The aqueous extract of leaf (LE), fruit (FE) and seed (SE) of Moringa oleifera was assessed to examine the ability to inhibit the oxidative DNA damage, antioxidant and anti-quorum sensing (QS) ...potentials. It was found that these extracts could significantly inhibit the OH-dependent damage of pUC18 plasmid DNA and also inhibit synergistically with trolox, with an activity sequence of LE>FE>SE. HPLC and MS/MS analysis was carried out, which showed the presence of gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid, ferulic acid, kaempferol, quercetin and vanillin. The LE was with comparatively higher total phenolics content (105.04mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g), total flavonoids content (31.28mg quercetin equivalents (QE)/g), and ascorbic acid content (106.95mg/100g) and showed better antioxidant activity (85.77%), anti-radical power (74.3), reducing power (1.1 ascorbic acid equivalents (ASE)/ml), inhibition of lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, OH-induced deoxyribose degradation, and scavenging power of superoxide anion and nitric oxide radicals than did the FE, SE and standard α-tocopherol. Eventually, LE and FE were found to inhibit violacein production, a QS-regulated behavior in Chromobacterium violaceum 12472.
In order to determine antioxidant activity, the five extracts/fractions of red onion peel were studied for their total content of phenolics (TPC), flavonoids (TFC), antioxidant activity (AOA), free ...radical scavenging activity (FRSA), assayed by DPPH radical in the terms of anti-radical power (ARP) and reducing power (RP), expressed as ascorbic acid equivalents (ASE)/ml. High TPC (384.7±5.0mg GAE/g), TFC (165.2±3.2mg QE/g), AOA (97.4±7.6%), ARP (75.3±4.5) and RP (1.6±0.3 ASE/ml) were found for the ethyl acetate (EA) fraction. EA fraction had markedly higher antioxidant capacity than butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) in preventive or scavenging capacities against FeCl3-induced lipid peroxidation, protein fragmentation, hydroxyl (site-specific and non-site-specific), superoxide anion and nitric oxide radicals. EA fraction also showed dose dependent antimutagenic activity by following the inhibition of tobacco-induced mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium strains (TA102) and hydroxyl radical-induced nicking in plasmid pUC18 DNA. HPLC and MS/MS analysis showed the presence of ferulic, gallic, protocatechuic acids, quercetin and kaempferol. The large amount of polyphenols contained in EA fraction may cause its strong antioxidant and antimutagenic properties. This information shows that EA fraction of red onion peel can be used as natural antioxidant in nutraceutical preparations.
Worldwide, transportation accounts for 18% of global carbon dioxide emissions (as of 2019). In order to battle the impending threat of climate change, consumers and industry must adopt sustainable ...transport that complies with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of increased energy efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. To fulfil these objectives, a new class of vehicles has recently emerged, smart electric vehicles, which is forecasted to reduce carbon dioxide emissions up to 43% as compared to diesel engine vehicles. However, to bring these vehicles to the mainstream, supporting architecture is needed to optimize them in a sustainable manner. One such novel architecture is Digital Twin Technology, which is a virtual mapping technology, extending from it, capable of investigating the lifecycle of multisystem bodies in a digital environment. In recent years, digital twin technology is becoming an underpinning area of research globally. As a result, novel individual research covering digital twin implementation on various aspects of smart vehicles has transpired in research and industrial studies, consequently allowing digital twin technology to evolve over the years. This work aims to bridge the gap between individual research to provide a comprehensive review from a technically-informed and academically neutral standpoint. Conceptual groundwork of digital twin technology is built systematically for the reader, to allow insight into its inception and evolution. The study sifts the digital twin domain for contributions in smart vehicle systems, exploring its potential and contemporaneous challenges to realization. The study then proceeds to review recent research and commercial projects for innovation within this domain. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first extensive review of the application of digital twin technology in smart electric vehicles. The review has been systematically classified into specific domains within the smart vehicle system such as autonomous navigation control, advanced driver assistance systems, vehicle health monitoring, battery management systems, vehicle power electronics, and electrical power drive systems. An in-depth discussion of each vehicle subsystem is undertaken to present this review as an eclectic panorama of the smart vehicle system. This review further facilitates appreciation of the role of digital twin technology within each classification from a holistic technical perspective. Finally, the work ends with an inspection of the techno-socio-economic impact of digital twin technology that will revolutionize mainstream vehicle technology and the obstacles for further development.
