Application of glucose derived magnetic solid acid for etherification of 5-HMF to 5-EMF, dehydration of sorbitol to isosorbide, and esterification of fatty acids - Thombal, Raju S.; Jadhav, Vrushali H. (Tetrahedron Letters, 2016)
In this study, the catalytic activity of Glu-Fe3O4-SO3H was evaluated for three acid catalyzed reactions: etherification of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) to 5-ethoxymethylfurfural (5-EMF) in ethanol, dehydration of sorbitol to isosorbide, and esterification of fatty acids with good yields and selectivity. Moreover, the catalyst can be easily separated from the reaction with an external magnetic force and reused at least five times without a significant decrease in catalytic activity. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: dehydration; Esterification; etherification; Magnetic

Bilayer cryogel wound dressing and skin regeneration grafts for the treatment of acute skinwounds - Priya, S. Geetha; Gupta, Ankur; Jain, Era; Sarkar, Joyita; Damania, Apeksha; Jagdale, Pankaj R.; Chaudhari, Bhushan P.; Gupta, Kailash C.; Kumar, Ashok (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2016)
In this study, the potential of cryogel bilayer wound dressing and skin regenerating graft for the treatment of surgically created full thickness wounds was evaluated. The top layer was composed of polyvinylpyrrolidone-iodine (PVP-I) and served as the antiseptic layer, while the bottom regenerative layer was made using gelatin cryogel. Both components of the bilayer showed typical features of a cryogel interconnected macropore network, rapid swelling, high water uptake capacity of about 90%. Both PVP and gelatin cryogel showed high tensile strength of 45 and 10 kPa, respectively. Gelatin cryogel sheets were essentially elastic and could be stretched without any visible deformation. The antiseptic PVP-I layer cryogel sheet showed sustained iodine release and suppressed microbial growth when tested with skin pathogens (zone of inhibition cm for sheet of 0.9 cm diameter). The gelatin cryogel sheet degraded in vitro in weeks. The gelatin cryogel sheet supported cell infiltration, attachment, and proliferation of fibroblasts and keratinocytes. Microparticles loaded with bioactive molecules (mannose-6-phosphate and human fibrinogen) were also incorporated in the gelatin cryogel sheets for their role in enhancing skin regeneration and scar free wound healing. In vivo evaluation of healing capacity of the bilayer cryogel was checked in rabbits by creating full thickness wound, defect (diameter 2 cm). Macroscopic and microscopic observation at regular time intervals for 4 weeks demonstrated better and faster skin regeneration in the wound treated with cryogel bilayer as compared to untreated defect and the repair was comparable to commercial skin regeneration scaffold Neuskin-F. Complete skin regeneration was observed after 4 weeks' of implantation with no sign of inflammatory response. Defects implanted with cryogel having mannose-6-phosphate showed no scar formation,, while the wound treated with bilayer incorporated with human fibrinogen microparticles showed early signs of skin regeneration; epidermis formation occurred at 2 weeks after implantation.

Biosynthesis of anti-proliferative gold using endophytic fusarium oxysporum strain isolated from neem (A-indica) leaves - Siddiqui, Ejaz Ahmad; Ahmad, Absar; Julius, Anju; Syed, Asad; Khan, Shadab; Kharat, Mahesh; Pai, Kalpana; Kadoo, Narendra Y.; Gupta, Vidya (Current topics in medicinal chemistry, 2016)
Here we report a simple, rapid, environment friendly approach for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles using neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss.) fungal endophyte, which based upon morphological and cultural characteristics was eventually identified as Fusarium oxysporum. The aqueous precursor (HAuCl4) solution when reacted with endophytic fungus resulted in the biosynthesis of abundant amounts of well dispersed gold nanoparticles of 10-40 nm with an average size of 22nm. These biosynthesized gold nanoparticles were then characterized by standard analytical techniques such as UV-Visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Transmission Electron Microscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Cytotoxic activity of these nanoparticles was checked against three different cell types including breast cancer (ZR-75-1), Daudi (Human Burkitt's lymphoma cancer) and normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), where it was found that our gold nanoparticles are anti-proliferative against cancer cells but completely safe toward normal cells. In addition to this, assessment of toxicity toward human RBC revealed less than 0.1 % hemolysis as compared to Triton X-100 suggesting safe nature of our biosynthesized gold nanoparticles on human cells. Also, our nanoparticles exhibited no anti-fungal (against Aspergillus niger) or anti-bacterial [against Gram positive (Bacillus subtilis & Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram negative (Escherichia coli & Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria] activity thus suggesting their non-toxic, biocompatible nature. The present investigation opens up avenues for eco-friendly, biocompatible nanomaterials to be used in a wide variety of application such as drug delivery, therapeutics, theranostics and so on.

Building and analysis of protein-protein interactions related to diabetes mellitus using support vector machine, biomedical text mining and network analysis - Vyas, Renu; Bapat, Sanket; Jain, Esha; Karthikeyan, Muthukumarasamy; Tambe, Sanjeev; Kulkarni, Bhaskar D. (Computational Biology and Chemistry, 2016)
In order to understand the molecular mechanism underlying any disease, knowledge about the interacting proteins in the disease pathway is essential. The number of revealed protein-protein interactions (PPI) is still very limited compared to the available protein sequences of different organisms. Experiment based high-throughput technologies though provide some data about these interactions, those are often fairly noisy. Computational techniques for predicting protein protein interactions therefore assume significance. 1296 binary fingerprints that encode a combination of structural and geometric properties were developed using the crystallographic data of 15,000 protein complexes in the pdb server. In a case study, these fingerprints were created for proteins implicated in the Type 2 diabetes mellitus disease. The fingerprints were input into a SVM based model for discriminating disease proteins from non disease proteins yielding a classification accuracy of 78.2% (AUC value of 0.78) on an external data set composed of proteins retrieved via text mining of diabetes related literature. A PPI network was constructed and analysed to explore new disease targets. The integrated approach exemplified here has a potential for identifying disease related proteins, functional annotation and other proteomics studies. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Capsicum annuum proteinase inhibitor ingestion negatively impacts the growth of sorghum pest Chilo partellus and promotes differential protease expression - Jadhav, A. R.; War, A. R.; Nikam, A. N.; Adhav, A. S.; Gupta, V. S.; Sharma, H. C.; Giri, A. P.; Tamhane, V.A. (Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports, 2016)
Background Chilo partellus is an important insect pest infesting sorghum and maize. The larvae internalize in the stem, rendering difficulties in pest management. We investigated the effects of Capsicum annuum proteinase inhibitors (CanPIs) on C. partellus larvae by in-vitro and in-vivo experiments. Methods Recombinant CanPI-7 (with four-Inhibitory Repeat Domains, IRDs), -22 (two-IRDs) and insect proteinase activities were estimated by proteinase assays, dot blot assays and in gel activity assays. Feeding bioassays of lab reared C. partellus with CanPI-7 and -22 were performed. C. partellus proteinase gene expression was done by RT-PCR. In-silico structure prediction of proteinases and CanPI IRDs was carried out, their validation and molecular docking was done for estimating the interaction strength. Results Larval proteinases of C. partellus showed higher activity at alkaline pH and expressed few proteinase isoforms. Both CanPIs showed strong inhibition of C. partellus larval proteinases. Feeding bioassays of C. partellus with CanPIs revealed a dose dependent retardation of larval growth, reduction of pupal mass and fecundity, while larval and pupal periods increased significantly. Ingestion of CanPIs resulted in differential up-regulation of C. partellus proteinase isoforms, which were sensitive to CanPI-7 but were insensitive to CanPI-22. In-silico interaction studies indicated the strong interaction of IRD-9 (of CanPI-22) with Chilo proteinases tested. Conclusions Of the two PIs tested, CanPI-7 prevents induction of inhibitor insensitive proteinases in C. partellus so it can be explored for developing C. partellus tolerance in sorghum. General significance Ingestion of CanPIs, effectively retards C. partellus growth; while differentially regulating the proteinases.

Catalysis and catalytic processes - Ranade, V. V.; Joshi, S. S. (Industrial catalytic processes for fine and specialty chemicals, 2016)
Catalytic reactions are ubiquitous in chemical and allied industries. A homogeneous or heterogeneous catalyst that provides an alternative route of reaction with lower activation energy and better control of selectivity can make a substantial impact on process viability and economics. In this chapter, the basics of catalysis and catalytic processes are introduced. Some aspects of reaction and reactor engineering required to realize catalytic processes in practice are also discussed. In addition, the organization of the book is outlined.

Catalysis for fine and specialty chemicals - Joshi, S. S.; Bhatnagar, A.; Ranade, V. V. (Industrial catalytic processes for fine and specialty chemicals, 2016)
The fine and specialty chemical industry is extremely diverse, encompassing pharmaceuticals, dyestuffs, food additives, agrochemicals, polymer additives, flavors and fragrances, various chemical intermediates, etc. Fine and specialty chemicals have been around for more than 100 years and they are produced with the aim of either being used as is or in the form of additives/formulations. These organic chemicals are generally manufactured in batch or semibatch processes. Most of these generally involve multistep processes and often generate significant by-products/effluents per kg of useful products. Catalysis can be effectively used to reduce such waste generation and to minimize consumption of raw materials. In this chapter, we present various applications of homogeneous, as well as heterogeneous catalysis and catalytic processes, which are particularly relevant to fine and specialty chemicals

Cells and organs on chip - revolutionary platform for biomedicine - Joshi, Preeti Nigam (Lab-on-a-chip fabrication and application, 2016)

Characteristics of precipitation pattern in the Arabian Peninsula and its variability associated with ENSO - Babu, C. A.; Jayakrishnan, P. R.; Varikoden, Hamza (Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 2016)
A detailed analysis of the precipitation pattern of the Arabian Peninsula and its temporal and spatial variability were investigated in connection with ENSO. Also, the variability of precipitable water and circulation characteristics was examined for a better understanding. The study was carried out utilizing TRMM rainfall, NOAA OLR, precipitable water, wind, and humidity data sets. It is evident that Northern Arabian Peninsula receives high amount of rainfall mainly during winter and early summer (November to April) in connection with the passage of mid tropospheric westerly troughs and Mediterranean low-pressure systems. But the precipitation pattern over the Southern Arabian Peninsula reveals that it is mainly during summer (May to October) due to the Arabian Sea branch of monsoon and moisture laden cross equatorial LLJ flow. Further, analysis was carried out to assess the influence of ENSO on the precipitation pattern. Thorough analysis was carried out on the circulation pattern using velocity potential in the lower troposphere to understand the features of variability on Hadley/Walker circulation in relation with organized convection. El Nino and La Nina have profound influence on the rainfall pattern in a different manner in the Northern and Southern Arabian Peninsula. Large-scale circulation pattern as derived from velocity potential indicates that shifting of the rising/sinking limb of Hadley/Walker circulation associated with the ENSO causes variability in precipitation.
Keywords: Arid region; Circulation; El Nino and La Nina; Precipitation pattern

Chromium free high temperature water-gas shift catalyst for the production of hydrogen from waste derived synthesis gas - Jha, Ajay; Jeong, Dae-Woon; Lee, Yeol-Lim; Jang, Won-Jun; Shim, Jae-Oh; Jeon, Kyung-Won; Rode, Chandrashekhar V.; Roh, Hyun-Seog (Applied Catalysis A-General, 2016)
A comparative study between monometallic (Me-CeO2, Me =Zn, Cu, Fe and Co) and Ni-doped bimetallic (Me-Ni-CeO2) catalysts has been performed in the high temperature water-gas shift (HT-WGS) reaction using waste derived synthesis gas. Experimental results revealed that Me-Ni-CeO2 exhibited higher catalytic performance than simple Me-CeO2 catalysts. Within the Me-Ni-CeO2 series, Co-Ni-CeO2 exhibited excellent and stable catalytic performance (CO conversion > 90%) at a very high GHSV of 143,000 h(-1). The existence of high" concentration of Ce3+ ions and oxygen vacancies on the catalyst surface were responsible for the increased WGS activity of Co-Ni-CeO2. In addition, Co-Ni-CeO2 maintains a stable performance for 50 h. However, commercial Fe2O3-Cr2O3 catalyst showed a steep decline from their initial CO conversion values 15-10% within 5 h. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: CeO2; Co-Ni-CeO2; Lattice strain; oxygen vacancies; Water-gas shift

"Click" polymerization: a convenient strategy to prepare designer fullerene materials - Krishnamurthy, Munusamy; Krishnamoorthy, Kothandam; Arulkashmir, Arulraj; Raghavendra, V.; Murali, Adhigan; Jaisankar, Sellamuthu N.; Murugan, P.; Gurusamy-Thangavelu, Senthil A.; Nasar, A. Sultan; Mandal, Asit Baran; Samanta, Debasis (Materials & Design, 2016)
"Click" polymeric assemblies of fullerenes, thiophenes and aryl compounds were prepared for the first time to study their spectroscopic/chemical/electronic characteristics and possible applications in photovoltaic cells. The GPC and NMR spectroscopic data confirmed a moderate to high degree of polymerization while microscopic pictures showed well-defined arrangements of fullerenes. The FTIR studies indicated that the product is free from starting azide materials, whereas thermogravimetric analysis data suggested a good stability. Band gap of the material was determined using UV-Vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetric techniques and compared with computational investigation. The fullerene copolymer was fabricated as acceptor material in a bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cell. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cobalt-catalyzed bis-alkynylation of amides via double C–H bond activation - Landge, Vinod Gokulkrishna; Jaiswal, Garima; Balaraman, Ekambaram (Organic Letters, 2016)
The first example of cobalt-catalyzed selective bis-alkynylation of amides via double C–H bond activation with the directing assistance of a removable bidentate auxiliary is reported. The developed alkynylation strategy is simple, efficient, and tolerant of various functional groups including ether, amine, halides, and heterocyclic motifs. The reaction can be scaled up under mild conditions.

Comparative functional characterization of eugenol synthase from four different ocimum species: implications on eugenol accumulation - Anand, Atul; Jayaramaiah, Ramesha H.; Beedkar, Supriya D.; Singh, Priyanka A.; Joshi, Rakesh S.; Mulani, Fayaj A.; Dholakia, Bhushan B.; Punekar, Sachin A.; Gade, Wasudeo N.; Thulasiram, Hirekodathakallu V.; Giri, Ashok P. (Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta-Proteins and Proteomics, 2016)
Isoprenoids and phenylpropanoids are the major secondary metabolite constituents in Ocimum genus. Though enzymes from phenylpropanoid pathway have been characterized from few plants, limited information exists on how they modulate levels of secondary metabolites. Here, we performed phenylpropanoid profiling in different tissues from five Ocimum species, which revealed significant variations in secondary metabolites including eugenol, eugenol methyl ether, estragole and methyl cinnamate levels. Expression analysis of eugenol synthase (EGS) gene showed higher transcript levels especially in young leaves and inflorescence; and were positively correlated with eugenol contents. Additionally, transcript levels of coniferyl alcohol acyl transferase, a key enzyme diverting pool of substrate to phenylpropanoids, were in accordance with their abundance in respective species. In particular, eugenol methyl transferase expression positively correlated with higher levels of eugenol methyl ether in Ocimum tenuiflorum. Further, EGSs were functionally characterized from four Ocimum species varying in their eugenol contents. Kinetic and expression analyses indicated, higher enzyme turnover and transcripts levels, in species accumulating more eugenol. Moreover, biochemical and bioinformatics studies demonstrated that coniferyl acetate was the preferred substrate over coumaryl acetate when used, individually or together, in the enzyme assay. Overall, this study revealed the preliminary evidence for varied accumulation of eugenol and its abundance over chavicol in these Ocimum species. Current findings could potentially provide novel insights for metabolic modulations in medicinal and aromatic plants. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Concentration-dependent apparent partition coefficients of ionic liquids possessing ethyl-and bi-sulphate anions - Jain, Preeti; Kumar, Anil (Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2016)
This study deals with the concentration dependent apparent partition coefficients log P of the ethyl and bisulfate-based ionic liquids. It is observed that the bisulfate-based ionic liquids show different behaviour with respect to concentration as compared to ethyl sulphate-based ionic liquids. It is significant and useful analysis for the further implementation of alkyl sulfate based ionic liquids as solvents in extraction processes. The log P values of the ethyl sulphate-based ionic liquids were noted to vary linearly with the concentration of the ionic liquid, whereas a flip-flop trend with the concentration for the log P values of the bisulphate-based ionic liquids was observed due to the difference in hydrogen bond accepting basicity and possibility of aggregate formation of these anions. The pi-pi interactions between the imidazolium and pyridinium rings were seen to affect the log P values. The alkyl chain length of anions was also observed to influence the log P values. The hydrophobicity of ionic liquid changes with the alkyl chain in the anion in the order; [HSO4](-) < [EtSO4](-) < [BuSO4](-).

Conformational features of the Aβ42 peptide monomer and its interaction with the surrounding solvent - Khatua, Prabir; Jose, Jaya C.; Sengupta, Neelanjana; Bandyopadhyay, Sanjoy (Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2016)

Continuous flow doebner–miller reaction and isolation using continuous stirred tank reactors - Yadav, Maruti B.; Kulkarni, Sourabh; Joshi, Ramesh A.; Kulkarni, Amol A. (Organic Process Research & Development, 2016)
Continuous flow Doebner–Miller synthesis of different quinaldines from respective anilines is demonstrated using sulfuric acid as a homogeneous catalyst. The extent of reaction was monitored for various parameters, namely, temperature, residence time, mole ratio of sulfuric acid to substrate, mole ratio of crotonaldehyde to substrate, and so forth. Continuous stirred reactors in series were used as a preferred configuration for this rection that generates byproduct in the form of sticky solid material. The approach has been extended for six different anilines, and the results are compared with batch reactions. Continuous stirred reactors in series with distributed dosing of crotonaldehyde facilitated a continuous flow reaction with lower byproduct formation, increased yields, and continuous workup and is a scalable approach.

Correlating the role of hydrophilic/hydrophobic nature of Rh(I) and Ru(II) supported organosilica/silica catalysts in organotransformation reactions - Lazar, Anish; George, Shoy C.; Jithesh, P. R.; Vinod, C. P.; Singh, A. P. (Applied Catalysis A-General, 2016)
Highly reactive and hydrophobic triphenyl phosphine based rhodium(I) and ruthenium(II) organometallic complexes over benzene containing periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMOB) have been synthesized. This has been achieved by the immobilization of neat metal complexes like RhCl(PPh3)(3) [Wilkinson catalyst], RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)(3) and RuCl2(PPh3)(3) over aminofunctionalized PMOB to get RhCl(PPh3)(2)-PrNH2PMOB, RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)(2)-PrNH2PMOB and RuCl2(PPh3)(3)-PrNH2PMOB, respectively. The physico-chemical properties of the functionalized catalysts were analyzed by elemental analysis, ICP-OES, XRD, N-2 sorption analyses, FT-IR, solid state C-13 and Si-29 NMR spectra, XPS, SEM, TEM and contact angle measurements. The XRD and N-2 sorption analyses showed excellent textural properties with ordered mesoporous channel structure of all synthesized catalysts. The organic moieties anchored in PMOB were confirmed by C-13 CPMAS NMR and Fr-IR spectroscopy with Si-29 CPMAS NMR spectroscopy providing the information about the degree of functionalization of surface silanol groups with organic moiety. The Rh(I) and Ru(II) complexes supported on MCM-41/SBA-15/PMOE (ethane-PMO) were synthesized, and their catalytic activities in hydrogenation and sulfoxidation reactions were compared with Rh(I) and Ru(II) complexes supported on PMOB. The results show that PMOB based catalysts exhibit higher activities and selectivities than MCM-41/SBA-15/PMOB supported catalysts, neat homogeneous complexes and without catalyst. The better catalytic performance of PMOB based catalyst is attributed to the hydrophobic nature and high surface area of the PMOB support. The recycling studies of anchored catalysts show no major deactivation of the catalyst. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Heterogeneous catalysts; Hydrogenation and sulfoxidation; Hydrophobic; Periodic mesoporous organosilica

Crystal structure, computational studies, and stereoselectivity in the synthesis of 2-aryl-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acids via insitu imine intermediate - Jagtap, Rohidas M.; Rizvi, Masood A.; Dangat, Yuvraj B.; Pardeshi, Satish K. (Journal of Sulfur Chemistry, 2016)
This article presents the synthesis of (2R/2S,4R)-2-aryl-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acids via nucleophilic addition of L-Cysteine on aromatic aldehydes involving a yield and time-effective room temperature reaction in an aqueous DMSO medium in the presence of NaHCO3 as a base. The synthesized diastereomers were spectroscopically characterized and quantified for diastereomeric excess by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The impact of the type and position of substituent in aromatic aldehydes on reaction time, % yield, H-1 NMR shift at newly formed chiral center [C(2)-H], and diastereomeric excess (de%) have been investigated. A plausible mechanism for stereoselectivity via an in situ imine intermediate is proposed using real-time IR monitoring of the synthetic reaction based on the significant signals at 1597, 1593cm(-1) for imine (C=N) stretching. The imine mechanism for stereoselectivity was further supported by NMR studies of azomethine C-13 NMR signals at 159, 160ppm and by the single crystal structure of hitherto unknown (2S,4R)-3-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)thiazolidine-4-carbox ylic acid (3a) obtained as a major diastereomer in the synthesis of the butyloxy carbonyl (BOC) derivative of (2R/2S,4R)-2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid. The significant ortho-OH effect of phenolic hydroxyl group leading to strong hydrogen bondings plays a vital role in the formation of 2S,4R BOC derivative stereoselectively. The frontier molecular orbitals, possible electronic excitations, IR band characterizations, and reactivity parameters of newly reported compound (3a) have been predicted using quantum chemical descriptors from density functional theory. The theoretical exploration of experimental spectra using time-dependent DFT indicated a (-*) transition between HOMO and LUMO in the ultraviolet region.
Keywords: 2-aryl-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acids; density function theory; frontier molecular orbitals; imine intermediate; X-ray crystal structure

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel fluorinated pyrazole encompassing pyridyl 1,3,4-oxadiazole motifs - Desai, Nisheeth C.; Kotadiya, Ghanshyam M.; Trivedi, Amit R.; Khedkar, Vijay M.; Jha, Prakash C. (Medicinal Chemistry Research, 2016)
A rational approach was adopted for the synthesis of 1-(2-(3-(4-fluorophenyl)-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-5-(pyridin-4-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-3(2H)-yl)-3-(aryl)prop-2-en-1-ones (5a-n) using conventional heating as well as microwave irradiation techniques. Compounds 5a-n were tested for their in vitro antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity. Compounds 5g showed most potent antibacterial activity, while compound 5k emerged as the most effective antifungal agent. The most active compounds 5f, 5g, 5l, and 5m were also screened against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Among these compounds, 5g and 5m inhibited the growth against MRSA at low level of cytotoxicity. A binary quantitative structure-activity relationship based recursive partitioning model was developed to probe the physico-chemical properties influencing the structure-activity relationship for this class of molecules, which was used to correctly classify active and inactive compounds.

DFT based assay for tailor-made terpyridine ligand-metal complexation properties - Joshi, Krati; Krishnamurty, Sailaja; Singh, Iksha; Selvaraj, Kaliaperumal (Molecular Simulations, 2016)
Electron-rich terpyridine ligand and its metal complexes have a potential to grow as responsive surfaces by adapting their physicochemical properties as a function of environment. The responsiveness is brought about by judicious molecular level designing that is currently hindered due to lack of information and control on terpyridine (TPy)-metal (M) interactions at single molecule level. So far there is no organised understanding on the binding of different metals with TPy ligand and ways to modulate it. Being a large conjugated [GRAPHICS] system, TPy has a large scope to be functionalised with electron exchanging groups to alter its electronic structure and consequently its binding with metal atoms. In first report of such a kind, using density functional theory (DFT), we demonstrate that convenient modulation of TPy-M binding is possible through functionalisation of TPy for [GRAPHICS] , Ru, Fe, Mo and Au. Electron donating groups viz., CH [GRAPHICS] , OCH [GRAPHICS] , C [GRAPHICS] H [GRAPHICS] , NH [GRAPHICS] and electron withdrawing groups viz., CF [GRAPHICS] , COOH, CN and NO [GRAPHICS] are considered for functionalisation of TPy ligand. Significantly, the present work focuses on the functionalisation at 4 and 4 [GRAPHICS] positions of TPy molecule. The role of such a functionalisation in influencing the ligands structure-property correlation is missing in the literature to the best of our knowledge. The present investigation quantifies that by pertinent functionalisation of TPy, TPy-M binding energies can be modified up to [GRAPHICS] 60kcal/mol. Our results reveal that functionalisation leads to a considerable charge redistribution within the TPy-M complex with carbon atoms in pyridine rings functioning as major electron sink/source with a corresponding red/blue shift of [GRAPHICS] stretching frequency. This modifies the red-ox, optical and other chemical properties of TPy-M complexes. In brief, the present report illustrates a way to design ligands such as TPy for diverse applications through tailor-made functionalisation using electronic structure methodology.
Keywords: Binding energy; charge redistribution; Density functional theory; functionalisation; Metal organic complexes; metal-ligand interactions; terpyridine

Dietary flaxseed oil and fish oil ameliorates renal oxidative stress, protein glycation, and inflammation in streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induced diabetic rats - Jangale, Nivedita M.; Devarshi, Prasad P.; Bansode, Sneha B.; Kulkarni, Mahesh J.; Harsulkar, Abhay M. (Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry, 2016)
Protective and prophylactic effects of omega-3 fatty acids on oxidative stress and inflammation are well known. We assessed beneficial effects of flaxseed oil and fish oil on streptozotocin (65 mg/kg; i.p.)-nicotinamide (110 mg/kg; i.p.) induced diabetic rats by studying renal expression of antioxidant and inflammatory genes. Diabetic rats given 10 % flaxseed oil or 10 % fish oil diet for 35 days showed significant decrease in renal lipid peroxidation. Flaxseed oil diet resulted in up-regulation of renal superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD-1) (activity and expression) and glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPx-1) expression. Furthermore, both diets up-regulated catalase (CAT) (activity and expression) and down-regulated heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression. Both diets were able to limit the renal advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formation and reduced receptor of AGE (RAGE) protein expression significantly. Expressions of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and NF-kappa B p65 subunit were down-regulated significantly by flaxseed oil or fish oil diet. The histological tubular injuries were also lowered by both diets. These results suggest that dietary omega-3 fatty acids may slow the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN) associated with oxidative stress, glycation, and inflammation in the kidney.
Keywords: Diabetes; Fish oil; Flaxseed oil; Glycation; Kidney; Streptozotocin

Earth abundant iron-rich N-doped graphene based spacer and cavity materials for surface plasmon-coupled emission enhancements - Srinivasan, Venkatesh; Vernekar, Dnyanesh; Jaiswal, Garima; Jagadeesan, Dinesh; Ramamurthy, Sai Sathish (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2016)
We demonstrate for the first time the use of Fe based nanoparticles on N-doped graphene as spacer and cavity materials and study their plasmonic effect on the spontaneous emission of a radiating dipole. Fe-C-MF was produced by pyrolizing FeOOH and melamine formaldehyde precursor on graphene, while Fe-C-PH was produced by pyrolizing the Fe-phenanthroline complex on graphene. The use of the Fe-C-MF composite consisting of Fe-rich crystalline phases supported on N-doped graphene presented a spacer material with 116-fold fluorescence enhancements. On the other hand, the Fe-C-PH/Ag based cavity resulted in an 82-fold enhancement in Surface Plasmon-Coupled Emission (SPCE), with high directionality and polarization of Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) emission owing to Casimir and Purcell effects. The use of a mobile phone as a cost-effective fluorescence detection device in the present work opens up a flexible perspective for the study of different nanomaterials as tunable substrates in cavity mode and spacer applications.
Keywords: Casimir effect; fluorescence enhancements; iron carbides; N-doped graphene; Purcell factor; surface plasmon-coupled emission

Effect of different temperature on structural, magnetic and dielectric properties of strontium hexaferrite powder synthesised using aloe vera plant extracts - Solanki, Neha; Jotania, R. B.; Khomane, Ramdas B.; Kulkarni, B. D. (Advanced Science Letters, 2016)
M-type SrFe12O19 hexaferrite particles synthesized using the aloe vera plant extract. Biological materials of microorganisms, plants, enzymes have been suggested as an ecological alternative for conventional reagents in physical and chemical methods. In present paper we report effect of temperature on structural, morphology, magnetic and dielectric properties of M-type SrFe12O19 particles synthesised by Green synthesis technique using Aloe vera plant extract. The metal nitrates (Sr and Fe) were dissolved in aloe vera extract solution and then mixture was kept in oil bath at 100 degrees C till it become dry. The obtain dried powder calcined in a wide temperature range, from 450 degrees C to 1150 degrees C for 4 hours in a static air atmosphere. The calcined powders were characterised using various instrumental techniques like Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM), and dielectric measurements. XRD, FTIR, SEM, Magnetic and dielectric measurements were carried out at room temperature. XRD analysis confirms the formation of mono phase of strontium hexaferrite at 1150 degrees C.
Keywords: Aloe Vera Extract; green synthesis; M-Type Hexaferrite; Strontium Hexaferrite

Effect of mixed acid catalysis on pretreatment and enzymatic digestibility of sugar cane bagasse - Pal, Siddhartha; Joy, Shereena; Kumbhar, Pramod; Trimukhe, K. D.; Varma, Anjanikumar; Padmanabhan, Sasisanker (Energy & Fuels, 2016)
Aqueous pretreatment using homogeneous acid catalyst is considered as a low-cost technology in the production of lignocellulosic bioethanol. To establish the synergism of mixed acids, pilot-level aqueous pretreatments of bagasse covering a wide range of combined severity (CS) were carried out. To investigate the effect of application of mixture of acids on xylose hydrolysis as well as glucose hydrolysis via pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis, the following three combinations of acids were explored: (1) oxalic acid + sulfuric acid (organic + mineral acid), (2) phosphoric + sulfuric acid (mineral acids), and (3) ferric chloride + sulfuric acid (Lewis acid with a mineral acid). Of the pretreatments evaluated, the synergism was most pronounced for the combination of sulfuric and phosphoric acid, which resulted in more than 90% conversion of hemicellulose to xylose and 70% conversion of cellulose to glucose through enzymatic hydrolysis. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) studies of pretreated samples showed higher syringyl/guaiacyl (S/G) ratio for sulfuric and phosphoric acid combination pretreatment, leading to higher enzymatic conversion. FTIR and dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments conducted on pretreated sugar cane bagasse provided useful correlation with regard to the pretreatment type, particle size, and enzymatic hydrolysis.

