No abstract

SARS-CoV-2, the viral particle, is responsible for triggering the 2019 Coronavirus disease outbreak (COVID-19). To tackle this situation, a number of strategies are being devised to either create an antidote, a vaccine, or agents capable of preventing its infection. To enable research on these strategies, numerous target proteins are identified where Spike (S) protein is presumed to be of immense potential. S-protein interacts with human angiotensin-converting-enzyme-2 (ACE2) for cell entry. The key region of S-protein that interacts with ACE2 is a portion of it designated as a receptor-binding domain (RBD), following whereby the viral membrane fuses with the alveolar membrane to enter the human cell. The proposition is to recognise molecules from the bundle of phytochemicals of medicinal plants known to possess antiviral potentials as a lead that could interact and mask RBD, rendering them unavailable to form ACE2 interactions. Such a molecule is called the 'S-protein blocker’. A total of 110 phytochemicals from Withania somnifera , Asparagus racemosus, Zinziber officinalis , Allium sativum , Curcuma longa and Adhatoda vasica were used in the study, of which Racemoside A, Ashwagandhanolide, Withanoside VI, Withanoside IV and Racemoside C were identified as top five hits using molecular docking. Further, essential Pharmacophore features and their ADMET profiles of these compounds were studied following to which the best three hits were analyzed for their interaction with RBD using Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation. Binding free energy calculations were performed using MM/GBSA, proving these phytochemicals can serve as S-protein blocker.

Globally more than half of the pesticides are utilized in Asia. India stands 12th in pesticide use globally and 3rd in Asia after China and Turkey. In present study, the data of different types of pesticides, pesticide use pattern and detailed pesticide consumption of the India and world were collected, organized and summarized. Agriculture is the most important sector of the Indian economy providing employment and livelihood to nearly 70% of the total population. And pesticides are an integral part of modern agriculture. Insecticides, fungicides and herbicides are commonly used for pest control in agriculture. However, insecticides form the highest share in total pesticide use in India. India share only1% of the global pesticide use. India has utilized around 58160 tonnes of pesticide in 2018. Per hectare application rate of pesticide was 0.31 kg in 2017. Despite a low per hectare use of pesticides in India, their injudicious use has led to the presence of residues in both biotic and abiotic sections of the environment. The advance research and development in the field of bio-pesticides applications greatly reduce the environmental pollution caused by the chemical synthetic insecticides residues and promotes sustainable development of agriculture. In India numerous bio-pesticides presently being developed may be exceptional replacements to chemical pesticides. There are many eco-friendly plant based and microbial bio-pesticides available in the market. Bio-pesticides consumption is only 8% in India. For sustainable agricultural development and to protect environment from adverse effect of chemical pesticides, formulation and utilization of bio-pesticides should be prompted.

Mangroves are coastal wetland forests established in the intertidal zones of estuaries, backwaters, deltas, creeks, lagoons, marshes and mudflats of tropical and subtropical latitudes. World-wide mangroves are disappearing at an alarming rate. Mangroves form one of the most important ecosystems of coastal areas. In real sense, mangrove is the Kalpvriksh (divine tree which fulfills all the desires) for the coastal communities. It nurtures and safeguards the local ecology of the coastal areas and provides livelihood options to the fishermen and pastoral families. Amongst the maritime States of India, Gujarat has the second highest mangrove cover after West Bengal. Additionally, during last three decades Gujarat has more than doubled its mangrove cover. In Gujarat State, mangroves are well developed in Lakhpat taluka (block) situated in Kachchh district. In recent past, Gulf of Kachchh experienced both natural and anthropogenic changes which made it a distinctive site to analyze how natural processes and anthropogenic activities determine the changes in mangrove vegetation density and health of mangroves in coastal areas.Multi-temporal Landsat TM data covering Lakhpat taluka (block) of February-1995 Sentinel-2 multi-spectral data (spatial resolution 10 m) of April-2017 was analysed. The mangrove vegetation around the coastal areas was identified and classified into dense and sparse density classes based on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) thresholding approach. The health assessment of mangroves in Lakhpat taluka was attempted using Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach including various parameters like mangrove density based on NDVI, Distance of mangroves from human settlement, Distance of mangrove from Industries and Ports which have direct impact of growth and health of mangroves, Erosion/ Accretion over the period of last 22 years and availability of Saline water flow during the high tide for good mangrove growth. The buffers layers of various distances for example, 0 to 10 km, 10 to 20 km and 20 to 35 km were generated from the existing mangroves using Sentinel-2 multi-spectral image in GIS environment.The results indicate that the NDVI which is single parameter indicating the mangrove stand / vigour, growth condition and resulting health of mangroves in the area. This factor has been given highest weightage as compared to other parameters. The major anthropogenic factors like human Pressure and presence of Industries and Ports have negative impact on the mangrove health. Therefore, it was observed that presence of human settlements and Industries and Ports with the buffer region of 0 to 10 km distances from mangroves are unhealthy or prone to degradation in this region. The results of health assessment are very useful for sustainable planning and management of mangroves in the coastal areas of Lakhpat Taluka. The mangrove restoration and regeneration activity needs to be carried out as suggested by Upadhyay et al., 2015 with active participation of Community Based Organizations (...

