<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">d</Emphasis>-Maltose Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles for Biofilm Eradication

Biofilms are complex bacterial communities have a mechanism for antibiotic resistance leading to human health problems. It remains challenging to treat and eradicate biofilms. In this work, the use of d-maltose synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was investigated in an effort to eradicate a biofilm. AgNPs were synthesized using a modified Tollen’s method. d-maltose was used in synthesizing AgNPs with different concentrations of d-maltose (0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 M), referred to as NP1, NP2 and NP3, respectively. TEM images revealed that the particles were polygon shaped. The particle sizes were found to be 86.81?±?13.39, 54.94?±?11.63 and 31.43?±?31.76 nm depending on their sugar concentrations. UV–Vis, ATR–FTIR, and XRD patterns were employed to characterize the AgNPs. Then, these AgNPs were investigated for their anti-bacterial effects against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Evaluation of the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimal bactericidal concentration revealed that S. aureus was inhibited by all AgNPs and killed by NP1 and NP3, and E. coli was inhibited and killed at all AgNPs doses. Furthermore, anti-biofilm activity against these two bacteria was observed using SEM and confocal laser scanning microscopy. This sugar coated AgNPs is a promising material for use in eradication of biofilms.     

Molecular Insights on the Possible Role of Annexin A2 in COVID-19 Pathogenesis and Post-Infection Complications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected >235 million people and killed over 4.8 million individuals worldwide. Although vaccines have been developed for prophylactic management, there are no clinically proven antivirals to treat the viral infection. Continuous efforts are being made all over the world to develop effective drugs but these are being delayed by periodic outbreak of mutated SARS-CoV-2 and a lack of knowledge of molecular mechanisms underlying viral pathogenesis and post-infection complications. In this regard, the involvement of Annexin A2 (AnxA2), a lipid-raft related phospholipid-binding protein, in SARS-CoV-2 attachment, internalization, and replication has been discussed. In addition to the evidence from published literature, we have performed in silico docking of viral spike glycoprotein and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase with human AnxA2 to find the molecular interactions. Overall, this review provides the molecular insights into a potential role of AnxA2 in the SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and post-infection complications, especially thrombosis, cytokine storm, and insulin resistance.     

Flow Behavior of Milk Chocolate Melt and the Application to Coating Flow

ABSTRACT: The rheological properties of chocolate, especially shear viscosity and yield stress, are important control parameters for enrobing processes in confectionery manufacture. The rheological parameters of molten milk chocolate were measured at 42°C during steady pipe flow using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) viscometric method. The experimental method combines shear rate values obtained from an MR velocity image and shear stress values obtained from an independent pressure drop measurement. The experimental factors were emulsifier type and emulsifier level. The rheogram data were fit by the Casson model to yield the Casson yield stress and plastic viscosity. The Casson yield stress ranged from 1.9 to 15.0 Pa; the Casson viscosity ranged from 6.0 to 14.6 Pa s as a function of emulsifier content. The rheological parameters were incorporated into a drainage theory model to predict coating thicknesses in the enrobing process. The model was solved numerically and yielded good approximations to the experimental values that were between 1.1 to 2.7 mm.     

Anti-osteoclastogenic,estrogenic, and antioxidant activities of cell suspension cultures and tuber root extracts from Pueraria mirifica

The flavonoid contents of intact tubers and cell culture media were determined and physiological activities of Pueraria mirifica extracts were investigated. The total flavonoid contents from cell culture media (PMC) were higher than from tubers (PMT). Results from in vivo estrogenic activity assays indicated that PMT had a strong estrogenic activity in ovariectomized rats. The same amount of PMC exhibited a weak activity. In vitro osteoclast suppression investigations indicated that both PMT and PMC extracts exhibited anti-osteoclastogenic activities with low toxicities in a standard test cell line. Determination of the antioxidant potential using the DPPH assay revealed that the IC₅₀ value for PMT was lower than for PMC. P. mirifica cell cultures produce more flavonoids and exhibit a mild estrogenic and more antioxidant activities than tubers.     

Biodegradation of Chemically Modified Jute Fibers

Degradation of lignocellulosic fibers such as untreated jute fibers and those treated with an alkaline solution of neem oil and phenolic resin are studied by monitoring enzyme activities during burial of fibers within a compost of organic soil and animal refuse. Results indicate that biodegradation of fibers is dominated initially by enzymatic hydrolysis of hemicellulose and amorphous cellulose and subsequently by crystalline cellulose degradation. For neem oil and phenolic resin treated fibers, the degradation of hemicelluloses and cellulose were found to proceed at a remarkably slower rate compared to untreated fibers due to relative nonavailability of degradable matter.     