Effect of plasma treatment on multilayer graphene: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, surface morphology investigations and work function measurements - Patil, Urmila V.; Pawbake, Amit S.; Machuno, Luis G. B.; Gelamo, Rogerio V.; Jadkar, Sandesh R.; Rout, Chandra Sekhar; Late, Dattatray J. (RSC Advances, 2016)
We report here the effect of plasma treatment on multilayer graphene samples as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and surface morphology studies with atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The plasma treatment was modified to introduce controlled levels of defects and functionalities to the graphene samples to give tunable properties. The elemental composition and structure were investigated by XPS and micro Raman spectroscopy. The XPS study showed that there was a slight variation in the sp(2)/sp(3) hybridization ratio between the plasma-treated samples and the pristine sample. Kelvin probe measurements were carried out on all the multilayer graphene samples and indicated a slight variation in the work function of the graphene samples after plasma treatment.

Effect of plug temperature on the strain and thickness distribution ofcomponents made by plug assist thermoforming - Marathe, D.; Rokade, D.; Azad, Lal Busher; Jadhav, Kishor; Mahajan, Sunil; Ahmad, Zubair; Gupta, S.; Kulkarni, S.; Juvekar, Vinay A.; Lele, Ashish K. (International Polymer Processing, 2016)
Plug temperature is a key parameter affecting the thickness distribution of thermoplastic components made by plug assist thermoforming. For a specified pair of plug and plastic sheet, the variation in plug temperature can alter the coefficient of friction (COF) between the pair. We show here how the temperature dependence of COF influences the nature and extent of biaxial stretching of the sheet and consequently the thickness distribution of the thermoformed component. In the present study, high impact polystyrene (HIPS) sheets were thermoformed into axisymmetric cups using a plug-assist process in which the aluminum plug temperature (T-plug) was varied from ambient to above the glass transition temperature of HIPS (similar to 100 degrees C). Biaxial strain maps on the surfaces of the formed cups were measured and quantified using Grid Strain Analysis (GSA). Thickness distributions of the cups were also measured. Temperature dependent COF between HIPS and aluminum was determined independently using a rotational rheometer. The measured COF was low for T < 100 degrees C, whereas it increased appreciably at and above 100 degrees C. We conclude that when T-plug < 100 degrees C the HIPS sheet slips on the plug during forming, and this results in biaxial stretching of the base and walls of the formed cup. In contrast for T-plug > 100 degrees C, a significant reduction in the magnitude of slip is expected. Here the sheet is gripped at the clamp and by the plug during forming which causes reduced biaxial stretching of the base and increased uniaxial stretching of the walls of the cup. Simulations of plug-assist thermoforming using a temperature dependent COF showed qualitative agreement with the GSA data thereby supporting our inferences.

Effect of sintering temperature and vinca petals extract on structural and magnetic properties of delafossite CuFeO2 - Dhruv, Preksha N.; Solanki, Neha; Kulkarni, Shailja; Jotania, R. B. (International Conference On Condensed Matter and Applied Physics (ICC 2015), 2016)
Delathssite CuFeO2, multi ferroic powder was synthesized using Sol-Gel auto combustion method. Influence of vinea flower petals extract on structural and magnetic properly of CuFeO2 were investigated. X-ray analysis of normal samples (synthesized without presence of vinca petals extract) shows formation of hematite and ferrite phases while the sample synthesized in presence of vinca petals extract show only mono phase. The absorption bands in FTIR spectra present between 510-460 cm(-1)in both the samples are due to stretching of Fe-O vibrations. VSM analysis shows that the squareness ratio (Mr/Ms) of the sample prepared using vinca petals extract obtains value of squareness ratio <0.5, which attributes multi domain formation of samples.

Effective noncovalent functionalization of poly(ethylene glycol) to reduced graphene oxidenanosheets through gamma-radiolysis for enhanced lubrication - Gupta, Bhavana; Kumar, Niranjan; Panda, Kalpataru; Melvin, Ambrose A.; Joshi, Shailesh; Dash, Sitaram; Tyagi, Ashok Kumar (Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2016)
High-quality reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets (NSs) were synthesized by the oxidation of graphite followed by hydrazine treatment for the reduction of the oxygen functionalities. gamma-Radiolysis was then used for the functionalization of the rGO-NSs with poly(ethylene glycol) 200 (PEG200). The functionalization resulted in the intercalation of PEG200 molecules in rGO through hydrogen bonding between the hydroxyl groups of rGO and the oxygen atoms of PEG200 molecules. This resulted in an increase in the d spacing of the graphene sheets and a decrease in the defect density of the carbon network in the rGO. The friction coefficient and wear of sliding steel surfaces were reduced by 38% and 55%, respectively, when 0.03 mg mL(-1) PEG200-functionalized rGO dispersed in PEG200 was used. The lubrication properties can be described by bipolar interactions between PEG200 and rGO, leading to effective dispersion. Chemical analysis of wear particles showed decomposition of rGO into nanosized graphite domains, as exhibited by mechanical energy produced in tribo-contact. Moreover, these domains formed effective and stable tribofilms on the steel wear tracks that easily sheared under the action of contact stress. This significantly enhanced the antifriction and antiwear properties, resulting in improved oxidation resistance of PEG200 under the tribo-contact. It was found that, at high rGO concentrations, the lubrication efficiency decreased as a result of graphene-graphene intersheet collisions, producing mechanical energy and chemical defects at contact interfaces.

Enhanced field emission behavior of layered MoSe2 - Suryawanshi, Sachin R.; Pawbake, Amit S.; Pawar, Mahendra S.; Jadkar, Sandesh R.; More, Mahendra A.; Late, Dattatray J. (Materials Research Express, 2016)
Herein, we report one step facile chemical vapor deposition method for synthesis of single-layer MoSe2 nanosheets with average lateral dimension similar to 60 mu m on 300 nm SiO2/Si and n-type silicon substrates and field emission investigation of MoSe2/Si at the base pressure of similar to 1 x 10(-8) mbar. The morphological and structural analyses of the as-deposited single-layer MoSe2 nanosheets were carried out using an optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Furthermore, the values of turn-on and threshold fields required to extract an emission current densities of 1 and 10 mu A cm(-2), are found to be similar to 1.9 and similar to 2.3 V mu m(-1), respectively. Interestingly, the MoSe2 nanosheet emitter delivers maximum field emission current density of similar to 1.5 mA cm(-2) at a relatively lower applied electric field of similar to 3.9 V mu m(-1). The long term operational current stability recorded at the preset values of 35 mu A over 3 hr duration and is found to be very good. The observed results demonstrates that the layered MoSe2 nanosheet based field emitter can open up many opportunities for their potential application as an electron source in flat panel display, transmission electron microscope, and x-ray generation. Thus, the facile one step synthesis approach and robust nature of single-layer MoSe2 nanosheets emitter can provide prospects for the future development of practical electron sources.
Keywords: atomically thin nanosheets; chemical vapor deposition; field emission; layered MoSe2

Enhancing the strain sensitivity of CoFe2O4 at low magnetic fields without affecting the magnetostriction coefficient by substitution of small amounts of Mg for Fe - Anantharamaiah, P. N.; Joy, Pattayil Alias (Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2016)
Attaining high magnetostrictive strain sensitivity (d lambda/dH) with high magnetostriction strain (lambda) is desirable for sintered polycrystalline cobalt ferrite for various applications. It is shown that substitution of a small amount of Fe3+ by Mg2+ in CoMgxFe2-xO4 (x < 0.1) gives a comparable maximum magnetostriction coefficient to that of the unsubstituted counterpart, with large improvement in the strain sensitivity at relatively low magnetic fields. A large increase in the magnetostriction coefficient is obtained at low magnetic fields for the substituted compositions. The magnetostriction parameters are further enhanced by magnetic field annealing of the sintered products. The results are analyzed based on powder XRD, Raman spectroscopy, XPS and magnetic measurements and based on the results from these studies, the changes in the magnetostriction parameters are correlated with the changes in the cation distribution, magnetic anisotropy and microstructure.

Epilogue - Ranade, V. V.; Joshi, S. S. (Industrial catalytic processes for fine and specialty chemicals, 2016)
This chapter recaptures the key points and the lessons learned from our experience in applying the material discussed in this book to addressing industrially relevant issues. Some comments on future trends in catalysis and catalytic processes are included. We hope that this book will stimulate further work on this very important area from an industrial as well as a scientific point of view.

Evaluating the anticancer activity and nanoparticulate nature of homeopathic preparations of Terminalia chebula - Wani, Kirtee; Shah, Nilesh; Prabhune, Asmita; Jadhav, Arun; Ranjekar, Prabhakar; Kaul-Ghanekar, Ruchika (Homeopathy, 2016)
Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among women and is the second leading cause of cancer death. Homeopathic medicines are part of the alternative medicines that are given as a supportive therapy in breast cancer. The objective of this study was to investigate the anticancer activity of commercially available homeopathic preparations of Terminalia chebula (TC) and evaluate their nanoparticulate nature. Methods: Mother tincture (MT) and other homeopathic preparations (3X, 6C and 30C) of TC were tested for their effect on the viability of breast cancer (MDAMB231 and MCF7) and non-cancerous (HEK 293) cell lines by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Cell growth assay was performed to analyze the effect of the different potencies on the growth kinetics of breast cancer cells. MT and 6C were evaluated for the presence of nanoparticles by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results: MT decreased the viability of breast cancer (MDAMB231 and MCF7) and non-cancerous (HEK 293) cells. However, the other potencies (3X, 6C and 30C) decreased the viability of only breast cancer cells without affecting the viability of the non-cancerous cells. All the potencies, MT, 3X, 6C and 30C, reduced growth kinetics of breast cancer cells, more specifically at 1:10 dilution at 24, 48 and 72 h. Under SEM, MT appeared as a mesh-like structure whereas under TEM, it showed presence of nanoclusters. On the other hand, 6C potency contained 20 nm sized nanoparticles. Conclusion: The current study reports the anticancer activity of homeopathic preparations of TC against breast cancer and reveals their nanoparticulate nature. These preliminary results warrant further mechanistic studies at both in vitro and in vivo levels to evaluate the potential of TC as nanomedicine in breast cancer.

Evaluation of uttroside B, a saponin from Solanum nigrum Linn, as a promising chemotherapeutic agent against hepatocellular carcinoma - Nath, Lekshmi R.; Gorantla, Jaggaiah N.; Thulasidasan, Arun Kumar T.; Vijayakurup, Vinod; Shah, Shabna; Anwer, Shabna; Joseph, Sophia M.; Antony, Jayesh; Veena, Kollery Suresh; Sundaram, Sankar; Marelli, Udaya K.; Lankalapalli, Ravi S.; et al. (Scientific Reports, 2016)
We report, for the first time, the remarkable efficacy of uttroside B, a potent saponin from Solanum nigrum Linn, against liver cancer. The compound has been isolated and characterized from the leaves of Solanum nigrum Linn, a plant widely used in traditional medicine and is a rich resource of several anticancer molecules. Uttroside B, that comprises of beta-D-glucopyranosyl unit at C-26 of the furostanol and beta-lycotetraosyl unit at C-3, is ten times more cytotoxic to the liver cancer cell line, HepG2 (IC50: 0.5 mu M) than sorafenib (IC50: 5.8 mu M), the only FDA-approved drug for liver cancer. Moreover, it induces cytotoxicity in all liver cancer cell lines, irrespective of their HBV status, while being non-toxic to normal immortalized hepatocytes. It induces apoptosis in HepG2 cells by down-regulating mainly the activation of MAPK and mTOR pathways. The drastic reduction in HepG2-xenograft tumor size achieved by uttroside B in NOD-SCID mice and substantiation of its biological safety through both acute and chronic toxicity studies in Swiss albino mice warrants clinical validation of the molecule against hepatic cancer, for which, the chemotherapeutic armamentarium currently has limited weapons.

Evidence for dry molten globule-like domains in the pH-induced equilibrium folding intermediate of a multidomain protein - Acharya, Nirbhik; Mishra, Prajna; Jha, Santosh Kumar (Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 2016)
The role of van der Waals (vdW) packing interactions compared to the hydrophobic effect in stabilizing the functional structure of proteins is poorly understood. Here we show, using fluorescence resonance energy transfer, dynamic fluorescence quenching, red-edge excitation shift, and near- and far-UV circular dichroism, that the pH-induced structural perturbation of a multidomain protein leads to the formation of a state in which two out of the three domains have characteristics of dry molten globules, that is, the domains are expanded compared to the native protein with disrupted packing interactions but have dry cores. We quantitatively estimate the energetic contribution of vdW interactions and show that they play an important role in the stability of the native state and cooperativity of its structural transition, in addition to the hydrophobic effect. Our results also indicate that during the pH-induced unfolding, side-chain unlocking and hydrophobic solvation occur in two distinct steps and not in concerted manner, as commonly believed

Facile O-glycosylation of glycals using Glu-Fe3O4-SO3H, a magnetic solid acid catalyst - Thombal, R. S.; Jadhav, V. H. (RSC Advances, 2016)
A new glucose derived magnetic solid acid catalyst (Glu-Fe3O4-SO3H) was synthesized in a convenient and ecofriendly manner and well characterized using FTIR, PXRD, EDAX, SEM, and XPS which showed the presence of Fe3O4 embedded on the surface of the catalyst along with -SO3H, -OH and -COOH functional groups. This new heterogeneous catalyst was studied for synthesis of 2-deoxy galactosides/glucosides with good yields and selectivity. Moreover, the catalyst can be easily separated from the reaction with an external magnetic force and reused for a minimum of four times without any significant decrease in the yields of the products after every recycle

Fine tuning the composition and nanostructure of Fe-based core-shell nanocatalyst for efficient CO2 hydrogenation - Gupta, Sharad; Jain, Vivek K.; Jagadeesan, Dinesh (Chemnanomat, 2016)
Hydrogenation of CO2 to hydrocarbons is one of the crucial technologies to address the energy deficit and increasing environmental pollution. In this work, we have synthesized and systematically studied the influence of composition and nanostructure of a Fe-based, carbon-coated core shell nanocatalyst. The synthesis method offered good control over the thickness of the carbon coating in the core shell catalyst, which in turn controlled the chemical composition of the core. The results emphasized an optimal amount of Fe3O4, Fe5C2 in the core and partially graphitized carbon in the shell for a high catalytic activity in the conversion of CO2 at atmospheric pressure with higher selectivity to C-2-C-4 olefins.

Fluorescent carbon nanodots for targeted in vitro cancer cell imaging - Aiyer, Sandhya; Prasad, Rajendra; Kumar, Manoj; Niryikar, K.; Jain, Bhanprakash; Kushwaha, Omkar S. (Applied Materials Today, 2016)
Carbon quantum dots (CQDs or C-dots, <= 10nm in size) are tiny carbon nanoparticles being envisaged in biosensing, bio-imaging and biomolecular/drug delivery. In the present investigation, green fluorescent carbon quantum/nano dots (GCQDs, similar to 3 nm in size) were synthesized through facile chemical slicing method. Further, folic acid (FA) functionalized GCQDs (GCQDs-FA) were obtained to enhance their targeting ability. FA is known to positively influence the binding potential and penetration into the cancer cells because of high abundance of folate receptors (FR) on various cancer cell membranes. We report high biocompatibility, photoluminescence stability and excellent in vitro cancer cell cytoplasm and nucleus targeting performance of GCQDs-FA on MCF-7 breast cancer cells. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Cancer cell bio-imaging; Carbon quantum/nano dots; Cell cytoplasm and nucleus targeting; Green fluorescence; Photoluminescence stability; Targeting ability

Fluorescent probe for bisulfite ions: its application to two-photon tissue imaging - Agarwalla, Hridesh; Pal, Suman; Paul, Anirban; Jun, Yong Woong; Bae, Juryang; Ahn, Kyo Han; Srivastava, Divesh N.; Das, Amitava (Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 2016)
A benzoxazinone based fluorescent probe for the specific and efficient detection of bisulfite ions in aqueous medium is described. The probe formed a bisulfite/sulphite adduct with an associated turn-on fluorescence response in the red wavelength region. No interference was observed in the detection process from all possible competing anions and molecules, including cyanide ion, cysteine, homocysteine and glutathione. In addition, the probe showed a fast response time, low detection limit, and cell membrane permeability. Furthermore, the probe was two-photon excitable, enabling imaging of endogenous bisulfite ions in HeLa cells as well as in deep tissues from different organs of mouse.

Functional characterization and transient expression manipulation of a new sesquiterpene synthase involved in beta-caryophyllene accumulation in Ocimum - Jayaramaiah, Ramesha H.; Anand, Atul; Beedkar, Supriya D.; Dholakia, Shushan B.; Punekar, Sachin A.; Kalunke, Raviraj M.; Gade, Wasudeo N.; Thulasiram, Hirekodathakallu V.; Giri, Ashok P. (Biochemical And Biophysical Research Communications, 2016)
The genus Ocimum has a unique blend of diverse secondary metabolites, with major proportion of terpenoids including mono- and sesquiterpenes. Although, beta-Caryophyllene, bicyclic sesquiterpene, is one of the major terpene found in Ocimum species and known to possess several biological activities, not much is known about its biosynthesis in Ocimum. Here, we describe isolation and characterization of beta-caryophyllene synthase gene from Ocimum kilimandscharicum Gurke (OkBCS- GenBank accession no. KP226502). The open reading frame of 1629 bp encoded a protein of 542 amino acids with molecular mass of 63.6 kDa and pl value of 5.66. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed 50-70% similarity with known sesquiterpene synthases from angiosperms. Recombinant OkBCS converted farnesyl diphosphate to beta-caryophyllene as a major product (94%) and 6% alpha-humulene. Expression variation of OkBCS well corroborated with beta-caryophyllene levels in different tissues from five Ocimum species. OkBCS transcript revealed higher expression in leaves and flowers. Further, agro-infiltration based transient expression manipulation with OkBCS over-expression and silencing confirmed its role in beta-caryophyllene biosynthesis. These findings may potentially be further utilized to improve plant defense against insect pests. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: beta-Caryophyllene; Natural product biosynthesis; Ocimum; Terpene synthase; Transient expression

Fungal mediated kinetic resolution of racemic acetates to (R)-alcohols using fusarium proliferatum - Jadhav, Dipesh D.; Patil, Harshal S.; Chaya, Patil S.; Thulasiram, Hirekodathakallu V. (Tetrahedron Letters, 2016)
Fungal mediated kinetic resolution of seven acyclic/aromatic acetates was achieved using Fusarium proliferatum to furnish (R)-alcohols in high enantiomeric excess (>95%). The kinetic resolution was established as one-pot two-step de-esterification/oxidation biocatalytic process. Further, the preparative scale synthesis of (R)-(+)-1-phenylethanol was accomplished through de-esterification/oxidation of (+/-)-1-phenylethyl acetate using the whole cell of F. proliferatum NCIM 1105. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ganglioside GM1 interacts with the serotonin1A receptor via the sphingolipid binding domain - Prasanna, X.; Jafurulla, M.; Sengupta, Durba; Chattopadhyay, Amitabha (Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 2016)
Glycosphingolipids are minor yet essential components of eukaryotic cell membranes and are involved in a variety of cellular processes. Although glycosphingolipids such as GM1 have been previously reported to influence the function of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the molecular mechanism remains elusive. In this paper, we have explored the interaction of GM1 with the serotonin1A receptor, an important neurotransmitter receptor that belongs to the GPCR family. To examine the molecular basis of the interaction of GM1 with the serotonin1A receptor, we performed a series of coarse-grain molecular dynamics simulations of the receptor embedded in membrane bilayers containing GM1. Our results show that GM1 interacts with the serotonin1A receptor predominantly at the extracellular loop 1 and specifically at the sphingolipid binding domain (SBD). The SBD motif consists of a characteristic combination of aromatic, basic and turn-inducing residues, and is evolutionarily conserved in case of the serotonin1A receptor. The interaction of the SBD site with GM1 appears to stabilize a 'flip-out' conformation in which W102 of the extracellular loop 1 flips out from the central lumen of the receptor toward the membrane. The population of the 'flip-out' conformation is increased in the presence of cholesterol. Our data strongly suggest that a direct interaction between GM1 and the SBD site of the serotonin1A receptor may occur in vivo. In view of the reported role of GM1 and the serotonin1A receptor in neurodegenerative diseases, GM1-receptor interaction assumes significance in the context of malfunctioning of neuronal GPCRs under such conditions.

Gas-solid interaction of H-2-Ce0.95Zr0.05O2: new insights into surface participation in heterogeneous catalysis - Jain, Ruchi; Dubey, Anjani; Ghosalya, Manoj Kumar; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S. (Catalysis Science & Technology, 2016)
A direct interaction between a reduction medium (H-2) and a Ce0.95Zr0.05O2 (CZ) solid surface was explored through ambient pressure photoelectron spectroscopy (APPES), with conventional X-ray and He-I photon sources, in H-2 atmosphere up to 0.1 mbar pressure and 773 K. A porous CZ thin film was prepared by a combination of sol-gel and spin-coating methods, and was employed to understand the redox nature of ceria under reduction conditions. The maximum of 45% Ce3+ along with the corresponding oxygen vacancy was observed due to reduction. An unprecedented decrease in the valence band (VB) energy up to 1.4 eV was observed on reduction along with a narrowing of VB. The highest occupied energy band derived from Ce 4f also shifts closer to E-F. H-2 molecular vibration observed in VB-APPES was employed as a probe to explore the surface potential changes along with the dynamic change in the nature of the surface under reduction conditions. The surface potential decreases by 0.27 eV up to 673 K, and then it reverts by 0.24 eV on further reduction at 773 K for different reasons. Further, an enhancement in the Ce 5d-O 2p interaction occurs at the expense of the Ce 4f-O 2p interaction under the above reduction conditions. Vacuum annealing and H-2 reduction after that show significantly more VB shift and enhanced reduction than H-2 reduction alone. Although Ce reduction occurs on high temperature vacuum annealing of CZ, a significantly lower amount of oxygen vacancies appears. This study shows the dynamic changes in the nature of the surface due to a gas (H-2)-solid (CZ) interaction and ensuing electronic structure changes that influence heterogeneous catalysis. It also underscores the necessity to study the catalytic materials under in situ conditions or closer to that.

Glycation induces conformational changes in Amyloid-? peptide and enhances its aggregation propensity: molecular insights - Jana, Asis K.; Batkulwar, Kedar B.; Kulkarni, Mahesh J.; Sengupta, Neelanjana (Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2016)

Graphene quantum dot-based on-chip electrochemical DNA hybridization sensor for pancreatic cancer - Joshi, Preeti Nigam; Waghmode, S (Reports in Electrochemistry, 2016)

Graphene quantum dots - from emergence to nanotheranostic applications - Joshi, Preeti Nigam; Kundu, Subir; Sanghi, Sunil K.; Sarkar, Dhiman (Smart Drug Delivery System, 2016)

Green chemistry in nanotechnology: opportunities and future challenges - Joshi, Preeti Nigam (Research and Reviews: Journal of Chemistry, 2016)

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from purple acid phosphatase apoenzyme isolated from a new source limonia acidissima - Pawar, Omkar; Deshpande, Neelima; Dagade, Sharda; Waghmode, Shobha; Joshi, Preeti Nigam (Journal of Experimental Nanoscience, 2016)
Green synthesis of nanoparticles is regarded as a safe and non-toxic process whereas conventional synthesis using chemical methods produces toxic substance. This study provides a novel insight for enzymatic synthesis method of silver nanoparticles using purple acid phosphatase, isolated from Limonia acidissima (wood apple) as a new source and used in the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Stable silver nanoparticles were produced by sonochemical method using apoenzyme as a stabilising and capping agent and were characterised by various physicochemical techniques like UV-Visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. X-ray study shows that nanoparticles are composed of silver and silver oxide. The synthesised nanoparticles exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.
Keywords: green synthesis; Limonia acidissima; purple acid phosphatase; silver nanoparticles

Hierarchical K/LTL zeolites: synthesis by alkali treatment, characterization and catalytic performance in knoevenagel condensation reaction - Tangale, Nilesh P.; Sonar, Shilpa K.; Niphadkar, Prashant S.; Joshi, Praphulla N. (Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 2016)
The hierarchical K/LTL zeolites prepared by post-synthesis modification with aqueous 1.5 M KOH solution by varying alkali volume to K/LTL zeolite (10-70 ml/g) ratios, were examined in Knoevenagel condensation. The physico-chemical properties of the catalysts were thoroughly evaluated by PXRD, ICP, CO2-TPD, XPS, N-2 adsorption/desorption and Si-29 and Al-22 MAS-NMR. Among all the samples, hierarchical K/LTL prepared by treating K/LTL with 50 ml aqueous 1.5 M KOH solution per gram of K/LTL displayed about 1.5 fold higher catalytic activity as compared to parent K/LTL, presumably because of combined effect of enhanced basicity and molecular diffusion through pore channels. (C)2016 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Basicity; Hierarchical zeolite; K/LTL; Knoevenagel condensation; Micro-mesoporous composite

High performance humidity sensor and photodetector based on SnSe nanorods - Pawbake, Amit S.; Jadkar, Sandesh R.; Late, Dattatray J. (Materials Research Express, 2016)
Tin selenide (SnSe) nanorods were synthesized using a. one-step solvothermal route and. their. humidity sensing and photodetection performance at room temperature were investigated. The results depict. that SnSe nanorod-based humidity and photosensors have. good long-term stability, are. highly sensitive and have. fast response and recovery times. In the. case of the. humidity sensor it was observed that the resistance of the films decreased. with increasing relative humidity (RH). The humidity sensing behaviors were investigated in the range. 11-97% RHat room temperature. A. response time of similar to 68 s and recovery time of similar to 149 s were observed for. the humidity sensor. The photosensing behavior showed. typical response/recovery times of similar to 3 s with highly reproducible behavior.

Highly stereoselective, intermolecular haloetherification and haloesterification of allyl amides - Soltanzadeh, Bardia; Jaganathan, Arvind; Borhan, Babak (Synthesis-Stuttgart, 2016)

Highly transparent wafer-scale synthesis of crystalline WS2 nanoparticle thin film for photodetector and humidity-sensing applications - Pawbake, Amit S.; Waykar, Ravindra G.; Late, Dattatray J.; Jadkar, Sandesh R. (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2016)
In the present investigation, we report a one-step synthesis method of wafer-scale highly crystalline tungsten disulfide (WS2) nanoparticle thin film by using a modified hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HW-CVD) technique. The average size of WS2 nanoparticle is found to be 25-40 nm over an entire 4 in. wafer of quartz substrate. The low-angle XRD data of WS2 nanoparticle shows the highly crystalline nature of sample along with orientation (002) direction. Furthermore, Raman spectroscopy shows two prominent phonon vibration modes of E12g and A1g at similar to 356 and similar to 420 cm(-1), respectively, indicating high purity of material. The TEM analysis shows good crystalline quality of sample. The synthesized WS2 nanoparticle thin film based device shows good response to humidity and good photosensitivity along with good long-term stability of the device. It was found that the resistance of the films decreases with increasing relative humidity (RH). The maximum humidity sensitivity of 469% along with response time of similar to 12 s and recovery time of similar to 13 s were observed for the WS2 thin film humidity sensor device. In the case of photodetection, the response time of similar to 51 s and recovery time of similar to 88 s were observed with sensitivity similar to 137% under white light illumination. Our results open up several avenues to grow other transition metal dichalcogenide nanoparticle thin film for large-area nanoelectronics as well as industrial applications.
Keywords: chemical vapor deposition; humidity sensor; nanoparticle; photosensor; thin film; tungsten disulfide

Hydralazine inhibits amyloid beta (Aβ) aggregation and glycation and ameliorates Aβ1–42 induced neurotoxicity - Batkulwar, Kedar B.; Jana, Asis K.; Godbole, Rashmi K.; Khandelwal, Puneet; Sengupta, Neelanjana; Kulkarni, Mahesh J. (RSC Advances, 2016)

Improved performance of microcapsules with polymer nanocomposite wall: preparation and characterization - Jagtap, Siddheshwar B.; Mohan, Muthu Subramanian; Shukla, Parshuram G. (Polymer, 2016)
Polyurea/clay nanocomposite microcapsules containing dimethyl phthalate (DMP) as a model compound were prepared by interfacial polymerization technique. Nanoclays namely, montmorillonite Na+ (MMT) and Laponite were incorporated into microcapsule wall and their effects on morphology, thermal properties and release of DMP from microcapsules were investigated. All microcapsules were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The present preparation process results in formation of polyurea/clay nanocomposite microcapsule wall with intercalated clay layered as evidenced by XRD and TEM. Nanocomposite microcapsules have shown significant reduction in release of DMP and change in release mechanism as compared to the pristine microcapsules. Nanocomposite microcapsules show good improvement in the fracture strength as compared to pristine microcapsules. The approach used herein is simple and can be adopted to many other polymeric microcapsule systems prepared by different microencapsulation techniques, requiring reduction in release rate and/or mechanism for several applications like pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, industrially important chemicals, consumer products, etc. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Microcapsules; Nanoclay; Nanocomposites; Polyurea; Release mechanism

Industrial catalytic processes for fine and specialty chemicals - Joshi, S. S.; Ranade, V. V. (Elsevier Inc., 2016)
Industrial Catalytic Processes for Fine and Specialty Chemicals provides a comprehensive methodology and state-of-the art toolbox for industrial catalysis. The book begins by introducing the reader to the interesting, challenging, and important field of catalysis and catalytic processes. The fundamentals of catalysis and catalytic processes are fully covered before delving into the important industrial applications of catalysis and catalytic processes, with an emphasis on green and sustainable technologies. Several case studies illustrate new and sustainable ways of designing catalysts and catalytic processes. The intended audience of the book includes researchers in academia and industry, as well as chemical engineers, process development chemists, and technologists working in chemical industries and industrial research laboratories. Discusses the fundamentals of catalytic processes, catalyst preparation and characterization, and reaction engineering Outlines the homogeneous catalytic processes as they apply to specialty chemicals Introduces industrial catalysis and catalytic processes for fine chemicals Includes a number of case studies to demonstrate the various processes and methods for designing green catalysts.

