Mineralogical Studies of Coal Fly Ash for Soil Application in Agriculture

Coal fly ash procured from Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Power Plant, Ropar, Punjab, India, was analyzed for its mineralogical content and thermal stability by x-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and physicochemical properties. XRD studies showed that major crystalline phases observed were quartz (SiO₂) and aluminum silicon oxide (Al_4.52Si₁.₄₈) with macro- and microelement (N, P, K, Mg, Zn, S, and Fe). Fly ash showed thermal stability up to 500°C and reduction in weight was up to 200°C, primarily due to loss of water and decarboxylation as revealed by TGA plots. FTIR of fly ash showed that the most prominent peaks in the spectra corresponded to Si–O and Al–O stretch vibrations. Coarse-grain accumulation of fly ash indicated the presence of 70% of fine-grained particles of 0.075 mm. Coal fly ash was alkaline in nature (pH 7.85 ± 0.03) with an electrical conductivity of 0.14 ± 0.02 µS m^?1, water holding capacity of 62%, low bulk density of 0.99 g cm^?3, and a surface area of 0.96 m² g^?1. With properties similar to that of soil coal, fly ash represents a suitable material for use in specific quantities as a soil amending agent in agriculture.     

Nyctanthes arbor‐tristis leaves extract as Antagonizer of immunotoxic effects of chemical pesticides (experimental study)

Increased incidence of immunosuppression due to diseases like AIDS, drug resistant tuberculosis, malaria or exposure to chemicals, calls for general immunopotentiators or anti immunosuppressents. In our previous work while screening the chemical and biopesticides for their immunopotentiating activity, aqueous leaves extract of bio‐pesticidal plant Nyctanthes arbor‐tristis [HL(aq)] was found to be a potent immuno‐modulator. The present study was conducted to evaluate the immunorestorative or anti immunosuppressive activity of the N. arbor‐tristis leaves aqueous extract in the malathion exposed immunosuppressed mice. The immunorestorative potential of HL(aq) was evaluated by studying various immunological parameters (humoral, cell mediated immune, numerical values of immunocytes and functions of phagocytes) in HL(aq) treated or untreated malathion‐exposed mice. The results revealed that the immunological parameters which were suppressed with malathion either reverted back to normal or showed a trend towards normalacy, when treated with HL(aq) extract.     

Rheology of polyacrylonitrile‐based precursor polymers produced from controlled (RAFT) and conventional polymerization: Its role in solution spinning

Polymer solutions in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a solvent, made from reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)‐mediated polyacrylonitrile (RAFT^¥ PAN) terpolymer with molecular weight (MW) of 260,000 g/mol and dispersity (Ð) of 1.29, behave differently under applied shear stress than polymer solutions made from conventional PAN (Control PAN) with similar MW (258,000 g/mol) but Ð of 2.05 in the same solvent. The unique rheology of RAFT PAN is because of the reduced amount of high MW polymer fractions. Specifically, a 25% (w/v) polymer solution of RAFT PAN had a viscosity of 198 Pas while the equivalent control PAN polymer solution had a viscosity of 968 Pas at a shear rate of 1 s^?1. Also, RAFT PAN polymer solutions had a longer Newtonian plateau than control PAN polymer solutions. This exhibits more liquid character in RAFT PAN polymer solutions than control PAN polymer solutions at same temperature and concentration. In dynamic tests, RAFT PAN polymer solutions gelled slower than their equivalent control PAN polymer solutions because of their longer polymer chain relaxation times. Slow gelling and higher liquid character in RAFT PAN polymer solutions can result in obtaining stronger and finer precursor fibers during wet spinning. Since RAFT PAN polymer solutions exhibit low viscosity and higher liquid character when compared to its equivalent control PAN at same concentration and temperature, these can allow a wider working window for wet spinning and can also allow higher solid content in the polymer solutions that remain easy to wet spin. This is expected to lead to compact and finer fibers with less voids and higher strength. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44273.     

Silver Dopant-Induced Effect on Structural and Optoelectronic Properties of CdSe Thin Films

Thin films of CdSe and silver(Ag)-doped CdSe have been prepared on glass substrates by thermal evaporation in argon gas atmosphere. X-ray diffraction pattern indicates the presence of hexagonal structure with preferred orientation along (100) plane. Elemental composition of the thin films has been analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Scanning electron microscopy has been used to investigate the morphology of the thin films. Transmission electron microscope reveals spherical nature of nanoparticles. A decrease in the band gap due to the formation of band tails in the band gap with increase in Ag doping in CdSe lattice has been observed. Photoluminescence spectra indicate redshift in band edge emission peak with increase in Ag doping in CdSe. Electrical conductivity measurements are also studied, and two types of conduction mechanisms taking part in the transport phenomena are observed. Hall measurements indicate n-type behavior of undoped and Ag-doped CdSe thin films.     

Whale Optimization Algorithm Approach for Performance Optimization of Novel Xmas Tree-Shaped FinFET

Silicon - Today, Fin shaped Field Effect Transistors (FinFETs) are the framework of the sub-nanometer technology node. The leading semiconductor industry deploys it in low-power (LP) and...     

