Bergenia ciliata (Haw.) Sternb. is a medicinal plant used to treat kidney, bladder stones and rheumatoid arthritis. The overexploitation of B. ciliata has subsequently led to a decline in its natural populations; therefore, there is an urgent need to propagate this important medicinal plant. This study developed an efficient and validated in vitro propagation system for B. ciliata using leaf segments. The combination of 4.43 µM BAP (6-benzylaminopurine) and 5.71 µM IAA (indole-3-acetic acid) in Gamborg’s B5 media was the most efficacious, producing multiple shoots (78.58 ± 0.49) with 94.82 ± 0.09
In preclinical models, Phosphodiesterase-10A (PDE10A) inhibition has shown efficacy for Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases and is potentially a therapeutic approach for schizophrenia. In this study, computational approaches were employed to identify selective PDE10A inhibitors from a series of olefinated benzosuberene analogues. The molecular interactions and docking scores of the selected molecules were compared with three different co-crystal inhibitors of PDE10A. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations confirmed the stability of the screened hit molecules with PDE10A, and AMKPD-52 was found to uniquely interact with the selectivity pocket residue Tyr-683. Further refinement using steered MD simulations and umbrella sampling simulations with a total simulation time of ~72 μs reinforced AMKPD-52 as the potential lead molecule. Absolute binding free energy calculations performed using multistate Bennett acceptance ratio method consistently ranked AMKPD-52 as the potential lead molecule for PDE10A inhibition. Experimental evaluation revealed an IC₅₀ value of 11.52 μM for AMKPD-52, confirming its inhibitory activity against PDE10A. Although the binding affinity and potency were modest compared to the reference inhibitor TAK-063, the natural origin and straightforward synthetic tractability of AMKPD-52 make it an attractive candidate for further medicinal chemistry optimization. These findings warrant in vivo validation to assess the therapeutic potential of AMKPD-52 in PDE10A-targeted interventions.
Mg-Al-Si alloys are designed for creep resistance, but high Si and Al contents lead to coarse Mg2Si phases and brittle eutectic structures, compromising mechanical performance at elevated temperatures. While research often targets alloys with Si ≥ 1.0 wt.
The polarization and depolarization of layered ferroelectric materials can be tuned by altering the thickness of nanosheets apart from controlling inter/intra layer distances, doping of ions, surrounding dielectric environments, etc. In two-dimensional (2D) single-crystalline ferroelectric nanosheets, the reduction in the thickness facilitates the internal electric field, which leads to enhanced depolarization. BiOCl is a characteristic layered ferroelectric material that contains [Bi2O2]2+ layers arranged anisotropically along the c-direction. However, the depolarization and polarisation of BiOCl are significantly influenced by the thickness of its nanosheets. In this study, europium (Eu3+)-doped BiOCl nanosheets resembling a 2D-dimensional structure have been synthesized using the solid-state grinding method at ambient temperature. As a result of the depolarization effect, the intensity of the electric dipole (ED) transitions 5D0 → 7F2 and 5D0 → 7F4 increases in Eu3+-doped BiOCl nanosheets. Further, electric force microscopy (EFM) confirms that the electric field is present in close proximity to the surface of Eu3+-doped BiOCl. However, thiol capping helps in synthesizing uniform 2D nanosheets with reduced vertical dimensions (c-direction). It is observed that all the prepared samples with varying Eu ion concentrations show uniform nanosheet-like morphology. As the concentration of Eu ions increases in the BiOCl host lattice, the intensity of electric dipole transitions also increases. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) discloses the coating of 1-dodecanthiol on Eu-doped BiOCl molecules. Furthermore, the Eu-doped BiOCl samples demonstrated a prominent far-red emission at 700 nm, corresponding to the 5D0 → 7F4 transition. Moreover, this work emphasizes the synthesis of Eu-doped phosphor at an ambient temperature of 24 + 2 ˚C and generates a deeper understanding of the abnormal electric dipole (5D0 → 7F4) transition.
Urban flooding affects millions of people in Indian major cities during past decades and is expected to be severe in near future under the warming climate scenario. Rapid urbanization and demography changes in the Bengaluru city in the past has led to significant hydrological and environmental stress contributing to the severity of urban flooding. The whole Bengaluru city (Urban as well as Rural) consists of four watershed valley and here, we have chosen Koramangala-Challaghatta (KC) valley as our study area which is known for its low-lying topography and frequent flooding events. In this study, we selected four Extreme Rainfall Events (EREs), occurred on 07 September 2015, 1 June 2016, 15 August 2017, and 24 September 2018, for simulation using the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). The digital elevation model (DEM) is examined to understand the topography of high and low-lying areas to assess the flood impacts of EREs in various regions. Based on the frequency distribution, the 99th percentile of daily rainfall intensity (39.5 mm/day) is considered as the threshold for defining EREs in the study region, and long-term rainfall data (1998–2024) revealed a clear increasing trend in frequency of EREs. Results indicate that rainfall exceeding 30 mm/day leads to flooding in more than half of the area in KC Valley, with flash floods occurring when rainfall surpasses 55 mm/day. The most flood-prone locations are those near historical natural lakes, where urban encroachment has diminished natural flood detention capacity. Evaluation using multiple statistical metrics demonstrates reliable performance of SWMM in flood simulation, particularly for high-intensity rainfall events. The bias in simulated stormwater discharge ranges from + 4 to −4 m3/s, indicating useful skill of the model. The reliable methodological framework to tackle hydrometeorological challenges presented in this study can be handy tools for designing integrated flood management strategies for urban cities.
