystic fibrosis medicine ivacaftor - Vasudevan, N.; Sharma, Mrityunjay K.; Reddy, D. Srinivasa; Kulkarni, Amol A. (Reaction Chemistry & Engineering, 2018)
A continuous flow ozonolysis method combined with a multi-step flow sequence is developed for the synthesis of the drug ivacaftor for the first time. Safe ozonolysis, a continuous flow quadruple reaction to construct a quinolone scaffold, and inline extraction followed by continuous phase separation are the key features of the present work. The feasibility of using a continuous mixed flow reactor, commonly referred to as a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), is also investigated for the relatively slow reaction step. The current integrated multi-step flow synthesis can produce 7.2 g of the drug ivacaftor per day on a laboratory scale, which is sufficient to treat 50 patients per day. The present route can also be used as a general route for the synthesis of other related drugs such as quinolone antibiotics.

Multistimuli-responsive interconvertible low-molecular weight metallohydrogels and the in situ entrapment of CdS quantum dots therein - Bera, Saibal; Chakraborty, Amit; Karak, Suvendu; Halder, Arjun; Chatterjee, Soumyajyoti; Saha, Subhadeep; Banerjee, Rahul (Chemistry of Materials, 2018)
Two low molecular weight metallohydrogels (ZALA and CALA) have been synthesized from an amino-acid based ligand precursor (LA) and two different metal salts [zinc acetate dihydrate (ZA) and cadmium acetate dihydrate (CA), respectively. These two hydrogels show a unique chemically stimulated interconversion to each other via a reversible gel-sol gel pathway. This programmable gel-sol reversible system satisfies logic operations of a basic Boolean logic (INHIBIT) gate. Also, these hydrogels can be degraded into different MOF phases at room temperature spontaneously or in the presence of chloride and bromide salts (NaCl and NaBr.). CdS quantum dots can be grown inside the CALA gel matrix (CdS@CALA) in the presence of small amount of Na2S. This CdS doped gel exhibits time dependent tunable emission (white to yellow to orange) as a consequence of a slow agglomeration process of the entrapped quantum dots inside the gel matrix. This luminescence property also reflects the corresponding gel derived MOFs (obtained either by self-degradation of CdS@CALA or via anion induction) as well. This, to the best of our knowledge, is probably the simplest way to make a CdS quantum dot based composite material where CdS is entrapped within the gel and the gel-derived MOF matrix.

Naphthalene diimide copolymers by direct arylation polycondensation as highly stable supercapacitor electrode materials - Sharma, Sandeep; Soni, Roby; Kurungot, Sreekumar; Asha, S. K. (Macromolecules, 2018)
Conjugated donor-acceptor copolymers based on naphthalene diimide (NDI) as acceptor and thiopheneterminated oligophenylenevinylene as donor moieties (P-1 and P-2, respectively) were synthesized using the direct (hetero) arylation (DHAP) polymerization route. Nitrile groups were introduced at the vinylene linkage in one copolymer (P-2) to fine-tune its electrochemical properties. Both polymers show) pi-pi* transition in the 300-480 nm region and intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) from thiophene to NDI in the 500-800 nm region in the absorption spectra. P-2 exhibits a blue-shifted intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) band in the absorption spectrum as well as a lower reduction potential in the cyclic voltammogram compared to the analogous polymer without the nitrile substitution (P-1). The two polymers were evaluated as type III supercapacitor materials by preparing composite electrodes with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and employing 0.5 M H2SO4 as the electrolyte. Their performance was compared with that of P(NDI2OD-T2) as a reference polymer. The polymer P-2 based supercapacitor exhibits a specific capacitance of 124 F/g with excellent stability up to 5000 cycles with almost 100% retention of the initial capacitance in the potential window of -0.7 to 0.5 V. Compared to P-2, P-1 exhibits a specific capacitance of 84 F/g, while the corresponding value for the reference polymer P(NDI2OD-T2) is 61 F/g under identical conditions.

A new class of N-doped ionic PAHs via intramolecular [4+2]-cycloaddition between arylpyridines and alkynes - Mule, Ravindra D.; Shaikh, Aslam C.; Gade, Amol B.; Patil, Nitin T. (Chemical Communications, 2018)
Reported herein, for the first time, is a copper-promoted intramolecular [4+2]-cycloaddition cascade to access ionic N-doped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with tunable emission wavelengths. It is shown that the reaction can be made catalytic with respect to Cu(OTf)(2) when an external oxidant, Selectfluor, was used.

Ni-catalyzed dehydrogenative coupling of primary and secondary alcohols with methyl-N-heteroaromatics - Rana, Jagannath; Babu, Reshma; Subaramanian, Murugan; Balaraman, Ekambaram (Organic Chemistry Frontiers, 2018)
Here we report the first base-metal catalyzed dehydrogenative coupling of primary (aromatic, heteroaromatic, and aliphatic) and secondary alcohols with methyl-N-heteroaromatics to form various C(sp(3))-alkylated N-heteroaromatics. The reaction is enabled by Earth abundant, non-precious NiBr2 as a transition metal catalyst and N,N,N,N-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) as a ligand system. Mechanistic studies reveal that a hydrogen auto-transfer process is involved in the direct C(sp(3))-alkylation and the reaction proceeds through an -olefination process.

Ni-Catalyzed dimerization and hydroperfluoroarylation of 1,3-dienes - Iwasaki, Takanori; Min, Xin; Fukuoka, Asuka; Zhu, Longzhi; Qiu, Renhua; Yang, Tao; Ehara, Masahiro; Sudalai, Arumugam; Kambe, Nobuaki (Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2018)

Nickel-catalyzed regioselective C(2)-H difluoroalkylation of indoles with difluoroalkyl bromides - Soni, Vineeta; Sharma, Dipesh M.; Punji, Benudhar (Chemistry-An Asian Journal, 2018)
Regioselective C(2)-H difluoroalkylation of C-3 unsubstituted indoles with commonly available fluoroalkyl bromides is successfully achieved employing a simple nickel catalyst system, (DME)NiCl2/Xantphos. This methodology shows excellent regioselectivity and exhibits a broad substrate scope. Various functional groups, such as -OMe, -F, and -Br, are tolerated on the indole backbone to give the difluoroalkylated products in moderate to good yields. Preliminary mechanistic findings demonstrate that the reaction is homogeneous in nature and involves a radical manifold. Synthetic utility of this nickel-catalyzed method is demonstrated by synthesizing melatonin receptor antagonist Luzindole derivative.

Ni(OH)(2)-Fe2O3/CNOs ternary nanocomposite designed as an anode with complementary properties for high-performance li-ion battery - Dwivedi, Pravin Kumari; Muniraj, Vedi Kuyil Azhagan; Devarapalli, Rami Reddy; Shelke, Manjusha V. (Chemistryselect, 2018)
Synthesis of the new ternary hybrid composite with excellent electrochemical performances for Li-ion battery is demonstrated. The ternary hybrid composite of Ni(OH)(2)-Fe2O3/Carbon Nano Onions (NFOC) is synthesized by using two-step solution phase method delivers a high reversible discharge capacity of 928 mAhg(-1) at 50 mAg(-1) and 673 mAhg(-1) at a higher current density of 1000 mAg(-1) with excellent rate performance. Additionally, it shows to have stable cycle life up to 1000 cycles with 96% capacity retention and more than 99% of coulombic efficiency. The synergetic effect between Ni(OH)(2), Fe2O3 and carbon nano onions (CNOs) as well as the unique feature of heterostructures are responsible for the improved electrochemical performance of the battery. The reversible reaction of Fe2O3 and Ni(OH)(2) with Li, maintains its long cycle life with higher reversible discharge capacity and CNOs improve the efficient electronic transfer, accommodate substantial volume expansion and maintain the structural integrity of the material during lithiation-delithiation process.
Keywords: Heterostructures; Long cycle stability; Superior rate capability; Ternary Composite; Transition metal oxides

N-Methylation of isoDGR peptides: discovery of a selective alpha 5 beta 1-integrin ligand as a potent tumor imaging agent - Kapp, Tobias G.; Di Leva, Francesco Saverio; Notni, Johannes; Raeder, Andreas F. B.; Fottner, Maximilian; Reichart, Florian; Reich, Dominik; Wurzer, Alexander; Steiger, Katja; Novellino, Ettore; Marelli, Udaya Kiran; Wester, Hans-Juergen; et al. (Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2018)
Specific targeting of the integrin subtype alpha 5 beta 1 possesses high potential in cancer diagnosis and therapy. Through sequential N-methylation, we successfully converted the biselective alpha 5 beta 1/alpha v beta 6 peptide c(phg-isoDGR-k) into a potent peptidic RGD binding aSfil subtype selective ligand c(phg-isoDGR-(NMe)k). Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and molecular modeling clarified the molecular basis of its improved selectivity profile. To demonstrate its potential in vivo, c(phg-isoDGR-(NMe)k) was trimerized with the chelator TRAP and used as a positron-emission tomography tracer for monitoring alpha 5 beta 1 integrin expression in a M21 mouse xenograft.

