sp3-Rich Glycyrrhetinic Acid Analogues Using Late-Stage Functionalization as Potential Breast Tumor Regressing Agents

Late-stage functionalization (LSF) aids drug discovery efforts by introducing functional groups onto C−H bonds on pre-existing skeletons. We adopted the LSF strategy to synthesize analogues of the abundantly available triterpenoid, glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), by introducing aryl groups in the A-ring, expanding the A-ring and selectively activating one methyl group of the gem-dimethyl groups. Intriguingly, two compounds were found to preferentially accumulate in the mitochondrial compartment of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, to cause depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential and to induce antiproliferative and anti-invasive effects through enhanced mitochondrial superoxide production with parallel depletion of GSH levels. Furthermore, intraperitoneal administration of these two compounds, in comparison with GA, greatly regressed breast tumor growth and metastasis in a SCID mouse model bearing labeled MDA-MB-231 cells.     

Highly Luminescent–Paramagnetic Nanophosphor Probes for In Vitro High‐Contrast Imaging of Human Breast Cancer Cells

Highly luminescent–paramagnetic nanophosphors have a seminal role in biotechnology and biomedical research due to their potential applications in biolabeling, bioimaging, and drug delivery. Herein, the synthesis of high‐quality, ultrafine, europium‐doped yttrium oxide nanophosphors (Y_1.9O₃:Eu_0.1³⁺) using a modified sol–gel technique is reported and in vitro fluorescence imaging studies are demonstrated in human breast cancer cells. These highly luminescent nanophosphors with an average particle size of ≈6 nm provide high‐contrast optical imaging and decreased light scattering. In vitro cellular uptake is shown by fluorescence microscopy, which visualizes the characteristic intense hypersensitive red emission of Eu³⁺ peaking at 610 nm (⁵D₀–⁷F₂) upon 246 nm UV light excitation. No apparent cytotoxicity is observed. Subsequently, time‐resolved emission spectroscopy and SQUID magnetometry measurements demonstrate a photoluminescence decay time in milliseconds and paramagnetic behavior, which assure applications of the nanophosphors in biomedical studies.     

Detection and Segmentation of Cracks in Weld Images Using ANFIS Classification Method

Russian Journal of Nondestructive Testing - This paper proposes the detection and classifications of weld images for crack detection using image processing techniques. The proposed method consists...     

Ultrathin planar graphene supercapacitors

With the advent of atomically thin and flat layers of conducting materials such as graphene, new designs for thin film energy storage devices with good performance have become possible. Here, we report an "in-plane" fabrication approach for ultrathin supercapacitors based on electrodes comprised of pristine graphene and multilayer reduced graphene oxide. The in-plane design is straightforward to implement and exploits efficiently the surface of each graphene layer for energy storage. The open architecture and the effect of graphene edges enable even the thinnest of devices, made from as grown 1-2 graphene layers, to reach specific capacities up to 80 μFcm(-2), while much higher (394 μFcm(-2)) specific capacities are observed multilayer reduced graphene oxide electrodes. The performances of devices with pristine as well as thicker graphene-based structures are examined using a combination of experiments and model calculations. The demonstrated all solid-state supercapacitors provide a prototype for a broad range of thin-film based energy storage devices.     

Graphene growth via carburization of stainless steel and application in energy storage

A modified version of the carburization process, a widely established technique used in the steel industry for case hardening of components, is used for the growth of graphene on stainless steel. Controlled growth of high-quality single- and few-layered graphene on stainless steel (SS) foils through a liquid-phase chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique is reported. Reversible Li intercalation in these graphene-on-SS structures is demonstrated, where graphene and SS act as electrode and current collector, respectively, providing very good electrical contact. Direct growth of an active electrode material, such as graphene, on current-collector substrates makes this a feasible and efficient process for developing thin-film battery devices.     

Development and Characterization of Curcumin Loaded Silver Nanoparticle Hydrogels for Antibacterial and Drug Delivery Applications

The present work involves the development of curcumin loaded silver hydrogel nanocomposites based on acrylamide and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propanesulfonic acid, as a template by redox co-polymerization in the presence of hydrophilic crosslinker N,N ¹-methylenebisacrylamide. Silver nitrate was taken as the metal precursor and sodium borohydride as a reducing agent. The formation of silver nanoparticles was monitored using UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy. The developed hydrogel silver nanocomposites (HSNC) were characterized by FTIR, UV–Vis, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The curcumin loading and release characteristics were performed for different hydrogel systems. The developed HSNCs were evaluated for preliminary antibacterial applications.     

