Showing papers by "University of Rajasthan published in 2022"

Age of the Marwar Supergroup, NW India: A note on the U–Pb geochronology of Jodhpur Group felsic volcanics

Abstract: The Marwar Supergroup (NW Peninsular India) is thought to be of Ediacaran-Cambrian age, based on previous paleontological and geochronological studies. However, direct constraints on the onset of sedimentation within the Marwar basin are still scarce. In this study, we report U–Pb zircon, LA-ICP-MS, and SIMS ages from the Chhoti Khatu felsic volcanic rocks, interlayered with the Jodhpur Group sandstones (Lower Marwar Supergroup). The cathodoluminescence images of the zircons indicate complex morphologies, and core-rim textures coupled with the wide range of ages indicate that they are likely inherited or in the case of thin poorly indurated ash-beds, detrital in origin. The age spectra of 68 zircon analyses from our sampling display a dominant 800–900 Ma age peak corresponding to the age of basement “Erinpura granite” rocks in the region. The youngest inherited zircon from a felsic ash layer yielded a U–Pb age of 651 Ma ± 18 Ma that, together with previous studies and paleontological evidence, indicates a post-Cryogenian age for the initiation of Marwar sedimentation following a ~125 Ma hiatus between the end of Malani magmatism and Marwar deposition.

Biosensors for the detection of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>: a comprehensive overview

Abstract: Tuberculosis (TB) infection is one of the leading causes of death in the world. According to WHO reports 2019, the average rate of decrease in global TB incidences was only 1.6% per year from 2000 to 2018, besides that the global decline in TB deaths was just 11%. Therefore, the dire need for early detection of the pathogen for the successful diagnosis of TB seems justified. Mycobacterium tuberculosis secretory proteins have gained more attention as TB biomarkers, for the early diagnosis and treatment of TB. Here in this review, we elaborate on the recent advancements made in the field of piezoelectric, magnetic, optical, and electrochemical biosensors, in addition to listing their merits and setbacks. Additionally, this review also discusses the construction of biosensors through modern integrated technologies, such as combinations of analytical chemistry, molecular biology, and nanotechnology. Integrated technologies enhance the detection for perceiving highly selective, specific, and sensitive signals to detect M. tuberculosis. Furthermore, this review highlights the recent challenges and scope of improvement in numerous biosensors developed for rapid, specific, selective, and sensitive detection of tuberculosis to reduce the TB burden and successful treatment.

Recent trends and advancements in synthesis and applications of plant‐based green metal nanoparticles: A critical review

Abstract: Metal nanoparticles have emerged as immensely desired materials because of their wide array of applications as antimicrobial agents, catalysts, nanomagnets, biosensors, environmental remediating agents, and so forth, but the problem lies with the traditional methods of their synthesis. These methods of synthesis are expensive, complex, less efficient, and hazardous to the environment. Thus, it calls for the development of greener and environmentally benign methods of their synthesis. Researchers worldwide have been vigorously trying to develop safer, simple, efficient, scalable, and eco-friendly methods to synthesize different metal nanoparticles. For this, various green protocols using diversified species of plants, algae, fungi, bacteria, and other microorganisms have been successfully developed. The purpose of this study is to give a detailed account of recent trends in synthesis and diverse applications of plant-based green metal nanoparticles. Plant-mediated synthesis of nanoparticles has emerged as the most sought-after route since it is economical, convenient, rapid, reliable, stable, and can be used for large-scale productions. The plant-based nanoparticles have also exhibited a broad spectrum of applications in the fields of biomedicine, chemistry, physics, and environmental sciences. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the recent advances in plant-mediated green synthesis of metal nanoparticles, their plausible synthetic mechanism, characterization techniques, and factors affecting their synthesis. This article also provides insights into the diverse applications exhibited by the nanoparticles covering their mechanistic aspects.

