Molecular aspects of regeneration in insects.

Regeneration is a fascinating phenomenon observed in various organisms across the animal kingdom. Different orders of class Insecta are reported to possess comprehensive regeneration abilities. Several signalling molecules, such as morphogens, growth factors, and others trigger a cascade of events that promote wound healing, blastema formation, growth, and repatterning. Furthermore, epigenetic regulation has emerged as a critical player in regulating the process of regeneration. This report highlights the major breakthrough research on wound healing and tissue regeneration. Exploring and reviewing the molecular basis of regeneration can be helpful in the area of regenerative medicine advancements. The understanding gathered from this framework can potentially contribute to hypothesis designing with implications in the field of synthetic biology and human health.

Recent advancements in the role of histone acetylation dynamics to improve stress responses in plants.

In eukaryotes, transcriptional regulation is determined by the DNA sequence and is facilitated through sophisticated and complex chromatin alterations and histone remodelling. Recent research has shown that the histone acetylation dynamic, an intermittent and reversible substitution, constitutes a prerequisite for chromatin modification. These changes in chromatin structure modulate genome-wide and specific changes in response to external and internal cues like cell differentiation, development, growth, light temperature, and biotic stresses. Histone acetylation dynamics also control the cell cycle. HATs and HDACs play a critical role in gene expression modulation during plant growth and response to environmental circumstances. It has been well established that HATs and HDACs interact with various distinct transcription factors and chromatin-remodelling proteins (CRPs) involved in the transcriptional regulation of several developmental processes. This review explores recent research on histone acyltransferases and histone deacetylases, mainly focusing on their involvement in plant biotic stress responses. Moreover, we also emphasized the research gaps that must be filled to fully understand the complete function of histone acetylation dynamics during biotic stress responses in plants. A thorough understanding of histone acetylation will make it possible to enhance tolerance against various kinds of stress and decrease yield losses in many crops.

Heterologous expression, biochemical characterization and prospects for insecticide biosensing potential of carboxylesterase Ha006a from Helicoverpa armigera.

Enzymes have attracted considerable scientific attention for their crucial role in detoxifying a wide range of harmful compounds. In today's global context, the extensive use of insecticides has emerged as a significant threat to the environment, sparking substantial concern. Insects, including economically important pests like Helicoverpa armigera, have developed resistance to conventional pest control methods through enzymes like carboxyl/cholinesterases. This study specifically focuses on a notable carboxyl/cholinesterase enzyme from Helicoverpa armigera (Ha006a), with the goal of harnessing its potential to combat environmental toxins. A total of six insecticides belonging to two different classes displayed varying inhibitory responses towards Ha006a, thereby rendering it effective in detoxifying a broader spectrum of insecticides. The significance of this research lies in discovering the bioremediation property of Ha006a, as it hydrolyzes synthetic pyrethroids (fenvalerate, λ-cyhalothrin and deltamethrin) and sequesters organophosphate (paraoxon ethyl, profenofos, and chlorpyrifos) insecticides. Additionally, the interaction studies between organophosphate insecticides and Ha006a helped in the fabrication of a novel electroanalytical sensor using a modified carbon paste electrode (MCPE). This sensor boasts impressive sensitivity, with detection limits of 0.019 µM, 0.15 µM, and 0.025 µM for paraoxon ethyl, profenofos, and chlorpyrifos, respectively. This study provides a comprehensive biochemical and biophysical characterization of the purified esterase Ha006a, showcasing its potential to remediate different classes of insecticides.

Effective voltammetric tool for Nano-detection of triazine herbicide (1-Chloro-3-ethylamino-5-isopropylamino-2,4,6-triazine) by naphthalene derivative.

