Combustion performance and emission characteristics of aloevera diesel-emulsified fuel in a DI diesel engine.

Nowadays, mankind is very particular about the usage of energy in the most effective manner by keeping the view of less adulterating the atmosphere, which are the key aspects of many scientists all around the world. In this particular study, the aloevera diesel has been chosen as the primary fuel, and studies have been conducted on emission pollutant characteristics by choosing an appropriate diesel engine. Furthermore, stable emulsions have been produced by using aloevera, and the same was mixed with diesel at the ratio of 5% and 10% as the compound. Moreover, span 80 and tween 80 are used as the surfactant with an HLB balance of 9.95. Similarly, the emulsions are prepared with the help of a mechanical stirrer for exact duration of 30 min. In order to carry out the experimental investigation process, a single-cylinder diesel engine was used with a data acquisition system. The entire analyses are carried out with two sets of methods such as no load and full load. The performance and combustion characteristics such as heat release, combustion pressure, thermal efficiency (B5 - 6.303%↑, B10 - 3.789%↑), and specific fuel consumption of the brake (B5 - 4.2%↑, B10 - 5%↑) were measured. Likewise, emission parameters such as CO (B5 - 0.02%↓, B10 - 0.04%↓), HC (B5 - 1 PPM↓, B10 - 5 PPM↓), NOx (B5 - 20 PPM↓, B10 - 89 PPM↓), and CO2 (B5 - 0.3%↑, B10 - 0.4%↑) are measured by using AVL Di-gas analyzer. It was noticed that increased peak cylinder pressure and greater heat release rate were on account of a longer ignition delay period. Additionally, an increase in engine performance and the corresponding reduction in exhaust emission have also been observed upon using aloevera-emulsified diesel fuel.

Multispectral and Circular Polarization-Sensitive Carbon Dot-Polydiacetylene Capacitive Photodetector.

Multispectral photodetectors (MSPs) and circularly polarized light (CPL) sensors are important in opto-electronics, photonics, and imaging. A capacitive photodetector consisting of an interdigitated electrode coated with carbon dot/anthraquinone-polydiacetylene is constructed. Photoexcitation of the carbon dots induces transient electron transfer to the anthraquinone moieties, and concomitant change in the film dielectric constant and recorded capacitance. This unique photodetection mechanism furnishes wavelength selectivity that is solely determined by the absorbance of the carbon dots incorporated in the anthraquinone-polydiacetylene matrix. Accordingly, employing an array of polymerized-anthraquinone photodetector films comprising carbon dots (C-dots) exhibiting different excitation wavelengths yielded optical "capacitive fingerprints" in a broad spectral range (350-650 nm). Furthermore, circular light polarization selectivity is achieved through chiral polymerization of the polydiacetylene framework. The carbon dot/anthraquinone-polydiacetylene capacitive photodetector features rapid photo-response, high fidelity, and recyclability as the redox reactions of anthraquinone are fully reversible. The carbon dot/anthraquinone-polydiacetylene platform is inexpensive, easy to fabricate, and consists of environmentally friendly materials.

Swine coronaviruses (SCoVs) and their emerging threats to swine population, inter-species transmission, exploring the susceptibility of pigs for SARS-CoV-2 and zoonotic concerns.

Swine coronaviruses (SCoVs) are one of the most devastating pathogens affecting the livelihoods of farmers and swine industry across the world. These include transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV), porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV), swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV), and porcine delta coronavirus (PDCoV). Coronaviruses infect a wide variety of animal species and humans because these are having single stranded-RNA that accounts for high mutation rates and thus could break the species barrier. The gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and nervous systems are the primary organ systems affected by SCoVs. Infection is very common in piglets compared to adult swine causing high mortality in the former. Bat is implicated to be the origin of all CoVs affecting animals and humans. Since pig is the only domestic animal in which CoVs cause a wide range of diseases; new coronaviruses with high zoonotic potential could likely emerge in the future as observed in the past. The recently emerged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing COVID-19 pandemic in humans, has been implicated to have animal origin, also reported from few animal species, though its zoonotic concerns are still under investigation. This review discusses SCoVs and their epidemiology, virology, evolution, pathology, wildlife reservoirs, interspecies transmission, spill-over events and highlighting their emerging threats to swine population. The role of pigs amid ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic will also be discussed. A thorough investigation should be conducted to rule out zoonotic potential of SCoVs and to design appropriate strategies for their prevention and control.