Novel 2,4-dimethyl-5-((E)-3-phenyl-3-oxoprop-1-enyl)-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylic acid derivatives: new leads in cancer and bacterial chemotherapy - Rasal, Nishant K.; Sonawane, Rahul B.; Choudhari, Amit S.; Chakraborty, Shakti S.; Sarkar, Dhiman D.; Jagtap, Sangeeta, V. (ChemistrySelect, 2018)
The efficiently designed and synthesized novel 2,4-dimethyl-5-((E)-3-phenyl-3-oxoprop-1-enyl)-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylic acid derivatives has been described here which is encouraged by the anticancer activities associated with sunitinib and semaxanib. Synthesized compounds were characterized by (HNMR)-H-1, (CNMR)-C-13 and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). They are evaluated for invitro antiproliferative properties on cancer cell lines as well as antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative species. The bioassay results revealed that several compounds exhibit potential antiproliferation activity. Among them, the lead compound 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl 5-((E)-3-(3-fluoro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-oxoprop-1-enyl)-2,4-dimethyl-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylate (9g) showed the most potent anticancer activity against MDA-MB-231 and PC-3 cancer cell line with GI(50) values of 5.51 and 5.15 mu g/mL and subsequently more active than sunitinib (GI(50): 6.50 mu g/mL) against PC-3. Same compound 9g also exhibits the most potent antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus with IC50 of 1.44 and 1.54 mu g/mL. In silico prediction, shows that all seven potent compounds obeyed Lipinski rule for druglikeness. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) study reflect the activity enhance with electron withdrawing group on aryl ring and replacement of acid by its bioisosteres i.e. amide and ester group. These studies have successfully identified many newly synthesized compounds as potential anticancer as well as antibacterial agent for further development.

Novel benzylidenehydrazide-1,2,3-triazole conjugates as antitubercular agents: synthesis and molecular docking - Shaikh, Mubarak H.; Subhedar, Dnyaneshwar; Nawale, Laxman; Sarkar, Dhiman; Khan, Firoz A. Kalam; Sangshetti, Jaiprakash; Shingate, Bapurao B. (Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, 2018)
Novel 1,2,3-triazole based benzylidenehydrazide derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) H37Ra, M. bovis BCG and cytotoxic activity. Most of the derivatives exhibited promising in vitro potency against MTB characterized by lower MIC values. Among all the synthesized derivatives, compound 6a and 6j were the most active against active and dormant MTB H37Ra, respectively. Compound 6d was significantly active against dormant and active M. bovis BCG. The structure activity relationship has been explored on the basis of anti-tubercular activity data. The active compounds were also tested against THP-1, A549 and Panc-1 cell lines and showed no significant cytotoxicity. Further, the synthesized compounds were found to have potential antioxidant with IC50 range = 11.19-56.64 μg/mL. The molecular docking study of synthesized compounds was performed against DprE1 enzyme of MTB to understand the binding interactions. Moreover, synthesized compounds were also analysed for ADME properties and from all the experimental results, the potency of compounds indicate that, this series considered as starting point for the developement of novel and more potent anti-tubercular agents in future.

Novel red fluorescence protein based microplate assay for drug screening against dormant mycobacterium tuberculosis by using paraffin - Yeware, Amar; Sarkar, Dhiman (Tuberculosis, 2018)
The hypoxia model of dormancy is widely used in drug screening programs to identify novel inhibitors against latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis disease. In earlier reported microplate assays, hypoxia was maintained by either sealing the microplate or shifting in an anaerobic chamber to develop dormant phenotype. In these assays, inhibitors were added during inoculation, which mainly represents the active stage inhibitors instead of the dormant ones. Herein, the culture was covered with paraffin to develop hypoxia condition and consequently providing the advantage of adding compounds at any stage during incubation of 96-well plate. The stable expression of the red fluorescent protein in the bacilli under both actively growing as well as dormant conditions also facilitate the reliable estimation of growth and inhibition kinetics of bacilli in medium. Furthermore, S/N ratio and Z' factor of this assay were found to be > 27 and 0.91-0.94 respectively, which confirm the robustness of the protocol. This newly developed drug-screening assay offers an easy, inexpensive, safe and high throughput-screening tool to search novel antitubercular inhibitors against both active and dormant bacilli. The red fluorescent H37Ra strain is a suitable surrogate for the more virulent H37Rv strain, and thus this effort will help in combating latent tuberculosis.

Novel synthesis of immobilized bronsted- acidic ionic liquid: application in lignin depolymerization - Singh, Sandip K.; Dhepe, Paresh L. (Chemistryselect, 2018)
Designing of efficient catalyst for the valorization of lignin is a topic of long neglect due to intrinsic properties of lignin. We show designing of an efficient, stable and recyclable Immobilized-Bronsted acidic ionic liquid (I-BAIL), which was further used as a solid acid catalyst for the depolymerization of lignin. The synthesized I-BAIL catalyst with sulfonic acid (-SO3H) groups was found to be stable until 250 degrees C and has 42.2 wt.% loading of BAIL anchored on silica framework. The detailed characterization (elemental, Thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transformation-infrared, Nuclear magnetic resonance) of catalyst disclosed formation of strong covalent bond between Si and carbon of BAIL, which in turn is responsible for achieving a stable catalyst. The catalyst could successfully depolymerize range of lignin substrates with high molecular weight (60000 Dalton) at 200(degrees)C in 1 h to achieve 90% yield of tetrahydrofuran soluble products with good mass balance. The formation of products and correlation of products with lignin was achieved with the help of Nuclear magnetic resonance, gel permeation chromatography, gas chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, high performance liquid chromatography etc.

Nucleic aptamer modified porous reduced graphene oxide/MoS2 based electrodes for viral detection: application to human papillomavirus (HPV) - Chekin, Fereshteh; Bagga, Komal; Subramanian, Palaniappan; Jijie, Roxana; Singh, Santosh K.; Kurungot, Sreekumar; Boukherroub, Rabah; Szunerits, Sabine (Sensors and Actuators B-Chemical, 2018)
Next to graphene nanomaterials, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) offers large surface area that can enhance its biosensing performance. In this work, we investigate the performance of glassy carbon (GC) electrodes modified successively with porous reduced graphene oxide (prGO) and molybdenum sulfide (MoS2) for the sensitive and selective detection of the L1-major capsid protein of human papilloma virus (HPV). Owing to the difficulties to perform serological assays and HPV culture efficiently, tools based on molecular recognition are becoming of great importance. We developed here an electrochemical sensor for HPV upon covalent functionalization of the electrode with an aptamer Sc5-c3, a RNA aptamer targeted against the HPV-16 L1 protein. Using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and an optimized sensor interface, a linear relationship between the peak current density of a redox couple such as [Fe(CN)6]4- and the concentration of HPV-16 L1 proteins in the range of 0.2-2 ng mL(-1) (3.5 pM-35.3 pM) could be reached with a detection limit of 0.1 ng mL(-1) (1.75 pM). Cross-reactivity studies demonstrated high selectivity over potential interfering species such as HPV-16 E6, opening new opportunities of the developed concept for the development of point of care devices. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

One pot ligand exchange method for a highly stable Au-SBA-15 catalyst and its room temperature CO oxidation - Soni, Yogita; Kavya, I.; Ajithkumar, T. G.; Vinod, C. P. (Chemical Communications, 2018)
A modified deposition precipitation (DP) method has been developed to address a fundamental issue of supporting well dispersed Au nanoparticles on silica. Ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) plays an important role in in situ modifying the gold precursor (HAuCl(4)3H(2)O) solution allowing facile deposition of gold NPs in the channels of SBA-15. The Au-SBA-15 catalyst (2.8 wt%) synthesized by this procedure showed 100% conversion for CO oxidation at room temperature with excellent stability at room temperature and high temperature.