The development and operation of a nanosensor for detecting the poisonous 1-chloro-3-ethylamino-5-isopropylamino-2,4,6-triazine (Atrazine) are described in this study for the first time. The carbon electrode (CE) surface was modified with cysteine-substituted naphthalene diimide to create this sensitive platform. The developed nanosensor (NDI-cys/GCE) was evaluated for its ability to sense Atrazine using differential pulse voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry. To achieve the best response from the target analyte, the effects of several parameters were examined to optimize the conditions. The cysteine-substituted naphthalene diimide significantly improved the signals of the Atrazine compared to bare GCE due to the synergistic activity of substituted naphthalene diimide and cysteine molecules. Under optimal conditions, atrazine detection limits at the (NDI-cys/GCE) were reported to be 94 nM with a linear range of 10-100 µM. The developed sensing platform also showed positive results when used to detect the atrazine herbicide in real tap water, wastewater, and milk samples. Furthermore, a reasonable recovery rate for real-time studies, repeatability, and stability revealed that the developed electrochemical platform could be used for sample analysis.

Graphene oxide-based novel MOF nanohybrid for synergic removal of Pb (II) ions from aqueous solutions: Simulation and adsorption studies.

Heavy metals represent a considerable threat, and the current study deals with synthesizing a novel MOF nanocomposite by intercalating graphene oxide (GO) and linker UiO-66-NDC. It was shown that UiO-66-NDC/GO had enhanced the removal efficiency of Pb (II) ions at pH 6. The adsorption kinetics data followed the PSO (Type 2) representing chemisorption. Adsorption data were also fitted with three different isotherms, namely Temkin, Freundlich, & Langmuir, and the Temkin model exhibited the best correlation (R2 0.99), representing the chemisorption nature of the adsorption process. The maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) of Pb (II) ions using Langmuir was found to be 254.45 mg/g (298 K). The Pb (II) adsorption process was confirmed to be exothermic and spontaneous as the thermodynamic parameters H° and G° were determined to have negative values. MOF nanocomposite also represents significant reusability for up to four regeneration cycles using 0.01 M HCl; for the next four, it works quite efficiently after regeneration. Meanwhile, the simulation findings confirm the superior dynamic stability (∼08 times) of the MOF nanocomposite as compared to the GO system. The removal of Pb (II) from simulated wastewater samples using a super nano-adsorbent using a MOF nanocomposite is described here for the first time.

Green synthesis of nickel-doped magnesium ferrite nanoparticles via combustion for facile microwave-assisted optical and photocatalytic applications.

NixMg1-xFe2O4(x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6) nanoparticles were symphonized via combustion with microwave assistance in the presence of Tamarindus indica seeds extract as fuel. Nanoparticles nature, size, morphology, oxidation state, elemental composition, and optical and luminescence properties were analysed using PXRD, FTIR, SEM, EDX, and HRTEM with SAED, XPS, UV-Visible and photoluminescence spectroscopy. PXRD analysis confirms that synthesized nanoparticles are spinel cubic and have a 17-18 nm average crystalline size. Tetrahedral and octahedral sites regarding stretching vibrations were confirmed by FTIR analysis. SEM and HRTEM data it is disclosed that the morphology of synthesized nanoparticles has nano flakes-like structure with sponge-like agglomeration. Elemental compositions of prepared nanoparticles were confirmed through EDX spectroscopy. XPS Spectroscopy confirmed and revealed transition, oxidation states, and elemental composition. The band gap and absorption phenomenon were disclosed using UV-visible spectroscopy, where the band gap declines (2.1, 2, 1.6, 1.8 eV), with increase in nickel NixMg1-xFe2O4(x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6) doping. Photoluminescence intensity reduces with an incline in nickel doping, was confirmed and disclosed using photoluminescence spectroscopy. Dyes (Methylene blue and Rhodamine B) degradation activity was performed in the presence of NDMF nanoparticles as a photocatalyst, which disclosed that 98.1% of MB dye and 97.9% of RB dye were degraded in 0-120 min. Regarding initial dye concentration and catalyst load, 5 ppm was initiated as the ideal initial concentration for both RB and MB dyes. 50 mg catalyst dosage was found to be most effective for the degradation of MB and RB dyes. In comparison, pH studies revealed that photodegradation efficiency was higher in neutral (MB-98.1%, RB-97.9%) and basic (MB-99.6%, RB-99.3%) conditions than in acidic (MB-61.8%, RB-60.4%) conditions.

