Green synthesis of CuO- and Cu2O-NPs in assistance with high-gravity: The flowering of Nanobiotechnology

This study, for the first time, reports the synthesis of CuO- and Cu2O nanoparticles (NPs) using the Salvia hispanica extract by a high-gravity technique. The original green synthesis procedure led to the formation of nanoparticles with promising catalytic and biological properties. The synthesized nanoparticles were fully characterized and their catalytic activity was evaluated through a typical Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition (AAC) reaction. The potential antibacterial activity against gram positive (S. aureus) and gram negative (E. coli) bacteria were investigated. It was shown that the antibacterial properties were independent of the NP morphology as well as of the texture of the synthesis media. As a result, the presently synthesized nanoparticles showed very good photocatalytic and catalytic activities in comparison with the literature. From a biological perspective, they showed lower cytotoxicity in comparison with the literature, and also showed higher antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Thus, these present green CuO and Cu2O nanoparticles deserve further attention to improve numerous medical applications

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Not AvailableThe foxglove aphid (or glasshouse potato aphid, Aulacorthum solani Kaltenbach) transmits serious potato viruses (potato virus Y, and potato leaf roll virus) which cause heavy yield losses. Our aim of this study was to preliminary analysis of draft genome sequence to uncover virulence genes in the aphid. The genome assembly size (316.39 Mb) was very close to its genome size (318.19 Mb) estimated by flow cytometry. The genome completeness (81.8%) was confirmed by the Benchmarking Universal Single Copy Orthologs (BUSCO) analysis indicating 14.90% transposable elements (TEs) in the genome. Of total 22,021 predicted genes, 16,610 were annotated with putative functions of other aphids mainly Myzus persicae, Acyrthosiphon pisum and Diuraphis noxia. We identified virulence genes such as defensive and detoxification genes, salivary genes and chemoreceptors, insecticide resistance genes, virus transmission genes, transcription factors and mitochondrial genes. Importantly, analysis of detoxification genes particularly 53 cytochrome P450s (CYPs) indicated involvement of 23 CYPs families in aphid genome. Further, GO and KEGG pathways analyses showed gene enrichment predominantly with molecular function and signal transduction, respectively. Phylogeny analysis revealed genetic divergence among 12 aphid species and Au. solani is closely related with M. persicae. Further, non-synonymous (Ka)/synonymous (Ks) substitutions (Ka/Ks) indicated positive selection for 6 (Ka/Ks > 1) and 122 (Ka/Ks = 0.5–1) single copy orthologous gene pairs between Au. solani and with the pea aphid. Thus, our preliminary draft genome analysis provides new insights of Au. solani to understand molecular basis of aphid biology, host-aphid interactions and adaptation mechanism.Not Availabl

Highly selective and robust nanocomposite-based sensors for potassium ions detection

Ion-selective electrodes are employed in technological important fields, such as medical diagnosis, or water quality evaluation. Plasticized polymeric membranes containing ionophores are typically used in these devices. However, the low mechanical hardness and limited robustness of these electrodes combined with their low selectivity limit their use in high precision applications. In the present work, PVC-functionalised silica nanoparticles incorporated in a plasticized PVC film have been integrated into ion sensors for the first time applied to the detection of K+ in solution. This approach was used for the design of highly specific and mechanically robust systems using a fluidic chamber. The device presented a hardness in the range of 5.2 GPa, being 2 orders of magnitude higher than the one reported for plasticized PVC (0.059 GPa), and could measure the concentration of K+ with high specificity when compared to Ca2+ and Na+ ions compared to the conventional approach. The interactions of the sensing films with the ions in solution were systematically studied for different degrees of PVC functionalisation to allow the rational design of a robust and selective sensor. The final device exhibited one of the lowest signal drift ever reported, with 1.3 µV h−1. The system operated under fluid pressure and shear stress conditions of 45 mbar for at least 8 h while the control experiment, fabricated using the conventional composition without nanoparticles showed a significantly higher noise (circa 115.6 µV h−1) and degraded after 4 h of continuous measurements. The sensors here reported could also be used for the accurate determination of the concentration of K+ inside complex mixtures of ions such as simulated body fluids and human serum, leading to a plethora of applications in healthcare for the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases