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A rapid, ecofriendly microwave-assisted green synthesis technique was used to prepare silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) which was impregnated into a novel biosheet made of gum kondagogu (GK) and chitosan (CH). The synthesized silver nanoparticles were characterized by using UV–visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential to study optical property, morphology and structure. The result showed silver nanoparticle in size range of 50–60 nm and −28.2 mV zeta potential. The composite biosheet was physically characterized by ATR-FTIR, TGA and SEM-EDAX to study compatibility of the blend, thermal study, morphology and silver entrapment. The ATR-FTIR results showed a characteristic peak of each component. Biosheet has been found to have good thermal stability with silver nanoparticles. The antibacterial activity was confirmed using S. Aureus. The NIH 3T3 cell lines have been used to study biocompatibility and have shown good biocompatibility. In conclusion, AgNPs-impregnated novel GK-CH-Ag biosheet may be a potential candidate for tissue engineering and wound healing applications.

As inflammatory lifestyle factors become more prevalent and as the population ages, the management of inflammation will become increasingly relevant. Plant polyphenols are powerful antioxidants that are known to have beneficial effects in a number of diseases with an inflammatory or oxidative component, such as malignancy, cardiovascular disease and arthritis. Polyphenol-rich sugarcane extract (PRSE) is a novel preparation with high concentrations of polyphenolic antioxidants, with some evidence to show benefits in health, but there is limited research investigating its effects on immunomodulation. This study determined the effects of PRSE on human monocyte cells in vitro. We show that PRSE has an immunomodulatory effect in U937 human monocyte cells, altering the expression of cellular surface markers, with an increased expression of CD16 and CD11b, as well as small changes in CD40, CD80, CD80, CD206 and MHCI. It also modulates the profile of secreted cytokines, increasing IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6, IL-8, IL-4 and IL-10. These changes are consistent with the advanced differentiation of the monocyte, as well as the switch from the M1 to M2 phenotype in macrophages. We also demonstrate that this effect is likely to be independent of the NF-κB signalling pathway, suggesting that other mechanisms drive this effect. PRSE exerts an immunomodulatory effect on U937 monocytes in vitro, potentially facilitating the conversion from inflammation to healing. Future studies should identify specific mechanisms underlying the changes and evaluate their effectiveness in animal models of disease.

Here we report on Orange Photoluminescence emission of samarium ion substituted calcium zirconium phosphate prepared by solid state reaction method. To study the crystal structure and phase transit...

In this paper, a natural dye extracted from Beta vulgaris was used as photosensitizer for fabricating dye sensitized solar cells. The effect of conventional annealing and microwave annealing on the...

Strontium zirconium di-orthophosphate was synthesized by solid state method. The phase purity and its crystal structure was studied through X-ray diffraction pattern. It was observed that powder ha...

Natural dye from Argemone mexicana flower is used as the photosensitizer for fabricating dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The cells were fabricated using TiO2 as the semiconducting layer deposit...

In this study, a simulation-based optimization technique is employed to reduce nanoparticle deposition rate in a 90° square duct system. Nanoparticle deposition in the 90° bend pipe is highly influenced by bend radius, aspect ratio, airflow velocity, nanoparticle size, and mass flow rate. These factors are optimized for minimum deposition rate through Taguchi’s signal to noise ratio analysis and response surface methodology (RSM). L27 orthogonal array is employed in Taguchi's technique, and a central composite with 32 trials is used in the RSM technique. All the above cases are numerically simulated in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool using large eddy simulation (LES) and discrete phase model (DPM) for turbulence modeling. The minimum deposition rate of nanoparticles on the bend of a 90° square duct is predicted as 0.1389 through a confirmative test conducted for the best optimum values. The bend radius is the most influencing factor in the ANOVA analysis of deposition rate, and the other factors have shown the least influence on the deposition rate of nanoparticles.