Removal of Pb ions using green Co3O4 nanoparticles: Simulation, modeling, adsorption, and biological studies.

Chemical co-precipitation synthesized novel and green cobalt-oxide nanoparticles (Co3O4-NPs) utilizing cobalt nitrate as cobalt precursors. FTIR, Raman, scanning electron microscopy, UV visible, X-ray powder diffraction, and BET was used to analyze the surface characteristics, composition, and morphology, of the NPs. These green Co3O4-NPs were employed to remove Pb ions from simulated wastewater solutions at various pH, adsorbate, temperature, and dose concentrations. At dose 20 mg/L, pH 6.0, 20 mg/L (Pb(II) solution, 25 °C of temperature, and 45 min for equilibrium, nearly 99.44% of Pb ions were removed. To evaluate the kinetic data, four different kinetic equations were used. The data fit the Elovich rate equation better than the other three models. Thermodynamic and isothermal studies were also evaluated, and the maximum adsorption capacity of 450.45 mg/g was observed at 298.15 K. 0.1 M HNO3, and 0.1 HCl were used to regenerate used Co3O4-NPs. Simulation results show the strong correlation of the Co atom in the Co3O4-NPs generates active delocalized surface states, which are energetically most favorable for heavy metal (Pb ions) adsorption and removal, supporting the experimental outcomes. In concluding remarks, green Co3O4-NPs can also be used as an adsorbent to remove Pb ions from wastewater bodies.

Quantification of Phytochemicals and Metal Ions as well as the Determination of Volatile Compounds, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Antacid Activities of the Mimosa pudica L. Leaf: Exploration of Neglected and Under-Utilized Part.

Mimosa pudica L. (MP) is well-known plant in traditional medicinal system, especially in India. Unfortunately, leaves of MP are less explored. To determine the food and nutritional value of the neglected part of Mimosa pudica L. (MP), that is MP leaves, phytochemicals and metal ions of MP were quantified by newly developed HPLC and ICPOES-based methods. The content of phytochemicals observed using HPLC analysis for chlorogenic acid, catechin, and epicatechin was 141.823 (±8.171), 666.621 (±11.432), and 293.175 (±12.743) µg/g, respectively. Using GC/MS/MS analysis, fatty acid like oleic acid were identified. In ICP-OES analysis, a significant content of Na, K, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Zn was observed. The observed TPC and TFC for MP leaf extracts was 44.327 (±1.041) mg GAE/ g of wt. and 214.217 (±4.372) mg QCE/ g of wt., respectively. The DPPH assay depicted a strong antioxidant activity of MP leaf extracts with IC50 values of 0.796 (±0.081) mg/mL and a TEAC value of 0.0356 (±0.0003). A significant antacid activity (666 mg MP+400 mg CaCO3 >400 mg CaCO3 ≫666 mg Gelusil) of MP leaves was noticed. The methanolic extract of MP leaves demonstrated anti-microbial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (15±2mm), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12±2mm) and Escherichia coli (10±2mm). In silico studies confirmed the in vitro results obtained for antioxidant, antiacid, and anti-microbial activities. In addition, in silico studies revealed the anti-cancerous and anti-inflammatory potential of the MP leaves. In summary, this study demonstrated the medicinal significance of MP leaves and the conversion of agro-waste or the under-utilized part of MP into pharmaceutical potent materials. Consequently, the present study highlighted that MP leaves alone have medicinal importance with good nutritional utility and possess large promise in the pharma industry along with improving bio-valorization and the environment.

Prevalence, Severity, and Determinants of Pain in Thalassemia.

