Sustainable products particular plant pigments as colorants have gained a worldwide fame due to their ayurvedic and eco-friendly nature. In this research, improvement in colorfastness of Coral ...Jasmine (Nyctanthes Arbortristis) based yellow natural pigment has been investigated using eco-friendly shade developers (mordants) after being separated from crude mixture in aqueous medium and applied before and after dyeing of wool at given conditions in microwave radiation (MW). It has been found that 35 mL of yellow water extract (6 pH) of Coral Jasmine after irradiation upto 4 min, has given high colour yield onto MW-irradiated wool when used to dye wool at 85 °C for 35 min in presence of 2 g/100 mL of salt. Before dyeing 0.5% of tannic acid and 0.5 % of orange peel, 2 % of acacia and 1.5 % of pomegranate extract has developed colourfast shades of high strength. Similarly after dyeing, 2.5 % of tannic acid, 2 % of orange peel, 2.5 % of acacia and 1.5 % of pomegranate extract has developed colourfast shades of high strength also. It is inferred that eco-friendly mordants has played promising role in improving bio-colouring behaviour of wool with Nyctanthes Arbortristis but also addition of MW-rays to get high yield has made process more sustainable and valuable.
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•The microwave-assisted extraction of Nyctanthes dye was investigated.•Bio-mordanting were used as a replace of metal mordant.•Bio-dyeing of wool shown excellent fastness properties.•Nyctanthes Arbortristis based yellow natural dye can be an alternative of synthetic dyes.
The world’s move towards revival of eco-labelled products has created a huge urge to explore new means which are healthier for the global community. Among such means, plant-based bio-pigments for ...coloration of matrix are gaining worldwide fame, particularly in the textile sector. For the purpose of appraising new source of eco-friendly dyes, using microwave irradiation techniques, Coral Jasmine flowers have been explored for the bio-dyeing of wool. The colorant was extracted in acidic medium owing to nature of fabric, and both stuffs have been exposed to microwave treatment up to 5 min. Bio-coloration of MW irradiated and unirradiated wool was done using MW irradiated and unirradiated extract for observing high yield. Central composite design (CCD) as statistical method was utilized to see the significance of dyeing parameters chosen for mordanting to develop colorfast shades. Different concentrations of sustainable chemicals and bio-mordants as per weight of fabric were employed to introduce new shades with improved colorfastness properties. International standard textile methods determining shade permanency (fastness) have been employed onto selected dyed-mordanted fabrics. Good yield of colorant was observed when MW irradiated wool fabric was dyed at 75 °C for 45 min with extract of 7 pH, having 1.5g/100 mL of salt solution; the promising color yield was observed. As per gray scale ratings observed after ISO standard methods, pine nut as bio-mordant and iron salt as chemical mordant have developed colorfast shades. Conclusively, it can be recommended that methods for the isolation of colorants from new dye yielding plants, MW heating method as suitable clean technology and medicinal-based bio-mordants should be employed for getting permanent gamutes.
The present study aimed to genetically identify the indigenous Rose-ringed parakeet of Pakistan using NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) gene polymorphism. Blood samples of 24 unrelated Pakistani ...rose-ringed parakeets were utilized for isolation of genomic DNA followed by amplification and sequencing of ND2 gene. The analysis of genetic phylogeny of the ND2 gene indicated that the Pakistani rose-ringed parakeet was cladded with Psittacula krameri with DNA and amino acid sequence similarity of 97.6 and 98.27% respectively. Further comparative analysis indicated 25 changes in nucleotide and six changes in amino acid sequences in ND2 gene of Pakistani rose-ringed parakeet suggestive of an independent evolution of this avian species. On the basis of unique genotype and distinguishing phenotypic characteristics Pakistani rose-ringed Parakeet should be classified as Psittacula krameri. The present report is the first documentation on molecular classification of Pakistani Roseringed parakeet on the basis of ND2 gene polymorphism. Copyright 2014 Friends Science Publishers
The family Euphorbiaceae is one of the most taxonomically complex and diverse family among the angiosperm. Therefore, this study aims to document the pollen morphology of the Euphorbiaceae taxa ...collected from different geographical regions of the Hainan Island South China, to strengthen the taxonomy and support the subfamilial classification. The Euphorbiaceae includes 23 species and 10 genera of the bi‐ovulate subfamily Phyllanthoideae and tri‐ovulate Crotonoideae, Euphorbioideae, and Acalyphoideae were examined under light and scanning electron microscopy. The principal component analysis was performed by using six variables to show variation and relationships between the species. A significant variation was found in the pollen morphology (exine and colpus sculpturing). The croton‐type pattern of the pollen was found the diagnostic trait of the Crotonoideae. The Euhphorboideae taxa were mostly homogenous however, variation was found in the muri pattern. The Acalyphoideae, have fossulate scabrate and verrucate exine sculpturing that can delimit from the rest of sub‐families. The Phyllanthoideae, showed reticulate exine, tri to tetra‐colporate having various colpus morphology. The maximum pollen size was found in Croton hirtus (59.49 × 60.86 μm) and minimum in Acalypha indica (10.86 × 73 μm). Similarly, the maximum colpus width was observed in Euphorbia pulcherrima (8.3 μm). Hence pollen traits have relevance in the taxonomy and phylogenetic of the family to define species boundaries at various taxonomic levels. This study can support and strengthen the taxonomy of subfamilies and fill the palynological gap of these taxa in Hainan Island and will contribute to future systematic studies of the Euphorbiaceae.
