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A mannan-degrading halophilic archaeal strain, MD130-1T, was isolated from a commercial salt sample. Cells were motile, rod-shaped, and stained Gram-negative. Colonies were pink pigmented. Strain MD130-1T was able to grow at 1.5–4.6 M NaCl (optimum, 3.6 M) at pH 6.0–8.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and at 25–50 °C (optimum, 40 °C). The DNA G+C content was 62.1 mol% (genome). The orthologous 16S rRNA gene sequence showed the highest similarity (99.4 %) to those of Haloarcula japonica JCM 7785T and Haloarcula hispanica JCM 8911T. The values of genome relatedness between strain MD130-1T and Haloarcula species were 84.33–85.96 % in ANIb and 30.4–32.9 % using GGDC formula 2. The polar lipids of strain MD130-1T were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl ester and triglycosyl diether-2. Based on the results of phenotypic and phylogenetic analyses, the strain represents a new species of the genus Haloarcula , for which the name Haloarcula mannanilytica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MD130-1T (=JCM 33835T=KCTC 4287T) isolated from commercial salt made in Ishikawa prefecture, Japan.

The main changes in women's body shape due to aging include the descent of the breasts, tension in the abdomen, descent of the hips, increase in fat from the waist to the pelvis, and loss of waist definition. We adopted a system in which skilled body fitters correctly fitted subjects with underwear of different functions made based on the corrective underwear step system. This study was designed to use a three-dimensional (3D) body scanner to examine (1) the effects of aging and other factors on body shape changes, and (2) the status of the effect of moving and fixing fat flowing to the axillae and back to improve body shape. The results of the 8-month study have suggested that the system affected changes in the body shape, especially in the breasts. By using this method, not only the body line can be expected to improve.

To mitigate disease outbreak, an alternative approach through enhancing shrimp immunity was explored. Mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) have been previously reported to enhance shrimp immune system. Here, coprameal samples were digested with mannanase to yield MOS, namely, mannanase-hydrolyzed coprameal (MCM) and feasibility of MCM as shrimp immunostimulant in grow-out ponds was determined. Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) were fed with the commercial diet containing 1% MCM as the MCM-supplemented group and compared to the non-MCM control diet. There was no significant difference in survival rates between the MCM-supplemented and the control groups throughout the 4-month-period of the trial (p > 0.05). Gene expression analysis in shrimp intestines revealed that the transcript levels of antimicrobial peptides (anti-lipopolysaccharide factor isoform 1 (alf1), penaeidin (pen3a) and crustin (crus)) and lysozymes (lyz) were not significantly different in the MCM-supplemented group. Meanwhile, C-type lectin and toll-like receptor transcript levels, whose gene products play roles as pattern recognition proteins, were significantly higher in a group fed with MCM for 2- and 4-month periods than those of the control group (p < 0.05). The increased transcript levels of C-type lectin and toll-like receptor provide evidence for potential implementation of MCM as feed supplement to modulate shrimp immune system.

Here we report the case of a 77-year-old woman with a huge cancer of the right breast for which size was measured on computed tomography in our hospital preoperatively and in other hospital 3 years earlier. During the 3-year untreated interval, the tumor grew from 4 cm to 13 cm in maximum diameter, and the tumor-volume doubling time (TVDT) was calculated as 209 days. The patient underwent mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection, with the large skin defect covered by autologous skin graft. The pathological diagnosis was pure mucinous carcinoma (MC) of the breast with a low MIB-1 index, no vessel invasion, and no lymph node metastasis. Breast MC has been known to show a slow growth rate, but the TVDT of this current tumor was not markedly different from that of common breast cancers described in previous reports. This short TVDT notwithstanding the low aggressiveness may be due to abundant mucin occupying the majority of the tumor volume. To the best of our knowledge, no previous reports have provided accurate TVDTs for breast MC.

