A new porous Co(II)-salicylate metal-organic framework material has been synthesized hydrothermally through the reaction of Co(II) chloride with sodium salicylate under mild alkaline pH conditions. To get an idea about the structural aspect of the material from the powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) pattern, MAUD program has been successfully utilized and the assigned peaks match very well with a new tetragonal phase (space group, P4mm) having the unit cell parameters: a = b = 12.957 (0.042) Å; c = 12.738 (0.019) Å; α = β = γ = 90°, V = 2138.73 Å(3). N(2) adsorption/desorption analyses suggested the material is highly porous in nature having high BET surface area and pore dimensions of 2.0-3.0 nm, which is within the range of small mesopores. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that the H(2)O molecules may be removed from the framework without collapsing the structure and the material is stable up to ca. 573 K. The material is characterized thoroughly by using different characterization tools such as TEM, SEM, UV-visible reflectance spectroscopy, FT IR spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analysis was employed to understand the oxidation state of the cobalt atom and presence of other elements within the framework. The material shows interesting magnetic properties, where the magnetic moments monotonically increase with the decrease in temperature down to 9 K. Below 9 K there is a steep increase in magnetization on further lowering the temperature, thereby suggesting the onset of a long range ferromagnetic transition with ferromagnetic Curie temperature, T(C) = 8.5 K. Furthermore, the M-H curve at 2 K shows a clear hysteresis loop with a coercive field 150 Oe and remnant magnetization 0.8 μ(B)/f.u.

Background The recent outbreak of novel SARs CoVid-2 across the globe and absence of specific drug against this virus lead the scientific community to look into some alternative indigenous treatments. India as a hub of ayurvedic and medicinal plants can shed light on its treatment using specific active bio-molecules from these plants. Objectives Keeping our herbal resources in mind we were interested to inquire whether some phytochemicals from Indian spices and medicinal plants can be used as alternative therapeutic agents in contrast to synthetic drugs. Materials and methods We used in-silico molecular docking approach to test whether bioactive molecules of herbal origin such as Hyperoside, Nimbaflavone, Ursolic acid, 6-gingerol, 6-shogaol& 6-paradol, Curcumin, Catechins&Epigallocatechin, α-Hederin, Piperine could bind and potentially block theM pro enzyme of Sars-CoV-2 virus. Results Ursolic acid showed the highest docking score (-8.7 kcal/mol) followed by Hyperoside (-8.6kcal/mol), α-Hederin (-8.5 kcal/mol) and Nimbaflavone (-8.0kcal/mol). Epigallocatechin, Catechins, and Curcumin also exhibited high binding affinity (Docking score -7.3, -7.1 and -7.1 kcal/mol) with the M pro . Rest of the tested phytochemicals exhibited moderate binding and inhibitory effects. Conclusion This finding provides a basis for biochemical assay on Sars-CoV-2 virus.

Nanoparticles of Y2NiMnO6 having diameters around 20 nm were synthesized by a sol-gel method. X-ray data were analysed by Rietveld method. This showed the crystals to have monoclinic structure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies showed a ratio of Mn3+/Mn4+ equal to 0.64 to be present in the nanocrystals. A small polaron hopping conduction model was found to satisfactorily explain the electrical resistivity behaviour of the samples. The latter exhibited ferromagnetic (FM) properties with a Curie temperature around 92 K. This behaviour was ascribed to a ferromagnetic superexchange interaction between Mn4+ and Ni2+ ions. Spin glass behaviour was ruled out on the basis of ac magnetic susceptibility data. The nanocrystals exhibited a peak in the dielectric constant at a temperature 535 K indicating a ferroelectric transition. This is consistent with the recent theoretical prediction made on the basis of density functional calculations.

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common type of cancer and an important contributor to female mortality. Several genes and epigenetic modifications are involved in the development and progression of BC. Research in phytochemistry, nutrigenomics, and nutrigenetics has provided strong evidence that certain phytonutrients are able to modulate gene expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Such phytonutrients may also be beneficial to prevent and treat BC. In this review, we will focus on the nutrigenomic effects of various phytochemicals including polyphenols, phytosterols, terpenoids, alkaloids, and other compounds from different sources. Overall, these phytonutrients are found to inhibit BC cell proliferation, differentiation, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and induce apoptotic cell death by targeting various molecular pathways. They also alter epigenetic mechanisms and enhance the chemosensitivity and radiosensitivity of cancer cells. Such phytochemicals may be used for the effective management of BC patients in the clinical setting in the future. The present article aims to summarize the specific molecular pathways involved in the genetic effects of phytochemicals in BC.

We discuss the effect of the in-plane electric field on the Raman spectroscopy for few-layered MoS 2. The characteristic Raman modes of MoS 2 show gradual red shift, while the intensity increases by 45-50% as the electric field is increased, showing a large electro-optical effect. Structural analysis suggests that our few-layered MoS 2 belongs to P6/m2 space group with broken inversion symmetry. We attribute this gradual red shift to this broken symmetry-driven piezoelectricity in MoS 2 , which generates tensile strain along the perpendicular direction when the electric field is applied. The enhancement of the effect upon reversing the electric field direction adds credence to our interpretation. Our first principal density-functional theory calculation further substantiates the claim. This optical probing of the electromechanical coupling may lead to applications as a nonextensive technique for electric field/strain sensors in the nanoelectronics devices.