One pot synthesis and biological evaluation of some new pyridine-3,5-dicarbonitrile derivatives - Joshi, Hitendra; Shah, Nirav; Sakar, Dhiman; Desai, N. C.; Jadeja, Krunalsinh A. (ChemistrySelect, 2018)
We have developed eco-friendly route for the synthesis of title compounds by using simple compounds like aromatic aldehydes, malononitrile, 4-bromothiophenol and NaHCO3. In continuation to this, a series of pyridine-3,5-dicarbonitriles were synthesized with excellent yields and assessed for their invitro antitubercular and antimicrobial activity. The results of the antimicrobial study showed potent antimicrobial activity as compared to the standard drugs (Chloramphenicol and Griseofulvin). It was noticed that the presence of electron donating groups significantly increases the antibacterial activity of the newly synthesized compounds. The title compounds further evaluated for antitubercular activity and from the promising results, they were found to possess significant biological activity against M. tuberculosis.
Keywords: 3; 4-Arylpyridine; 5-dicarbonitriles; Antimicrobial; Antitubercular; Catalyst

One-pot cascade synthesis of 2-cyanoacrylamides via Sn-catalyzed acetic acid free selective monohydration of dinitrile - Shaikh, Taufeekaslam M. Y.; Mulla, Shafeek A. R. (ChemistrySelect, 2018)
The simple, mild, novel and an efficient new protocol has been developed for the straightforward synthesis of 2-cyanoacrylamides. This is the first report in which Sn-catalyzed acetic acid free selective monohydration of dinitrile was achieved for a one pot cascade synthesis of 2-cyanoacrylamides in good to excellent yield via condensation of various aldehydes, heterocyclic aldehydes with malononitrile.
Keywords: 2-cyanoacrylamides; Aldehyde; one pot; SnCl2 center dot 2H(2)O

One-pot sequential bromination and fluorination to access 3-fluoroimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines from arylketones - Udavant, R. N.; Yadav, A. R.; Shinde, S. S. (European Journal Of Organic Chemistry, 2018)
3-Fluoro-2-arylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines were selectively synthesised in one-pot from acetophenones and 2-aminopyridines under mild conditions. The sequence of reactions involved bromination, condensation, and late-stage fluorination. Two halogenating reagents play key roles in the process. We found that tetrabutylammonium tribromide and SelectfluorTM gave excellent yields of the desired products in the one-pot sequential reaction. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

One‐dimensional porphyrin‐fullerene (C60) assemblies: role of central metal ion in enhancing ambipolar mobility - Goudappagouda; Gedda, Murali; Kulkarni, Giridhar U.; Sukumaran, Santhosh Babu (Chemistry - A European Journal, 2018)
One-dimensional (1D) nanostructures of -conjugated molecules exhibiting excellent charge carrier mobilities have found much interest in organic electronic devices. Even though it is tedious to form such structures, the availability of highly delocalized electron and hole carriers in these donor (D)-acceptor (A) co-assemblies realize ambipolar charge transport. Here we report the successful demonstration of a simple solution casting method to create ambipolar donor-acceptor single crystalline assembly. 1D assemblies of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrins (H2TPP, ZnTPP) and fullerene (C60) exhibit high ambipolar mobility in the range of 0.8-3.4 cm2/Vs for electrons and holes with high ON/OFF ratio and low threshold voltage. A direct experimental proof for the pivotal role of central Zn2+ in tetraphenyl porphyrin, which enables a strong D-A charge transfer interaction in the cocrystal and thereby induces electron (1.35 cm2/Vs), hole (3.42 cm2/Vs) mobilities, the highest reported for two component D-A assemblies using solution casting, is demonstrated.

Optimization of pressure-Swing distillation by evolutionary techniques: separation of ethanol-water and acetonitrile-water mixtures - Adjay Sagar, A.; Rahman, I. (Chemical Product and Process Modeling, 2018)
Complete separation can be achieved in selective homogeneous azeotropic mixtures by exploiting the pressure sensitive nature of the system. In the present work the optimal number of trays, feed location and reflux ratio for sequential column systems encountered in continuous pressure swing distillation (PSD) have been determined by use of two evolutionary techniques. Two industrially relevant systems: ethanol-water and acetonitrile-water have been considered. The Napthali-Sandholm model is solved to obtain the concentration and temperature profiles. The objective is to minimize the total cost using Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Differential Evolution (DE) for the two azeotropic systems. The techniques offer attractive features like applicability to discontinuous and non-differentiable search spaces.

Opto-electronic analysis of Cs2PdCl2Br4 Perovskites compounds for photovoltaic applications - Soni, Amit; Sahariya, Jagrati; Bhamu, K. C.; Ahuja, Ushma (2018 International Conference and Utility Exhibition on Green Energy for Sustainable Development (ICUE), 2018)
In this paper, electronic and optical properties of Cs2PdCl2Br4 perovskite compound are presented using full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. All computations are performed using most accurate modified Becke Johnson (mBJ) potential within density functional theory. Energy band computations are performed over here to elaborate relationship between energy and wave vector (k). Pattern of occurrence observed for energy bands are analyzed in terms of plotted total and partial density of states. For investigating optical behavior of Cs2PdCl2Br4, we have computed dielectric tensor, absorption spectra, reflectivity and refraction spectra using mBJ potential. Different peaks recorded in the imaginary components of dielectric tensor are interpreted in terms of interband transitions for better understanding. Significant absorption intensity available in desired energy range and suitable band gap indicates effective utilization of this compound in photovoltaic applications.

Opto-electronic analysis of promising photovoltaic Cs2PdCl4Br2: An upcoming perovskite material - Sahariya, J.; Soni, A.; Bhamu, K. C. (WIECON-ECE 2017 - IEEE International WIE Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering 2017, 2018)
he metal halide perovskites are attracting much attention due to their potential applications in optoelectronic devices. Herein, we review and calculate a new avenue for Cs 2 PdCl 4 Br 2 perovskites by computing its electronic and optical properties to show its candidature in optoelectronics. For the computation of electronic and optical properties, we have used modified Becke Johnson approximation available in Wien2k code, based on full potential linearised augmented plane wave method. Investigated electronic and optical properties show that Cs 2 PdCl 4 Br 2 has the indirect band gap of 1.70 eV. The significant intense peaks in absorption spectra between energy range 2-3 eV reveals the utility of this compound in solar cells and other optoelectronic devices.

Organic phase transmetallation approach for synthesis of hollow Ni-Au nanocomposites with tunable cavity size - Sardar, Debasmita; Ahmed, Md Azaharuddin; Bandyopadhyay, Sudipta; Ghosalya, Manoj Kumar; Bala, Tanushree (New Journal Of Chemistry, 2018)
Ni-Au nanocomposites in the form of hollow spheres with controlled cavity size have been successfully synthesized by the transmetallation reaction between hydrophobized Ni nanoparticles and hydrophobized Au precursors. This can be considered as a fairly unique synthesis strategy that does not require any additional external reductants. The synthesis is carried out in a nonpolar solvent and precise tuning of the cavity size has been achieved only by varying the ratio of the two reacting components. A detailed characterization has been performed via UV-vis spectroscopy, XPS, TEM, EDAX, and SEM. The mechanistic aspect is established from FTIR. SQUID-VSM confirmed the magnificent superparamagnetism of the nanocomposites.

Overexpression of mango alcohol dehydrogenase (MiADH1) mimics hypoxia in transgenic tomato and alters fruit flavor components - Singh, Rajesh Kumar; Srivastava, Smriti; Chidley, Hemangi; Nath, Pravendra; Sane, Vidhu A. (Agri Gene, 2018)
Plant alcohols and aldehydes are produced by the action of alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH) and play an important role during fruit ripening and aroma production. Alcohols are not only produced in different tissues at different stages of plant development but are also products of the fermentative pathway which gets activated by different stresses, including hypoxia. The ADH gene is a well-established marker for hypoxic response as well as plant aroma. In a previous report we have identified and characterized three ADHs (MiADH1, 2, 3) from Dashehari mango. MiADH1 was found to be fruit specific and was upregulated by ethylene and ABA, suggesting a role in fruit aroma volatile production. In order to functionally characterize MiADH1, transgenic tomato plants were developed under the control of the constitutive (CaMV35S) promoter. Transgenic tomato fruit expressing MiADH1 gene showed a change in the levels of several alcohols and aldehydes related to flavor in comparison to the control. The change in aroma and volatiles compounds was more prominent during the ripe stage as compared to unripe and mid-ripe stages of tomato fruit. The transgenic tomato plants also produced adventitious roots. Our results suggest that the overexpression of MiADH1 in tomato plants induced the fermentative pathway in roots, and mimicked hypoxic response by development of adventitious roots from the stem as an adaptive mechanism.