Highlights
Some selected taxa of the four subfamilies including Crotonoideae, Euphorbioideae, Acalyphoideae, and Phyllanthoideae (Euphorbiaceae) were collected from different geographical regions of the Hainan Island.
The pollen of these taxa was observed under both light and scanning electron microscopy.
A significant variation was found in both qualitative features including (exine and colpus surface membrane morphology) and quantitative traits (polar axis, equatorial diameter, colpus length and width, polar area and clava diameter.
Based on the pollen traits, our study suggested the eurypalynous condition of the family Euphorbiaceae.
Pollen features were found to have a significant taxonomic and phylogenetic potential and can be used as an additional tool to define species boundaries at various taxonomic ranks and support the subfamilial classification of the family Euphorbiaceae.
Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is an ophthalmic disease that damages retinal blood vessels. DR causes impaired vision and may even lead to blindness if it is not diagnosed in early stages. DR has five ...stages or classes, namely normal, mild, moderate, severe and PDR (Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy). Normally, highly trained experts examine the colored fundus images to diagnose this fatal disease. This manual diagnosis of this condition (by clinicians) is tedious and error-prone. Therefore, various computer vision-based techniques have been proposed to automatically detect DR and its different stages from retina images. However, these methods are unable to encode the underlying complicated features and can only classify DR's different stages with very low accuracy particularly, for the early stages. In this research, we used the publicly available Kaggle dataset of retina images to train an ensemble of five deep Convolution Neural Network (CNN) models (Resnet50, Inceptionv3, Xception, Dense121, Dense169) to encode the rich features and improve the classification for different stages of DR. The experimental results show that the proposed model detects all the stages of DR unlike the current methods and performs better compared to state-of-the-art methods on the same Kaggle dataset.
Curcumin is a phytochemical isolated from the dried rhizome of Curcuma longa L. family Zingiberaceae which possesses versatile biological activities and has hydrophobic properties. The current study ...was conducted to fabricate, and optimize curcumin loaded chitosan and Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) nanoparticles (NPs) to improve the bioavailability of curcumin. NPs were fabricated employing the Ionic gelation method. Four formulations were developed based on the selected variables like STPP and chitosan concentration, rotations per minute (rpm), temperature, and pH of chitosan solution. NPs were characterized for morphology, drug-polymer compatibility, yield, particle size, encapsulation efficiency, release behavior, anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic activity compared to curcumin and standard drug. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) shows nanoparticle compatibility. The maximum yield was 60%. Entrapment efficiency ranged from 45 to 65%. Curcumin NPs and standard drug 600 µg/ml shows 59% and 70% anti-inflammatory activity by HRB membrane stabilization method respectively which are greater than curcumin alone whereas anti-arthritic activity by protein denaturation method which is also comparable to standard drug and greater than curcumin was 66 and 70% respectively. Statistical analysis shows the mean significant difference at p ≤ 0.05. The study concluded that curcumin-loaded chitosan and STPP NPs formulated successfully by the Ionic gelation method, which increased curcumin absorption leading to a reduced dosing rate and improved patient compliance.
Abstract Soil salinity is a major nutritional challenge with poor agriculture production characterized by high sodium (Na + ) ions in the soil. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and biochar have ...received attention as a sustainable strategy to reduce biotic and abiotic stress. However, there is a lack of information regarding the incorporation of ZnO NPs with biochar to ameliorate the salinity stress (0, 50,100 mM). Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the potentials of ZnO NPs application (priming and foliar) alone and with a combination of biochar on the growth and nutrient availability of spinach plants under salinity stress. Results demonstrated that salinity stress at a higher rate (100 mM) showed maximum growth retardation by inducing oxidative stress, resulted in reduced photosynthetic rate and nutrient availability. ZnO NPs (priming and foliar) alone enhanced growth, chlorophyll contents and gas exchange parameters by improving the antioxidant enzymes activity of spinach under salinity stress. While, a significant and more pronounced effect was observed at combined treatments of ZnO NPs with biochar amendment. More importantly, ZnO NPs foliar application with biochar significantly reduced the Na + contents in root 57.69%, and leaves 61.27% of spinach as compared to the respective control. Furthermore, higher nutrient contents were also found at the combined treatment of ZnO NPs foliar application with biochar. Overall, ZnO NPs combined application with biochar proved to be an efficient and sustainable strategy to alleviate salinity stress and improve crop nutritional quality under salinity stress. We inferred that ZnO NPs foliar application with a combination of biochar is more effectual in improving crop nutritional status and salinity mitigation than priming treatments with a combination of biochar.