Two chitin-degrading halophilic archaeal strains, MC-74T and MC-23, were isolated from commercial salt samples. Cells were motile, rod-shaped and stained Gram-negative. Colonies were vermillion-pigmented. Strains MC-74T and MC-23 were able to grow with 1.5–5.1 M NaCl (optimum, 2.6–3.1 M) at pH 6.0–10.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and at 20–50 °C (optimum, 40 °C). The orthologous 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between the two strains was 99.8 %, and the closest phylogenetic relative was Salinarchaeum laminariae JCM 17267T with 99.3–99.5 % similarity. The level of DNA–DNA relatedness between the two strains was 93 and 94 % (reciprocally), and those between the two strains and Salinarchaeum laminariae JCM 17267T were 35–36 % and 38–39 % (reciprocally). The polar lipids of both strains were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl ester and phosphatidylglycerol sulfate. Glycolipids were not detected. Based on the phenotypic and phylogenetic analyses, the strains represent a novel species of the genus Salinarchaeum , for which the name Salinarchaeum chitinilyticum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MC-74T (=JCM 19597T=KCTC 4262T), isolated from solar salt produced in France. Strain MC-23, isolated from a commercial solar salt sample produced in China, is an additional strain of the species.

A Gram-stain-negative, rod-pleomorphic, aerobic, halophilic archaeon, strain MK62-1T, was isolated from commercial salt made from seawater in the Philippines. Strain MK62-1T was able to grow at 2.1–4.7 M NaCl (with optimum at 2.1–2.6 M NaCl), pH 6.5–9.5 (optimum, pH 7.0–7.5) and 20–55 °C (optimum, 45–50 °C). Based on the orthologous 16S rRNA gene sequence, the closest relative was Haloparvum sedimenti JCM 30891T with 99.2 % similarity. The RNA polymerase subunit B′ gene sequence also showed the highest similarity (97.4 %) to that of Haloparvum sedimenti DYS4T. The DNA G+C content of MK62-1T was 70.1 mol%, while that of Haloparvum sedimenti JCM 30891T was 69.5 mol% by the HPLC method. The levels of DNA–DNA relatedness between MK62-1T and Haloparvum sedimenti JCM 30891T were 60.6 and 60.8 % (reciprocally). The major polar lipids of the isolate were C20C20 archaeol derivatives of phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl ester and phosphatidylglycerol sulfate. Based on the phenotypic and phylogenetic analyses, it is proposed that the isolate represents species within the genus Haloparvum , for which the name Haloparvum alkalitolerans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MK62-1T (=JCM 30442T =KCTC 4214T).

Two chiral diarylmethylamines with a phenolic hydroxy group at their ortho positions (1c and 1d) were synthesized, and their direct enantioseparation via diastereomeric salt formation was investigated. Crystallographic analyses of the diastereomeric salts involving 1c were conducted: water molecules incorporated in the space played an important role in chiral recognition. Enantiopure 1 were applied for the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde. Ligand (R)-1d afforded the product in very high yield (96%) and enantiopurity (92% ee). Not only the phenyl group on the stereogenic center of (R)-1d but also its bulky tert-butyl group is important for chiral induction.

In general, the more product sum circuits are used, the higher the recognition accuracy is when deep learning is applied to the circuits. Therefore, the circuit scale and power consumption inevitably need to be increased. That is why deep learning is difficult to apply in the IoT. Binary XNOR-Net is a method that is conventionally considered to be the smallest circuit scale. Ternary Sparse XNOR-Net was designed for this research. It improves the recognition accuracy by ternarizing the weight data as (−1, 0, 1). Furthermore, when implementing it in the FPGA, the wiring itself is not mounted only in the part with weight 0. Through this sparse connection, the circuit size was reduced by 73% compared with that of the conventional method, while the recognition precision also improved about 1 to 3% in each neuron number.

An artificial metabolic route to an unnatural trichothecene was designed by taking advantage of the broad substrate specificities of the T-2 toxin biosynthetic enzymes of Fusarium sporotrichioides. By feeding 7-hydroxyisotrichodermin, a shunt pathway metabolite of F. graminearum, to a trichodiene synthase-deficient mutant of F. sporotrichioides, 7-hydroxy T-2 toxin (1) was obtained as the final metabolite. Such an approach may have future applications in the metabolic engineering of a variety of fungal secondary metabolites. The toxicity of 7-hydroxy T-2 toxin was 10 times lower than that of T-2 toxin in HL-60 cells.

