Effect of Terminalia chebula fruit extract on lipid peroxidation and antioxidative system of testis of albino rats

The effect of aqueous extract of the Terminalia chebula was studied in male albino rats to explore its activities on testis. 1.0 ml of aqueous extract of T. chebula (500 mg/kg body weight) was given orally for 45 days. The activity of lipid peroxidation and superoxide dismutase were significantly increased but the concentration of antioxidant enzyme glutathione, and catalase were decreased in the aqueous extract administered rats rather than in control rats. Significant decrease in the activities of antioxidant enzymes, spermatogenesis and increase in the level of lipid peroxidation, indicate the severity of oxidative stress induced as a result of administration of extract of T. chebula. The aqueous extract also lead to changes in the parameters such as sperm count, motility and morphology, protein and cholesterol content of the rat testis. The long term (45 days) administration of the extract causes significant changes in the rat testis

Tuning the Magnetic and Photocatalytic Properties of Wide Bandgap Metal Oxide Semiconductors for Environmental Remediation

The review focuses on recent developments towards preparing room temperature ferromagnetic metal oxide semiconductors for better photocatalytic performance. Here we reported the combined study of photocatalytic and ferromagnetic properties at room temperature on metal oxides, particularly TiO2, which is rapidly an emerging field in the development of magnetism and environmental remediation. Even after decades of research in this area, the exact mechanism of the combination of ferromagnetism and photocatalysis in these materials has been not understood completely. However, some of the critical factors were hinted about the contribution to magnetism. Many reports demonstrated that oxygen vacancy and various metal doping plays a primary role in the room temperature ferromagnetism and photocatalysis in wide-band-gap metal oxides. However, it is not easy to understand the direct correlation between magnetism, oxygen vacancies, dopant concentration, and photocatalysis. This review primarily aims to encompass the recent progress of metal oxide for understanding magnetism and photocatalyst under visible light

Pests and predators of oysters

In all aquaculture practices the detrimental effects of cohabiting organisms are either by predation, competition, disease or parasitism. Hanson (1974) stated that limited predation can serve to weed out some diseased members of a crop and also help in controlling epizootic infections. But large-scale mortalities result in economic loss by reduction in the tended stock. Control of predation also means additional expense on the production cost (Mackenzie, 1970a). While evolving culture methods for fish or shellfish, identifying and proper use of methods to prevent and control numerous predators of cultivable organisms is absolutely essential to maximise production

Biology of the Great Clam, Meretrix meretrix in the Korampallam Creek, Tuticorin

In the great clam Meretrix meretrtx spawning period is prolonged and the reproductive cycle is biannual in January-April and June-October with peak spawning activity in January-February and September. The proportion of males to females is not significantly different at 5 % probability from the theoretical 1:1 ratio. The condition index, expressed as percentage of wet flesh weight in total weight varied from 7.6 to 16.1 with an average of 12.1. The parameters of the Von Bertalanffy growth equation in M. meretrix0X6 Loo =99.1 mm, K •= 0.3221 per year and t = -0.0745 year. The life-span is estimated at 7.8 years. The various dimensional and length-weight relationships are given. Also the environmental conditions of the clam bed are described

Wearable and flexible thin film thermoelectric module for multi-scale energy harvesting

Developing a thermoelectric generator(TEG) with shape conformable geometry for sustaining low-thermal impedance and large temperature gradient (ΔT) is fundamental for wearable and multi-scale energy harvesting applications. Here we demonstrate a flexible architectural design, with efficient thin film thermoelectric generator as a solution for this problem. This approach not only decreases the thermal impedance but also multiplies the temperature gradient, thereby increasing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) as comparable to bulk TEG. Intact thin films of Tin telluride (p-type) and Lead Telluride (n-type) are deposited on flexible substrate through physical vapor deposition and a thermoelectric module possessing a maximum output power density of 8.4 mW/cm2 is fabricated. We have demonstrated the performance of p-SnTe/n-PbTe based TEG as a flexible wearable power source for electronic gadgets, as a thermal touch sensor for real-time switching and temperature monitoring for exoskeleton applications

Highly Sensitive and Cost-Effective Portable Sensor for Early Gastric Carcinoma Diagnosis

Facile and efficient early detection of cancer is a major challenge in healthcare. Herein we developed a novel sensor made from a polycarbonate (PC) membrane with nanopores, followed by sequence-specific Oligo RNA modification for early gastric carcinoma diagnosis. In this design, the gastric cancer antigen CA72-4 is specifically conjugated to the Oligo RNA, thereby inhibiting the electrical current through the PC membrane in a concentration-dependent manner. The device can determine the concentration of cancer antigen CA72-4 in the range from 4 to 14 U/mL, possessing a sensitivity of 7.029 µAU−1mLcm−2 with a linear regression (R2) of 0.965 and a lower detection limit of 4 U/mL. This device has integrated advantages including high specificity and sensitivity and being simple, portable, and cost effective, which collectively enables a giant leap for cancer screening technologies towards clinical use. This is the first report to use RNA aptamers to detect CA72-4 for gastric carcinoma diagnosi