Overexpression of tryptophan decarboxylase and strictosidine synthase enhanced terpenoid indole alkaloid pathway activity and antineoplastic vinblastine biosynthesis in Catharanthus roseus - Sharma, Abhishek; Verma, Priyanka; Mathur, Archana; Mathur, Ajay (Protoplasma, 2018)
Terpenoid indole alkaloid (TIA) biosynthetic pathway of Catharanthus roseus possesses the major attention in current metabolic engineering efforts being the sole source of highly expensive antineoplastic molecules vinblastine and vincristine. The entire TIA pathway is fairly known at biochemical and genetic levels except the pathway steps leading to biosynthesis of catharanthine and tabersonine. To increase the in-planta yield of these antineoplastic metabolites for the pharmaceutical and drug industry, extensive plant tissue culture-based studies were performed to provide alternative production systems. However, the strict spatiotemporal developmental regulation of TIA biosynthesis has restricted the utility of these cultures for large-scale production. Therefore, the present study was performed to enhance the metabolic flux of TIA pathway towards the biosynthesis of vinblastine by overexpressing two upstream TIA pathway genes, tryptophan decarboxylase (CrTDC) and strictosidine synthase (CrSTR), at whole plant levels in C. roseus. Whole plant transgenic of C. roseus was developed using Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA1119 strain having CrTDC and CrSTR gene cassette. Developed transgenic lines demonstrated up to twofold enhanced total alkaloid production with maximum ninefold increase in vindoline and catharanthine, and fivefold increased vinblastine production. These lines recorded a maximum of 38-fold and 65-fold enhanced transcript levels of CrTDC and CrSTR genes, respectively.

Oxidant-free oxidative gold catalysis: the new paradigm in cross-coupling reactions - Akram, Manjur O.; Banerjee, Somsuvra; Saswade, Sagar S.; Bedi, Vaibhav; Patil, Nitin T. (Chemical Communications, 2018)
The construction of C-C and C-X (X = hetero atom) bonds is the core aspect for the assembly of molecules. In this regard, late transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions have retained their dominance for decades. Lately, gold catalysts have been emerging as a reliable contender for such transformations owing to the recent findings that reveal gold's potential beyond carbophilic -Lewis acid. The newfound ability of gold to undergo redox transformations under certain circumstances has allowed us to explore gold catalysts as a viable alternative to other late transition-metals for efficient construction of cross-coupled products. This feature article critically presents an overview of all the redox neutral cross-coupling reactions enabled by gold catalysis, which we believe would stimulate further research activities in this promising area.

Perspectives on leishmania species and stage-specific adaptive mechanisms - Subramanian, Abhishek; Sarkar, Ram Rup (Trends In Parasitology, 2018)
The hurdles in drug and vaccine development pipelines for leishmaniasis, a complex, multifaceted disease, are largely due to the digenetic lifecycle, differential clinical manifestations of the parasite, and the incomplete understanding of its adaptations within its hosts. Here, we discuss the distinct computational and experimental techniques employed to identify the species and stage-specific adaptive mechanisms at different levels of biological organization, the progress made so far, and limitations in comprehending leishmaniasis as a systems biology disease. Based on the available perspectives, we also provide suggestions and requirements to tackle the growing challenges for bridging the genotype with the phenotype. A systems perspective can be instrumental in understanding the complexities of the disease and can provide insights for targeted control.

Pharmaceutical standardization and physicochemical characterization of traditional ayurvedic marine drug: incinerated conch shell (shankha bhasma) - Chavan, Sandeep; Tayade, Sonali; Gupta, Vidya; Deshmukh, Vineeta; Sardeshmukh, Sadanand (Marine Drugs, 2018)
Natural resources such as plants, animals and minerals have always been used by mankind to develop drugs and marine world is no exception. Marine by-products like conches, pearls, mother of pearl shells, corals and so forth have been used by traditional Ayurvedic practitioners for centuries. The unique methods of these preparations are scientifically designed to eliminate unwanted impurities and convert them into bioavailable form. In this study, Conch (Xanchus pyrum) was used as a marine resource of calcium carbonate and was converted pharmaceutically from its aragonite form to calcite. All the steps of preparations and changes in the properties therein were documented and validated. Further, traditional as well as modern analytical tools were used to study its physical and chemical characters to develop a monograph. The physical characterization included particle size, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR). Metal composition and heavy metal limits were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICPOES). This study revealed the rearrangement of aragonite crystals into calcite form by grinding, trituration with aloe vera juice and incineration under controlled conditions. Moreover, the finished product was found to be devoid of organic matrix that is nacre. This study creates a foundation for the development of a master formula for commonly used Shankha Bhasma in Ayurvedic medicines.

Phase diagram of self-assembled sophorolipid morphologies from mesoscale simulations - Sarkar, Sujit; Chakraborty, Souvik; Roy, Sudip (Journal of Molecular Liquids, 2018)
We have constructed a phase diagram from the self-assembled morphologies of linolenic acid sophorolipid in water by performing mesoscale simulations in different concentrations. The dependence of morphologies and its properties of the self-assembled structure as a function of the concentration of bolaamphiphile in water are investigated. Two hydrophilic head groups and one hydrophobic tail group of bolaamphiphile have been mapped to beads for mesoscale simulation. The interaction parameters between different beads are calculated using Flory-Huggins solution theory. Flory-Huggins x-parameters have been calculated from atomistic simulation and experimental data of pure components constituting linolenic acid sophorolipid. We have obtained different self-assembled morphologies depending upon the concentrations of sophorolipid in water. We have explored the arrangements of hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups of the sophorolipid chains in the different morphologies. The sophorolipid chains found to be present in different structural arrangements. The residence time and flip frequency of these lipids in different orientations have been calculated and discussed in this work. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Bolaamphiphile; Flip frequency; Mesoscale simulation; Orientation of chains; Self-assembly

Phosphine-free cobalt pincer complex catalyzed Z-selective semi-hydrogenation of unbiased alkynes - Landge, Vinod G.; Pitchaimani, Jayaraman; Midya, Siba P.; Subaramanian, Murugan; Madhu, Vedichi; Balaraman, Ekambaram (Catalysis Science & Technology, 2018)
Herein, we report a novel, molecularly defined NNN-type cobalt pincer complex catalyzed transfer semi-hydrogenation of unbiased alkynes to Z-selective alkenes. This unified process is highly stereo-and chemo-selective and exhibits a broad scope as well as wide functional group tolerance. Ammonia-borane (AB), a bench-stable substrate with high gravimetric hydrogen capacity, was used as a safe and practical transfer hydrogenating source.

Photocatalysis enabling acceptorless dehydrogenation of diaryl hydrazines at room temperature - Sahoo, Manoj K.; Saravanakumar, Krishnasamy; Jaiswal, Garima; Balaraman, Ekambaram (ACS Catalysis, 2018)
Aromatic azo compounds are privileged structural motifs, and they exhibit a myriad of pharmaceutical as well as industrial applications. Here, we report a catalytic acceptorless dehydrogenation of diarylhydrazine derivatives to access a wide variety of aryl-azo compounds with the removal of molecular hydrogen as the sole byproduct. This distinctive reactivity has been achieved under dual catalytic conditions by merging the visible-light active [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) as the photoredox catalyst and Co(dmgH)(2)(py)Cl as the proton-reduction catalyst. The reaction proceeds smoothly under very mild and benign conditions and operates at ambient temperature. This dual catalytic approach is highly compatible with many different functional groups and has a broad substrate scope. We have also demonstrated the reversible hydrogen storage and release phenomenon on hydrazobenzene/azobenzene couple to show the utility of these compounds as hydrogen storage materials. Further diversification of azobenzene was shown by a transition metal-catalyzed azo-group-directed ortho-C-H bond functionalization.
Keywords: acceptorless dehydrogenation; Azo benzene; dual catalysis; Hydrogen; photoredox catalysis

Polycrystalline MnGe2 thin films on InAs(001) substrates - Gutierrez-Naranjo, David; Holguin-Momaca, Jose T.; Solis-Canto, Oscar O.; Gupta, Preeti; Poddar, Pankaj; Espinosa Magana, Francisco; Olive-Mendez, Sion F. (Thin Solid Films, 2018)
We report on the growth of MnGe2 thin films on InAs(001) substrates using radio frequency-magnetron cosputtering. Polycrystalline thin films were obtained at a substrate temperature of 353 K. X-ray diffractometry was used to identify the tetragonal MnGe2 phase (space group 14/mcm). Measurements of the magnetic field and temperature dependence of the magnetization revealed that the MnGe2 thin films are ferromagnetic with a magnetization of 280 kAm(-1) and a Curie temperature of 62 K. Additionally, an antiferromagnetic component is observed at low temperatures, which may arise atomic disorder at the grain boundaries between MnGe2 crystallites.

