Preparation and characterization of beta-glucan particles containing a payload of nanoembedded rifabutin for enhanced targeted delivery to macrophages

β-glucan particles (GP) are polymeric carbohydrates, mainly found as components of cell wall fungi, yeast, bacteria and also in cereals such as barley and oat, and have been recently shown to have application in macrophagetargeted drug delivery. The aim of this study was to prepare and characterize GP containing a large payload of Rifabutin (RB), an anti-tuberculosis drug effective against MDR-TB at lower MIC than Rifampicin. GP were prepared from yeast cells by acidic and alkaline extraction were either spray dried or lyophilized, prior to RB loading and alginate sealing. The FTIR and 13C-NMR spectra of the GP confirmed a β-(1→3) linked glucan structure, with a triple-helical conformation. The spray dried GP exhibited better characteristics in terms of uniformity, size range (2.9 to 6.1 μm) and more than 75 % particles were below 3.5 μm. The RP-HPLC analysis of spray dried GP revealed drug entrapment and drug loading up to 81.46 ± 4.9 % and ~40.5 ± 1.9 %, respectively, as compared to those dried by lyophilization. Electron microscopy showed nearly spherical and porous nature of GP, and the presence of drug ‘nanoprecipitates’ filling the pore spaces. The formulation showed adequate thermal stability for pharmaceutical application. The particles were readily phagocytosed by macrophage(s) within 5 min of exposure. Drug release occurred in a sustained manner via diffusion, as the release kinetics best fit for drug release was obtained using Higuchi’s equation. Thus, the spray dried GP-based-formulation technology holds promise for enhanced targeted delivery of anti-TB drug(s) to macrophage within a therapeutic window for the clearance of intracellular bacteria

Origin of Ferroelectricity in Orthorhombic LuFeO3_3

We demonstrate that small but finite ferroelectric polarization ($\sim$0.01 $\mu$C/cm$^2$) emerges in orthorhombic LuFeO$_3$ ($Pnma$) at $T_N$ ($\sim$600 K) because of commensurate (k = 0) and collinear magnetic structure. The synchrotron x-ray and neutron diffraction data suggest that the polarization could originate from enhanced bond covalency together with subtle contribution from lattice. The theoretical calculations indicate enhancement of bond covalency as well as the possibility of structural transition to the polar $Pna2_1$ phase below $T_N$. The $Pna2_1$ phase, in fact, is found to be energetically favorable below $T_N$ in orthorhombic LuFeO$_3$ ($albeit$ with very small energy difference) than in isostructural and nonferroelectric LaFeO$_3$ or NdFeO$_3$. Application of electric field induces finite piezostriction in LuFeO$_3$ via electrostriction resulting in clear domain contrast images in piezoresponse force microscopy.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure

Scenic Impressions and Lasting Experiences: A Study on the Impact of Destination Image on Tourist Satisfaction in the Nilgiris

The image of a destination plays a pivotal role in shaping tourist satisfaction and influencing their choice of travel. This study explores the dynamic relationship between the perceived image of the Nilgiris – a scenic and culturally rich hill district in Tamil Nadu – and the level of satisfaction experienced by its visitors. With growing competition among tourist destinations, understanding what truly matters to travelers is crucial for sustainable tourism development.To uncover these insights, data was collected from 600 tourists visiting various parts of the Nilgiris, including Ooty, Coonoor, and Kotagiri. The study employed the Garret Ranking Technique, a robust statistical tool that enabled the prioritization of various factors influencing destination image such as natural beauty, hospitality, cleanliness, accessibility, local culture, food, and safety. Respondents were asked to rank these attributes based on their travel experience. The Garret score conversion allowed the identification of key dimensions most valued by tourists, thereby revealing the strongest contributors to their overall satisfaction. Findings highlight that natural scenery and pleasant climate ranked highest among tourist preferences, followed closely by local hospitality and cultural richness. On the other hand, aspects like infrastructure and traffic management were ranked lower, indicating areas needing improvement. The study underscores the importance of enhancing destination image holistically, as even one weak link can affect tourist perception and repeat visits.This research offers practical insights for tourism planners, local authorities, and hospitality stakeholders in the Nilgiris to strategically strengthen and promote destination elements that elevate tourist satisfaction and foster long-term loyalty

The usage of gold and the investment analysis based on gold rate in India

Gold is one of the main commodities where the customers invest their money comparatively with bank for better interest. In the Indian context people purchase gold for their children’s marriages for later period. The investment in gold is better suits for easy conversion into money with quickest possible time from the bank and gold merchants. The appreciation or depreciation of gold based on other investment options like fixed deposit, provident fund, international crude oil price, stock market, mutual fund etc. The comparative analysis of gold with other investment options give an edge to the customer to clearly understand the investment pattern for their hard-earned money expected to give good returns in the future

Exploitation of Acoustic signature of Low flying Aircraft using Acoustic Vector Sensor

Acoustics is emerging as a significant complementary modality to be explored and exploited in the development of Intelligence and surveillance systems that traditionally rely on technology rooted in electro-magnetic field phenomena. Acoustics is emerging as a significant complementary modality to be explored and exploited in the development of Intelligence and surveillance systems that traditionally rely on technology rooted in electro-magnetic field phenomena. An application of the current interest is the detection and localization of the sound sources on battlefield using Acoustic sensors in ground and on board unmanned aerial vehicle. In this work a nonlinear least-square cepstrum and auto correlation methods are made to estimate the motion parameters of a low flying aircraft whose narrowband acoustic energy emissions were received by a ground-based Acoustic vector sensor. The data obtained from the sensor were processed and analyzed using digital signal processing approach. This passive technique is applied to real acoustic sensor data under the condition that the vehicle flies at a constant velocity and the trajectory is a straight line. The performances of both methods are evaluated and compared using actual acoustic data.Defence Science Journal, 2014, 64(2), pp. 95-98. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.64.3924

Biosorption of chromium by mangrove-derived Aplanochytrium sp.

