Green synthesised zinc oxide nanostructures through Periploca aphylla extract shows tremendous antibacterial potential against multidrug resistant pathogens

To grapple with multidrug resistant bacterial infections, implementations of antibacterial nanomedicines have gained prime attention of the researchers across the globe. Nowadays, zinc oxide (ZnO) at nano‐scale has emerged as a promising antibacterial therapeutic agent. Keeping this in view, ZnO nanostructures (ZnO‐NS) have been synthesised through reduction by P. aphylla aqueous extract without the utilisation of any acid or base. Structural examinations via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray diffraction have revealed pure phase morphology with highly homogenised average particle size of 18 nm. SEM findings were further supplemented by transmission electron microscopy examinations. The characteristic Zn–O peak has been observed around 363 nm using ultra‐violet–visible spectroscopy. Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy examination has also confirmed the formation of ZnO‐NS through detection of Zn–O bond vibration frequencies. To check the superior antibacterial activity of ZnO‐NS, the authors'' team has performed disc diffusion assay and colony forming unit testing against multidrug resistant E. coli, S. marcescens and E. cloacae. Furthermore, protein kinase inhibition assay and cytotoxicity examinations have revealed that green fabricated ZnO‐NS are non‐hazardous, economical, environmental friendly and possess tremendous potential to treat lethal infections caused by multidrug resistant pathogens.Inspec keywords: nanomedicine, zinc compounds, II‐VI semiconductors, wide band gap semiconductors, nanoparticles, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, antibacterial activity, transmission electron microscopy, particle size, Fourier transform infrared spectra, ultraviolet spectra, visible spectra, enzymes, biochemistry, molecular biophysics, microorganisms, drugs, toxicology, bonds (chemical), semiconductor growth, nanofabrication, vibrational modesOther keywords: green synthesised zinc oxide nanostructures, Periploca aphylla extract, antibacterial potential, multidrug resistant pathogens, multidrug resistant bacterial infections, antibacterial nanomedicines, P. aphylla aqueous extract, structural examinations, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, pure phase morphology, homogenised average particle size, SEM, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, bond vibration frequency, antibacterial activity, disc diffusion assay, colony forming unit testing, S. marcescens, E. cloacae, E. coli, ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy, protein kinase inhibition assay, cytotoxicity, lethal infections, ZnO     

Efficient and 1,8-diiodooctane-free ternary organic solar cells fabricated via nanoscale morphology tuning using small-molecule dye additive

The ternary strategy for incorporating multiple photon-sensitive components into a single junction has emerged as an effective method for optimizing the nanoscale morphology and improving the device performance of organic solar cells (OSCs).In this study,efficient and stable ternary OSCs were achieved by introducing the small-molecule dye (5E,5'E)-5,5'-(4',4″-(1,2-diphenylethene-1,2-diyl)bis(biphenyl-4',4-diyl))bis(methan-1-yl-1-ylidene)bis(3-ethyl-2-thioxothia zolidin-4-one) (BTPERn) into poly[4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiopheneco-3-fluorothieno[3,4-b]thiophene-2-carboxylate] (PTB7-Th):[6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) blend films processed using a 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO)-free solvent.The incorporation of BTPE-Rn enhanced the short-circuit current density and fill factor of the ternary OSCs compared with those of binary OSCs.An investigation of the optical,electronic,and morphological properties of the ternary blends indicated that the third component of BTPE-Rn not only promoted the photon utilization of blends through the energy-transfer process but also improved the electron mobility of the blends owing to the fullerene-rich nanophase optimization.More importantly,this ternary strategy of utilizing a small-molecule dye to replace the photounstable DIO additive enhanced the operational stability of the OSCs.     

Catalase-imprinted Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>/Fe@fibrous SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/polydopamine nanoparticles: An integrated nanoplatform of magnetic targeting,magnetic resonance imaging,and dual-mode cancer therapy

Recent advances in the research on the molecular mechanism of cell death and methods for preparation of nanomaterials make the integration of various therapeutic approaches,targeting,and imaging modes into a single nanoscale complex a new trend for the development of future nanotherapeutics.Hence,a novel ellipsoidal composite nanoplatform composed of a magnetic Fe3O4/Fe nanorod core (～120 nm) enwrapped by a catalase (CAT)-imprinted fibrous SiO2/ polydopamine (F-SiO2/PDA) shell with thickness 70 nm was prepared in this work.In vitro experiments showed that the Fe3O4/Fe@F-SiO2/PDA nanoparticles can selectively inhibit the bioactivity of CAT in tumor cells by the molecular imprinting technique.As a result,the H2O2 level in tumor cells was elevated dramatically.At the same time,the Fe3O4/Fe core released Fe ions to catalyze the conversion of H2O2 to ·OH in tumor cells.Eventually,the concentration of ·OH in tumor cells rapidly rose to a lethal level thus triggering apoptosis.Combined with the remarkable near-infrared light (NIR) photothermal effect of the CATimprinted PDA layer,the Fe3O4/Fe@F-SiO2/PDA nanoparticles can effectively kill MCF-7,HeLa,and 293T tumor cells but are not toxic to nontumor cells.Furthermore,these nanoparticles show good capacity for magnetic targeting and suitability for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Therefore,the integrated multifunctional nanoplatform opens up new possibilities for high-efficiency visual targeted nonchemo therapy for cancer.     