Polysulfide-triggered fluorescent indicator suitable for super-resolution microscopy and application in imaging - Hoskere, Anila A.; Sreedharan, Sreejesh; Ali, Firoj; Smythe, Carl G.; Thomas, Jim A.; Das, Amitava (Chemical Communications, 2018)
A new physiologically benign and cell membrane permeable BODIPY based molecular probe, MB-S-n, specifically senses intracellular hydrogen polysulfides (H2Sn, n > 1) localized in the endoplasmic reticulum. This reagent is suitable for mapping the intracellular distribution of H2Sn by wide-field as well as super-resolution Structured Illumination Microscopy (SIM).

Population genetic structure of banana corm weevil Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) in India - Sunil Kumar, L.; Singh, J. (Journal of asia-pacific entomology, 2018)
The population genetic structure of Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar), an economically important pest of bananas, was studied using the sequence data of the internal transcribed rDNA (ITS1+ITS2) and the mitochondrial ‘COI-tRNALeu-COII’ region from seventy nine individuals collected from six sampling locations in India. The ITS data revealed 70% within population variation and non-significant genetic differentiation estimates suggesting lack of phylogeographic sub-structuring. 49% within population variation and highly significant genetic differentiation values were obtained with the mitochondrial data. The Mantel test revealed lack of correlation between genetic and geographic distance with both the markers. Demographic expansion of the populations was confirmed by the star shaped haplotype networks, demographic tests and mismatch distribution curves using both the markers. Molecular diversity indices show a high haplotype diversity (Hd) but low nucleotide diversity (π) suggesting that the populations are closely related. Considering the low self-dispersal ability of the weevils, these results suggest that the range expansion of this banana pest in India has taken place mainly through transport of infested corms and plant material resulting in the weevils forming localised populations which are not genetically distinct from each other. The high gene diversity (Hd) has enabled the weevils to adapt to varying environmental conditions which could explain the range expansion of this pest in India. The observed discrepancy in the genetic differentiation estimates using these two markers can be attributed to the evolutionary dynamics of the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes.

Porous reduced graphene oxide modified electrodes for the analysis of protein aggregation. Part 2: Application to the analysis of calcitonin containing pharmaceutical formulation - Vasilescu, Alina; Ye, Ran; Boulahneche, Samia; Lamraoui, Sabrina; Jijie, Roxana; Medjram, Mohamed Salah; Gaspar, Szilveszter; Singh, Santosh K.; Kurungot, Sreekumar; Melinte, Sorin; Boukherroub, Rabah; Szunerits, Sabine (Electrochimica Acta, 2018)
In part 1 (A. Vasilescu et al., Porous reduced graphene oxide modified electrodes for the analysis of protein aggregation. Part 1: Lysozyme aggregation at pH 2 and 7.4 Electrochem. Acta, 254 (2017) 375 -383) we proposed porous reduced graphene oxide coated glassy carbon electrode (GC/prGO) in combination with differential pulse voltammetry as a new analytical tool for aggregation studies of proteins. Lysozyme was used as a model to follow its aggregation by electrochemical means at pH 2 and pH 7.4, leading to the formation of amyloid and amorphous aggregates, respectively. Part 2 of this work widens the scope of this approach by investigating a biopharmaceutical product, as the aggregation of peptide based drugs affects their therapeutic activity and can induce allergic reactions in patients. The salmon polypeptide calcitonin (sCT) was chosen as an example of a bioactive peptide with limited pharmaceutical potential due to a tendency to form cytotoxic aggregates and amyloid fibrils. For practical applications, screen printed electrodes (SPE) and flexible electrodes (FE) modified with polydiallyldimethylammonium (PDDA) and prGO by using the layer-by-layer deposition technique have been developed for the detection of sCT. The results indicate that these electrodes can differentiate between formation of amyloid aggregates of calcitonin (2 mg mL(-1)) in citrate buffer to no aggregation in acetate buffer. It was further demonstrated that these electrodes are able to analyze a pharmaceutical drug product of low potency, Miacalcic (8.3 mu g mL(-1)), where no aggregation was observed. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Calcitonin; Disposable electrodes; Electrochemistry; Porous reduced graphene oxide; Protein aggregation

Preparation of colourless phosphate glass by stabilising higher Fe[II] in microwave heating - Mandal, Ashis K.; Mandal, B.; Illath, Kavya; Ajithkumar, T. G.; Halder, A.; Sinha, P. K.; Sen, Ranjan (Scientific Reports, 2018)
Iron impurity in raw material remains a major challenge in producing colourless glass. In this investigation, we report microwave (MW) heating capable of altering Fe-redox ratio (Fe2+/Sigma Fe) enabling preparation of colourless phosphate glass. The effect of Sn concentration in retention of Fe[II] in glass melted in MW was compared with conventional glasses. Colourimetric study developing Fe2+-ferrozine colour complex reveals Fe-redox ratio >= 0.49 required to obtain colourless phosphate glass. In microwave heating, addition of 1 wt.% Sn metal powder can impart the desired effect whereas addition of 1.9 wt.% Sn metal powder is required in conventional heating. The correlation equation of Fe-redox ratio with concentration of Sn metal is found to be different in microwave and conventional heating. Thus, exploiting this different redox changes in MW heating optical properties can be tailored. Preservation of higher Fe[II] in MW melted glass is also confirmed by XPS and TGA. P-31 MAS NMR spectra suggest that transition from cross linked ultra phosphate to linear polymer metaphosphate network in incorporation of Sn is found different in glass prepared adopting microwave irradiation. (27)A1 MAS NMR spectra suggest higher relative content of Al6+ in glass obtained from MW heating. Energy consumption analysis revels 3.4 kWh in MW heating while 14 kWh in conventional glass melting using resistance heating. Further, glass melting in MW can be completed within 2 h unlike similar to 5 h needed in conventional. MW heating plays a significant role in improving properties to make colourless phosphate glass in addition to significant energy and time saving.

Preparation of metal oxide supported catalysts and their utilization for understanding the effect of a support on the catalytic activity - Seth, Jhumur; Dubey, Prashant; Chaudhari, Vijay R.; Prasad, Bhagavatula L. V. (New Journal of Chemistry, 2018)
A convenient way of anchoring transition metal nanoparticles (palladium, platinum, rhodium and ruthenium) onto metal oxide supports (magnesium oxide and zirconium oxide) by means of a modified sol-gel technique is demonstrated. Use of toluene dispersed, ligand protected pre-synthesized nanoparticles during sol-gel synthesis delivered size-controlled, spatially distributed, well-adhered transition metal nanoparticles (MNPs) on metal oxide supports. The catalytic activities of these supported nanoparticles were tested for the p-nitro phenol reduction reaction. It was observed that the reaction kinetics were crucially dependent on the catalyst support and MNP size. The influence of the magnesium oxide and zirconium oxide supports towards the catalytic performance of the anchored transition MNPs was probed using cyclic voltammetry and the differences in the same were attributed to the support-induced modification in the electronic properties of the MNPs. Our results indicated that magnesium oxide is a better support than zirconium oxide.

