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.

Effective shell wall thickness of vertically aligned ZnO-ZnS core-shell nanorod arrays on visible photocatalytic and photo sensing properties

Abstract: Development of hierarchical core-shell semiconductor heterostructures ensue significant advancement in catalytic functional structures with improvised optical functionalities. Shell wall controlled vertically aligned ZnO-ZnS core-shell nanorod (NR) heterostructures were grown on transparent conductive substrates along the c-axis by sulfidation of aligned ZnO nanorod arrays for visible photocatalytic properties. The effects of the sulfidation time on the morphology, crystalline properties, optical property, photocurrent response, and photocatalytic activity of the catalyst arrays were studied under UV and visible light irradiation. The shell wall thickness of these heterostructures influenced in great extent the effective photo responsive charge separation and improved carrier mobility. ZnO-ZnS core-shell heterostructure having the shell wall thickness of 20 nm has exhibited more efficient visible photocatalytic behavior due to effective separation of carriers and improved visible absorption. On further increasing the wall thickness the catalytic efficiency was reduced due to the poor carrier (hole) mobility in the polycrystalline shell grains which induced the higher recombination rate. Stability and reusability of ZnO-ZnS core-shell nanostructures reveals that the ZnS acted as a protective layer over the ZnO NR arrays. In appraisal with ZnO NR arrays, the control over the shell wall thickness of ZnO-ZnS core-shell NR array attributed to the excellent visible photocatalytic activity and improvised absorption of light in visible region at ZnO-ZnS interface and effective separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs at ZnO-ZnS heterojunctions.

Guazuma ulmifolia bark-synthesized Ag, Au and Ag/Au alloy nanoparticles: Photocatalytic potential, DNA/protein interactions, anticancer activity and toxicity against 14 species of microbial pathogens.

Abstract: In the present study, we focused on a quick and green method to fabricate Ag, Au and Ag/Au alloy nanoparticles (NPs) using the bark extract of Guazuma ulmifolia L. Green synthesized metal NPs were characterized using different techniques, including UV-Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR, XRD, AFM and HR-TEM analyses. The production of Ag, Au and Ag/Au alloy NPs was observed monitoring color change from colorless to brown, followed by pink and dark brown, as confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy characteristic peaks at 436, 522 and 510nm, respectively. TEM shed light on the spherical shapes of NPs with size ranges of 10-15, 20-25 and 10-20nm. Biosynthesized NPs showed good catalytic activity reducing two organic dyes, 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and Congo red (CR). UV-vis spectroscopy, fluorescence, circular dichroism spectroscopy and viscosity analyses were used to investigate the NP binding with calf thymus DNA. The binding constant of NPs with DNA calculated in UV-Vis absorption studies were 1.18×104, 1.83×104 and 2.91×104M-1, respectively, indicating that NPs were able to bind DNA with variable binding affinity: Ag/Au alloy NPs>Ag NPs>Au NPs. Ag/Au alloy NPs also showed binding activity to bovine serum albumin (BSA) over the other NPs. Ag and Ag/Au alloy NPs exhibited good antimicrobial activity on 14 species of microbial pathogens. In addition, the cytotoxic effects of Ag/Au alloy NPs were studied on human cervical cancer cells (HeLa) using MTT assay. Overall, our work showed the promising potential of bark-synthesized Ag and Ag/Au alloy NPs as cheap sources to develop novel and safer photocatalytic, antimicrobial and anticancer agents.

DNA barcoding discriminates a new cryptic grass species revealed in an ethnobotany study by the hill tribes of the Western Ghats in southern India