On the design and modeling of microcontrolled fuzzy nuclear power plant controller

The article presents a working model of Control rod insertion in nuclear power plant based on fuzzy logic and implemented with MC68HC11 microcontroller. The control rods are made of neutron absorbing metal. The amount of control rod insertion into a pressurized water reactor in a nuclear power plant controls the nuclear fission process by controlling the rate at which the chain reaction takes place. The temperature in the pressurized water tank varies with the load of power, the higher the demand of power the higher the temperature and vice versa. The control rods help to maintain the appropriate temperature in the core of the reactor. Nuclear Power plants use a very complicated control scheme, to vary the amount of control rod insertion which is very expensive and difficult to troubleshoot. We have developed a fuzzy model, tested its functionality by generating control surfaces, written the fuzzy inference software, downloaded in the EEPROM of MC68HC11, and interfaced it with 8 LED Bar to simulate control rod and two 8-bit DIP switches to enter inputs of Power Generation and Temperature of the core of the reactor. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Immunogenic Cell Death of Breast Cancer Stem Cells Induced by an Endoplasmic Reticulum-Targeting Copper(II) Complex

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) offers a method of stimulating the immune system to attack and remove cancer cells. We report a copper(II) complex containing a Schiff base ligand and a polypyridyl ligand, 4 , capable of inducing ICD in breast cancer stem cells (CSCs). Complex 4 kills both bulk breast cancer cells and breast CSCs at sub-micromolar concentrations. Notably, 4 exhibits greater potency (one order of magnitude) towards breast CSCs than salinomycin (an established breast CSC-potent agent) and cisplatin (a clinically approved anticancer drug). Epithelial spheroid studies show that 4 is able to selectively inhibit breast CSC-enriched HMLER-shEcad spheroid formation and viability over non-tumorigenic breast MCF10 A spheroids. Mechanistic studies show that 4 operates as a Type II ICD inducer. Specifically, 4 readily enters the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of breast CSCs, elevates intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, induces ER stress, evokes damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), and promotes breast CSC phagocytosis by macrophages. As far as we are aware, 4 is the first metal complex to induce ICD in breast CSCs and promote their engulfment by immune cells.     

Association of Dietary Phytosterols with Cardiovascular Disease Biomarkers in Humans

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Elevated concentrations of serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) are major lipid biomarkers that contribute to the risk of CVD. Phytosterols well known for their cholesterol-lowering ability, are non-nutritive compounds that are naturally found in plant-based foods and can be classified into plant sterols and plant stanols. Numerous clinical trials demonstrated that 2 g phytosterols per day have LDL-C lowering efficacy ranges of 8–10%. Some observational studies also showed an inverse association between phytosterols and LDL-C reduction. Beyond the cholesterol-lowering beneficial effects of phytosterols, the association of phytosterols with CVD risk events such as coronary artery disease and premature atherosclerosis in sitosterolemia patients have also been reported. Furthermore, there is an increasing demand to determine the association of circulating phytosterols with vascular health biomarkers such as arterial stiffness biomarkers. Therefore, this review aims to examine the ability of phytosterols for CVD risk prevention by reviewing the current data that looks at the association between dietary phytosterols intake and serum lipid biomarkers, and the impact of circulating phytosterols level on vascular health biomarkers. The clinical studies in which the impact of phytosterols on vascular function is investigated show minor but beneficial phytosterols effects over vascular health. The aforementioned vascular health biomarkers are pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, and arterial blood pressure. The current review will serve to begin to address the research gap that exists between the association of dietary phytosterols with CVD risk biomarkers.     

Synthesis,optimization and characterization of PVA-co-poly(methacrylic acid) green adsorbents and applications in environmental remediation

Polymer Bulletin - The present paper is focused on the synthesis and optimization of a green PVA-co-poly(MAA) adsorbent by free radical polymerization using N,N′-methylene-bis-acrylamide and...     

Hidden Relationships between N-Glycosylation and Disulfide Bonds in Individual Proteins

N-Glycosylation (NG) and disulfide bonds (DBs) are two prevalent co/post-translational modifications (PTMs) that are often conserved and coexist in membrane and secreted proteins involved in a large number of diseases. Both in the past and in recent times, the enzymes and chaperones regulating these PTMs have been constantly discovered to directly interact with each other or colocalize in the ER. However, beyond a few model proteins, how such cooperation affects N-glycan modification and disulfide bonding at selective sites in individual proteins is largely unknown. Here, we reviewed the literature to discover the current status in understanding the relationships between NG and DBs in individual proteins. Our results showed that more than 2700 human proteins carry both PTMs, and fewer than 2% of them have been investigated in the associations between NG and DBs. We summarized both these proteins with the reported relationships in the two PTMs and the tools used to discover the relationships. We hope that, by exposing this largely understudied field, more investigations can be encouraged to unveil the hidden relationships of NG and DBs in the majority of membranes and secreted proteins for pathophysiological understanding and biotherapeutic development.