Concordia University Irvine is a private Lutheran university in Irvine, California, United States. It was established in 1976 to provide a Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod college to serve the Pacific Southwest and provide training for pastors, religious education teachers, and Christian school administrators. Concordia University Irvine has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,592 and its campus size is 70 acres (28 ha). It is one of nine colleges and universities in the Concordia University System.
The discovery of new antibacterial molecules is crucial given the increasing resistance of bacteria to existing antibiotics. Therefore, there is a need for new, safer antibacterial therapeutics. Even though H. suaveolens has a long history of medicinal use, many of its bioactive compounds remain unidentified. Thus, this study aimed to find novel phytochemicals from the methanolic extract of H. suaveolens that may be useful against pathogens. In vitro antibacterial testing revealed that the 24th fraction showed significant antibacterial activity, and GC-MS analysis identified several phytochemicals. ADMET analysis showed that 1,2-dihydro-2-oxo-4-quinolyl-2-pyridyl ketone, diethyl phthalate, n-hexadecenoic acid, squalene, and alpha-tocopherol acetate have drug-like characteristics. Molecular docking of these five ligands was performed against two target proteins using PyRx AutoDock Vina. The targets included intercellular adhesion protein R from Staphylococcus aureus and DNA polymerase III subunit beta from Escherichia coli. 1,2-dihydro-2-oxo-4-quinolyl-2-pyridyl ketone and diethyl phthalate had the strongest binding affinities and the lowest binding energies. ADMET analysis confirmed that they are drug-like, non-toxic, and non-carcinogenic. These findings suggest that 1,2-dihydro-2-oxo-4-quinolyl-2-pyridyl ketone and diethyl phthalate could be useful antibacterial agents for treating infections.
Differing from AI and GenAI adoption, research on traditional systems emphasised extrinsic factors like utility, social influence and innovativeness as predictors of user behaviour. The role of proximal psychological factors like motivation, however, has been overlooked in this context, which becomes essential with this shift towards AI. In the educational sector, the students’ use of AI shows the possibility of intrinsic factors like motivation in shaping adoption behaviour. This study uses Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and its Organismic Integration Theory (OIT) extension to propose a conceptual map that examines the role of distinct motivational types in shaping students’ GenAI adoption behaviour. The adoption behaviour of 348 Indian students pursuing higher education was collected through a cross-sectional survey and analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings indicated that autonomous motivation, including intrinsic, identified, and integrated motivation, significantly predicts students’ intentions to use GenAI tools. The study further examined the moderating role of perceived compatibility, revealing that alignment between users’ lifestyles and GenAI usage strengthens the impact of controlled motivations. When students feel that AI fits well with their needs and learning requirements, showing high compatibility, external motivators have a stronger effect on their decision to adopt it. This makes compatibility an important new finding and provides additional insights into the motivational types of GenAI adoption in academic contexts. This study extends the body of knowledge by moving beyond the binary treatment of motivation and empirically distinguishing between specific types of motivation. It emphasises the importance of self-determined motivation while showing how the correlations between various motivation types and GenAI usage intentions are conditioned by perceived compatibility. The study also offers practical insights based on the significant results.
Marine bioactive compounds are natural products known for diverse biological activities, including strong anti-quorum sensing (QS) properties. These compounds offer potential for developing antivirulence agents against pathogenic bacteria. Eighty-six bacterial isolates from the coastal region of Gujarat were screened for their ability to inhibit QS and virulence factors in Chromobacterium violaceum MK and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14. Isolate DKGJ2E6 (E6) (Bacillus safensis DJ1, identified by 16S rRNA sequencing) showed the strongest QS inhibitory activity and was selected for further analysis. The crude extract of Bacillus safensis DJ1 significantly inhibited key virulence traits in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, drastically reducing pyocyanin production and attenuating pyoverdine and biofilm formation. A similar anti-QS effect was observed in C. violaceum, where violacein production was more than halved (55.06% reduction). The extract also exhibited synergistic anti-virulence activity when combined with ciprofloxacin. Chemical profiling via GC-MS identified bioactive components such as sulfanilamide, indole, phenol, 3-methyl-4-oxo-pentanoic acid, and allantoic acid, which demonstrated potent anti-QS and antibiofilm effects. A network pharmacology approach was employed to predict and assess the molecular mechanisms, identifying core targets and target-pathway modulated by these metabolites. Molecular docking and dynamics demonstrated strong binding affinities of selected compounds towards key targets in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Together, these findings collectively establish the potential of B. safensis DJ1 metabolites as a significant lead for the development of novel, marine-derived antivirulence therapies against drug-resistant pathogens.
The coastal lowlands of Kerala in southwest India are endowed with deposits of fluvial and marine and aeolian mineral resources. Kerala's beach placers are a major and strategic mineral source in the area. Apart from beach placers, the coastal area in and around Alappuzha district has vast amounts of silica sand that occur between the Vembanad Lake and the seashore, spanning for about 35 km from Cherthala to Arookutti. Although many studies have been carried out on Kerala's beach placers, studies on silica-sand deposits of Alappuzha-Cherthala belt are very limited. Therefore, the present study addresses the textural and mineralogical characteristics of the Alappuzha-Cherthala belt. Fine sand comprises 11.2% to 57.3% in the surface sediments, while in the subsurface samples fine sand varies from 25.66% to 66.5%. Both the surface and subsurface sands are moderately to well sorted. These sands are in general coarsely skewed and leptokurtic. The mineralogical analysis reveals that opaques, sillimanite, and zircon dominate in the heavy mineral assemblage. The CM pattern revealed that the sands were generally transported by rolling and suspension. High sillimanite concentrations in the samples suggest a sialic metamorphic origin for silica sands. Long beach currents carried sillimanite and quartzose sands from the coastal extents of the Trivandrum Block in the south (south of Achankovil lineament) towards the Alappuzha-Cherthala coast, which is later modified into the silica sand deposits during the aridity event in the beginning of Late Holocene.
This study explores the factors influencing the adoption of green banking among young adults in India, drawing on the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Key determinants include environmental concern, social factors, perceived behavioural control, subjective norms, and attitude toward behaviour. The moderating role of effort expectancy is also examined. Based on data from respondents aged 18–35, the findings provide practical insights for banks to develop targeted strategies that encourage green banking practices among youth.
