Glutamate (Glut) is the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in our brain and central nervous system (CNS) that is essential for the proper functioning of the brain. The uneven concentration of glutamate causes cell's overstimulation which leads to many severe diseases, including brain cancer, and brain cell damage. Further, the overexcitation of neuronal cells which is involved in the neurotoxic processes induces many neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, motor neuron, Huntington's, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's diseases. Thus, real-time quantitative analysis is of utmost importance for its prevention. In the present study, we report an enzymatic electrochemical biosensor based on reduced graphene oxide-modified nickel foam (rGO/NiF) for glutamate detection. Graphene has been successfully synthesized via electrochemical exfoliation technique using waste batteries graphite rods as a cheap, waste recycling, and environmentally friendly approach. Using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), the rGO-modified NiF electrode demonstrates improved electrocatalytic activities compared to the bare Ni foam electrode. Under the optimal conditions, the fabricated enzyme-based rGO/NiF biosensor shows a linear response in the physiological range of 5-300 mu M (normal value 30-80 mu M), revealing a sensitivity of -4.8 mu A/(mu M & sdot;cm2) with a correlation coefficient of -0.997, the limit of detection (LOD) -0.1 mu M and shelf-life of about ten weeks. Thus, we believe that the fabrication of this sensitive and selective responding biosensor will also enable us to measure the dynamic processes associated with Glut neurotransmission in the CNS.

Organic pollutants, such as various types of organic dyes coming out from the textile industries, are polluting surface and groundwater resources alarmingly and posing a threat to aquatic ecosystems. So, the demand for visible-light-driven high-performance photocatalysts having high activity and structural stability is a need of an hour. TiO2 has been one of the well-known and most studied semiconductor photocatalysts for decades. But its low electron-hole pair symbolscript recombination time reduces its efficiency, and the large band gap restricts its use as a visible-light-driven photocatalyst. To overcome these limitations of TiO2, herein, we have reported an in-situ and ex-situ MWCNTs modified TiO2 heterostructure nanocomposites photocatalyst and established a compara-tive study in terms of their ability to degrade methylene blue (MB) dye under visible light irradiation. The as-synthesized in-situ CNTs-TiO2 nanocomposite and ex-situ CNTs-TiO2 nanocomposite were characterized struc-turally, morphologically, compositionally, and optically through various characterization techniques such as XRD, RAMAN, SEM, XPS, FTIR, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The result reveals the band gap tuning in the in-situ and ex-situ CNTS-TiO2 nanocomposites as a result of increasing MWCNTs concentration. The in-situ CNTs-TiO2-2 nanocomposite has high degradation efficiency (94% in 150 min) and stability due to smooth and strong chemical interactions between the MWCNTs and TiO2, while ex-situ CNTs-TiO2-20 with 10 times more MWCNTs concentration (by weight) as compared to MWCNTs concentration in in-situ CNTs-TiO2-2, exhibits degradation efficiency of 89% in 150 min. The possible degradation mechanism to degrade MB dye has also been put forward.

Poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as benz[alpha]anthracene (BaA), are often released from cigarette smoke and pose a severe threat to public health. In this quest, several filtration techniques have been proposed for the elimination of these toxins, but the challenges remain the same in terms of low efficiency, high cost and complex manufacturing processes. Herein, we report a simple, cost-effective and reusable multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) membrane-based filter for enhanced removal (similar to 90%) of BaA from cigarette smoke. In terms of the excellent thermal stability of the MWCNTs membrane, the adsorbed PAHs could be removed simply by a thermolysis process. We believe that the present study may serve as inspiration for the design and development of high-performance fibrous materials for filtering and separation applications.