Influence of carbon and phosphorus doping on electronic properties of ZnO - Sharma, Vidhika; Prasad, Mohit; Jadkar, Sandesh; Pal, Sourav (Journal of Materials Science-Materials in Electronics, 2016)
ZnO is one of the most promising candidate for photoelectrochemical splitting of water for hydrogen production. To increase the efficiency of ZnO based photoelectrochemical cell, its band-gap and band edges should be tailored to match visible light spectra and water redox potential respectively. In this paper, First-principles density functional theory calculations have been performed to evaluate the effect of non-metal dopants on electronic properties of ZnO. The model structures of X-doped ZnO were constructed using 32-atom 2 x 2 x 2 supercell of wurtzite ZnO with one O atom replaced with X (carbon C, phosphorus P). With respect to the electronic band structure, C (2p), P (3p) states are located above the valence band maximum of ZnO and mixing of these states is feeble to produce significant band gap narrowing. Doping of these non-metals dopants helps in the creation of isolated states which enhances visible light absorption of ZnO. Our theoretical calculations are consistent with the experimental results of C (P) doped ZnO and fully explains its visible light activity on non-metal doping.

Isothermal titration calorimetric study of the ionic liquid solutions in alcohols in extreme dilutions: an investigation of ion-solvent interactions - Rai, Gitanjali; Jain, Preeti; Kumar, Anil (Journal of Solution Chemistry, 2016)
In this work an effort has been made to show the effect of an alcohol-rich environment on imidazolium-based ionic liquids at 298.15 K using an isothermal titration calorimeter. It is divulged from this study that the thermal behavior expressed in terms of excess partial molar enthalpy, \( H_{\text{IL}}^{\text{E}} \), of ionic liquids in various linear alcohols is governed by the increasing hydrophobicity of the residual alkyl group attached to the cation of an ionic liquid and to the alcohol molecules. An interesting observation about the systems consisting of ethylated residuals on both the cations of the ionic liquid and the alcohol molecules is that these systems do not follow the trend exhibited by other ionic liquid–alcohol systems. Interesting information on ionic interactions is obtained by using a simple methodology that gives the enthalpic interaction parameter \( H_{{I{\text{L - IL}}}}^{\text{E}} \).
Keywords: Ionic liquidsAlcoholsExcess enthalpyIsothermal titration calorimeter

Large area chemical vapor deposition of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides and their temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy studies - Pawbake, Amit S.; Pawar, Mahendra S.; Jadkar, Sandesh R.; Late, Dattatray J. (Nanoscale, 2016)
We investigate the growth mechanism and temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy of chemical vapor deposited large area monolayer of MoS2, MoSe2, WS2 and WSe2 nanosheets up to 70 mu m in lateral size. Further, our temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy investigation shows that softening of Raman modes as temperature increases from 80 K to 593 K is due to the negative temperature coefficient and anharmonicity. The temperature dependent softening modes of chemical vapor deposited mono-layers of all TMDCs were explained on the basis of a double resonance phonon process which is more active in an atomically thin sample. This process can also be fundamentally pertinent in other emerging two-dimensional layered and heterostructured materials.

Ligand-free Pd catalyzed cross-coupling reactions in an aqueous hydrotropic medium - Jadhav, Sanjay N.; Kumbhar, Arjun S.; Rode, Chadrashekhar V.; Salunkhe, Rajashri S. (Green Chemistry, 2016)
A simple, efficient and ligand-free protocol for the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction and base-free Heck-Matsuda reactions under mild reaction conditions have been developed over palladium supported on activated carbon (Pd/C) in an aqueous hydrotropic solution. The catalyst Pd/C was fully characterized by TG-DTA, SEM, EDS, XRD, XPS, BET and ICP-AES analyses. This green methodology represents a cost-effective and operationally convenient method for the synthesis of a variety of biaryls, prochiral ketones, and acrylates under the conditions that are tolerant for a broad range of functional groups with good to excellent yields. The developed Pd/C-aqueous hydrotrope combined catalytic system is well suited for the 3R approach (reducible, robust, and recyclable) for different cross-coupling reactions without an appreciable loss of its activity.

Mechanistic insights into pincer-ligated palladium-catalyzed arylation of azoles with aryl Iodides: evidence of a Pd-II-Pd-IV-Pd-II pathway - Khake, Shrikant M.; Jagtap, Rahul A.; Dangat, Yuvraj B.; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Vanka, Kumar; Punji, Benudhar (Organometallics, 2016)
Pincer-based (R2POCNR′2)PdCl complexes along with CuI cocatalyst catalyze the arylation of azoles with aryl iodides to give the 2-arylated azole products. Herein, we report an extensive mechanistic investigation for the direct arylation of azoles involving a well-defined and highly efficient (iPr2POCNEt2)PdCl (2a) catalyst, which emphasizes a rare PdII–PdIV–PdII redox catalytic pathway. Kinetic studies and deuterium labeling experiments indicate that the C–H bond cleavage on azoles occurs via two distinct routes in a reversible manner. Controlled reactivity of the catalyst 2a underlines the iodo derivative (iPr2POCNEt2)PdI (3a) to be the resting state of the catalyst. The intermediate species (iPr2POCNEt2)Pd-benzothiazolyl (4a) has been isolated and structurally characterized. A determination of reaction rates of compound 4a with electronically different aryl iodides has revealed the kinetic significance of the oxidative addition of the C(sp2)–X electrophile, aryl iodide, to complex 4a. Furthermore, the reactivity behavior of 4a suggests that the arylation of benzothiazole proceeds via an oxidative addition/reductive elimination pathway involving a (iPr2POCNEt2)PdIV(benzothiazolyl)(Ar)I species, which is strongly supported by DFT calculations.

Modulation of charge carrier mobility by side-chain engineering of bi(thienylenevinylene)thiophene containing PPE-PPVs - Jadhav, Rupali R.; Camaioni, Nadia; Oppelt, Kerstin; Tinti, Francesca; Gazzano, Massimo; Fattori, Valeria; Wadgaonkar, Prakash P.; Rathgeber, Silke; Hoppe, Harald; Egbe, Daniel A. M. (RSC Advances, 2016)
Four 2-dimensional conjugated poly(p-phenylene-ethynylene)-alt-poly(p-phenylene-vinylene) polymers containing a lateral bi(thienylenevinylene)thiophene unit (BTE-PVs) were synthesised and characterised. The investigated polymers share the same conjugated structure, but differ in the anchoring positions of solubilising linear octyloxy/branched 2-ethylhexyloxy side-chains. UV-vis spectra of the polymers in dilute chloroform solutions and as thin films were studied. X-Ray diffraction patterns as well as the bulk charge transport of polymer films cast from chlorobenzene solutions were also investigated. A dramatic effect of the solubilising side-chains on the charge carrier mobility of BTE-PV films was observed, with bulk hole mobility values ranging between 1.3 x 10(-5) cm(2) V-1 s(-1) and 2.2 x 10(-2) cm(2) V-1 s(-1), which is not ascribable to evident structural variations of the polymer films. It is shown that the combination of linear octyloxy and branched 2-ethylhexyloxy side-chains is favorable for the charge transport properties of BTE-PVs, compared to the incorporation of only linear or only branched side-chains.

Molecular interaction of selected phytochemicals under the charged environment of Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (PfCRT) model - Patel, Saumya K.; Khedkar, Vijay M.; Jha, Prakash C.; Jasrai, Yogesh T.; Pandya, Himanshu A.; George, Linz-Buoy; Highland, Hyacinth N.; Skelton, Adam A. (Journal of Biomolecular Structure & Dynamics, 2016)
Phytochemicals of Catharanthus roseus Linn. and Tylophora indica have been known for their inhibition of malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum in cell culture. Resistance to chloroquine (CQ), a widely used antimalarial drug, is due to the CQ resistance transporter (CRT) system. The present study deals with computational modeling of Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (PfCRT) protein and development of charged environment to mimic a condition of resistance. The model of PfCRT was developed using Protein homology/analogy engine (PHYRE ver 0.2) and was validated based on the results obtained using PSI-PRED. Subsequently, molecular interactions of selected phytochemicals extracted from C. roseus Linn. and T. indica were studied using multiple-iterated genetic algorithm-based docking protocol in order to investigate the translocation of these legends across the PfCRT protein. Further, molecular dynamics studies exhibiting interaction energy estimates of these compounds within the active site of the protein showed that compounds are more selective toward PfCRT. Clusters of conformations with the free energy of binding were estimated which clearly demonstrated the potential channel and by this means the translocation across the PfCRT is anticipated.
Keywords: homology modeling; molecular dynamics; Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine; resistance transporter model

Molecular-Pillar-supported functionalized reduced graphene-oxide for energy efficient lubrication - Gupta, Bhavana; Kumar, Niranjan; Panda, Kalpataru; Melvin, Ambrose A.; Joshi, Shailesh; Dash, Sitaram (Advanced Materials Interfaces, 2016)
Molecular-pillar-supported basal plane of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is fabricated by polymerizing polyaniline (PANI). In the presence of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG200), the gamma-radiolysis is used for modifying the functionalization and improving the structural symmetry of PANI and PEG grafted rGO (PANI-PEG-g-rGO). The PANI is covalently and noncovalently grafted onto the surface of the graphene sheets. Carboxyl groups of rGO are linked to the nitrogen atoms in the PANI backbone and an accompanying noncovalent interaction between alkyl chains of grafted PANI and hydrooxylated rGO is formed. Raman and Fourier transform infra-red results confirm existence of stretching vibrations of benzenoid and quinonoid rings in PANI-PEG-g-rGO-functionalized composite, indicating grafting between PANI and rGO through pi-pi interaction. Furthermore, PEG-functionalization through hydrogen bonding with rGO is confirmed when hydroxyl group from the rGO combines with oxygen of PEG. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals significant increase in carbon, while loading PANI network with rGO followed by gamma-irradiation. Antifriction and antiwear properties of graphene nanocomposite are considerably enhanced to 68.4% and 48%, respectively, as compared to pristine PEG. The unique lubrication properties are explained by PEG functionalized molecular PANI-pillar structure across basal plane of rGO.

Molecules with O-acetyl group protect protein glycation by acetylating lysine residues - Vannuruswamy, Garikapati; Jagadeeshaprasad, Mashanipalya G.; Kashinath, K.; Kesavan, Suresh K.; Bhat, Shweta; Korwar, Arvind M.; Chougale, Ashok D.; Boppana, Ramanamurthy; Reddy, D. Srinivasa; Kulkarni, Mahesh J. (RSC Advances, 2016)
Pharmaceutical intervention for reduction of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) is considered as a therapeutic strategy to attenuate the pathogenesis of diabetes. Many molecules have been reported to possess antiglycation activity, one such example is acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin). It protects proteins from glycation by acetylating the lysine residues. Therefore, in this study we have synthesized and screened molecules containing free N-acetyl, O-acetyl and acetophenone groups. All the selected molecules in this study showed glycation inhibition but interestingly, only molecules with O-acetyl but not N-acetyl and acetophenone groups were capable of acetylating lysine residue. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that pre-acetylation or aspirin treatment prior to the induction of diabetes helps in reducing HbA1c and AGE formation in the streptozotocin induced diabetic mice. Hence pre-acetylation may have an additional therapeutic efficacy of reducing AGE levels in vivo. Incorporation of O-acetyl group into anti-diabetic molecules could be a useful strategy, as it may have an additive effect in reducing AGEs. Identification of such novel acetylating agents represents a new area in the drug discovery process.

Multifunctional nanocatalysts for tandem reactions: a leap toward sustainability - Jagadeesan, Dinesh (Applied Catalysis A-General, 2016)
Design of new multifunctional nanocatalysts is a hot area of research that aims to introduce multiple types of active sites on a single nanocatalyst. Multifunctional nanocatalysts are useful to carry out a multi-step reaction requiring same or different active sites in a single pot. Such catalysts must possess the active sites at spatially distinct locations to avoid neutralization but yet remain active independently or through cooperative actions. The necessity of nanostructuring the active sites have emerged as the key point in a successful design of the catalysts. The review covers the progress in this area of research done in the last five years. It includes the classification of catalysts based on active sites and structure of active sites at the nanoscale. The review covers exhaustively with 250+ references and ample examples to present the concept succinctly. The review covers the evolution of multifunctional catalysts from the perspective of materials chemistry. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Heterogeneous catalysts; Multifunctional nanocatalysts; Nanostructured materials; Tandem reactions

New dinor-cis-labdane diterpene and flavonoids with antimycobacterium activity from colebrookea oppositifolia - Chinchansure, Ashish A.; Arkile, Manisha A.; Shinde, Dinesh R.; Sarkar, Dhiman; Joshi, Swati P. (Planta Medica Letters, 2016)
The new 14,15-dinor-cis-labdane diterpene, named (+)-14,15-dinor-9α-hydroxy-cis-labd-11(E)-en-13-one (1), was isolated from the acetone extract of the aerial parts of Colebrookea oppositifolia, along with the known compounds alnustin (2), mosloflavone (3), flindulatin (4), 5,6,7-trimethoxy baicalein (5), tanetin (6), scutellarein 4′-methyl ether (7), apigenin (8), caffeic acid (9), anisofolin A (10), apigetrin (11), and forsythoside A (12). Structures of the new and known compounds were established by detailed analysis of 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance studies. The isolated compounds 1–12 were evaluated for their antimycobacterium activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra and Mycobacterium bovis in both dormant and active phases. Compounds 1, 7, and 8 exhibited inhibitory activity against M. tuberculosis with IC50 values in the range of 8.1–55.0 µM (MIC 14.4–119.7 µM) in the active phase and 7.4–43.5 µM (MIC 11.5–123.3 µM) in the dormant phase. Similarly 1, 7, and 8 exhibited inhibitory activity against M. bovis with IC50 values in the range of 4.1–98.5 µM (MIC 13.7–161.0 µM) in the active phase and 4.1–111.1 µM (MIC 13.0–166.4 µM) in the dormant phase.

New pimarane diterpenes and other antimycobacterial metabolites from anisochilus verticillatus - Kulkarni, Roshan R.; Shurpali, Ketaki; Khedkar, Vijay M.; Puranik, Vedavati G.; Sarkar, Dhiman; Joshi, Swati P. (Natural Product Research, 2016)
Phytochemical investigation of the acetone extract of the aerial parts of Anisochilus verticillatus afforded a new 8,9-secopimarane diterpene (1), two new isopimarane diterpenes (2, 3) and the known ursolic acid (4), beta-amyrin (5), -amyrin (6), stigmast-5-en-3-one (7) and hydroxychavicol (8). Structures of the new compounds were elucidated with the help of 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic data, and single crystal X-ray crystallography of compound 3. Compounds 2 and 8 inhibited Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra with an IC50 of 11.3 (IC90 of 20.0g/mL) and 12.5g/mL, respectively. Correspondingly, molecular docking studies with Extra Precision Glide revealed a correlation between score and biological activity for these compounds to describe the molecular basis for the most significant SAR results.
Keywords: alanine racemase; Anisochilus verticillatus; antimycobacterial activity; diterpenes; Lamiaceae

Next-generation ammonia pretreatment enhances cellulosic biofuel production - Sousa, Leonardo da Costa; Jin, Mingjie; Chundawat, Shishir P. S.; Bokade, Vijay V.; Tang, Xiaoyu; Azarpira, Ali; Lu, Fachuang; Avci, Utku; Humpula, James; Uppugundla, Nirmal; Gunawan, Christa; Pattathil, Sivakumar; et al. (Energy & Environmental Science, 2016)
A new liquid ammonia pretreatment methodology called Extractive Ammonia (EA) was developed to simultaneously convert native crystalline cellulose I-beta (CI) to a highly digestible cellulose IIII (CIII) allomorph and selectively extract up to B45% of the lignin from lignocellulosic biomass with near-quantitative retention of all polysaccharides. EA pretreated corn stover yielded a higher fermentable sugar yield compared to the older Ammonia Fiber Expansion (AFEX) process while using 60% lower enzyme loading. The EA process preserves extracted lignin functionalities, offering the potential to co-produce lignin-derived fuels and chemicals in the biorefinery. The single-stage EA fractionation process achieves high biofuel yields (18.2 kg ethanol per 100 kg untreated corn stover, dry weight basis), comparable to those achieved using ionic liquid pretreatments. The EA process achieves these ethanol yields at industrially-relevant conditions using low enzyme loading (7.5 mg protein per g glucan) and high solids loading (8% glucan, w/v).

Nickel-catalyzed direct alkynylation of C(sp2)-H bonds of amides: an “inverse sonogashira strategy” to ortho-alkynylbenzoic acids. just accepted - Landge, Vinod Gokulkrishna; Shewale, Chinmay H.; Jaiswal, Garima; Sahoo, Manoj Kumar; Midya, Siba Prasad; Balaraman, Ekambaram (Catalysis Science & Technology, 2016)
Nickel-catalyzed direct alkynylation of C(sp2)–H bonds of amides using commercially available, inexpensive 8-aminoquinoline as a removable bidentate directing group is described. The present ortho-alkynylation has a broad substrate scope, functional group tolerance and high regiocontrol, and can be scaled up. The efficiency and selectivity of this strategy provide sustainable routes to a diverse array of ortho-alkynylbenzoic acids under Ni(II)-catalyzed conditions.

Nitrogen doping in oxygen-deficient Ca2Fe2O5: a strategy for efficient oxygen reduction oxide catalysts - Jijil, Chamundi P.; Lokanathan, Moorthi; Chithiravel, Sundaresan; Nayak, Chandrani; Bhattacharyya, Dibyendu; Jha, Shambhu Nath; Babu, P. D.; Kakade, Bhalchandra A.; Devi, R. Nandini (ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 2016)

Passive microrheology in the effective time domain: analysing time dependent colloidal dispersions - Vyas, Bhavna M.; Orpe, Ashish V.; Kaushal, Manish; Joshi, Yogesh M. (Soft Matter, 2016)
We studied the aging dynamics of an aqueous suspension of LAPONITE (R), a model time dependent soft glassy material, using a passive microrheology technique. This system is known to undergo physical aging during which its microstructure evolves progressively to explore lower free energy states. Optical microscopy is used to monitor the motion of micron-sized tracer probes embedded in a sample kept between two glass plates. The mean square displacements (MSD) obtained from the motion of the tracer particles show a systematic change from a purely diffusive behavior at short aging times to a subdiffusive behavior as the material ages. Interestingly, the MSDs at all the aging times as well as different LAPONITE (R) concentrations superpose remarkably to show a time-aging time master curve when the system is transformed from the real time domain to the effective time domain, which is obtained by rescaling the material clock to account for the age dependent relaxation time. The transformation of the master curve from the effective time domain to the real time domain leads to the prediction of the MSD in real time over a span of 5 decades when the measured data at individual aging times are only over 2 decades. Since the MSD obtained from microrheology is proportional to the creep compliance of a material, by using the Boltzmann superposition principle along with the convolution relation in the effective time domain, we predict the stress relaxation behavior of the system in real time. This work shows that the effective time approach applied to microrheology facilitates the prediction of long time creep and relaxation dynamics of a time dependent soft material by carrying out short time experiments at different aging times.

Pb2+-N bonding chemistry: recycling of polyaniline-pb nanocrystals waste for generating high-performance supercapacitor electrodes - Jha, Plawan Kumar; Singh, Santosh K.; Gatla, Suresh; Mathon, Olivier; Kurungot, Sreekumar; Ballav, Nirmalya (Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2016)
Understanding of Pb-N bonding chemistry is not only fundamentally important in the view of relativistic inert-pair effect but also is important for therapeutic as well as environmental applications. In the present study, an unusual reactivity of N-containing pi-conjugated polyaniline emeraldine base (EB) toward aqueous Pb2+ ions has been identified. In the course of sequestering Pb2+ ions by EB, cuboid-shaped nanocrystals were isolated. Synchrotron-based X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure techniques were employed to understand Pb-N bonding chemistry in EB-Pb nanocrystals. The adopted methodology of slow exposure of HCl vapor to EB-Pb nanomaterial facilitated the isolation of polyaniline emeraldine-salt (ES) with unique morphological patterns, porosity and electrical conductivity. The electrochemical device based on recycled ES showed high-capacitance value (similar to 606 F/g @1 A/g and similar to 663 F/g @10 mV/s), high-energy density (similar to 14.8 Wh/kg at power density of similar to 663 W/kg) and excellent-cycling stability (only similar to 15% degradation after 1100 continued cycles at current density of 5 A/g). Notably, ES materials prepared directly from EB and upon exposing HNO3 vapor exhibited greatly inferior device performance.

PolyHIPE derived freestanding 3D carbon foam for cobalt hydroxide nanorods based highperformance supercapacitor - Patil, Umakant M.; Ghorpade, Ravindra V.; Nam, Min Sik; Nalawade, Archana C.; Lee, Sangrae; Han, Haksoo; Jun, Seong Chan (Scientific Reports, 2016)
The current paper describes enhanced electrochemical capacitive performance of chemically grown Cobalt hydroxide (Co(OH)(2)) nanorods (NRs) decorated porous three dimensional graphitic carbon foam (Co(OH)(2)/3D GCF) as a supercapacitor electrode. Freestanding 3D porous GCF is prepared by carbonizing, high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) polymerized styrene and divinylbenzene. The PolyHIPE was sulfonated and carbonized at temperature up to 850 degrees C to obtain graphitic 3D carbon foam with high surface area (389 m(2) g(-1)) having open voids (14 mu m) interconnected by windows (4 mu m) in monolithic form. Moreover, entangled Co(OH)(2) NRs are anchored on 3D GCF electrodes by using a facile chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. The wide porous structure with high specific surface area (520 m(2) g(-1)) access offered by the interconnected 3D GCF along with Co(OH)(2) NRs morphology, displays ultrahigh specific capacitance, specific energy and power. The Co(OH)(2)/3D GCF electrode exhibits maximum specific capacitance about similar to 1235 F g(-1) at similar to 1 Ag-1 charge-discharge current density, in 1 M aqueous KOH solution. These results endorse potential applicability of Co(OH)(2)/3D GCF electrode in supercapacitors and signifies that, the porous GCF is a proficient 3D freestanding framework for loading pseudocapacitive nanostructured materials.

Potential dual role of eugenol in inhibiting advanced glycation end products in diabetes: proteomic and mechanistic insights - Singh, Priyanka; Jayaramaiah, Ramesha H.; Agawane, Sachin B.; Vannuruswamy, Garikapati; Korwar, Arvind M.; Anand, Atul; Dhaygude, Vitthal S.; Shaikh, Mahemud L.; Joshi, Rakesh S.; Boppana, Ramanamurthy; Kulkarni, Mahesh J.; Thulasiram, Hirekodathakallu V.; et al. (Scientific Reports, 2016)
Medicinally important genus Ocimum harbors a vast pool of chemically diverse metabolites. Current study aims at identifying anti-diabetic candidate compounds from Ocimum species. Major metabolites in O. kilimandscharicum, O. tenuiflorum, O. gratissimum were purified, characterized and evaluated for anti-glycation activity. In vitro inhibition of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) by eugenol was found to be highest. Preliminary biophysical analysis and blind docking studies to understand eugenol-albumin interaction indicated eugenol to possess strong binding affinity for surface exposed lysines. However, binding of eugenol to bovine serum albumin (BSA) did not result in significant change in secondary structure of protein. In vivo diabetic mice model studies with eugenol showed reduction in blood glucose levels by 38% likely due to inhibition of alpha-glucosidase while insulin and glycated hemoglobin levels remain unchanged. Western blotting using anti-AGE antibody and mass spectrometry detected notably fewer AGE modified peptides upon eugenol treatment both in vivo and in vitro. Histopathological examination revealed comparatively lesser lesions in eugenol-treated mice. Thus, we propose eugenol has dual mode of action in combating diabetes; it lowers blood glucose by inhibiting a-glucosidase and prevents AGE formation by binding to epsilon-amine group on lysine, protecting it from glycation, offering potential use in diabetic management.

Preparation and characterization of microcapsules containing industrially important reactive water-soluble polyamine - Shukla, Parshuram G.; Jagtap, Siddheshwar B.; Biradar, Satish C.; Charpe, Vaibhav P.; Jadhav, Arun S. (Colloid and Polymer Science, 2016)
Polyurea microcapsules containing water-soluble reactive polyamine, namely, polyaziridine (A33), were prepared by interfacial polymerization technique in non-aqueous medium, wherein (i) A33 was encapsulated for the first time as a neat amine without forming its salt or adduct and (ii) microcapsules formed were without any deleterious effect on A33. A systematic study was conducted by preparing microcapsules with different polyurea wall architectures. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1 NMR) spectroscopic analysis of extracted A33 from microcapsules do not show any structural changes during microencapsulation. A titration method was developed to analyze the amount of encapsulated A33 quantitatively. Polyurea microcapsules obtained from reaction of ethylene diamine (E) and isophorone diisocyanate (I) monomers have shown better properties such as encapsulation efficiency and extent of agglomeration. Significant reduction in the size was observed when microcapsules of EI wall material were prepared by homogenizing the initial emulsion of A33 in paraffin oil. The process described in this paper for the preparation of microcapsules is cost-effective and industrially viable, which can find applications in agrochemicals, coatings, self-healing composites, etc.

Pretreatment and enzymatic process modification strategies to improve efficiency of sugar production from sugarcane bagasse - Pal, Siddhartha; Joy, Shereena; Trimukhe, Kalpana D.; Kumbhar, Pramod S.; Varma, Anjani J.; Padmanabhan, Sasisanker (3 Biotech, 2016)
Pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis play a critical role in the economic production of sugars and fuels from lignocellulosic biomass. In this study, we evaluated diverse pilot-scale pretreatments and different post-pretreatment strategies for the production of fermentable sugars from sugarcane bagasse. For the pretreatment of bagasse at pilot-scale level, steam explosion without catalyst and combination of sulfuric and oxalic acids at low and high loadings were used. Subsequently, to enhance the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of the pretreated bagasse, three different post-pretreatment process schemes were investigated. In the first scheme (Scheme 1), enzymatic hydrolysis was conducted on the whole pretreated slurry, without treatments such as washing or solid-liquid separation. In the second scheme (Scheme 2), the pretreated slurry was first pressure filtered to yield a solid and liquid phase. Following filtration, the separated liquid phase was remixed with the solid wet cake to generate slurry, which was then subsequently used for enzymatic hydrolysis. In the third scheme (Scheme 3), the pretreated slurry was washed with more water and filtered to obtain a solid and liquid phase, in which only the former was subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis. A 10 % higher enzymatic conversion was obtained in Scheme 2 than Scheme 1, while Scheme 3 resulted in only a 5-7 % increase due to additional washing unit operation and solid-liquid separation. Dynamic light scattering experiments conducted on post-pretreated bagasse indicate decrease of particle size due to solid-liquid separation involving pressure filtration provided increased the yield of C6 sugars. It is anticipated that different process modification methods used in this study before the enzymatic hydrolysis step can make the overall cellulosic ethanol process effective and possibly cost effective.
Keywords: Dilute acid treatment; High-solid enzymatic hydrolysis; Pilot-scale pretreatment; Pressure filtration; Solid-liquid separation

Processing of TGA data: analysis of isoconversional and model fitting methods - Jain, Ankit A.; Mehra, Anurag; Ranade, Vivek V. (Fuel, 2016)
Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is routinely used to characterize coal. Apart from proximate analysis, TGA data is also used to characterize kinetics of devolatilization and char combustion. Various methods have been proposed to process the TGA data [isoconversional or model free methods such as Friedman method, Kissinger method, Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method (FWO), Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose method (KAS) or single or multi-reaction models (SRMs/MRMs) and distributed activation energy models (DAEMs)]. In this work, we have critically examined various models for processing TGA data obtained with typical Indian coal. A generalized equation has been proposed to encompass different models as special cases. We have also considered a model based on a possibility of distribution of frequency factor along with constant or distribution of activation energies. The results of TGA data described by different models were critically analyzed. The presented results and methodology will be useful for selecting appropriate strategy for processing TGA data. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: DAEM; High ash coal; Isoconversional methods; Pyrolysis; TGA

Proteomic insight reveals elevated levels of albumin in circulating immunecomplexes in diabetic plasma - Bhat, Shweta; Jagadeeshaprasad, Mashanipalya G.; Patil, Yugendra R.; Shaikh, Mahemud L.; Regin, Bhaskaran S.; Mohan, Viswanathan; Giri, Ashok P.; Balasubramanyam, Muthuswamy; Boppana, Ramanamurthy; Kulkarni, Mahesh J. (Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, 2016)
A Hyperglycemic condition in diabetes promotes formation of advanced glycation end products, which are known to elicit immune response and form complexes with immunoglobulins called circulating immune complexes. To investigate the involvement of advanced glycation end product (AGE)-modified proteins in the elicitation of an immune response, circulating immune complexes were isolated and proteins associated were identified and characterized. Label-free-based mass spectrometric analysis of circulating immune complexes in clinical plasma of prediabetic, newly diagnosed diabetes, and diabetic microalbuminurea revealed elevated levels of serum albumin in the circulating immune complexes, which were also observed to be AGE modified. Further, to examine the role of glycation, circulating immune complexeswere analyzed in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice treated with or without aminoguanidine, a prototype glycation inhibitor. Mass spectrometric analysis of circulating immune complexes showed elevated levels of serum albumin in plasma from diabetic mice over that of control animals. Aminoguanidine-treated diabetic mice displayed decreased AGE modification of plasma albumin, accompanied by a reduced level of albumin in the circulating immune complexes. In addition, elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1b, IL-2, and TNF-alpha were observed in diabetes, which were reduced with aminoguanidine treatment, suggesting the involvement of glycation in the immune response.