Elastofibroma is a rare tumour that occurs in the subscapular space, and it typically presents in middle-aged and older individuals. The aetiology of elastofibroma remains unknown. Recent, sporadic reports have shown, immunohistologically, that fibroblasts in elastofibroma may produce abnormal elastic and collagen fibres through the action of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), a factor that promotes fibroblast proliferation. However, that finding lacked quantitative measurements and controls. Therefore, in this study, we performed quantitative, immunohistochemical analyses of TGF-β1 and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in three elastofibromas, and we compared them to ten dermatofibromas and keloids, and five normal skin. In elastofibroma specimens, 16-59 % fibroblasts were positive for TGF-β1 in the cytoplasm, compared to 96 % in dermatofibroma, 93 % in keloid and 2 % in normal dermis specimens. Also, in elastofibroma specimens, 26-67 % of fibroblasts were positive for bFGF in the cytoplasm, compared to 97 % in dermatofibroma, 97 % in keloid, and 22 % in normal dermis specimens. Intriguingly, the tumour size and growth rate were proportional to the percentage of cells positive for bFGF. Finally, greater levels of bFGF expressions in fibroblasts were associated with larger sized elastofibromas. These results suggested that elastofibroma development depended on high expression of TGF-β1 and bFGF.

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, pleomorphic rod-shaped, orange–red-pigmented, facultatively aerobic and haloalkaliphilic archaeon, strain MK13-1T, was isolated from commercial rock salt imported from Pakistan. The NaCl, pH and temperature ranges for growth of strain MK13-1Twere 3.0–5.2 M NaCl, pH 8.0–11.0 and 15–50 °C, respectively. Optimal growth occurred at 3.2–3.4 M NaCl, pH 9.0–9.5 and 45 °C. Addition of Mg2+was not required for growth. The major polar lipids of the isolate were C20C20and C20C25archaeol derivatives of phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl ester. Glycolipids were not detected. The DNA G+C content was 64.1 mol%. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain MK13-1Twas most closely related to those of the species of the genusHalorubrum,Halorubrum luteumCECT 7303T(95.9 % similarity),Halorubrum alkaliphilumJCM 12358T(95.3 %),Halorubrum kocuriiJCM 14978T(95.3 %) andHalorubrum lipolyticumJCM 13559T(95.3 %). TherpoB′gene sequence of strain MK13-1Thad Halorubrum. Based on the phylogenetic analysis and phenotypic characterization, strain MK13-1Tmay represent a novel species of the genusHalorubrum, for which the nameHalorubrum gandharaensesp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain MK13-1T( = JCM 17823T = CECT 7963T).

A size and shape tuned, multifunctional metal chalcogenide, Cu2S-based nanotheranostic agent is developed for trimodal imaging and multimodal therapeutics against brain cancer cells. This theranostic agent was highly efficient in optical, photoacoustic and x-ray contrast imaging systems. The folate targeted, NIR-responsive photothermal ablation in synergism with the chemotherapeutic action of doxorubicin proved to be a rapid precision guided cancer-killing module. The multi-stimuli, i.e., pH-, thermo- and photo-responsive drug release behavior of the nanoconjugates opens up a wider corridor for on-demand, triggered drug administration. The simple synthesis protocol, combined with the multitudes of interesting features packed into a single nanoformulation, clearly demonstrates the competing role of this Cu2S nanosystem in future cancer treatment strategies.

A nanoformulation composed of a ribosome inactivating protein-curcin and a hybrid solid lipid nanovector has been devised against glioblastoma. The structurally distinct nanoparticles were highly compatible to human endothelial and neuronal cells. A sturdy drug release from the particles, recorded upto 72 h, was reflected in the time-dependent toxicity. Folate-targeted nanoparticles were specifically internalized by glioma, imparting superior toxicity and curbed an aggressively proliferating in vitro 3D cancer mass in addition to suppressing the anti-apoptotic survivin and cell matrix protein vinculin. Combined with the imaging potential of the encapsulated dye, the nanovector emanates as a multifunctional anti-cancer system.