Effect of storage on resistant starch and amylose content of cereal–pulse based ready-to-eat commercial products

A wide range of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, with varied shelf life are commercially available to meet the increasing demand for convenience foods, both by the Armed Forces and the public at large. The study evaluated the effect of storage on the resistant starch (RS) and amylose content of selected ready-to-eat (RTE) cereal–pulse based processed foods viz., pongal, khara bhath, dal fry, bisibele bhath, rajmah and kesari bhath, developed by Defence Food Research Laboratory, Mysore. RS was quantified directly in the residues obtained after removing digested starch in simulated physiological conditions. Nutrient composition and carbohydrate profile of the foods were also analyzed. The carbohydrate profile indicated low amounts of sugars, except in case of kesari bhath. The total starch content ranged from 14.5 to 24 g% while amylose ranged from 1.2 to 7.2 g%, respectively. The total and resistant starch in the RTE foods varied depending on the ingredients used and type of processing. Foods containing higher amylose content were found to have maximum increases in RS content after storage. Storage at ambient conditions resulted in significant increases (p < 0.05) in RS and TS content of RTE foods. The findings reveal that the RTE foods studied hitherto contained appreciable quantities of RS, which further increased on storage.     

Robust static allocation of resources for independent tasks under makespan and dollar cost constraints

Heterogeneous computing (HC) systems composed of interconnected machines with varied computational capabilities often operate in environments where there may be inaccuracies in the estimation of task execution times. Makespan (defined as the completion time for an entire set of tasks) is often the performance feature that needs to be optimized in such systems. Resource allocation is typically performed based on estimates of the computation time of each task on each class of machines. Hence, it is important that makespan be robust against errors in computation time estimates. In this research, the problem of finding a static mapping of tasks to maximize the robustness of makespan against the errors in task execution time estimates given an overall makespan constraint is studied. Two variations of this basic problem are considered: (1) where there is a given, fixed set of machines, (2) where an HC system is to be constructed from a set of machines within a dollar cost constraint. Six heuristic techniques for each of these variations of the problem are presented and evaluated.     

Electromagnetic Field Emission From Gas-to-Air Bushing in a GIS During Switching Operations

Very fast transient overvoltages (VFTO) and the associated very fast transient currents (VFTC) generated during switching operations in a gas-insulated substation (GIS) radiate electromagnetic (EM) fields, which in turn can leak into the external environment through apertures like SF₆ gas-to-air bushing. Therefore, it becomes necessary to characterize and quantify the EM fields when sensitive control devices are used for the operation of such substations. Keeping this in view, a numerical model using a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique was developed to compute the transient field emission from a 245-kV-rated gas- to-air bushing. Shielding effectiveness (SE) of the bushing for these transient fields was evaluated using a derivative Gaussian current excitation of the high-tension (HT) conductor. The variation in EM field levels along the axis of bushing at various radial distances for different frequencies of the transient current were analyzed. The enhancement of the field levels due to the presence of a metallic structure on the ground plane, which simulates the control cubicle or the grounded enclosures of the GIS, were studied. Finally, the emission levels from different bushing models were calculated for the VFTC generated during a switching event, and the dominant frequencies were identified.     

Effect of fluid velocity and temperature on the corrosion mechanism of low carbon steel in industrial water in the absence and presence of 2-hydrazino benzothiazole

This work was carried out to study the inhibition mechanism of volatile corrosion inhibitors (VCIs) such as 2-hydrazinobenzothiazole (2-HBTA) on the corrosion of low carbon steel in industrial water by using polarization and mass loss measurement. It was found that 2-HBTA revealed good performance as inhibitor for low carbon steel corrosion in industrial water. After some time, the performance decreased due to the volatility of these kinds of inhibitors away from the open system unlike the closed system. The experimental data indicated that the inhibitive performance of 2-HBTA for low carbon steel was improved with increasing of concentration up to the critical concentration (4.24×10⁻³M). The adsorption behavior of 2-HBTA was found to obey Langmuir’s adsorption isotherm. The thermodynamic parameters of adsorption process and activation energy were obtained from polarization technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to characterize the film formed on the surface. Box-Wilson statistical method was employed to correlate the results obtained, and the optimization of fluid velocity, temperature and concentration of inhibitor by using Box-Wilson statistical method was evaluated.