Proton play in the formation of low molecular weight chitosan (LWCS) by hydrolyzing chitosan with a carbon based solid acid - Krishnan, R. Akhil; Deshmukh, Pranjal; Agarwal, Siddharth; Purohit, Poorvi; Dhoble, Deepa Arun; Waske, Prashant; Khandekar, Dileep; Jain, Ratnesh; Dandekar, Prajakta (Carbohydrate Polymers, 2016)
Low molecular weight chitosan (LWCS) constitute a special class of value added chemicals that are primarily obtained from crustacean shells, which are the main water pollutants from crabs and shrimp processing centers. Unlike chitin and chitosan, LWCS possess improved solubility in water and aqueous solutions, making them widely applicable in numerous fields ranging from drug delivery to waste water treatment. Among the methods employed for their production, chemical breakdown by strong liquid acids has yielded good success. However, this method is met with severe concerns arising from the harsh nature of liquid acids, which may corrode the reactors for commercial synthesis, and their limited reusability. The physical methods like ultrasound and microwave are energy intensive in nature, while the enzymatic methods are expensive and offers limited scope for reuse. We have attempted to overcome these problems by employing carbon based solid acid (CSA) for hydrolyzing chitosan to LWCS. CSA can be easily produced using activated carbon, a cost-effective and easily available raw material. Reactions were carried out between chitosan and CSA in a hydrothermal glass reactor and the products, separated by cold centrifugation, were purified and dried. The dried products were characterized for their molecular weight and solubility. Results indicated more than ten-fold decrease in the molecular weight of chitosan and the product exhibited water solubility. The CSA could be used upto four times, without regeneration, to give a consistent quality product. The aqueous solution of resulting LWCS exhibited a pH of 6.03 +/- 0.11, as against the acidic pH range of solutions of commercially available LWCS, indicating its suitability for biomedical applications. Our investigation facilitates a `green approach' that may be employed for commercial production of value added chemicals from waste products of marine industry. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Carbon based solid acid; Chitosan; green synthesis; Hydrolysis; Low molecular weight chitosan

Pyramiding PvPGIP2 and TAXI-III but not PvPGIP2 and PMEI enhances resistance against fusarium graminearum - Tundo, Silvio; Kalunke, Raviraj; Janni, Michela; Volpi, Chiara; Lionetti, Vincenzo; Bellincampi, Daniela; Favaron, Francesco; D'Ovidio, Renato (Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, 2016)
Plant protein inhibitors counteract the activity of cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs) secreted by pathogens to breach the plant cell-wall barrier. Transgenic plants expressing a single protein inhibitor restrict pathogen infections. However, since pathogens secrete a number of CWDEs at the onset of infection, we combined more inhibitors in a single wheat genotype to reinforce further the cell-wall barrier. We combined polygalacturonase (PG) inhibiting protein (PGIP) and pectin methyl esterase inhibitor (PMEI), both controlling the activity of PG, one of the first CWDEs secreted during infection. We also pyramided PGIP and TAXI-M, a xylanase inhibitor that controls the activity of xylanases, key factors for the degradation of xylan, a main component of cereal cell wall. We demonstrated that the pyramiding of PGIP and PMEI did not contribute to any further improvement of disease resistance. However, the presence of both pectinase inhibitors ensured a broader spectrum of disease resistance. Conversely, the PGIP and TAXI-HI combination contributed to further improvement of Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance, probably because these inhibitors target the activity of different types of CWDEs, i.e., PGs and xylanases. Worth mentioning, the reduction of FHB symptoms is accompanied by a reduction of deoxynivalenol accumulation with a foreseen great benefit to human and animal health.

Re-engineering of PIP3-antagonist triazole PITENIN's chemical scaffold: development of novel antifungal leads - Pulya, Sravani; Kommagalla, Yadagiri; Sant, Duhita G.; Jorwekar, Shweta U.; Tupe, Santosh G.; Deshpande, Mukund V.; Ramana, Chepuri V. (RSC Advances, 2016)
A novel 4-(1-phenyl-1-hydroxyethyl)-1-(o-hydroxyphenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazole was designed by integrating the structural features of triazole PITENIN anticancer agents and the azole class of antifungal drugs. A two-step protocol comprising the Barbier propargylation and Cu-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition was established to synthesise a diverse set of compounds of this class. Their screening against a wide range of human fungal pathogens led to identification of several potential antifungal hits and some of them displayed better antifungal activity than fluconazole against Candida glabrata, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger. Mode of action studies revealed that their antifungal activity was resulting either from the inhibition of lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase enzyme (leading to ergosterol depletion) or by the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Relevance of small laboratory animals as models in translational research: challenges and road ahead - Siddiqui, E. A.; Jagdale, P.; Ahire, K.; Jadhav, S.; Khan, S. A.; Bhosle, S.; Pal, A.; Jamdagni, P.; Chaudhari, B. (Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science, 2016)
Translational research using small laboratory animals is being done to demonstrate proof of concept, to study pharmacokinetics as well as to understand efficacy and safety of new drug molecules. During the evaluation of a drug candidate, the assessment of efficacy and safety is normally performed in different experiments using various animal models. In such experiments, efficacy is assessed by mimicking the disease state in animal model while safety is investigated in healthy animals. Inventing new drugs using biotechnological and nanotechnological approaches is becoming a major thrust area in drug research. Apart from this, the development of medicine from traditional knowledge like Ayurveda has emerged as major area for drug industry. Use of conventional in-vivo approaches may not prove useful to answer many questions. Transgenic/knock-out/knock-in animals are now getting space in pharmaceutical research for target identification and validation. Predictability of in-vivo research depends on scientific protocols and methods adopted for model selection and development. Various alternative approaches for in-vivo research are being followed. It is a fact that no animal model is 100 % capable of mimicking the complex human body but still, researchers have not yet found any alternative model which can completely replace in-vivo models. This review is a holistic approach explaining the various animal models being used for translational research, animal ethical issues, alternative approaches available and provides a critical analysis of major issues/challenges faced in translational research using in-vivo approaches.

Residue dependent hydrogen-bonding preferences in orthanilic acid-based short peptide beta-turn motifs - Jedhe, Ganesh S.; Vijayadas, Kuruppanthara N.; Kotmale, Amol S.; Sangtani, Ekta; Shinde, Dinesh R.; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Rajamohanan, Pattuparambil R.; Sanjayan, Gangadhar J. (RSC Advances, 2016)
This communication describes the competition between native beta-turn (C10) and 2-aminobenzenesulfonic acid (SAnt)( orthanilic acid)-based pseudo beta-turn (C11) in their hybrid peptides. Solid-state crystal structure and solution-state NMR studies revealed that C10 and C11 can be simultaneously observed under appropriate conditions. The variable temperature NMR coefficient data suggest that the isolated C11/C14 hydrogen bond is weaker in comparison with the consecutive C10 and C11 turns.

Role of primary and secondary surfactant layers on the thermal conductivity of lauric acid coated magnetite nanofluids - Lenin, Ramanujam; Joy, Pattayil Alias (Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2016)
Lauric (dodecanoic) acid coated magnetite nanoparticles with different amounts of primary and secondary surfactant layers on the surface of the nanoparticles have been synthesized. Two sets of the surfactant coated nanoparticles are prepared; one with a comparable amount of primary surfactant and the other with a comparable amount of secondary surfactant. Nanofluids are prepared by dispersing the surfactant coated nanoparticles in toluene. Stability of the nanofluids is found to decrease with increasing amount of secondary surfactant on the surface of the nanoparticles, due to the increased hydrophilic nature of the particles in the nonpolar solvent. Thermal conductivity and viscosity of the nanofluids are found to increase with increasing amount of the secondary surfactant layer on the surface of the nanoparticles. The enhanced thermal conductivity for fluids with particles having a larger amount of secondary surfactant is ascribed to the lower dispersibility of the particles in toluene due to the exposure of the acid group of the surfactant to the hydrophobic solvent, leading to aggregation of the particles. Only a small increase in the thermal conductivity is observed for fluids with a larger amount of primary surfactant on the surface of the nanoparticles due to the increased dispersibility owing to the large number of hydrophobic tail groups of the surfactant. A larger enhancement in the thermal conductivity is observed in the presence of a small magnetic field for the fluids containing particles with a lower amount of the secondary surfactant. The overall results suggest that the thermal conductivity of the nanofluids depend on the amount and nature of the primary and secondary surfactants on the dispersed particles which in turn determine the interaction between the base fluid and the surfactant and therefore the dispersibility and stability of the nanofluids.

Role of surface synergistic effect on the performance of Ni-based hydrotalcite catalyst for highly efficient hydrogenation of furfural - Manikandan, Marimuthu; Venugopal, Ashok Kumar; Prabu, Kandasamy; Jha, Ratnesh Kumar; Thirumalaiswamy, Raja (Journal of Molecular Catalysis A-Chemical, 2016)
The selective vapor phase hydrogenation of furfural at ambient pressure has been investigated using a facile and robust hydrotalcite derived Ni containing mixed oxide catalyst. The systematic characterization results conferred that the difficulty in the reduction of Ni species due to the strong interaction between Ni and support, which facilitated from the homogeneous distribution of hydrotalcite structure. It was also found that the structure and catalytic performance of the catalysts were greatly influenced by Ni loading. Through fine-tuned surface elemental sites and reaction conditions, furfural conversion of 98% with 95% of furfuryl alcohol selectivity was achieved over a MAN-2 catalyst containing two molar ratio of Ni. The results have demonstrated that the incorporation of Mg significantly enhances the Ni-support interaction, Ni dispersion and catalytic performance. The high efficiency of the Ni-based hydrotalcite derived catalyst was mainly attributed to the surface synergistic interaction between the catalytically active metallic Ni sites and the strong basic sites, which furnished an eco-benign and sustainable catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of furfural. Furthermore, the spent catalyst analysis substantiated that no significant difference in the catalyst phase was observed even after 48 h of reaction stream. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: alcohol-hydrotalcites-selective; Biomass-frurfural-furfuryl; Hydrogenation

Selective synthesis of N-unsubstituted and N-arylindoles by the reaction of arynes with azirines - Thangaraj, Manikandan; Bhojgude, Sachin Suresh; "Jain, Shailja"; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Biju, Akkattu T. (Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2016)
The transition-metal-free and temperature-dependent highly selective reaction of arynes with 2H-azirines allowing the synthesis of either N-unsubstituted or N-arylindoles has been developed. At 60 degrees C, arynes generated from 2-(trimethylsilyl)aryl triflates smoothly insert into 2H-azirines to form 2,3-diarylindoles with high selectivity. Interestingly, when the reaction was performed at -10 degrees C, the selectivity was switched to the formation of 1,2,3-triarylindoles in good yields.

Sequence characterization and in silico structure prediction of fatty acid desaturases in linseed varieties with differential fatty acid composition - Rajwade, Ashwini V.; Joshi, Rakesh S.; Kadoo, Narendra Y.; Gupta, Vidya S. (Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2016)
BACKGROUND: Linseed is the richest agricultural source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid (FA) that offers several nutritional benefits. In the present study, sequence characterization of six desaturase genes (SAD1, SAD2, FAD2, FAD2-2, FAD3A and FAD3B) and 3D structure prediction of their proteins from ten Indian linseed varieties differing in ALA content were performed to determine whether the nucleotide and amino acid (AA) sequence variants have any functional implications in differential accumulation of ALA or other FAs in linseed. RESULTS: The SAD and FAD2 genes exhibited few sequence variations among the ten varieties, forming only one or two protein isoforms. In contrast, the FAD3A and FAD3B genes showed more sequence variations and three or four protein isoforms. Interestingly, the two high-ALA varieties NL260 and Padmini had the same FAD3B nucleotide and protein isoforms, which differed from all other varieties. Surprisingly, no AA changes altered the 3D structures of the desaturase proteins. CONCLUSION: Several nucleotide and AA sequence variations in desaturase genes were observed; however, they did not alter the 3D structure of any desaturase protein and were not correlated with FA levels among the ten linseed varieties, which had different ALA contents. This suggests a complex regulatory process of biosynthesis of FAs in linseed. (C) 2016 Society of Chemical Industry

Silver nanoparticles: a new perspective in endodontic therapy - Jadhav, Rajashree; Bhide, Shrinivas; Bhagavatula L. V. Prasad; Kunchiraman, Bipinraj; Shimpi, Jayesh; Nandhini, Usha (OAB Journal, 2016)
Silver has been in use in medicine since time immemorial because of its antimicrobial properties. But due to the emergence of antibiotics the use of silver has been declined. Several pathogenic bacteria have developed resistance against various antibiotics. This has led to reemergence of silver. Recently nano science and nanotechnology are gaining tremendous popularity. The small size of nanoparticles provides larger surface area and hence increases the effectiveness of nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles are used in medical and dental applications ranging from silver based wound dressings, silver coated medicinal devices like catheters, endotrachial tubes, bone cements, in gels, lotions, cosmetics, in dental restorative materials, endodontic cements, dental implants caries inhibitory agents, and in prosthesis. The purpose of this article is to discuss briefly the potential role of silver nano particles in endodontic therapy.

Single SnO2 Nanowire: field emission investigations - Joshi, D.; Joag, Dilip S.; Mulla, Imtiaz S.; Late, Dattatray J. (2016 29th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 2016)
The present work deals with the field emission study on multiple SnO2 nanowires synthesized by simple thermal evaporation method. For the realistic analysis of the Fowler Nordheim plot of the semiconducting SnO2, field emission behavior of a single nanowire is studied. A relevant model explaining the field emission mechanism from the single SnO2 nanowire is also proposed by the authors.
Keywords: SnO2 nanowire

Structural insights and functional implications of inter-individual variability in beta(2)-adrenergic receptor - Tandale, Aditi; Joshi, Manali; Sengupta, Durba (Scientific Reports, 2016)
The human beta(2)-adrenergic receptor (beta(2)AR) belongs to the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family and due to its central role in bronchodilation, is an important drug target. The inter-individual variability in beta(2)AR has been implicated in disease susceptibility and differential drug response. In this work, we identified nine potentially deleterious non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) using a consensus approach. The deleterious nsSNPs were found to cluster near the ligand binding site and towards the G-protein binding site. To assess their molecular level effects, we built structural models of these receptors and performed atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Most notably, in the Phe290Ser variant we observed the rotameric flip of Trp286(6.48), a putative activation switch that has not been reported in beta(2)AR thus far. In contrast, the variant Met82Lys was found to be the most detrimental to epinephrine binding. Additionally, a few of the nsSNPs were seen to cause perturbations to the lipid bilayer, while a few lead to differences at the G-protein coupling site. We are thus able to classify the variants as ranging from activating to damaging, prioritising them for experimental studies.

Sulfonated graphene oxide as highly efficient catalyst for glycosylation - Thombal, Raju S.; Jadhav, Vrushali H. (Journal of Carbohydrate Chemistry, 2016)
Heterogeneous sulfonated graphene oxide for the first time has been used as a green and efficient catalyst for atom-economic glycosylation of unprotected, unactivated glycosyl donors or 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetylglycosyltrichloroacetimidate with various acceptors basically in the absence of solvent. The unprotected, unactivated glycosyl donors afforded mixtures of alpha- and beta-glycosides, while the 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetylglycosyltrichloroacetimidate afforded beta-glycosylated products with high yields and selectivity. The main advantages of this methodology are easy catalyst preparation, no need for dry reagents and reaction conditions, easy catalyst separation and recycling, and high product yields.
Keywords: glycol donor; glycosyl acceptor; glycosylation; reusability; Sulfonated graphene oxide

Surface tailored PS/TiO2 composite nanofiber membrane for copper removal from water - Wanjale, Santosh; Birajdar, Mallinath S.; Jog, Jyoti Prakash; Neppalli, Ramesh; Causin, Valerio; Karger-Kocsis, Jozsef; Lee, Jonghwi; Panzade, Prasad (Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2016)
Polystyrene (PS)/TiO2 composite nanofiber membranes have been fabricated by electrospinning process for Cu2+ ions removal from water. The surface properties of the polystyrene nanofibers were modulated by introducing TiO2 nanoparticles. The contact angle of the PS nanofiber membrane was found to be decreased with increasing concentration of TiO2, depicted enhanced hydrophilicity. These membranes were highly effective in adsorbing Cu2+ ions from water. The adsorption capacity of these membranes was found to be 522 mg/g, which is significantly higher than the results reported by other researchers. This was attributed to enhanced hydrophilicity of the PS/TiO2 composite nanofiber membranes and effective adsorption property of TiO2 nanoparticles. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: electrospinning; Metal ion adsorption; Nanofiber; TiO2; Water treatment/purification

Sustainable Iron-catalyzed direct imine formation by acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols with amines - Jaiswal, Garima; Landge, Vinod Gokulkrishna; Jagadeesan, Dinesh; Balaraman, Ekambaram (Green Chemistry, 2016)
The Acceptorless Dehydrogenative Coupling (ADC) of alcohols with amines is reported using a heterogeneous Fe-catalyst. The reaction operates under mild conditions with the liberation of dihydrogen and water as the byproducts. The developed ADC strategy is simple, efficient, exhibits wide functional group tolerance and can be scaled up. The present catalytic approach possesses a dual role; acting as a catalyst as well as being magnetically separable. The sustainable reuse of a heterogeneous iron catalyst is also shown.

Synthesis and bioactivity of novel triazole incorporated benzothiazinone derivatives as antitubercular and antioxidant agent - Shaikh, Mubarak H.; Subhedar, Dnyaneshwar D.; Arkile, Manisha A.; Khedkar, Vijay M.; Jadhav, Nandadeep J.; Sarkar, Dhiman; Shingate, Bapurao B. (Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2016)
In search of new active molecules against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) H37Ra and M. bovis BCG, a small focused library of benzothiazinone based 1,2,3-triazoles has been efficiently prepared via click chemistry approach. Several derivatives were found to be promising inhibitors of MTB and M. bovis BCG characterized by lower MIC values (27.34-29.37 mu g/mL). Among all the synthesized compounds, 6c and 6e is the most active compound against MTB and M. bovis BCG. The compounds were further tested for anti-proliferative activity against HeLa, A549 and A431 cell lines using MTT assay and showed no significant cytotoxic activity at the maximum concentration evaluated. Further, the synthesized compounds were found to have potential antioxidant activity with IC50 range = 14.14-47.11 mu g/mL. Furthermore, to rationalize the observed biological activity data, the molecular docking study also been carried out against a potential target MTB DprE1, which revealed a significant correlation between the binding score and biological activity for these compounds. The results of the in vitro and in silico study suggest that the triazole incorporated benzothiazinone may possess the ideal structural requirements for further development of novel therapeutic agents. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: 1; 2; 3-Triazole; ADME prediction; Antioxidant; Antitubercular; Docking study

Synthesis and characterization of novel polymer-hybrid silver nanoparticles and its biomedical study - Verma, Suresh Kumar; Jha, Ealisha; Kiran, K. J.; Bhat, Suresh; Suar, Mrutyunjay; Mohanty, P. S. (Materials Today: Proceedings, 2016)
Hybrid polymer metal nanoparticles have advantages over conventional metal nanoparticles with respect to their stability, chemical resistance, antibacterial activity and drug delivery properties. In the current work, we have synthesized novel stimuli-responsive polymer hybrid silver nanoparticles using green synthesis method, where the plant extract is used as a reducing agent in the synthesis. Encapsulating metal nanoparticles with stimuli-responsive soft-polymeric system is novel and provides additional versatility whose functions and properties can be tailored by controlling any of the stimuli such as pH, temperature, ionic strength with respect to their antibacterial activity and physiological condition. Moreover, green synthesis methods have advantages over conventional methods involving chemical reducing agents that are often associated with environmental toxicity because of their enhanced antibacterial and other biological effects. The synthesized hybrid particles were characterized using Dynamic light scattering, UV-Visible spectroscopy and Small angle x-ray scattering. Further, we have investigated the antibacterial and cytotoxicity effect of these hybrid particles against different bacterial cells ( Salmonella) and mammalian cell lines (HCT116) respectively. These results are discussed in the light of previous studied work and these results suggest that our synthesized polymer hybrid nanoparticles are more antibacterial and less cytotoxic than the usual silver nanoparticles. (C) 2015Elsevier Ltd.All rights reserved.
Keywords: Antibacterial effect; Cytotoxicity; Polymeric hybrid particless; silver nanoparticles

Synthesis and docking studies of pyrazine-thiazolidinone hybrid scaffold targeting dormant tuberculosis - Chitre, T. S.; Asgaonkar, K. D.; Miniyar, P. B.; Dharme, A. B.; Arkile, Manisha A.; Yeware, A.; Sarkar, Dhiman; Khedkar, Vijay M.; Jha, Prakash C. (Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2016)
The persistence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in dormant stage assists the pathogen to develop resistance against current antimycobactrial drugs. To address this issue, we report herein the synthesis of N-(4-oxo-2 substituted thiazolidin-3yl) pyrazine-2-carbohydrazide derivatives designed by following the molecular hybridization approach using pyrazine and thiazolidenone scaffolds. The compounds were evaluated against MTB H37Ra and Mycobacterium bovis BCG in dormancy model. Most of the compounds had IC50 values in 0.3-1 mu g/ml range. The active compounds were further tested for anti-proliferative activity against THP-1, Panc-1, A549, and MCF-7 cell lines using MTT assay and exhibited no significant cytotoxicity. We also report molecular docking studies using active analogs and MTB Decaprenylphosphoryl-beta-D-ribose-2'-epimerase (DprE1) to rationalize the biological activity and to provide an insight into the probable mechanism of action and binding mode of hybridized structures. The results obtained validate the use of molecular hybridization approach and also suggest that reported compounds can provide a novel pharmacophore to synthesize lead compounds against dormat MTB. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: docking; Dormant; Hybrid design; Pyrazine; Thiazolidenone; tuberculosis

Synthesis and evaluation of thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones as potential antitubercular agents (vol 6, pg 2209, 2015) - Borate, Hanumant B.; Annadate, Ritesh A.; Vagh, Sandip S.; Pisal, Mahesh M.; Deokate, Sagar B.; Arkile, Manisha A.; Jadhav, Nandadeep J.; Nawale, Laxman U.; Sarkar, Dhiman (Medchemcomm, 2016)

Synthesis and self-assembly of dumbbell shaped ZnO sub-micron structures using low temperature chemical bath deposition technique - Borade, P.; Joshi, K. U.; Gokarna, A.; Lerondel, G.; Walke, P.; Late, Dattatray J.; Jejurikar, S. M. (Materials Chemistry and Physics, 2016)
We report well dispersed horizontal growth of ZnO sub-micron structures using simplest technique ever known i.e. chemical bath deposition (CBD). A set of samples were prepared under two different cases A) dumbbell shaped ZnO grown in CBD bath and B) tubular ZnO structures evolved from dumbbell shaped structures by dissolution mechanism. Single phase wurtzite ZnO formation is confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique in both cases. From the morphological investigations performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), sample prepared under case A indicate formation of hex bit tool (HBT) shaped ZnO crystals, which observed to self-organize to form dumbbell structures. Further these microstructures are then converted into tubular structures as a fragment of post CBD process. The possible mechanism responsible for the self-assembly of HBT units to form dumbbell structures is discussed. Observed free excitonic peak located at 370 nm in photoluminescence (PL) spectra recorded at 18 K indicate that the micro/nanostructures synthesized using CBD are of high optical quality. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Electron microscopy (STEM; Microstructure; Nanostructures; Optical properties; Photoluminescence spectroscopy; Raman spectroscopy and scattering; TEM and SEM)

Synthesis and study of calixarene-doped polypyrrole-TiO2/ZnO composites: antimicrobial activity and electrochemical sensors - Waghmode, Babasaheb J.; Husain, Zahid; Joshi, Meenal; Sathaye, Shivaram D.; Patil, Kashinath R.; Malkhede, Dipalee D. (Journal of Polymer Research, 2016)
The present communication describes the synthesis of an electroactive nanocomposite of calixarene- doped polypyrrole ( PPY) containing an oxide of Ti/ Zn. The additive TiO2/ ZnO serves as an oxidizing agent for the polymerization, thus avoiding the use of hazardous organic solvents while calixarene doping stabilizes the polymer. The materials synthesized herein were characterized by UV- visible spectroscopy, FT- IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy ( SEM), transmission electron microscopy ( TEM), energy- dispersive X- ray spectroscopy ( EDX), X- ray photoelectron spectroscopy ( XPS), and cyclic voltammetry ( CV) of synthesized nanocomposites. It was revealed that the resulting calixarene- doped polypyrrole- TiO2/ ZnO nanocomposite has ( 1) long- time stability, ( 2) significant electrochemical activity for sensing formaldehyde, and ( 3) good antimicrobial activity.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking studies of N-acylheteroaryl hydrazone derivatives as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents - Mahajan, Pravin S.; Nikam, Mukesh D.; Khedkar, Vijay M.; Jha, Prakash C.; Sarkar, Dhiman; Gill, Charansingh H. (Research on Chemical Intermediates, 2016)
In search of new therapeutics with greater potency, three new series of 3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-thieno[2,3-c]pyrazole-5-carbohydrazide derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The hydrazones bearing a core pyrazole, chromone and tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoline scaffold showed promising activities. Interestingly, compounds 3a (EC50 = 06.00 +/- A 2.36) and 5c (EC50 = 07.21 +/- A 0.67) showed the most potent antioxidant activity, while compounds 3a (EC50 = 10.25 +/- A 1.08), 7b (EC50 = 10.50 +/- A 0.99) and 7c (EC50 = 11.18 +/- A 0.15) showed significant anti-inflammatory activity. Furthermore, molecular docking studies also revealed a significant correlation between the binding score and biological activity for these compounds to describe the molecular basis for the structure activity relationship (SAR) results. As these compounds are good cyclooxygenase inhibitors, isoenzyme inhibitory potency studies are warranted.
Keywords: Anti-inflammatory; Antioxidant; Docking study; N-Acylhydrazones; Structure-activity relationship

Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking study of some novel indole and pyridine based 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives as potential antitubercular agents - Desai, N. C.; Somani, Hardik; Trivedi, Amit; Bhatt, Kandarp; Nawale, Laxman; Khedkar, Vijay M.; Jha, Prakash C.; Sarkar, Dhiman (Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2016)
A series of indole and pyridine based 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives 5a-t were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra (MTB) and Mycobacterium bovis BCG both in active and dormant state. Compounds 5b, 5e, 5g and 5q exhibited very good antitubercular activity. All the newly synthesized compounds 5a-t were further evaluated for antiproliferative activity against HeLa, A549 and PANC-1 cell lines using modified MTT assay and found to be noncytotoxic. On the basis of cytotoxicity and MIC values against Mycobacterium bovis BCG, selectivity index (SI) of most active compounds 5b, 5e, 5g and 5q was calculated (SI = GI(50)/MIC) in active and dormant state. Compounds 5b, 5e and 5g demonstrated SI values >= 10 against all three cell lines and were found to safe for advance screening. Compounds 5a-t were further screened for their antibacterial activity against four bacteria strains to assess their selectivity towards MTB. In addition, the molecular docking studies revealed the binding modes of these compounds in active site of enoyl reductase (InhA), which in turn helped to establish a structural basis of inhibition of mycobacteria. The potency, low cytotoxicity and selectivity of these compounds make them valid lead compounds for further optimization. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: 1; 3; 4-Oxadiazole; Antitubercular activity; Cytotoxicity; Indole; Molecular docking; Pyridine

Synthesis, biological valuation, and QSAR studies of novel pyrazole bearing pyridyl oxadiazole analogues as potential antimicrobial agents - Desai, N. C.; Kotadiya, G. M.; Trivedi, A. R.; Khedkar, Vijay M.; Jha, Prakash C. (Medicinal Chemistry Research, 2016)
A new series of 1-(2-(3-(4-nitrophenyl)-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-5-(pyridin-4-yl)-1,3,4 -oxadiazol-3(2H)-yl)-3-(aryl)prop-2-en-1-ones (5a-l) were synthesized by a simple and efficient synthetic protocol. The newly synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR and Mass spectroscopy. The resulting structural diversity was screened for its antimicrobial activity the following bacterial and fungal strains: two Gram-positive bacteria [Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC-96), Streptococcus pyogenes (MTCC-442)], two Gram-negative bacteria [Escherichia coli (MTCC-443), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC-1688)] and three fungal species (C. albicans, A. niger and A. clavatus). Following this, in vitro cytotoxicity activity against HeLa cell lines was measured by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide] assay. The observations derived from the diverse assays were utilized for building classification models based on a binary QSAR approach termed recursive partitioning (RP) analysis to probe the physic-chemical properties influencing the SAR for molecules. The decision tree derived from RP analysis could highlight structural characteristics that discriminate the actives from inactives which can serve as guide to design molecules with improved potency. In silico ADME predictions were performed to gauge their pharmacokinetic, safety and drug likeness profile.
Keywords: 1; 3; 4-Oxadiazole; Antimicrobial activity; Cytotoxicity; Pyrazole; Pyridine; QSAR

Synthesis of fuel intermediates from HMF/fructose - Nale, S. D.; Jadhav, V. H. (Catalysis Letters, 2016)
Alkylation of toluene, anisole and mesitylene with HMF and fructose is reported using Glu–Fe3O4–SO3H solid acid catalyst. HMF was found to alkylate toluene, anisole and mesitylene in high yields and high selectivity under solvent free conditions. Polyalkylation and self etherification of HMF was not observed. The alkylated product on hydrodeoxygenation forms liquid alkanes of different chain lengths which have properties of transportation fuels or diesel fuels. The catalyst was easily recoverable and reusable minimum 5 times to achieve good yields and high selectivity of alkylated product.