Interface evolution in the platelet-like SiC@C and SiC@SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> monocrystal nanocapsules

Carbon-coated SiC@C nanocapsules (NCs) with a hexagonal platelet-like morphology were fabricated by a simple direct current (DC) arc-discharge plasma method.The SiC@C NCs were monocrystalline,120-150 nm in size,and approximately 50 nm thick.The formation of the as-prepared SiC@C NCs included nucleation of truncated octahedral SiC seeds and subsequent anisotropic growth of the seeds into hexagonal nanoplatelets in a carbon-rich atmosphere.The disordered carbon layers on the SiC@C NCs were converted into SiO2 shells of SiC@SiO2 NCs by heat treatment at 650 ℃ in air,during which the shape and inherent characteristics of the crystalline SiC core were obtained.The interface evolution from carbon to SiO2 shells endowed the SiC@SiO2 NCs with enhanced photocatalytic activity due to the hydrophilic and transparent nature of the SiO2 shell,as well as to the photosensitive SiC nanocrystals.The band gap of the nanostructured SiC core was determined to be 2.70 eV.The SiC@SiO2 NCs degraded approximately 95％ of methylene blue in 160 min under visible light irradiation.     

Low-Dimensional Halide Perovskites and Their Advanced Optoelectronic Applications

Nano-Micro Letters - A NiFe2O4/expanded graphite (NiFe2O4/EG) nanocomposite was prepared via a simple and inexpensive synthesis method. Its lithium storage properties were studied with the goal of...     

On the performance of different capability indices under normal and non-normal distributions

In this article, we have examined the performance of some useful capability indices using normal and non-normal distributions. The confidence intervals are calculated and mean coverage rates are observed for different capability indices. The effects of symmetry and kurtosis of parent distributions are examined on the mean coverage rates of different capability indices. Moreover, we have investigated the robustness (of confidence interval) using the median and percentile-based indices. We have considered the well-known distributions including normal, gamma, t, Weibull, and chi-squared. For these process scenarios, we have observed that some indices resist disturbance only in symmetry of the parent distribution, some resist the disturbance in symmetry and kurtosis of the distribution, and some indices don’t resist against either type of disturbance.     

On the Efficiency of Runs Rules Schemes for Process Monitoring

There are two main types of variations, namely, common and special causes leading to in‐control and out‐of‐control states, respectively. Control charts are popular tools used to differentiate between these two states of a process. Implementation of runs rules schemes with control charts is an attractive approach for process monitoring. This study is designed to describe the methodology of runs rules schemes and discuss their implementation for different types of control charts. We have considered memory‐less charts, namely, , S, and R charts for our study purposes. It is examined that the efficiency gain depends on the number of decision points utilized to implement a given rule. Moreover, superiority of runs rules schemes may vary for different types of location and dispersion charts. An application example using a dataset is also included in the study for practical considerations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A New Combined Shewhart–Cumulative Sum S Chart for Monitoring Process Standard Deviation

The combined application of a Shewhart chart and cumulative sum (CUSUM) control chart is an effective tool for the detection of all sizes of process shifts as the scheme combines the advantages of a CUSUM at detecting small to moderate shifts and Shewhart for the quick detection of very large shifts. This article proposes new combined Shewhart–CUSUM S charts based on the extreme variations of ranked set sampling technique, for efficient monitoring of changes in the process dispersion. Using Monte Carlo simulations, the combined scheme is designed to minimize the average extra quadratic loss over the entire process shift domain. The results show that the combined Shewhart–CUSUM S charts uniformly outperform several other procedures for detecting increases and decreases in the process variability. Moreover, the proposed scheme can detect changes that are small enough to escape the Shewhart S chart or fairly large to escape detection by the CUSUM S chart. Numerical example is given to illustrate the practical application of the proposed scheme using real industrial data. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Autonomous Magnetic Microrobots by Navigating Gates for Multiple Biomolecules Delivery

The precise delivery of biofunctionalized matters is of great interest from the fundamental and applied viewpoints. In spite of significant progress achieved during the last decade, a parallel and automated isolation and manipulation of rare analyte, and their simultaneous on‐chip separation and trapping, still remain challenging. Here, a universal micromagnet junction for self‐navigating gates of microrobotic particles to deliver the biomolecules to specific sites using a remote magnetic field is described. In the proposed concept, the nonmagnetic gap between the lithographically defined donor and acceptor micromagnets creates a crucial energy barrier to restrict particle gating. It is shown that by carefully designing the geometry of the junctions, it becomes possible to deliver multiple protein‐functionalized carriers in high resolution, as well as MCF‐7 and THP‐1 cells from the mixture, with high fidelity and trap them in individual apartments. Integration of such junctions with magnetophoretic circuitry elements could lead to novel platforms without retrieving for the synchronous digital manipulation of particles/biomolecules in microfluidic multiplex arrays for next‐generation biochips.