As the life expectancy in thalassemia is improving, pain is being recognized as an emerging problem. To document the pain prevalence and severity in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia all transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients >10 years of age (n = 165) attending the Thalassemia Day Care Center were assessed for pain prevalence, severity, and its effect on various life activities using the Brief Pain Inventory. Their medical records were reviewed for the presence of various co-morbidities. Pain was reported by 62.4% of participants with 35.2% and 59.4% of participants, reporting pain in the past 1 and 4 weeks respectively. A significantly higher pain prevalence was reported in females (p = .037), patients residing in urban areas (p = .038), and employed participants (p = .038). The commonest sites of pain were the lower back and calves. General activity (p = .02) and enjoyment of life (p = .02) were significantly affected due to pain in patients between 21 and 30 years of age. Female participants reported interference of pain with mood (p = .03). A significant correlation of pain prevalence was found with higher average serum ferritin (p = .015), moderate to severe liver iron concentration (p = .04), and lower levels of 25 hydroxyvitamin D levels (p = .03). Pain is an emerging cause of morbidity in thalassemia. The study found a significant association of pain with modifiable factors such as serum ferritin, LIC, and 25 (OH) vitamin D levels.

Design of a Highly Selective Benzimidazole-Based Derivative for Optical and Solid-State Detection of Zinc Ion.

A novel series of benzimidazole-based molecules mimicking biological receptors, which exhibit selective coordination with zinc ions, were designed and synthesized. The photochromic behavior of these derivatives with various metal ions suggests a selective interaction of one of the receptors 2-(pyridin-2-yl)-4,7-di(thiophen-2-yl)-3H-benzo[d]imidazole (2c) with zinc ion. The lower limit of detection by photoluminescence quenching was determined to be 16 nM. The mechanism of selective complexation was elucidated by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance titrations and dynamic light scattering analysis. The stoichiometry of the formation of the Zn(2c)2 complex was evaluated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and mass spectral techniques and calculated to be 2:1 (L:M). A change in the electronic energy levels on the sensor analyte interaction was observed by both ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy analysis and by density functional theory calculations, suggesting an electroactive semiconductor behavior. A symmetric Schottky structured sensor device was fabricated using the receptor 2c as the active sensing layer. A distinct change in current-voltage characteristics between the receptor and the complex suggests that the fabricated device could be used as a solid-state sensor for detecting zinc ion.

Sustainable removal of Cr(VI) using graphene oxide-zinc oxide nanohybrid: Adsorption kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics.

Metal-based adsorbents are limited for hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] adsorption from aqueous solutions because of their low adsorption capacities and slow adsorption kinetics. In the present study, decorated zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) on graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles were synthesized via the solvothermal process. The deposition of ZnO NPs on graphene oxide for the nanohybrid (ZnO-GO) improves Cr(VI) mobility in the nanocomposite or nanohybrid, thereby improving the Cr(VI) adsorption kinetics and removal capacity. Surface deposition of ZnO on graphene oxide was characterized through Fourie Transform Infra-red (FTIR), UV-Visible, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) techniques. These characterizations suggest the formation of ZnO-GO nanocomposite with a specific area of 32.95 m2/g and pore volume of 0.058 cm2/g. Batch adsorption analysis was carried to evaluate the influence of operational parameters, equilibrium isotherm, adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics. The removal efficiency of Cr(VI) increases with increasing time and adsorbent dosage. FTIR, FESEM and BET analysis before and after the adsorption studies suggest the obvious changes in the surface functionalization and morphology of the ZnO-GO nanocomposites. The removal efficiency increases from high-acidic to neutral pH and continues to decrease under alkaline conditions as well. Mathematical modeling validates that the adsorption follows Langmuir isotherm and fits well with the pseudo 2nd order kinetics (Type 5) model, indicating a homogeneous adsorption process. The thermodynamics study reveals that Cr(VI) adsorption on ZnO-GO is spontaneous, endothermic, and entropy-driven. A negative value of Gibb's Free Energy represents the thermodynamic spontaneity and feasibility of the sorption process. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solution using this hybrid nanocomposite at near-neutral pH. The synthesized nanocomposites prove to be excellent candidates for Cr(VI) removal from water bodies and natural wastewater systems.