Pyrazole Containing Anti-HIV Agents: An Update

Abstract: Pyrazole scaffolds have gained importance in drug discovery and development for various pharmacological activities like antiviral, antifungal, anticancer, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, etc. Additionally, the pyrazole moiety has shown potent anti-HIV activity as a core heterocycle or substituted heterocycles derivatives (mono, di, tri, tetra, and fused pyrazole derivatives). To assist the development of further potential anti-HIV agents containing pyrazole nucleus, here we have summarized pyrazole containing anti-HIV compounds that have been reported by researchers all over the world for the last two decades.The present review concentrates on an assortment of pyrazole containing compounds, particularly for potential therapeutic activity against HIV.Google Scholar, Pubmed, and SciFinder were searched databases with ''pyrazol'' keywords. Further, the year of publication and keywords ''Anti-HIV'' filter was applied to obtain relevant reported literature for anti-HIV agents containing pyrazole as a core or substituted derivatives.This review article has shown the comprehensive compilation of 220 compounds containing pyrazole nucleus and possessing anti-HIV activity by sorting approximately 40 research articles from 2001 to date. 1-(4-Benzoylpiperazin-1-yl)-2-(4-fluoro-7-(1H-pyrazol-3-yl)-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-c]pyridin-3-yl)ethane-1,2-dione (13), 3-(3-(2-(4-benzoylpiperazin-1-yl)-2-oxoacetyl)-4-fluoro-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-c]pyridin-7-yl)-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxamide (31), 3-(3-(2-(4-benzoylpiperazin-1-yl)-2-oxoacetyl)-4-fluoro-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-c]pyridin-7-yl)-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxamide (88), 3-cyanophenoxypyrazole derivative (130), and 4-(4-chlorophenyl)-5-(4-methyl-5-((4-nitrophenyl)diazenyl)thiazol-2-yl)-3-phenyl-5,6-dihydro-4H-pyrazolo[4,3-d]isoxazole (178) were the most potent mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-substituted, and fused pyrazole derivatives, respectively, which have shown potent anti-HIV activity among all the described derivatives as compared with standard anti-HIV drugs.This review article provides an overview of the potential therapeutic activity of pyrazole derivatives against HIV that will be helpful for designing pyrazole containing compounds for anti-HIV activity.

Unraveling the Epigenetic Landscape for Salt Tolerance in Plants

Abstract: In every organism, the expression of genes is regulated in response to the changes in the surrounding environment. The study of epigenetics in plants is essential in view of the improvement of agricultural productivity. Epigenetic modifications can enhance crops’ yield and stress tolerance without making any alteration within their genomic sequences. The routes of epigenetic modifications include processes such as methylation of DNA, modifications of histone proteins, chromatin remodeling, and non-coding RNA-mediated regulation of genes. Genome-wide epigenetic profiles, coined as the epigenome, of several plants have been identified in recent years. In the scope of this review, we are going to discuss progress made in the field of plant epigenomics under the limelight of stress tolerance, especially saline conditions.

Irreversibility analysis for Casson thermo‐fluidics inside a cone: Cattaneo–Christov heat flux

Abstract: In this communication, thermodynamic irreversibility arising in dissipative Casson fluid flow inside a cone is investigated. The boundary–layer flow is considered wherein the motion is caused due to a point sink at the cone's vertex and the movement of the wall of the cone. The wall of the cone is subjected to mass transpiration that alters the flow and thermal regime. The cone having fluid-saturated porous medium experiences Cattaneo–Christov heat flux. The configuration admits a similarity transformation that yields a boundary value problem (BVP) comprising an ordinary differential equation. The BVP is treated by the fourth-order R-K method along with the shooting algorithm. The system yields a dual solution for momentum and energy, which gives rise to a dual regime for entropy distribution. Numerical computations provide quantities of interest viz. velocity and temperature distributions, skin friction coefficient, Nusselt number, and entropy distribution. Phenomena exhibited through profiles/tables for velocity, temperature, entropy, streamlines, and other quantities of interest reveal interesting results.

