Banaras Hindu University

About: Banaras Hindu University is a education organization based out in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Dielectric. The organization has 11858 authors who have published 23917 publications receiving 464677 citations. The organization is also known as: Kashi Hindu Vishvavidyalay & Benares Hindu University.

Fluorescent zinc(II) complex exhibiting "on-off-on" switching toward Cu2+ and Ag+ ions.

Abstract: Binuclear zinc(II) and copper(II) complexes based on a new Schiff base ligand N,N′-bis(2-hydroxybenzilidene)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene-1,3-diamine (H2L) have been synthesized. The ligand H2L and complexes under investigation have been characterized by elemental analyses, spectral (FT-IR, 1H, 13C NMR, ESI-MS, electronic absorption, emission), and electrochemical studies. The structures of H2L and complexes [{Zn(C23H18N2O2)}2] (1) and [{Cu(C23H18N2O2)}2]·H2O (2) have been determined crystallographically. Selective “On-Off-On” switching behavior of the fluorescent complex 1 has been studied. The fluorescence intensity of 1 quenches (turns-off) upon addition of Cu2+, while enhances (turns-on) in the presence of Ag+ ions. The mechanisms of “On-Off-On” signaling have been supported by 1H NMR, ESI-MS, electronic absorption, and emission spectral studies. Job’s plot analysis supported 1:1 and 1:2 stoichiometries for Cu2+ and Ag+ ions, respectively. Association and quenching constants have been estimated by the Benes...

Rhizospheric Microbiomes: Biodiversity, Mechanisms of Plant Growth Promotion, and Biotechnological Applications for Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract: Soil consists of diverse microscopic life forms such as actinomycetes, algae, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and protozoans. But, the rhizospheric region is the most widely colonized regions of the soil due to the secretion of various nutrients by plant roots which attract microbes toward it with bacteria being the dominant one in this region. The bacteria in the rhizospheric region are highly beneficial for the plants as they directly or indirectly stimulate growth of the plants by nitrogen fixation; production of various phytohormones including auxins, cytokinins, and gibberellins; solubilization of phosphorus; production of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase (ACC), siderophores, HCN, ammonia, and various lytic enzymes; and induction of systemic resistance. These plant growth-promoting bacteria of rhizospheric region are referred to as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). The phyla involving major groups of PGPR include Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria belonging to different genera Acetobacter, Achromobacter, Arthrobacter, Azospirillum, Azotobacter, Bacillus, Burkholderia, Exiguobacterium, Flavobacterium, Gluconacetobacter, Herbaspirillum, Methylobacterium, Paenibacillus, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, Serratia, and Staphylococcus. Furthermore, the use of PGPR offers an eco-friendly and an attractive way of replacing the chemical fertilizers, pesticides. In fact, there are many reports on use of rhizobacteria for improving the productivity and also protection of plants against pathogens and pests. In this way, benefits of using PGPR for sustainable agriculture is gaining a greater attention as well as acceptance worldwide, and the progress that has been made to date in using the rhizospheric bacteria with various applications, for agricultural improvement with reference to plant growth-promoting mechanisms, has been summarized and discussed in the present chapter.

Human sat III and Drosophila hsrω transcripts: a common paradigm for regulation of nuclear RNA processing in stressed cells

Abstract: Exposure of cells to stressful conditions elicits a highly conserved defense mechanism termed the heat shock response, resulting in the production of specialized proteins which protect the cells against the deleterious effects of stress. The heat shock response involves not only a widespread inhibition of the ongoing transcription and activation of heat shock genes, but also important changes in post-transcriptional processing. In particular, a blockade in splicing and other post-transcriptional processing has been described following stress in different organisms, together with an altered spatial distribution of the proteins involved in these activities. However, the specific mechanisms that regulate these activities under conditions of stress are little understood. Non-coding RNA molecules are increasingly known to be involved in the regulation of various activities in the cell, ranging from chromatin structure to splicing and RNA degradation. In this review, we consider two non-coding RNAs, the hsrω transcripts in Drosophila and the sat III transcripts in human cells, that seem to be involved in the dynamics of RNA-processing factors in normal and/or stressed cells, and thus provide new paradigms for understanding transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations in normal and stressed cells.

Anxiogenic action of caffeine: an experimental study in rats.

Abstract: The anxiogenic action of caffeine (10, 25 and 50 mg/kg, i.p.) was investigated in rats and compared with that of yohimbine (2 mg/kg, i.p.). The experimental methods used were the open-field, elevated plus-maze, social interaction and novelty-suppressed feeding latency tests. Caffeine produced a dose-related profile of behavioural changes, which were qualitatively similar to those induced by yohimbine and which indicate an anxiogenic activity in rodents. Thus, both the drugs reduced ambulation and rears, and increased immobility and defaecation in the open-field test. They decreased the number of entries and time spent on the open arms of the elevated-plus maze, reduced social interaction in paired rats and increased the feeding latency in an unfamiliar environment in 48-h food-deprived rats. Lorazepam, a well known benzodiazepine anxiolytic agent, attenuated the anxiogenic effects of caffeine and yohimbine. Subchronic administration of caffeine (50 mg/kg, i.p.) for 21 days, in different groups of animals,...