The paper endeavours to analyze authentic dimensions of Leadership with Satya Nadella’s leadership and his aggressive strategy leading to an increase in Microsoft’s profitability. A total of 7 interviews of Nadella from 2014 to 2020 were coded in NVivo to prepare Word query, TreeMap and cluster analysis. Also, besides tweets associated with #Satya Nadella were captured using NCapture and exported to NVivo to obtain the sentiments by performing sentiment analysis. The Twitter analysis of Nadella’s personality is majorly positive and neutral which reflects his success and influence across the globe. The traits of Nadella are linked with authentic leadership style. The study discusses the latent dimensions for becoming a successful authentic leader that is highly recommended for leaders to boost their leadership skills and increase organization’s profitability in this competitive world.

Mixed ligand complexes of Al(III) with o-Nitrophenol, 1-Nitroso-2-naphthol, 2,4-Dinitrophenol, 8-Hydroxyquinoline, 2,4,6-Trinitrophenol or o-Nitrobenzoic acid and Ethylenediamine were prepared and studied by elemental analyses, conductometric measurements, FTIR and UV-Vis measurements. These studies indicates the coordination of aluminium metal with o-Nitrophenol, 1-Nitroso-2-naphthol, 2,4-Dinitrophenol, 8-Hydroxyquinoline, 2,4,6-Trinitrophenol or o-Nitrobenzoic acid through oxygen or/and nitrogen atom and with Ethylenediamine through nitrogen atom.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of stress of transportation and holding periods before marketing on meat quality of broilers brought into urban areas from far off production points for marketing. The meat quality parameters like breast and thigh muscle pH, shear force value for tenderness and water holding capacity (WHC) were studied among broilers transported over long (>300 km) and short (100-200 km) distances and also during holding period. Distance of transport of broilers was found to influence shear force value significantly (P  0.01) and muscle pH (breast and thigh muscle) and WHC were not affected by the same. Comparatively, long distance transport of > 300 km resulted in less tender meat than short distance transport for 100-200 km. The live shrink loss (%) increased upto day-2 of holding and the birds were found to recoup body weight and reverse the trend after that. The breast muscle pH also rose upto day-2 and came down afterwards. The broiler meat was found to be the most tender on day-2 of holding, while WHC was the highest on day-4. Microbial quality of drinking water and litter at the holding pens were very poor. Long distance travel and holding periods before marketing influenced the meat qualities of the broilers.

The study was aimed at assessing the extent of live shrink loss (%) experienced by the broilers during transportation from the points of production to marketing centres. A total of 2.42 million broilers weighing 4717 MT brought by 1248 truck loads into Chennai city, Tamil Nadu, India for marketing were involved. The study period covered three different seasons namely rainy, winter and summer, the distance of transportation was classified as less than 100 km, 101-200 km, 201-300 km and above 300 km and the duration of transportation was classified as less than three hours, 3-6, 6-9 and above nine hours. The season of transport did not influence live shrink loss (%), while a linear increase in such a loss was witnessed with increase in both the distance or duration of transport. Consequent economic loss due to live shrink loss suffered by the Indian poultry meat industry was estimated to be around INR. 2,905 crores annually. Administration of B complex vitamins and ascorbic acid at the suggested levels were found to be useful in significantly (P  0.01) reducing live shrink loss during transportation of broilers.

A series of new hetero binuclear complexes of copper(II) and lead(II) using Schiff base have been synthesized. The Schiff base has been derived from the condensation reaction between Salicylaldehyde and 1,2-Ethylenediamine. The hetero binuclear complexes have been characterized by using elemental analysis, molar conductance measurement, magnetic susceptibility studies, UV-Vis and IR spectra. The studies revealed square planar geometry for the complexes with coordination number four.

In this paper, the influence of the geometrical parameters of a solar chimney on mass flow rate has been studied through numerical simulation. Also, Taguchi based design of experiment method has been applied to maximize the mass flow rate on the solar chimney. Chimney entry shape, bottom opening height, chimney exit width, cornered fillet radius, absorber wall material, absorber wall inclination, the height of the absorber wall are the geometrical parameters considered in this optimization. These parameters are varied through three levels of values. L18 orthogonal array is employed with a quality objective function of bigger is the better. The eighteen cases are analyzed for the solar radiation of 1000 and 300 W/m2 through the numerical simulation technique. The results have been analyzed for the optimum conditions using the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N ratio). Finally, ANOVA calculation is performed and reported that the exit chimney width, absorber wall height influences more on mass flow rate and the remaining parameters influence is less than 10%. The optimum value of the identified parameters enhance the mass flow rate as 0.54634 kg/s and reduce the indoor temperature by 2.1°C.