Rapid industrialization, haphazardous urbanization, andruthlessburning of fossil fuel have alarmingly impacted human health and theenvironment. The majority of health issues, such as asthma, cardiovasculardisease, and cancer, are primarily associated with polyaromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs), particulate matter (PM), nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd) heavymetals, and other contaminants. To address these challenges, the developmentof an efficient air filtration unit to remove the toxic substancesfrom the smoke is a necessity. The majority of the recently developedair filters are architecturally monotonous and bulky and suffer froma trade-off between removal effectiveness and air permeability. Herein,we have proposed an air filter which is scalable, ultralight (& SIM;0.0034g), thin (& SIM;50 & mu;m), thermally stable (& SIM;500 & DEG;C),hydrophobic (contact angle 138 & DEG; & PLUSMN; 6 & DEG;), and porous (porosityof & SIM;57%) with a pore size of & SIM;16 nm and has an effectivepacking density of & SIM;0.64 g/cm(3). The self-assemblednanoarchitecture network (nanonetwork) air filter has a relativelylower pressure drop (& SIM;133.3 Pa) and can remove & SIM;99%,& SIM;99%, and & SIM;90% and 50% for PAHs, PM, and Ni and Cd heavymetals, respectively. This research will be highly beneficial fordesigning and developing high-performance fibrous materials for filteringand separation applications.

These days, textile industries pose a more significant threat to surface water and groundwater sources directly or indirectly by discharging wastewater containing various dyes and organic pollutants to these water sources. The phase-junction-engineered heterogeneous photocatalysis carried out by visible light-driven semiconductor photocatalysts is opening a new window for the degradation of environmental organic pollutants. In this work, we have reported a one-step bottom-up hydrothermal synthesis of biphasic tungsten oxide (o/h-WO3) and performed a photodegradation experiment under visible light irradiation for the efficient degradation of organic pollutants such as Methylene blue (MB) and Methyl violet (MV), respectively. The X-ray diffraction, RAMAN, transmission electron microscopy and ultraviolet-Vis characterization techniques were used to investigate the structural, morphological and optical properties of the as-synthesized o/h-WO3. Moreover, the low calculated band gap (& SIM;2.8 eV) and the anionic nature of o/h-WO3 suggest it as an efficient visible light-driven photocatalyst suitable for heterogeneous photocatalysis. The photodegradation experiment performed under visible light using o/h-WO3 photocatalyst showed better degradation efficiency of 71% and 89% for MB and MV, respectively, in 100 min. The dyes followed first-order kinetics, and their kinetic rate constants were calculated using the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. Furthermore, the recyclability study of the photocatalyst was also performed and discussed the underlying mechanism for the photodegradation of the organic dyes.

Air pollution caused by various hazards such as particulate matters (PM), microplastics (MP), bioaerosols (BA), etc. has become a global concern for public health across the globe. In recent decades, nanofiltration-based air purification techniques have rapidly evolved as a viable solution to address worldwide air pollution challenges. Herein, we report a simple, cost-effective, and scalable technique for the fabrication of lightweight, freestanding, and flexible multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) membranes for air filter applications. The developed membrane filter possesses excellent capturing efficiency of more than 99% for PM0.3, MP0.3, and BA. Additionally, the developed membrane has also been well investigated in terms of hydrophobic behavior (contact angle similar to 148 +/- 7 degrees), narrow pore size (similar to 16 nm), packing density (similar to 0.65 g/cc), porosity (similar to 56%), pressure drop (similar to 139.7 Pascal), flexibility, and reusability, reflecting its self-cleaning feature, physical sieve characteristics, adaptability, and commercialization. Thus, the filter developed in this work shows its potential utility toward the removal of indoor pollution and in air filter industries as well.

