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The heavy metal contamination of soil and groundwater is a serious threat to environment worldwide. The survival of human being primarily relies upon soil and groundwater sources. Therefore, the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soil and groundwater is a matter of utmost concern. Heavy metals are non-degradable and persist in the environment and subsequently contaminate the food chain. Heavy metal pollution puts a serious impact on human health and it adversely affects our physical body. Although, numerous in situ conventional technologies have been utilized for the treatment purpose, but most of the techniques have some limitations such as high cost, deterioration of soil properties, disturbances to soil native flora and fauna and intensive labour. Despite that, in situ phytoremediation is a cost-effective, eco-friendly, solar-driven and novel approach with significant public acceptance. The past research reflects rare discussion addressing both (heavy metal in situ phytoremediation of soil and groundwater) in one platform. The present review article covers both the concepts of in situ phytoremediation of soil and groundwater with major emphasis on health risks of heavy metals, enhanced integrated approaches of in situ phytoremediation, mechanisms of in situ phytoremediation along with effective hyperaccumulator plants for heavy metals remediation, challenges and future prospects.

Nanotechnology is a completely unique branch of technology that offers with substances in a very small size between (1–100 nm) with various crystal shapes. Metals have ability to produce large number of oxides. These metal oxides play a major role in many areas of chemistry, physics, material science and food science. In this research, Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and Copper (II) oxide nanoparticles were synthesized via sol–gel process using zinc nitrate and copper (II) nitrate as precursor respectively. The characterization of CuO and ZnO nanoparticles was done by using various techniques. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) indicates the crystallinity and crystal size of CuO and ZnO nanoparticle. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used to get the infrared spectrum of the sample indicating composition of the sample which contains various functional groups. XRD result shows the particle size of CuO at highest peak 29.4014 0 was 61.25 nm and the particle size of ZnO at highest peak 36.2476° was 21.82 nm. FT-IR spectra peak at 594.56 cm- 1 indicated characteristic absorption bands of ZnO nanoparticles and the broad band peak at 3506.9 cm −1 can be attributed to the characteristic absorption of O–H group. The analysis of FT-IR spectrum of CuO shows peaks at 602.09, 678.39, and 730.19 cm −1 which refer to the formation of CuO. SEMimages indicate the morphology of CuO and ZnO nanoparticles. Result of EDX characterization indicates that the both synthesized nanoparticles have good purity with very less amount of impurities. EDX data indicates that Cu content was 54.56%, oxygen content was 33.75% in CuO nanoparticles and Zn determined by EDX was 40.77 and O was 45.82 in ZnO. Graphical Abstract

It is imperative to investigate the effect of addition of different size metallic ions in HAp and study the changes in biocompatibility and mechanical properties. Silver and magnesium ions are two vital ions needed in our body. Silver ions are known to inhibit the microbes, while magnesium ions are known to increase the mechanical properties. The present study reports the comparative properties of MgHAp and AgHAp synthesised by sol-gel wet chemical method. Changes in the morphology, phase analysis, corrosion resistance, dielectric properties, hardness and the thrombus behaviour of HAp doped Ag and Mg ions has been investigated. In this work, we have presented a comparative study of both the metal doped ionsto find which of the ions and which weight percent of the ions can be best suited to be incorporated into the HAp matrix for hard tissue implants. All wt% AgHAp showed the better corrosion resistance than all the MgHAp samples. However, MgHAp showed higher value of hardness in comparison to AgHAp samples. The mechanical strength was found to increase with the increase in Mg wt% in MgHAp but for AgHAp the hardness value decreased with increase in the concentration. The impedance and dielectric loss decreased with increasing frequency for both the samples. Both the ion doped hydroxyapatite showed moderate clotting behaviour as compared to pure HAp. But 2 wt% MgHAp and 4 wt% AgHAp showed better thrombogenic behaviour.

Increasing the nutritional value of any crop plant through various Conventional or non-Conventional methods is known as Biofortification. Deficiency of proteins, essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals leads to ailing health and increased vulnerability to various diseases, which in turn lead to uncountable and unpredicted loss in Gross Domestic Product leading to poor economic growth of the country. It is forthcoming and cost-effective approach that will provide a balance of micronutrient deficiency among the people of developing & underdeveloped nations not having the availability to diverse nutritional access. The Biofortified varieties not only provide required calories but also essential nutrients needed for proper growth and development of an individual. It is advantageous in combating malnutrition and hidden hunger by enhancing the micronutrient content of commonly consumed fruits. By increasing essential vitamins, minerals, and beneficial compounds through methods like traditional breeding, genetic engineering, and agronomic practices, biofortified fruits provide a sustainable solution to address deficiencies in regions with limited access to diverse foods. For instance, mango, guava, papaya, and citrus have been improved to offer higher levels of nutrients such as iron, zinc, vitamin C, and beta-carotene. This makes biofortified fruits a cost-effective way to enhance nutrition, particularly for vulnerable populations, helping to reduce the risks associated with hidden hunger and malnutrition. One of the important targets of United Nation is to provide fortified food enriched with important minerals to the targeted undernourished population in different parts of the world. The lack of essential nutrients, notably minerals such as iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and vitamin A, is one of the main causes of “hidden hunger”, especially in underdeveloped nations. The review covers most of the important aspects of Biofortification in important fruit crops.

The recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Wuhan, China, has led to millions of infections and the death of approximately one million people. No targeted therapeutics are currently available, and only a few efficient treatment options are accessible. Many researchers are investigating active compounds from natural plant sources that may inhibit COVID-19 proliferation. Flavonoids are generally present in our diet, as well as traditional medicines and are effective against various diseases. Thus, here, we reviewed the potential of flavonoids against crucial proteins involved in the coronavirus infectious cycle. The fundamentals of coronaviruses, the structures of SARS-CoV-2, and the mechanism of its entry into the host’s body have also been discussed. In silico studies have been successfully employed to study the interaction of flavonoids against COVID-19 Mpro, spike protein PLpro, and other interactive sites for its possible inhibition. Recent studies showed that many flavonoids such as hesperidin, amentoflavone, rutin, diosmin, apiin, and many other flavonoids have a higher affinity with Mpro and lower binding energy than currently used drugs such as hydroxylchloroquine, nelfinavir, ritonavir, and lopinavir. Thus, these compounds can be developed as specific therapeutic agents against COVID-19, but need further in vitro and in vivo studies to validate these compounds and pave the way for drug discovery.

Chemical bath deposition method has been successfully employed for depositing ZnSe thin films at different temperature ranges from 298 to 353 K. The technique used to investigate structural, optical and electrical properties of these films have been X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical absorption and conductivity measurements. The X-ray diffraction study reveals the cubic structure of the ZnSe films oriented along the (111) direction at all temperatures ranges from 298 to 353 K. The structural parameters such as particle size, strain, dislocation density and number of crystallites are evaluated. Optical measurements has been done using UV spectra and optical energy gap was evaluated in the range of 2.82–3.04 eV at different temperature. The dark conductivity (σ d ) and photoconductivity (σ ph ) measurements at different temperature range indicates that the conduction in these materials is through an activated process having single activation energies and both σ d and σ ph values varies with the temperature. The values of carrier life time and trap depth have also been calculated.

Nipah and Hendra viruses are deadly zoonotic paramyxoviruses with a case fatality rate of upto 75%. The viruses belong to the genus henipavirus in the family Paramyxoviridae, a family of negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses. The natural reservoirs of NiV and HeV are bats (flying foxes) in which the virus infection is asymptomatic. The intermediate hosts for NiV and HeV are swine and equine, respectively. In humans, NiV infections result in severe and often fatal respiratory and neurological manifestations. The Nipah virus was first identified in Malaysia and Singapore following an outbreak of encephalitis in pig farmers and subsequent outbreaks have been reported in Bangladesh and India almost every year. Due to its extreme pathogenicity, pandemic potential, and lack of established antiviral therapeutics and vaccines, research on henipaviruses is highly warranted so as to develop antivirals or vaccines that could aid in the prevention and control of future outbreaks.

Nanocrystalline ZnSe powder and thin film forms have been synthesized via chemical bath deposition technique. The ZnSe thin films are deposited onto ultrasonically clean glass substrates in an aqueous alkaline medium using sodium selenosulphate as Se 2− ion source. The ZnSe powder and thin film are characterized by structural, optical and electrical properties. It is confirmed from X-ray diffraction study that cubic phase is present in ZnSe thin film form with (111) as preferred orientation and hexagonal phase is present in ZnSe powder form with (100) as preferred orientation. Optical absorption measurement indicates the existence of direct allowed optical transition with a wide energy gap and blue shift in the fundamental edge has been observed in both cases. The optical band gap of ZnSe powder is greater than the thin film. The electrical conductivity (both dark and photoconductivity) measurements are also carried out in different temperature range and variation in activation energy has been calculated.

In this paper, experimental data on the electrical properties of as deposited and annealed nanocrystalline SnSe and ZnSe thin films are reported. The thin films of SnSe and ZnSe are deposited on glass substrate by chemical bath deposition method. The films are studied before and after thermal annealing at temperatures 473 K for 1 h. This annealing is done in vacuum of 2 × 10 −3  mbar. The various electrical parameters like dark conductivity, photoconductivity, activation energy, photosensitivity and carrier life time have been measured on these films before and after annealing.

The present work describes about doping of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in hydroxyapatite (HAp) along with magnesium (Mg 2+ ) and zinc (Zn 2+ ) ions. The incorporation of the dopants into the HAp matrix has been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. Corrosion resistance, impedance, size and volume of the pores, thrombogenicity and hardness were also investigated. Its potential for better biomedical applications is highlighted by changes in surface shape, increased crystallite size, improved hardness, decreased clotting tendency, decreased corrosion and modified electrical characteristics. These results imply that, in comparison with pure HAp, the synthesized composite material possesses better physical, mechanical, electrical and biological characteristics. These changes may have a major effect on biomedical applications, in particular when it relates to developing superior biomaterials for hard tissue implants. Graphical Abstract