Present study focuses on the development of sustainable green-sourced carbon nano-sphere (CNSp) from Betel Leaf by thermal decomposition method for high-performance Polyurethane coating. The obtained carbon black was then functionalized with acid solution. FTIR analysis confirms the presence of carboxyl group. The graphitic domain present in the nano-sphere were found using XRD and Raman spectroscopy. TEM analysis clearly shows the mono-dispersed sized nano-spheres of about ~ 40 nm. The nano-sphere was further incorporated into castor oil based Polyurethane coatings. The nanoscale incorporation of the CNSp (0.2 and 0.5%) into the PU shows good increment in the resultant mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties of the polyurethane/carbon nano-sphere hybrid in comparison to the virgin PU film. The DMTA result shows an increase in the storage modulus from 3730 to 4454 MPa. Moreover, an accretion in the tensile strength was observed from 5.55 to 9.77 MPa Overall increments of 76.03% and good surface roughness observed by SEM analysis.

Background Patellar dislocations are a significant injury with the potential for long term problems. Little work has been done on establishing the mechanism by which this injury occurs. Objectives To determine the mechanism of injury of a patella dislocation based on the available published literature and compare them to already proposed theories. Methods A systematic review of the literature was conducted following searches performed on MEDLINE, EMBASE and ProQuest from the earliest year of indexing using the following search terms in any combination: “patella”, “dislocation”, “mechanism of injury”, “anatomy”, “biomechanical” and “risk factor”. A broad inclusion criteria was used that included studies that looked at patellar dislocations and instability with respect to the patellofemoral joint (PFJ) kinematics or altered kinematics of the PFJ. Studies that did not address the kinematics or biomechanics of the PFJ were excluded. Studies were appraised based on their methodology using a combination of the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool and the Quality Appraisal for Cadaveric Studies. Results 113 studies were identified from a search of MEDLINE, EMBASE and ProQuest databases. Following application of our inclusion criteria, a total of 23 studies were included in our review. 18 of these studies were cadaveric biomechanical studies. The remaining studies were anatomical, imaging based, and a computer simulation based study. Conclusions These biomechanical and kinematic studies provide some evidence that a dislocation is likely to occur during early knee flexion with external rotation of the tibia and contraction of the quadriceps. There is limited evidence to support other elements of proposed mechanisms of dislocation.

This analysis aims at evaluating the effects of Neem leaves extract on Skin disease. Skin disease is caused by Microsporum sp. The phytochemicals of Neem leaves were interacted with sterol 14-alpha demethylase enzyme involved in sterol biosynthesis metabolic pathway of Microsporum sp. Sterol 14-alpha demethylase was taken as receptor and phytochemicals present in Neem leaves were considered as ligands. All the interactions were done in Biovia discovery Studio 2020 and the process is known as molecular Docking. Molecular Docking provides us an opportunity to identify the potential phytochemical or component which can act as powerful tool against the pathogen. Out of all the phytochemicals, Glutamic acid and Oleic Acid of Neem leaves inhibits or blocks the mechanism or action of sterol 14-alpha demethylase enzyme of Microsporum sp. There is high possibility that these phytochemicals can potentially inhibit others enzymes involved in various metabolic pathways of Microsporum sp.

In this experimental work, 6 mm thick plates of distinctive metal alloys namely AZ91C Mg alloy and AA6061 Al alloy were joined using the FSW process, and fabricated joints were investigated to apprehend the impact of convoluted interfaces and their distribution in the nugget zone and the role of intermetallic aggregates in impacting the mechanical properties of the joints. Employment of tool rotational speeds higher than 1100 rpm has fabricated AZ91C Mg–AA6061 Al joints possessing inter–infiltrating structures along with curved junctures, promoting micro-void unification (MCU) on the fractured regions owing to mechanical-related interlocking. AZ91C Mg–AA6061 Al joints have experienced tensile-related failure along the layer of intermetallic and in the regions of inter–infiltrating components nearer to the side of Al parent metal. Joints exhibiting superior strength have been attained due to the generation of intricate interfaces at the joint region, which in turn has contributed to the mechanical-based interlocking. Highest tensile strength exhibited by the joint was 242 MPa, which is nearly 78% of the strength of the parent 6061 Al alloy (310 MPa).

