Optical detection of CA 15.3 breast cancer antigen using CdS quantum dot

The present study focus on optical sensing of breast cancer antigen 15.3 (CA 15.3) using cadmium sulphide quantum dot (CdS‐QD) in saline and serum samples spiked with antigen. The surface of CdS‐QD was modified by cysteamine capping followed by tagging of CA 15.3 antibody. The samples were characterised using UV‐visible absorption spectroscopy (UV‐VIS Spectroscopy), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) attached with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, phase contrast inverted epi‐fluorescence microscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectrophotometry (EDS). The CdS‐QD showed a mean diameter of 3.02 ± 0.6 nm. The complex formed after antigen‐antibody interaction resulted in distinguishable optical and fluorescence intensity with respect to varying concentration of antigen. The PL study revealed that CA 15.3 antibody labelled CdS QD can detect CA 15.3 tumour marker even at very low concentration of 0.002 KU/L with a constant response time of 15 min. This study clearly indicates that detection of CA 15.3 at low concentration is possible using surface modified CdS QD in serum samples and can find immense applications in biosensor development for detection of breast cancer marker similar to various automated detection kits available in market.Inspec keywords: semiconductor quantum dots, cadmium compounds, II‐VI semiconductors, wide band gap semiconductors, cancer, tumours, optical sensors, biosensors, biomedical equipment, visible spectra, ultraviolet spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectra, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray chemical analysis, fluorescence, optical microscopy, photoluminescence, proteins, molecular biophysics, nanosensors, nanomedicine, nanoparticlesOther keywords: optical detection, CA 15.3 breast cancer antigen, optical sensing, cadmium sulphide quantum dot, saline samples, serum samples, cysteamine capping, CA 15.3 antibody, UV‐visible absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, phase contrast inverted epifluorescence microscopy, photoluminescence spectrophotometry, antigen‐antibody interaction, fluorescence intensity, optical intensity, CA 15.3 tumour marker, surface modified CdS QD, biosensor development, time 15 min, CdS     

Foley catheters functionalised with a synergistic combination of antibiotics and silver nanoparticles resist biofilm formation

Foley catheters are inevitable in health care unit. Pathogens colonise and form biofilm on catheter causing catheter‐associated urinary tract infection. Therefore, the authors aimed to functionalise catheter to resist biofilm formation. The authors impregnated urinary catheters with a synergistic combination of antibiotics and silver nanoparticles (SNPs) to evaluate antibiofilm efficacy in vitro and in vivo. SNPs were synthesised using Spirulina platensis. Synergy between the SNPs and antibiotics was determined by the checker‐board method. In vivo efficacy of the functionalised catheters was assessed in mice. Liver and kidney function tests of mice were performed. The in vitro anti‐adherence activity of the functionalised catheters was evaluated after 2 years. Nanoparticle sizes were 42–75 nm. Synergistic activity was observed among SNPs (2 µg/ml), amikacin (6.25 µg/ml), and nitrofurantoin (31.25 µg/ml). In mice, catheters functionalised with combinations of antibiotics and SNPs exhibited no colonisation until Day 14. Blood, liver, and kidney tests were normal. After 2 years, catheters functionalised with antibiotics exhibited 25% inhibition of bacterial adhesion, and catheters functionalised with the nanoparticle‐antibiotic combination exhibited 90% inhibition. Impregnation of urinary catheters with a synergistic combination of antibiotics and SNPs is an efficient and promising method for preventing biofilm formation.Inspec keywords: catheters, drugs, silver, nanoparticles, nanomedicine, liver, kidney, blood, microorganisms, adhesion, biomechanics, cellular biophysicsOther keywords: Foley catheters, synergistic nanoparticle‐antibiotics combination, silver nanoparticles, biofilm formation resitance, health care unit, pathogens, urinary tract infection, SNP, Spirulina platensis, checker‐board method, liver function, kidney function, vitro antiadherence activity, amikacin, nitrofurantoin, blood, bacterial adhesion, size 42 nm to 75 nm, Ag     

Synthesis of Co3 O4 /graphene nanocomposite using paraffin wax for adsorption of methyl violet in water

