Characterisation of sol–gel method synthesised MgZnFe2 O4 nanoparticles and its cytotoxic effects on breast cancer cell line,MDA MB‐231 in vitro

In this study, nanocrystalline magnesium zinc ferrite nanoparticles were successfully prepared by a simple sol–gel method using copper nitrate and ferric nitrate as raw materials. The calcined samples were characterised by differential thermal analysis/thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the average particle size of the calcined sample was in a range of 17–41 nm with an average of 29 nm and has spherical size. A cytotoxicity test was performed on human breast cancer cells (MDA MB‐231) and (MCF‐7) at various concentrations starting from (0 µg/ml) to (800 µg/ml). The sample possessed a mild toxic effect toward MDA MB‐231 and MCF‐7 after being examined with MTT (3‐[4, 5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl]‐2, 5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay for up to 72 h of incubation. Higher reduction of cells viability was observed as the concentration of sample was increased in MDA MB‐231 cell line than in MCF‐7. Therefore, further cytotoxicity tests were performed on MDA MB‐231 cell line.Inspec keywords: sol‐gel processing, nanoparticles, nanofabrication, magnesium compounds, zinc compounds, toxicology, biological organs, cancer, cellular biophysics, nanomedicine, calcination, differential thermal analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectra, X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, particle size, organic compoundsOther keywords: sol‐gel method, cytotoxic effects, breast cancer cell line, MDA MB‐231 in vitro, nanocrystalline magnesium zinc ferrite nanoparticles, copper nitrate, ferric nitrate, raw materials, calcined samples, differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, average particle size, cytotoxicity testing, human breast cancer cells, mild toxic effect, 3‐[4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl]‐2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, cell viability, MCF‐7, MDA MB‐231 cell line, size 17 nm to 41 nm     

An Efficient Image Analysis Framework for the Classification of Glioma Brain Images Using CNN Approach

The identification of brain tumors is multifarious work for the separation of the similar intensity pixels from their surrounding neighbours. The detection of tumors is performed with the help of automatic computing technique as presented in the proposed work. The non-active cells in brain region are known to be benign and they will never cause the death of the patient. These non-active cells follow a uniform pattern in brain and have lower density than the surrounding pixels. The Magnetic Resonance (MR) image contrast is improved by the cost map construction technique. The deep learning algorithm for differentiating the normal brain MRI images from glioma cases is implemented in the proposed method. This technique permits to extract the linear features from the brain MR image and glioma tumors are detected based on these extracted features. Using k-mean clustering algorithm the tumor regions in glioma are classified. The proposed algorithm provides high sensitivity, specificity and tumor segmentation accuracy.     

Synthesis,characterization, and thermal properties of cyanate esters with azo linkages

A series of azo functionalized diols were synthesized through diazotization which involves the reaction of amine with phenol and 2,6‐dimethyl phenol. Four different amines have been used to prepare five bisphenols. These bisphenols were converted to their corresponding cyanate esters by treatment with cyanogen bromide (BrCN) in the presence of triethylamine (Et₃N). The chemical structures of the prepared compounds were characterized with Fourier Transform Infrared, ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Dynamic curing behavior was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry. The maximum curing temperature of these cyanate esters are in the range of (186–208°C). T_g values of the polycyanurate networks are in the range of 245–276°C. The thermal properties of cured cyanate ester were studied at a heating rate of 10°C min^?1 in N₂ atmosphere. The polymers showed excellent thermal stability (T₁₀ was found to be in the range 405–438°C) and the percentage of char yield at 800°C were found to be 30–49. The flame retardancy of the cyanate ester resins have been studied using limited oxygen index value which is in the range of 29.5–37.1 at 800°C. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:47–53, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Reactivity Aspects of SBA15-Based Doped Supported Catalysts: H2O2 Direct Synthesis and Disproportionation Reactions

