Structural,optical, cytotoxicity,and antimicrobial properties of MgO,ZnO and MgO/ZnO nanocomposite for biomedical applications

In this study, MgO nanoparticles were successfully fabricated and incubated inside ZnO NPs to form MgO/ZnO nanocomposite for biomedical applications. The x-ray diffraction analysis of MgO, ZnO, and MgO/ZnO has shown the single-phase x-ray diffraction patterns through X'pert High score. The crystallite sizes were calculated as 18 nm, 42 nm, and 53 nm, respectively. The average particle size of MgO, ZnO, and MgO/ZnO nanopowders depicted from secondary electron images of field emission electron microscopy were 56 nm, 400 nm, and 450 nm, respectively. The presence of MgO NPs inside ZnO NPs was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The elemental dispersive spectroscopy of MgO, given the peaks of oxygen and magnesium, also showed only zinc and oxygen peaks in ZnO, which confirms no other impurities in MgO and ZnO powders. The elemental analysis of MgO/ZnO nanocomposite showed the peaks of Zinc and Oxygen, along with a tiny peak of Mg. The photoluminescence and UV–vis spectroscopy revealed the absorbance fluorescence limit of the nanomaterials. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the several groups present in the nanocomposite. The biocompatibility of MgO, ZnO, and MgO/ZnO was observed with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The cytotoxicity studies were also performed against human cancer (liver and breast) cell lines. The MgO, ZnO, and MgO/ZnO exhibited the antimicrobial properties against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.     

Targets (Metabolic Mediators) of Therapeutic Importance in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), an extremely aggressive invasive cancer, is the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death in the United States. The higher mortality in PDAC is often attributed to the inability to detect it until it has reached advanced stages. The major challenge in tackling PDAC is due to its elusive pathology, minimal effectiveness, and resistance to existing therapeutics. The aggressiveness of PDAC is due to the capacity of tumor cells to alter their metabolism, utilize the diverse available fuel sources to adapt and grow in a hypoxic and harsh environment. Therapeutic resistance is due to the presence of thick stroma with poor angiogenesis, thus making drug delivery to tumor cells difficult. Investigating the metabolic mediators and enzymes involved in metabolic reprogramming may lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets. The metabolic mediators of glucose, glutamine, lipids, nucleotides, amino acids and mitochondrial metabolism have emerged as novel therapeutic targets. Additionally, the role of autophagy, macropinocytosis, lysosomal transport, recycling, amino acid transport, lipid transport, and the role of reactive oxygen species has also been discussed. The role of various pro-inflammatory cytokines and immune cells in the pathogenesis of PDAC and the metabolites involved in the signaling pathways as therapeutic targets have been previously discussed. This review focuses on the therapeutic potential of metabolic mediators in PDAC along with stemness due to metabolic alterations and their therapeutic importance.     

A cubic B-spline quasi-interpolation algorithm to capture the pattern formation of coupled reaction-diffusion models

Diffusion plays a significant role in complex pattern formulations occurred in biological and chemical reactions. In this work, the authors study the effect of diffusion in coupled reaction-diffusion systems named the Gray-Scott model for complex pattern formation with the help of cubic B-spline quasi-interpolation (CBSQI) method and capture various formates of these patterns. The idea of Kronecker product is used first time with CBSQI method for 2D problems. Linear stability analysis of the reaction-diffusion system as well as stability of the proposed method is studied. Four test problems are considered to check the accuracy and efficiency of the method and found the stable patterns.

     

Qualitative Evolution of Asymmetric Raman Line-Shape for NanoStructures

A qualitative evolution of an asymmetric Raman line-shape function from a Lorentzian line-shape is discussed here for application in low dimensional semiconductors. The step-by-step evolution reported here is based on the phonon confinement model which is successfully used in literature to explain the asymmetric Raman line-shape from semiconductor nanostructures. Physical significance of different terms in the theoretical asymmetric Raman line-shape has been explained here. Better understanding of theoretical reasoning behind each term allows one to use the theoretical Raman line-shape without going into the details of theory from first principle. This will enable one to empirically derive a theoretical Raman line-shape function for any material if information about its phonon dispersion relation, size dependence, etc., is known.     

Built-up battened columns under lateral cyclic loading

Built-up members with battens designed for typical 2–2.5% of axial load may not behave satisfactorily in the presence of lateral seismic loads. Analytical evaluation of double-channel battened cantilever members designed as per the current practice, and subjected to constant axial compressive load and gradually increasing lateral load showed that the members failed to reach their expected flexural capacity due to lateral instability. The design of members was modified by changing the configuration of battens in the expected plastic-hinge region, i.e., reducing the spacing of battens in end panel by half, and designing battens for a shear demand due to moment capacity of section. The members with battens designed for moment capacity could able to reach the expected flexural strength. Five half-scale test specimens of battened members designed as per the current practice and improved design method were subjected to axial load and gradually increasing cyclic load. The specimens designed as per improved design method showed excellent performance in terms of lateral strength, lateral stiffness, moment rotation characteristics and energy dissipation capacity.     