Chromium (VI) detection by microbial carbon dots: Microwave synthesis and mechanistic study.

Functionalized carbon dots (CDs) derived from Citrobacter freundii bacterial cells were used for selective detection of Cr(VI). A microwave-heating-based green synthesis approach is adopted to produce functionalized CDs from C. freundii bacterial cells (CF-CDs). The reaction was carried out in a 500 W microwave digester at 200°C for 20 min. The supernatant was filtered with a 0.2 µm filter and highly monodisperse CDs were obtained. Inherent functionalization of CF-CDs with nitrogen and oxygen-containing functional groups made them extremely selective toward Cr(VI) with a lower limit of detection of ~1.7 ppm. More importantly, CF-CDs could distinguish between Cr(VI) and Cr(III), which is highly desirable for practical applications. The fabricated sensor had a dual linear response range between 0 and 50 µM and 50-250 µM. The synthesized CDs were inherently functionalized which made them highly selective for Cr(VI) detection. CF-CDs also possess high stability over long storage period. This study reports the facile synthesis and characterization of a highly selective sensor for Cr(VI). As opposed to similar CDs sensors reported for Cr(VI), based on inner-filter effect, CF-CDs exhibit a strong, specific interaction toward Cr(VI), indicated by the large binding constant.

Biodegradation of phorate by bacterial strains in the presence of humic acid and metal ions.

Phorate is a systemic insecticide used to eradicate mites, insects, and nematodes. Extensive use of this organophosphate has engendered severe environmental concerns. The current research aimed to explore the kinetic pathways of phorate biodegradation in aqueous solutions. Two novel bacterial strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PR1 (KP268772.1) and Pseudomonas sp. PR_02 (KP268773.1) were isolated, screened, and developed given their potential to degrade phorate. Mineralization of phorate was assayed with and without the addition of metal ions [Fe (II) and Cu (II)] and humic acid (HA). In 14 days, experiment both strains have consumed about 69%-94.5% (half-life from 3.58 to 6.02 days) of phorate. The observed biodegradation rate of phorate with Cu (II) in the system was 73% and 87%, with a half-life of 4.86 and 4.07 days for PR1 and PR2, respectively. The biodegradation of phorate using Fe(II) was 69% and 82%, with half-life periods 5.68 and 4.49 days. Meanwhile, incorporating HA, the phorate biodegradation was inhibited significantly, showing 71% and 85% degradation, with half-life periods of 6.02 and 5.02 days. The results indicated that both bacterial strains were able to mineralize phorate with PR2 > PR1. Summarizing, the inhibition in phorate biodegradation order under different conditions was as HA > Fe (II) > Cu (II). UV-visible measurements and gas chromatography-mass spectrometric assays indicated that the possible degradation pathway of phorate included ethoxy-phosphonothio-methanethiol S-mercaptomethyl-O,O-dihydrogen phosphorodithioate, diethyl-methylphosphonate, methane dithiol, ethanethiol, and phosphate, as the main metabolites identified. Therefore, it was concluded that the newly isolated Pseudomonas strains could be a potential candidates for biodegradation of phorate in a cost-effective, safe, and environmentally friendly alternative.

Occurrence, toxicity and remediation of polyethylene terephthalate plastics. A review.

Polyethylene terephthalate is a common plastic in many products such as viscose rayon for clothing, and packaging material in the food and beverage industries. Polyethylene terephthalate has beneficial properties such as light weight, high tensile strength, transparency and gas barrier. Nonetheless, there is actually increasing concern about plastic pollution and toxicity. Here we review the properties, occurrence, toxicity, remediation and analysis of polyethylene terephthalate as macroplastic, mesoplastic, microplastic and nanoplastic. Polyethylene terephthalate occurs in groundwater, drinking water, soils and sediments. Plastic uptake by humans induces diseases such as reducing migration and proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells of bone marrow and endothelial progenitor cells. Polyethylene terephthalate can be degraded by physical, chemical and biological methods.