The microbial dried biomass of Thraustochytrids is used as bioadsorbent for the removal of the chromium in aqueous solution. In this investigation, three species of Thraustochydrids namely Aplanochytrium sp., Thraustochytrium sp. and Schizochytrium sp. were tested for the efficiency of chromium accumulation by culturing in chromium-incorporated medium at 30°C for one week incubation. The biomass was harvested by filtration through Whatman no.1 filter paper. The level of metal accumulation in the biomass was determined by using an inductively coupled plasma system (ICP- Optical Emission Spectrophotometer; Optima 2100DV). Finally, among the three strains, Aplanochytrium spp. was selected for the adsorption kinetics and optimization using response surface methodology. Optimization of chromium removal by dried microbial biomass was analyzed with important factors of different pH, adsorbent dosage (Aplanochytrium dried biomass), temperature and processing time with 30 batch experimental plan derived from the centre composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology. Aplanochytrium sp. dried biomass removed chromium of 69.4% in aqueous solution. Therefore, Aplanochytrium sp. dried biomass is potent for the removal of chromium in waste water treatment.Key words: Mangroves, chromium removal, Aplanochytrium sp., biosorption, waste water treatment

Bio-ethanol production by marine yeasts isolated from coastal mangrove sediment

This study analyzed ethanol production by 10 marine strains of yeasts, isolated from mangrove sediments. Of the species tested, Pichia salcaria exhibited the maximum ethanol production of 12.3±3.1 g/l. This was further studied in the culture filtrate supplemented with different concentrations (0.01, 0.1, 1, 2 and 4% w/v) of sawdust as substrate that was pre-processed with phosphoric acid, and then incubated for different durations (24,48,72, 96 and 120 h). The ethanol production by P. salcaria was found maximum (26.2±8.9 g/l) in 72 hours of fermentation in the culture broth supplemented with 2% sawdust that was preprocessed with dilute phosphoric acid. This condition of fermentation was found coincided with high activity cell ase in the cul ure broth, which also revealed a single prominent protein band of 68 kDa molecular weight, similar to cellulase. The study proved the efficiency of marine P. salcaria in bioethanol production

Enhanced Imputation Method Combining Single and Multiple Methods to Handle Missing Values in Microarray Data

Gene Expression Classification (GEC) is a modern healthcare approach for enhancing present medical practices by classifying patient’s gene structure to different types of cancer so as to provide effective and personalized treatments especially for all types of cancer. The GEC system aids medical practitioner in providing personalized treatments. The proposed GEC system assess the gene structure of a cancer patient through highly intensive computational intelligence technique named Genetic Algorithm (GA). In GA, the search space is composed of candidate solutions to the problem i.e. the collection of gene expression in the corpus, which is going to be used for training the computation model, which can further be used for testing new cancer patients in order to make accurate prediction about the presence of cancer cells. This will enable doctors to treat different cancer patients differently. In this proposed approach, each gene expression has been represented by a vector termed as chromosomes. In each generation, the chromosomes are selected randomly and fitness is evaluated. The probabilistic similarity function is used to estimate the fitness of the chromosome to predict the patient health condition. Experimental results show that the proposed approach works with relatively better accuracy compared to that of baseline approaches

A study on functional and radiological outcome of complex tibial plateau fractures by posteromedial plating

Background: In orthopaedic practice, three column concept and fixation for proximal tibia are becoming popular as it was proved that fixation of posterior column is a must for proper weight transmission and stability. This study demonstrates the use of the posteromedial surgical approach to the knee in treating patients with complex tibial plateau injuries with a posteromedial column fracture. The aim of the study was to study the functional and radiological outcome of complex tibial plateau fracture by posteromedial plating.Methods: This is a prospective study involving 20 patients with complex tibial condyle fractures with posterior column fractures. Preoperative computed tomography is taken with radiography for complete evaluation of fracture fragments even in the coronal plane. Fractures were classified as Schatzker type 4 or above with a posteromedial split depression. Plating is done with posteromedial locking compression for buttressing posteromedial fragment. The outcome of surgery was evaluated using the Oxford knee scoring system. Longest follow up of study is 2 years.Results: All fractures healed within 6 months without any secondary displacements or secondary osteoarthritis. Out of 20 patients 16 patients have the postoperative anatomic reduction (0 mm step off) 2 had an acceptable reduction of <2 mm step off. At 4-12 months median range of flexion 135*(125-145*). The mean Oxford knee score was 25-33.Conclusions: Fixation of posteromedial fragment in a complex tibial condyle fracture is a must as it involves posterior column. Using a locking compression plate provides perfect fracture fixation and thereby more stability to knee joint & better functional outcome