Biofilm reduction,cell proliferation,anthelmintic and cytotoxicity effect of green synthesised silver nanoparticle using Artemisia vulgaris extract

Infectious diseases are caused by etiological agents. Nanotechnology has been used to minimise the effect of clinical pathogens which have resistance to antibiotics. In current research synthesis, characterisation and biological activities of green synthesised nanoparticles using Artemisia vulgaris extract have been done. The characterisation of AgNPs was carried out using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV‐Vis spectrophotometry, and scanning electron microscopy. Anti‐biofilm, cell viability, antibacterial, brine shrimp lethality, and deoxyribonucleic acid protection effects have been screened. UV‐Vis spectra showed the absorption peak of synthesised nanoparticles at 400 nm. FT‐IR indicated the involvement of the functional group in the preparation of AgNPs. SEM showed the spherical shape of AgNPs with 30 nm diameter. Biological screening results revealed the antibacterial effect against clinical bacterial pathogens. Biofilm reduction and cell viability assay also supported the antibacterial effect. Cytotoxicity effect was recorded as 100% at 200 μg/ml through brine shrimp lethality assay. Protein kinase inhibition zones recorded for AgNPs (16 mm bald) compared with A. vulgaris extract (11 mm bald). It has been concluded that green synthesised AgNPs are more effective against infectious pathogens and could be used as a potential source for therapeutic drugs.Inspec keywords: cellular biophysics, toxicology, silver, nanoparticles, nanomedicine, diseases, microorganisms, ultraviolet spectra, visible spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectra, enzymes, molecular biophysicsOther keywords: biofilm reduction, cell proliferation, anthelmintic effect, cytotoxicity effect, green synthesised silver nanoparticle, Artemisia vulgaris extract, infectious diseases, aetiological agents, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV‐Vis spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy, SEM, antibiofilm, cell viability, brine shrimp lethality, deoxyribonucleic acid protection effects, AgNP, cytotoxicity, protein kinase inhibition zones, therapeutic drugs     

Quality Management in Pakistan's Bedwear Industry

Pakistan's bedwear industry contributes significantly to Pakistan's industry in general and to its textile industrial output and exports in particular. The exports of bedwear have increased steadily. However, its key basis of competitive advantage has been low cost. After greater liberalization from 2005 onwards and due to tariffication of quotas, the bedwear industry will not only have to scale higher tariff walls but will be more exposed to the threat of anti-dumping duties as it relies primarily on low prices to penetrate the export markets. To enhance its competitiveness, it will have to combine better quality with low costs and quick response. Research in quality management in Pakistan's bedwear industry was, therefore, undertaken. A postal self-completion questionnaire was mailed to 38 members of Pakistan Bedwear Manufacturers' and Exporters' Association (PBMEA). The response rate was almost 79%. It was found that this industrial segment was in various stages of development. This study demonstrates both the effectiveness and the limits of quality assurance in improving the levels of quality which remain a moving target in a dynamic liberalizing international trade environment that is more competitive since 2005. The bedwear industry, therefore, needs to graduate to advanced practices in quality management in order to remain competitive in rapidly changing times.     

pH Responsive Abelmoschus esculentus Mucilage and Administration of Methotrexate: In-Vitro Antitumor and In-Vivo Toxicity Evaluation

The rapid progression in biomaterial nanotechnology apprehends the potential of non-toxic and potent polysaccharide delivery modules to overcome oral chemotherapeutic challenges. The present study is aimed to design, fabricate and characterize polysaccharide nanoparticles for methotrexate (MTX) delivery. The nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by Abelmoschus esculentus mucilage (AEM) and chitosan (CS) by the modified coacervation method, followed by ultra-sonification. The NPs showed much better pharmaceutical properties with a spherical shape and smooth surface of 213.4–254.2 nm with PDI ranging between 0.279–0.485 size with entrapment efficiency varying from 42.08 ± 1.2 to 72.23 ± 2.0. The results revealed NPs to possess positive zeta potential and a low polydispersity index (PDI). The in-vitro drug release showed a sustained release of the drug up to 32 h with pH-dependence. Blank AEM -CS NPs showed no in-vivo toxicity for a time duration of 14 days, accompanied by high cytotoxic effects of optimized MTX loaded NPs against MCF-7 and MD-MBA231 cells by MTT assay. In conclusion, the findings advocated the therapeutic potential of AEM/CS NPs as an efficacious tool, offering a new perspective for pH-responsive routing of anticancer drugs with tumor cells as a target.     

Determination of lithium isotopic composition by thermal ionization mass spectrometry

A mass spectrometric method has been proposed for the determination of the isotopic composition of lithium. It is based upon thermal ionization of LiOH loaded onto a single SiO2-coated Re filament. By this method, stable emissions of Li+ ion have been achieved for an extended period of time. The proposed method is capable of analyzing trace quantities (approximately 40 ng) of Li in the presence of sodium with an uncertainty of +/-0.000 25 (two standard deviations of the mean).     