Microbial biotechnological approaches: renewable bioprocessing for the future energy systems.

The accelerating energy demands of the increasing global population and industrialization has become a matter of great concern all over the globe. In the present scenario, the world is witnessing a considerably huge energy crisis owing to the limited availability of conventional energy resources and rapid depletion of non-renewable fossil fuels. Therefore, there is a dire need to explore the alternative renewable fuels that can fulfil the energy requirements of the growing population and overcome the intimidating environmental issues like greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, air pollution etc. The use of microorganisms such as bacteria has captured significant interest in the recent era for the conversion of the chemical energy reserved in organic compounds into electrical energy. The versatility of the microorganisms to generate renewable energy fuels from multifarious biological and biomass substrates can abate these ominous concerns to a great extent. For instance, most of the microorganisms can easily transform the carbohydrates into alcohol. Establishing the microbial fuel technology as an alternative source for the generation of renewable energy sources can be a state of art technology owing to its reliability, high efficiency, cleanliness and production of minimally toxic or inclusively non-toxic byproducts. This review paper aims to highlight the key points and techniques used for the employment of bacteria to generate, biofuels and bioenergy, and their foremost benefits.

Strain in Silica-Supported Ga(III) Sites: Neither Too Much nor Too Little for Propane Dehydrogenation Catalytic Activity.

Well-defined Ga(III) sites on SiO2 are highly active, selective, and stable catalysts in the propane dehydrogenation (PDH) reaction. In this contribution, we evaluate the catalytic activity toward PDH of tricoordinated and tetracoordinated Ga(III) sites on SiO2 by means of first-principles calculations using realistic amorphous periodic SiO2 models. We evaluated the three reaction steps in PDH, namely, the C-H activation of propane to form propyl, the ß-hydride (ß-H) transfer to form propene and a gallium hydride, and the H-H coupling to release H2, regenerating the initial Ga-O bond and closing the catalytic cycle. Our work shows how Brønsted-Evans-Polanyi relationships are followed to a certain extent for these three reaction steps on Ga(III) sites on SiO2 and highlights the role of the strain of the reactive Ga-O pairs on such sites of realistic amorphous SiO2 models. It also shows how transition-state scaling holds very well for the ß-H transfer step. While highly strained sites are very reactive sites for the initial C-H activation, they are more difficult to regenerate. The corresponding less strained sites are not reactive enough, pointing to the need for the right balance in strain to be an effective site for PDH. Overall, our work provides an understanding of the intrinsic activity of acidic Ga single sites toward the PDH reaction and paves the way toward the design and prediction of better single-site catalysts on SiO2 for the PDH reaction.

Chemically Room Temperature Crosslinked Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) with Anomalous Microwave Absorption Characteristics.

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a great interest polymer due to its excellent film-forming, emulsifying, microwave dielectrics and adhesive properties. However, PVA is a water-soluble synthetic polymer making it susceptible to environmental factors. In this work, PVA is crosslinked at room temperature using divinyl sulfone (DVS) as a crosslinker, and the obtained crosslinked PVA (XPVA) is water-insoluble. Crosslinking mechanism is proposed, thermal and microwave dielectric properties of X-PVA are studied. The studies revealed that X-PVA has better thermal stability and microwave absorption properties. The obtained minimum reflection loss (RL) of X-PVA is -23 dB (filler-free) with entire X-band (8.2-12.4 GHz) absorption bandwidth (RL ≤ -10 dB), indicating excellent microwave absorption properties. Artificial neural network (ANN) predicted RL of X-PVA also matched well with the experimental data. Electromagnetic power simulation suggests that the microwave power absorption density due to the dielectric loss is intrinsically predominant in X-PVA compared to the pristine PVA. Further, the ratio of electromagnetic energy to heat energy conversion power (absorption) of X-PVA is much higher than pristine PVA, indicating the suitability for self-powered devices. X-PVA also fulfils many commercial requirements such as bulk level facile synthesis, large area fabrications, ultralight, and inexpensive.