Synthesis of Sn-containing anatase (TiO2) by sol-gel method and their performance in catalytic water splitting under visible light as a function of tin content - Tangale, N. P.; Niphadkar, P. S.; Samuel, V.; Deshpande, Suvarna S.; Joshi, P. N.; Awate, S. V. (Materials Letters, 2016)
Sol-gel route was employed to prepare a series of Sn-containing anatase with different molar (Ti/Sn) ratios ranging from 49 to 1. Samples were characterized by powder XRD, UV-vis, XPS, SEM, EDAX, low temperature N-2 sorption technique and Raman Spectroscopy. Except anatase phase, no other crystalline phase was observed when Ti/Sn molar ratio was varied from 49 to 9 and for Sn free sample. However, further decrease in the ratio lead to the appearance of additional SnO2 phase whose peak intensities were increased with the increase in the tin content. Irrespective of tin content, all samples showed red-shift in UV-vis spectra. Moreover, samples showed Raman shift to higher vibration side from 143 cm(-1) to 147 cm(-1) indicating the doping of Sn2+ into TiO2. By virtue of low band gap, anatase crystallite size and an absence of XRD visible SnO2, ST (19) has shown maximum photocatalytic activity upon 1 wt% Pt loading. It has exhibited the highest rate (0.1264 mmole/g/h) for visible light induced hydrogen evolution by water splitting. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Semiconductors; Sn2+ doped titania; SnO2/TiO2; Sol-gel preparation; visible light; water splitting

Synthesis of tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase i inhibitors - Nale, S. D.; Jadhav, V. H. (Tetrahedron Letters, 2016)
The first report for the synthesis of tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase I inhibitors 3,4-dimethoxyphenol-1-β-d-(6′-O-galloyl)glucopyranoside 3 and 3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)propane-1,2-diol 2-β-d-(6′-O-galloyl) glucopyranoside 5 has been accomplished starting from readily available d-glucose as a starting material. An efficient and general approach has been reported for the synthesis of compounds 3 and 5 with an overall yield of 26% and 27%, respectively.

Targeted quantification of N-1-(carboxymethyl) valine and N-1-(carboxyethyl) valine peptides of beta-hemoglobin for better diagnostics in diabetes - Jagadeeshaprasad, Mashanipalya G.; Batkulwar, Kedar B.; Meshram, Nishita N.; Tiwari, Shalbha; Korwar, Arvind M.; Unnikrishnan, Ambika G.; Kulkarni, Mahesh J. (Clinical Proteomics, 2016)
Background: N-1-(Deoxyfructosyl) valine (DFV) beta-hemoglobin (beta-Hb), commonly referred as HbA1c, is widely used diagnostic marker in diabetes, believed to provide glycemic status of preceding 90-120 days. However, the turnover of hemoglobin is about 120 days, the DFV-beta-Hb, an early and reversible glycation product eventually may undergo irreversible advanced glycation modifications such as carboxymethylation or carboxyethylation. Hence quantification of N-1-(carboxymethyl) valine (CMV) and N-1-(carboxyethyl) valine (CEV) peptides of beta-Hb would be useful in assessing actual glycemic status. Results: Fragment ion library for synthetically glycated peptides of hemoglobin was generated by using high resolution-accurate mass spectrometry (HR/AM). Using parallel reaction monitoring, deoxyfructosylated, carboxymethylated and carboxyethylated peptides of hemoglobin were quantified in clinical samples from healthy control, pre-diabetes, diabetes and poorly controlled diabetes. For the first time, we report N-1-beta-valine undergoes carboxyethylation and mass spectrometric quantification of CMV and CEV peptides of beta-hemoglobin. Carboxymethylation was found to be the most abundant modification of N-1-beta-valine. Both CMV-beta-Hb and CEV-beta-Hb peptides showed better correlation with severity of diabetes in terms of fasting glucose, postprandial glucose and microalbuminuria. Conclusions: This study reports carboxymethylation as a predominant modification of N-1-beta-valine of Hb, and quantification of CMV-beta-Hb and CEV-beta-Hb could be useful parameter for assessing the severity of diabetes.
Keywords: Diabetes; Diagnosis; Glycation; Glycemic control; HbA1c; Mass spectrometry

Temperature dependent raman spectroscopy and sensing behavior of few layer SnSe2nanosheets - Pawbake, Amit S.; Date, Abhijit; Jadkar, Sandesh R.; Late, Dattatray J. (Chemistryselect, 2016)
Two- dimensional (2D) tin diselenide (SnSe2) nanosheets were synthesized using solvothermal route in one step and perform its humidity sensing, photo sensing and temperature dependant Raman spectroscopy studies. The sensor devices based on few layer SnSe2 nanosheets were prepared and which shows fast response as well as recovery time along with good long-term stability and high sensitivity. The photo sensing behavior shows the typical response time and recovery time to be similar to 310 ms and similar to 340 ms respectively for visible light illumination. The room temperature humidity sensing behaviors were studied in the range of 11-97% relative humidity (RH). The ob-served sensitivity of similar to 81% with response time of similar to 74 sec and recovery time of similar to 30 sec were calculated for the few layer SnSe2 nanosheets based humidity sensor. The humidity sensing results confirms the high stability of the device even after six months of time. The temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy investigation in the range of 80 K to 593 K were carried out which shows the negative temperature coefficient and softening of Raman modes as we increases the temperature. The softening modes of SnSe2 nanosheets due to temperature were explained on the basis of a double resonance process which is more active in an atomically thin sample.

Temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy of electrochemically exfoliated few layer black phosphorus nanosheets - Pawbake, Amit S.; Erande, Manisha B.; Jadkar, Sandesh R.; Late, Dattatray J. (RSC Advances, 2016)
The present investigation deals with temperature dependant Raman spectroscopy of electrochemically exfoliated few layer black phosphorus nanosheets. The temperature dependent study illustrates that softening of the A(g)(1), B-2g and A(g)(2) modes occurs as the temperature increases from 78 K to 573 K. The calculated temperature coefficients for the A(g)(1), B-2g and A(g)(2) modes were found to be -0.028 cm(-1) K-1, -0.028 cm(-1) K-1 and -0.018 cm(-1) K-1 respectively. The observed phenomenon can be utilized for characterizing other emerging two-dimensional inorganic layered materials with atomic thickness.

Three way catalytic converter reactions aspects at near ambient temperatures on modified pd-surfaces - Roy, Kanak; Jain, Ruchi; Ghosalya, Manoj Kumar; Reddy, Kasala Prabhakar; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S. (Comptes Rendus Chimie, 2016)
The dissolution of oxygen in palladium plays an important role in palladium catalysis. The present study shows that the surface modification (SM) due to the dissolution of atomic oxygen into the subsurfaces of palladium can be used as a control to tune its catalytic activity. CO oxidation and NO + H-2 + O-2 reaction was separately carried out on metallic Pd and on surface modified Pd using a molecular beam instrument and the results were compared. The metallic Pd does not show activity below 400 K for both reactions, whereas the SM-Pd shows activity at near-ambient temperatures. The electronic change due to SM was investigated using ambient pressure photoelectron spectroscopy, and the investigation clearly shows the effect of subsurface oxygen in the ambient temperature activity of palladium. (C) 2016 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Total synthesis of the marine natural product solomonamide B necessitates stereochemical revision - Kashinath, K.; Jachak, Gorakhnath R.; Athawale, Paresh R.; Marelli, Udaya Kiran; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Reddy, D. Srinivasa (Organic Letters, 2016)
The first total synthesis of the proposed structure of solomonamide B has been achieved. However, the H-1 and C-13 NMR spectral data of the synthesized compound was not exactly matching with that of the natural solomonamide B. This prompted us to revise the originally proposed structure, in particular, the stereochemistry of the nonpeptide part, which was confirmed by its total synthesis. During the course of the synthesis, we have developed an interesting hydroxy group directed Wacker oxidation of internal olefins in a macrocyclic setting.

Unified strategy for nickel-catalyzed C-2 Alkylation of indoles through chelation assistance - Soni, Vineeta; Jagtap, Rahul A.; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Punji, Benudhar (ACS Catalysis, 2016)
A nickel-catalyzed direct C-2 alkylation of indoles through monodentate-chelation assistance has been described. This reaction proceeds via an unusual strategy by the use of a well-designed and defined (quinolinyl)amido–nickel catalyst, [{κN,κN,κN-Et2NCH2C(O)(μ-N)C9H6N}Ni(OAc)], providing a solution to the limitations associated with bidentate-chelate auxiliaries. The method allows coupling of indoles with various unactivated primary and secondary alkyl halides with ample substrate scope. This uniquely strategized alkylation proceeded through crucial C–H activation and via an alkyl radical intermediate. The reaction by this approach represents a rare example of Ni-catalyzed monodentate-chelate-assisted C–H functionalization.

Unraveling origins of the heterogeneous curvature dependence of polypeptide interactions with carbon nanostructures - Jana, Asis K.; Tiwari, Mrityunjay K.; Vanka, Kumar; Sengupta, Neelanjana (Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2016)
Emerging nanotechnology has rapidly broadened interfacial prospects of biological molecules with carbon nanomaterials (CNs). A prerequisite for effectively harnessing such hybrid materials is a multifaceted understanding of their complex interfacial interactions as functions of the physico-chemical characteristics and the surface topography of the individual components. In this article, we address the origins of the curvature dependence of polypeptide adsorption on CN surfaces (CNSs), a phenomenon bearing an acute influence upon the behavior and activity of CN-protein conjugates. Our benchmark molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the amphiphilic full-length amyloid beta (A beta) peptide demonstrate that protein adsorption is strongest on the concave (inner) CN-surface, weakest on the convex (outer) surface, and intermediary on the planar surface, in agreement with recent experimental reports. The curvature effects, however, are found to manifest non-uniformly between the amino acid subtypes. To understand the underlying interplay of the chemical nature of the amino acids and surface topography of the CNs, we performed high-level quantum chemical (QM) calculations with amino acid analogs (MA) representing their five prominent classes, and convex, concave and planar CN fragments. Molecular electrostatic potential maps reveal pronounced curvature dependence in the mixing of electron densities, and a resulting variance in the stabilization of the non-covalentty bound molecular complexes. Interestingly, our study revealed that the interaction trends of the high-level QM calculations were captured well by the empirical force field. The findings in this study have important bearing upon the design of carbon based bio-nanomaterials, and additionally, provide valuable insights into the accuracy of various computational techniques for probing non-bonded interfacial interactions.

Virtual screening techniques to probe the antimalarial activity of some traditionally used phytochemicals - Shibi, Indira G.; Aswathy, Lilly; Jisha, Radhakrishnan S.; Masand, Vijay H.; Gajbhiye, Jayant M. (Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening, 2016)
Malaria parasites show resistance to most of the antimalarial drugs and hence developing antimalarials which can act on multitargets rather than a single target will be a promising strategy of drug design. Here we report a new approach by which virtual screening of 292 unique phytochemicals present in 72 traditionally important herbs is used for finding out inhibitors of plasmepsin-2 and falcipain-2 for antimalarial activity against P. falciparum. Initial screenings of the selected molecules by Random Forest algorithm model of Weka using the bioassay datasets AID 504850 and AID 2302 screened 120 out of the total 292 phytochemicals to be active against the targets. Toxtree scan cautioned 21 compounds to be either carcinogenic or mutagenic and were thus removed for further analysis. Out of the remaining 99 compounds, only 46 compounds offered drug-likeness as per the `rule of five' criteria. Out of ten antimalarial drug targets, only two target proteins such as 3BPF and 3PNR of falcipain-2 and 1PFZ and 2BJU of plasmepsin-2 are selected as targets. The potential binding of the selected 46 compounds to the active sites of these four targets was analyzed using MOE software. The docked conformations and the interactions with the binding pocket residues of the target proteins were understood by `Ligplot' analysis. It has been found that 8 compounds are dual inhibitors of falcipain-2 and plasmepsin-2, with the best binding energies. Compound 117 (6aR, 12aS)-12a-Hydroxy-9-methoxy-2,3-dimethylenedioxy-8-prenylrotenone (Usaratenoid C) present in the plant Millettia usaramensis showed maximum molecular docking score.
Keywords: ADME; malaria; Molecular docking; molecular operating environment; Plasmodium falciparum; virtual screening; weka

What can simulations tell us about GPCRs: integrating the scales - Sengupta, Durba; Joshi, Manali; Athale, Chaitanya A.; Chattopadhyay, Amitabha (G Protein-Coupled Receptors: Signaling, Trafficking and Regulation, 2016)
The functional dynamics of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) encompasses multiple spatiotemporal scales, ranging from femtoseconds to seconds and Angstroms to micrometers. Computational approaches, often in close collaboration with experimental methods, have been invaluable in unraveling GPCR structure and dynamics at these various hierarchical levels. The binding of natural and synthetic ligands to the wild-type and naturally occurring variant receptors have been analyzed by several computational methods. The activation of receptors from the inactive to the active state has been investigated by atomistic simulations and ongoing work on several receptors will help uncover general and receptor-specific mechanisms. The interaction of GPCRs with complex membranes that contain phospholipids and cholesterol have been probed by coarse-grain methods and shown to directly influence receptor association. In this chapter, we discuss computational approaches that have been successful in analyzing each scale of GPCR dynamics. An overview of these approaches will allow a more judicious choice of the appropriate method. We hope that an appreciation of the power of current computational approaches will encourage more critical collaborations. A comprehensive integration of the different approaches over the entire spatiotemporal scales promises to unravel new facets of GPCR function.

Wide band gap and conducting tungsten carbide(WC) thin films prepared by hot wire chemical vapor deposition(HW-CVD) method - Pawbake, Amit; Waykar, Ravindra; Jadhavar, Ashok; Kulkarni, Rupali; Waman, Vaishali; Date, Abhijit; Late, Dattatray J.; Pathan, Habib; Jadkar, Sandesh (Materials Letters, 2016)
In this letter, we report synthesis of tungsten carbide (WC) thin films having wide band gap(3.22-3.3 eV) with high electrical conductivity (80-1260 S/cm) by HW-CVD using heated using heated W filament and Tetra-fluoro-methane (CF4) gas. Formation of WC was confirmed by low angle XRD, Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. UV-Visible spectroscopy analysis revealed that the synthesized films have high transmission at wavelength 500 nm. Electrical properties measured using Hall measurement show that these films are semiconductor. The obtained results imply that the growth of WC thin films is mainly from the atomic species(W and C) evaporated from the hot filament. The HW-CVD opens a novel route to synthesize wide band gap and conducting WC at a cost-efficient way for DSSCs and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). (C) 2016 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.

4-Phenyl quinoline derivatives as potential serotonin receptor ligands with antiproliferative activity - Joshi, Pranaya V.; Sayed, Alim A.; RaviKumar, Ameeta; Puranik, Vedavati G.; Zinjarde, Smita S. (European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2017)
Antagonists of signaling receptors are often effective non-toxic therapeutic agents. Over the years, there have been evidences describing the role of serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in development of cancer. Although there are reports on the antiproliferative effects of some serotonin receptor antagonists, there are very few investigations related to understanding their structure-activity relationships. In this study, we report the screening of a library of 4-phenyl quinoline derivatives for their antiproliferative activities. Preliminary docking studies indicated that these ligands had the ability to bind to two of the serotonin. receptors, 5-HT1B and 5-HT2B. The results of the in silico experiments were validated by performing in vitro studies on MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. The ethylpiperazine derivatives showed maximum toxicity against this cancer cell line. The compounds inhibited Calcium ion efflux (induced by serotonin) and ERK activation. One of the most active 4-phenyl quinoline derivatives (H3a) also induced apoptosis, thereby, suggesting the use of this scaffold as a potential anticancer drug. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Abundance matters: role of albumin in diabetes, a proteomics perspective - Bhat, Shweta; Jagadeeshaprasad, Mashanipalya G.; Venkatasubramani, Vinashya; Kulkarni, Mahesh J. (Expert Review of Proteomics, 2017)
Introduction: Human serum albumin (HSA) is a multifaceted protein with vital physiological functions. It is the most abundant plasma protein with inherent capability to bind to diverse ligands, and thus susceptible to various post-translational modifications (PTMs) which alter its structure and functions. One such PTM is glycation, a non-enzymatic reaction between reducing sugar and protein leading to formation of heterogeneous advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Glycated albumin (GA) concentration increases significantly in diabetes and is implicated in development of secondary complications. Areas covered: In this review, we discuss in depth formation of GA and its consequences, approaches used for characterization and quantification of GA, milestones in GA proteomics, clinical relevance of GA as a biomarker, significance of maintaining abundant levels of albumin and future perspectives. Expert commentary: Elevated GA levels are associated with development of insulin resistance as well as secondary complications, in healthy and diabetic individuals respectively. Mass spectrometry (MS) based approaches aid in precise characterization and quantification of GA including early and advanced glycated peptides, which can be useful in prediction of the disease status. Thus GA has evolved to be one of the best candidates in the pursuit of diagnostic markers for prediction of prediabetes and diabetic complications.

Acetone and methanol fruit extracts of terminalia paniculata inhibit HIV-1 infection in vitro - Durge, Ankita; Jadaun, Pratiksha; Wadhwani, Ashish; Chinchansure, Ashish A.; Said, Madhukar; Thulasiram, H. V.; Joshi, Swati P.; Kulkarni, Smita S. (Natural Product Research, 2017)
In this study, we report the in vitro anti-HIV1 activity of acetone and methanol extracts of fruit of Terminalia paniculata. Cytotoxicity tests were conducted on TZM-bl cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), the CC50 values of both the extracts were 260g/mL. Using TZM-bl cells, the extracts were tested for their ability to inhibit replication of two primary isolates HIV-1 (X4, Subtype D) and HIV-1 (R5, Subtype C). The activity against HIV-1 primary isolate (R5, Subtype C) was confirmed using activated PBMC and by quantification of HIV-1 p24 antigen. Both the extracts showed anti-HIV1 activity in a dose-dependent manner. The EC50 values of the acetone and methanol extracts of T. paniculata were 10.3g/mL. The enzymatic assays were performed to determine the mechanism of action which indicated that the anti-HIV1 activity might be due to inhibition of reverse transcriptase (77.7% inhibition) and protease (69.9% inhibition) enzymes.

AgOTf-catalyzed dehydrative [3+2] annulation of aziridines with 2-naphthols - Kaicharla, Trinadh; Jacob, Anu; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Biju, Akkattu T. (Chemical Communications, 2017)
The reaction of 2-naphthols with aziridines in the presence of AgOTf resulting in a dehydrative, formal [3+2] annulation is reported. The reaction allows the synthesis of functionalized benzoindolines, and tolerates a broad range of functional groups. A preliminary study on themechanism of this reaction indicates an SN1-type ring-opening of aziridines. This method is demonstrated for the one-pot synthesis of benzoindoles.

Allostreptomyces indica sp. nov., isolated from India - Sahu, A.K. (Journal of Antibiotics, 2017)
A novel actinobacterium, designated strain YIM 75704T, was isolated from a limestone quarry located at Gulbarga, Karnataka, India. The novel strain has showed typical morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics of the family Streptomycetaceae. Comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that this strain represents a novel member of the family Streptomycetaceae and exhibited 99.0% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with the type species of the recently described novel genus Allostreptomyces, that is, Allostreptomyces psammosilenae, whereas other species of Streptomyces were below 95% sequence similarity. The cell hydrolysates contained the LL-isomer of diaminopimelic acid and the predominant quinones were MK-9 (H 6, H 8 and H 4). The polar lipid profile consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositolmannosides and three unknown phospholipids. The DNA G+C content was 75.0 mol%. A polyphasic study of the strain with morphological, phenotypic, phylogenetic and with DNA-DNA hybridization evidence with related members showed that this strain represents novel species of Allostreptomyces for which the name Allostreptomyces indica sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is YIM 75704 T (= DSM 41985T =CCTCC AA 209051T = NCIM 5485T).

Alternatively packed dry molten globule-like intermediate in the native state ensemble of a multidomain protein - Mishra, Prajna; Jha, Santosh Kumar (Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2017)
It has been difficult to quantify the degree of side-chain conformational heterogeneity in the native (N) state ensemble of proteins and the relative energetic contributions of the side-chain packing and the hydrophobic effect in protein stability. Here, we show using multiple site specific spectroscopic probes and tools of thermodynamics that the N state ensemble of a multidomain protein contains an equilibrium intermediate (I) whose interdomain region resembles a dry molten globule. In the I state, a tryptophan residue in the interdomain region is alternatively packed, but its secondary structure and intradomain packing are N-like. The I state also has a larger interdomain distance, but the domain-domain interface is dry and molten. Our results indicate that hydrophobic desolvation and side-chain packing are decoupled during protein folding and that interdomain packing interactions have an important energetic contribution in protein stability. Dynamic interconversion between alternatively packed N-like states could be important for multiple allosteric and ligand binding functions of this protein.

Anti-microbial activity of chrysomycin a produced by streptomyces sp. against mycobacterium tuberculosis - Balaji, Muralikrishnan; Dan, Vipin Mohan; Joseph, Vinodh; Jamsheena, Vellekkatt; Ramachandran, Ranjit; Thomas, Sabu; Dastager, Syed Gulam; Kumar, K. Santhosh; Lankalapalli, Ravi Shankar; Kumar, R. Ajay (RSC Advances, 2017)
Limited efficacy of the BCG (Bacillus Calmette–Guérin) vaccine against adult tuberculosis and the emergence of resistance to existing anti-tuberculosis drugs compel discovery of novel antibiotics against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Actinomycetes are still an attractive platform for the discovery of new antimicrobials, especially from untapped natural hotspots, despite the belief that they are an exhausted resource after repeated re-discoveries. Herein we report the isolation and identification of chrysomycin A from an actinomycete isolated from a coastal area in Kerala. We show for the first time that it has antimycobacterial activity. It was found to be bactericidal to planktonic and intracellular M. tuberculosis with an MIC of 3.125 μg mL⁻¹; it is non-hemolytic and has negligible cytotoxicity. The actinomycete that produces chrysomycin A was found to be a Streptomyces sp. through 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Aromatic polyesters containing pendent 4-(phenylsulfonyl)phenyl groups: synthesis and characterization - Bapat, Snehalata P.; Jadhav, Sushilkumar A.; Valsange, Nitin G.; Tawade, Bhausaheb V.; Honkhambe, Pandurang N.; Chavan, Nayaku N.; Wadgaonkar, Prakash P. (Journal of Polymer Research, 2017)
A new bisphenol, 1,1-bis-[(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-(4-phenylsulfonyl) phenyl)] ethane (DPSBP) was synthesized starting from diphenylsulfide and was characterized by spectroscopic methods. DPSBP was polycondensed with isophthalic acid chloride (IPC), terephthalic acid chloride (TPC) and a mixture of IPC and TPC (50: 50 mol%) by phase-transfer catalysed interfacial polymerization method to obtain aromatic polyesters containing pendent 4-(phenylsulfonyl)phenyl groups. A series of copolyesters was also obtained by polycondensation of varying molar proportions of DPSBP and bisphenol-A (BPA) with TPC. (Co) polyesters exhibited inherent viscosities in the range 0.56-1.57 dLg(-1) and number average molecular weights (Mn) were in the range 28,650-80,230 g/mol. Polyesters dissolved readily in common organic solvents such as dichloromethane, chloroform, tetrahydrofuran and aprotic polar solvents such as N-methylpyrrolidone, and N, N-dimethylacetamide. Tough, transparent and flexible films of polyesters could be cast from their chloroform solutions. X-Ray diffraction studies indicated amorphous nature of aromatic polyesters. Polyesters showed T-g values in the range 223-257 degrees C while T-10 values were in the range of 469-484 degrees C indicating their excellent thermal stability.
Keywords: Aromatic polyesters; Bulky pendent group; solubility; thermal stability

Assessing therapeutic potential of molecules: molecular property diagnostic suite for tuberculosis - Gaur, A. S.; Bhardwaj, A.; Sharma, A.; John, L.; Vivek, M. R.; Tripathi, N.; Bharatam, P. V.; Kumar, R.; Janardhan, S.; Mori, A.; Banerji, A.; Lynn, A. M.; et al. (Journal of Chemical Sciences, 2017)
Abstract: Molecular Property Diagnostic Suite (MPDS TB) is a web tool (http://mpds.osdd.net) designed to assist the in silico drug discovery attempts towards Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). MPDS TB tool has nine modules which are classified into data library (1–3), data processing (4–5) and data analysis (6–9). Module 1 is a repository of literature and related information available on the Mtb. Module 2 deals with the protein target analysis of the chosen disease area. Module 3 is the compound library consisting of 110.31 million unique molecules generated from public domain databases and custom designed search tools. Module 4 contains tools for chemical file format conversions and 2D to 3D coordinate conversions. Module 5 helps in calculating the molecular descriptors. Module 6 specifically handles QSAR model development tools using descriptors generated in the Module 5. Module 7 integrates the AutoDock Vina algorithm for docking, while module 8 provides screening filters. Module 9 provides the necessary visualization tools for both small and large molecules. The workflow-based open source web portal, MPDS TB 1.0.1 can be a potential enabler for scientists engaged in drug discovery in general and in anti-TB research in particular. Graphical Abstract: SYNOPSIS: A web-based MPDS TB Galaxy tool is developed for assessing therapeutic potential of molecules. MPDS TB is categorized into Data Library, Data Processing and Data Analysis. It can be a potential enabler for scientists engaged in drug discovery in general and in anti-TB research in particular. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2017, Indian Academy of Sciences.
Keywords: chemical analysis; Chemoinformatics; computational chemistry; Diagnosis; Drug discovery portal; Information analysis; Libraries; Molecular graphics; Molecules; Neglected diseases; Open science; Portals; tuberculosis; Web-based technology; Websites

Band alignment and charge transfer pathway in three phase anatase-rutile-brookite TiO2 nanotubes: an efficient photocatalyst for water splitting - Preethi, L. K.; Mathews, Tom; Nand, Mangla; Jha, S. N.; Chinnakonda, Gopinath S.; Dash, Sitaram (Applied Catalysis B-Environmental, 2017)
The study reports electrochemical synthesis, phase evolution and hydrogen generation efficiency of anatase, anatase-rutile and anatase-rutile-brookite (ARB) TiO2 nanotubes for the first time. The SEM and TEM micrographs confirm the tubular morphology of the samples. The presence of anatase, rutile and brookite phases in a single nanotube is confirmed from high resolution TEM analysis. The water splitting efficiency of the three systems are studied under one sun illumination. It is observed that the anatase-rutile-brookite TiO2 nanotubes are highly efficient compared to anatase-rutile or anatase TiO2 nanotubes. The hydrogen generated by ARB composites, after four hours of one sun illumination, is found to be nearly twice that of anatase TiO2 nanotubes and 1.6 times that of anatase-rutile TiO2 nanotubes. The results suggest that the ARB in single nanotube having two junction interfaces, highly facilitate interparticle charge transfer compared to single junction anatase-rutile or bare anatase TiO2 nanotubes. From the deconvolution of PL spectra and the synchrotron radiation assisted valence band edge analysis, the band diagram for the anatase-rutile-brookite phase is constructed. The charge separation and its transfer pathway for efficient photo-assisted water splitting are delineated. This opens a new route for the simple synthesis and study of tri-phase TiO2 for efficient photocatalytic water splitting compared to the widely studied two phase TiO2. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Keywords: Anatase-Rutile-Brookite; Hydrogen generation; nanotubes; Photocatalysis; photoluminescence; Valence band edge

Biosynthesis of glycomonoterpenes to attenuate quorum sensing associated virulence in bacteria - Patil, Amrita; Joshi-Navre, Kasturi; Mukherji, Ruchira; Prabhune, Asmita (Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry, 2017)
The acquisition of multidrug resistance in bacteria has become a bigger threat of late, mainly due to the bacterial signaling phenomenon, quorum sensing (QS). QS, among a population of bacteria, initiates the formation of biofilms and offers myriad advantages to bacteria. Burgeoning antibiotic resistance in biofilm-producing bacteria has motivated efforts toward finding new alternatives to these traditional antimicrobials. In the present study, we report the increased solubility and additional quorum quenching as well as biofilm disruption activity of glyco-derivatives of monoterpenes (citral and citronellal). Glycomonoterpenes of citral and citronellal were synthesized via conjugation of the monoterpenes with glucose by the non-pathogenic yeast Candida bombicola (ATCC 22214). Structural elucidation of newly synthesized glycomonoterpenes showed that one synthesized using citronellal contains three major lactonic forms with molecular weight 492.43, 473.47, and 330.39 Da whereas the one produced using citral has an acidic form with molecular weight 389.33 and 346.23 Da. The glycomonoterpenes were able to individually inhibit QS, mediated through various medium-chain and long-chain N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs). These new compounds are interesting additions to the known range of quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs) and could be further explored for potential clinical applications.

