Green Synthesis and Characterization of Antibacterial Studies by Iron Oxide Nanoparticles using Carica papaya Leaf Extract

In present years, the synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) has established excessive potential in biological applications due to their non-toxic role in biological systems, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Ongoing research efforts focused on IONPs in the expansion of novel technologies as they can be synthesized with surface modification. Here we have studied the antibacterial effects of IONPs which were synthesized effectively through a green synthesis route by using leaf extract of the Carica papaya plant. The formation of IONPs was confirmed by the color change. The crystallinity of IONPs was determined by XRD and the morphology by using SEM, which showed spherical particles of well-dispersed size. The absorption peak was determined by UV–vis spectroscopy at 390 nm. Average particle size distribution was obtained at 56 nm using PSA.  FL spectroscopy indicated the higher emission wavelength by redshift at 641.6 nm. TGA showed that the IONPs are thermally stable up to 200⁰C with no decomposition. The outcome would pave a way for utilizing IONPs for better biomedical application

Synthesis of Iron Oxide Magnetic Nanoparticles: Characterization and its Biomedical Application

In the present time, Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (IOMNPs) have paid considerable attention due to their exclusive applications in terms of surface-to-volume ratio, superparamagnetism, high surface area, biosensor, bio-separation, catalysis, and biomedicine. Our goal was to synthesis iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles by chemical route technique. The preparation method had a very large effect on the size, shape, and surface chemistry of the magnetic nanoparticles including their applications. The iron chloride solution was prepared by mixing deionized water with iron chloride tetrahydrate. The synthesized powder was characterized by XRD, UV-vis, SEM, FT-IR, DLS, FL, and TGA techniques. Moreover, antibacterial activity was evaluated using the synthesized IOMNPs against Escherichia coli (A), Pseudomonas (B), Enterobacter (C), Staphylococcus aureus (D), and Bacillus subtilis (E) in the concentration of 0.1 mg and 0.5 mg. The results showed that Bacillus subtilis possess a higher antibacterial activity at the concentration of 0.5 mg comparing the other bacterial species. The outcome of this work would contribute to the present understanding of the biomedical application with the obtained size, shape, and synthesized method

Linear and non-linear regression analysis for the sorption kinetics of Rhodamine dye from aqueous solution using Chitosan-Jackfruit nanocomposite

This paper presents experimental results such as the adsorbate-adsorbent chemical properties and chemical interaction as well as adsorption conditions. The experimental results were fitted to batch kinetic studies to obtain the characteristic parameters of each model. According to the evaluation using the Kinetic equation, the maximum sorption capacity at dye concentration was 19.6 (mg g-1), pH 11.6 (mg g-1) and temperature 24.2 (mg g-1) Rhodamine dye were investigated. For all of the systems studied, the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order model provided the best correlation of the kinetic experimental data. The results revealed that with increasing temperature and decreasing pH, ionic strength, and adsorbate concentration, dye removal efficiency has increased. Chitosan-Jackfruit nanocomposite could remove 90.2% dye from the solution containing 40 mg/L dye at 100 min. The results indicated that dye removal followed pseudo-second-order kinetic (R2>0.99). According to the findings, Chitosan-Jackfruit nanocomposites an effective adsorbent for direct dye removal from wastewater

Age and adult attachment style predict psychological distress in the Singapore general population during COVID-19

To date, there is increasing evidence to suggest that age and adult attachment styles, such as secure, anxious and avoidant attachment are predictive or protective for psychological distress. The study aimed to investigate the extent to which age and adult attachment style, measured by the Attachment Style Questionnaire, predicted psychological distress, measured by the Kessler 10 Psychological Distress Scale, in the Singapore general population during COVID-19. Ninety-nine residents of Singapore (44 females, 52 males, 3 prefer not to state their gender) aged between 18 and 66 completed an online survey, which collected information on age, adult attachment styles and levels of psychological distress. Multiple regression analysis was performed to study the influence of predictive factors on psychological distress. The study identified 20.2%, 13.1% and 14.1% of participants reporting psychological distress at the mild, moderate and severe levels, respectively. The study also reported that age and psychological distress were negatively correlated, and that psychological distress was negatively correlated with both anxious and avoidant attachment styles. It was concluded that age and adult attachment style significantly predicted psychological distress in the Singapore general population during COVID-19. Further studies exploring other variables and risk factors are required to further consolidate these results. At the global level, these findings may help countries predict residents' reactions to future outbreaks and help them prepare strategies and approaches to address these situations

