Minocycline Loaded Hybrid Composites Nanoparticles for Mesenchymal Stem Cells Differentiation into Osteogenesis

Bone transplants are used to treat fractures and increase new tissue development in bone tissue engineering. Grafting of massive implantations showing slow curing rate and results in cell death for poor vascularization. The potentials of biocomposite scaffolds to mimic extracellular matrix (ECM) and including new biomaterials could produce a better substitute for new bone tissue formation. A purpose of this study is to analyze polycaprolactone/silk fibroin/hyaluronic acid/minocycline hydrochloride (PCL/SF/HA/MH) nanoparticles initiate human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) proliferation and differentiation into osteogenesis. Electrospraying technique was used to develop PCL, PCL/SF, PCL/SF/HA and PCL/SF/HA/MH hybrid biocomposite nanoparticles and characterization was analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), contact angle and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The obtained results proved that the particle diameter and water contact angle obtained around 0.54 ± 0.12 to 3.2 ± 0.18 µm and 43.93 ± 10.8° to 133.1 ± 12.4° respectively. The cell proliferation and cell-nanoparticle interactions analyzed using (3-(4,5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium inner salt) MTS assay (Promega, Madison, WI, USA), FESEM for cell morphology and 5-Chloromethylfluorescein diacetate (CMFDA) dye for imaging live cells. Osteogenic differentiation was proved by expression of osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) and mineralization was confirmed by using alizarin red (ARS). The quantity of cells was considerably increased in PCL/SF/HA/MH nanoparticles when compare to all other biocomposite nanoparticles and the cell interaction was observed more on PCL/SF/HA/MH nanoparticles. The electrosprayed PCL/SF/HA/MH biocomposite nanoparticle significantly initiated increased cell proliferation, osteogenic differentiation and mineralization, which provide huge potential for bone tissue engineering.     

Microwave-Hydrothermal Synthesis of Ni0.53Cu0.12Zn0.35Fe2O4/SiO2 Nanocomposites for MLCI

The nanocomposites of NiCuZnFe₂O₄-SiO₂ were prepared using Microwave-Hydrothermal method at 160°C/45 min.The as-synthesized powders were characterized using X-ray diffraction and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM).The average particle size of the powders were found to be ～20 nm.The powders were densified at 900°C/30 min using Microwave sintering method. The sintered composite samples were characterized using XRD and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Crystallite size of the ferrites decreases with an increase of SiO₂ content. The density of the composites varies of 93–98% of theoretical density. The densities of the present composites were increasing with the addition of SiO_2. The bulk densities of the present composites were increasing with the addition of SiO₂. The structural changes in these samples were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) in the 400–4000 cm^?1. The bands in the range of 580–880 cm^?1 show a slight increase in intensity, which could be ascribed to the enhanced interactions between the NiCuZnFe₂O₄ clusters and silica matrix. The resistivity of the sintered samples was increased with an addition of ferrite content. The real and imaginary parts of permittivity and permeability were measured in the frequency range of 1 MHz–1.8 GHz.The addition of SiO₂ alters the values of dielectric constant and permeability which is useful to the Multilayer Chip Inductors (MLCI) fabrication.     

Polyphosphazenes—A Promising Candidate for Drug Delivery,Bioimaging, and Tissue Engineering: A Review

Synthetic polymer materials have been surged to the forefront of research in the fields of tissue engineering, drug delivery, and biomonitoring in recent years. Biodegradable synthetic polymers are increasingly needed as transient substrates for tissue regeneration and medicine delivery. In contrast to commonly used polymers including polyesters, polylactones, polyanhydrides, poly(propylene fumarates), polyorthoesters, and polyurethanes, biodegradable polyphosphazenes (PPZs) hold great potential for the purposes indicated above. PPZ's versatility in the synthetic process has enabled the production of a variety of polymers with various physico-chemical, and biological properties have been produced, making them appropriate for biomedical applications. Biocompatible PPZs are often used as scaffolds in the regeneration of skeleton, bones, and other tissues. PPZs have also received special attention as potential drug vehicles of high-value biopharmaceuticals such as anticancer drugs. Additionally, by incorporating fluorophores into the PPZ backbone to produce photoluminescent biodegradable PPZs, the utility of polyphosphazenes is further expanded as they are used in tracking the regeneration of the target tissue as well as the fate of PPZ based scaffolds or drug delivery vehicles. This review provides a summary of the evolution of PPZ applications in the fields of tissue engineering, drug delivery, and bioimaging in recent 5 years.     

Effect of Sm3+ on dielectric and magnetic properties of Y3Fe5O12 nanoparticles

The Sm³⁺ doped Y_3?xSm_xFe₅O₁₂ (x = 0–3) nanopowders were prepared using modified sol–gel route. The crystalline structure and morphology was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The nanopowders were sintered at 950 °C/90 min using microwave sintering method. The lattice parameters and density of the samples were increased with an increase of Sm³⁺ concentration. The room temperature dielectric (ε′ and ε″) and magnetic (μ′ and μ″) properties were measured in the frequency range up to 20 GHz. The room temperature magnetization studies were carried out using Vibrating sample magnetometer using filed of 1.5 T. Results of VSM show that the saturation and remnant magnetization of Y_3?xSm_xFe₅O₁₂ (0–3) decreases on increasing the Sm concentration (x). The low values of magnetic (μ′ and μ″) properties makes them a good candidates for microwave devices, which can be operated in the high frequency range.     

