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 & Catalysis. 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.

Nanoparticles Based on Chitosan as Carriers for the Combined Herbicides Imazapic and Imazapyr.

Abstract: The use of lower concentrations and fewer applications of herbicides is one of the prime objectives of the sustainable agriculture as it decreases the toxicity to non-targeted organisms and the risk of wider environmental contamination. In the present work, nanoparticles were developed for encapsulation of the herbicides imazapic and imazapyr. Alginate/chitosan and chitosan/tripolyphosphate nanoparticles were manufactured, and their physicochemical stability was evaluated. Determinations were made of the encapsulation efficiency and release kinetics, and the toxicity of the nanoparticles was evaluated using cytotoxicity and genotoxicity assays. The effects of herbicides and herbicide-loaded nanoparticles on soil microorganisms were studied in detail using real-time polymerase chain reactions. The nanoparticles showed an average size of 400 nm and remained stable during 30 days of storage at ambient temperature. Satisfactory encapsulation efficiencies of between 50 and 70% were achieved for both types of particles. Cytotoxicity assays showed that the encapsulated herbicides were less toxic, compared to the free compounds, and genotoxicity was decreased. Analyses of soil microbiota revealed changes in the bacteria of the soils exposed to the different treatments. Our study proves that encapsulation of the herbicides improved their mode of action and reduced their toxicity, indicating their suitability for use in future practical applications.

Serial Quantitative PCR Assay for Detection, Species Discrimination, and Quantification of Leishmania spp. in Human Samples

Abstract: The invention provides a method for determining the presence, species, and/or quantity of Leishmania in a sample.

Thermal stability, complexing behavior, and ionic transport of polymeric gel membranes based on polymer PVdF-HFP and ionic liquid, [BMIM][BF4].

Abstract: PVdF-HFP + IL(1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate; [BMIM][BF4]) polymeric gel membranes containing different amounts of ionic liquid have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and complex impedance spectroscopic techniques. Incorporation of IL in PVdF-HFP polymer changes different physicochemical properties such as melting temperature (Tm), thermal stability, structural morphology, amorphicity, and ionic transport. It is shown by FTIR, TGA (also first derivative of TGA, “DTGA”) that IL partly complexes with the polymer PVdF-HFP and partly remains dispersed in the matrix. The ionic conductivity of polymeric gel membranes has been found to increase with increasing concentration of IL and attains a maximum value of 1.6 × 10–2 S·cm–1 for polymer gel membrane containing 90 wt % IL at room temperature. Interestingly, the values of conductivity of memb...