Phase equilibria in the system NiO-CaO-SiO2 and gibbs energy of formation of CaNiSi2O6

Phase relations in the pseudoternary system NiO-CaO-SiO₂ at 1373 K are established. The coexisting phases are identified by X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis of equilibrated samples. There is only one quaternary oxide CaNiSi2O6 with clinopyroxene structure. The Gibbs energy of formation of CaNiSi₂O₆ is measured using a solid state galvanic cell incorporating stabilized zirconia as the solid electrolyte in the temperature range of 1000 to 1400 K: From the electromotive force (emf) of the cell, the Gibbs energy of formation of CaNiSi₂O₆ from NiO, SiO₂, and CaSiO₃ is obtained. To derive the Gibbs energy of formation of the quaternary oxide from component binary oxides, the free energy of formation of CaSiO₃ is determined separately using a solid state cell based on single crystal CaF₂ as the electrolyte: The results can be expressed by the following equations:      

An improved model of the seeded batch crystallization of glucose monohydrate from aqueous solutions

The current research has produced an accurate model of the non-nucleating seeded batch crystallization of glucose monohydrate which includes complex phenomena including crystal growth rate dispersion and the effect of the mutarotation reaction. The model is able to predict the population density of crystals in the batch as a function of particle size and batch time, n=n(L,t) as well as total glucose concentration in the mother liquor and the fraction of glucose in the α-d-glucopyranose form. A previous model of similar systems was limited by considering only systems with monosize seed crystals, and where growth rate dispersion had a negligible effect on the particle size distribution. Because of the nature of the ‘common history’ crystals that are produced by the growth of glucose monohydrate, the modifications required to the model to account for these additions to the model are remarkably simple. By predicting the full population density the model produces an accurate mass balance for the crystallization process, since the second moment of the crystal size distribution (CSD) may be calculated analytically at every point in the simulation. This enables the competitive kinetics between the rate of crystal mass deposition of α-glucose and the rate of production of α-glucose via the mutarotation reaction to be more accurately accounted for, and hence the significance of the mutarotation reaction on the crystal growth to be more accurately predicted.     

Differential diagnosis of Interstitial Lung Diseases using Deep Learning networks

ABSTRACT

An architecture for automatic lung tissue classification method based on the Deep Learning techniques is designed in this paper. Recent works on Deep Learning techniques achieved impressive results in the field of medical image classification. So, we designed a Convolution Neural Network (CNN) for the classification of five categories of Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILD) patterns in High-Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) images. The CNN consists of 3 Convolution layers, Leaky ReLU activation followed by Maximum pooling layer and dense layer. The last Fully Connected (FC) layer has 5 outputs equivalent to the classes considered such as Normal, Ground Glass (GG), Emphysema, Micro Nodules, and Fibrosis. The proposed CNN is trained and evaluated on the publicly available ILD database provided by the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG). Experimental results are compared with the state-of-art, which shows an outstanding performance of the proposed CNN model giving 94.67% accuracy and 94.65% F_avg .     

A transfer of technology from engineering: use of ROC curves from signal detection theory to investigate information processing in the brain during sensory difference testing

This article reviews a beneficial effect of technology transfer from Electrical Engineering to Food Sensory Science. Specifically, it reviews the recent adoption in Food Sensory Science of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, a tool that is incorporated in the theory of signal detection. Its use allows the information processing that takes place in the brain during sensory difference testing to be studied and understood. The review deals with how Signal Detection Theory, also called Thurstonian modeling, led to the adoption of a more sophisticated way of analyzing the data from sensory difference tests, by introducing the signal-to-noise ratio, d', as a fundamental measure of perceived small sensory differences. Generally, the method of computation of d' is a simple matter for some of the better known difference tests like the triangle, duo-trio and 2-AFC. However, there are occasions when these tests are not appropriate and other tests like the same-different and the A Not-A test are more suitable. Yet, for these, it is necessary to understand how the brain processes information during the test before d' can be computed. It is for this task that the ROC curve has a particular use.     

Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of Cu films from bis(t-butyl-3-oxo-butanoato)copper(II): thermodynamic investigation and experimental verification

For the metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) of copper films using the β-diketonate complex copper t-butylacetoacetate or bis(t-butyl-3-oxo-butanoato)copper(II) as the precursor material, the equilibrium concentrations of various condensed and gaseous phases have been thermodynamically calculated, using the criterion of minimization of total Gibbs free energy of the system. The study predicts the deposition of films of metallic copper without the presence of any oxides, even in an inert atmosphere of argon. The Cu films so formed would contain a small amount of carbon, which reduces to zero at higher temperatures. In the reactive ambient of hydrogen, carbon-free copper film is predicted over a wide range of substrate temperatures and total reactor pressures. The thermodynamic yield shows reasonable agreement with experimental observations, though the removal of carbon from the MOCVD-grown copper films in hydrogen is not as complete as the thermodynamic calculations predict.