Extremophiles are the group of organisms that are far overlooked for exploring novel biomaterials in the field of material science and bionanotechnology. Extremophilic bacterial-sulfated exopolysaccharide, mauran (MR), is employed for the bioreduction and passivation of gold nanoparticles (AuNps) to enhance the biocompatibility of AuNps and used for photothermal ablation of cancer cells. Here, various concentrations of MR solution are tested for the reduction of HAuCl4 solution in the presence as well as in the absence of an external reducing agent, to produce mauran-gold nanoparticles (MRAu Nps). These biocompatible nanocomposites are treated with cancer cell lines under in vitro conditions and NIR irradiated for complete ablation. MRAu Nps-treated cancer cells on immediate exposure to infrared radiation from a femtosecond pulse laser of operating wavelength 800 nm are subjected to hyperthermia causing cell death. Biocompatible MR stabilization could fairly reduce the cytotoxicity caused by bare AuNps during biomedical applications. Application of a biocompatible polysaccharide from extremophilic bacterial origin for reduction and passivation of AuNps and used for a biomedical purpose is known to be first of its kind in bionanofusion studies.

Background Gliomas have been termed recurrent cancers due to their highly aggressive nature. Their tendency to infiltrate and metastasize has posed significant roadblocks to in attaining fool proof treatment solutions. An initiative to curb such a scenario was successfully demonstrated in vitro, utilizing a multi-conceptual gold nanoparticle based photo-thermal and drug combination therapy. Methods Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) were synthesized with a highly environmentally benign process. The Au NPs were PEGylated and conjugated with folate and transferrin antibody to achieve a dual targeted nano-formulation directed towards gliomas. Curcin, a type 1 ribosome inactivating protein, was attached to the Au NPs as the drug candidate, and its multifarious toxic aspects analyzed in vitro. NIR photo-thermal properties of the Au nano-conjugates were studied to selectively ablate the glioma cancer colonies. Results Highly cyto-compatible, 10–15 nm Au NP conjugates were synthesized with pronounced specificity towards gliomas. Curcin was successfully conjugated to the Au NPs with pH responsive drug release. Prominent toxic aspects of curcin, such as ROS generation, mitochondrial and cytoskeletal destabilization were witnessed. Excellent photo-thermal ablation properties of gold nanoparticles were utilized to completely disrupt the cancer colonies with significant precision. Conclusion The multifunctional nanoconjugate projects its competence in imparting complete arrest of the future proliferation or migration of the cancer mass. General significance With multifunctionality the essence of nanomedicine in recent years, the present nanoconjugate highlights itself as a viable option for a multimodal treatment option for brain cancers and the like.

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) employed theragnostic work in cancer therapy exploited its inherent magnetic properties that can be utilized for drug targeting and for drug delivery applications. To attain theragnostic properties, SPION and curcumin encapsulated HER2 targeted PLGA (HER2-CUR-SPION-PLGA) nano-formulation was developed by solvent evaporation technique (CUR-SPION-PLGA NPs). The physicochemical properties of nanoconjugate were characterized using various instruments such as TEM, SEM, AFM, XPS, and VSM etc. The uptake of NPs was studied in pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2) and normal fibroblast cells (L929) by confocal microscopy and flowcytometry analysis. The anticancer potential of the NPs in the absence and presence of an external magnet (magnetic targeting property) was studied. The effect of curcumin on mitochondrial membrane potential integrity leading to apoptosis was also determined. The conjugation of HER2 to nanoconjugate for active magnetic targeting for the co-delivery of curcumin and MNPs enhanced synergistic therapeutic index. HER2-CUR-SPION-PLGA NPs displayed promising potential anticancer activity by destroying pancreatic cancer cells. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Plastic deformation, as a type of micro-damage caused by external loads such as earthquake, is necessary to be evaluated by using an efficient non-destructive evaluation technique in order to guarantee the structural safety. In this paper, the feasibility of the pulsed eddy current testing method for evaluating the plastic deformation in an austenitic stainless steel has been studied through experiments and simulations. Moreover, the electromagnetic property variations due toplastic deformation have also been investigated.

The reaction of N-aryl benzamidines 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1g, 1h, 1i, 1j, 1k, 1l, 1m, 1n with diphenyl carbonate 2a or ethyl phenyl carbonate 2b synthesized 2-arylquinazolin-4(3H)-ones 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f, 3g, 3h, 3i, 3j, 3k, 3l, 3m, 3n in simple and safe process with good yields (71–90%). It was suggested that different electron-donating substituent in N-aryl benzamidines 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1g, 1h, 1i, 1j, 1k, 1l, 1m, 1n afforded similar effect to the yields of 2-arylquinazolin-4(3H)-ones 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f, 3g, 3h, 3i, 3j, 3k, 3l, 3m, 3n. In these reactions, N-aryl benzamidines 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1g, 1h, 1i, 1j, 1k, 1l, 1m, 1n built up intermediate compounds by nucleophilic addition to carbonates 2 to give annulation products 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f, 3g, 3h, 3i, 3j, 3k, 3l, 3m, 3n, following to cyclization involving the elimination of ethanol/phenol.

