Synthesis, characterization of Zinc oxide and assessment of electrical DC conductivity properties

Polymer composites are widely used in electrical devices, sensor materials, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, and other applications. Composites may be customized for any intended application by changing the ratios of the polymeric components. Polyaniline (PANI) is not as sensitive as metal oxides toward gasoline species, and its negative solubility in organic solvents limits its packages, however it's miles suitable as a matrix for instruction of engaging in polymer nanocomposites. Therefore, there has been increasing hobby of the researchers for the education of Nano composites based totally on PANI The fuel for the production of nanometal oxide comes from naturally occurring sources. The weight percentages of such generated metal oxides are altered during chemical polymerization with polyaniline. Composites of polyaniline cellulose and varying weight ratios of Zinc oxide (ZnO) are produced. In synthesised Polyaniline cellulose/ZnO composites, the formation of polymers and their interactions with metal oxides are investigated using Ultraviolet (UV)-vis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X Ray Diffraction. The surface morphology of the composites is studied using Scanning electron Microscopy. The characteristics of the specified composites are investigated using electrical dc conductivity electrical conductivity

Synthesis, characterization of Zinc oxide and assessment of electrical DC conductivity properties

Polymer composites are widely used in electrical devices, sensor materials, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, and other applications. Composites may be customized for any intended application by changing the ratios of the polymeric components. Polyaniline (PANI) is not as sensitive as metal oxides toward gasoline species, and its negative solubility in organic solvents limits its packages, however it's miles suitable as a matrix for instruction of engaging in polymer nanocomposites. Therefore, there has been increasing hobby of the researchers for the education of Nano composites based totally on PANI The fuel for the production of nanometal oxide comes from naturally occurring sources. The weight percentages of such generated metal oxides are altered during chemical polymerization with polyaniline. Composites of polyaniline cellulose and varying weight ratios of Zinc oxide (ZnO) are produced. In synthesised Polyaniline cellulose/ZnO composites, the formation of polymers and their interactions with metal oxides are investigated using Ultraviolet (UV)-vis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X Ray Diffraction. The surface morphology of the composites is studied using Scanning electron Microscopy. The characteristics of the specified composites are investigated using electrical dc conductivity electrical conductivity

Depolymerization of bagasse by Ruminococcus albus in the production of eco-friendly fuel

Ethanol production by fermentation of lignocellulosic biomass-derived sugars involves a fairly ancient art and an ever-evolving science. Production of ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass is not avant-garde, and wood ethanol plants have been in existence since at least 1915. Most current ethanol production relies on starch- and sugarbased crops as the substrate; however, limitations of these materials and competing value for human and animal feeds is renewing interest in lignocellulose  conversion.Lignocellulosic biomass contains carbohydrate fractions that can be converted into ethanol. In order to convert these fractions, the cellulose and hemicelluloses must ultimately be converted or hydrolysed into monosaccharides; it is the hydrolysis that has historically proven to be problematic. Biologically mediated processes are promising for energy conversion, in particular for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into  fuels. The objective of the present study is to optimise cellulosic ethanol production from bagasse by using Ruminococcus albus isolated from rumen of herbivores animals. The processing and utilization of the  lignocellulosic substrate is complex, differing in many aspects from crop-based ethanol production. Since the scientific dogma states that the breakdown or depolymerisation of lignocellulose can be achieved only by chemical or by enzymatic approach; in the present study we isolated Ruminococcus albus from rumen animals which was depolymerise cellulose and hemicellulose as well as to tolerate stress conditions. Optimum temperature, pH and substrate concentration for depolymerization were 390C, 8.8 and 3.5% respectively for Ruminococcus albus. For the feed  stock of concentration 3.5%, ethanol yield of 19.8g/l was obtained

Performance Study of Adhoc on-Demand Link Quality Aware Route Search Protocol (AO-LQARSP)

A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is a network with few tens to thousands of small devices called sensor nodes which are connected wirelessly and involve in communicating the data. WSNs have generated tremendous interest among researchers in recent years because of its potential usage in wide variety of applications. The sensor nodes in WSNs have scarce power; they work in harsh and unattended environments which initiates the need for a better and more reliable routing path to send data. In this paper a routing protocol is proposed to select the route based on better signal strength conditions using Link Quality Indicator of the received signal for IEEE 802.15.4 standard. The performance of the proposed routing protocol is compared with standard reactive routing protocol Adhoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) with metrics like total packets received, throughput, total bytes received, average end-to-end delay and average jitter and total energy consumed for various node density scenarios

The effects of oxygen scavenging on survival of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and shelf-life of foxtail millet