This study involves information about the concentrations of nutrients (proteins, phenolic compounds, free amino acids, minerals (Ca, P, and Iron), hardness) in milled rice processed with enzymes; xylanase and cellulase produced by Aspergillus awamori, MTCC 9166 and Trichoderma reese, MTCC164. Brown rice was processed with 60–100% enzyme (40 mL buffer -undiluted) for 30 to 150 min at 30 °C to 50 °C followed by polishing for 20–100 s at a safe moisture level. Multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN) models were used for process optimization of enzymes. The MLR correlation coefficient (R2) varied between 0.87–0.90, and the sum of square (SSE) was placed within 0.008–8.25. While the ANN R2 (correlation coefficient) varied between 0.97 and 0.9999(1), MSE changed from 0.005 to 6.13 representing that the ANN method has better execution across MLR. The optimized cellulase process parameters (87.2% concentration, 80.1 min process time, 33.95 °C temperature and 21.8 s milling time) and xylanase process parameters (85.7% enzyme crude, 77.1 min process time, 35 °C temperature and 20 s) facilitated the increase of Ca (70%), P (64%), Iron (17%), free amino acids (34%), phenolic compounds (78%) and protein (84%) and decreased hardness (20%) in milled rice. Scanning electron micrographs showed an increased rupture attributing to enzymes action on milled rice.

The present study is devoted to analyze the influence of thermal radiation and chemical reaction on a transient incompressible natural convective flow of nanoliquid saturated porous medium through two rigid, parallel asymmetric plates with the negligible thickness and capable to transfer the heat with nano-liquid by convection. It is assumed that nano-liquids are made up with pouring various types of nanoparticles into the water based fluid. Single phase model is adopted to determine the thermo-physical properties of the nano-liquid and simple Darcy model is utilized to predict the flow through porous medium. The transport equations are solved to analyze the important characteristics of momentum, energy and concentration by Differential Transform Method. To compare these semi-analytical results, Crank-Nicolson finite difference scheme is used and it was in good agreement. The study reveals that Biot number influences appreciably on the velocity, temperature and concentration distributions. The significant variation in the concentration profile is found by imposing chemical reaction in the case of large Biot number.

Background The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is thought to play a critical role in the anti-inflammatory reflex pathway in acute colitis via its interaction with the spleen and colon. Inflammation in the intestine is associated with a blunting of vagal signaling and increased sympathetic activity. As a corollary, methods to restore sympatho-vagal balance are being investigated as therapeutic strategies for the treatment of intestinal inflammation. Nevertheless, it is indefinite whether these autonomic signaling adaptations in colitis are detrimental or beneficial to controlling intestinal inflammation. In this study, models of moderate and severe chronic colitis are utilized to resolve the correlations between sympatho-vagal signaling and the severity of intestinal inflammation. Methods Spleens and colons were collected from Winnie (moderate colitis), Winnie-Prolapse (severe colitis), and control C57BL/6 mice. Changes to the size and histomorphology of spleens were evaluated. Flow cytometry was used to determine the expression of adrenergic and cholinergic signaling proteins in splenic B and T lymphocytes. The inflammatory profile of the spleen and colon was determined using a RT-PCR gene array. Blood pressure, heart rate, splanchnic sympathetic nerve and vagus nerve activity were recorded. Results Spleens and colons from Winnie and Winnie-Prolapse mice exhibited gross abnormalities by histopathology. Genes associated with a pro-inflammatory response were upregulated in the colons from Winnie and further augmented in colons from Winnie-Prolapse mice. Conversely, many pro-inflammatory markers were downregulated in the spleens from Winnie-Prolapse mice. Heightened activity of the splanchnic nerve was observed in Winnie but not Winnie-Prolapse mice. Conversely, vagal nerve activity was greater in Winnie-Prolapse mice compared with Winnie mice. Splenic lymphocytes expressing α1 and β2 adrenoreceptors were reduced, but those expressing α7 nAChR and producing acetylcholine were increased in Winnie and Winnie-Prolapse mice. Conclusions Sympathetic activity may correlate with an adaptive mechanism to reduce the severity of chronic colitis. The Winnie and Winnie-Prolapse mouse models of moderate and severe chronic colitis are well suited to examine the pathophysiology of progressive chronic intestinal inflammation.