The strength of the corticospinal tract not the reticulospinal tract determines upper-limb impairment level and capacity for skill-acquisition in the sub-acute post-stroke period

Background. Upper-limb impairment in patients with chronic stroke appears to be partly attributable to an upregulated reticulospinal tract (RST). Here, we assessed whether the impact of corticospinal (CST) and RST connectivity on motor impairment and skill-acquisition differs in sub-acute stroke, using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)–based proxy measures. Methods. Thirty-eight stroke survivors were randomized to either reach training 3-6 weeks post-stroke (plus usual care) or usual care only. At 3, 6 and 12 weeks post-stroke, we measured ipsilesional and contralesional cortical connectivity (surrogates for CST and RST connectivity, respectively) to weak pre-activated triceps and deltoid muscles with single pulse TMS, accuracy of planar reaching movements, muscle strength (Motricity Index) and synergies (Fugl-Meyer upper-limb score). Results. Strength and presence of synergies were associated with ipsilesional (CST) connectivity to the paretic upper-limb at 3 and 12 weeks. Training led to planar reaching skill beyond that expected from spontaneous recovery and occurred for both weak and strong ipsilesional tract integrity. Reaching ability, presence of synergies, skill-acquisition and strength were not affected by either the presence or absence of contralesional (RST) connectivity. Conclusion. The degree of ipsilesional CST connectivity is the main determinant of proximal dexterity, upper-limb strength and synergy expression in sub-acute stroke. In contrast, there is no evidence for enhanced contralesional RST connectivity contributing to any of these components of impairment. In the sub-acute post-stroke period, the balance of activity between CST and RST may matter more for the paretic phenotype than RST upregulation per se

Synthesis and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles from Ashyranthus aspera Extract for Antimicrobial Activity Studies

Development of biologically inspired experimental processes for the synthesis of nanoparticles is evolving into an important branch of nanotechnology. Plant-mediated synthesis of nanomaterials has been increasingly gaining popularity due to its eco-friendly nature and cost-effectiveness. In the present study, we were synthesized silver (Ag) nanoparticles using aqueous extracts of fresh leaves of Ashyranthus aspera medicinal plants as bio-reducing agents. UV-Vis spectrometer used to monitor the reduction of Ag ions and the formation of AgNPs in the medium. UV-Vis spectra and visual observation showed that the color of the fresh leaf extracts of Ashyranthus aspera turned into grayish-brown respectively, after treatment with Ag precursors. XRD and SEM have been used to investigate the morphology of prepared AgNPs. The peaks in the XRD pattern are associated with that of the Face-Centered-Cubic (FCC) form of metallic silver. TGA/DTA results associated with weight loss and exothermic reaction due to the desorption of chemisorbed water. FTIR was performed to identify the functional groups which form a layer covering AgNPs and stabilize the AgNPs in the medium. Moreover, silver nanoparticles using aqueous leaf extracts of Ashyranthus aspera were separately tested for their antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria ( Staphylococcus aureus ) and Gram-negative bacteria ( Enterobacter ). The results showed that the bacterial growth was inhibited by the extracts containing AgNPs Nanoparticles. The biosynthesized nanoparticle was prepared from Ashyranthus aspera leaf extracts exhibits potential applications as broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents

Physicochemical Characteristics, Identification of Fungi and Optimization of Different Parameters for Degradation of Dye from Tannery Effluent

This study was carried out to find out the qualities of tannery effluents with the assessment of physicochemical parameters of effluent, isolation, and identification of fungi and their optimization of different parameters on dye decolorization. In the present study, various physicochemical parameters such as Color, Odor, pH, EC, TSS, TDS, BOD, COD, Chromium, Copper, Chloride, and Sodium of untreated tannery effluent was studied. The results of the parameters showed that the effluent was blackish with a disagreeable odor, alkaline in pH with a high organic and inorganic loads such as EC, TDS, BOD, COD, TSS, Chromium, Copper, Chloride and Sodium. The physicochemical parameters were determined as per the standards prescribed by CPCB. Four fungal species were isolated and identified by LPCB staining namely Aspergillus niger , Aspergillus flavus , Penicillium citrinum , and Curvularia lunata . To test the activity of these fungi on different dyes, experiments were carried out for the optimization of different parameters. The maximum decolorization of dye was achieved by Aspergillus niger. From this study, it was found that the maximum biotransformation of dye effluent can help to solve the pollution problem

