Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University is a State university in India which came into existence by the Act of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in 2002. The university is named after saint Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah. The university campus is located at the foothills of the great Himalayan Pir Panjal range in Rajouri, 154 km (96 mi) from Jammu, the Winter capital & 180 km (110 mi) from Srinagar, the Summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir union territory. It focuses on undergraduate engineering courses, a diverse postgraduate courses and research in fields such as management, environment, biodiversity, bio-technology, computer sciences, information technology, and applied mathematics. Akbar Masood was appointed as Vice Chancellor on 13 February 2021.Presently,[when?] the university is running 62 courses and in a short span, it has achieved many milestones to its credit and, amongst them, most importantly, is inculcating the culture of research in nationally and globally relevant thrust areas and cutting-edge technologies. Extensive organization and participation in the national and international seminars and workshops, series of social outreach programmes, initiation of consultancy services, acquiring substantial extramural research grants from R & D agencies including prestigious World Bank TEQIP III grant has been the hallmark of success in the recent times. Recently, NAAC accreditation, despite serious inherent limitations, has opened up new vistas for more developmental projects.
The present study aimed to phytofabricate silver nanoparticles using the aqueous leaf extract of Rubus ellipticus through an eco-friendly green synthesis approach and evaluate their anticancer potential against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive and therapeutically challenging subtype of breast cancer, highlighting the need for safer and effective treatment alternatives. Formation of Rubus ellipticus Sm. derived silver nanoparticles (REAgNPs) was confirmed by a visible color change and a characteristic surface plasmon resonance peak at 422 nm in UV–Vis spectroscopy. Comprehensive characterization using FTIR, SEM, EDX, TEM, SAED, AFM, XRD and zeta potential analysis revealed stable, spherical, crystalline nanoparticles with an average particle size of 10–30 nm and a negative surface charge (-22mV) indicating colloidal stability. REAgNPs exhibited a potential antioxidant activity in DPPH and hydrogen peroxide scavenging assays. In vitro cytotoxicity studies demonstrated a concentration-dependent antiproliferative effect against MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells, with an IC50 value of 30.12 µg/mL, comparable to the standard chemotherapeutic drug 5-fluorouracil. Mechanistic investigations revealed that REAgNPs-induced cytotoxicity involved mitochondrial membrane depolarization, nuclear and DNA damage, phosphatidylserine externalization, G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest and caspase-3 activation, confirming apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway. This study highlights Rubus ellipticus derived silver nanoparticles as promising eco-friendly nanotherapeutic candidates for triple-negative breast cancer, warranting further in vivo validation and safety evaluation.
Deep learning algorithms, particularly convolutional neural networks, have led to advancements in various fields, including biometric authentication. Deep convolutional neural networks conduct feature extraction and classification by training the entire system in an end-to-end framework, obviating the requirement for manual feature extraction. In this paper, a multialgorithm face biometric is proposed to be developed leveraging the power of transfer learning in convolutional neural networks. Transfer learning is used to offset the dataset size limitation and save on computing resources. Face, images are first subjected to preprocessing such as augmentation and resizing. Then, features are extracted using pretrained networks: AlexNet, VGG-16 and InceptionV3. The dimensions of features are reduced using a combination of principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis, with classification done using linear and quadratic kernels of support vector machines. The effectiveness of the proposed approach was evaluated on VIdTIMIT face dataset.
Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer characterized by poor prognosis and limited targeted treatment options. Green-synthesized silver nanoparticles have emerged as promising therapeutic agents due to their biocompatibility and diverse biological activities. Aim: The present study aimed to synthesize silver nanoparticles using Ziziphus nummularia aqueous leaf extract and evaluate their antioxidant and anticancer potential against MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells. Methodology: Silver nanoparticles (ZNAgNPs) were synthesized through a green approach employing Ziziphus nummularia aqueous extract as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using UV-Visible spectroscopy, FTIR, SEM, AFM, TEM/HRTEM, SAED, XRD, and zeta potential analysis. Antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH and H2O2 scavenging assays. Cytotoxicity against MDAMB-231 cells was assessed by MTT assay, while apoptotic effects were investigated using DAPI staining, Rhodamine-123 assay, and DNA fragmentation analysis. Results: Formation of ZNAgNPs was confirmed by a surface plasmon resonance peak at 416 nm. FTIR analysis indicated the involvement of phenolics, flavonoids, and other phytoconstituents in nanoparticle reduction and capping. Morphological studies revealed predominantly quasi-spherical nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 4 to 22 nm. SAED and XRD patterns confirmed their crystalline face-centered cubic structure, while a zeta potential value of -23 mV suggested moderate colloidal stability. ZNAgNPs exhibited strong concentration-dependent antioxidant activity and significant cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231 cells, with an IC50 value of 41.41 & micro;g/mL, comparable to 5-fluorouracil. Mechanistic assays demonstrated nuclear condensation, mitochondrial membrane depolarization, and DNA fragmentation, indicating intrinsic mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. Conclusions: Ziziphus nummularia aqueous extract represents an efficient and eco-friendly source for the synthesis of bioactive silver nanoparticles with potent antioxidant and anticancer properties. The novelty of this study lies in employing Ziziphus nummularia aqueous leaf extract as a green reducing/capping agent and demonstrating the resulting AgNPs against MDA-MB-231 cells, where such evidence has remained limited.
The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.cv. BR-104) is the most widely cultivated legume crop and serves as a major dietary protein source worldwide. However, climate change-induced drought poses a severe threat to its productivity by disrupting key physiological and biochemical processes. Therefore, identifying effective strategies to enhance drought resilience in the common bean is of considerable importance. The present study investigates the regulatory role of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in improving drought tolerance. Polyethylene glycol (15% PEG) induced drought stress markedly reduced phenotypic changes (leaf area (LA), plant dry weight (PDW), root length (RL), and shoot length (SL) by 18.6, 20.5, 30.3 and 17.5% respectively), photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm by 28.4%), and photosynthetic pigment concentrations (chlorophyll and carotenoids by 25.6 and 36%, respectively), while significantly elevating oxidative stress markers (H2O2 and TBARS by 137.1% and 169.8%, respectively), leading to impaired stomatal movement and damaged chloroplast structure. Exogenous H2S application as sodium hydrogen sulfide (200 µM NaHS; H2S donor) effectively alleviated drought-induced oxidative damage by boosting endogenous H2S and GSH levels, upregulating activity of antioxidative enzymes, SOD, APX, and GR, thereby promoting reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging, and minimizing lipid peroxidation. Moreover, H2S maintained photosynthetic efficiency via improved stomatal openings and chloroplast structure, thus sustaining chlorophyll levels and stabilizing photosystem-II functionality. Enhanced proline accumulation following NaHS application led to improved osmotic adjustment, thereby contributing to overall stress tolerance. The use of a H2S scavenger at 100 µM HT (Hypotaurine) suppressed the mitigating effects of H2S, confirming the role of H2S in enhancing drought tolerance in the common bean. Collectively, these findings highlight the potential effect of H2S as a regulatory signaling molecule to enhance drought resilience in the common bean under drought stress conditions. Further research should explore integrating H2S-based treatments with breeding programs and agronomic practices to develop sustainable strategies to improve drought resilience in legumes and other staple crops under changing climatic conditions.
The present study provides new distributional record of Lithurgus bees of the family Megachilidae. Lithurgus albofacialis (Gupta) and Lithurgus atratus (Smith) are new records for Jammu & Kashmir region. Detailed notes on diagnostic features, material examined, and precise locality data are provided. These findings extend the known geographical range of both species in the region and contribute to the understanding of Megachilidae diversity in India. The study underscores the importance of continued faunal surveys for documenting the bee fauna of the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot.