Characterizing clinically relevant natural variants of GPCRs using computational approaches - Sengupta, Durba; Sonar, Krushna; Joshi, Manali (Methods in cell biology, 2017)
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are an important class of drug targets owing to their physiological role. A large number of clinically relevant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been observed in GPCRs that are linked to disease susceptibility and adverse drug response. It is therefore important to characterize the variants in order to improve GPCR therapeutics. Here, we discuss computational methods coupling molecular dynamics simulations with docking and free energy calculations to characterize the functional differences in GPCR variants. The hallmark of this approach is the explicit incorporation of receptor and membrane dynamics that allows us to analyze short- and long-range effects in the variant receptors. We use the SNPs reported in β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR) as a test case and highlight the recent successes in analyzing structural and dynamic differences in a series of population variants. The computational approach we discuss here has a twofold benefit: it helps to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying hypo- or hyperfunctionality of variant receptors as well as prioritizing novel variants that must be experimentally tested.

Chickpea-fusarium oxysporum interaction transcriptome reveals differential modulation of plant defense strategies - Upasani, Medha L.; Limaye, Bhakti M.; Gurjar, Gayatri S.; Kasibhatla, Sunitha M.; Joshi, Rajendra R.; Kadoo, Narendra Y.; Gupta, Vidya S. (Scientific Reports, 2017)
Fusarium wilt is one of the major biotic stresses reducing chickpea productivity. The use of wilt-resistant cultivars is the most appropriate means to combat the disease and secure productivity. As a step towards understanding the molecular basis of wilt resistance in chickpea, we investigated the transcriptomes of wilt-susceptible and wilt-resistant cultivars under both Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceri (Foc) challenged and unchallenged conditions. Transcriptome profiling using LongSAGE provided a valuable insight into the molecular interactions between chickpea and Foc, which revealed several known as well as novel genes with differential or unique expression patterns in chickpea contributing to lignification, hormonal homeostasis, plant defense signaling, ROS homeostasis, R-gene mediated defense, etc. Similarly, several Foc genes characteristically required for survival and growth of the pathogen were expressed only in the susceptible cultivar with null expression of most of these genes in the resistant cultivar. This study provides a rich resource for functional characterization of the genes involved in resistance mechanism and their use in breeding for sustainable wilt-resistance. Additionally, it provides pathogen targets facilitating the development of novel control strategies.

Colloidal nanocomposite of TiN and N-doped few-layer graphene for plasmonics and electrocatalysis - Shanker, G. Shiva; Markad, Ganesh B.; Jagadeeswararao, Metikoti; Bansode, Umesh; Nag, Angshuman (ACS Energy Letters, 2017)
A combination of high carrier density, high surface area, solution processability, and low cost is desired in a material for electrocatalytic applications, including H-2 evolution and a counter electrode of a solar cell. Also, plasmonic-based applications in biological systems can be derived from such material. In this regard, a colloidal nanocomposite of TiN and N-doped few-layer graphene (TiN NFG) is synthesized from molecular precursors. TiN nano crystals (NCs) provide free electrons for electrical conductivity and plasmonics, whereas NFG is responsible for charge transport, high surface area, and colloidal stability. Colloidal TiN NFG nano composites exhibit a localized surface plasmon resonance band at around 700 nm. Coatings of the nanocomposite form a counter electrode for efficient (8.9%) dye-sensitized solar cells. Furthermore, the nanocomposite acts as an efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction, exhibiting an overpotential similar to 161 mV at a current density of 10 mA/cm(2).

Comparable ionicity of the solutions of aprotic and protic ionic liquids by anion substitution - Jain, Preeti; Kumar, Anil (Journal of Solution Chemistry, 2017)
Temperature dependent molar conductances and fluidities of bisulfate and ethyl sulfate anion-based ionic liquids were measured. The extent of dissociation of the ionic liquids was estimated from the Walden plot in term of ionicity. The ionicity mainly depends on the magnitude of Coulombic forces, altered by the anion’s Lewis basicity. Aqueous solutions of aprotic ionic liquids, in general, possesses ionicity in the range of ≈70–99%. This article reveals that the substitution of the anion by bisulfate and ethylsulfate reduces the ionicity of aqueous solution of these ionic liquids to the range of 10–37%. This is very close to that exhibited by some of the protic ionic liquids and phosphonium based ionic liquids with sweetner anions. The concentration dependent molar conductance of these ionic liquids has been fitted to Mahiuddin and Ismail’s equation. To our surprise, the molar conductances of bisulfate-based aprotic ionic liquids are remarkably high, even though these ionic liquids possess lower ionicity.

Comparative analysis of extractive and pressure swing distillation for separation of THF-water separation - Ghuge, Pravin D.; Mali, Nilesh A.; Joshi, Sunil S. (Computers & Chemical Engineering, 2017)
In the present work, extractive and pressure-swing distillation methods are analyzed in detail through steady state ASPEN Plus simulations to propose the most economic method for separation of equimolar mixture of THF-Water. Various solvents were evaluated and DMSO was identified as the most appropriate solvent, as it gave minimum Total Annual Cost (TAC) for desired purity. In case of pressure swing distillation, various pressure ranges were explored to achieve minimum TAC. Configurations for extractive and pressure swing distillation with heat integration were also worked out. The optimum designs of extractive and pressure swing distillation with and without heat integration were compared on a common basis of feed conditions and purity constraints. Results indicate that TAC of extractive distillation with heat integration is 5.2% less than that of PSD with partial heat integration. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Compositional dependence of electrical conduction in solution grown Zn1-xCrxSe thin films: a correlation - Deshmukh, S. L.; Pingale, P. C.; Chavan, G. T.; Pawar, S. T.; Prakshale, V. M.; Kamble, S. S.; Jadkar, S. R.; Chaure, N. B.; Gopinath, C. S.; Maldar, N. N.; Deshmukh, L. P. (Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics, 2017)
Zinc selenide (ZnSe) has a typical band gap of 2.7 eV suitable for window application and can easily be synthesized using a liquid phase chemical bath deposition. An attempt is made to tune its band gap and other characteristics to cope with a maxima of the solar spectrum by deliberate addition of Cr3+. ZnSe and Zn1-xCrxSe (0 <= x <= 0.35) thin films were obtained under the controlled deposition conditions (temperature = 70 A degrees C, time = 210 min, pH = 10, etc). The compositional analysis showed Zn2+ replacement by Cr3+. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed chemical states of the constituents Zn, Cr and Se as 2(+), 3(+) and 2(-) respectively. The electrical conductivity and thermo-power measurements in the 300-550 K temperature range showed semiconducting nature of the material and that the electrical conduction is of the n-type. The electrical conductivity is found to be increased continuously up to x = 0.05 and then decreased for further increase in x. The Hall-probe measurements also confirmed n-type conduction. The average Hall coefficient for pure ZnSe is -1.03 x 10(7) cm(3)/C whereas, it is -4.55 x 10(6) cm(3)/C for a sample with x = 0.35.

Computational strategies to explore antimalarial thiazine alkaloid lead compounds based on an australian marine sponge plakortis lita - Lilly, Aswathy; Jisha, R. S.; Masand, Vijay H.; Gajbhiye, Jayant M.; Shibi, Indira G. (Journal of biomolecular Structure & Dynamics, 2017)
In this work, an attempt was made to propose new leads based on the natural scaffold Thiaplakortone-A active against malaria. The 2D QSAR studies suggested that three descriptors correlate with the anti-malarial activity with an R2 value of 0.814. Robustness, reliability and predictive power of the model were tested by internal validation, external validation, Y-scrambling and Applicability domain analysis. HQSAR studies were carried out as an additional tool to find the sub-structural fingerprints. The CoMFA and CoMSIA models gave Q2 values of 0.813 and 0.647, and R2ncv values of 0.994 and 0.984, respectively. Using the 2D-QSAR equation, the activity values of the seven modified compounds were calculated and it was found that three molecules showed good anti-malarial activity. Molecular docking of the 42 Thiaplakortone-A derivatives with P. falciparum calcium-dependent protein kinase 1 (PfCDPK1) was carried out to find out protein-ligand interactions. Data mining of the bioassay dataset AID: 504850 using the classifier based on Random Forest (RF) of Weka suggested that all of the eight molecules selected and three out of the seven virtual molecules were anti-malarial active. Both the virtual molecules and drug molecules were docked with CYP3A4, indicating that the virtual molecules could metabolize easily. Toxicity studies using Osiris shows that three molecules showed no toxic characters.

Continuous flow telescopic oxidation of alcohols via generation of chlorine and hypochlorite - Sharma, Y.; Moolya, S.; Joshi, Ramesh A.; Kulkarni, Amol A. (Reaction Chemistry & Engineering, 2017)
A 3-step continuous flow oxidation of alcohols is demonstrated with continuous generation of chlorine as the first step followed by its use for the flow synthesis of high strength sodium hypochlorite. The solution is subsequently used for oxidation of alcohols in the presence of a catalytic amount of the nitroxyl radical “TEMPO”, which inhibits oxidation at the aldehyde stage. Selective oxidations of eight different alcohols were demonstrated. To achieve identical yields, the aromatic alcohols containing electron withdrawing groups needed a longer residence time than aliphatic alcohols.

Data on the effect of oral feeding of Arachidonic acid or Docosahexanoic acid on haematopoiesis in mice - Limbkar, K. (Data in Brief, 2017)
Stem cells have peculiar property to self-renew and differentiate. It is important to control their fate in safe and effective ways for their therapeutic use. The mediators of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) namely Arachidonic acid (AA) and Docosahexanoic acid (DHA) are known to play a role in haematopoiesis via various metabolic pathways [1]. However the direct effect of purified AA or DHA on haematopoiesis has not been well investigated yet. We have reported that oral administration of PUFAs enhanced haematopoiesis in mice [2]. Signaling Leukocyte Antigen Molecule (SLAM) (CD48−CD150+) phenotype consists of pure population of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Herein we observed higher percentage of SLAM (CD48−CD150+) phenotype in the bone marrow (BM) cells of mice fed with AA or DHA compared to PBS fed control mice. Data from engraftment study depicts that BM from AA/DHA-fed mice showed higher absolute number of donor cells in recipient mice compared to control. The enhanced hematopoiesis observed in AA/DHA-fed mice was returned to normal when the mice were kept on normal diet for six weeks (after ten days of oral feeding). We confirmed GCMS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy) retention times of AA and DHA by co-injecting fatty acid extract from AA or DHA fed mice with purified AA or DHA standards respectively. Representative flow cytometry profile of Lin−Sca-1+c-kit+(LSK) cells showed higher expression of CXCR4 protein and ligands of Wnt, Notch1 signaling in BM of AA/DHA-fed mice

Defect induced modification of structural, topographical and magnetic properties of zinc ferrite thin films by swift heavy ion irradiation - Raghavan, Lisha; Joy, P. A.; Vijaykumar, B. Varma; Ramanujan, R. V.; Anantharaman, M. R. (Nuclear Instruments & Methods In Physics Research Section B-Beam Interactions With Materials And Atoms, 2017)
Swift heavy ion irradiation provides unique ways to modify physical and chemical properties of materials. In ferrites, the magnetic properties can change significantly as a result of swift heavy ion irradiation. Zinc ferrite is an antiferromagnet with a Neel temperature of 10 K and exhibits anomalous magnetic properties in the nano regime. Ion irradiation can cause amorphisation of zinc ferrite thin films; thus the role of crystallinity on magnetic properties can be examined. The influence of surface topography in these thin films can also be studied. Zinc ferrite thin films, of thickness 320 nm, prepared by RF sputtering were irradiated with 100 MeV Ag ions. Structural characterization showed amorphisation and subsequent reduction in particle size. The change in magnetic properties due to irradiation was correlated with structural and topographical effects of ion irradiation. A rough estimation of ion track radius is done from the magnetic studies. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Spin glass; Swift heavy ion; Zinc Ferrite

On demand electrochemical release of drugs from porous reduced graphene oxide modified flexible electrodes - Boulahneche, Samia; Jijie, Roxana; Barras, Alexandre; Chekin, Fereshteh; Singh, Santosh K.; Bouckaert, Julie; Medjram, Mohamed Salah; Kurungot, Sreekumar; Boukherroub, Rabah; Szunerits, Sabine (Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 2017)
Despite the advantages of an electrochemical control for drug release, only a handful of electrochemical-based release systems have been developed so far. We report herein on the development of an electrochemically activatable platform for on-demand delivery of drugs. It is based on flexible gold thin film electrodes coated with porous reduced graphene oxide (prGO) nanosheets onto which the drug of interest has been integrated beforehand. Two different drugs are investigated here: ondansetron hydrochloride (ODS), a selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist used for preventing nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and ampicillin (AMP), an antibiotic to prevent and treat a number of bacterial infections such as respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections, and meningitis. In the case of ODS, application of a negative potential bias of -0.8 V results in a sustained slow ODS release with an ODS flux of 47 mu g cm(-2) h(-1). In the case of AMP, we show that polyethyleneimine modified prGO (prGO/PEI) is an extremely efficient matrix. Upon the application of +0.8 V, 24% of AMP could be released from the electrical interface in a time span of 2 h. The released AMP kept its antibacterial activity as demonstrated by antimicrobial tests. These examples illustrate the major benefits of the developed approach for biomedical applications.

Description of Lysinibacillus telephonicus sp nov., isolated from the screen of a cellular phone - Rahi, Praveen; Kurli, Rashmi; Khairnar, Mitesh; Jagtap, Shubhangi; Pansare, Aabeejjeet N.; Dastager, Syed G.; Shouche, Yogesh S. (International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 2017)
A novel bacterial strain, designate dS5H2222(T), was isolated form the screen of a cellular phone. The cells were Gram-stainpositive, rod-shaped, aerobic and motile, and endospores are formed. S5H2222(T) grew as pale white colonies on trypticase soy agar and the best growth was observed at 37 degrees C (10- 55 degrees C) and at pH 7.0 (5.0-9.0). S5H2222(T) could tolerate up to 10% (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences placed this strain within the genus Lysinibacillus and it exhibited high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Lysinibacillus halotolerans LAM612(T) (97.8 %), Lysinibacillus chungkukjangi2RL3-2(T) (97.4 %) and Lysinibacillus sinduriensis BLB-1(T) (97.2 %). TheDNA- DNA relatedness of the strain with L. halotolerans JCM 19611(T), L. chungkukjangi KACC 16626(T) and L. sinduriensis KACC 16611(T) was 57, 64 and 55% respectively. The genomic DNA G+C content was 39.8 mol%. The major fatty acids of S5H2222(T) were iso-C-15:0, anteiso-C-15:0, iso-C-16:0 and anteiso-C-17:0. MK-7 was the only menaquinone and the main polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine, four unidentified polar lipids were also present. The diagnostic amino acids in the cell wall peptidoglycan contained Lys-Asp (type A4 alpha). On the basis of the results of the phenotypic and genotypic characterizations, it was concluded that S5H2222(T) represents a novel species of the genus Lysinibacillus, for which the name Lysinibacillus telephonicus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is S5H2222(T) (=MCC 3065 T =KACC 18714(T)=LMG 29294(T)).

Differential accumulation of vimentin fragments in preeclamptic placenta - Mary, Sheon; Kulkarni, Mahesh J.; Mehendale, Savita S.; Joshi, Sadhana R.; Giri, Ashok P. (Cytoskeleton, 2017)
Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication that is the result of abnormal placentation because of inadequate trophoblast invasion into spiral arteries that prevent normal blood flow to the placenta. We report the alteration in vimentin protein proteolysis in placenta of normotensive and preeclamptic women, which is known to have a role in many physiological functions other than its major function in the structural integrity of the cell. Placental proteome from normotensive (n=25) and preeclamptic pregnancies (n=25) showed eight differentially accumulated protein spots of vimentin (proteolytic fragments) by two-dimensional electrophoresis. Immunoblots of normotensive and preeclamptic placenta revealed a difference in proteolytic processing of vimentin. In particular, lower molecular weight vimentin fragments of 32 and 20 kDa were 3.3 and 2.6-fold (p<0.0001) higher, respectively, in preeclampsia compared with normotensive placenta.

Diverse reactivity trends of Ni surfaces in Au@Ni core-shell nanoparticles probed by near ambient pressure (NAP) XPS - Bharathan, Vysakh A.; Jain, Ruchi; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S.; Vinod, C. P. (Catalysis Science & Technology, 2017)
A mild temperature sequential reduction method in aqueous medium is reported for the synthesis of Au@Ni nanoparticles with a core-shell morphology. The nickel shell thickness with a gold core in the nanostructure can be tuned from 2 nm up to about 10 nm. Near ambient pressure XPS (NAPXPS) studies under oxygen atmosphere show that Au-80@Ni-20 with an extremely thin nickel shell (similar to 2 nm) follows a distinctly different decomposition pathway of metastable Ni(OOH) species compared to those with larger shell thickness which behave more like individual nickel surfaces. Thus, Ni(OOH) on Au-80@Ni-20 decomposes to metallic Ni at 100 degrees C and is found to resist oxidation at 0.1 mbar oxygen at this temperature. Those with a larger nickel shell thickness behave more like monometallic Ni in terms of their decomposition and oxidation properties. The Au@Ni system with an ultra thin metallic nickel overlayer (2 nm) shows high catalytic activity and selectivity for phenylacetylene hydrogenation under mild conditions which outweighs their monometallic counterparts and those with higher nickel shell thickness.

Docetaxel-titanate nanotubes enhance radiosensitivity in an androgen-independent prostate cancer model - Mirjolet, C.; Martin, E.; Boudon, J.; Loiseau, A.; Chevrier, S.; Boidot, R.; Oudot, A.; Collin, B.; Joy, P. A.; Millot, N.; Créhange, G. (International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2017)
Around 40% of high-risk prostate cancer patients who undergo radiotherapy (RT) will experience biochemical failure. Chemotherapy, such as docetaxel (DTX), can enhance the efficacy of RT. Multidrug resistance mechanisms often limit drug efficacy by decreasing intracellular concentrations of drugs in tumor cells. It is, therefore, of interest to develop nanocarriers of DTX to maintain the drug inside cancer cells and thus improve treatment efficacy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of titanate nanotubes (TiONts) to develop a TiONts-DTX nanocarrier and to evaluate its radiosensitizing in vivo efficacy in a prostate cancer model. In vitro cytotoxic activity of TiONts-DTX was evaluated using an MTS assay. The biodistribution of TiONts-DTX was analyzed in vivo by single-photon emission computed tomography. The benefit of TiONts-DTX associated with RT was evaluated in vivo. Eight groups with seven mice in each were used to evaluate the efficacy of the nanohybrid combined with RT: control with buffer IT injection ± RT, free DXL ± RT, TiONts ± RT and TiONts-DXL ± RT. Mouse behavior, health status and tumor volume were monitored twice a week until the tumor volume reached a maximum of 2,000 mm3. More than 70% of nanohybrids were localized inside the tumor 96 h after administration. Tumor growth was significantly slowed by TiONts-DTX associated with RT, compared with free DTX in the same conditions (P=0.013). These results suggest that TiONts-DTX improved RT efficacy and might enhance local control in high-risk localized prostate cancer.
Keywords: Docetaxel Nanocarrier; nanoparticle; Prostate Cancer; Radiosensitivity; Titanate nanotubes

Dry molten globule-like intermediate during the base-induced unfolding of a multidomain protein - Acharya, Nirbhik; Mishra, Prajna; Jha, Santosh Kumar (Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2017)
The nature of the initial structural events during the base-induced unfolding of the native (N) state of proteins is poorly understood. Combining site-specific fluorescence resonance energy transfer, size exclusion chromatography, dynamic fluorescence quenching, red-edge excitation shift and circular dichroism spectroscopy, we show here that an early intermediate during the base-induced unfolding of a multidomain protein, i.e., the B form, has features of a dry molten globule. We show that the N (sic) B transition involves protein expansion and loosening of packing of inter-domain helices near domains I and II without the disruption of intra-domain packing or any change in hydration of the inter-domain region which resembles a molten hydrocarbon. Surprisingly, the disruption of inter-domain packing accounts for 40-45% of the total change in free energy of complete unfolding. Our results show that the disruption of van der Waals packing can be decoupled in different regions of a protein and could occur prior to hydrophobic solvation during base-induced unfolding, challenging the existing notion.

Effect of molecular weight of curing agents on properties of nanocomposites based on epoxy resin and organoclay with reactive modifier - Jagtap, Siddheshwar B.; Ratna, Debdatta (Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2017)
Nanocomposites of epoxy resin and clay modified with half neutralized salt of Jeffamine D400 were prepared by curing separately with three polyetheramines curing agents of different molecular weights and reactivity. The molecular weight of curing agents and their structural similarity with modifier played an important role in deciding the curing behavior, thermomechanical, and morphological properties of epoxy/clay nanocomposites. Morphological analysis carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) clearly show that the dispersion of clay layers in epoxy matrix decreases with decreasing molecular weight of the curing agents. Curing study done by using temperature modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC) demonstrates that extragallery reaction rate increases with decreasing molecular weight of curing agents. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of epoxy/3 wt % modified clay composite prepared by curing with curing agent of higher molecular weight shows around 270% improvement in storage modulus (glassy) as compared with its neat epoxy network.

Effect of phytase and FYM on soil enzyme activities, microbial population and nutrient availability of non-calcareous soil - Jadhav, A.B.; Suradkar, R.; Taggu, B.; Tamboli, B.D.; Priyanka, B. (Journal of the Indian Society of Soil Science, 2017)
A pot culture experiment was conducted to assess the effect of phytase and FYM levels on soil enzyme activities and nutrient availability of non-calcareous soil under soybean cultivation. The treatment consisted of four levels of phytase (0, 1200, 2400 and 3600 IU) and FYM (0, 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5 t ha-1). Enzyme activities and nutrient availability in soil was assessed at 50% flowering and harvest of soybean. It was observed that application of phytase @ 3600 IU recorded significantly higher acid and alkaline phosphatase and dehydrogenase activity at both the growth stages of soybean. Results revealed that significant interaction effect with combine application of phytase @ 3600IU and FYM @ 7.5 t ha-1 recorded higher bacterial, fungal and actinomycetes population. Combined application of phytase @ 3600 IU and FYM @ 7.5 t ha-1 recorded significantly higher available nitrogen (289.3 and 213.6 kg ha-1) and potassium (295.0 and 270.6 kg ha-1) at 50% flowering and at harvest of soybean, respectively. However, in case of phosphorus (P), at 50% flowering significantly higher available P was recorded with phytase @ 3600 IU + 7.5 t ha-1 (23.9 kg ha-1). Reduction trend obtained for calcium carbonate content from 4.24 to 3.68% at 50% flowering and from 4.20 to 3.60% at harvest stage was obtained with the application of phytase @ 3600 IU. This study suggest that application of phytase in combination with manure substantially improves soil biological activities as well as better nutrient supply to crop.

Effect of size and site preference of trivalent non-magnetic metal ions (Al3+, Ga3+, In3+) substituted for Fe3+ on the magnetostrictive properties of sintered CoFe2O4 - Anantharamaiah, P. N.; Joy, P. A. (Journal of Physics D-Applied Physics, 2017)
The influence of size and crystallographic site preference of three non-magnetic isovalent metal ions of larger (In3+), comparable (Ga3+) and smaller (Al3+) sizes, substituted for Fe3+ in the spinel lattice of CoFe2O4 on its magnetostrictive properties is compared. For the different compositions in CoFe2-xMxO4 (M = In3+, Ga3+, Al3+ and 0 <= x <= 0.3), significant changes in the structural and magnetic parameters are observed with the degree of substitution, due to the size and site preferences. Magnetic and Raman spectral studies revealed that Al3+ is substituted for Fe3+ at both octahedral and tetrahedral sites for all compositions, whereas In3+ and Ga3+ are substituted for Fe3+ at the tetrahedral site only for x <= 0.2 and partly at the octahedral site for x > 0.2. Regardless of the differences in the ionic size, site preference and the magnetic properties, compositions in all three series with x = 0.1 showed almost equal magnitude of maximum magnetostriction (lambda(max) = similar to 230 ppm), marginally higher than that of x = 0 (217 ppm). However, at higher substituted compositions, lambda(max) is decreased with x, but the decrease is much faster for the Al-substituted compositions. The maximum strain sensitivity, [d lambda/dH](max), is also found to be comparable for all three compositions. The comparable magnetostriction characteristics and high strain at low magnetic fields for different substituted compositions at low levels of substitution are attributed to the local structural distortions associated with the inhomogeneous distribution of the substituted ions in the spinel ferrite lattice. The studies suggest ways to optimise the magnetostriction properties of properly substituted sintered cobalt ferrite for applications in sensors and actuators.

Efficient palladium catalyzed Mizoroki-Heck cross-coupling in water - Jadhav, Sanjay N.; Rode, Chandrashekhar V. (Green Chemistry, 2017)
The homogeneous Pd-catalysed Mizoroki-Heck coupling reaction was successfully performed in water in the absence of any additives under aerobic conditions. The various key reaction parameters that affect the yield of the desired cross-coupling product were optimized. The Pd(PPh3)(4)/Et3N/H2O/98 degrees C catalyst system was found to be highly active (TOF = 12 to 14 h(-1)) towards achieving excellent yield of the Mizoroki-Heck coupling products for a wide range of electron-withdrawing as well as electron-donating aryl bromides and chlorides in the shortest reaction time. Pd(PPh3) 4 catalyst deactivation during the Mizoroki-Heck coupling reaction was investigated and to evolve a strategy for achieving ten times Pd-metal recyclability without appreciable loss of its activity. Thus, the proposed mechanism provides access to a variety of olefins in aqueous medium, making this protocol eco-friendly.

Enantioselective synthesis of spiro γ-butyrolactones by N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed formal [3+2] annulation of enals with 3-hydroxy oxindoles - Mukherjee, Subrata; Joseph, Sumi; Bhunia, Anup; Gonnade, Rajesh Ghanshyam; Reddy, Santhi Vardhan; Biju, Akkattu T. (Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 2017)
The N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed enantioselective formal [3 + 2] annulation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes with 3-hydroxy oxindoles is presented. Under oxidative conditions using the bisquinone oxidant, the reaction resulted in the synthesis of spiro γ-butyrolactones in moderate to good yields, enantioselectivity and diastereoselectivity. The reaction likely proceeds via the generation of the NHC-bound α,β-unsaturated acylazolium intermediate from enals, which was intercepted by the dioxindoles in a formal [3 + 2] pathway to form the spirocyclic compounds. However, a deeper mechanistic investigation revealed that the reaction can also proceed via the homoenolate intermediate. In this case, the dioxindole was oxidized to the corresponding isatin derivative using traces of air under basic conditions, and was intercepted with the NHC-bound homoenolate intermediate in a formal [3 + 2] pathway to afford the spiro compound.

Engineering molecular topology: A pseudopeptidic macrocyclic figure-eight motif - Sharma, Sakshi; Thorat, Shridhar H.; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Jasinski, Jerry P.; Butcher, Ray; Haridas, V. (European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2017)
We herein present a rational-design strategy for the synthesis of molecules with figure-eight topology. The design concept is based on the incorporation of turn units in the back-bone of the macrocycle. The molecular structures and the folding are studied by X-ray crystallography and NMR, FT-IR, and CD spectroscopy.
Keywords: Macrocycles; noncovalent interactions; Pi interactions; topology; X-ray diffraction

Expeditious and solvent-free nickel-catalyzed C−H arylation of arenes and indoles - Jagtap, Rahul A.; Soni, Vineeta; Punji, Benudhar (ChemSusChem, 2017)
An efficient solvent-free nickel-catalyzed method for C−H bond arylation of arenes and indoles has been developed, which proceeds expeditiously through chelation assistance. The reaction is highly selective for mono-arylation and tolerates sensitive and structurally diverse functionalities, such as halides, ethers, amines, indole, pyrrole and carbazole. This reaction represents the first example of a nickel-catalyzed C−H arylation by monochelate assistance and symbolizes a rare precedent in solvent-free C−H arylation. Mechanistic investigations by various controlled reactions, kinetic studies, and deuterium labeling experiments suggest that the arylation follows a single electron transfer (SET) pathway involving the turnover-limiting C−H nickelation process.

Facile synthesis of N-acyl 2-aminobenzothiazoles by NHC-catalyzed direct oxidative amidation of aldehydes - Premaletha, Sethulekshmi; Ghosh, Arghya; Joseph, Sumi; Reddy, Santhi Vardhan; Biju, Akkattu T. (Chemical Communications, 2017)
A mild, general, and high yielding synthesis of N-acyl 2-aminobenzothiazoles has been demonstrated by N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-organocatalyzed direct amidation of aldehydes with 2-aminobenzothiazoles proceeding via acyl azolium intermediates. The carbene generated from the triazolium salt under oxidative conditions was the key for the success of this reaction. The method was subsequently applied to the synthesis of various biologically important N-acyl 2-aminobenzothiazoles.