Prophylactic and therapeutic insights into trained immunity: A renewed concept of innate immune memory.

Trained immunity is a renewed concept of innate immune memory that facilitates the innate immune system to have the capacity to remember and train cells via metabolic and transcriptional events to enable them to provide nonspecific defense against the subsequent encounters with a range of pathogens and acquire a quicker and more robust immune response, but different from the adaptive immune memory. Reversing the epigenetic changes or targeting the immunological pathways may be considered potential therapeutic approaches to counteract the hyper-responsive or hypo-responsive state of trained immunity. The efficient regulation of immune homeostasis and promotion or inhibition of immune responses is required for a balanced response. Trained immunity-based vaccines can serve as potent immune stimuli and help in the clearance of pathogens in the body through multiple or heterologous effects and confer protection against nonspecific and specific pathogens. This review highlights various features of trained immunity and its applications in developing novel therapeutics and vaccines, along with certain detrimental effects, challenges as well as future perspectives.

Metal-Free Photochemical Olefin Isomerization of Unsaturated Ketones via 1,5-Hydrogen Atom Transfer.

The photochemical isomerization of α,ß- to ß,γ-unsaturated ketones through a 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer mechanism under mild conditions with high efficiency and selectivity is reported. The reaction is carried out in the absence of metal catalysts or other additives, and its stereoselectivity can be tuned by selecting appropriate solvent mixtures. The reaction's scope and tolerance towards functional groups, including light-sensitive halogens, free acids and alcohols, were studied, providing reliable access to a wide variety of ß,γ-unsaturated ketones. This methodology details the deconjugation of a wide range of unsaturated ketones and, when combined with olefin metathesis, provides an efficient process for either dehomologation or one-carbon double-bond migration of terminal alkenes.

Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Different Isolates of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici to Exploit the Differentially Expressed Proteins Responsible for Virulence on Tomato Plants.

The vascular wilt of tomato caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici is an important soil borne pathogen causes severe yield loss. The molecular characterization and their interaction with its host is necessary to develop a protection strategy. 20 isolates of F. oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici (FOL) were isolated from wilt infected tomato plants across Tamil Nadu. They were subjected to cultural, morphological, molecular and virulence studies. The results revealed that all the isolates produced both micro and macro conidia with different size, number of cells. The colors of the culture and growth pattern were also varied. In addition, chlamydospores were observed terminally and intercalary. The PCR analysis with F. oxysporum species-specific primer significantly amplified an amplicon of 600 bp fragment in all the isolates. Based on the above characters and pathogenicity, isolate FOL-8 was considered as virulent and FOL-20 was considered as least virulent. Proteomics strategy was adopted to determine the virulence factors between the isolates of FOL-8 and FOL-20. The 2D analyses have showed the differential expression of 17 different proteins. Among them, three proteins were down regulated and 14 proteins were significantly up regulated in FOL-8 than FOL-20 isolate. Among the 17 proteins, 10 distinct spots were analyzed by MALDI-TOF. The functions of the analyzed proteins, suggested that they were involved in pathogenicity, symptom expression and disease development, sporulation, growth, and higher penetration rate on tomato root tissue. Overall, these experiments proves the role of proteome in pathogenicity of F. oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici in tomato and unravels the mechanism behinds the virulence of the pathogen in causing wilt disease.

Ruthenium(II)-Catalyzed Redox-Neutral Oxidative Cyclization of Benzimidates with Alkenes with Hydrogen Evolution.

1H-Isoindoles and 2H-isoindoles are synthesized via a ruthenium-catalyzed oxidant-free cyclization of benzimidates with alkenes at room temperature with the liberation of H2. Later, 1H-isoindoles were converted into nitrogen-containing heterocycles. The proposed reaction mechanism was strongly supported by experimental evidence and DFT calculations.