The in vitro diagnostics of cancer are not represented well yet, but the need for early-stage detection is undeniable. In recent decades, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has emerged as an efficient, adaptable, and unique technique for the detection of cancer molecules in their early stages. Herein, we demonstrate an opto-plasmonic hybrid structure for sensitive detection of the prostate cancer biomarker sarcosine using silica nanospheres coated silver nano-islands as a facile and efficient SERS active substrate. The SERS active platform has been developed via thin (5–15 nm) deposition of silver islands using a simple and cost-effective Radio Frequency (RF) sputtering technique followed by the synthesis and decoration of silica nanospheres (~500 nm) synthesized via Stober’s method. It is anticipated that the coupling of Whispering Gallery Modes and photonic nano-jets in SiO2 nanospheres induce Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) in Ag nano-islands, which is responsible for the SERS enhancement. The as-fabricated SERS active platform shows a linear response in the physiological range (10 nM to 100 μM) and an extremely low limit of detection (LOD) of 1.76 nM with a correlation coefficient of 0.98 and enhancement factor ~2 × 107. The findings suggest that our fabricated SERS platform could be potentially used for the rapid detection of bio-chemical traces with high sensitivity.

To address the global challenge of water pollution, membrane-based technologies are being used as a dignified separation technology. However, designing low-cost, reusable, freestanding and flexible membranes for wastewater treatment with tunable pore size, good mechanical strength, and high separation efficiency is still a major challenge. Herein, we report the development of a scalable, reusable, freestanding, flexible and functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube (FMWCNT) membrane filter with tunable pore size for wastewater treatment, which has attractive attributes such as high separation efficiency (>99% for organic dyes and ∼80% for salts), permeance (∼225 L h-1 m-2 bar-1), tensile strength (∼6 MPa), and reusability of both the membrane as well as contaminants separately. This FMWCNTs membrane filter has been developed by a simple vacuum-assisted filtration technique followed by the synthesis of MWCNTs using a cost-effective spray pyrolysis assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique and chemical functionalization. This study deals with understanding the rejection, retrieval, and reusability of both the membranes as well as waterborne contaminants separately. The developed membrane filter has potential utility in many applications such as wastewater treatment, food industry, and life sciences due to its robust mechanical and separation performance characteristics.

Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of highly capacitive activated carbon (AC) using a bio-waste Kusha grass ( Desmostachya bipinnata ), by employing a chemical process followed by activation through KOH. The as-synthesized few-layered activated carbon has been confirmed through X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy techniques. The chemical environment of the as-prepared sample has been accessed through FTIR and UV–visible spectroscopy. The surface area and porosity of the as-synthesized material have been accessed through the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method. All the electrochemical measurements have been performed through cyclic voltammetry and galvanometric charging/discharging (GCD) method, but primarily, we focus on GCD due to the accuracy of the technique. Moreover, the as-synthesized AC material shows a maximum specific capacitance as 218 F g −1 in the potential window ranging from − 0.35 to + 0.45 V. Also, the AC exhibits an excellent energy density of ~ 19.3 Wh kg −1 and power density of ~ 277.92 W kg −1 , respectively, in the same operating potential window. It has also shown very good capacitance retention capability even after 5000th cycles. The fabricated supercapacitor shows a good energy density and power density, respectively, and good retention in capacitance at remarkably higher charging/discharging rates with excellent cycling stability. Henceforth, bio-waste Kusha grass-derived activated carbon (DP-AC) shows good promise and can be applied in supercapacitor applications due to its outstanding electrochemical properties. Herein, we envision that our results illustrate a simple and innovative approach to synthesize a bio-waste Kusha grass-derived activated carbon (DP-AC) as an emerging supercapacitor electrode material and widen its practical application in electrochemical energy storage fields.

In recent years, two-dimensional (2D) atomically thin crystals ranging from insulator to superconductor such as graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), etc. have attracted extensive attention due to their exceptional properties and many potential applications in various areas. In this chapter we focus on the experimental characterization of 2D materials and their heterostructures andcover brief introduction and detailed structural, optical, and chemical characterizations of some important 2D materials.