Glycation inhibitors extend yeast chronological lifespan by reducing advanced glycation end products and by back regulation of proteins involved in mitochondrial respiration - Kazi, Rubina S.; Banarjee, Reema M.; Deshmukh, Arati B.; Patil, Gouri V.; Jagadeeshaprasad, Mashanipalya G.; Kulkarni, Mahesh J. (Journal of Proteomics, 2017)
Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs) are implicated in aging process. Thus, reducing AGEs by using glycation inhibitors may help in attenuating the aging process. In this study using Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast system, we show that Aminoguanidine (AMG), a well-known glycation inhibitor, decreases the AGE modification of proteins in non-calorie restriction (NR) (2% glucose) and extends chronological lifespan (CLS) similar to that of calorie restriction (CR) condition (0.5% glucose). Proteomic analysis revealed that AMG back regulates the expression of differentially expressed proteins especially those involved in mitochondrial respiration in NR condition, suggesting that it switches metabolism from fermentation to respiration, mimicking CR. AMG induced back regulation of differentially expressed proteins could be possibly due to its chemical effect or indirectly by glycation inhibition. To delineate this, Metformin (MET), a structural analog of AMG and a mild glycation inhibitor and Hydralazine (HYD), another potent glycation inhibitor but not structural analog of AMG were used. HYD was more effective than MET in mimicking AMG suggesting that glycation inhibition was responsible for restoration of differentially expressed proteins. Thus glycation inhibitors particularly AMG, HYD and MET extend yeast CLS by reducing AGEs, modulating the expression of proteins involved in mitochondrial respiration and possibly by scavenging glucose. Significance: This study reports the role of glycation in aging process. In the non-caloric restriction condition, carbohydrates such as glucose promote protein glycation and reduce CLS. While, the inhibitors of glycation such as AMC, HYD, MET mimic the caloric restriction condition by back regulating deregulated proteins involved in mitochondria( respiration which could facilitate shift of metabolism from fermentation to respiration and extend yeast CLS. These findings suggest that glycation inhibitors can be potential molecules that can be used in management of aging. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Heterogeneously catalyzed domino synthesis of 3-indolylquinones involving direct oxidative C-C coupling of hydroquinones and indoles - Kamble, Sumit B.;; Vyas, Praneet P.; Jayaram, Radha V.;; Rode, Chandrashekhar V. (ACS Omega, 2017)
<div id="absImg" style="position: relative; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); border-radius: 5px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="Abstract Image" src="http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/acsodf/2017/acsodf.2017.2.issue-5/acsomega.7b00201/20170523/images/medium/ao-2017-00201p_0006.gif" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%;"> <p class="articleBody_abstractText" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.6em; padding: 0pt; width: 610px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A domino synthesis of 3-indolylquinones was achieved successfully via direct oxidative C–C coupling of hydroquinones with indoles over Ag2O and Fe3O4/povidone–phosphotungstic acid (PVP–PWA) catalysts using H2O2 in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature. Ag2O catalyzed the in situ oxidation of hydroquinone and 3-indolylhydroquinone intermediates, whereas ferrite solid acid, Fe3O4/PVP–PWA, with a 1:4:1 ratio of Fe3O4, PVP, and PWA, catalyzed the activation of quinones. The efficiency of this catalytic domino approach was established by a broad scope of substrates involving a variety of hydroquinones and quinones to give high yields (81–97%) of 3-indolylquinones. Fe3O4/PVP–PWA was separated magnetically, whereas simple filtration could separate Ag2O, both of which could be recycled several times without losing their activities.
Keywords: Carbonyl compounds (organic); Electron microscopy; Fourier-transform spectroscopy; Redox reaction

High magnetostriction parameters of sintered and magnetic field annealed Ga-substituted CoFe2O4 - Anantharamaiah, P. N.; Joy, P. A. (Materials Letters, 2017)
Impact of substitution of the non-magnetic ion Ga3+ for Fe3+ on the magnetostriction parameters of CoFe2O4 has been investigated for samples prepared by a tartrate-gel method. All the Ga-substituted compositions in CoGaxFe2-xO4 (0 <= x <= 0.3) showed higher strain sensitivity (d lambda/dH), at low magnetic fields, compared to that of the unsubstituted sample. The magnetostriction strain (lambda) and d lambda/dH of the composition CoGa0.1Fe1.9O4 could be enhanced from -228 to -296 ppm and -2.20 x 10(-9) to -3.55 x 10(-9) miA, respectively, at low magnetic fields, after magnetic field annealing at 300 degrees C. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Cobalt ferrite; Magnetic field annealing; Magnetic materials; Magnetostriction; Substitution

High-level supercapacitive performance of chemically reduced graphene oxide - Jha, Plawan Kumar; Singh, Santosh Kumar; Kumar, Vikash; Rana, Shammi; Kurungot, Sreekumar; Ballav, Nirmalya (Chem, 2017)
Reduction of graphene oxide (GO) is an important process because it holds promise for the production of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with physicochemical properties similar to those of pristine graphene. In conventional chemical reduction, strong reducing agents, such as sodium borohydride and hydrazine, cannot be recycled. Also, fast reaction kinetics bring an imbalance in the desirable properties of rGO. Here, we present one-pot chemical reduction of GO in aqueous medium by an unconventional mild reducing agent (FeCl2/HCl) where rGOis isolated as the precipitate and the reducing agent is recycled upon simple treatment of the filtrate with HCl. The fabricated all-solid-state supercapacitors of as-synthesized rGO exhibited significantly higher specific capacitance than those obtained with rGO derived from conventional reducing agents. The cycling stability of the all-solid-state supercapacitor (> 80% retention of capacitance beyond 100,000 continued cycles) and its flexibility (> 500 bending cycles) were remarkable. Use of commercially available organic electrolyte further boosted the supercapacitor performance.

Identification of new anti-inflammatory agents based on nitrosporeusine natural products of marine origin - Philkhana, Satish Chandra; Verma, Abhishek Kumar; Jachak, Gorakhnath R.; Hazra, Bibhabasu; Basu, Anirban; Reddy, D. Srinivasa (European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2017)
Nitrosporeusines A and B are two recently isolated marine natural products with novel skeleton and exceptional biological profile. Interesting antiviral activity of nitrosporeusines and promising potential in curing various diseases, evident from positive data from various animal models, led us to investigate their anti-inflammatory potential. Accordingly, we planned and synthesized nitrosporeusines A and B in racemic as well as enantiopure forms. The natural product synthesis was followed by preparation of several analogues, and all the synthesized compounds were evaluated for in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory potential. Among them, compounds 25, 29 and 40 significantly reduced levels of nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, these compounds suppressed several pro-inflammatory mediators including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF -kappa B), and thereby can be emerged as potent anti-inflammatory compounds. Furthermore, all possible isomers of lead compound 25 were synthesized, characterized and profiled in same set of assays and found that one of the enantiomer (-)-25a was superior among them. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Improved tolerance against helicoverpa armigera in transgenic tomato over-expressing multi-domain proteinase inhibitor gene from capsicum annuum - Tanpure, Rahul S.; Barbole, Ranjit S.; Dawkar, Vishal V.; Waichal, Yashashree A.; Joshi, Rakesh S.; Giri, Ashok P.; Gupta, Vidya S. (Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants, 2017)
Plant proteinase inhibitors (PIs) are plant defense proteins and considered as potential candidates for engineering plant resistances against herbivores. Capsicum annuum proteinase inhibitor (CanPI7) is a multi-domain potato type II inhibitor (Pin-II) containing four inhibitory repeat domains (IRD), which target major classes of digestive enzymes in the gut of Helicoverpa armigera larvae. Stable integration and expression of the transgene in T1 transgenic generation, were confirmed by established molecular techniques. Protein extract of transgenic tomato lines showed increased inhibitory activity against H. armigera gut proteinases, supporting those domains of CanPI7 protein to be effective and active. When T1 generation plants were analyzed, they exhibited antibiosis effect against first instar larvae of H. armigera. Further, larvae fed on transgenic tomato leaves showed delayed growth relative to larvae fed on control plants, but did not change mortality rates significantly. Thus, better crop protection can be achieved in transgenic tomato by overexpression of multi-domain proteinase inhibitor CanPI7 gene against H. armigera larvae.

Influences of functionalized nanoclays on morphology and mechanical properties of polyvinyl alcohol based composites by twin-screw extruder - Rajeswari, B.; Malarvizhi, N.; Elumalai, Deenadayalan; Jaisankar, Sellamuthu N. (Polymer-Plastics Technology and Engineering, 2017)
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based nanocomposites filled with different weight percentage of functionalized nanoclays were prepared by melt processing with a twin-screw extruder. The effective incorporation of amine modified bentonite nanoclays (AMB) in the PVA matrix leads to increase in thermal stability, stress-strain properties. The effect of addition of functionalized nanoclays in PVA matrix exhibits intercalated nanocomposite structure. The thermal decomposition (Td) temperature of the composites increases up to 30 °C, than pristine PVA. The morphology influences were studied by TEM. These clay nanocomposite films could be useful for wound dressing material and for enhancing the moisture absorbance properties.

Iron complex catalyzed selective C-H bond oxidation with broad substrate scope - Jana, Sandipan; Ghosh, Munmun; Ambule, Mayur; Sen Gupta, Sayam (Organic Letters, 2017)
The use of a peroxidase-mimicking Fe complex has been reported on the basis of the biuret-modified TAML macrocyclic ligand 'framework (Fe-bTAML) as a catalyst to perform selective oxidation of unactivated 3 degrees C-H bonds and activated 2 degrees C-H bonds with low catalyst loading (1 mol %) and high product yield (excellent mass balance) under near neutral conditions and broad substrate scope (18 substrates which includes arenes, heteroaromatics, and polar functional groups). Aliphatic C-H oxidation of 3 and 2 sites of complex substrates was achieved with predictable selectivity using steric, electronic, and stereoelectronic rules that govern site selectivity, which included oxidation of (+)-artemisinin to (+)-10 beta-hydroxyartemisinin. Mechanistic studies indicate Fe-V(O) to be the active oxidant during these reactions.

Iron-based nanocatalyst for the acceptorless dehydrogenation reactions - Jaiswal, Garima; Landge, Vinod G.; Jagadeesan, Dinesh; Balaraman, Ekambaram (Nature Communications, 2017)
Development of sustainable catalytic systems for fundamentally important synthetic transformations and energy storage applications is an intellectually stimulating challenge. Catalytic dehydrogenation of feedstock chemicals, such as alcohols and amines to value-added products with the concomitant generation of dihydrogen is of much interest in the context of hydrogen economy and is an effective alternative to the classical oxidation reactions. Despite a number of homogeneous catalysts being identified for the acceptorless dehydrogenation, the use of high price and limited availability of precious metals and poor recovery of the catalyst have spurred interest in catalysis with more earth-abundant alternatives, especially iron. However, no report has described a reusable iron-based heterogeneous catalyst for oxidant-free and acceptorless dehydrogenation reactions. Here we replace expensive noble metal catalysts with an inexpensive, benign, and sustainable nanoscale iron catalyst for the efficient acceptorless dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles and alcohols with liberation of hydrogen gas.

Iron-carbon nanohybrid particles as environmentally benign electrode for supercapacitor - Ratha, Satyajit; Vernekar, Dnyanesh; Sivaneri, Kavin; Jagadeesan, Dinesh; Rout, Chandra Sekhar (Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, 2017)
In this work, we report the synthesis and electrode applications of iron-carbon nanohybrid particles prepared by carbonization of a nanocomposite of FeOOH nanoneedles and melamine-formaldehyde resin. The chemical composition and microstructure of the material have been characterized using ICP-AES, FT-IR, XRD, FESEM, TEM and XPS. The supercapacitor properties of the MF-Fe-C are studied in detail. A thorough comparison of the supercapacitor performances of MF-Fe-C and bare MF-C has been carried out through detailed electrochemical characterisations employing both two and three-electrode techniques. The nanohybrid showed an enhanced energy density of 127.75 WhKg⁻¹, specific capacitance of ∼408 F g⁻¹ at 1 mVs⁻¹ scan rate, and excellent cyclic stability even after 1000 charge-discharge cycles, making it an intriguing material for high energy density supercapacitor devices.

Iron-catalyzed dehydrogenation reactions and their applications in sustainable energy and catalysis - Balaraman, Ekambaram; Nandakumar, Avanashiappan; Jaiswal, Garima; Sahoo, Manoj K. (Catalysis Science & Technology, 2017)
Inspired by nature, chemists have designed new catalysts in the pursuit of selective bond activation and chemical transformations. Emergent biological systems often use earth-abundant first-row transition elements as catalytically active sites to facilitate specific and highly selective chemical processes. The design of a new catalytic system based on abundant and inexpensive catalysts, particularly the iron-based catalysts, for fundamentally significant synthetic transformations under environmentally benign conditions is an important paradigm in chemical synthesis. In recent times, iron-based catalytic systems have shown unprecedented reactivity in the acceptorless dehydrogenation reactions of feedstock chemicals, with the liberation of molecular hydrogen as the by-product, and have enabled greener chemical synthetic methods and alternative energy storage systems. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that the proper design of iron catalysts by judiciously choosing ligands, can aid in the development of new sustainable energy storage systems and catalysis. This tutorial review focuses on the recent development of iron-based dehydrogenation reactions of fundamentally important feedstock, as a route to sustainable chemical synthesis and energy storage applications. The emerging area of the iron-based dehydrogenation strategy provides an opportunity to make industrially applicable, cost-effective and environmentally benign catalytic systems.

Isobaric vapor-liquid equilibrium data for the binary systems of dimethyl carbonate with xylene isomers at 93.13 kPa - Yadav, S.S. (Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 2017)
Isobaric binary vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) data for dimethyl carbonate with xylene isomers (p-xylene, m-xylene, o-xylene, and ethylbenzene) were measured at the local atmospheric pressure of 93.13 kPa by using a dynamic recirculation still. The experimental VLE data were tested and found to be thermodynamically consistent by Herington and Van Ness consistency test. The experimental VLE data were correlated using the Wilson, NRTL, and UNIQUAC activity coefficient models and binary interactions parameters were estimated using a suitable objective function. The absolute mean deviation between the experimental and the model predicted values of vapor phase composition and total pressure was well within acceptable limits. No azeotrope was observed in any of the binary pairs and appeared to be easy for separation using conventional distillation method.
Keywords: Atmospheric Pressure; binary mixture; Distillation; Xylene

Large anion incorporation to improve the performance of large, paper based conducting polymer supercapacitors - Jain, B.; Krishnamoorthy, K. (Materials Today Energy, 2017)
Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is a stable conducting polymer, hence its dispersion is widely used in commercial devices. However, PEDOT's charge storage properties are not impressive. Thus, improvement in charge storage properties of PEDOT will render the possibility of fabricating stable energy storage devices such as supercapacitors. A fundamentally different approach is required to achieve this objective. We envisioned that the charge storage property of PEDOT can be improved by trapping large anions. These ions would facilitate better ion transport into the PEDOT matrix from the electrolyte and increase the efficiency of supercapacitors. Furthermore, a large anion such as triiodide is relatively immobile in the polymer matrix, hence we hypothesize the ions to be trapped in the polymer. To test this hypothesis, triiodide trapped PEDOT based supercapacitors are fabricated on paper substrates. A 1 cm2 triiodide incorporated PEDOT based supercapacitor exhibited a specific capacitance of 486 F/g. On the other hand, PEDOT without triiodide incorporation exhibited a specific capacitance of 221 F/g. Indeed, a device with an area of 32 cm2 exhibited a specific capacitance of 476 F/g.
Keywords: Flexible Supercapacitors; Paper based Supercapacitors; polyphenols

Magnetic reduced graphene oxide loaded hydrogels: highly versatile and efficient adsorbents for dyes and selective Cr(VI) ions removal - Halouane, Fatima; Oz, Yavuz; Meziane, Dalila; Barras, Alexandre; Juraszek, Jean; Singh, Santosh K.; Kurungot, Sreekumar; Shaw, Pankaj K.; Sanyal, Rana; Boukherroub, Rabah; Sanyal, Amitav; Szunerits, Sabine (Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2017)
The formation of composites of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and magnetic nanoparticles (MP) has flourished in recent years as they combine the advantages of both nanomaterials. Most of these composite materials are prepared by in situ formation of MP onto rGO or by the post-adsorption onto rGO. We report here on a simple and highly controlled method for the fabrication of different magnetic 3D rGO-loaded hydrogels. Cellulose bound magnetic nanoparticles (MP@cellulose) were synthesized by chemical co-precipitation and loaded together with rGO into poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate based hydrogels during their fabrication using photo-polymerization. The magnetic rGO-loaded hydrogels proved to be highly adaptable to different applications. The as-formed composites allowed for efficient dye removal with an adsorption capacity of 111.9 +/- 4 mg g(-1) in the case of methylene blue (MB). Integration of poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) allowed for the selective capturing of Cr6+ ions with an adsorption capacity of 313 12 mg g-1. Most importantly, independent of the application, the magnetic rGO-loaded hydrogel can be regenerated without loss of its adsorption capacity. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Magnetoelastic properties of terbium substituted cobalt ferrite - Bhame, Shekhar D.; Joy, Pattayil Alias (Chemical Physics Letters, 2017)
The magnetic properties of terbium substituted cobalt ferrites CoFe(2-x)TbxO(4) (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15 and 0.2) prepared by conventional solid state method are studied. The coercivity showed marked increase up to x = 0.1 and saturation magnetization decreased with increasing terbium content. Magnetostriction measurements did not show much decrease in the maximum value of strain but significant increase in the slope of magnetostriction was observed for x = 0.15 with moderate magnetostriction of around 144 ppm. The observed magnetic and magnetostrictive properties can be explained on the basis of structural and microstructural changes arising because of terbium substitution. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Manganese incorporated on glucose as an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of adipic acid using molecular O2 in aqueous medium - Nale, S.D. (Applied Catalysis A: General, 2017)
A new manganese incorporated on glucose catalyst Mn@CC-SO3H-NH2 was synthesized and well characterized using FT-IR, PXRD, EDAX, SEM, TEM, [13] C cross-polarization NMR and BET analysis. The catalyst thus synthesized was studied for its utility in the synthesis of industrially important chemical adipic acid starting from readily available cyclohexanone using molecular O2 as a source. Adipic acid was obtained in maximum yield of 82% using Mn@CC-SO3H-NH2 catalyst in water as a solvent. The catalyst was easily recovered and reused for minimum five runs without any significant loss in the yield of products. Using molecular O2 as an oxidant and water as a solvent, the reaction is very important from green chemistry perspectives and can also be industrially feasible.
Keywords: Adipic Acid; Catalyst; manganese; recyclable; Water

Mapping architectural and transcriptional alterations in non-lesional and lesional epidermis in vitiligo - Singh, Archana; Gotherwal, Vishvabandhu; Junni, Paivi; Vijayan, Vinaya; Tiwari, Manisha; Ganju, Parul; Kumar, Avinash; Sharma, Pankaj; Fatima, Tanveer; Gupta, Aayush; Holla, Ananthaprasad; Kar, Hemanta K.; et al. (Scientific Reports, 2017)
In vitiligo, chronic loss of melanocytes and consequent absence of melanin from the epidermis presents a challenge for long-term tissue maintenance. The stable vitiligo patches are known to attain an irreversible depigmented state. However, the molecular and cellular processes resulting in this remodeled tissue homeostasis is unclear. To investigate the complex interplay of inductive signals and cell intrinsic factors that support the new acquired state, we compared the matched lesional and non-lesional epidermis obtained from stable non-segmental vitiligo subjects. Hierarchical clustering of genome-wide expression of transcripts surprisingly segregated lesional and non-lesional samples in two distinct clades, despite the apparent heterogeneity in the lesions of different vitiligo subjects. Pathway enrichment showed the expected downregulation of melanogenic pathway and a significant downregulation of cornification and keratinocyte differentiation processes. These perturbations could indeed be recapitulated in the lesional epidermal tissue, including blunting of rete-ridges, thickening of stratum corneum and increase in the size of corneocytes. In addition, we identify marked increase in the putrescine levels due to the elevated expression of spermine/spermidine acetyl transferase. Our study provides insights into the intrinsic self-renewing ability of damaged lesional tissue to restore epidermal functionality in vitiligo.

Mechanistic aspects of wet and dry CO oxidation on Co3O4 nanorod surfaces: a NAP-UPS study - Ruchi Jain; Gnanakumar, Edwin S.; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S. (ACS Omega, 2017)
Catalytic activity, electronic structure, and the mechanistic aspects of Co3O4 nanorod (NR) surfaces have been explored for CO oxidation in dry and wet atmosphere using near-ambient pressure ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. Presence of water with CO + O2 plummets the catalytic activity because of the change in the electronic nature from predominantly oxide (without water in feed) to a Co3O4 surface covered by a few intermediates. However, at ≥375 K, the Co3O4 surface recovers and regains the oxidation activity, at least partially, even in the presence of water. This is fully supported by the changes observed in the work function of Co3O4 under wet (H2O + CO + O2) conditions compared with dry (CO + O2) conditions. This study focuses on the comparative CO oxidation rate on Co3O4 NR surfaces and highlights the changes in the electronic structure that occur in the catalyst during the CO oxidation reaction.
Keywords: Catalyst; Nano Structures; Power X-Ray Diffraction; spectra; Water Vapor

Mechanistic study of nucleophilic fluorination promoted by tri-tert-butanolamine - Lee, Sung-Sik; Jung, Hyun-Kyung; Shinde, Sandip S.; Lee, Sungyul (Journal of Fluorine Chemistry, 2017)
Quantum chemical study is carried out to elucidate the mechanism of S(N)2 fluorination using. CsF promoted by tri-tert-butanolamines. Focus is on the role of the hydroxyl (OH) and the amine functional groups for accelerating the reaction. Our systematic analysis indicates that the OH groups form strong interactions with the nucleophile F-. Thus, it seems that hydrogen bonding with the nucleophile may accelerate the S(N)2 processes rather than retard them, as conventional wisdom suggests. The origin of the experimentally observed improvement of the promotor efficiency in t-butanol solvent over that in CH3CN is examined. We show that the coordination of the solvent t-butanol molecule as Lewis base on the counter-cation Cs+ lowers the Gibbs free energy of activation. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Metal free acid base catalyst in the selective synthesis of 2,5-diformylfuran from hydroxynnethylfurfural, fructose, and glucose - Rathod, P. V.; Nale, S. D.; Jadhav, V. H. (ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 2017)
A novel metal free acid-base (CC-SO3H-NH2) catalyst was synthesized by introducing acidic -SO3H, -COOH, and silyloxypropylamine (-OSiCH2CH2CH2NH2) functional groups on glucose derived carbocatalyst. The catalyst was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyses. Superior catalytic activity was shown by the catalyst toward one-pot synthesis of DFF using molecular oxygen as the sole oxidant. The catalyst was found to be highly selective in synthesis of 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) from hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), fructose, and, more importantly, from glucose with excellent yields. Moreover, the catalyst was easily recycled and reused without any significant loss in its catalytic activity.

Metal-free, brønsted acid-catalyzed formal [3+2] annulation of quinone monoacetals with 2-naphthols - Jacob, Anu; Roy, Tony; Kaicharla, Trinadh; Biju, Akkattu T. (Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2017)
An operationally simple and metal-free cross-coupling of quinone monoacetals (QMAs) with 2-naphthols catalyzed by triflic acid is reported. This formal [3+2] annulation allowed the synthesis of diverse naphtho[2,1-b]benzofuranderivatives in moderate to good yields. Preliminary mechanistic studies reveal the initial nucleophilic substitution of QMAs with 2-naphthols in preference to the mixed acetal formation and subsequent [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangement.

Metallic cobalt to spinel Co3O4-electronic structure evolution by near-ambient pressure photoelectron spectroscopy - Reddy, Kasala Prabhakar; Jain, Ruchi; Ghosalya, Manoj Kumar; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S. (Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2017)
In the present study, valence band (VB) and core level photoelectron spectroscopy was carried out to investigate the electronic structural changes from polycrystalline Co to spinel Co3O4, via CoO at near ambient pressures (NAP; similar to 0.1). O-2 Co and H-2-CoOx gas solid oxidative and reductive interactions, respectively, have been explored with UV photons (He I) or low kinetic energy electrons (<= 16 eV) under NAP conditions. Typical VB features of Co metal, CoOx Co3O4, and a mixed phase between any two adjacent features were observed and well corroborated with core level changes. Very significant and characteristic changes were observed with Co 3d features in the VB for each stage from Co oxidation to Co3O4 as well as Co3O4 reduction to CoOx Co(3O)4 and CoO can be reversibly obtained by alternating the conditions between 0.1 mbar of H-2 at 650 K and 0.1 mbar of O 2 at 400 K, respectively. A meaningful correlation is observed between the changes in work function with cation oxidation state; small changes in the stoichiometry can strongly influence the shift in Fermi level and changes in work function under NAP conditions. Reversible work function changes are observed at a constant BE (similar to 5 ev) between oxidation and reduction conditions. While the O 2 p derived feature for CoOx was observed at throughout the redox conditions, the Co 3d band and molecular oxygen or hydrogen vibration feature shifts significantly underscoring the physicochemical changes, such as charge transfer energy and hence changes in satellite intensity. The peak close to E-F originated from the 3d(6)L final state of the octahedral Co3+ 3d band of Co3O4.

Microreactor-based continuous process for controlled synthesis of poly-methyl-methacrylate-methacrylic acid (PMMA) nanoparticles - Dobhal, Anurag; Kulkarni, Amol; Dandekar, Prajakta; Jain, Ratnesh (Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 2017)
We have developed a microreactor-based continuous process for synthesizing PMMA nanoparticles (NPs), based on the principle of nanoprecipitation. Our objective was to identify the critical parameters governing the size of nanoparticles, produced in microreactors, to enable reproducible synthesis of mono-disperse particles. Experiments were carried out in a microreactor, where parameters like flow rates of aqueous and organic phases, residence time and polymer concentrations were varied to examine their influence on particle size and homogeneity. The results from Dynamic Light Scattering confirmed that the particle size decreased with decreasing residence time, whereas when the aqueous to organic phase flow rate ratio was changed sequentially from 9 : 1, 4 : 1, 7 : 3, 3 : 2, to 1 : 1 (v/v), the particle size increased. Particles fabricated using a microreactor demonstrated a narrow and homogenous distribution, thus confirming their monodispersity. TEM, SEM and XRD were also performed for morphology analysis and phase identification of the particles. Further, paclitaxel encapsulated PMMA nanoparticles were prepared using the microreactor, demonstrating an increase in mean size of around 30 nm and a slightly higher polydispersity index compared to the blank nanoparticles. The drug encapsulation efficiency and drug release kinetics of these nanoparticles were comparable to those prepared in batch-experiments, thus establishing the suitability of the technology for preparing drug-loaded nanoparticles. Also, it was observed that at all the residence times (10 min to 10 s), about 80% of the polymer got transformed into nanoparticulate form, thus confirming the efficiency of the microreactor. In recent times, much work has been conducted to synthesize polymeric nanoparticles using different types of microreactors, but they lack detailed investigation of the effect of various parameters on the physiochemical properties of the resulting particles. Our investigation synthesizes PMMA NPs, using microreactor technology, for the very first time, to the best of our knowledge. Furthermore, we have performed a detailed analysis of the influence of various process parameters on the size and uniformity of the resulting nanoparticles. These critical parameters can serve as a useful tool to synthesize a myriad of nanoparticles of alternative polymers, using microreactor technology.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles via [3+2] cycloaddition over a heterogeneous Cu-based catalyst: application to the preparation of N-13-labelled tetrazoles - Joshi, Sameer M.; Mane, Rasika B.; Pulagam, Krishna R.; Gomez-Vallejo, Vanessa; Llop, Jordi; Rode, Chandrashekhar (New Journal of Chemistry, 2017)
The [3+2] cycloaddition between various nitriles and sodium azide proceeds smoothly in the presence of a new Cu-II catalyst in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) to give the corresponding 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles. The desired tetrazoles were obtained in high yields within 3-30 min by employing controlled microwave heating. The reaction most probably proceeds through the activation of the nitrile groups by the Cu-II species, followed by a successive [3+2] cycloaddition with the sodium azide. The good performance of the catalyst enabled the preparation of selected tetrazoles labelled with the positron emitter nitrogen-13 even under conventional heating. The short reaction time, simple work-up procedure, and recyclability of the catalyst are advantages of the method reported here.

Multifunctional inulin tethered silver-graphene quantum dots nanotheranostic module for pancreatic cancer therapy - Joshi, Preeti Nigam; Agawane, Sachin; Agawane, Sachin; Agawane, Sachin; Sarkar, Dhiman; Sarkar, Dhiman (Material Science and Engineering C- Materials for Biological Application, 2017)
Cancer nanotechnology is an emerging area of cancer diagnosis and therapy. Although considerable progress has been made for targeted drug delivery systems to deliver anticancer agents to particular site of interest, new nanomaterials are frequently being developed and explored for better drug delivery efficiency. In the present work, we have explored a novel nanoformulation based on silver-graphene quantum dots (Ag-GQDs) nanocomposite for its successful implementation for pancreatic cancer specific drug delivery in wistar rats. Carboxymethyl inulin (CMI); a modified variant of natural polysaccharide inulin is tethered with the nanocomposite via carbodiimide coupling to enhance the biocompatibility of nanoformulation. Experiments are performed to investigate the cytotoxicity reduction of silver nanoparticles after inulin tethering as well as anticancer efficacy of the system using 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) as model drug. SEM, TEM, FT-IR, UV-vis, photoluminescence and anti proliferative assays (MTT) are performed for characterisation of the nanocomposite. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is conjugated as targeting moiety for CD-44 (cancer stem cell marker) to fabricate a complete targeted drug delivery vehicle specific for pancreatic cancer. In the present work two prime objectives were achieved; mitigation the toxicity of silver nanoparticles by inulin coating and it's in vivo application for pancreatic cancer. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: acid; Dextran; Drug-delivery; graphene quantum dots; Inulin; Nanocomposite; Nanocomposites; Nanoparticles; Pancreatic Cancer; Silver nanoparticle; Strategies; Systems; Targeted Drug Delivery

Multiple functionalities of Ni nanoparticles embedded in carboxymethyl guar gum polymer: catalytic activity and superparamagnetism - Sardar, Debasmita; Sengupta, Manideepa; Bordoloi, Ankur; Ahmed, Md. A.; Neogi, S. K.; Bandyopadhyay, Sanjoy; Jain, Ruchi; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S.; Bala, Tanushree (Applied Surface Science, 2017)
Composites comprising of metallic nanoparticles in polymer matrices have allured significant importance due to multifunctionalities. Here a simple protocol has been described to embed Ni nanoparticles in carboxymethyl guar gum (CMGG) polymer. The composite formation helps in the stabilization of Ni nanoparticles which are otherwise prone towards aerial oxidation. Further the nanoparticles retain their superparamagnetic nature and catalytic capacity. Ni-Polymer composite catalyses the reduction of 4-Nitrophenol to 4-Aminophenol very efficiently in presence of NaBH4, attaining a complete conversion under some experimental conditions. Ni-Polymer composite is well characterized using UV–vis spectroscopy, FTIR, XPS, powder XRD, TGA, SEM and TEM. A detailed magnetic measurement using superconducting quantum interference device-vibrating sample magnetometer (SQUID-VSM) reveals superparamagnetic behaviour of the composite.