A new CMOS compatible high performance first-order all-pass filter realisation

Abstract: A new realisation of an electronically tunable first-order voltage-mode all-pass filter enjoying the feature of low voltage and low power is proposed in this paper. The proposed realisation of filter employs only one active element namely differential voltage extra-x current controlled conveyor and one grounded capacitor. The use of minimal number of components makes the proposed structure simple and attractive from chip fabrication point of view. The performance of proposed structure is also discussed by considering the effects of parasitic and non-idealities of the used active element. Additionally, higher order filter realisation is also included to enrich the presented work by exploring possible applicability aspects. The theoretical performance is validated at schematic level using 0.18 µm CMOS technology parameters with ±1 V supply voltages. Furthermore, Cadence Analog Design Environment (ADE) with gpdk 0.18 µm technology is used to design the layout of the proposed circuit. Pre-layout and post-layout simulation verification is provided to extend the real time validation of theoretical aspects.

Network analysis of host-pathogen protein interactions in microbe induced cardiovascular diseases

Abstract: Large-scale visualization and analysis of HPIs involved in microbial CVDs can provide crucial insights into the mechanisms of pathogenicity. The comparison of CVD associated HPIs with the entire set of HPIs can identify the pathways specific to CVDs. Therefore, topological properties of HPI networks in CVDs and all pathogens was studied using Cytoscape3.5.1. Ontology and pathway analysis were done using KOBAS 3.0. HPIs of Papilloma, Herpes, Influenza A virus as well as Yersinia pestis and Bacillus anthracis among bacteria were predominant in the whole (wHPI) and the CVD specific (cHPI) network. The central viral and secretory bacterial proteins were predicted virulent. The central viral proteins had higher number of interactions with host proteins in comparison with bacteria. Major fraction of central and essential host proteins interacts with central viral proteins. Alpha-synuclein, Ubiquitin ribosomal proteins, TATA-box-binding protein, and Polyubiquitin-C &B proteins were the top interacting proteins specific to CVDs. Signaling by NGF, Fc epsilon receptor, EGFR and ubiquitin mediated proteolysis were among the top enriched CVD specific pathways. DEXDc and HELICc were enriched host mimicry domains that may help in hijacking of cellular machinery by pathogens. This study provides a system level understanding of cardiac damage in microbe induced CVDs.

Sustainable Biodegradable Plastics and their Applications: A Mini Review

Abstract: Abstract Rising concern towards health and environmental menace caused by plastic wastes has fascinated scientists and chemists to find out greener and sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics. The conventional plastics are produced from crude oil and fossil fuels and ever-increasing demand of plastics results in depletion of these natural resources. Moreover, due to non-biodegradable in nature they persist in environment for a long time. A novel, eco-friendly and sustainable substitute to the traditional petro based plastic is biodegradable plastic which can be obtained from renewable and biogenic raw materials such as biomass, starch, wood pulp and vegetable oils. The utilization of renewable sources, their similar applications as conventional plastics, biodegradability, nontoxic properties and high recyclability are the major advantages for the use of biodegradable plastics. They are used for a large variety of applications in various sectors such as, packing, textiles, consumer goods, agriculture and horticulture, automotive and transport, coatings and adhesives, construction, electrical and electronics, medical, food packaging etc. In this mini review various biodegradable plastics, their attainable properties and applications in a wide variety of fields are summarized.

Trajectory prediction through deep reinforcement learning in unity

Abstract: The thesis was carried out to develop a 3D game that could be used to play. The case of the project was a trajectory prediction shooting game in which the player had to search the goal(star) inside a polytope and shoot the ball to the goal. There were a few obstacles inside the polytope, and they spawn randomly. The player must constantly hit the goal continuously as many as it can. If the player misses the goal, then the game is over. This thesis investigates how artificial intelligence techniques can be used to predict the trajectory of the ball. The game contains two main game scenes, one is the Graphic User Interfaces (GUI) scene and another one is the game scene. The first part describes the practicalities of the game. The player could play, control the physics of the ball, get help with the Prediction line, and start or end this game on the GUI scene. This thesis presents the, to our knowledge, second part for introducing the vast field of artificial intelligence. Topics introduced include Reinforcement Learning techniques, agent simulation, and Imitation Learning. We believe our approach demonstrates the artificial agent that can learn a conditioned trajectory to model human motion inside a polytope using imitation learning.--Author's abstract