Recent advances in the ruthenium(ii)-catalyzed chelation-assisted C-H olefination of substituted aromatics, alkenes and heteroaromatics with alkenes via the deprotonation pathway.

The transition-metal-catalyzed chelation-assisted alkenylation at the inert C-H bond of aromatics with alkenes is one of the efficient methods to synthesize substituted vinylarenes in a highly regio- and stereoselective manner. Palladium, rhodium and ruthenium complexes are frequently used as catalysts for this type of transformation. The present review describes the recent advances in the ruthenium-catalyzed chelation-assisted alkenylation at the C-H bond of aromatics, alkenes and heteroaromatics with alkenes via the deprotonation pathway. Several directing groups including 2-pyridyl, carbonyl, amidine, amide, amine, imidate, sulphonic acid, triazole, cyano, oxazolidinone and hydontoin are widely used in the reaction. The scope, limitation and mechanistic investigation of the alkenylation reactions are discussed elaborately. This feature article includes all the reported ruthenium-catalyzed alkenylation reactions via the deprotonation pathway until the end of March 2017.

Temperature-controlled redox-neutral ruthenium(ii)-catalyzed regioselective allylation of benzamides with allylic acetates.

Substituted aromatic amides reacted efficiently with allylic acetates in the presence of a cationic ruthenium complex in ClCH2CH2Cl at room temperature providing ortho allylated benzamides in a highly regioselective manner without any oxidant and base. The whole catalytic reaction occurred in a Ru(ii) oxidation state and thus the oxidation step is avoided. By tuning the reaction temperature, ortho allyl and vinyl benzamides were prepared exclusively. Later, ortho allyl and vinylated benzamides were converted into biologically useful six- and five-membered benzolactones in the presence of HCl.

Recent advances in the ruthenium-catalyzed hydroarylation of alkynes with aromatics: synthesis of trisubstituted alkenes.

The hydroarylation of alkynes with substituted aromatics in the presence of a metal catalyst via chelation-assisted C-H bond activation is a powerful method to synthesize trisubstituted alkenes. Chelation-assisted C-H bond activation can be done by two ways: (a) an oxidative addition pathway and (b) a deprotonation pathway. Generally, a mixture of cis and trans stereoisomeric as well as regioisomeric trisubstituted alkenes was observed in an oxidative addition pathway. In the deprotonation pathway, the hydroarylation reaction can be done in a highly regio- and stereoselective manner, and enables preparation of the expected trisubstituted alkenes in a highly selective manner. Generally, ruthenium, rhodium and cobalt complexes are used as catalysts in the reaction. In this review, a ruthenium-catalyzed hydroarylation of alkynes with substituted aromatics is covered completely. The hydroarylation reaction of alkynes with amide, azole, carbamate, phosphine oxide, amine, acetyl, sulfoxide and sulphur directed aromatics is discussed.

Ruthenium-Catalyzed Oxidant-Free Allylation of Aromatic Ketoximes with Allylic Acetates at Room Temperature.

Substituted aromatic ketoximes reacted efficiently with allylic acetates in the presence of {[RuCl2(p-cymene)]2} and AgSbF6 in 1,2-dichloroethane at ambient temperature, providing ortho-allyl aromatic ketoximes in a highly regioselective manner without an oxidant. In the reaction, the acetate group of allyl acetate acts as a base to activate the C-H bond of aromatics. Later, ortho-allyl aromatic ketoximes were converted into ortho-allyl aromatic ketones in the presence of HCl.

Ruthenium(III) S-methylisothiosemicarbazone Schiff base complexes bearing PPh3/AsPh3 coligand: synthesis, structure and biological investigations, including antioxidant, DNA and protein interaction, and in vitro anticancer activities.