Multipronged quantitative proteomics reveals serum proteome alterations in breast cancer intrinsic subtypes - Gajbhiye, Akshada; Dabhi, Raju; Taunk, Khushman; Jagadeeshaprasad, Mashanipalya G.; RoyChoudhury, Sourav; Mane, Anupama; Bayatigeri, Santhakumari; Chaudhury, Koel; Santra, Manas K.; Rapole, Srikanth (Journal of Proteomics, 2017)
Being molecularly heterogeneous, breast cancer tends to be a complicated oncological disease with high incidence rates throughout the world. The primary aim of this study was to identify the set of serum proteins with discriminatory capabilities towards the four major subtypes of breast cancer. We employed multipronged quantitative proteomic approaches like 2D-DIGE, iTRAQ and SWATH-MS and identified 307 differentially regulated proteins. Luminal A subtype consisted of 24, Luminal B subtype 38, HER2 Enriched subtype 17 and Triple negative breast cancer subtype 10 differentially regulated subtype specific proteins. These specific proteins were further subjected to bioinformatic tools which revealed the involvement in platelet degranulation, fibrinolysis, lipid metabolism, immune response, complement activation, blood coagulation, glycolysis and cancer signaling pathways in the subtypes of the breast cancer. The significant discrimination efficiency of the models generated through multivariate statistical analysis was decent to distinguish each of the four subtypes from controls. Further, some of the statistically significant differentially regulated proteins were verified and validated by immunoblotting and mass spectrometry based selected reaction monitoring (SRM) approach. Our Multipronged proteomics approaches revealed panel of serum proteins specifically altered for individual subtypes of breast cancer. The mass spectrometry data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD006441. Biological significance: Worldwide, breast cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths in women and it encompasses four major molecular subtypes. As breast cancer treatment majorly depends on identification of specific subtype, it is important to diagnosis the disease at subtype level. Our results using multipronged quantitative proteomics identified 307 differentially regulated proteins in which 24 were specific for Luminal A, 38 for Luminal B, 17 for HER2 enriched and 10 proteins were specific for TN subtype. Bioinformatic analysis of these proteins revealed certain biological processes and pathways altered at subtype level and validation experiments of some of these proteins using immunoblotting and SRM assays are consistent with discovery data. This is the first comprehensive proteomic study on serum proteome alterations at subtype level which will not only help to distinguish subtype of breast cancer but also contribute to a better understanding of the molecular characteristic of breast cancer at individual subtype level. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

N - heterocyclic - carbene - catalyzed umpolung of imines - Patra, Atanu; Mukherjee, Subrata; Das, Tamal Kanti; Jain, Shailja; Gonnade, Rajesh Ghanshyam; Biju, Akkattu T. (Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2017)
N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis has been widely used for the umpolung of aldehydes, and recently for the umpolung of Michael acceptors. Described herein is the umpolung of aldimines catalyzed by NHCs, and the reaction likely proceeds via aza-Breslow intermediates. The NHC-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization of aldimines bearing a Michael acceptor resulted in the formation of biologically important 2-(hetero)aryl indole 3-acetic-acid derivatives in moderate to good yields. The carbene generated from the bicyclic triazolium salt was found to be efficient for this transformation.

NIR light-triggered shrinkable thermoresponsive PNVCL nanoshells for cancer theranostics - Chauhan, Deepak S.; Singaravelu, Indulekha; Gottipalli, Rupesh; Reddy, B. Pradeep K.; Chikate, Tanmayee; Gupta, Ramkrishn; Jahagirdar, Dushyant N.; Prasad, Rajendra; De, Abhijit; Srivastava, Rohit (RSC Advances, 2017)
For the localized treatment of a tumor in a more controlled fashion, several stimuli-responsive nanocarriers and minimally or non-invasive techniques like photothermal therapy (PTT) have emerged. However, PTT is limited to only treatment of small and superficial tumors due to the inability of NIR light to penetrate more and kill the core cells of large and deep-seated tumors. As a preliminary step towards addressing the problem, NIR light-triggered thermoresponsive theranostic nanoshell consisting of chitosan-grafted poly(N-vinyl caprolactam) as core and biocompatible gold as shell (Au PNVCL NS) are synthesized and well characterized by various techniques. PNVCL is polymerized from N-vinyl caprolactam using free radical polymerization method, and chitosan is grafted to raise its lower critical solution temperature (LCST) to hyperthermic temperature (∼43 °C). Surface plasmon resonant gold shell over PNVCL NPs core is assembled by ascorbic acid-driven in situ reduction. Core to shell diameter ratio is controlled to tune the peak in NIR region (750 nm). Therapeutic potential of Au PNVCL NS is determined over breast cancer cells MCF-7, while diagnostic potential is compared with the commercial contrast agent-Omnipaque.

Nonlinear Fowler-Nordheim behavior of a single SnO2 nanowire - Joshi, Padmashree D.; Joag, Dilip S.; Late, Dattatray J.; Mulla, Imtiaz S. (Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, 2017)
The present work deals with the field emission study on multiple SnO2 nanowires synthesized by a simple thermal evaporation method. The randomly oriented multiple nanowires grown by the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism exhibit low turn on field (0.8V/mu m defined for the current density of 1 mu A/cm(2)) and linear Fowler-Nordheim nature (FN). However, for the understanding of the nature of the FN plot, field emission behavior of a single SnO2 nanowire is investigated. The FN plot is observed to be nonlinear in nature. A simple model explaining the field emission mechanism from the semiconducting single SnO2 nanowire is proposed. (C) 2017 American Vacuum Society.

Novel interaction study of Th(IV) and Zr(IV) with 4-sulfonatocalix[6]arene: experimental and theoretical investigation - Rathod, N.V. (Polyhedron, 2017)
Calixarenes based ligands are well known in the extraction of heavy metal ions. The modifications at lower as well as upper rim increase the new possibilities of metal extraction in terms of quantum and selectivity of metal. In comparison to calix[4]arene, complexing nature of calix[6]arene is less studied due to its large size and flexible nature. In the present study, 4-sulfonatocalix[6]arene (SCX6) is synthesized and an attempt has been made to understand its complexation behavior with Th(IV) and Zr(IV) metal ions. The effect of different solvents has been examined along with calculation of binding constants for better complexation possibilities. Though in general, its complexation proves to be at 1:1 stoichiometry with respect to ligand and metal, the specific metals show its characteristic modes of interaction with the ligand. This has been understood through IR spectroscopic analysis and density functional theory based first principle studies. 1H NMR spectra of SCX6 and its complexes with Th(IV) and Zr(IV) metal ions was established. IR, UV–Vis, fluorescence spectroscopic studies provided a systematic understanding about the binding behavior of these two metals including interference possibilities from other metals.
Keywords: 4-Sulfonatocalix[6]arene; DFT; metal complexation; Th(IV) Zr(IV)

Optical antenna effect on SiNWs/CuS photodiodes - Yenchalwar, Sandeep G.; Rondiya, Sachin R.; Shinde, Pravin N.; Jadkar, Sandesh R.; Shelke, M. V. (Physica Status Solidi A-Applications and Materials Science, 2017)
One-dimensional architectures between silicon nanowires (SiNWs) and CuS were fabricated by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and analyzed for solid-state photodetector application. Inspired by the subwavelength optical concentration by the surface plasmons on metal nanostructures at the nanoscale, we investigated the effect of gold nanorods (AuNRs) on the optical absorption and photodetection properties of the heterojunction photodiode. AuNRs acting as an optical trapping antenna enhances the light absorption, consequently boosting the photocurrent from the device. A maximum photoresponsivity of 0.36 mA W-1 was achieved under 665 nm excitation wavelength independent of the bias, a value similar to 13 times higher than for the heterojunction photodiode without AuNRs. Such plasmonic sensitization can be useful for improving the sensitivity of visible as well as IR photodetectors. (C) 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Oral feeding with polyunsaturated fatty acids fosters hematopoiesis and thrombopoiesis in healthy and bone marrow-transplanted mice - Limbkar, Kedar; Dhenge, Ankita; Jadhav, Dipesh D.; Thulasiram, Hirekodathakallu V.; Kale, Vaijayanti; Limaye, Lalita (Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 2017)
Hematopoietic stem cells play the vital role of maintaining appropriate levels of cells in blood. Therefore, regulation of their fate is essential for their effective therapeutic use. Here we report the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in regulating hematopoiesis which has not been explored well so far. Mice were fed daily for 10 days with n-6/n-3 PUFAs, viz. linoleic acid (LA), arachidonic acid (AA), alpha-linolenic acid and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) in four separate test groups with phosphate-buffered saline fed mice as control set. The bone marrow cells of PUFA-fed mice showed a significantly higher hematopoiesis as assessed using side population, Lin-Sca-1(+)ckit+, colony-forming unit (CFU), long-term culture, CFU-spleen assay and engraftment potential as compared to the control set. Thrombopoiesis was also stimulated in PUFA-fed mice. A combination of DHA and AA was found to be more effective than when either was fed individually. Higher incorporation of PUFAs as well as products of their metabolism was observed in the bone marrow cells of PUFA-fed mice. A stimulation of the Wnt, CXCR4 and Notch1 pathways was observed in PUFA-fed mice. The clinical relevance of this study was evident when bone marrow-transplanted recipient mice, which were fed with PUFAs, showed higher engraftment of donor cells, suggesting that the bone marrow microenvironment may also be stimulated by feeding with PUFAs. These data indicate that oral administration of PUFAs in mice stimulates hematopoiesis and thrombopoiesis and could serve as a valuable supplemental therapy in situations of hematopoietic failure. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Bone Marrow Transplantation (Bmt); Cord Blood; Down-regulation; Ex-vivo Expansion; Hematopoiesis; Hematopoietic Stem Cells (Hscs); Lipid rafts; Myocardial-infarction; Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids; Progenitor Cells; Prostaglandin-e2; Self-renewal; Spleen Colonies; Stem-cell Proliferation; Thrombopoiesis

Organocatalytic Enantioselective Vinylogous Michael-Aldol Cascade for the Synthesis of Spirocyclic Compounds - Jain, B. (Electrochimica Acta, 2017)
Nanoscopic spheres of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) from its poly(styrene sulfonate) stabilised dispersion was converted to nanofibers by acid treatment. The nanofibers showed a conductivity of 1800 S/cm. The specific capacitance of nanofiber based supercapcitors increased by 10 times compared to nanospeheres. The specific capacitance and power density were found to be 288 F/g and 9491 W/kg.

Organocatalyzed efficient one-pot synthesis, biological evaluation, and molecular docking studies of 4,4-(Arylmethylene)bis-(3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-ols) - Mahajan, Pravin S.; Nikam, Mukesh D.; Khedkar, Vijay; Jha, Prakash; Badadhe, Pravin V.; Gill, Charansingh H. (Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry, 2017)
The synthesis of 4,4-(arylmethylene)bis-(3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-ol) derivatives catalyzed by ?-proline is a simple, versatile, and efficient method. In vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities of compounds 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f, 4g, 4h, 4i, 4j were studied. Furthermore, to rationalize the observed anti-inflammatory activity data, molecular docking study has been performed against COX-2 enzyme which revealed a good binding affinity for these molecules and could provide an insight into the various bonded and non-bonded interactions guiding their binding affinity.

Organo-photoredox catalyzed oxidative dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles - Sahoo, Manoj K.; Jaiswal, Garima; Rana, Jagannath; Balaraman, Ekambaram (Chemistry-A European Journal, 2017)
We report here for the first time the catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles by a visible-light organo-photoredox catalyst with low catalyst loading (0.1-1mol%). The reaction proceeds efficiently under base- and additive-free conditions with ambient air at room temperature. The utility of this benign approach is demonstrated by the synthesis of various pharmaceutically relevant N-heteroarenes such as quinoline, quinoxaline, quinazoline, acridine, and indole.

Palladium incorporated on carbonaceous catalyst for Suzuki coupling reaction in water - Rathod, P. V.; Jadhav, V.H. (Tetrahedron Letters, 2017)
A new palladium incorporated carbonaceous catalyst Pd@CC SO3H -NH2 was synthesized by introducing palladium on glucose derived carbocatalyst. The catalyst was well characterized and was used for the Suzuki coupling of phenyl boronic acid with different aryl halides under aqueous conditions. This green methodology represents a ligand free, cost-effective and operationally convenient method for the synthesis of a variety of biaryl's under the conditions that are tolerant for a broad range of functional groups with good to excellent yields. Moreover, the catalyst could be easily recycled and reused at least five times without any significant loss of its catalytic activity.

Palladium supported ionic liquid phase catalyst (Pd@SILP-PS) for room temperature Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction - More, S.; Jadhav, S; Salunkhe, R.; Kumbhar, A. (Molecular Catalysis, 2017)
A new Pd-SILP based on amino functionalized imidazolium ionic liquid immobilized on Merrifield resin (Pd@SILP-PS) has been synthesized. The catalyst was characterized by different techniques like FT-IR, SEM-EDS, TEM, TGA-DTA and XPS. The catalyst has shown to be highly active in Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of various aryl halides and aryl boronic acids in ethanol at room temperature. The activity of catalyst and the nature of product were highly dependent on the type of the solvent used, as well as the substituents present on the aryl halides. The protic polar solvent ethanol gave desired cross-coupling product in good to excellent yields at room temperature. However the aprotic polar solvent THF gave homocoupling product. The catalyst showed at least five times recyclability without a decrease in product yield.
Keywords: Immobilization; Ionic liquid; Palladium; SILP; Suzuki-Miyaura reaction

Pilot-scale pretreatments of sugarcane bagasse with steam explosion and mineral acid, organic acid, and mixed acids: synergies, enzymatic hydrolysis efficiencies, and structure-morphology correlations - Pal, Siddhartha; Joy, Shereena; Kumbhar, Pramod S.; Trimukhe, Kalpana D.; Gupta, Rishi; Kuhad, Ramesh Chander; Varma, Anjani J.; Shankar, Sasi (Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 2017)
In lignocellulosic (LC) ethanol processes, to facilitate enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose, a physical chemical pretreatment is vital. In this study, we explored a single as well as a two-step physical-chemical pretreatment involving steam and mixed acid on unwashed sugarcane bagasse at pilot-scale level in a continuous horizontal reactor. To serve as a large-scale model, pretreatments were carried out at high solid levels of 18–20 % w/w. For the pretreatment, partial replacement of corrosive sulfuric acid with a milder acid-like oxalic acid was explored to derive possible advantages and synergies accruing by using a mixture of mineral acid and organic acid. The results of this work showed that first-step pretreatment carried out by the mixing of sulfuric acid (1.5 % w/w) and oxalic acid (1.5 % w/w) at 150 °C followed by a second-step steam explosion pretreatment at 180 °C gave significant synergies and advantages over other variants of pretreatments investigated, such as lower inhibitor levels and lower reaction severity. On post-pretreated bagasse, this study conducted comparative enzymatic hydrolysis study using a simple lab enzyme and a robust commercial enzyme. It was found that the addition of Tween 80 to the lab enzyme improved its performance to match the performance of the commercial enzyme. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies were further carried out to correlate the morphology of pretreated samples with efficiency of enzyme hydrolysis. Besides morphological study, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) studies of pretreated samples showed higher syringyl/guaiacyl ratio for all pretreatments, indicating lower levels of pseudo-lignins, which is beneficial for improved enzyme hydrolysis.

Placental proteomics provides insights into pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia and predicts possible markers in plasma - Mary, Sheon; Kulkarni, Mahesh J.; Malakar, Dipankar; Joshi, Sadhana Ramchandra; Mehendale, Savita S.; Giri, Ashok P. (Journal of Proteome Research, 2017)
Pre-eclampsia is a hypertensive disorder characterized by the new onset of hypertension >140/90 mmHg and proteinuria after the 20th week of gestation. The disorder is multi-factorial and originates with abnormal placentation. Comparison of the placental proteome of normotensive (n=25) and pre-eclamptic (n=25) patients by gel-free proteomic techniques, identified a total of 2145 proteins in the placenta of which 180 were differentially expressed (>1.3 fold, p<0.05). Gene ontology enrichment analysis of biological process suggested that the differentially expressed proteins belonged to various physiological processes such as angiogenesis, apoptosis, oxidative stress, hypoxia, placental development, which are implicated in the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia. Some of the differentially expressed proteins were monitored in the plasma by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) analysis, which showed an increase in Apolipoprotein AI and AII in gestational week 26-30th (2-fold, p<0.01) while haptoglobin and hemopexin decreased in gestational week 26-30th and 40th week/at delivery (1.8 fold, p<0.01) in pre-eclamptic patients. This study provides a proteomic insight into the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia. Identified candidate proteins can be evaluated further for the development of potential biomarkers associated with pre-eclampsia pathogenesis.

Polylactic acid (PLA) biocomposites filled with waste leather buff (WLB) - Ambone, Tushar; Joseph, Seena; Deenadayalan, E.; Mishra, Satyendra; Jaisankar, S.; Saravanan, P. (Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 2017)
A large amount of leather waste is generated from tanning industries and most of which are disposed of landfill or discharged into the natural water bodies without any treatment, causing environmental problems. The aim of this study is to develop eco-biocomposites using waste leather buff (WLB) as filler in Polylactic acid (PLA) matrix to reduce the environmental issues and provide sustainable solution. WLB/PLA composites were prepared by twins-screw micro extruder varying the WLB content from 2% to 30 wt%. These composite were extensively characterise by several techniques. Tensile properties of the composites showed addition of WLB resulted in improvement of tensile property of composite and reduction in percentage crystallinity of PLA matrix observed with increase in WLB content. The effect of WLB on properties of interfacial adhesion and dispersion in WLB/PLA composites were studied by SEM. Wettability of composites was tested by contact angle and water absorption studies. WLB/PLA composite showed increase in water absorption with WLB loading. These WLB/PLA composite could be used to develop low cost eco-friendly product material.

Probing the solute-solvent interactions in the binary mixtures of ionic liquids with water and alcohols by conductance, viscosity and IR spectroscopy - Jain, Preeti; Kumar, Anil (Journal of Molecular Liquids, 2017)
The molar conductance and viscosities of the bisulfate ([HSO4](-)) and ethylsulfate ([EtSO4](-))-based imidazolium ionic liquids in various molecular solvents have been measured at 298.15 K as a function of concentration of ionic liquids (1 x 10(-4) to 0.1 mol L-1). It is shown that the anions have considerable effect on the molar conductance and association constant of the [HSO4](-) and [EtSO4](-)-based imidazolium ionic liquids. Higher molar conductance of the [HSO4](-)-based imidazolium ionic liquids in polar protic solvents (water and methanol) is noted as compared to the [EtSO4](-)-based imidazolium ionic liquids, though the [HSO4](-)-based imidazolium ionic liquids possess higher association constant in water than in methanol. The intermolecular interactions in the pure and binary mixture of [HSO4](-) and [EtSO4](-)-based imidazolium ionic liquids have been investigated by IR spectroscopy. The C-2-H stretching vibration frequency of the imidazolium ring reveals the H-bonding between cations and anions of pure ionic liquids and their solutions. The transport properties (limiting molar conductance, transport number, ionic mobility and diffusion coefficient) of cations and anions correlate well with the hydrodynamic radius in their aqueous solutions. The study shows that the energy barrier for charge transfer is minimal as compared to the fluidity of the aqueous solution of the studied ionic liquids obtained from the Arrhenius equation. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Processing and characterization of waste leather based polycaprolactone biocomposites - Joseph, Seena; Ambone, Tushar S.; Salvekar, Abhijit V.; Jaisankar, S. N.; Saravanan, P.; Deenadayalan, E. (Polymer Composites, 2017)
Waste leather buff (WLB) filled polycaprolactone (PCL) composites were prepared by twin-screw extrusion varying the WLB content from 2% to 40%. These composites were extensively characterized by several techniques in order to establish micro and macroscopic properties. Addition of WLB resulted in improvement of tensile modulus of neat PCL and reduction in percentage crystallinity of PCL matrix was observed with increase in WLB content. Interfacial adhesion and dispersion of WLB on PCL matrix was investigated using Scanning Electron Microscope. Percentage of water uptake increased with increase in concentration of WLB in the composite. These biodegradable composites could be used to develop low cost materials suitable for applications in footwear industry, for making bags, suitcases, etc., eliminating the environmental issues arising from WLB generated from tanneries in leather industry. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:2889-2897, 2017. (c) 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers

Promotional effect of WOx in Pt-WOx/AlPO4-5 catalyzed deoxygenation of fatty acids - Janampelli, Sagar; Darbha, Srinivas (ChemistrySelect, 2017)
WOx promoted Pt/AlPO4-5 catalysts with varying Pt and W contents were prepared by wet-impregnation method and characterized. Catalysts with Pt to W weight ratio of 1: 2 exhibited higher catalytic performance than the other compositions in deoxygenation of oleic acid (OA). WOx enhanced significantly the catalytic activity of Pt and enabled quantitative conversion of OA to linear alkanes (predominantly C-18/C-17) at a temperature as low as 280 degrees C. It changed the reaction pathway from decarbonylation/ decarboxylation (DCO for Pt/AlPO4-5) to hydrodeoxygenation (HDO for Pt-WOx/AlPO4-5). It affected the particle size and redox behaviour of Pt. The enhanced H-spill over (by 14.8%) and presence of strong acid sites (300 - 500 degrees C) are the cause for the high activity of Pt-WOx/AlPO4-5 catalysts even at lower temperatures. Partially reduced WOx activates OA and leads to the HDO product (C-18). In the absence of WOx, Lewis acid sites of the support activate OA through the C=O group and Pt facilitates C-C cleavage and formation of DCO product (C-17).
Keywords: biofuels; Deoxygenation; Fatty acids; Green Diesel; Hydrocarbons

p-Selective (sp(2))-C-H functionalization for an acylation/alkylation reaction using organic photoredox catalysis - Pandey, Ganesh; Tiwari, Sandip Kumar; Singh, Bhawana; Vanka, Kumar; Jain, Shailja (Chemical Communications, 2017)
p-Selective (sp(2))-C-H functionalization of electron rich arenes has been achieved for acylation and alkylation reactions, respectively, with acyl/alkylselenides by organic photoredox catalysis involving an interesting mechanistic pathway.

Recovery of radio-cesium from actual high level liquid waste using solvents containing calix[4]arene-crown-6 ligands - Jagasia, P.; Dhami, P. S.; Mohapatra, P. K.; Ansari, S. A.; Jadhav, S. Y.; Kalyankar, G. K.; Gandhi, P. M.; Kharul, U. K. (Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2017)
This paper gives two methods, viz. a solvent extraction method and a hollow fiber contactor based liquid membrane method, for the separation of radio-cesium from actual high level liquid waste (HLLW) solutions using calix[4]arene-crown-6 based solvent systems. While the solvent extraction method involved calix[4]arene-bis-benzo-crwon-6 (CBC) in PTMS (phenyltrifluoromethyl sulphone), the hollow fiber supported liquid membrane method used a polysulphone fiber containing contactor and bis-octyl-benzo-calix[4]arene-mono-crown-6 (CMC) in 40% iso-decanol + 60% n-dodecane. Both methods reported selective radio-cesium separation with almost no contamination from the associated fission product radionuclides. The radiolytic stability of the hollow fiber contactor was checked by keeping the contactor module in contact with the diluted HLLW for 50 days. The second run carried out after 50 days resulted in excellent reproducibility suggesting efficacy of this method for radioactive waste remediation.
Keywords: 137Cs; Calix-crown-6; Cesium; fibers; Fission products; Hollow fiber contactor; Liquid membranes; liquids; PUREX-HLLW; Radioactive wastesSolvent extraction; solvent extraction; Solvents

Redox-mediated 3D graphene based nanoscoop design for ultracapacitor applications - Rani, Pallavi; Jhajharia, Suman Kumari; Selvaraj, Kaliaperumal (New Journal of Chemistry, 2017)
Contemporary energy storage devices significantly rely on the rational design of micro and nanostructural features of electrode materials for efficient ion transport. A judicious concept of utilizing the extended charge mobility on the third dimension along with an active redox couple to significantly maximize the capacitance has been demonstrated via (a) the fabrication of a 3D network from 2D graphene and (b) the introduction of an active redox species. Compared with traditional graphene systems, an unprecedented 8-fold gain of capacitance that was sustained with minimal loss even beyond 5000 cycles is achieved and is reported for the first time. This was due to the complementary advantage of both the electric double layer capacitance of the 3D graphene electrode and the redoxmediated pseudocapacitance of K3Fe(CN)(6) in alkaline electrolytes. Colloidal polystyrene spheres with a tunable size range were used as sacrificial templates for generating the 3D network. This design outperforms others, is an excellent candidate as an ultracapacitor and is envisaged to lead to new opportunities in several electrochemical applications.

Repurposing Ivacaftor for treatment of staphylococcus aureus infections - Thakare, R.; Das, S.; Vasudevan, N.; Jachak, G.R.; Reddy, D.S.; Dasgupta, A.; Chopra, S. (International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, 2017)
Drug repurposing of non-antimicrobials is a novel method to augment a seriously depleted drug pipeline for targeting drug–resistant pathogens. This article highlights the potent antimicrobial activity of Ivacaftor against Staphylococcus aureus, including vancomycin– and other multidrug–resistant strains. The potent activity of Ivacaftor in vivo is also demonstrated in a murine neutropenic thigh infection model. Taken together, these results support the potential of Ivacaftor as an antimicrobial agent for the treatment of staphylococcal infections. © 2017 Elsevier B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy

Role of base fluid on the thermal conductivity of oleic acid coated magnetite nanofluids - Lenin, Ramanujam; Joy, Pattayil Alias (COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS, 2017)
Thermal conductivity enhancement of nanofluids of oleic acid coated magnetite nanoparticles dispersed in four different base fluids (toluene, xylene, mesitylene, kerosene) is studied to understand the role of the solvent (base fluid). From the correlation of the thermophysical properties of the base fluid with the thermal conductivity of the corresponding nanofluid, it is found that the nanofluid with the base fluid of lower intrinsic thermal conductivity and dielectric constant shows relatively larger enhancement in the thermal conductivity. A linear increase in the thermal conductivity with increasing viscosity is observed for all four nanofluids studied. The concentration dependent thermal conductivity studies showed enhancement only above a particular concentration, within the sensitivity of the measurement, and this critical concentration is different for the different nanofluids. The nanofluid with kerosene showed the lowest critical concentration for thermal conductivity enhancement compared to the other nanofluids. The difference between the experimental thermal conductivity and the calculated value using the Maxwell model is found to depend on the critical concentration. By assuming the critical concentration as the zero concentration, it is found that all the studied nanofluids almost follow the Maxwell model of thermal conductivity. Thus, for the dispersions of the same oleic acid coated magnetite nanoparticles, the base fluid affects the critical concentration for thermal conductivity enhancement, probably due to the interfacial effects arising from the surfactant-solvent interactions.
Keywords: Brownian-Motion; Enhancement; Heat-transfer Characteristics; Magnetic nanofluids; Maxwell model; Nanoparticles; Particle Migration; Size; stability; Suspension; Temprature; Thermal conductivity; Thermophysical properties; transport mechanism; viscosity

Role of localized graphitization on the electrical and magnetic properties of activated carbon - Raj, Kovummal Govind; Joy, Pattayil Alias (Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 2017)
The correlation between the magnetic and electrical properties of activated carbon with its microstructure is studied. The changes in the microstructure of activated carbon, after activation at three different temperatures (800 degrees C, 900 degrees C, 1000 degrees C) using different amounts of the activating agent, KOH (KOH/C ratio of 1: 1, 2: 1, 3: 1 and 4: 1), are studied using X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed the formation of localized nanographitic domains, along with the changes in the surface area and porosity of the activated carbon. The changes in the microstructure are found to be directly correlated with the magnetic properties and electrical conductivity. The interplay between ordering and disordering parameters in the activated carbon is found to determine the electrical conductivity and magnetic properties.

Selective and reusable Pt-WO x /Al 2 O 3 catalyst for deoxygenation of fatty acids and their esters to diesel-range hydrocarbons - Janampelli, Sagar; Srinivas, Darbha (Catalysis Today, 2017)
Tungsten oxide promoted platinum catalysts (Pt-WOx/Al2O3) of varying composition were prepared by wet impregnation method and reduced in hydrogen atmosphere. X-ray powder diffraction and photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that Pt is completely reduced to metallic state while tungsten is in +6 and +5 oxidation state. Pt crystallite and particle sizes increased (from 1.2 to 1.4 nm and 2.5 to 3 nm, respectively) in presence of WOx (CO-chemisorption and transmission electron microscopy). Tungsten addition augmented strong acid sites. It enhanced significantly the catalytic activity of Pt/Al2O3 in deoxygenation of fatty acids and their methyl esters. Tungsten altered the reaction pathway from decarbonylation/decarboxylation to hydrodeoxygenation. A catalyst with 4 wt% Pt and 8 wt% W exhibited high catalytic performance. Complete conversion of oleic acid and octadecane product selectivity in the range 67.1 − 80.8% was obtained. Pt-WOx/Al2O3 is a stable and reusable fatty acid deoxygenation catalyst.
Keywords: biofuels; Deoxygenation; Diesel-range hydrocarbons; Fatty acids; Pt catalyst