Software maintenance outsourcing: Issues and strategies

Software maintenance outsourcing is becoming a popular alternative in software industry. Software companies are looking at outsourcing their maintenance and support activities as an area for competitive advantage. There are risks and benefits of introducing subcontractors in the framework of software outsourcing. Reliable maintenance is only possible if adequate measures are taken in advance during project’s development and maintenance planning phase and are documented in the maintenance contract. In this paper, we present and make a justification for a set of recommendations to make such maintenance reliable and cost-effective. We analyze the associated risks and propose some product quality metrics to be monitored during the maintenance phase.     

Antioxidant and anticholinesterase evaluation of selected Turkish Salvia species

Since Salvia species (Lamiaceae) have been recorded to be used against memory loss in European folk medicine, we herein examined in vitro anticholinesterase and antioxidant activities of 56 extracts prepared with petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol obtained from 14 Salvia species (Salvia albimaculata Hedge and Hub, Salvia aucheri Bentham var. canescens Boiss and Heldr, Salvia candidissima Vahl. ssp. occidentalis, Salvia ceratophylla L., Salvia cryptantha Montbret and Bentham, Salvia cyanescens Boiss and Bal., Salvia frigida Boiss, Salvia forskahlei L., Salvia halophilaHedge, Salvia migrostegia Boiss and Bal., Salvia multicaulis Vahl., Salvia sclarea L., Salvia syriaca L., Salvia verticillata L. ssp. amasiaca) growing in Turkey. The antioxidant activities were assessed by both chemical and enzymatic methods against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging and xanthine/xanthine oxidase (XO) system generated superoxide anion radical inhibition. Anticholinesterase effect of the extracts was tested against both acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) at concentrations of 0.2 and 1 mg/ml using a microplate-reader assay based on the Ellman method. Most of the extracts did not show any activity against AChE at 0.2 mg/ml, while the chloroform extracts had noticeable inhibition against BChE between 47.7% and 74.7%. The most active extracts at 1 mg/ml for AChE inhibition were observed to be petroleum ether extract of Salvia albimaculata (89.4%) and chloroform extract of Salvia cyanescens (80.2%), whereas ethyl acetate extracts of Salvia frigida and Salvia migrostegia, chloroform extracts of Salvia candidissima ssp. occidentalis and Salvia ceratophylla, as well as petroleum ether extract of Salvia cyanescens were found to inhibit potently BChE (92.2%, 89.6%, 91.1%, 91.3%, and 91.8%, respectively). Particularly, the ethyl acetate and methanol extracts were observed to be highly active against both DPPH and XO. Our data indicates that nonpolar extracts of Salvia species for anticholinesterase activity and the polar extracts for antioxidant activity are worth further phytochemical evaluation for identifying their active components.     

Variable VCC design techniques forbattery-operated DRAMs

Wide-voltage-range DRAMs with extended data retention are desirable for battery-operated or portable computers and consumer devices. The techniques required to obtain wide operation, functionality, and performance of standard DRAMs from 1.8 V (two NiCd or alkaline batteries) to 3.6 V (upper end of LVTTL standard) are described. Specific techniques shown are: (1) a low-power and low-voltage reference generator for detecting V_CC level; (2) compensation of DC generators, V_BB and V_PP, for obtaining high speed at reduced voltages; (3) a static word-line driver and latch-isolation sense amplifier for reducing operating current; and (4) a programmable V_CC variable self-refresh scheme for obtaining maximum data retention time over a full operating range. A sub-50-ns access time is obtained for a 16 M DRAM (2 M×8) by simulation     

Mass spectrometric determination of 234U/238U ratio with improved precision

A new mass spectrometric method is proposed for measurement of 234U/238U ratio with a single Daly electron multiplier detector using the general peak jump method. The method is based on precise measurement of the 235U/238U ratio and 234U/235U ratio, which are used to calculate the 234U/238U ratio using the equation 234U/238U = 235U/238U x 234U/235U. The results show a significant improvement, i.e., more than 35 times better precision in measuring the (234)U/(238)U ratio with this method (sigma = 2.9 x 10(-8)) as compared to direct measurement of 234U/238U (sigma = 1.1 x 10(-6)). The method widens the applicability of the single collector system, and it will potentially be helpful to improve the precision in the case of the static multicollector system also.     

Boosted hydrogen evolution activity from Sr doped ZnO/CNTs nanocomposite as visible light driven photocatalyst

CNTs were decorated onto Sr doped ZnO nanoparticles to construct an efficient photocatalyst via a facile sol-gel method. The as-fabricated Sr doped ZnO/CNTs with recyclability exhibits Sr and CNTs content dependent hydrogen evolution activit under visible light illumination. The Sr doped ZnO/CNTs photocatalyst shows the highest hydrogen evolution rate of 2732.2 μmolh^?1g^?1, which is 33.7 and 2.83 times higher than pure ZnO and Sr doped ZnO photocatalysts, respectively. The improved hydrogen evolution activity of Sr doped ZnO/CNTs is primarily assigned to high surface area, Sr doping and construction of heterojunction, which can extend the light absorption, decrease the optical band gap and improve the charge separation. Moreover, the underlying photocatalytic mechanism is proposed on the basis of Mott-Schottky study and explains the interfacial charge transfer process from ZnO to CNTs and Sr. This work open new strategies to synthesize CNTs based nanocomposite for hydrogen evolution.