Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University

About: Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University is a education organization based out in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Thermal decomposition & Lymnaea acuminata. The organization has 1032 authors who have published 1591 publications receiving 21734 citations. The organization is also known as: Gorakhpur University.

Essential oils from the genus Thymus as antimicrobial food preservatives: Progress in their use as nanoemulsions-a new paradigm

Abstract: Background The biodeterioration of food commodities by microbial pathogens remains a major public health concern. Worldwide, investigations have been carried out to develop harmless natural food preservatives based on essential oils (EOs) to protect food commodities, and advances have been made to meet users’ acceptance as a substitute for synthetic preservatives. Scope and approach In recent years, antimicrobial and antioxidant potential of the EOs from Thymus species have been documented with increasing demands from legislation changes, adaptation to the consumer trends, search for alternatives to solve rising food microbial pathogen resistance, and substitution of synthetic preservatives associated with adverse health effects. Hence, the present review paper emphasizes on the antimicrobial and antioxidant applications of EOs from different species of the genus Thymus and discloses the gaps where investigations are required. In addition, progress in the using Thymus EOs (TEOs) based nanoemulsions in food preservation, and their challenges in the application in food systems have also been discussed. Key findings and conclusions TEOs are rich in pharmacologically active constituents that confirm their industrial and health applications. In addition, TEOs and their nanoemulsions not only provide themselves to exploit in the food industry, but are also put under GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) category, and have shown potential inhibitory activity against a broad range of pathogens in food commodities. Thus, TEOs can be a source for the development of natural preservatives that meet the needs of the food industry to satisfy both its requirements and those of the consumers. However, despite the potential for EOs, more studies are required to assess their probable side effects and safety levels before considering their deployment for food purposes.

Effect of tertiary combinations of animal dung with agrowastes on the growth and development of earthworm Eisenia fetida during organic waste management

Abstract: Abundant uses of chemical fertilizers have adversely affected the soil. The large production of livestock dung is recorded in India annually. The presence of abundant agrowastes and animal dung causes serious problems to animals as well as to human beings, due to the improper management of these wastes. Due to the presence of different physicochemical parameters, these agrowastes and animal dung as food source influence not only the earthworm population but also affect their growth and reproduction during vermicomposting. The effect of agrowastes (wheat straw, banana pills) and bran (barley, rice, and gram bran) with cow and goat dung as tertiary combinations (1:1:1) on the growth and reproduction of E. fetida was investigated. The significant (P < 0.05) highest cocoon production was 5.92 ± 0.01/worm/2 weeks observed in CWRr. The reproduction rate as the number of hatchling emerged per cocoon was also significantly the highest (P < 0.05) in CWBr as 1.9 ± 0.03. The maximum biomass gained was up to 898.67 ± 2.04 mg/worm, and significant growth rate was 7.32 ± 0.02 mg/worm/day in CWGr combination. There was a significant decrease in pH, C/N ratio, TOC, and EC while there was a significant increase in TKN, TK, TAP, and TCa in different tertiary combinations of final vermicompost when compared to the initial feed mixture. The tertiary combinations of dung and bran with agrowastes used were effective and efficient culture media for the large-scale production of E. fetida, which will be important for the production of vermicompost.

Multiband optical–NIR variability of blazars on diverse time-scales

Abstract: Tosearchforopticalvariabilityonawiderangeoftime-scales,wehavecarriedoutphotometric monitoring of two flat spectrum radio quasars, 3C 454.3 and 3C 279, plus one BL Lac, S5 0716+714, all of which have been exhibiting remarkably high activity and pronounced variability at all wavelengths. CCD magnitudes in B, V, R, and I passbands were determined for ∼7000 new optical observations from 114 nights made during 2011–2014, with an average length of ∼4 h each, at seven optical telescopes: four in Bulgaria, one in Greece, and two in India. We measured multiband optical flux and colour variations on diverse time-scales. Discrete correlation functions were computed among B, V, R, and I observations, to search for any time delays. We found weak correlations in some cases with no significant time lags. The structure function method was used to estimate any characteristic time-scales of variability. We also investigated the spectral energy distribution of the three blazars using B, V, R, I, J, and K passband data. We found that the sources almost always follow a bluer-when-brighter trend. We discuss possible physical causes of the observed spectral variability.