Pd and PdAu catalysts supported on SBA15 and SiO₂ were prepared and investigated for H₂O₂ direct synthesis in a batch autoclave (10 °C and 17.5 bar) and in the absence of halides and acids. The SiO₂ supported catalysts exhibited inferior performances compared to the mesoporous ordered SBA15. A good control of both the catalysts dispersion and nanoparticle stability was achieved using SBA15. Catalysts were doped with bromine, a promoter in the H₂O₂ direct synthesis. Productivity and selectivity decreased when bromine was incorporated in the catalysts, thus indicating a possible poisoning due to the grafting process. A synergetic effect between Pd and Au was observed both in presence and absence of bromopropylsilane grafting on the catalyst surface. Three modifiers of the SBA15 support (Al, CeO₂ and Ti) were chosen to elucidate the influence of the surface properties on metal dispersion and catalytic performance. Higher productivity and selectivity were achieved incorporating Al into the SBA15 framework, whereas neither Ti nor CeO₂ improved H₂O₂ yields. The enhanced performance observed for the Prau/Al–SBA15 catalysts was attributed to the increased number of Brønsted acid sites. A modification of this catalyst with bromine was confirmed to impair both productivity and selectivity, possibly due to the broader particle size distribution and the poor stability of the metal nanoparticles, as demonstrate by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. H₂O₂ disproportionation was also investigated. A much slower reaction rate was observed compared to the H₂O₂ production, suggesting that the major contributor in the process of H₂O₂ destruction must be connected to the hydrogenation reaction.     

Rapid Hydrogen Generation from the Reaction of Aluminum Powders and Water Using Synthesized Aluminum Hydroxide Catalysts

A synthesized and nano-sized Al(OH)₃ powder that promotes the generation of hydrogen from a Al/water reaction is demonstrated. In this study, aluminum hydroxides are synthesized using sodium aluminate NaAlO₂, distilled water and ethanol. The mole ratio of ethanol/water and the concentration of sodium aluminate in solution affect the crystal structure, morphology and sizes of the Al(OH)₃ powders significantly. These Al(OH)₃ powders contain both gibbsite and bayerite phases and exhibit excellent catalytic power on the hydrogen generation of Al/water system. It is proposed that two major characteristics of Al(OH)₃ powders dominate the catalytic power. That is, the surface area and the high-energy sites of Al(OH)₃. When mole ratio of ethanol/water is between 0.3–0.6 and the concentration of NaAlO₂ is higher than 0.0167 g/ml, the synthesized Al(OH)₃ powders are in a more gibbsite-oriented and plate-like structure. Other than above conditions result in a more bayerite-oriented and particulate-like structure. The plate-like structure exhibits strong catalytic power due to the existence of high-energy sites on the edge of plates even its surface area is not so high. The particulate-like structure may also have strong catalytic power when it has a high surface area. By taking advantage of the exothermic reaction, ~?100% yield of hydrogen can be produced from 1 g Al/10 g water system within 30 s using 3 g synthesized Al(OH)₃. A aluminum waste scrap can also react with water using these effective catalysts and generate?~?95% yield of hydrogen within 8 min.     

Carbosilisiothermic Reduction of Rutile to Produce Nano-Sized Particles of TiC and Its Composite with SiO2

Ceramic nanoparticles of TiC were successfully synthesized in a matrix of SiO₂ by high-energy ball milling with subsequent heat treatment. The milling procedure includes milling of a mixture of TiO₂, Si, and graphite powders at ambient temperature in an inert gas (Ar) atmosphere. The structural evaluation of powder particles has been accomplished by XRD, TEM, SEM, EDX, and DSC. XRD results suggest that the TiC-SiO₂ nonocomposite was produced after 10 hours of mechanical activation with subsequent heat treatment at 1473 K (1200 °C) for 7 minutes. TEM images reveal that the TiC and SiO₂ crystallites are <14 and 12 nm in size, respectively. The fracture toughness, and Vickers hardness values of the TiC-SiO₂ nanocomposite are measured to be 3.82 MPa m^1/2 and 19.9 GPa, respectively. Dimethylsulfoxide is used to eliminate SiO₂ from the final products.