Bharathiar University

About: Bharathiar University is a education organization based out in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Thin film & Adsorption. The organization has 5812 authors who have published 8628 publications receiving 143934 citations. The organization is also known as: BU.

Mosquito larvicidal, pupicidal, adulticidal, and repellent activity of Artemisia nilagirica (Family: Compositae) against Anopheles stephensi and Aedes aegypti

Abstract: Mosquito-borne diseases have an economic impact, including loss in commercial and labor outputs, particularly in countries with tropical and subtropical climates; however, no part of the world is free from vector-borne diseases The aim of the present study, to evaluate the larvicidal, pupicidal, repellent, and adulticidal activities of methanol crude extract of Artemisia nilagirica were assayed for their toxicity against two important vector mosquitoes, viz, Anopheles stephensi and Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) The fresh leaves of A nilagirica were washed thoroughly in tap water and shade dried at room temperature (28 ± 2 °C) for 5–8 days The air-dried materials were powdered separately using commercial electrical blender From the plants, 500 g powdered was macerated with 15 L organic solvents of methanol sequentially for a period of 72 h each and filtered The larval and pupal mortality was observed after 24 h of exposure; no mortality was observed in the control group The first- to fourth-instar larvae and pupae of A stephensi had values of LC50 = 27250, 31140, 36151, 44251, and 47723 ppm, and the LC90 = 59007, 68881, 78934, 90159, and 95930 ppm; the A aegypti had values of LC50 = 30084, 33879, 39469, 47074, and 54211 ppm, and the LC90 = 64667, 72607, 80549, 89201, and 99129 ppm, respectively The results of the repellent activity of plant extract of A nilagirica plants at five different concentrations of 50, 150, 250, 350, and 450 ppm were applied on skin of fore arm in man and exposed against adult female mosquitoes In this observation, the plant crude extract gave protection against mosquito bites without any allergic reaction to the test person, and also, the repellent activity is dependent on the strength of the plant extracts The adult mortality was found in methanol extract of A nilagirica, with the LC50 and LC90 values of 20578 and 45951 ppm for A stephensi, and 24252 and 52373 ppm for A aegypti, respectively This result suggests that the leaf extract have the potential to be used as an ideal eco-friendly approach for the control of vector mosquito as target species

COVID-19: emerging protective measures.

Abstract: The COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose. COVID-19 is predominantly considered as an unavoidable pandemic, and scientists are very curious about how to provide the best protection to the public before a vaccine can be made available. There is an urge to manufacture a greater number of masks to prevent any aerosol with microbes. Hence, we aim to develop an efficient viral inactivation system by exploiting active compounds from naturally occurring medicinal plants and infusing them into nanofiber-based respiratory masks. Our strategy is to develop fibrous filtration with three-layered masks using the compounds from medicinal plants for viral deactivation. These masks will be beneficial not just to healthcare workers but common citizens as well. In the absence of vaccination, productive masks can be worn to prevent transmission of airborne pathogenic aerosols and control diseases.

Synthesis and impedance analysis of proton-conducting polymer electrolyte PVA:NH 4 F

Abstract: An attempt has been made to prepare a new proton-conducting polymer electrolyte based on poly(vinyl alcohol) doped with ammonium fluoride (NH4F) by solution casting technique. The complex formation between polymer and dissociated salt has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies. The highest ionic conductivity has been found to be 6.9 × 10−6 Scm−1 at ambient temperature (303 K) for 85PVA:15NH4F polymer electrolyte. The conductance spectra contain a low frequency plateau region and high frequency dispersion region. The dielectric spectra exhibit the low frequency dispersion, which is due to space charge accumulation at the electrode–electrolyte interface. The modulus spectra indicate non-Debye nature of the material. The highest ionic conductivity polymer electrolyte 85PVA:15NH4F has low activation energy 0.2 eV among the prepared polymer electrolytes.

Incidence of haemolysin-positive and drug-resistant Aeromonas hydrophila in freshly caught finfish and prawn collected from major commercial fishes of coastal South India

Abstract: The incidence of Aeromonas hydrophila in freshly caught finfish and prawns from four major commercial fish landing sites of coastal South India was studied for a period of one year. Among 514 analysed samples of seafood (410 finfish and 104 prawn), 37% of them (37.3% of finfish and 35.6% of prawn) were contaminated with A. hydrophila. A total of 255 strains of A. hydrophila were isolated. Of the total isolates, about 78.4% of them were producers of haemolysin. All strains were resistant to bacitracin and all were sensitive to chloramphenicol. The results indicate that the strains originated from high-risk sources. The presence of A. hydrophila is an indication of marine contamination. The increasing presence of haemolysin-producing multiple drug-resistant A. hydrophila in fish and prawn may become a potential human health hazard.