Prion-like propagation of post-translationally modified tau in alzheimer's disease: a hypothesis - Sonawane, Shweta Kishor; Chinnathambi, Subashchandrabose (Journal of Molecular Neuroscience, 2018)
The microtubule-associated protein Tau plays a key role in the neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease by forming intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. Tau in the normal physiological condition helps stabilize microtubules and transport. Tau aggregates due to various gene mutations, intracellular insults and abnormal post-translational modifications, phosphorylation being the most important one. Other modifications which alter the function of Tau protein are glycation, nitration, acetylation, methylation, oxidation, etc. In addition to forming intracellular aggregates, Tau pathology might spread in a prion-like manner as revealed by several in vitro and in vivo studies. The possible mechanism of Tau spread can be via bulk endocytosis of misfolded Tau species. The recent studies elucidating this mechanism have mainly focussed on the aggregation and spread of repeat domain of Tau in the cell culture models. Further studies are needed to elucidate the prion-like propagation property of full-length Tau and its aggregates in a more intense manner in vitro as well as in vivo conditions. Varied post-translational modifications can have discrete effects on aggregation propensity of Tau as well as its propagation. Here, we review the prion-like properties of Tau and hypothesize the role of glycation in prion-like properties of Tau. This post-translationally modified Tau might have an enhanced propagation property due to differential properties conferred by the modifications.
Keywords: Alzheimer disease; Post-translational modifications of tau; Propagation of tau; Tau; Tauopathies

Proline-catalyzed asymmetric -amination in the synthesis of bioactive molecules - Kumar, Pradeep; Sharma, Brijesh M. (Synlett, 2018)
The direct -amination of carbonyl compounds using organocatalysts represents a powerful and atom-economical tool for asymmetric C-N bond formation. We describe a complete account of -functionalization of carbonyl compounds, through iterative sequential -aminoxylation/amination using electrophilic O and N sources, as well as sequential -amination/HWE reaction for enantio- and diastereoselective synthesis of both syn - and anti -1,3-aminoalcohols and 1,3-diamines. Additionally this protocol is further extended for the easy construction of alkaloids such as indolizidine, pyrrolizidine, and quinolizidine fused-ring systems just by tuning the chain length of the aldehyde used as a starting material. This methodology provides further scope to extrapolate it for a variety of naturally occurring hydroxylated monocyclic and fused bicyclic pyrrolidine and piperidine based alkaloids such as lentiginosine, epi -lentiginosine, dihydroxypyrrolizidine, (+)-deoxoprosophylline and (-)-deoxoprosopinine alkaloids. Furthermore, we have also uncovered proline-catalyzed anti -selectivity for the synthesis of 1,2-amino alcohols in -amination of aldehyde and one-pot indium-mediated Barbier type allylation of -hydrazino aldehydes to accomplish the total synthesis of clavaminols, sphinganine and spisulosine with reduced number of steps and with high overall yields. 1 Introduction 2 Application in the Total Synthesis of Alkaloids 3 Conclusion

Proteomic study of endothelial dysfunction induced by Ages and its possible role in diabetic cardiovascular complications - Banarjee, Reema; Sharma, Akshay; Bai, Shakuntala; Deshmukh, Arati; Kulkarni, Mahesh J. (Journal of Proteomics, 2018)
Endothelial dysfunction is one of the primary steps in the development of diabetes associated cardiovascular diseases. Hyperglycemic condition in diabetes promotes accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the plasma, that interact with the receptor for AGEs (RAGE) present on the endothelial cells and negatively affect their function. Using Human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) in culture, the effect of glycated human serum albumin on global proteomic changes was studied by SWATH-MS, a label free quantitative proteomic approach. Out of the 1860 proteins identified, 161 showed higher abundance while 123 showed lesser abundance in cells treated with glycated HSA. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the differentially regulated proteins were involved in various processes such as apoptosis, oxidative stress etc. that are associated with endothelial dysfunction. Furthermore, the iRegulon analysis and immunofuorescence studies indicated that several of the differentially regulated proteins were transcriptionally regulated by NF-kappa B, that is downstream to AGE-RAGE axis. Some of the important differentially regulated proteins include ICAM1, vWF, PAI-1 that affect important endothelial functions like cell adhesion and blood coagulation. qPCR analysis showed an increase in expression of the AGE receptor RAGE along with other genes involved in endothelial function. AGE treatment to HUVEC cells led to increased oxidative stress and apoptosis. This is the first proteomics study that provides insight into proteomic changes downstream to AGE-RAGE axis leading to endothelial dysfunction and predisposing to cardiovascular complications. Significance: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major pathological outcome in diabetic patients and it is important to address ways that target its development before the onset. Elevated plasma AGEs in diabetes can affect endothelial function and can continue to show their effects even after blood glucose levels are back to normal. Since endothelial dysfunction acts as one of the initiating factors for the development of CVD, understanding how AGEs affect the endothelial cell proteome to cause dysfunction will provide insight into the mechanisms involved and aid designing new therapeutic approaches.

Rational design of coumarin derivatives as antituberculosis agents - Mali, Hemlata M.; Sabale, Sandip S.; Degani, Mariam S.; Borkute, Rachana; Choudhari, Amit S.; Sarkar, Dhiman; Krishna, Vagolu Siva; Sriram, Dharmarajan (Future Medicinal Chemistry, 2018)
A series of coumarin derivatives was designed as potential antituberculosis agents. Results: The compounds were screened against active and dormant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Compounds 3k and 3n were found to have the most promising activity against replicating MtbH37Rv exhibiting minimum inhibitory concentration of 4.63 and 9.75 mu M respectively. The compounds were also effective against dormant MtbH37Rv exhibiting more potency than the standard drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin. The compounds were found to be non-cytotoxic against human cell lines. Conclusion: This study provides promising antituberculosis agents that are effective against replicating as well as dormant Mtb and can thus act as potential leads for further development.

Rationally designed self-standing V2O5 electrode for high voltage non-aqueous all-solid-state symmetric (2.0 V) and asymmetric (2.8 V) supercapacitors - Ghosh, Meena; Vijayakumar, Vidyanand; Soni, Roby; Kurungot, Sreekumar (Nanoscale, 2018)
The maximum capacitive potential window of certain pseudocapacitive materials cannot be accessed in aqueous electrolytes owing to the low dissociation potential of 1.2 V possessed by water molecules. However, the inferior pseudocapacitance exhibited by the commonly used electrode materials when integrated with non-aqueous electrolytes still remains a challenge in the development of supercapacitors (SC). Proper selection of materials for the electrode and a rational design process are indeed important to overcome these practical intricacies so that such systems can perform well with non-aqueous electrolytes. We address this challenge by fabricating a prototype all-solid-state device designed with high-capacitive V2O5 as the electrode material along with a Li-ion conducting organic electrolyte. V2O5 is synthesized on a pre-treated carbon-fibre paper by adopting an electrochemical deposition technique that effects an improved contact resistance. A judicious electrode preparation strategy makes it possible to overcome the constraints of the low ionic and electrical conductivities imposed by the electrolyte and electrode material, respectively. The device, assembled in a symmetrical fashion, achieves a high specific capacitance of 406 F g(-1) (at 1 A g(-1)). The profitable aspect of using an organic electrolyte is also demonstrated with an asymmetric configuration by using activated carbon as the positive and V2O5 as the negative electrode materials, respectively. The asymmetric device displays a wide working-voltage window of 2.8 V and delivers a high energy density of 102.68 W h kg(-1) at a power density of 1.49 kW kg(-1). Moreover, the low equivalent series resistance of 9.9 Omega and negligible charge transfer resistance are observed in the impedance spectra, which is a key factor that accounts for such an exemplary performance.

Realizing high capacitance and rate capability in polyaniline by enhancing the electrochemical surface area through induction of superhydrophilicity - Soni, Roby; Kashyap, Varchaswal; Nagaraju, Divya; Kurungot, Sreekumar (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2018)
Polyaniline (PANI) as a pseudocapacitive material has very high theoretical capacitance of 2000 F g(-1). However, its practical capacitance has been limited by low electrochemical surface area (ESA) and unfavorable wettability toward aqueous electrolytes. This work deals with a strategy wherein the high ESA of PANI has been achieved by the induction of superhydrophilicity together with the alignment of PANI exclusively on the surface of carbon fibers as a thin layer to form a hybrid assembly. Superhydrophilicity is induced by electrochemical functionalization of the Toray carbon paper, which further induces superhydrophilicity to the electrodeposited PANI layer on the paper, thereby ensuring a high electrode-electrolyte interface. The Toray paper is electrochemically functionalized by the anodization method, which generates a highly active electrochemical surface as well as greater wettability (superhydrophilic) of the carbon fibers. Because of the strong interaction of anilinium chloride with the hydrophilic carbon surface, PANI is polymerized exclusively over the surface of the fibers without any appreciable aggregation or agglomeration of the polymer. The PANI-Toray paper assembly in the solid-state prototype supercapacitor can provide a high gravimetric capacitance of 1335 F g(-1) as well as a high areal capacitance of 1.3 F cm(-2) at a current density of 10 A g(-1). The device also exhibits high rate capability, delivering 1217 F g(-1) at a current density of 50 A g(-1) and a high energy density of 30 W h kg(-1) at a power density of 2 kW kg(-1).
Keywords: electrochemical active sulfate area; electrochemical functionalization; electropolymerization; polyaniline; supercapacitor; superhydrophilic