Mauran (MR), a highly polyanionic sulfated exopolysaccharide was extracted from moderately halophilic bacterium; Halomonas maura and characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Purified MR was evaluated for antioxidant defense mechanisms under in vitro conditions using L929, mouse fibroblast cell line and mice liver homogenate. It was demonstrated that MR could impart protective effect against oxidative stress in both cells and tissue up to a concentration of 500 μg, which is found to be safe under laboratory conditions. Various enzymatic and non-enzymatic parameters of antioxidant mechanisms were evaluated and concluded that MR has the tendency to maintain a balance of antioxidative enzymes with in the test systems studied. Also, hemocompatibility assay performed revealed that MR has a lesser hemolytic index and exhibited a prolonged clotting time, which shows both antihemolytic, and antithrombogenic nature respectively. Furthermore, absorption studies performed using fluorescent-labeled MR confirmed that MR accumulated within the cell cytoplasm neither induced cellular lysis nor affected the cell integrity.

Controlled and targeted drug delivery is an essential criterion in cancer therapy to reduce the side effects caused by non-specific drug release and toxicity. Targeted chemotherapy, sustained drug release and optical imaging have been achieved using a multifunctional nanocarrier constructed from poly (D, l -lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles (PLGA NPs), an anticancer drug paclitaxel (PTX), a fluorescent dye Nile red (NR), magnetic fluid (MF) and aptamers (Apt, AS1411, anti-nucleolin aptamer). The magnetic fluid and paclitaxel loaded fluorescently labeled PLGA NPs (MF-PTX-NR-PLGA NPs) were synthesized by a single-emulsion technique/solvent evaporation method using a chemical cross linker bis (sulfosuccinimidyl) suberate (BS3) to enable binding of aptamer on to the surface of the nanoparticles. Targeting aptamers were then introduced to the particles through the reaction with the cross linker to target the nucleolin receptors over expressed on the cancer cell surface. Specific binding and uptake of the aptamer conjugated magnetic fluid loaded fluorescently tagged PLGA NPs (Apt-MF-NR-PLGA NPs) to the target cancer cells induced by aptamers was observed using confocal microscopy. Cytotoxicity assay conducted in two cell lines (L929 and MCF-7) confirmed that targeted MCF-7 cancer cells were killed while control cells were unharmed. In addition, aptamer mediated delivery resulting in enhanced binding and uptake to the target cancer cells exhibited increased therapeutic effect of the drug. Moreover, these aptamer conjugated magnetic polymer vehicles apart from actively transporting drugs into specifically targeted tumor regions can also be used to induce hyperthermia or for facilitating magnetic guiding of particles to the tumor regions.

Highly conductive biocompatible graphene is synthesized using ecofriendly reduction of graphene oxide (GO). Two strains of non-pathogenic extremophilic bacteria are used for reducing GO under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Degree of reduction and quality of bacterially reduced graphene oxide (BRGO) are monitored using UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Structural morphology and variation in thickness are characterized using electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, respectively. Electrical measurements by three-probe method reveal that the conductivity has increased by 104–105 fold from GO to BRGO. Biocompatibility assay using mouse fibroblast cell line shows that BRGO is non-cytotoxic and has a tendency to support as well as enhance the cell growth under laboratory conditions. Hereby, a cost effective, non-toxic bulk reduction of GO to biocompatible graphene for green electronics and bioscience application is achieved using halophilic extremophiles for the first time.