This study discusses the use of Co₃ O₄ impregnated graphene (CoOIG) as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of methyl violet (MV) dye from wastewater. CoOIG nanocomposites have been prepared by pyrolyzing paraffin wax with cobalt acetate. The synthesised nanocomposite was characterised by X‐ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscope, Raman spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller isotherm studies. The above studies indicate that the composites have cobalt oxide nanoparticles of size 51–58 nm embedded in the graphene nanoparticles. The adsorption studies were conducted with various parameters, pH, temperature and initial dye concentration, adsorbent dosage and contact time by the batch method. The adsorption of MV dye by the adsorbent CoOIG was about 90% initially at 15 min and 98% dye removal at pH 5. The data were fitted in Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich and Sips isotherm models. Various thermodynamic parameters like Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of the on‐going adsorption process have also been calculated.Inspec keywords: cobalt compounds, graphene, nanoparticles, nanocomposites, nanofabrication, adsorption, dyes, scanning electron microscopy, field emission electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectra, free energy, enthalpy, entropyOther keywords: nanocomposite, paraffin wax, adsorption, methyl violet dye, water, X‐ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller isotherm, cobalt oxide nanoparticles, graphene nanoparticles, thermodynamic parameters, Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, entropy, Co₃ O₄ ‐C     

Implementation of VLSI on Signal Processing-Based Digital Architecture Using AES Algorithm

Continuous improvements in very-large-scale integration (VLSI) technology and design software have significantly broadened the scope of digital signal processing (DSP) applications. The use of application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and programmable digital signal processors for many DSP applications have changed, even though new system implementations based on reconfigurable computing are becoming more complex. Adaptable platforms that combine hardware and software programmability efficiency are rapidly maturing with discrete wavelet transformation (DWT) and sophisticated computerized design techniques, which are much needed in today’s modern world. New research and commercial efforts to sustain power optimization, cost savings, and improved runtime effectiveness have been initiated as initial reconfigurable technologies have emerged. Hence, in this paper, it is proposed that the DWT method can be implemented on a field-programmable gate array in a digital architecture (FPGA-DA). We examined the effects of quantization on DWT performance in classification problems to demonstrate its reliability concerning fixed-point math implementations. The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm for DWT learning used in this architecture is less responsive to resampling errors than the previously proposed solution in the literature using the artificial neural networks (ANN) method. By reducing hardware area by 57%, the proposed system has a higher throughput rate of 88.72%, reliability analysis of 95.5% compared to the other standard methods.     

A partition-of-unity based ‘FE-Meshfree’ QUAD4 element with radial-polynomial basis functions for static analyses

Recently, a partition-of-unity (PU) based finite element called ‘FE-Meshfree’ QUAD4 element has been published. That element employed polynomial basis functions for the local approximation (LA). In the present paper, a new FE-Meshfree QUAD4 element employing hybrid radial-polynomial basis functions for the LA is proposed. An advantage of radial-polynomial basis is the freedom from the possible singularity of the moment matrix that could sometimes result with an inappropriate choice of polynomial basis functions. Another advantage is the improved accuracy of finite element solution. The new element has been applied to several linear and nonlinear test problems. The results demonstrate that the new element gives much better performance as compared to the previous FE-Meshfree QUAD4 element with pure polynomial basis. Even with a lower order basis, viz., with just three or four polynomial terms, the present element is capable of giving more accurate solution than the previous element which employs a six-term polynomial basis. The new element also exhibits a much higher degree of tolerance to mesh distortion than the known quadratic elements. Moreover, the linear dependence problem, otherwise associated with many of the partition-of-unity (PU) based elements, is completely eliminated from the present element.     

A genetic algorithm for solving the fixed-charge transportation model: Two-stage problem

Transportation of goods in a supply chain from plants to customers through distribution centers (DCs) is modeled as a two-stage distribution problem in the literature. In this paper we propose genetic algorithms to solve a two-stage transportation problem with two different scenarios. The first scenario considers the per-unit transportation cost and the fixed cost associated with a route, coupled with unlimited capacity at every DC. The second scenario considers the opening cost of a distribution center, per-unit transportation cost from a given plant to a given DC and the per-unit transportation cost from the DC to a customer. Subsequently, an attempt is made to represent the two-stage fixed-charge transportation problem (Scenario-1) as a single-stage fixed-charge transportation problem and solve the resulting problem using our genetic algorithm. Many benchmark problem instances are solved using the proposed genetic algorithms and performances of these algorithms are compared with the respective best existing algorithms for the two scenarios. The results from computational experiments show that the proposed algorithms yield better solutions than the respective best existing algorithms for the two scenarios under consideration.     