Processing methods for reducing alpha-galactosides in pulses

Abstract

Pulses are an excellent source of protein and dietary fiber and are consumed around the world. Their consumption has been recommended as part of a healthy diet. However, they contain various antinutrients such as tannins and trypsin inhibitors, as well as indigestible carbohydrates called alpha-galactosides. These oligosaccharides are fermented by the microorganisms in the gut, producing gas and causing flatulence in healthy individuals. While this flatulence is undesirable (and results in their low acceptance in the Western diet), alpha-galactosides have also been hypothesized to increase susceptibility to bowel diseases, and their presence in the gut worsens the symptoms of patients with irritable bowel syndrome. The elimination of alpha-galactosides by breeding is difficult as they play a vital role in maintaining seed viability through periods of drought and cold. There is a critical need to evaluate the various post-harvest processing methods, and their effect on alpha-galactoside removal to facilitate commercialization. This paper reviews the effectiveness of methods and processing conditions in alpha-galactoside removal from a variety of pulses.     

Osmotic urine fuel cell to recover water,energy, and nutrients along with salinity reduction

An osmotic urine fuel cell (OsUFC) was employed to recover water, energy, and nutrients from urine. The recovered water was used to reduce the salinity of the brine solution. The water flux of concentrated urine (2.83 LMH) was lower than that of diluted urine (4.72 LMH); however, the current output was higher due to the high conductivity. Besides, the water flux of concentrated urine was improved significantly from 1.91 to 5.09 LMH by varying NaCl concentrations from 0.5 to 3 M, respectively. Similarly, the current production was enhanced from 4.07 to 61.20 mW m^?3 for the NaCl concentrations from 0.5 to 3 M, respectively. Moreover, OsUFC displayed nutrient rejection rates of 100%, 90%, 99%, and 96% for PO₄^3?, TN, NH₄⁺–N, and TOC, respectively. Furthermore, OsUFC showed salinity reduction efficiencies of 25.15% and 32.28% for Na⁺ and Cl^?, respectively.

Graphical abstract

     

Energy Efficient Raptor Codes for Error Control in Wireless Body Area Networks

WBAN consists of several tiny sensors that are located inside and outside human body for continuous monitoring of vital parameters of patients suffering from chronic diseases. The wearable sensor unit consists of transmitter, receiver and central process unit (gateway). The gateway is used to connect wearable sensors on human body to the internet. To increase the lifetime of such networks, the energy spent by the sensors has to be minimized. In this work we analyzed the feasibility and performance of fountain code based raptor code for error correction to overcome the energy and reliability issues. Versatility of raptor code in terms of code rate and coding gain is advantageous to increase the energy efficiency of WBAN network. Simulation results considering different fading channels show that the raptor coded packet transmission is more energy efficient than that of LT code, traditional BCH code and ARQ error control technique.     

A review on various after treatment techniques to reduce NOx emissions in a CI engine

NOx emissions have always been a main concern in the development of diesel engines. This paper summarizes the studies about NOx emission reduction in diesel engines. The need for meeting the stringent requirements with regard to NOx emissions in a diesel engine has led to the development of a range of after treatment techniques. After treatment methods are required to reduce NOx emissions that cannot be controlled by fuel composition and combustion phenomena. Current after treatment techniques that are being employed are Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), Lean NOx Trap (LNT) and SCR Filter (SCRF). The benefits and constraints of different types of SCR are discussed. Urea SCR is a prominent well proven technology. Urea SCR produces 96–99% conversion efficiency with the help of a reductant NH₃. The operating parameters such as nature of catalyst, temperature range of catalyst, flow of DEF (Diesel Exhaust fluid) to injector and mixing of NH₃ and NOx are discussed. Hybrid SCR such as Cu-SCR + Fe-SCR, SCR + LNT moderates fuel consumption and augments the catalytic activity at low temperature. SCRF has low cell density (200–300 csi vs 400–600 csi for SCR), and also has lower deNOx efficiency for a number of reasons. Pre-stored NH₃ and Preheating helps in low temperature reaction of SCRF. Technical problems in aqueous urea systems have led to the evolution of solid SCR system (SSCR). This review incorporates the study of solid ammonium salts decomposition, temperature range of the salts and infrastructure required for SSCR.     

Mechanical Anisotropy and Pressure Induced Structural Changes in Piroxicam Crystals Probed by In Situ Indentation and Raman Spectroscopy

The ability to correlate mechanical and chemical characterization techniques in real time is both lacking and powerful tool for gaining insights into material behavior. This is demonstrated through use of a novel nanoindentation device equipped with Raman spectroscopy to explore the deformation-induced structural changes in piroxicam crystals. Mechanical anisotropy was observed in two major faces (\( 0\bar{1}1 \)) and (011), which are correlated to changes in the interlayer interaction from in situ Raman spectra recorded during indentation. The results of this study demonstrate the considerable potential of an in situ Raman nanoindentation instrument for studying a variety of topics, including stress-induced phase transformation mechanisms, mechanochemistry, and solid state reactivity under mechanical forces that occur in molecular and pharmaceutical solids.