360-366Oxygen scavenging offers an oxygen free atmosphere inside packages that could help in controlling of insects and enhance the shelf-life of the packaged grains. An experiment was carried out by packing foxtail millet rice using four different packaging materials with and without T. castaneum and oxygen absorbers to assess their effect on the shelf life of grain by reducing oxidation of fatty acids during 2017-18 at UAS, GKVK, Bangalore. Results obtained from the study revealed that in treatments with oxygen scavenger and the T. castaneum which were released initially were dead due to complete evacuation of oxygen by oxygen absorbers from within the pouches, and no insects emerged throughout the experimental period. The extent of damage to grains in the pouches with oxygen scavenger was only 1.4-1.6%, which could have been the damage that existed even before filling up the pouches. On the other hand, the pouches without oxygen scavenger, the T. castaneum damage ranged from 6.4-11.6%. Nutritional composition was relatively unaffected in the pouches containing oxygen scavenger, as compare to the pouches without oxygen scavenger

Differential regulation of cholera toxin-inhibited Na-H exchange isoforms by butyrate in rat ileum

Electroneutral Na absorption occurs in the intestine via sodium-hydrogen exchanger (NHE) isoforms NHE2 and NHE3. Bicarbonate and butyrate both stimulate electroneutral Na absorption through NHE. Bicarbonate- but not butyrate-dependent Na absorption is inhibited by cholera toxin (CT). Long-term exposure to butyrate also influences expression of apical membrane proteins in epithelial cells. These studies investigated the effects of short- and long-term in vivo exposure to butyrate on apical membrane NHE and mRNA, protein expression, and activity in rat ileal epithelium that had been exposed to CT. Ileal loops were exposed to CT in vivo for 5 h and apical membrane vesicles were isolated. 22Na uptake was measured by using the inhibitor HOE694 to identify NHE2 and NHE3 activity, and Western blot analyses were performed. CT reduced total NHE activity by 70% in apical membrane vesicles with inhibition of both NHE2 and NHE3. Reduced NHE3 activity and protein expression remained low following removal of CT but increased to control values following incubation of the ileal loop with butyrate for 2 h. In parallel there was a 40% decrease in CT-induced increase in cAMP content. In contrast, NHE2 activity partially increased following removal of CT and was further increased to control levels by butyrate. NHE2 protein expression did not parallel its activity. Neither NHE2 nor NHE3 mRNA content were affected by CT or butyrate. These results indicate that CT has varying effects on the two apical NHE isoforms, inhibiting NHE2 activity without altering its protein expression and reducing both NHE3 activity and protein expression. Butyrate restores both CT-inhibited NHE2 and NHE3 activities to normal levels but via different mechanisms

Single-inhaler triple therapy fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol versus fluticasone furoate/vilanterol and umeclidinium/vilanterol in patients with COPD:results on cardiovascular safety from the IMPACT trial

BACKGROUND: This analysis of the IMPACT study assessed the cardiovascular (CV) safety of single-inhaler triple therapy with fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol (FF/UMEC/VI) versus FF/VI and UMEC/VI dual therapy. METHODS: IMPACT was a 52-week, randomized, double-blind, multicenter Phase III study comparing the efficacy and safety of FF/UMEC/VI 100/62.5/25 mcg with FF/VI 100/25 mcg or UMEC/VI 62.5/25 mcg in patients ≥40 years of age with symptomatic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and ≥1 moderate/severe exacerbation in the previous year. The inclusion criteria for the study were intentionally designed to permit the enrollment of patients with significant concurrent CV disease/risk. CV safety assessments included proportion of patients with and exposure-adjusted rates of on-treatment CV adverse events of special interest (CVAESI) and major adverse cardiac events (MACE), as well as time-to-first (TTF) CVAESI, and TTF CVAESI resulting in hospitalization/prolonged hospitalization or death. RESULTS: Baseline CV risk factors were similar across treatment groups. Overall, 68% of patients (n = 7012) had ≥1 CV risk factor and 40% (n = 4127) had ≥2. At baseline, 29% of patients reported a current/past cardiac disorder and 58% reported a current/past vascular disorder. The proportion of patients with on-treatment CVAESI was 11% for both FF/UMEC/VI and UMEC/VI, and 10% for FF/VI. There was no statistical difference for FF/UMEC/VI versus FF/VI or UMEC/VI in TTF CVAESI (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85, 1.11; p = 0.711 and HR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.78, 1.08; p = 0.317, respectively) nor TTF CVAESI leading to hospitalization/prolonged hospitalization or death (HR: 1.19, 95% CI: 0.93, 1.51; p = 0.167 and HR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.72, 1.27; p = 0.760, respectively). On-treatment MACE occurred in ≤3% of patients across treatment groups, with similar prevalence and rates between treatments. CONCLUSIONS: In a symptomatic COPD population with a history of exacerbations and a high rate of CV disease/risk, the proportion of patients with CVAESI and MACE was 10-11% and 1-3%, respectively, across treatment arms, and the risk of CVAESI was low and similar across treatment arms. There was no statistically significant increased CV risk associated with the use of FF/UMEC/VI versus FF/VI or UMEC/VI, and UMEC/VI versus FF/VI. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02164513 (GSK study number CTT116855)

