Modulatory Effects of Biosynthesized Gold Nanoparticles Conjugated with Curcumin and Paclitaxel on Tumorigenesis and Metastatic Pathways—In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women globally, and diagnosing it early and finding potential drug candidates against multi-drug resistant metastatic breast cancers provide the possibilities of better treatment and extending life. Methods: The current study aimed to evaluate the synergistic anti-metastatic activity of Curcumin (Cur) and Paclitaxel (Pacli) individually, the combination of Curcumin–Paclitaxel (CP), and also in conjugation with gold nanoparticles (AuNP–Curcumin (Au-C), AuNP–Paclitaxel (Au-P), and AuNP–Curcumin–Paclitaxel (Au-CP)) in various in vitro and in vivo models. Results: The results from combination treatments of CP and Au-CP demonstrated excellent synergistic cytotoxic effects in triple-negative breast cancer cell lines (MDA MB 231 and 4T1) in in vitro and in vivo mouse models. Detailed mechanistic studies were performed that reveal that the anti-cancer effects were associated with the downregulation of the expression of VEGF, CYCLIN-D1, and STAT-3 genes and upregulation of the apoptotic Caspase-9 gene. The group of mice that received CP combination therapy (with and without gold nanoparticles) showed a significant reduction in the size of tumor when compared to the Pacli alone treatment and control groups. Conclusions: Together, the results suggest that the delivery of gold conjugated Au-CP formulations may help in modulating the outcomes of chemotherapy. The present study is well supported with observations from cell-based assays, molecular and histopathological analyses.     

Design of forging dies for forming flashless ring gear blanks using finite element methods

In the forging industry today, advanced mathematical techniques such as finite element methods (FEM) are beginning to revolutionize the conventional trial-and-error methods for die design and forging process development. Cost reduction programs are being implemented to enable the forging industry to remain competitive in today’s market. Material reduction or weight savings in the quantity of metal required to make the forged part is proving to be a significant factor contributing to cost reduction. Production of ring gear blanks without producing flash reduces the input weight of metal needed to make the gear blank, thus providing cost savings on the forged part. The following paper discusses different approaches currently used to make flashless ring gear blanks. The paper also describes the application of the rigid-viscoplastic finite element code “ALPID,” developed by Battelle Labs, Ohio, in developing a hot forging process to produce flashless ring gear blanks. The metal flow simulations, using ALPID, provide a tool to design and develop die cavities for defect-free closed die forging processes for making flashless ring gear blanks. The forming loads from these simulations are then applied to the forging die and the stresses on the die analyzed using another FEM based stress analysis package (“IDEAS,” developed by SDRC, Ohio) to verify the die design for strength in the given application. Thus, finite element methods were applied in different aspects of forging die design.     

Synthesis and characterization of Znx-1Al2O4(TiO2)x nanocomposite ceramics and their humidity sensing properties

Journal of Materials Science - The present study focuses on the sol–gel synthesis and investigation of Znx-1Al2O4(TiO2)x nanocomposite ceramics prepared by varying x?=?0.1, 0.3...     

Scatterfield microscopy for extending the limits of image-based optical metrology

We have developed a set of techniques, referred to as scatterfield microscopy, in which the illumination is engineered in combination with appropriately designed metrology targets to extend the limits of image-based optical metrology. Previously we reported results from samples with sub-50-nm-sized features having pitches larger than the conventional Rayleigh resolution criterion, which resulted in images having edge contrast and elements of conventional imaging. In this paper we extend these methods to targets composed of features much denser than the conventional Rayleigh resolution criterion. For these applications, a new approach is presented that uses a combination of zero-order optical response and edge-based imaging. The approach is, however, more general and a more comprehensive set of analyses using theoretical methods is presented. This analysis gives a direct measure of the ultimate size and density of features that can be measured with these optical techniques. We present both experimental results and optical simulations using different electromagnetic scattering packages to evaluate the ultimate sensitivity and extensibility of these techniques.     

Structural properties of GaN grown on AlGaN/AlN stress mitigating layers on 100-mm Si (111) by ammonia molecular beam epitaxy

The structural properties of GaN grown on AlGaN/AlN stress mitigating layers on 100-mm diameter Si (111) substrate by ammonia molecular beam epitaxy have been reported. High resolution X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy have been used to study the influence of AlN thickness and AlGaN growth temperature on the quality of GaN. GaN grown on thicker AlN showed reduced dislocation density and lesser tensile strain. Three-dimensional growth regime was observed for GaN grown at lower AlGaN growth temperature while higher AlGaN growth temperature resulted in two-dimensional growth mode. The dislocation bending and looping at the AlGaN/AlN interface was found to have significant influence on the dislocation density and strain in the GaN layer. The evolution and interaction of threading dislocations play a major role in determining the quality and the strain states of GaN.     

Nano-wear mechanism of amorphous carbon thin films

Tribological performance of diamond-like carbon (DLC) overcoat on a magnetic hard disk was evaluated using a contact start stop wear tester. The analysis of worn surfaces suggests that wear of the carbon overcoat took place by a delamination type of wear mechanism at a nanoscale, resulting in the formation of wear particles of about 1.5 nm thick and 30–90 nm wide. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Green synthesis of LiZnVO4 nanoparticles and its multiple applications towards electrochemical sensor,supercapacitor, humidity sensing,photoluminescence and antioxidant activities

LiZnVO₄ nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by a simple combustion method using Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis leaves as a novel fuel and the prepared NPs were characterized using XRD, FT-IR, morphological analysis by SEM and TEM studies, elemental analysis by EDAX and ICP-MS. XRD data of the synthesized NPs were well-matched with the JCPDS number 038–1332 and it confirms the distorted phenacite structure of LiZnVO₄. FT-IR strengthens the bonding of M-M and M–O in LiZnVO₄. Optical characteristics of LiZnVO₄ NPs were studied by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Vanadate group of the prepared NPs originates a green emission. Examination of latent finger prints (LFP’s) showed a crystal clear patterns under near UV region (365 nm) as they are the prominent techniques in crime investigations. LiZnVO₄ NPs exhibit a strong antioxidant property and act as a good sensor to detect sodium nitrite analyte at extremely low concentrations with limit of detection of 27.5 nM. Three-electrode system supercapacitor device has been fabricated and examined the performances. Specific capacitance of LiZnVO₄ NPs based supercapacitor was found to be 88.7 F/g at a current density of 0.1 mA. Power density (P_d) and energy density (E_d) were found to be 0.51 W/g and 12.3 Wh/Kg, respectively. This device exhibits a stable CV curves up to the scan rate of 10 V/s. Furthermore, LiZnVO₄ NPs acts as an excellent material towards the humidity sensing with a sensitivity factor, sensitivity and limit of detection of 28.0, 0.3 MΩ/%RH and 5%RH, respectively. All the above studies show the diverse potentiality of LiZnVO₄ NPs.