Introduction of a novel biocompatible, stable, biomaterial for drug delivery application remains always challenging. In the present study, we report the synthesis of an extremophilic bacterial sulfated polysaccharide based nanoparticle as a stable biocompatible material for drug delivery, evaluation of anticancer efficacy and bioimaging. Mauran (MR), the sulfated exopolysaccharide extracted from a moderately halophilic bacterium, Halomonas maura was used for the synthesis of nanoparticles along with chitosan (CH). MR/CH nanoparticles were synthesized by simple polyelectrolyte complexation of anionic MR and cationic CH. The MR/CH hybrid nanoparticles formed were ranging between 30 and 200 nm in diameter with an overall positive zeta potential of 27.5±5 mV and was found to be stable under storage in solution for at least 8 weeks. In vitro drug release studies showed a sustained and prolonged delivery of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) for 10-12 days from MR/CH nanoparticles under three different pHs of 4.5, 6.9 and 7.4 respectively. Cytotoxicity assay revealed that MR/CH nanoparticles were non-cytotoxic towards normal cells and toxic to cancer cells. Also, 5FU loaded MR/CH nanoparticles were found more effective than free 5FU in its sustained and controlled manner of killing breast adenocarcinoma cells. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled MR/CH nanoparticles were used for cell binding and uptake studies; thereby demonstrating the application of dye tagged MR/CH nanoparticles for safe and nontoxic mode of live cellular imaging. We report the introduction of an extremophilic bacterial polysaccharide, MR, for the first time as a novel biocompatible and stable biomaterial to the world of nanotechnology, pharmaceutics and biomedical technology.

The scaling limit and optical clock frequency limit of silicon nano-wire waveguides are investigated, and a comparison between optical waveguides and electric wiring is made. The evaluation method involves investigating a confinement factor and dispersion. The confinement factor is a major factor in the scaling limit. In the terahertz region of clock frequency, dispersion becomes another major factor of the scaling limit. As a result, in 1THz, 1cm of on-chip waveguide length, the minimum waveguide width is 270nm with a wavelength of 1.55 μm. This width is four times as large as the 70nm of global wire width in 32nm node. However, clock frequency is improved by three orders.

A 'green' synthesis for encapsulating PbSe nanoparticles with soluble starch at room temperature has been demonstrated. The structural and thermal properties of the nanoparticles have been investigated. TEM micrographs showed that the particles were cubical to spheroid in shape and the average size of the particles was 25 nm. The starch coating onto the nanoparticles did not affect the morphology of the cells in our in vitro studies indicating the coating was biocompatible and nontoxic. Our cytotoxicity studies showed that the biocompatibility was enhanced when the nanoparticles were coated with starch and PbSe starch nanoparticles could provide greater cell viability even at particle loading as high as 100 μg/ml. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Silica nanoparticles have been prepared from tetraethylorthosilicate dissolved in ethanol followed by base-catalyzed condensation. Earlier works reported that at least four parameters, namely concentration of tetraethylorthosilicate, ethanol, water and ammonia solution are needed to be optimized for the size tuning of silica nanoparticles. In this work size tuning of 5 nm–250 nm has been achieved by varying a single synthesis parameter i.e., the concentration of ammonia solution. Oxygen plasma was found to be successful for generating pores on silica nanoparticles without using any structure directing agents. The properties and morphology of nanoparticles were investigated by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X- ray spectroscopy and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy.

We discuss about the utilization of functionalized electrophoretic deposition technique for photovoltaic application encompassing the prospective potential of both functionalization and electrophoretic deposition. We report the fabrication of TiO 2 sensitized electrode by electrophoretic deposition of CdSe quantum dots. This method holds the advantage of achieving effective coating of CdSe onto TiO 2 electrode by reducing the deposition time to 15 min. Cross-sectional and depth profile elemental analysis revealed the even distribution of CdSe across the TiO 2 layer. Ninety percentage of light harvesting efficiency was achieved for the CdSe sensitized electrode affirming the efficacy of sensitization by functionalized electrophoretic deposition.

