Search

The co-precipitation approach was used in this study to synthesize Ag/TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) using an extract of the flowers from C. pulcherrima. As a reducing agent and a stabilizer during the synthesis process, the flower extract performed a dual function. The surface plasmon resonance in the diffuse reflectance spectroscopy spectrum provided assurance that the Ag+, and Ti4+ ions were significantly reduced. The bandgap study of the Ag/TiO2 NPs revealed that they are suitable for optical and catalytic applications. The NPs were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) to assess their size and crystal structure. Through scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), the shape and size changes of the Ag/TiO2 NPs were studied. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis was employed to investigate the elements' chemical composition in the produced NPs. A Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study was carried out to identify functional groups that might be present in the plant extract and might be involved in the chemical reduction, stabilization, and bonding processes. The photocatalytic disintegration of the hazardous organic dye pollutant methylene blue was studied for 40 min while being exposed to visible light. The flower extract was used to create Ag/TiO2 NPs efficiency degradation rate of 94 %. Additionally, then NPs antimicrobial capacity was assessed, and it was discovered that they were most effective against the infections P. aeruginosa and E. coli.

In the context of synthesizing metal doped metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs), green synthesis emerges as a reliable, sustainable, environmentally-friendly, and exceptional alternative to the more efficient and conventional chemical methods. In this study, we explored the co-precipitation method performed for the Caesalpinia pulcherrima (C.pulcherrima) flower extract high percentage of hydroxyl functional groups on terpenoid derivatives, reducing and encapsulating agents, and the stability of the Ag/CuO and Ag/ TiO2 NPs. The XRD patterns provided evidence of the highly crystalline structure of monoclinic CuO, tetragonal crystal structure, and face-centered cubic Ag metal, obtained to improve the nanosized 6 and 8 nm, which structural defects in the synthesis materials were determined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), as well as by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyze. The existence of Ag ions (Ag+), Ti4+ ions, and Cu2+ ions in CuO and TiO2 caused the reduction of carbonyl and hydroxide functional groups, thereby facilitating the efficient formation of nanostructures, as demonstrated by XPS and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The band gap analysis of Ag/CuO and Ag/TiO2 NPs revealed that they increased the catalytic activity of methylene blue (MB) dye degradation efficiency achieved by 86 and 94 %, respectively. Comparatively, Ag doped with CuO and TiO2 has a synergistic effect leading to in highly effective antimicrobial activity against P. aeruginosa and E. coli infections.

The green method of metal oxide synthesis is an alternative to the more time consuming and difficult to consume traditional procedures, as the invention achieves a significant yield with minimal effort. Using this method proposed titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) were made and used to make using different plant extracts and the characterization were analysed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV−visible spectroscopy. TiO2 NPs were formed in the anatase phase, according to the XRD investigation, and the TEM confirmed their size of 15–28 nm and spherical morphology. According to scanning electron microscopic investigations, the typical particle size distribution of the individual particles was identified as being in the range of 21 nm. UV–visible spectroscopy proved the optical defects of the TiO2 NPs (2.89 eV, 2.98 eV, and 3.17 eV). FTIR was used to confirm the bio-functionality of flavonoids, M-O interactions, and surface interfaces. By using X-ray spectroscopy, it was shown that the TiO2 samples had an improved nanostructure and a 3:1 ratio of O:Ti components. In this particular study, attention was paid to both the photocatalytic and antimicrobial properties of TiO2 NPs. Producing TiO2 NPs requires efforts to reduce their toxicity in an environmentally responsible manner. When the dye methylene blue (MB), which is a significant water pollutant generated by the textile industry, was exposed to the TiO2 NPs, a high photodegradation efficiency was demonstrated, with photodegradation showing a degradation rate of 87%. According to the results, the Diameter Inhibition Zone (DIZ) possesses the highest level of inhibition against disease-causing microbes. As a consequence of these findings, an environmentally friendly and long-term viable option for water purification has been identified.

Hippocampal replays are episodes of sequential place cell activity during sharp-wave ripple oscillations (SWRs). Conflicting hypotheses implicate awake replay in learning from reward and in memory retrieval for decision making. Further, awake replays can be forward, in the same order as experienced, or reverse, in the opposite order. However, while the presence or absence of reward has been reported to modulate SWR rate, the effect of reward changes on replay, and on replay direction in particular, has not been examined. Here we report divergence in the response of forward and reverse replays to changing reward. While both classes of replays were observed at reward locations, only reverse replays increased their rate at increased reward or decreased their rate at decreased reward, while forward replays were unchanged. These data demonstrate a unique relationship between reverse replay and reward processing and point to a functional distinction between different directions of replay. VIDEO ABSTRACT., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Exploring the mechanisms of serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] in the brain requires an in vivo method that combines fast temporal resolution with chemical selectivity. Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry is a technique with sufficient temporal and chemical resolution for probing dynamic 5-HT neurotransmission events; however, traditionally it has not been possible to probe in vivo 5-HT mechanisms. Recently, we optimized fast-scan cyclic voltammetry for measuring 5-HT release and uptake in vivo in the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNR) with electrical stimulation of the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) in the rat brain. Here, we address technical challenges associated with rat DRN surgery by electrically stimulating 5-HT projections in the medial forebrain bundle (MFB), a more accessible anatomical location. MFB stimulation elicits 5-HT in the SNR; furthermore, we find simultaneous release of an additional species. We use electrochemical and pharmacological methods and describe physiological, anatomical and independent chemical analyses to identify this species as histamine. We also show pharmacologically that increasing the lifetime of extracellular histamine significantly decreases 5-HT release, most likely because of increased activation of histamine H-3 receptors that inhibit 5-HT release. Despite this, under physiological conditions, we find by kinetic comparisons of DRN and MFB stimulations that the simultaneous release of histamine does not interfere with the quantitative 5-HT concentration profile. We therefore present a novel and robust electrical stimulation of the MFB that is technically less challenging than DRN stimulation to study 5-HT and histamine release in the SNR., (© 2011 The Authors. Journal of Neurochemistry © 2011 International Society for Neurochemistry.)

Three patients with tuberous sclerosis (TS) and hepatic hamartomas are presented. Liver lesions are uncommonly documented in TS, compared to renal angiomyolipomas. The imaging characteristics of liver hamartoma in TS may resemble those of renal angiomyolipoma, hepatic cavernous haemangiomas, metastasis or abscess.

A fatal case of non-menstrual toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is reported in a Chinese woman, which was associated with a vaginal Staphylococcus aureus infection. Cerebral haemorrhage and vasogenic white matter oedema was shown in cranial computed tomography (CT) before the terminal event.

The M13 repeat detects different levels of genetic variation in falcons. First, this minisatellite probe reveals typically highly variant restriction fragments that show no apparent unequal distribution between the sexes. Secondly, the M13 repeat detects sets of fragments that are only present in DNAs from female falcons. The level of polymorphism displayed by the sex-linked fragments is greatly reduced relative to most autosomal minisatellites. In addition, the size of these fragments (in kilobase pairs) is species-specific among Mauritius kestrels (Falco punctatus) and peregrines (Falco peregrinus). Variation observed at one o of the sex-linked fragments in peregrines has proven to be useful in distinguishing a subset of the tundrius subspecies of this endangered raptor. This correlation has enabled a genetic test to be used to examine the representation of tundrius peregrines during mass migration.