Synthesis and Characterization of ZnO-MMT Nanocomposite for Antibacterial Activity Studies

ZnO oxide Nanoparticle and ZnO oxide with Montmorillonite nanocomposite were prepared by an environmentally friendly, efficient, and inexpensive method that was synthesized using the chemical method. ZnO nanoparticles as an effective antibacterial material were immobilized on the surface of montmorillonite (MMT). The objectives of this paper are to summarize our research activities in (a) developing processes to disperse nanomaterials (undoped and doped zinc oxide powders) in the polymers matrix, (b) using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) techniques to characterize polymer matrix structures, (c) studying structure-property relationship of these types of new materials, and (d) evaluating the antibacterial performance of these materials for different applications. The results showed that the ZnO nanocomposite was uniformly dispersed in the polymer matrix and the particles remained their average size (20 - 150 nm) before incorporation into the polymer matrix

Polyclonal human antibodies against glycans bearing red meat-derived non-human sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid are stable, reproducible, complex and vary between individuals: Total antibody levels are associated with colorectal cancer risk.

BACKGROUND: N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) is a non-human red-meat-derived sialic acid immunogenic to humans. Neu5Gc can be metabolically incorporated into glycan chains on human endothelial and epithelial surfaces. This represents the first example of a "xeno-autoantigen", against which circulating human "xeno-autoantibodies" can react. The resulting inflammation ("xenosialitis") has been demonstrated in human-like Neu5Gc-deficient mice and contributed to carcinoma progression via antibody-mediated inflammation. Anti-Neu5Gc antibodies have potential as biomarkers for diseases associated with red meat consumption such as carcinomas, atherosclerosis, and type 2 diabetes. METHODS: ELISA assays measured antibodies against Neu5Gc or Neu5Gc-glycans in plasma or serum samples from the Nurses' Health Studies, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, including inter-assay reproducibility, stability with delayed sample processing, and within-person reproducibility over 1-3 years in archived samples. We also assessed associations between antibody levels and coronary artery disease risk (CAD) or red meat intake. A glycan microarray was used to detected antibodies against multiple Neu5Gc-glycan epitopes. A nested case-control study design assessed the association between total anti-Neu5Gc antibodies detected in the glycan array assay and the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). RESULTS: ELISA assays showed a wide range of anti-Neu5Gc responses and good inter-assay reproducibility, stability with delayed sample processing, and within-person reproducibility over time, but these antibody levels did not correlate with CAD risk or red meat intake. Antibodies against Neu5Gc alone or against individual Neu5Gc-bearing epitopes were also not associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. However, a sialoglycan microarray study demonstrated positive association with CRC risk when the total antibody responses against all Neu5Gc-glycans were combined. Individuals in the top quartile of total anti-Neu5Gc IgG antibody concentrations had nearly three times the risk compared to those in the bottom quartile (Multivariate Odds Ratio comparing top to bottom quartile: 2.98, 95% CI: 0.80, 11.1; P for trend = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Further work harnessing the utility of these anti-Neu5Gc antibodies as biomarkers in red meat-associated diseases must consider diversity in individual antibody profiles against different Neu5Gc-bearing glycans. Traditional ELISA assays for antibodies directed against Neu5Gc alone, or against specific Neu5Gc-glycans may not be adequate to define risk associations. Our finding of a positive association of total anti-Neu5Gc antibodies with CRC risk also warrants confirmation in larger prospective studies

Paving the way for research findings: writers' rhetorical choices in education and applied linguistics

Notwithstanding the existence of previous investigations into how research results are presented in different academic disciplines, fewer studies have looked into how authors pave the way for their results, the interdisciplinary differences in ‘result pavements’, and the interconnections between their communicative functions and linguistic choices. Using the techniques of genre analysis, I have analyzed two corpora of research reports in applied linguistics and education in order to identify the possible ways in which experienced writers schematically pave the way for their findings. Using evidence based on authentic research articles, this study demonstrates how writers set the stage for their research results by (i) demonstrating their control of the structure and flow of result-related information, (ii) connecting past research with a current finding while furnishing pertinent background elements that lead the readership progressively to specific findings, (iii) regenerating readers’ interest in their initial research purposes, and (iv) deploying locatives to embed results in a ‘space-saving strategy’ aimed at presenting an abridged Results section. I have also analyzed interdisciplinary differences in the frequencies of these rhetorical steps and the range of intricate linguistic mechanisms employed by authors as communicative resources in each step to establish a smooth rhetorical transition that sets the stage for their research results