New Ru(III) isothiosemicarbazone complexes [RuCl(EPh3)L(1-4)] (E=P or As) were obtained from the reactions between [RuCl3(EPh3)3] and bis(salicylaldehyde)-S-methylisothiosemicarbazone (H2L(1-3))/bis(2-hydroxy-naphthaldehyde)-S-methylisothiosemicarbazone (H2L(4)) ligands. The new complexes were characterized by using elemental analyses and various spectral (UV-Vis, IR, (1)H NMR, FAB-Mass and EPR) methods. The redox properties of the complexes were studied by using cyclic voltammetric method. The new complexes were subjected to various biological investigations such as antioxidant assays involving DPPH radical, hydroxyl radical, nitric oxide radical and hydrogen peroxide, DNA/protein interaction studies and in vitro cytotoxic studies against human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). New complexes showed excellent free radicals scavenging ability and could bind with DNA via intercalation. Protein binding studies using fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the new complexes could bind strongly with bovine serum albumin (BSA). Photo cleavage experiments using DNA of E-coli bacterium exhibited the DNA cleavage ability of the complexes. Further, the in vitro anticancer activity studies on the new complexes against MCF-7 cell line exhibited the ability of Ru(III) isothiosemicarbazone complexes to suppress the development of malignant neoplastic disease cells.

Ruthenium-catalyzed cyclization of anilides with substituted propiolates or acrylates: an efficient route to 2-quinolinones.

A Ru-catalyzed cyclization of anilides with propiolates or acrylates affording 2-quinolinones having diverse functional groups in good to excellent yields is described. Later, 2-quinolinones were converted into 3-halo-2-quinolinones and 2-chloroquinolines. The proposed mechanism was strongly supported by experimental evidence and deuterium labeling studies.

Ruthenium-catalyzed dimerization of propiolates: a simple route to α-pyrones.

A ruthenium-catalyzed regioselective intermolecular multistep homo- and heterodimerization of substituted propiolates providing α-pyrone-5-carboxylates and α-pyrone-6-carboxylates is described. The synthetic utilities of α-pyrone derivatives are shown. The proposed mechanism is strongly supported by experimental evidence.

Ruthenium-catalyzed hydroarylation of anilides with alkynes: an efficient route to ortho-alkenylated anilines.

Acetanilides reacted with symmetrical as well as unsymmetrical alkynes in the presence of [{RuCl2(p-cymene)}2], pivalic acid, and AgSbF6 in iso-PrOH providing ortho-alkenylated acetanilides in a highly regio- and stereoselective manner. Later, ortho-alkenylated acetanilides were converted into ortho-alkenylated anilines in the presence of HCl.

Synthesis, characterization and crystal structure of cobalt(III) complexes containing 2-acetylpyridine thiosemicarbazones: DNA/protein interaction, radical scavenging and cytotoxic activities.

The synthesis, structure and biological studies of cobalt(III) complexes supported by NNS-tridentate ligands are reported. Reactions of 2-acetylpyridine N-substituted thiosemicarbazone (HL(1-3)) with [CoCl2(PPh3)2] resulted [Co(L(1-3))2]Cl (1-3) which were characterized by elemental analysis and various spectral studies. The molecular structure of the complex 1 has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. In vitro DNA binding studies of complexes 1-3 carried out by fluorescence studies and the results revealed the binding of complexes to DNA via intercalation. The binding constant (Kb) values of complexes 1-3 from fluorescence experiments showed that the complex 3 has greater binding propensity for DNA. The DNA cleavage activity of the complexes 1 and 3 were ascertained by gel electrophoresis assay which revealed that the complexes are good DNA cleavage agents. Further, the interactions of the complexes with bovine serum albumin (BSA) were also investigated using fluorescence spectroscopic method, which showed that the complexes 1-3 could bind strongly with BSA. The antioxidant property of the complexes was evaluated to test their free-radical scavenging ability. Furthermore, in vitro cytotoxicity of the complexes against MCF-7 and A431 cell lines was assayed which showed higher activity and efficiently vanished the cancer cells even at low concentrations.

Ruthenium-catalyzed aerobic oxidative cyclization of aromatic and heteroaromatic nitriles with alkynes: a new route to isoquinolones.

The oxidative cyclization of aromatic and heteroaromatic nitriles with alkynes in the presence of a catalytic amount of [{RuCl2(p-cymene)}2], Cu(OAc)2·H2O and KPF6 in acetic acid under air gave isoquinolones in good to excellent yields.