Liposomes and polymers are widely used drug carriers for controlled release since they offer many advantages like increased treatment effectiveness, reduced toxicity and are of biodegradable nature. In this work, anticancer drug-loaded PLGA-lecithin-PEG nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized and were functionalized with AS1411 anti-nucleolin aptamers for site-specific targeting against tumor cells which over expresses nucleolin receptors. The particles were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The drug-loading efficiency, encapsulation efficiency and in vitro drug release studies were conducted using UV spectroscopy. Cytotoxicity studies were carried out in two different cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and GI-1 cells and two different normal cells, L929 cells and HMEC cells. Confocal microscopy and flowcytometry confirmed the cellular uptake of particles and targeted drug delivery. The morphology analysis of the NPs proved that the particles were smooth and spherical in shape with a size ranging from 60 to 110 nm. Drug-loading studies indicated that under the same drug loading, the aptamer-targeted NPs show enhanced cancer killing effect compared to the corresponding non-targeted NPs. In addition, the PLGA-lecithin-PEG NPs exhibited high encapsulation efficiency and superior sustained drug release than the drug loaded in plain PLGA NPs. The results confirmed that AS1411 aptamer-PLGA-lecithin-PEG NPs are potential carrier candidates for differential targeted drug delivery. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109: 2920–2931. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Alzheimer’s disease is becoming a serious concern in the medical field due to its severity and prevalence. This multifactorial disease manifested by various genetic and nongenetic factors makes its treatment very difficult. Due to the inefficacy of the currently available drugs, newer therapeutic strategies are increasingly in demand. Most of the current drug discovery initiatives are pivoted around amyloid pathology which is considered to be central to the disease progression. In this work, we propose the use of amyloid-binding aptamer conjugated to poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-coated curcumin nanoparticles to bind to the amyloid plaques. Curcumin is a plant-derived compound with reported anti-amyloid activity. Recent reports reveal the importance of plasma amyloid in Alzheimer development. We propose that the amyloid-binding aptamer attached curcumin–PLGA nanoparticles can be used as a potential tool in targeting the plasma amyloid and thus helps in Alzheimer therapy.

In this paper, the correlation between plastic deformation and the deformation-induced magnetic field was exper- imentally investigated for the SUS304 austenitic stainless steel. Test-pieces with different shapes were fabricated to produce different strain distribution. Various plastic tensile loads were imposed into the specimens to introduce plastic deformations of different levels. The residual strain distributions at the surfaces of the specimens were measured by an optical 2D strain measurement system during loading process while the distributions of the deformation-induced magnetic fields above the specimens were measured by using a fluxgate magnetometer after each loading cycle. The experimental results show that the amplitudes of the magnetic field have a clear and repeatable relationship with the maximum residual strains for all the specimens, and the relationship is independent of the strain distribution. Based on the experimental results, the mechanism of the deformation-induced magnetic field was discussed, and a NonDestructive Evaluation (NDE) method was proposed for the quantitative evaluation of plastic deformation in the SUS304 stainless steel.

Palladium (Pd)-catalyzed Suzuki coupling polymerization of macrocycle-bearing monomers, obtained through two-step nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions with three types of diboric acid pinacol esters, produced aromatic poly(ether ketone)s that have optically active macrocycles composed of two 2,2′-dioxy-1,1′-binaphthyl-6,6′-diyl units and two aromatic ether ketone linkers. The macrocycle-bearing aromatic poly(ether ketone)s have excellent thermal and optical properties, that is, high glass-transition temperatures (Tg: 220–257 °C) and large molar rotations ([Φ]D25: +1906–1976 deg). In addition, polyketones have excellent solubility in typical solvents such as CHCl3 and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). Pd-catalyzed Suzuki coupling polymerization of macrocycle-containing monomer with diboric acid pinacol esters afforded aromatic poly(ether ketone)s with optically active macrocycles. The resulting aromatic poly(ether ketone)s have high glass transition temperatures (Tg: 220–257°C), large molar rotations ([Φ]D25: +1906–1976 deg) and excellent solubility to typical solvents such as CHCl3 and DMF.

A multifunctional nanoparticle based on carboxymethyl cellulose was developed. Folate group was attached to nanoparticle for specific recognition of cancerous cells and 5FU was encapsulated for delivering cytotoxicity. The whole system was able to track by the semiconductor quantum dots that were attached to the nanoparticle. The multifunctional nanoparticle was characterized by UV-VIS spectra, PL spectra, FTIR, TEM, SEM etc and was targeted to human breast cancer cell, MCF7. The biocompatibility of nanoparticle without drug and cytotoxicity rendered by nanoparticle with drug was studied with MCF7 and L929 cell lines. The epifluorescent images suggest that the folate-conjugated nanoparticles were more internalized by folate receptor positive cell line, MCF7 than the noncancerous L929 cells.