Recursive orthogonal least squares based adaptive control of a polymerisation reactor - Tiwari, S.; Sawant, P.; Rahman, I. (Indian Chemical Engineer, 2018)
A Nonlinear Internal Model Control (NIMC) scheme, based on a recursively updated Radial Basis Function Network (RBFN), is applied to control the nonlinear Polymerisation process. Recursive Orthogonal Least Squares (ROLS) algorithm recursively updates the weighting matrix of RBFN in real time, such that modelling errors are minimised. In addition to the ROLS based adaptive IMC, a non-adaptive IMC, based on the fixed Orthogonal Least Squares (OLS) algorithm and a normal PID controller are also applied to control the polymerisation process. The simulated results show the effectiveness of the ROLS based controller in terms of response time to step changes and disturbance rejection capabilities over the classical PID controller and the fixed OLS based IMC. Also, the proposed algorithm fits well in the IMC framework

Repeated photoporation with graphene quantum dots enables homogeneous labeling of live cells with extrinsic markers for fluorescence microscopy - Liu, Jing; Xiong, Ranhua; Brans, Toon; Lippens, Saskia; Parthoens, Eef; Zanacchi, Francesca Cella; Magrassi, Raffaella; Singh, Santosh K.; Kurungot, Sreekumar; Szunerits, Sabine; Bove, Hannelore; Ameloot, Marcel; et al. (Light-Science & Applications, 2018)
In the replacement of genetic probes, there is increasing interest in labeling living cells with high-quality extrinsic labels, which avoid over-expression artifacts and are available in a wide spectral range. This calls for a broadly applicable technology that can deliver such labels unambiguously to the cytosol of living cells. Here, we demonstrate that nanoparticle-sensitized photoporation can be used to this end as an emerging intracellular delivery technique. We replace the traditionally used gold nanoparticles with graphene nanoparticles as photothermal sensitizers to permeabilize the cell membrane upon laser irradiation. We demonstrate that the enhanced thermal stability of graphene quantum dots allows the formation of multiple vapor nanobubbles upon irradiation with short laser pulses, allowing the delivery of a variety of extrinsic cell labels efficiently and homogeneously into live cells. We demonstrate high-quality time-lapse imaging with confocal, total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF), and Airyscan super-resolution microscopy. As the entire procedure is readily compatible with fluorescence (super resolution) microscopy, photoporation with graphene quantum dots has the potential to become the long-awaited generic platform for controlled intracellular delivery of fluorescent labels for live-cell imaging.

Revealing optoelectronic and transport properties of potential perovskites Cs2PdX6 (X = Cl, Br): A probe from density functional theory (DFT) - Bhamu, K. C.; Soni, Amit; Sahariya, Jagrati (Solar Energy, 2018)
Metal-halide perovskites are rapidly emerging crystalline materials that are reasonably preferred as leading aspirant for applications in optoelectronic and thermoelectric devices. In this paper, we have thoroughly reviewed and performed calculations to reveal optoelectronic and transport properties for a potential newcomer, Cs2PdX6 (X = Cl, Br) termed as Cesium Palladium Halides (CPH). Outcome of present computations are compared with available results and a reasonable agreement is recorded. Energy band gap computations performed reveal indirect band gap of 2.29 eV for Cs2PdC16, which substantially reduces to 1.22 eV when `Cl' is replaced by `Br'. Optical absorption spectra investigations performed here, in the energy range from 3 to 5 eV confirms effective utilization of these compounds in solar cells and other optoelectronic applications. In addition, the transport properties computations performed using semi-classical Boltzmann theory, shows constant pattern of thereto power near ambient temperature range (200-500 K), which admits possible utilization of these compounds as low temperature thermoelectric materials. Performed ZT calculations demonstrates reasonably good thermoelectric performance for both materials, as there exist minor variation (0.1) in the values over wide temperature ranges i.e. from 100 to 800 K. Further, detailed analysis of transport properties predicts p-type semiconducting nature of the present series of materials.
Keywords: Ab-initio studies; Density functional theory; Optical properties; Transport properties

Reversible phase transformation phenomenon in titanium dioxide films: evidence beyond interface-nucleation and dissolution-precipitation kinetics - Gautam, Subodh K.; Singh, Jitendra; Shukla, D. K.; Pippel, E.; Poddar, P.; Singh, Fouran (Acta Materialia, 2018)
The re-crystallization kinetics and rutile to anatase reversible phase transformation (PT) in nano crystalline titanium dioxide (TiO2) are reported. Initially, an amorphous TiO2 film is used for the present study and in situ isothermal annealing dependent nucleation and growth kinetics of anatase and rutile phase is studied at low temperature (similar to 523 K) and well explained using Johnson Mehl AvramiKolmogorov (JMAK) model. The anatase nanocrystallite (NCs) transformation into rutile phase is reported with isothermal annealing for longer time and temperature dependent annealing in lower temperature range 523 K-673 K and explained using interface-nucleation mechanism. Furthermore, the thermodynamic stability of rutile NCs and lattice stress-induced reversible PT in nano-sized rutile TiO2 are confirmed in moderate temperature range (623 K- 973 K) and well explained using x-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy and near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy studies. However, annealing at higher temperature (1123 K- 1323 K) induces the growth of anatase NCs and their natural transform into rutile phase are explained by well-known dissolution precipitation mechanism. Activation energy of rutile PT is quantified and found higher for dissolution-precipitation mechanism than that for interface nucleation at earlier stage. Thus, overall PT kinetics at different temperature range is well understood by invoking in three step mechanism: 1) early stage anatase-to-rutile transformation is dominated by interface-nucleation, II) then intermediate stage reversible rutile-to-anatase PT and, Ill) at later stages, anatase-to-rutile PT is controlled by dissolution precipitation mechanism. (C) 2018 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Dissolution-precipitation kinetics; Interface-nucleation mechanism; Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov (JMAK) approach; Reversible phase transformation

Role of oxygen vacancies and interstitials on structural phase transition, grain growth, and optical properties of Ga doped TiO2 - Khatun, Nasima; Tiwari, Saurabh; Vinod, C. P.; Tseng, Chuan-Ming; Liu, Shun Wei; Biring, Sajal; Sen, Somaditya (Journal of Applied Physics, 2018)
A systematic study on the effect of gallium (Ga) doping (0 <= x <= 0.10) on the structural phase transition and grain growth of TiO2 is reported here. X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy confirm that Ga doping inhibits the phase transition. Activation energy increases from 125 kJ/mol (x = 0.00) to 300 kJ/mol (x = 0.10) upon Ga incorporation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows the presence of Ti3+/Ga3+ interstitials, substitution (Ti4+ by Ga3+), and oxygen vacancies in the samples. At lower doping (x <= 0.05), interstitials play a more significant role over substitution and oxygen vacancies, thereby resulting in a considerable lattice expansion. At higher doping (x >= 0.05), the effect of interstitials is compensated by both the effect of substitution and oxygen vacancies, thereby resulting in relatively lesser lattice expansion. Inhibition of the phase transition is the result of this lattice expansion. The crystallite size (anatase) and particle size (rutile) both are reduced due to Ga incorporation. It also modifies optical properties of pure TiO2 by increasing the bandgap (from 3.06 to 3.09 eV) and decreasing the Urbach energy (from 58.59 to 47.25 meV). This happens due to regularization of the lattice by the combined effect of substitution/ interstitials and oxygen vacancies. Published by AIP Publishing.

Role of palladium crystallite size on CO oxidation over CeZrO 4-δ supported Pd catalysts - Burange, Anand S.; Reddy, Kasala Prabhakr; Gopinath, Chinnakonda; Shukla, Rakesh; Tyagi, Avesh K. (Journal of Molecular Catalysis, 2018)
Photodeposited palladium on nanocrystalline CeZrO 4-δ support was evaluated for CO oxidation, as a function of particle size and pre-treatment. All the catalysts were well characterized by XRD, SEM, EDX, TEM, CO chemi-sorption and Raman spectroscopy. It was observed that change in photodeposition time alters the average crystallite size of Pd, and the same was confirmed by CO chemisorption. 7 nm average crystallite size of Pd exhibited excellent catalytic activity for CO oxidation. In order to understand the effect of support and metal-support interaction, 1 wt% Pd was deposited deliberately onto reduced and oxidized CeZrO 4-δ support. The reduced support with anionic vacancies and more Ce 3+ species exhibited an improvement in CO oxidation at onset temperature. Detailed analysis shows that Pd-deposition occurs preferentially at oxygen-vacancy sites and subsequent metal-support interaction influences the catalysis.