Methamphetamine (METH) is a highly addictive drug abused by millions of users worldwide, thus becoming a global health concern with limited management options. The inefficiency of existing treatment methods has driven research into understanding the mechanisms underlying METH-induced disorders and finding effective treatments. This study aims to understand the complex interactions of the gastrointestinal–immune–nervous systems following an acute METH dose administration as one of the potential underlying molecular mechanisms concentrating on the impact of METH abuse on gut permeability. Findings showed a decreased expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and EpCAm in intestinal tissue and the presence of FABP-1 in sera of METH treated mice suggests intestinal wall disruption. The increased presence of CD45+ immune cells in the intestinal wall further confirms gut wall inflammation/disruption. In the brain, the expression of inflammatory markers Ccl2, Cxcl1, IL-1β, TMEM119, and the presence of albumin were higher in METH mice compared to shams, suggesting METH-induced blood–brain barrier disruption. In the spleen, cellular and gene changes are also noted. In addition, mice treated with an acute dose of METH showed anxious behavior in dark and light, open field, and elevated maze tests compared to sham controls. The findings on METH-induced inflammation and anxiety may provide opportunities to develop effective treatments for METH addiction in the future.

The study area belongs to the Singhbhum metamorphic belt of Jharkhand, situated in the eastern part of India. The spatial distribution of the index minerals in the pelitic schists of the area shows Barrovian type of metamorphism. Three isograds, viz. garnet, staurolite and sillimanite, have been delineated and the textural study of the schists has revealed a time relation between crystallization and deformation. Series of folds with shifting values of plunges in the supracrustal rocks having axial-planar schistosity to the folds have been widely cited. Development of these folds could be attributed to the second phase of deformation. In total, two phases of deformation, D1 and D2, in association with two phases of metamorphism, M1 and M2, have been lined up in the study area. Chemographic plots of reactant and product assemblages corresponding to various metamorphic reactions suggest that the pattern of metamorphic zones mapped in space is in coherence with the temporal-sequential change during prograde metamorphism. The prograde P–T evolution of the study area has been obtained using conventional geothermobarometry, internally consistent winTWQ program and Perple_X software in the MnNCKFMASHTO model system. Our observations suggest that the progressive metamorphism in the area is not related to granitic intrusion or migmatization but that it was possibly the ascending plume that resulted in the M1 phase of metamorphism followed by D1 deformation. The second and prime metamorphic phase, M2, with its possible heat source generated by crustal overloading, was preceded by D1 and it lasted until late- to post-D2 deformation.

A family of mixed LiNixCo(1-x)VO4 (x = 0.2, 0.8) cathode materials has been synthesized using the sol–gel method. The thermal behavior of the materials has been examined by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. The Rietveld refinement of powder X-ray diffraction showed the structure with $$ Fd\overline{3}m $$ (227) space group. Surface analysis was performed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Analysis of Raman spectra reveals the local environment model including VO4 tetrahedra, (Ni,Co)O6, and LiO6 octahedra as vibrational local units. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies on synthesized powder indicate that the oxidation states of nickel, cobalt, and vanadium are + 2, + 3 and + 5, respectively. Charge–discharge cycling tests were carried out to study the performance of the cathode materials.