•In-depth systematic review and synopsis of recent advancements of digital twin technology in smart electric vehicles.•Detailed workflow for constructing a complex digital twin of electric vehicle systems.•An overview of the factors affecting the realization of digital twin technology in smart electric vehicles.•The benefits of digital twin technology and the significant challenges to its growth.•A discussion of the potential for the technology as well as the implications it may have in the future.
Microalgal species are recently in the spotlight for biofuels production like biodiesel, bioethanol and biohydrogen. Algae are also used as a biofertiliser, source of nutrient and for controlling ...pollution. Algae being a photosynthetic organism are produced in the photo bioreactors. Hence the design and development of photobioreactors for maximum production of algae is very important. Apart from maximum production, other factors such as design, cost effectiveness of the bioreactor, purity of the algae produced, user friendly, low maintenance and space convenience need to be optimized. The bioreactors which are used for the purpose of growing algae are bubble column photobioreactor, airlift photo bioreactor, flat panel bioreactor, horizontal tubular photobioreactor, stirred tank photobioreactor etc. These bioreactors have their own advantages and disadvantages. Work is on for developing hybrid type of bioreactors which may overcome the limitations of the developed photobioreactors. This paper covers the salient features, limitations of developed photobioreactors and recent developments in the field of photobioreactors.
Blockchain technology is destined to revolutionise supply chain processes. At the same time, governmental and regulatory policies are forcing firms to adjust their supply chains in response to ...environmental concerns. The objective of this study is therefore to develop a distributed ledger-based blockchain approach for monitoring supply chain performance and optimising both emission levels and operational costs in a synchronised fashion, producing a better outcome for the supply chain. We propose the blockchain approach for different production allocation problems within a multi-echelon supply chain (MESC) under a carbon taxation policy. As such, we couple recent advances in digitalisation of operations with increasingly stringent regulatory environmental policies. Specifically, with lead time considerations under emission rate constraints (imposed by a carbon taxation policy), we simultaneously consider the production, distribution and inventory control decisions in a production allocation-based MESC problem. The problem is then formulated as a Mixed Integer Non-Linear Programming (MINLP) model. We show that the distributed ledger-based blockchain approach minimises both total cost and carbon emissions. We then validate the feasibility of the proposed approach by comparing the results with a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II). The findings provide support for policymakers and supply chain executives alike.
The antioxidant and anti-quorum sensing activities of eight extracts were studied in green pods of
Acacia nilotica. The specific phenolic compositions and their quantifications were performed by HPLC ...and MS/MS, which showed that the HEF (pH 4) was higher in gallic acid, ellagic acid, epicatechin, rutin, and GTs. In order to find antioxidant potential of various extracts, their activities were studied for TPC, AOA, FRSA, RP, inhibition of LPO, FIC activity, HO
and
O
2
-
scavenging activities. Among them HEF (pH 4) has shown potent antioxidant activity. HEF (pH 4) was also found effective in protecting plasmid DNA and HAS protein oxidation induced by HO
. Pre-treatment of HEF (pH 4) at 75 and 150
mg/kg body weight for 6 days caused a significant increase in the levels of CAT and SOD and decrease in the level of MDA content in liver, lungs, kidneys and blood when compared to CCl
4-intoxicated rats. Eventually, the extracts were also screened for anti-QS activity. Of these extracts two showed QS inhibition: HEF (pH 4) and HCE. The results obtained strongly indicate that green pod of