Rufinamide: crystal structure elucidation and solid state characterization - Salunke, Nita; Thipparaboina, Rajesh; Chavan, Rahul B.; Lodagekar, Anurag; Mittapalli, Sudhir; Nangia, Ashwini; Shastri, Nalini R. (Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 2018)
Rufinamide (R) is a triazole derivative approved for the management of partial seizures and seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, in November 2007. Crystal structure, solid state characterization, drug-excipient compatibility and solubility play a pivotal role in formulation development. This work deals with the crystal structure elucidation of R by single crystal X-ray diffraction and solid state characterization by thermal, spectroscopic and crystallographic techniques. Drug- excipient compatibility was assessed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). New RP-HPLC method for quantification of R was developed with improved retention time. Solubility and dissolution of drug in different media was determined. Additionally, the flow behavior of the drug was evaluated by measuring Carr's index and Hausner's ratio, while the compressibility behavior was studied using Well's protocol. R crystallized from dimethylformamide (R-DMF) was utilized for single crystal analysis. The drug crystallized in triclinic crystal system with P-1 space group. Asymmetric unit cell consists of two molecules of R held by intermolecular hydrogen bond (connected by N-H center dot center dot center dot O, which forms the catemeric chain). Analytical outcomes from DSC, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) revealed that the drug was present in pure crystalline form and was devoid of any polymorphic or pseudopolymorphic impurities. Influence of pH on the solubility and dissolution of R-DMF was found to be insignificant. The drug exhibited poor aqueous solubility, which was improved nearly 4.6 fold with the addition of 2% sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS). The drug exhibits poor flow and elastic compression nature. Excipients such as poly ethylene glycol (PEG) 8000, SLS, lactose monohydrate, starch and Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) E15 were incompatible with R-DMF as identified by thermal analysis. It is envisaged that these information regarding solid state properties of R-DMF would aid in identifying a logical path for formulation development. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Compressibility; Dissolution media; DSC; HPLC method; solubility

Ru(II)-functionalized SBA-15 as highly chemoselective, acid free and sustainable heterogeneous catalyst for acetalization of aldehydes and ketones - Lazar, Anish; Betsy, K. J.; Vinod, C. P.; Singh, A. P. (Catalysis Communications, 2018)
Combining electron deficient Ru(II) coordination sites with organofunctionalized SBA-15, (L)Ru(Il)@SBA-15, result in a mild, neutral, water scavenger free and chemo-selective acetalization catalyst for cyclic/acyclic acetals. Vacant coordination sites of ruthenium in (L)Ru(II)@SBA-15 activates protecting groups as well as reactants simultaneously and restricts the reverse acetalization reaction. Synthesized (L)Ru(Il)@SBA-15 catalyst has been thoroughly characterized and act as competitive catalyst compared to conventional acid catalysts. (L) RuaD@SBA-15 performs high catalytic activity as well as selectivity within 20 min with high TOF. The catalyst can be recycled and reaction parameters are optimized.
Keywords: Acetalization reactions; Acid free; chemo-selective; heterogeneous catalyst; Reusable; Ru(II) immobilized SBA-15

Salts and salt cocrystals of the antibacterial drug pefloxacin - Gunnam, Anilkumar; Suresh, Kuthuru; Nangia, Ashwini (Crystal Growth & Design, 2018)
Pefloxacin (PEF) is an amphoteric, antibacterial drug which exists as a neutral molecule in the crystal structure stabilized by C-H center dot center dot center dot O and C-H center dot center dot center dot F interactions. The design of multicomponent solids using crystal engineering was undertaken in a cocrystal/salt screen of PEF with generally recognized as safe (GRAS) dicarboxylic acids to improve the solubility and phase stability of the drug. Ten multicomponent forms, namely, five salts, two salt hydrates, and three salt cocrystals, were prepared by liquid-assisted grinding followed by crystallization. In some cases, salt and salt cocrystals were obtained concomitantly during solution evaporative crystallization. Single crystal X-ray diffraction showed that the structures are stabilized by N+-H center dot center dot center dot O-, O-H center dot center dot center dot O, C-H center dot center dot center dot O, C-H center dot center dot center dot F, and pi-pi stacking interactions. The bulk phase purity of multicomponent forms was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, spectroscopy, and thermal techniques. The salt/salt cocrystal forms exhibit a faster dissolution rate and higher solubility compared to pure PEF in pH 1.2 (acidic, like gastric environment) and pH 7 phosphate buffer media (neutral, like intestinal passage). Specifically the PEF+-SA(-) salt (SA = succinic acid) showed remarkably high solubility, dissolution rate, and stability compared to the other multicomponent forms and PEF neutral form. The drug formulation compatible pefloxacin succinate is a promising soluble and stable PEF salt.

Selective N-acetylation with concurrent S-oxidation of o-amino thiol at ambient conditions over Ce doped ZnO composite nanocrystallites - Jagtap, Rohidas; Sakate, Sachin; Pardeshi, Satish (Molecular Catalysis, 2018)
The oxidative S-S coupling of thiol to disulfide is an imperative chemical transformation in the domain of biological processes and also finds numerous chemical applications. The CeO2 and ZnO are significant catalysts for oxidation of thiol to disulfide and N-acetylation of amines respectively. Dithiobis(phenylene)bis(benzyldeneimine) moiety containing N-acetyl and disulfide functional groups is a potential antimicrobial agent with Leishmanicidal and antihyperlipidemic activities. Herein, we report a synchronized catalytic application of Ce doped ZnO (Ce-ZnO) and CeO2-Ce-ZnO composites for selective synthesis of Dithiobis(phenylene)bis(benzyldeneimine) from o-amino thiol. The Ce-ZnO samples were synthesized by simple co precipitation method by calcination of hydroxide precursors at 400 degrees C to get 0-10% Ce-ZnO nanocrystallites. The formation of CeO2-Ce-ZnO composite material was observed beyond 1.5% Ce concentration. The synthesized materials were well characterized by IR, XRD, DRS spectroscopy and SEM-EDS analysis. The application of Ce doped ZnO as an efficient catalyst towards the selective N-acetylation and concurrent S-oxidation of o-amino thiol to afford Dithiobis(phenylene)bis(benzyldeneimine) at ambient temperature in acetonitrile was deliberated. Among all screened catalysts, the maximum selectivity was found for 7.5% Ce-ZnO as CeO2-Ce-ZnO composite catalyst. Lewis acidic property of catalyst supported probable mechanism for achieved dual transformations. Also, the 7.5% Ce-ZnO catalyst has demonstrated a versatile S-S coupling ability for variety of thiol substrates with excellent stability.

Sensitive electrochemical detection of cardiac troponin I in serum and saliva by nitrogen-doped porous reduced graphene oxide electrode - Chekin, Fereshteh; Vasilescu, Alina; Jijie, Roxana; Singh, Santosh K.; Kurungot, Sreekumar; Iancu, Madalina; Badea, Gabriela; Boukherroub, Rabah; Szunerits, Sabine (Sensors and Actuators B-Chemical, 2018)
Cardiovascular diseases pose one of the highest mortality risks among all diseases in developed countries, steadily increasing the burden on the health systems. Early diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases has consequently become highly important to decrease mortality and to use more adapted therapeutic decisions. We demonstrate here the utility of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-prGO) for detecting and quantifying of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a key human cardiac protein biomarker, under physiologically relevant conditions. Non-covalent modification of N-prGO by 1-pyrenecarboxylic acid (py-COOH) and poly(ethylene glycol) modified pyrene (py-PEG) ligands allowed the covalent integration of Tro4 aptamer, known for its high selectivity towards cTnI. Using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), a label-free electrochemical sensor for cTnI for concentrations down to 1 pgmL(-1) in human serum could be obtained. This sensitive detection arises from the integration of a porous nanomaterial with excellent electrochemical properties being easily amendable to site-specific surface modification. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.