Differential regulation of drought stress by biological membrane transporters and channels.

Stress arising due to abiotic factors affects the plant's growth and productivity. Among several existing abiotic stressors like cold, drought, heat, salinity, heavy metal, etc., drought condition tends to affect the plant's growth by inducing two-point effect, i.e., it disturbs the water balance as well as induces toxicity by disturbing the ion homeostasis, thus hindering the growth and productivity of plants, and to survive under this condition, plants have evolved several transportation systems that are involved in regulating the drought stress. The role of membrane transporters has gained interest since genetic engineering came into existence, and they were found to be the important modulators for tolerance, avoidance, ion movements, stomatal movements, etc. Here in this comprehensive review, we have discussed the role of transporters (ABA, protein, carbohydrates, etc.) and channels that aids in withstanding the drought stress as well as the regulatory role of transporters involved in osmotic adjustments arising due to drought stress. This review also provides a gist of hydraulic conductivity by roots that are involved in regulating the drought stress.

Efficacy of Ultraviolet-C Devices for the Disinfection of Personal Protective Equipment Fabrics and N95 Respirators.

Since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a plethora of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) disinfection products have come to market, especially in emerging economies. UV-C-based disinfection products for mobile phones, food packaging, face masks and personal protective equipment (PPE), and other everyday objects are available in popular electronic-commerce platforms as consumer products. Product designers from multinational to startup companies began to design UV-C disinfection products but had no prior-art reference, user feedback, or validation of product efficacy, which are important stages in product design. A UV-C disinfection product cannot be assessed by most consumers for its viricidal efficacy. Many firms entered the domain of UV-C products and were unaware of the necessary validation requirements. Lack of availability and access to virology laboratories, due to lockdowns in countries, and lack of standards and certification for UV-C disinfection products limited product designers and firms in benchmarking their UV-C-based devices before market release. This work evaluates two UV-C disinfection devices for viricidal efficacy on PPE fabric and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-certified N95 respirators through controlled experiments using the H1N1 virus, which is enveloped and is transmitted via the respiratory route similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of COVID-19. The experiment also evaluated the effectiveness of chemical disinfectants along with and versus UV-C disinfection. Experiments for material selection, UV dose calculation, and UV endurance of PPE samples to be disinfected are also discussed. The outcome of this work establishes a systematic method to validate the efficacy of UV-C disinfection products. The design guidelines would benefit product designers in designing UV-C-based disinfection products.

Adsorption and detoxification of pharmaceutical compounds from wastewater using nanomaterials: A review on mechanism, kinetics, valorization and circular economy.

Antibiotics overuse, inappropriate conduct, and discharge have led to adverse effects on various ecosystems. The occurrence of antibiotics in surface and drinking water is a matter of global concern. It is responsible for multiple disorders, including disruption of endocrine hormones and high chronic toxicity. The hospitals, pharmaceutical industries, households, cattle farms, and aquaculture are the primary discharging sources of antibiotics into the environment. This review provides complete detail on applying different nanomaterials or nanoparticles for the efficient removal of antibiotics from the diverse ecosystem with a broader perspective. Efforts have been made to focus on the degradation pathways and mechanism of antibiotic degradation using nanomaterials. More light has been shed on applying nanostructures in photocatalysis, which would be an economical and efficient solution. The nanoscale material or nanoparticles have incredible potential for mineralizing pharmaceutical compounds in aqueous solutions at low cost, easy handling characteristics, and high efficacy. Furthermore, nanoparticles can absorb the pharmaceutical by-products and wastes at a minimum cost as they can be easily recycled. With the increasing number of research in this direction, the valorization of pharmaceutical wastes and by-products will continue to expand as we progress from old conventional approaches towards nanotechnology. The utilization of nanomaterials in pharmaceutical wastewater remediation is discussed with a major focus on valorization, energy generation, and minimization and its role in the circular economy creating sustainable development.