Life Sciences

We synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by using the biological material, the extract of Allium sativum (Garlic) and chemically synthesized AgNPs by using silver nitrate. The reduction of pure Ag+ ions was monitored by measuring the UV-Vis spectrum of the reaction medium at 2 hours after diluting a small aliquot of the sample into distilled water. Toxicity of AgNPs was tested using toxtrak test in which, fresh overnight broths of Bacillus subtilis and resazurin dye was used to calculate percentage inhibition (PI).

Phosphorus is an essential element for plant growth and development. Because of its sparingly soluble nature it is present in very less proportion in the soil for plant uptake. Major proportions of soil-P remains interlocked in various insoluble forms and not available for plant use. To circumvent the P-deficiency, large amount of chemical P fertilizers are applied to attain reasonable crop yields. Indiscriminate use of P-fertilizers deteriorates the soil quality as well as cause negative impact in respect to both environment and economy.

Biochemical characteristics (lipid in muscle, intestine and gill) of the freshwater carp fish Labeo rohita were estimated. Maximum lipid content was recorded in muscle tissue of Labeo rohita at treated sewage fish culture pond (station – II) and minimum protein content was observed in gill tissue of Labeo rohita at freshwater fish culture pond (station – I). Total lipid content was studied in different days of 5, 10 and 15 days. The different tissues of muscle, intestine and gill lipid maximum was found to be sewage treated fish and compared than fresh water fish Labeo rohita.

A study was conducted to evaluate the level of heavy metal lead (Pb) in various tissues of adult Catla catla when exposed to a sub-lethal concentration of 6.52 mgL-1 (1/25th of 96 hrs LC50 value) for a period of 120 days of exposure. The bioaccumulation of lead in the tissues studied was increased with duration of exposure periods. The pattern of lead accumulation was in the decreasing order of kidney > liver > gill > ovary > testis > brain at the end of 120 days of exposure. Preferential accumulation of lead was also observed in the tissues under experimentation.

Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) are currently the leading cause of death globally for both men and women accounting for 21.9 per cent of total deaths and is projected to increase to 26.3 per cent by 2030. Statins are the treatment of choice for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease and in the management of hypercholesterolemia because of their proven efficacy and safety profile. Evidences showed their effectiveness in reduction of cholesterol synthesis and number of pleiotropic effects, which may be cholesterol dependent and cholesterol independent.

Water is the precious gift of nature to human beings. The drinking groundwater of the Sipri area in Jhansi city is going to be polluted day-by-day with increasing urbanization and small industries development. Although three-fourth part of earth is being surrounded by surface water but a little portion of it can be used for drinking purpose. Virtually almost all the surface water in India is unfit for direct consumption.

The keratin occurs naturally in the form of feathers, hair, nails and wool all over the world. As the physiological and chemical methods of keratin degradation are not easy possible, the biological method has gained importance. It can be biodegraded by some Keratinolytic Streptomyces sp. The present study investigated purified keratinase from Keratinolytic Streptomyces albus. The cell-bound keratinolytic enzyme was purified 28.91 fold by gel filtration chromatography. The enzyme was characterized as a serine protease with a molecular mass of 40-45kD.

In the present study, the effect of nitrogen was investigated on the micro propagation of Stevia rebaudiana to overcome the challenges related to its cultivation. The in vitro shoots were cultured on MS medium fortified with BAP (5.0 mg/l) along with 2,4-D (0.1 mg/l). Four weeks old multiple shoots were transferred on modified MS medium containing inorganic nitrogen sources i.e NH4NO3 (14-56 N mg/l), KNO3 (100-400 N mg/l) with BAP (0.5-5.0 mg/l) were observed.

Rice yields are low during rabi season when compared to kharif due to cold effect at seedling stage. In the present study, 4 lines and 4 testers were crossed with 4 testers in L X T mating design. The resultant 16 F1s were used to determine the heterosis. IR-64, Ujala Depama and MALIDA are identified as good general combiners. IR64 X Ujala Depama, IR64 X Malida and MTU-1010 X Ujala Depama are good specific combinations . IR64 X Ujala Depama, IR64 X Malida and Krishna Hamsa X Parwa Panki are the best heterotic lines for the character under study.

Formulation of a diatom index called Peninsular Diatom Index (PDI) based on nine environmental variables was developed to assess the water quality for Kabini River of Southern Karnataka. The selection of the variables was based on the Principal Component Analysis. Nineteen species of diatoms were identified from 144 samples using standard procedures. Sensitivity(s) and tolerance (v) values were calculated for each of the parameters and each of the species identified.PDI was calculated using the computational metric suggested by Blanco et al.