Inhibitor design associated with the dynamics of dengue envelope protein at pre-fusion stage is a prominent strategy to interfere fusion transition of dengue virus with the host cell membrane. Receptor-guided de novo inhibitors were designed based on the knowledge of co-crystallized detergent, β-octyl glucoside. Pharmacophore features distribution showed the preference of aromatic groups with H bonding features connected to aliphatic bulky group as the skeleton for inhibitor design. Molecular dynamic simulations revealed (2R)-2-[(6-amino-1-oxohexan-2-yl)amino]-4-[6-(4-phenylpiperidine-1-yl)-1,2-benzoxazol-3-yl]butanoate as the probable binder which developed extensive conservative interactions despite the local pocket residues movements especially from kl β-hairpin, the key structural unit for initiating conformational changes required for fusion transition. The electronic and hydrophobic potentials also indicated that butanoate molecule as the initial lead for envelope protein inhibitors.

No abstract

Turbidity is an optical determination of water clarity. It is one of the most important optically active water parameter to assess the water quality through the remote sensing observations. Turbidity measurements come from suspension of sediment such as silt or clay, inorganic materials, or organic matter such as algae, plankton and decaying material. Turbidity and total suspended matter often overlap each other. However, it is not a direct measurement of the total suspended materials in water. Instead, as a measure of relative clarity, turbidity is often used to indicate changes in the total suspended solids concentration in water without providing an exact measurement of solids. Through remote sensing we can monitor the turbidity in large water bodies, rives, coastal areas etc. An algorithm has been developed to estimate the turbidity (in NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Unit) over inland waters (Ukai reservoir) using empirical relationship between normalized Green and Red bands (NDTI : Normalized Difference Turbidity Index) of Resourcesat-2 and Resourcsat-2A Linear Imaging Self Scanning-III (RS2 and R2A LISS-III) dataset. Derived algorithm shows a strong coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.97) with the in-situ turbidity measurements. The field measurements were carried out over Ukai reservoir on 27-28th March 2018, where synchronous in situ water leaving reflectance and turbidity were measured. Model was derived between in situ measured turbidity and NDTI derived from spectral reflectance of band 2 (Green) and band 3 (Red) of RS2 and R2A LISS-III. The model was applied to derive the turbidity maps of Ukai reservoir for pre-monsoon (March, April and May months) season during the period 2012 to 2018. Overall turbidity ranges from 1.47-20 NTU during the field data collection of pre-monsoon season and overall scene derived turbidity ranges are between 2 – 33 NTU. The highest observed turbidity value was more than fourteen times greater than the lowest value that shows the natural variability within the reservoir for the same season. Remotely sensed data sets can increase the abilities of water resources researchers and decision making persons to monitor waterbodies more effectively and frequently.

The major part of Gujarat in Western India is arid to semi arid with an average annual rainfall of about 500-700 mm. Baroda is an important industrial center of India situated in Gujarat. The city has experienced a heavy influx of population with a rise in industrialization. This has re.sulted in scarcity of water in the city area. Water pollution has become a major issue in the development of surface and groundwater resources for the protection of the fragile ecosystem. In the present chapter the quality of drinking water, and techniques for water harvesting, are discussed. The main sources of pollution are the industrial effiuents from industries producing, for example, fertilizers, petrochemicals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, corrosive materials, organic wastes etc. The domestic sector also produces solid and liquid wastes. In all, 26 physico-chemical parameters and a few heavy metals were analyzed season-wise for a period of 2 y in the five ponds of Baroda city, to study the impact of urbanization and industrialization on the quality of the water. Parameters like pH, turbidity, total hardness, sulfates, chlorides, fluorides, TDS, BOD, COD, DO etc were estimated and are discussed in the chapter. All the studied parameters were in higher concentrations than the control. This is because of biotic activities in the pond, such as the decomposition of