Systemic RNAi-mediated Gene Silencing in Nonhuman Primate and Rodent Myeloid Cells

Leukocytes are central regulators of inflammation and the target cells of therapies for key diseases, including autoimmune, cardiovascular, and malignant disorders. Efficient in vivo delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) to immune cells could thus enable novel treatment strategies with broad applicability. In this report, we develop systemic delivery methods of siRNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNP) for durable and potent in vivo RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated silencing in myeloid cells. This work provides the first demonstration of siRNA-mediated silencing in myeloid cell types of nonhuman primates (NHPs) and establishes the feasibility of targeting multiple gene targets in rodent myeloid cells. The therapeutic potential of these formulations was demonstrated using siRNA targeting tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) which induced substantial attenuation of disease progression comparable to a potent antibody treatment in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In summary, we demonstrate a broadly applicable and therapeutically relevant platform for silencing disease genes in immune cells

Letter to the Editor

Background Disaster, whether man made or natural, may occur at any place or time. This study was conducted to assess the preparedness of hospitals in handling emergencies as per District Disaster Management Plan (DDMP) at Mangalore, a coastal city on the Western coast of Karnataka. Method A cross sectional study was conducted in 12 hospitals of Mangalore city, located at the Southwestern coast of India in April 2009, using a semi-structured proforma. All surveyed hospitals were included in the DDMP. The respondents were hospital administrators. Results Though all the hospitals surveyed were aware about the existence of DDMP in the district of Dakshina Kannada, 6 (50%) were unaware that their hospitals were included in the same plan. Out of 12 hospitals, 4 (33.3%) said that they had got a letter from DDMP, spelling out their responsibilities. Only 6 (50%) hospitals had a contingency plan for emergency. Mock drill was conducted only by 6 (50%) hospitals. Six (50%) hospitals had blood bank, 5 (41.6%) had trauma center and 8 (66.6%) had burns ward available for emergency. Half of them had more than 2 ambulances and 10(83.3%) had sufficient stock of medicines. Extra beds for emergency were available in 11(91.7%) hospitals with maximum number of 42 beds in one hospital. Conclusion; Most hospitals in Mangalore were not well prepared to manage emergencies in disasters. Facilities like burns ward, blood bank and ambulance services need to be enhanced

Vasopressin V2R-Targeting Peptide Carrier Mediates siRNA Delivery into Collecting Duct Cells

Internalization of receptor proteins after interacting with specific ligands has been proposed to facilitate siRNA delivery into the target cells via receptor-mediated siRNA transduction. In this study, we demonstrated a novel method of vasopressin V2 receptor (V2R)-mediated siRNA delivery against AQP2 in primary cultured inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) cells of rat kidney. We synthesized the dDAVP conjugated with nine D-arginines (dDAVP-9r) as a peptide carrier for siRNA delivery. The structure of synthetic peptide carrier showed two regions (i.e., ligand domain to V2R (dDAVP) and siRNA carrying domain (nine D-arginine)) bisected with a spacer of four glycines. The results revealed that 1) synthesized dDAVP-9r peptides formed a stable polyplex with siRNA; 2) siRNA/dDAVP-9r polyplex could bind to the V2R of IMCD cells and induced AQP2 phosphorylation (Ser 256); 3) siRNA/dDAVP-9r polyplex was stable in response to the wide range of different osmolalities, pH levels, or to the RNases; 4) fluorescein-labeled siRNA was delivered into V2R-expressing MDCK and LLC-PK1 cells by siRNA/dDAVP-9r polyplex, but not into the V2R-negative Cos-7 cells; and 5) AQP2-siRNA/dDAVP-9r polyplex effectively delivered siRNA into the IMCD cells, resulting in the significant decrease of protein abundance of AQP2, but not AQP4. Therefore, for the first time to our knowledge, we demonstrated that V2R-mediated siRNA delivery could be exploited to deliver specific siRNA to regulate abnormal expression of target proteins in V2R-expressing kidney cells. The methods could be potentially used in vivo to regulate abnormal expression of proteins associated with disease conditions in the V2R-expressing kidney cells