Presently world is on a war with the novel coronavirus and with no immediate treatments available the scourge caused by the SARS-CoV-2 is increasing day by day. A lot of researches are going on for the potential drug candidate that could help the healthcare system in this fight. Plants are a natural data bank of bioactive compounds. Many phytochemicals are being studied for various ailments including cancer, bacterial and viral infections, etc. The present study aims to screen 38 bioactive compounds from 5 selected plants viz., Azadirachta indica , Curcuma longa , Zingiber officinale , Ocimum basilicum and Panax ginseng against SARS-CoV-2. Lipinski’s rule was taken as the foundation for initial screening. Shortlisted compounds were subjected to molecular docking study with M pro receptor present in SARS-CoV-2. The study identified that gedunin, epoxyazadiradione, nimbin and ginsenosides have potential to inhibit M pro activity and their binding energies are − 9.51 kcal/mol, − 8.47 kcal/mol, − 8.66 kcal/mol and − 9.63 kcal/mol respectively. Based on bioavailability radar studies gedunin and epoxyazadiradione are the two most potent compounds which are used for molecular dynamics simulation studies. Molecular dynamics studies showed that gedunin is more potent than epoxyazadiradione. To find the effectiveness and to propose the exact mechanism, in-vitro studies can be further performed on gedunin.

This research reports the experimental outcomes of potentiodynamic analysis of the steel reinforcement in carbonated and uncarbonated high-volume fly-ash concrete powder solution extracts (CPSE). Different percentages of fly-ash content have been used to form a high-volume fly-ash concrete (0%, 20%, 40%, 50%, 60%, and 70%) with three different types of steel reinforced. Three different water-to-binder ratios (0.35, 0.40, and 0.45) have been used to form the reinforced concrete. The different zones of corrosion were observed through the anodic polarization curve, which was obtained through the potentiodynamic linear sweep test. It has indeed been demonstrated that concrete with up to 50% fly ash shows better resistance against carbonation, as compared to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) concrete. Fully active anodic polarization curve is obtained for carbonated concrete. Corrosion-resistant steel performed better as compared to TATA TMT and SISCON TMT types of steel. The ANOVA also verifies the experimental observation, which shows that the content of fly ash and types of steel decide the extent of corrosion in the concrete. It has also been observed that the interaction between the fly-ash content and water-binder proportion and also the interaction between fly ash and the type of steel show the strong effect on the corrosion activity, which decides the extent of different zones of corrosion.

Cancer is recognized as one of the main causes of mortality worldwide by the World Health Organization. The high cost of currently available cancer therapy and certain limitations of current treatment make it necessary to search for novel, cost-effective, and efficient methods of cancer treatment. Therefore, in the current investigation, sixty-two compounds from five medicinal plants (Tinospora cordifolia, Ocimum tenuiflorum, Podophyllum hexandrum, Andrographis paniculata, and Beta vulgaris) and two proteins that are associated with breast cancer, i.e., HER4/ErbB4 kinase and ERα were selected. Selected compounds were screened using Lipinski’s rule, which resulted in eighteen molecules being ruled out. The remaining forty-four compounds were then taken forward for docking studies followed by molecular dynamics studies of the best screened complexes. Results showed that isocolumbin, isopropylideneandrographolide, and 14-acetylandrographolide were potential lead compounds against the selected breast cancer receptors. Furthermore, in vitro studies are required to confirm the efficacy of the lead compounds.

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The goal of this study was to determine the coefficient of permeability as well as the rate of carbonation of concrete constructed with rice husk ash (RHA) as a partial replacement for cement (i.e., 5%, 10%, and 15%) and two different concentrations of soap solutions (i.e., 1 percent and 2 percent). The microstructural studies of RHA, and carbonated samples have been conducted by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis. According to this study, the carbonation depth of concrete made with 1% and 2% soap solution concentration and without rice husk ash decreased by 11.89% and 46.55%, respectively. From the results, it may also be observed that the carbonation depth of concrete made with up to 10% replacement of cement by rice husk ash led to maximum carbonation resistance, while more than 10% replacement of cement showed higher carbonation depth. It is also observed that the coefficient of permeability of concrete with 2% soap solution significantly decreased as compared to the 1% soap solution and control mix. It may be observed from the SEM images that 0% soap solution (M1) concrete has a very rough concrete surface which may indicate more voids. However, 2% soap solution concrete has a much smoother surface, which indicates a smaller number of voids. Furthermore, the SEM images showed that the soap solution helps in filling the voids of concrete which ultimately helps in reduction in permeability. Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX) of concrete with 0% (M1) and 2% (M6) soap solution disclosed that the concrete with 2% soap solution (M6) exhibited more silica element formation than the concrete with no soap solution (M1).

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