A. nilotica are important source of natural antioxidants.
One of the main concerns about the fast spreading coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic is how to intervene. We analysed severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) isolates ...data using the multifractal approach and found a rich in viral genome diversity, which could be one of the root causes of the fast Covid-19 pandemic and is strongly affected by pressure and health index of the hosts inhabited regions. The calculated mutation rate (mr) is observed to be maximum at a particular pressure, beyond which mr maintains diversity. Hurst exponent and fractal dimension are found to be optimal at a critical pressure (Pm), whereas, for P > Pm and P < Pm, we found rich genome diversity relating to complicated genome organisation and virulence of the virus. The values of these complexity measurement parameters are found to be increased linearly with health index values.
Aerosol emissions from biomass burning are of specific interest over the globe due to their strong radiative impacts and climate implications. The present study examines the impact of paddy crop ...residue burning over northern India during the postmonsoon (October–November) season of 2012 on modification of aerosol properties, as well as the long‐range transport of smoke plumes, altitude characteristics, and affected areas via the synergy of ground‐based measurements and satellite observations. During this period, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images show a thick smoke/hazy aerosol layer below 2–2.5 km in the atmosphere covering nearly the whole Indo‐Gangetic Plains (IGP). The air mass trajectories originating from the biomass‐burning source region over Punjab at 500 m reveal a potential aerosol transport pathway along the Ganges valley from west to east, resulting in a strong aerosol optical depth (AOD) gradient. Sometimes, depending upon the wind direction and meteorological conditions, the plumes also influence central India, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal, thus contributing to Asian pollution outflow. The increased number of fire counts (Terra and Aqua MODIS data) is associated with severe aerosol‐laden atmospheres (AOD500 nm > 1.0) over six IGP locations, high values of Ångström exponent (>1.2), high particulate mass 2.5 (PM2.5) concentrations (>100–150 µgm−3), and enhanced Ozone Monitoring Instrument Aerosol Index gradient (~2.5) and NO2 concentrations (~6 × 1015 mol/cm2), indicating the dominance of smoke aerosols from agricultural crop residue burning. The aerosol size distribution is shifted toward the fine‐mode fraction, also exhibiting an increase in the radius of fine aerosols due to coagulation processes in a highly turbid environment. The spectral variation of the single‐scattering albedo reveals enhanced dominance of moderately absorbing aerosols, while the aerosol properties, modification, and mixing atmospheric processes differentiate along the IGP sites depending on the distance from the aerosol source, urban influence, and local characteristics.
Key Points
Satellite and ground‐based monitoring of agriculture fires in northern India
Transport pathways, smoke plume characteristics, and affected areas
Variation of aerosol loading as a function of distance from the source
: Since introduction of functional foods, commercialization of the traditionally used probiotics has ushered in more followers into the new fraternity of sophisticated, health‐conscious consumers. ...In 1995, this was followed by the first introduction of prebiotics. Prebiotics are defined as “a non‐digestible feed supplement, beneficially affecting the host by selectively stimulating growth and/or activity in one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon.” The number of new product introductions with prebiotics has steeply increased over the last few years. Paradoxically, probiotics have limited applications as these cannot be used in wide range of food products because of their viability issue. Fortunately, prebiotics do not suffer from any such constraint and can be used in a wide range of food products. Probiotics do not have a long shelf life in their active form. In most cases, refrigeration is required to maintain the shelf life. While probiotics are predominantly used in fermented dairy products, the use of prebiotics has expanded into other food categories. Prebiotics have successfully been incorporated in a wide variety of human food products such as baked goods, sweeteners, yoghurts, nutrition bars, and meal replacement shakes. For instance, the introduction of galacto‐oligosaccharides (GOS) into baby foods has been very successful. GOS, which are identical to the human milk oligosaccharides, has emerged with strong clinical support for both digestive and immune health. Various aspects related to GOS such as types and functions of functional food constituents with special reference to GOS, their role as prebiotics, and enhanced industrial production through microbial intervention are dealt in this review.
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