Academic output of students is considered as a crucial element and it is affected by various aspects. Teacher-class relationship, emotional intelligence and generic competence are the elements which ...can have a considerable effect on the academic output of the students. Current study was intended to find out the moderating role of teacher-class relationship, emotional intelligence in the academic output and generic competence of higher education students. All the teachers and students of University of Sargodha were the population of the study. The sample was taken from four departments of different faculties of University of Sargodha i.e., Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Humanities and Faculty of Social Sciences. For this study, a sample of 21 teachers and 320 students from regular and self-support programs was selected conveniently from University of Sargodha. For data collection, three adapted instruments were used. Findings of current study concluded an insignificant moderating role of teacher-class relationship and emotional intelligence in the academic output and generic competence of students at higher education. The results of present study provide guideline to curriculum developers for developing the generic competence of students so that they can progress in future prospects which will eventually make contribution towards economy, moreover, stakeholder may take steps in order to develop the emotional intelligence of students by providing them needful counseling and trainings which will improve the academic output of students.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Plant bioactive phenolic metabolites have recently attracted the attention of researchers due to their numerous health advantages. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate with advanced techniques ...the bioactive metabolites and antioxidant and antidiabetic capacity of four unconventional edible plant leaves: lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf), chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.), and ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). The extraction process was optimized using different solvents. These plants’ phenolic composition, identification, and characterization have been determined herein using LCESI-QTOF-MS/MS. This research identified 85 phenolic compounds, including 24 phenolic acids, 31 flavonoids, 7 stilbenes and lignans, and 17 other metabolites. Moreover, the study determined that moringa has the highest total phenolic content (TPC; 18.5 ± 1.01 mg GAE/g), whereas ryegrass has the lowest (3.54 ± 0.08 mg GAE/g) among the selected plants. It seems that, compared to other plants, moringa was found to have the highest antioxidant potential and antidiabetic potential. In addition, twenty-two phenolic compounds were quantified in these chosen edible plants. Rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic acid, chicoric acid, ferulic acid, protocatechuic acid, and caffeic acid were the most abundant phenolic acids. In silico molecular docking was also conducted to investigate the structure–function relationship of phenolic compounds to inhibit the alpha-glucosidase. Finally, the simulated pharmacokinetic characteristics of the most common substances were also predicted. In short, this investigation opens the way for further study into these plants’ pharmaceutical and dietary potential.
This study aimed to characterize the palynological morphology of melliferous species of family Asteraceae belonged to seven tribes which were categorized into 15 genera and were studied under light ...and scanning electron microscopy. The pollen grains were acetolyzed, measured, and described qualitatively. Quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive and multivariate statistical analysis. The species were analyzed considering 11 quantitative pollen characteristics. The study revealed that the pollen grains are circular, triangular, angular, semi‐angular, quadrangular, pentagonal and hexagonal amb, and 3‐colporate or 3‐colpate. The size of the pollen is variable among the species, ranged from 56.1 to 23.2 μm. Three pollen types: oblate spheroidal (eight species), prolate spheroidal (six species), and suboblate (two species) were observed. The surface pattern of the exine varies from echinoperforate, echinate, echinate microperforate, fenestrate, echinoperforate reticulate, microreticulate, echinate perforate, tectate, and scabrate. Exine thickness was calculated minimum in Cichorium intybus (2.47 μm) and maximum in Taraxacum campylodes (5.15 μm). A key to studied bee floral species, based on the morphological features of pollen grains, is also provided. The palynomorphological characters here analyzed can be potentially used to correctly identify the Asteraceous honeybee floral species most commonly plants visited by honeybees in the study area.
Palynological morphology of melliferous species of family Asteraceae belonged to seven tribes which were categorized into 15 genera and were studied under light and scanning electron microscopy
Quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive and multivariate statistical analysis
The species were analyzed considering 11 quantitative pollen characteristics
Based on the pollen morphological features, a taxonomic key to studied bee floral species were provided
The palynomorphological characters here analyzed can be potentially used to correctly identify the Asteraceous honeybee floral species, most commonly from plants visited by honeybees in the study area
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