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A field experiment was conducted during, winter seasons 2014-15 and 2015-16 to evaluate the weed management practices in garlic. The experiment was conducted in a split plot design having straw mulch treatments in main plot (0, 5 t/ha and 10 t/ha) and weed control treatment, viz. pendimethalin 1.0 kg/ha (pre-emergence), oxyfluorfen 0.223 kg/ha (pre-emergence) manual weeding (2) and weedy check. Application of mulch at 10 t/ha declined the weed population and recorded significantly lower weed density and higher weed control efficiency (71.65 and 75.17%), and higher growth and yield (2.08 and 2.72 t/ha) of garlic as compared to without mulch treatment. Among the weed control measures, application of oxyfluorfen 0.223 kg/ha recorded significantly lower weed density (55.9 and 70.89 m 2 ) and higher growth and yield (2.05 and 2.53 t/ha) of garlic as compared to weedy check, but it was at par with pendimethalin 1.0 kg/ha application. Maximum BCR (1.19 and 2.18) was recorded under the paddy straw mulch applied at 10 t/ha and oxyfluorfen 0.223 kg/ha (1.11 and 2.14) as pre-emergence application.

The fruiting bodies and the submerged cultured mycelia of 16 higher Basidiomycetes mushrooms- Agaricus bisporus, Armillaria mellea, Auricularia auricula-judae, Ganoderma applanatum, G. lucidum, Laetiporus sulphureus, Lentinus tigrinus, Lycoperdon pyriforme, Phellinus linteus, Pleurotus ostreatus, P. sajor-caju, Polyporus arcularius, Russula brevipes, Schizophyllum commune, Sparassis crispa, and Spongipellis unicolor-from different taxonomic groups were examined for their antioxidant capacity (AOXC) and total phenolics content (TPC). Extraction of the freeze-dried and pulverized fruiting bodies and mycelia with methanol and water (8:2, v/v), followed by evaporation of the solvent under a vacuum, created their extracts, which were analyzed for their AOXC and TPC using a DPPH· scavenging assay and the Folin-Ciocalteu method, respectively. The fruiting bodies and the culture mycelia of all the mushroom species exhibited varied antioxidant capacity; however, the fruiting bodies had more potent DPPH· scavenging than the corresponding mycelia irrespective of the mushroom species, as evident by the effective concentrations of extract that scavenges 50% of DPPH· (EC50) of the former (0.56-1.24 mg mL-1) being lower than those of the latter (2.51-8.39 mg mL-1). TPC in the fruiting bodies (6.08-24.85 mg gallic acid equivalent [GAE] g-1) were higher than those in the mycelia (4.17-13.34 mg GAE g-1). AOXC of the fruiting bodies (r = -0.755) and the culture mycelia (r = -0.903) also was correlated to their TPC. Among the cultured mycelia, A. bisporus, A. mellea, L. tigrinus, P. ostreatus, and S. crispa were highly promising in terms of their highest TPC (10.55, 13.34, 11.00, 10.37, and 10.19 mg GAE g-1, respectively) and the lowest EC50 values (3.33, 2.85, 2.51, 3.65, and 3.17 mg mL-1, respectively) as they relate to the development of antioxidants.

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Purpose This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of substituting different concentrations of sesame, soy butter, dried moringa leaves and coconut powder on the physicochemical and sensory properties especially calcium and protein content of salted and sweet cookies. Design/methodology/approach Cookies were prepared by fortifying refined flour with sesame (T1 and T3) and soy butter (T2 and T4) and further fortified with dried moringa leaves (salted) and coconut (sweet). Linear programing was used to formulate percentage of major ingredients to yield maximum calcium and protein. Cookies were evaluated for physical, textural, colour, nutritional, functional and organoleptic properties and compared with refined flour cookies, C1 (salted) and C2 (sweet). Findings It was observed that fortification significantly decreased the hardness of the test cookies when compared with control. C2 cookies were observed to be the hardest (42.3 N), whereas T2 cookies were the softest (23.7 N). Nutritional and functional components of fortified (T) cookies were significantly (p = 0.01) higher than control (C) cookies, and within T cookies, salted cookies were more nutritious than sweet cookies. Cookies fortified with sesame and dried moringa leaves (T1) contained the highest protein (19 g), calcium (312 mg) and flavonoids (2.0 QE mg/100g) content. Scores on sensory acceptability revealed that T cookies were highly acceptable when compared to cookies for all sensory attributes tested. Research limitations/implications Incorporation of protein and mineral rich natural ingredients like sesame, soy butter, dried moringa leaves and coconut powder has improved the nutritional, functional and sensory properties especially calcium and protein content of salted and sweet cookies. There is tremendous scope for utilisation, commercialization of such plant-based nutrient dense ingredients in variety of food snacks, and this will ensure better nutritional security. Originality/value Fortification of biscuits with sesame, soy butter, dried moringa leaves and coconut powder resulted in to a superior quality of biscuits in terms of its protein, minerals specially calcium, flavonoid content and organoleptic acceptability. These protein and calcium rich biscuits may help in solving many nutritional deficiencies and can add variety to the bakery industry.

KEAP1 (Kelch-like ECH-associated protein), a cytoplasmic repressor of the oxidative stress responsive transcription factor Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), senses the presence of electrophilic agents by modification of its sensor cysteine residues. In addition to xenobiotics, several reactive metabolites have been shown to covalently modify key cysteines on KEAP1, although the full repertoire of these molecules and their respective modifications remain undefined. Here, we report the discovery of sAKZ692, a small molecule identified by high-throughput screening that stimulates NRF2 transcriptional activity in cells by inhibiting the glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase. sAKZ692 treatment promotes the buildup of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, a metabolite which leads to S-lactate modification of cysteine sensor residues of KEAP1, resulting in NRF2-dependent transcription. This work identifies a posttranslational modification of cysteine derived from a reactive central carbon metabolite and helps further define the complex relationship between metabolism and the oxidative stress-sensing machinery of the cell.

A series of 2-chloro-5-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfamoyl]-N-(alkyl/aryl)-4-nitrobenzamide derivatives (5a-5v) has been synthesized and confirmed by physicochemical(R f , melting point) and spectral means (IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR). The results of in vitro antidiabetic study against α-glucosidase indicated that compound 5o bearing 2-CH 3-5-NO 2 substituent on phenyl ring was found to be the most active compound against both enzymes. The electron donating (CH 3) group and electron withdrawing (NO 2) group on a phenyl ring highly favoured the inhibitory activity against these enzymes. The docking simulations study revealed that these synthesized compounds displayed hydrogen bonding, electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions with active site residues. The structure activity relationship studies of these compounds were also corroborated with the help of molecular modeling studies. Molecular dynamic simulations have been done for top most active compound for validating its α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory potential, RMSD analysis of ligand protein complex suggested the stability of top most active compound 5o in binding site of target proteins. In silico ADMET results showed that synthesized compounds were found to have negligible toxicity, good solubility and absorption profile as the synthesized compounds fulfilled Lipinski's rule of 5 and Veber's rule.