The fatal diseases and disorders caused by smoking have raised a serious concern for worldwide public health. So for its prevention, it has become very necessary to develop various types of filter material for the removal of carcinogenic and other toxic elements present in cigarette smoke. Herein, we demonstrate a novel filter for cigarette, fabricated by the insertion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) based thin flexible membrane into the conventional cellulose acetate filter. The developed filter has attractive attributes of high filtering efficiency, lightweight, flexible, cost-effective and scalable production. This flexible MWCNTs membrane has been fabricated using a simple vacuum-assisted filtration technique followed by the synthesis of MWCNTs using a cost-effective spray pyrolysis technique. The filter shows excellent performance for the removal of PM2.5 having removal efficiency of ~99%. It also shows significant ability for the removal of nicotine, tar and toxic heavy metals such as lead ...

At the present scenario, climate change became the potential threat to growers with rise in temperature, inconsistent rainfall, and salinization of agricultural land. However, the microbes more specifically plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) play a significant role to mitigate the abiotic stresses. Rhizobacteria act as bioprotectants against drought, salt, heavy metals, high temperature, and cold stress. During drought condition, PGPR intensifies osmolytes (proline, glycine, betaine) and acts as an osmoprotectant. The drought-related enzyme ACC deaminases were regulated by the PGPR, which also regulates the stomatal physiology during the water deficit conditions. The salt stress in plants was also a complex process to understand. During salt stress condition, PGPR acts as an activator of antioxidant enzymes and polyamines and also acts as a modulator of abscisic acid. Inoculation of PGPR affects the expression of 14 genes (four upregulated and two downregulated) related to salt stress. The effect of heavy metal toxicity is also found in plants, which is due to the improper fertilizer applications, industrial waste, sludge, etc. The main site for accumulation of heavy metals is the root nodule. At present many PGPR sp., i.e., Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Azotobacter sp., Enterobacter sp., and Rhizobium sp., were proposed to speed up the phytoremediation process of nodules. Bacterial metallothioneins (MTs) of the family Bmt, a family with low-molecular proteins, play a significant role to absorb heavy metals. High temperature also acts as a constraint of normal plant root nodulation and rhizobial growth. The strains of PGPRs evolve during the heat stress period against the raised temperature with the production of extra LPS, EPS, and special class of proteins, i.e., heat shock proteins (HSPs). Cold tolerance can also be derived by PGPR as the accumulation of more carbohydrate, regulation of stress-related genes for osmolytes expression, and enhancement of specific protein synthesis, which helps plant to fight against cold stress.

The original version of this article was revised: The article First report of edible mushroom Pleurotusostreatus from India with potential to kill plant parasitic nematodes, was written by R. K. Singh, Sumit Kumar Pandey, Dalel Singh, and Prahlad Masurkar, was originally published electronically on the publisher’s internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 14 December 2018 with open access.

•3D MWCNT-MoS2 NC has been synthesized via eco-facile hydrothermal method.•BBD based optimization of immobilization, resulted in 93% of immobilization.•FE-SEM, AFM, FTIR & CLSM, employed for characterization of nanobiocatalyst.•Nanobiocatalyst showed excellent storage stability and reusability.•Nanobiocatalyst showed effective hydrolysis of lactose in whey.

Motivation behind the present work is to fabricate a cost effective and scalable biosensing platform for an easy and reliable detection of cancer biomarker Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Here, we report the sensitive and selective detection of CEA using graphene based bio-sensing platform. Large sized (~ 2.5 × 1.0 cm2), uniform, continuous, single and few layers graphene films have been grown on copper (Cu) substrate employing chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique using hexane as a liquid precursor. Functional group has been created over Graphene/Cu substrate through π-π stacking of 1- pyrenebutanoic acid succinimidyl ester (PBSE). Further, to make the sensor specific to CEA, antibody of CEA (anti-CEA) has been covalently immobilized onto PBSE/Graphene/Cu electrode. Selective and sensitive detection of CEA is achieved by anti-CEA/PBSE/Graphene/Cu electrode through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. Under optimal condition, the fabricated sensor shows linear response in the physiological range 1.0–25.0 ng mL−1 (normal value ~ 5.0 ng mL−1), revealing sensitivity 563.4 Ω ng−1 mL cm−2 with a correlation coefficient of 0.996 and limit of detection (LOD) 0.23 ng mL−1. In this way, one step electrode fabrication with high specific surface area provides a light weight, low cost, reliable and scalable novel biosensing platform for sensitive and selective detection of CEA. We believe that this bioelectrode equipped with specific recognition elements could be utilized for detection of other biomolecules too.

Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, SHUATS, Allahabad The experiment will be conducted on seventy two healthy day old chicks of same hatch Procured and randomly divided into three treatments and one control group. They will be further divided into six sub groups with three chicks in each to serve as replicate. Chicks will be accommodated in cages with required floor space. All the birds will be reared under similar managemental conditions. Broiler starter and finisher ration as per BIS standard will be prepared. Chicks will be starter ration up to three weeks and then finisher ration up to six week of age. Ration and clean water will be offered ad lib. A bulb of 25 watt will be left on in each cage during night to maintain optimum temperature. T1 (control feed without supplementation), T2 control feed + 0.50% dry powder of calcium), T3 (control feed + 0.50% dry powder of phosphorus), T4 (control feed + 0.50% dry calcium + 0.50% dry phosphorus). The data on body weight of DOC, weekly body weight, feed consumption and gain in body weight will be recorded. At the end of experiment nine birds from each group will be randomly selected, slaughtered and blood samples will be collected with the help of anticoagulant for determination of blood parameters as follows. In whole blood Calcium level, blood Phosphorus level Statistical analysis. The data obtained on various parameters will be, collected tabulated and statistically analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique as per Snedecar & Cocharan (1994).

In present work we report simple and scalable method for the formation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) based large area conducting paper for electrode applications. The MWCNTs based paper have been successfully fabricated with well dispersed catalytically grown high quality MWCNTs followed by simple vacuum filtration technique. Our study demonstrated that these MWCNTs based paper have great advantage as large area, conducting and binder free electrode material for flexible and portable devices.

Lentil (Lens culinaris) is a leading high protein pulse grown by the farmers as a rainfed rabi crop in lowland rice fallows in Indo Gangetic Plains (IGP) of India. Disease complex due to Fusarium oxysporum and Meloidogyne incognita possess a great threat to yield of lentil when grown as fallow crop after rice with residual soil moisture and nitrogen in dryland condition. This paper discusses the role of soil moisture and availability of soil NO3-N to the plants on wilt nematode disease complex under a long term rice-lentil cropping system. In our long term experimental conditions which prevailed under dry condition, low level of soil moisture and low availability of soil NO3-N to plants illustrated increased in fungus nematode wilt complex severity, which can be mitigated by use of farm yard manure as full source of nitrogen in rice. This leads to the enhancement of the available soil moisture and nitrogen for residual crops like lentil and also reduced wilt nematode complex.

Root knot Nematodes, Meloidogyne spp. have been reported infecting rice crops is found wide but Meloidogyne graminicola is a serious pest of upland rice and nurseries grown on well drained soils. Rice plays an important role in the livelihood of the people of India. Fresh water availability for irrigation is decreasing worldwide because of increasing competition from urban and industrial development, degrading irrigation infrastructure and deteriorating water quality (Molden, 2007). This nematode was recorded during 200910 in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh, causing an average yield loss of 20-25% and in some case to the tune of 5060% loss (Pankaj et al., 2010). The disease can assume epidemic proportion causing extensive damage to the crop. The nematode infestation is manifested by root galling, yellowing, stunting and wilting of the plant. The rice root knot nematode, Meloidogyne graminicola completes its life cycle in 15 days at 27-37 C (Jaiswal et al., 2010). Meloidogyne graminicola is one of the most predominant pests associated with rice under upland condition (Bridge et al., 1990) and cause substantial yield losses (Protet et al., 1995, Soriano et al., 2000) Biological control of plant parasitic nematodes is regarded as an important component of integrated nematode International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 7 (2017) pp. 255-260 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com