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The human microbiome plays a key role in maintaining host homeostasis and is influenced by age, geography, diet, and other factors. Traditionally, India has an established convention of extended family arrangements wherein three or more generations, bound by genetic relatedness, stay in the same household. In the present study, we have utilized this unique family arrangement to understand the association of age with the microbiome. We characterized stool, oral and skin microbiome of 54 healthy individuals from six joint families by 16S rRNA gene-based metagenomics. In total, 69 (1.03%), 293 (2.68%) and 190 (8.66%) differentially abundant OTUs were detected across three generations in the gut, skin and oral microbiome, respectively. Age-associated changes in the gut and oral microbiome of patrilineal families showed positive correlations in the abundance of phyla Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria, respectively. Genera Treponema and Fusobacterium showed a positive correlation with age while Granulicatella and Streptococcus showed a negative correlation with age in the oral microbiome. Members of genus Prevotella illustrated high abundance and prevalence as a core OTUs in the gut and oral microbiome. In conclusion, this study highlights that precise and perceptible association of age with microbiome can be drawn when other causal factors are kept constant.

Proteases are unique class of industrial biocatalyst; occupy a key chair with respect to wide range of utility in both physiological and commercial sector. Repertoire of various enzyme assays were suggested for determining enzyme units of protease. Majority of currently reported assays are expensive, time consuming and cumbersome. In this direction, a development of speedy and sensitive quantitative enzyme assay for the characterization of proteases is highly desirable. The present investigation reported a quick method for characterization of proteases using single substrate-agarose plate method. A trypsin (obtained from bovine pancreas) and bacterial protease (serine protease of Bacillus circulans MTCC 7942) on subsequent interaction with proteinaceous substrate gives proteolytic zone on substrate-agarose plate. The clear zone diameter of proteolysis was directly proportional to enzyme units of protease. Furthermore, enzyme activities of protease treated with various chemical activator/inhibitor gives vis-à-vis response and yielded significant data. The biochemical characteristics of proteases are documented using rapid single substrate-agarose plate method. A rapid, sensitive and reliable improved quantitative protease assay using single substrate-agarose plate method could be used at academic, research and commercial level.

Nanoscale undoped and cerium (Ce) doped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films have been synthesized by sol gel spin coating technique on glass substrate with optimum post annealing temperature of 375 °C. We have investigated that incorporation of cerium in ZnO could alter the morphological, optical and photoluminescence properties of the deposited samples. The X-ray diffraction spectrum reveals that all the synthesized samples have hexagonal wurtzite structure and show strong peak preferentially oriented along the (002) c-axis direction of the substrate. The crystalline size of undoped and Ce doped ZnO thin films were deduced to be 30 and 15 nm respectively, which signifies that the crystalline size has been decreased with cerium doping. From the optical studies, the average transmittance of both the films exhibited more than 90 % transparency in visible region (400–700 nm). Moreover, the optical band gap of Ce doped ZnO thin films increases from 3.235 to 3.278 eV. Field emission scanning electron microscopy study reveals uniform granular structure of the prepared samples. Mighty peak observed at 398 nm got broadened and less intense due to cerium doping and other shoulder peaks almost vanished as investigated from photoluminescence spectra.

Blue luminescence has been realized from ternary alloy compound of Ba 0.05 Zn 0.95 O nanostructure. Ba 0.05 Zn 0.95 O nanostructure was synthesized by sol–gel spin coating method on a glass substrate. The deposited samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), UV–visible spectrophotometer, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and photoluminescence (PL). XRD pattern of Ba 0.05 Zn 0.95 O nanostructure film reveals polycrystalline nature with hexagonal wurtzite structure. FESEM-EDAX analysis shows that Ba was successfully incorporated into ZnO with uniform granular nanostructure having average grain size of 30 nm. Analysis of transmission, band gap and thickness have been carried out to investigate effect of post annealing temperature. All the deposited samples exhibit more than 95 % transparency in the visible region. It was observed that the average transmission of the deposited films gradually increase with increasing annealing temperature. Thickness of the synthesized samples were found to be decrease with an increase in post annealing temperature. Optical band gap energy was found to be increased from 3.182 to 3.28 eV with increasing annealing temperature. The dominant peak at 467 nm corresponding to the intense blue emission in the visible range was observed in the PL spectra.

Blue luminescence has been realized from ternary alloy compound of Ba0.05Zn0.95O nanostructure. Ba0.05Zn0.95O nanostructure was synthesized by sol-gel spin coating method on a glass substrate. The deposited samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), UV-visible spectrophotometer, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and photoluminescence (PL). XRD pattern of Ba0.05Zn0.95O nanostructure film reveals polycrystalline nature with hexagonal wurtzite structure. FESEM-EDAX analysis shows that Ba was successfully incorporated into ZnO with uniform granular nanostructure having average grain size of 30 nm. Analysis of transmission, band gap and thickness have been carried out to investigate effect of post annealing temperature. All the deposited samples exhibit more than 95 % transparency in the visible region. It was observed that the average transmission of the deposited films gradually increase with increasing annealing temperature. Thickness of the synthesized samples were found to be decrease with an increase in post annealing temperature. Optical band gap energy was found to be increased from 3.182 to 3.28 eV with increasing annealing temperature. The dominant peak at 467 nm corresponding to the intense blue emission in the visible range was observed in the PL spectra.

Blue luminescence has been realized from ternary alloy compound of Ba sub(0.05)Zn sub(0.95)O nanostructure. Ba sub(0.05)Zn sub(0.95)O nanostructure was synthesized by sol-gel spin coating method on a glass substrate. The deposited samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), UV-visible spectrophotometer, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and photoluminescence (PL). XRD pattern of Ba sub(0.05)Zn sub(0.95)O nanostructure film reveals polycrystalline nature with hexagonal wurtzite structure. FESEM-EDAX analysis shows that Ba was successfully incorporated into ZnO with uniform granular nanostructure having average grain size of 30 nm. Analysis of transmission, band gap and thickness have been carried out to investigate effect of post annealing temperature. All the deposited samples exhibit more than 95 % transparency in the visible region. It was observed that the average transmission of the deposited films gradually increase with increasing annealing temperature. Thickness of the synthesized samples were found to be decrease with an increase in post annealing temperature. Optical band gap energy was found to be increased from 3.182 to 3.28 eV with increasing annealing temperature. The dominant peak at 467 nm corresponding to the intense blue emission in the visible range was observed in the PL spectra.

In this paper, the effect of post annealing temperature for 5% Cerium doped ZnO thin films have been investigated. Films have been deposited on to the glass substrate using spin coating method. The structural and optical properties of the films were characterized using X-ray diffractometer and UV-spectrophotometer. Transmission of the films was found to be increase with increasing post annealing temperature. Average transmission of all the films was found to be more than 90%. Optical band gap show a minor variation with post annealing temperature. Nanostructures of cerium doped ZnO have been confirmed through AFM.