A new species of labrocarpon (asterinales), a lichenicolous ascomycota with submuriform ascospores from india

Abstract: During lichenicolous fungal studies in India, lichen genus Ochrolechia was found infected with a black lirellate fungus. Critical microscopical examination of the fungus revealed that it is a new species of Labrocarpon , which differs from L. canariense in having narrow exciple (15.0–20.0 µm vs 20.0–50.0 µm thick), 4-spored asci, 1-septate to submuriform, constricted ascospores with larger l/w value [(2.5–)2.9– 3.4 –3.9(–4.5) vs (1.9–)2.1–2.5(–2.8)], habitat preference (corticolous vs saxicolous) and host selection ( Ochrolechia vs Pertusaria ). The new species Labrocarpon submuriforme is described in detail.

Development and the Issue of Governance in South Asia

Abstract: This chapter hinges on the premise that the real cause of state's failure and virtual nonperformance on the development front is rooted in the breakdown of the system and the "default" of government. It offers a diagnosis of developmental issues and problems facing South Asia in the context of existing theories and paradigms of development. The chapter deals with cultural and ecological terrain of the region that poses enormous challenges to ruling elites in the proper conception, formulation, and implementation of development programmes. It offers a tentative set of alternative strategies to tide over crisis of governance. In India, rural development has been identified as one of the priority areas in the Ninth Five-Year Plan, providing greater opportunities for rural employment, extension of primary health services, mass literacy, and better amenities for transportation and communication. For instance, the central government of India enacted recently a comprehensive PanchayatiRaj Act to ensure the grassroots participation from a village panchayat to a ZilaParishad.

Organic Modifiers—Chemically Modified Dimethyltindichloride Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Product: Design and Antimicrobial Activity

Abstract: Organic modifiers—chemically modified dimethyltindichloride organic–inorganic hybrid product was generated by the interaction of dimethyltindichloride with sodium salts of the two different potential modifiers in equimolar ratio in boiling dry tetrahydrofuran. This moisture sensitive hybrid material contains penta-coordinated tin centre as revealed by 119Sn NMR chemical shift value. At room temperature, this hybrid material appears to demonstrate a tendency to dimerise gradually by the passage of time as indicated by mass study. The existence of this hybrid product in dimeric and monomeric form is suggested. Plausible structure of this hybrid material was suggested in accordance with the spectroscopic and mass data analysis. This hybrid product demonstrates significant antibacterial and antifungal activities.

Structural insights into some sterically demanding heterocyclic β-diketones: Optimized molecular structure, optimized energy, stability and Mulliken charge distribution based on DFT analysis

Abstract: Abstract Density functional theory is a quantum chemical theory based computational tool for theoretical analysis of molecular structures and electronic properties of organic compounds and new materials. The present synergistic investigation between experimental spectroscopic data and theoretical data is focused to gain structural insights and to study the optimized molecular structures, optimized energies, stabilities and Mulliken charge distribution based on DFT analysis of some sterically demanding heterocyclic β-diketones. The B3LYP functionals with 6-31G* basis set was used for calculations in gas phase as well as in polar and nonpolar solvents. The experimental spectroscopic data ( 1 H and 13 C NMR) of sterically demanding heterocyclic β-diketones were compared with the corresponding theoretical data (in gas phase and polar solvent). There was a synergy between experimental spectroscopic data and theoretical data of these organic compounds. The atomic charges at all the atoms were calculated to ascertain the electrophilic and nucleophilic centres in these compounds. Global reactivity descriptors have also been calculated from the energies of frontier molecular orbitals (HOMO-LUMO energy values). The presence of various groups such as -CH 3 , -CH 2 CH 3 , - C 6 H 5 and p-ClC 6 H 4 - in these compounds provided an opportunity to examine the steric and electronic effects of these groups on the stability, optimized energy, Mulliken charge distribution and spectroscopic properties of these sterically demanding heterocyclic β-diketones.