University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University or CU) is a collegiate public state university located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.&nbsp;Within India it is recognized as a &quot;Five-Star University&quot; and accredited &quot;A&quot; Grade by National Assessment and Accreditation Council.

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The University of Calcutta has secured the Fifth position among the Universities of India in the prestigious &quot;Indian University Ranking 2019&quot; list, released by the NIRF of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

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It was established on 24 January 1857, and was one of the first institutions in Asia to be established as a multidisciplinary and Western-style university. Its alumni and faculty include several heads of state, heads of government, social reformers, prominent artists, only academy award winner and Dirac medal winner in India, many Fellows of the Royal Society and five Nobel laureates as of 2019 which is highest in South Asia.

University Of Calcutta

Chemical Technology

In view of their unique characteristics and properties, silver nanomaterials (Ag NMs) have been used not only in the field of nanomedicine but also for diverse advanced catalytic technologies. In this comprehensive review, light is shed on general synthetic approaches encompassing chemical reduction, sonochemical, microwave, and thermal treatment among the preparative methods for the syntheses of Ag-based NMs and their catalytic applications. Additionally, some of the latest innovative approaches such as continuous flow integrated with MW and other benign approaches have been emphasized that ultimately pave the way for sustainability. Moreover, the potential applications of emerging Ag NMs, including sub nanomaterials and single atoms, in the field of liquid-phase catalysis, photocatalysis, and electrocatalysis as well as a positive role of Ag NMs in catalytic reactions are meticulously summarized. The scientific interest in the synthesis and applications of Ag NMs lies in the integrated benefits of their catalytic activity, selectivity, stability, and recovery. Therefore, the rise and journey of Ag NM-based catalysts will inspire a new generation of chemists to tailor and design robust catalysts that can effectively tackle major environmental challenges and help to replace noble metals in advanced catalytic applications. This overview concludes by providing future perspectives on the research into Ag NMs in the arena of electrocatalysis and photocatalysis. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.

World University root node

Chemical Society Reviews

Silver nanomaterials: Synthesis and (electro/photo) catalytic applications

The CO2 coming out of the power plants at higher temperature. Adsorption is considered as a promising technology for the removal of CO2 from flue gas. So, the adsorbent material should have the properties which are applicable in high temperature condition. Silica-based materials are available, and they withstand high temperature. This paper describes the experimentation with the ordered mesoporous silica materials obtained by the acidic route as well as the basic route and compares the thermal stability and the CO2 adsorption capacity. The porosity of OMS materials is characterized by using N2 adsorption–desorption. The CO2 isotherms at 30 °C are measured up to 8 bars for OMS samples to find out CO2 adsorption capacity. CO2 adsorption studies show promising results for OMS materials obtained by the acidic route. TGA analysis confirms the stability of material upto &amp;gt;200 °C. © 2021, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering

Experimentation with Thermally Stable Mesoporous Silica Powder and Its CO2 Adsorption

Direct conversion of methane into chemicals and fuels under mild conditions has been considered as a ‘holy grail’ of chemistry and catalysis in the 21st century. Plasma-catalytic partial oxidation of methane (POM) to higher-value liquid fuels and chemicals over supported transition metal catalysts (Ni/γ-Al2O3, Cu/γ-Al2O3 and Fe/γ-Al2O3) has been investigated in a co-axial dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The selectivity of oxygenates was 58.3% in the plasma POM reaction without a catalyst, while the combination of DBD with the catalysts enhanced the selectivity of oxygenates up to 71.5%. Of the three catalysts, Fe/γ-Al2O3 showed the highest methanol selectivity of 36.0% and a significant methanol yield of 4.7%, while the use of Cu/γ-Al2O3 improved the selectivity of C2 oxygenates to 9.4%, which can be attributed to the presence of more acid sites on the surfaces of the Cu catalyst. The possible reaction pathways in the plasma-catalytic POM reaction have been explored by combined means of plasma electrical and optical diagnostics, analysis of gas and liquid products, as well as comprehensive catalyst characterization. The plausible reaction routes for the production of major oxygenate (methanol) on the Fe/γ-Al2O3 surfaces have been proposed. The surface CHx species are found to be critical for methanol synthesis; they can be formed through the direct adsorption of CHx radicals generated in the plasma gas-phase reactions or through the dissociation of adsorbed CH4 on the catalyst surface. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.

Applied Catalysis B: Environmental

A promising plasma-catalytic approach towards single-step methane conversion to oxygenates at room temperature

Drug resistance is an unsolved and major concern in the bacterial infection. Continuous development of drug-resistance to the antibiotics exponentially rises the danger of bacterial infections. Chemical components from the plants are becoming a major resource of potentially effective therapeutic chemical agents for the wide range of diseases including bacterial infections. In the current study, pharmacoinformatics methodologies were implemented on more than two hundred known phytochemicals to find promising beta-lactamase inhibitors for therapeutically effective anti-bacterial agents. Initially, the molecular docking-based score was used to reduce the chemical space of the selected dataset. Fourteen molecules were found to have more affinity towards the beta-lactamase in compared to the well-known anti-bacterial agent, Avibactam. Binding interactions analysis revealed the strong binding interactions between phytochemicals and catalytic amino residues. For further analysis, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, density functional theory (DFT) and in silico pharmacokinetics studies were performed. Parameters from MD simulations studies suggested that selected molecules are strong enough to retain in the active site in different orientations of the beta-lactamase. The orbital energies obtained from the DFT study was undoubtedly explained the potentiality of the selected compounds for being effective beta-lactamase inhibitors. The drug-likeness and acceptable pharmacokinetics parameters were observed using in silico ADME analysis. Therefore, observations from the multiple pharmacoinformatics approach explained without any doubt that selected molecules are potential enough being promising anti-bacterial compounds. (Figure presented.) Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma. © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics

Insight into the screening of potential beta-lactamase inhibitors as anti-bacterial chemical agents through pharmacoinformatics study

Effect of lithium oxide substitution on the structure, in-vitro chemical dissolution and mechanical properties of melt derived 45S5 based glass-ceramics in 46.1SiO2 (24.4-x)Na2O 26.9CaO 2.6P2O5 x Li2O (x = 0, 2, 4, 6, and 10 mole %) system was studied. Raman analysis had shown the presence of Q2 silica tetrahedra and crystalline phosphorus in the glass-ceramics samples. Higher mechanical properties of lithia containing glass and glass-ceramics were noticed due to compact glass structure in presence of small sized Li+ ions. Hexagonal shaped combeite (Na2O.2CaO.3SiO2) was the only crystalline phase. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectra confirmed formation of carbonated hydroxyapatite (HCA) on the glass-ceramics surface in SBF solution. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) corroborated cotton ball like morphology as carbonated hydroxyapatitel ayer on lithium containing glass-ceramics sample surface. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids

Structure, properties and in-vitro response of SiO2-Na2O-CaO-P2O5 system based glass-ceramics after partial replacement of Na2O by Li2O

The present study evaluated the therapeutic potential of myricitrin (Myr), a glycosy-loxyflavone extracted from Myrica esculenta bark, against diabetic nephropathy. Myr exhibited a significant hypoglycemic effect in high fat-fed and a single low-dose streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic (T2D) rats. Myr was found to improve glucose uptake by the skeletal muscle via activating IRS-1/PI3K/Akt/GLUT4 signaling in vitro and in vivo. Myr significantly attenuated high glucose (HG)-induced toxicity in NRK cells and in the kidneys of T2D rats. In this study, hyperglycemia caused nephrotoxicity via endorsing oxidative stress and inflammation resulting in the induction of apoptosis, fibrosis, and inflammatory damages. Myr was found to attenuate oxidative stress via scavenging/neutralizing oxidative radicals and improving endogenous redox defense through Nrf-2 activation in both in vitro and in vivo systems. Myr was also found to attenuate diabetes-triggered renal inflammation via suppressing NF-κB activation. Myr inhibited hyperglycemia-induced apop-tosis and fibrosis in renal cells evidenced by the changes in the expressions of the apoptotic and fibrotic factors. The molecular docking predicted the interactions between Myr and different signal proteins. An in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) study predicted the drug-likeness character of Myr. Results suggested the possibility of Myr to be a potential therapeutic agent for diabetic nephropathy in the future. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Fulltext

Molecules

Myricitrin, a glycosyloxyflavone in myrica esculenta bark ameliorates diabetic nephropathy via improving glycemic status, reducing oxidative stress, and suppressing inflammation

With the advancements in materials engineering, unprecedented newer materials based on magnetic MOFs have emerged as one of the promising candidates in the strategic field of catalysis. Within this perspective, the present report unveils the fabrication of an intricately designed magnetic CoFe2O4/Ni-BTC based MOF composite via a one-pot solvothermal approach. The synthesized composite was comprehensively characterized using various analytical tools such as FTIR, XRD, XPS, VSM, TGA, EDS, ED-XRF and AAS. Advanced microscopic tools like SEM and TEM provided deep insights into the structural aspects of the synthesized material. The catalytic performance of the hybrid composite was further explored in one-pot multicomponent reactions to obtain a combinatorial library of biologically and pharmacologically significant 2,4,5-trisubstituted (up to 98% yield) and 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted (up to 97% yield) imidazoles in good to excellent yields under solvent free conditions. Wider functional group tolerance, excellent turnover numbers, high atom economy, ambient reaction conditions, magnetic retrievability and good recyclability are some of the striking attributes of this protocol. We envisage that the present methodology employing magnetic MOFs as catalytic reactors is highly desirable for designing cleaner and greener processes in modern organic chemistry. This journal is © the Partner Organisations.

Materials Chemistry Frontiers

Unlocking the catalytic potency of a magnetic responsive CoFe2O4/Ni-BTC MOF composite for the sustainable synthesis of tri- And tetra-substituted imidazoles

PloS one

Dabrafenib, idelalisib and nintedanib act as significant allosteric modulator for dengue NS3 protease

Globally, the underlying peril of cumulative toxicity of heavy metals in water bodies contaminated by industrial effluents is a matter of great concern to the environmentalists. Heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and nickel are particularly liable for this. Such toxic water is not only hazardous to human health but also harmful to aquatic animals. Remedial measures are being taken by physico-chemical techniques, but most of them are neither eco-friendly nor cost-effective. Biological means like bioaccumulation of heavy metals by viable bacteria are often tedious. In the present study, biosorption of heavy metals is successfully expedited by surfactant exopolysaccharide (SEPS) of Ochrobactrum pseudintermedium C1 as a simple, safe, and economically sustainable option utilizing an easily available and cost-effective substrate like molasses extract. Its efficacy in bioremediation of toxic heavy metals like cadmium, nickel, and lead have been studied by UV–Vis spectrophotometry and verified by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). FTIR and zeta potential studies have also been carried out to explore this novel biosorption potential. Results are conclusive and promising. Moreover, this particular SEPS alone can remediate all these three toxic heavy metals in water. For futuristic applications, it might be a prospective and cost-effective resource for bioremediation of toxic heavy metals in aqueous environment. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

International Microbiology

Prospective bioremediation of toxic heavy metals in water by surfactant exopolysaccharide of Ochrobactrum pseudintermedium using cost-effective substrate

Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A

Studies on sorption kinetics and sorption isotherm for pervaporative separation of benzene from model pyrolysis gasoline using insitu nano silver/polyvinyl alcohol membrane