Analysis of rectangular laminated composite plates via FSDT meshless method

A meshless approach based on the reproducing kernel particle method is developed for the flexural, free vibration and buckling analysis of laminated composite plates. In this approach, the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) is employed and the displacement shape functions are constructed using the reproducing kernel approximation satisfying the consistency conditions. The essential boundary conditions are enforced by a singular kernel method. Numerical examples involving various boundary conditions are solved to demonstrate the validity of the proposed method. Comparison of results with the exact and other known solutions in the literature suggests that the meshless approach yields an effective solution method for laminated composite plates.     

An Adaptive Role for DNA Double-Strand Breaks in Hippocampus-Dependent Learning and Memory

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), classified as the most harmful type of DNA damage based on the complexity of repair, lead to apoptosis or tumorigenesis. In aging, DNA damage increases and DNA repair decreases. This is exacerbated in disease, as post-mortem tissue from patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer’s disease (AD) show increased DSBs. A novel role for DSBs in immediate early gene (IEG) expression, learning, and memory has been suggested. Inducing neuronal activity leads to increases in DSBs and upregulation of IEGs, while increasing DSBs and inhibiting DSB repair impairs long-term memory and alters IEG expression. Consistent with this pattern, mice carrying dominant AD mutations have increased baseline DSBs, and impaired DSB repair is observed. These data suggest an adaptive role for DSBs in the central nervous system and dysregulation of DSBs and/or repair might drive age-related cognitive decline (ACD), MCI, and AD. In this review, we discuss the adaptive role of DSBs in hippocampus-dependent learning, memory, and IEG expression. We summarize IEGs, the history of DSBs, and DSBs in synaptic plasticity, aging, and AD. DSBs likely have adaptive functions in the brain, and even subtle alterations in their formation and repair could alter IEGs, learning, and memory.     

Chemical composition and inhibitory parameters of essential oil and extracts of Nandina domestica Thunb. to control food-borne pathogenic and spoilage bacteria

The aim of this study was to examine the chemical composition of the essential oil isolated from the floral parts of Nandina domestica Thunb. by hydrodistillation, and to test the efficacy of essential oil and various organic extracts against a panel of food-borne pathogenic and spoilage bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis ATCC6633, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC19166, Staphylococcus aureus KCTC1916, S. aureus ATCC6538, Pseudomonas aeruginosa KCTC2004, Salmonella typhimurium KCTC2515, Salmonella enteridis KCCM12021, Escherichia coli 0157-Human, E. coli ATCC8739, E. coli 057:H7 ATCC43888 and Enterobacter aerognes KCTC2190. The chemical composition of essential oil was analysed by GC-MS. It was determined that 79 compounds, which represented 87.06% of total oil, were present in the oil. The oil contained mainly 1-indolizino carbazole (19.65%), 2-pentanone (16.4%), mono phenol (12.1%), aziridine (9.01%), methylcarbinol (4.6%), ethanone (3.3%), furfural (2.96%), 3,5-dimethylpyrazole (1.29%) and 2(5H)-furanone (1.32%). The oil (1000 ppm/disc), and various organic extracts of hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol (1500 ppm/disc) exhibited promising antibacterial effect as a diameter of zones of inhibition (9-18 and 7-13 mm) and MIC values (62.5 to 1000 and 250 to 2000 microg/ml), respectively against the tested bacteria. Also the oil had strong detrimental effect on the viable count of the tested bacteria. These results indicate the potential efficacy of plant-based natural products such as essential oil and organic extracts of N. domestica to control food-borne pathogenic and spoilage bacteria.     

Prediction of optimum process parameters to achieve eco-friendly desizing of organic cotton fabrics with indigenously produced alpha-amylase and their enzyme kinetics

An attempt has been made to study the desizing of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) starch-based organic cotton fabric using alpha-amylase enzyme with various process parameters such as enzyme concentration, temperature and reaction time. These process variables are selected based on the Box–Behnken design of experiment and the output of experiment resulted in weight loss of the fabric and their results are optimized with minimum error. The test results are analyzed using Design-Expert software 8.0 to predict the optimum process parameters to achieve the required desizing efficiency and their results are compared with actual trials. The alpha-amylase enzyme kinetics are studied at various concentrations, temperatures and reaction times to optimize the desizing process parameters. The performance of desizing was assessed by an iodine test and FTIR results to confirm the degradation of PVA starch in the desized organic cotton fabrics.