This paper presents a robust method for generic obstacle detection and collision warning in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). The highlight of our method is the ability to detect all obstacles without prior knowledge and detect partially occluded obstacles including the obstacles that have not completely appeared in the frame (truncated obstacles). Our results show an improvement of 90% more true positives per frame compared to one of the state-of-the-art methods. Our proposed method is robust to variations in illumination and to a wide variety of vehicles and obstacles that are encountered while driving. Distortions are introduced when Inverse Perspective Mapping (IPM) projects the camera image onto the road surface plane. In this paper, we first show that the angular distortion in the IPM domain belonging to obstacle edges varies as a function of their corresponding 2D location in the camera plane. We use this information to perform proposal generation. We propose a novel proposal assessment method based on fusing statistical properties from both the IPM image and the camera image to perform robust outlier elimination and false positive reduction. We also present an annotated obstacle detection dataset derived from various source videos that can serve as a benchmark for the evaluation of future obstacle detection algorithms. The source videos containing diverse illumination and traffic conditions are derived from multiple publicly available datasets.

A new locality of sapphirine-spinel-bearing granulites from the Kaithapalli area which lies NW of Chilka Lake, Odisha is reported. The area tectonically forms a northern part of Eastern Ghats belt. It occurs as small enclaves within the khondalite and pelitic granulite. The mineral assemblage includes spinel-sapphirine-garnet-cordierite-orthopyroxene-sillimanite-biotite-k-feldspar-plagioclase-quartz. Development of reaction textures and symplectites are common in the sapphirine-spinel granulites which have been used to describe reaction history. The relative XMg values among various minerals are as follows: cordierite > biotite > sapphirine > orthopyroxene > garnet > spinel. The P-T evolution of these sapphirine-spinel granulites constrained through the pseudosection modelling in the NCKFMASH model system using Perple_X software indicate conditions of ultra-high temperature (UHT) metamorphism. The P-T estimates computed by isopleths define a retrograde trajectory with decompression of c.2.5 kbar from P-Tmax of c.10.5 kbar at c.950 $$^{\underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle-}$}}{o} }C$$ . The sequence of reactions as deduced from the symplectite assemblages, together with pseudosection modelling, from the Kaithapalli area, offer greater opportunities for providing a better picture of petrological evolution of northern part of the Eastern Ghats Belt (EGB).

The challenge to eradicate malaria is an enormous task that will not be achieved by current control measures, thus an efficacious and long-lasting malaria vaccine is required. The licensing of RTS, S/AS01 is a step forward in providing some protection, but a malaria vaccine that protects across multiple transmission seasons is still needed. To achieve this, inducing beneficial immune responses while minimising deleterious non-targeted effects will be essential.This article discusses the current challenges and advances in malaria vaccine development and reviews recent human clinical trials for each stage of infection. Pubmed and ScienceDirect were searched, focusing on cell mediated immunity and how T cell subsets might be targeted in future vaccines using novel adjuvants and emerging vaccine technologies.Despite decades of research there is no highly effective licensed malaria vaccine. However, there is cause for optimism as new adjuvants and vaccine systems emerge, and our understanding of correlates of protection increases, especially regarding cellular immunity. The new field of heterologous (non-specific) effects of vaccines also highlights the broader consequences of immunization. Importantly, the WHO led Malaria Vaccine Technology Roadmap illustrates that there is a political will among the global health community to make it happen.

Plant polyphenols have an array of health benefits primarily thought to be related to their high content of anti-oxidants. These are commonly undervalued and knowledge of their biological properties have grown exponentially in the last decade. Polyphenol-rich sugarcane extract (PRSE), a natural extract from sugar cane, is marketed as high in anti-oxidants and polyphenols, but its anti-cancer activity has not been reported previously. We show that, PRSE exerts anti-cancer properties on a range of cancer cells including human (LIM2045) and mouse (MC38, CT26) colon cancer cells lines; human lung cancer (A549), human ovarian cancer (SKOV-3), pro-monocytic human leukemia (U937) and to mouse melanoma (B16) cell lines; whereas no effects were noted on human breast (ZR-75-1) and human colon (HT29) cancer cell lines, as well as to human normal colon epithelial cell line (T4056). Anti-proliferative effects were shown to be mediated via alteration in cytokines, VEGF-1 and NF-κB expression.