Abstract: Our research brought together traditional aboriginal knowledge (TK) and scientific knowledge (SK) to explore the relationship between scientific and aboriginal systems of botanical classification and the corresponding valorization(s) of biological diversity in the Western Ghats of southern India. We worked with two aboriginal cultures namely ‘Irulas’ and ‘Malasars’ of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve with an objective of evaluating the ability of different knowledge systems (SK and TK) to distinguish grass species belonging to the genus Tripogon, and assess the ability of DNA barcoding to discriminate a new cryptic species ‘Tripogon cope’ as deciphered by the hill tribes. We discovered that the aboriginal informants identified a common ethnotaxa ‘Sunai pul’, which is a cryptic species of grass not recognized by the SK classification.'sunai pul’ is very important to both aboriginal cultures with ritualistic and economic utility. Morphometric analysis confirms the cryptic nature of this new species, which was validated using DNA barcoding. DNA barcode regions matK and trnH-psbA showed distinct sequence variations among the closely related ethnotaxa. Given the cryptic nature of ethnotaxa, we propose that a DNA barcode may be a reliable tool to identify ethnotaxa. We have initiated further studies in other cultures to develop theoretically sophisticated insights concerning the encounter between ‘local’ and ‘scientific’ approaches to the use of biodiversity knowledge. Furthermore, the research will add to a unifying global effort to speed up the documentation and understanding of the planet’s natural diversity, while simultaneously respecting the cultural heterogeneity as a vital component of biological diversity.

Assessment of source water contamination by estrogenic disrupting compounds in China.

Abstract: Detection of estrogenic disrupting compounds (EDCs) in drinking waters around China has led to rising concerns about health risks associated with these compounds. There is, however, a paucity of studies on the occurrence and identification of the main compounds responsible for this pollution in the source waters. To fill this void, we screened estrogenic activities of 23 source water samples from six main river systems in China, using a recombinant two-hybrid yeast assay. All sample extracts induced significant estrogenic activity, with E2 equivalents (EEQ) of raw water ranging from 0.08 to 2.40 ng/L. Additionally, 16 samples were selected for chemical analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The EDCs of most concern, including estrone (E1), 17beta-estradiol (E2), 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2), estriol (E3), diethylstilbestrol (DES), estradiol valerate (EV), 4-t-octylphenol (4-t-OP), 4-nonylphenols (4-NP) and bisphenol A (BPA), were determined at concentrations of up to 2.98, 1.07, 2.67, 4.37, 2.52, 1.96, 89.52, 280.19 and 710.65 ng/L, respectively. Causality analysis, involving comparison of EEQ values from yeast assay and chemical analysis identified E2, EE2 and 4-NP as the main responsible compounds, accounting for the whole estrogenic activities (39.74% to 96.68%). The proposed approach using both chemical analysis and yeast assay could be used for the identification and evaluation of EDCs in source waters of China.

Homology modeling, molecular dynamics, e-pharmacophore mapping and docking study of Chikungunya virus nsP2 protease

Abstract: To date, no suitable vaccine or specific antiviral drug is available to treat Chikungunya viral (CHIKV) fever. Hence, it is essential to identify drug candidates that could potentially impede CHIKV infection. Here, we present the development of a homology model of nsP2 protein based on the crystal structure of the nsP2 protein of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV). The protein modeled was optimized using molecular dynamics simulation; the junction peptides of a nonstructural protein complex were then docked in order to investigate the possible protein-protein interactions between nsP2 and the proteins cleaved by nsP2. The modeling studies conducted shed light on the binding modes, and the critical interactions with the peptides provide insight into the chemical features needed to inhibit the CHIK virus infection. Energy-optimized pharmacophore mapping was performed using the junction peptides. Based on the results, we propose the pharmacophore features that must be present in an inhibitor of nsP2 protease. The resulting pharmacophore model contained an aromatic ring, a hydrophobic and three hydrogen-bond donor sites. Using these pharmacophore features, we screened a large public library of compounds (Asinex, Maybridge, TOSLab, Binding Database) to find a potential ligand that could inhibit the nsP2 protein. The compounds that yielded a fitness score of more than 1.0 were further subjected to Glide HTVS and Glide XP. Here, we report the best four compounds based on their docking scores; these compounds have IDs of 27943, 21362, ASN 01107557 and ASN 01541696. We propose that these compounds could bind to the active site of nsP2 protease and inhibit this enzyme. Furthermore, the backbone structural scaffolds of these four lead compounds could serve as building blocks when designing drug-like molecules for the treatment of Chikungunya viral fever.