Evaluation of physiological and biochemical responses of two rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars to ambient air pollution using open top chambers at a rural site in India

Air pollutant concentrations are rising in India, causing potential threats to crop production. As air pollutants are known to interfere with physiological processes, this study was conducted to assess the relative responses of physiological and biochemical characteristics of two cultivars of rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Saurabh 950 and NDR 97) leading to variable yield responses. Twelve hour monitoring of ambient concentrations of SO₂, NO₂ and O₃ in filtered chambers (FCs), non-filtered chambers (NFCs) and open plots (OPs) showed that O₃ was the main pollutant at the experimental site. Ozone concentrations often exceeded 40 ppb during anthesis but not during the vegetative growth period. Photosynthetic rate (Ps), stomatal conductance (g_s) and Fv/Fm ratio, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activities and photosynthetic pigments, ascorbic acid, total phenolics and protein contents were assessed at different developmental stages and yield of grains were quantified. Lipid peroxidation, SOD and POD activities, ascorbic acid and total phenolics were higher, whereas Ps, g_s, Fv/Fm ratio and contents of protein and photosynthetic pigment were lower in plants of NFCs as compared to FCs. Yield decreased significantly in both cultivars grown in NFCs. NDR 97 showed less reductions in physiological characteristics, photosynthetic pigments and protein, but a greater increase in the antioxidative defense system as compared to Saurabh 950. Yield reduction was higher in NDR 97 than in Saurabh 950. This suggested that NDR 97 utilized more photosynthate in maintaining the metabolic machinery against O₃ stress leading to lower translocation of photosynthate to reproductive parts. The study concluded that under natural field conditions, physiological and biochemical responses of plants varied with pollutant concentrations leading to different translocation strategies in plants, modifying their yield responses. NDR 97, a fast growing and high yielding cultivar was more sensitive than slow growing Saurabh 950.     

Enhanced calcium–magnesium–aluminosilicate (CMAS) resistance of GdAlO3 (GAP) for composite thermal barrier coatings

The impact of calcium–magnesium–alumino-silicate (CMAS) degradation is a critical factor for development of new thermal and environmental barrier coatings. Several methods of preventing damage have been explored in the literature, with formation of an infiltration inhibiting reaction layer generally given the most attention. Gd₂Zr₂O₇ (GZO) exemplifies this reaction with the rapid precipitation of apatite when in contact with CMAS. The present study compares the CMAS behavior of GZO to an alternative thermal barrier coating (TBC) material, GdAlO₃ (GAP), which possesses high temperature phase stability through its melting point as well as a significantly higher toughness compared with GZO. The UCSB laboratory CMAS (35CaO–10MgO–7Al₂O₃–48SiO₂) was utilized to explore equilibrium behavior with 50:50 mol% TBC:CMAS ratios at 1200, 1300, and 1400°C for various times. In addition, 8 and 35 mg/cm² CMAS surface exposures were performed at 1425°C on dense pellets of each material to evaluate the infiltration and reaction in a more dynamic test. In the equilibrium tests, it was found that GAP appears to dissolve slower than GZO while producing an equivalent or higher amount of pore blocking apatite. In addition, GAP induces the intrinsic crystallization of the CMAS into a gehlenite phase, due in part to the participation of the Al₂O₃ from GAP. In surface exposures, GAP experienced a substantially thinner reaction zone compared with GZO after 10 h (87 ± 10 vs. 138 ± 4 μm) and a lack of strong sensitivity to CMAS loading when tested at 35 mg/cm² after 10 h (85 ± 13 versus 246 ± 10 μm). The smaller reaction zone, loading agnostic behavior, and intrinsic crystallization of the glass suggest this material warrants further evaluation as a potential CMAS barrier and inclusion into composite TBCs.     

Silver monoliths and their applications in catalytic reduction of 4-NP to 4-AP and sensing against As3+

Journal of Porous Materials - Silver monoliths using non-ionic surfactant Triton X-102 as reducing agent with and without additives such as Dextran and Ludox (SiNPs) were synthesized by modified...     

Reactivation and growth of non-culturable indicator bacteria in anaerobically digested biosolids after centrifuge dewatering

Recent literature has reported that high concentrations of indicator bacteria such as fecal coliforms (FCs) were measured in anaerobically digested sludges immediately after dewatering even though low concentrations were measured prior to dewatering. This research hypothesized that the indicator bacteria can enter a non-culturable state during digestion, and are reactivated during centrifuge dewatering. Reactivation is defined as restoration of culturability. To examine this hypothesis, a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method was developed to enumerate Escherichia coli, a member of the FC group, during different phases of digestion and dewatering. For thermophilic digestion, the density of E. coli measured by qPCR could be five orders of magnitude greater than the density measured by standard culturing methods (SCMs), which is indicative of non-culturable bacteria. For mesophilic digestion, qPCR enumerated up to about one order of magnitude more E. coli than the SCMs. After centrifuge dewatering, the non-culturable organisms could be reactivated such that they are enumerated by SCMs, and the conditions in the cake allowed rapid growth of FCs and E. coli during cake storage.