Gating a Single Cell:A Label-Free and Real-Time Measurement Method for Cellular Progression

There is an ever-growing need for more advanced methods to study the response of cancer cells to new therapies. To determine cancer cells’ response from a cell-mortality perspective to various cancer therapies, we report a label-free and real time method to monitor the in situ response of individual HeLa cells using a single cell gated transistor (SCGT). As a cell undergoes apoptotic cell death, it experiences changes in morphology and ion concentrations. This change is well in line with the threshold voltage of the SCGT, which has been verified by correlating the data with the cell morphologies by scanning electron microscopy and the ion-concentration analysis by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). This SCGT could replace patch clamps to study single cell activity via direct measurement in real time. Importantly, this SCGT can be used to study the electrical response of a single cell to stimuli that leaves the membrane intact

Low switching power neuromorphic perovskite devices with quick relearning functionality

In the quest to reduce energy consumption, there is a growing demand for technology beyond silicon as electronic materials for neuromorphic artificial intelligence devices. Equipped with the criteria of energy efficiency and excellent adaptability, organohalide perovskites can emulate the characteristics of synaptic functions in the human brain. In this aspect, this study designs and develops CsFAPbI3-based memristive neuromorphic devices that can switch at low power and show larger endurance by adopting the powder engineering methodology. The neuromorphic characteristics of the CsFAPbI3-based devices exhibit an ultra-high paired-pulse facilitation index for an applied electric stimuli pulse. Moreover, the transition from short-term to long-term memory requires ultra-low energy with long relaxation times. The learning and training cycles illustrate that the CsFAPbI3-based devices exhibit faster learning and memorization process owing to their larger carrier lifetime compared to other perovskites. The results provide a pathway to attain low-power neuromorphic devices that are synchronic to the human brain's performance

Rapid near-patient impedimetric sensing platform for prostate cancer diagnosis

With the global escalation of concerns surrounding prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis, reliance on the serologic prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test remains the primary approach. However, the imperative for early PCa diagnosis necessitates more effective, accurate, and rapid diagnostic point-of-care (POC) devices to enhance the result reliability and minimize disease-related complications. Among POC approaches, electrochemical biosensors, known for their amenability and miniaturization capabilities, have emerged as promising candidates. In this study, we developed an impedimetric sensing platform to detect urinary zinc (UZn) in both artificial and clinical urine samples. Our approach lies in integrating label-free impedimetric sensing and the introduction of porosity through surface modification techniques. Leveraging a cellulose acetate/reduced graphene oxide composite, our sensor’s recognition layer is engineered to exhibit enhanced porosity, critical for improving the sensitivity, capture, and interaction with UZn. The sensitivity is further amplified by incorporating zincon as an external dopant, establishing highly effective recognition sites. Our sensor demonstrates a limit of detection of 7.33 ng/mL in the 0.1–1000 ng/mL dynamic range, which aligns with the reference benchmark samples from clinical biochemistry. Our sensor results are comparable with the results of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) where a notable correlation of 0.991 is achieved. To validate our sensor in a real-life scenario, tests were performed on human urine samples from patients being investigated for prostate cancer. Testing clinical urine samples using our sensing platform and ICP-MS produced highly comparable results. A linear correlation with R2 = 0.964 with no significant difference between two groups (p-value = 0.936) was found, thus confirming the reliability of our sensing platform

A comparative evaluation of physicochemical properties and photocatalytic efficiencies of cerium oxide and copper oxide nanofluids

Copper oxide (CuO) and cerium oxide (CeO2) of various concentrations have been prepared through an ultrasonically assisted dispersion of CuO and CeO2 nanoparticles (NPs) in which water and nanofluids (NFs) were formulated. The morphological properties of the CuO and CeO2 NPs are reported. Few of the physicochemical properties that can influence the photocatalytic activities of the NFs are evaluated, such as viscosity, activation energy, density, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, alternating current (AC) conductivity, pH, stability, refractive index and optical band gap of the CuO and CeO2 NFs. Viscosity studies have been made at four different temperatures (303 K, 308 K, 313 K and 318 K) and the activation energy is calculated and compared between the CuO and CeO2 NFs. The thermal conductivity of the two NFs is calculated and compared. Electrical conductivity is measured for CuO and CeO2 NFs using an impedance analyzer at different frequencies at 303 K. The dielectric constant and AC conductivity were studied. The electrical conductivity and pH of the prepared NFs are measured and the results are compared. The stability of the NFs is determined from Zeta potential values obtained from dynamic light scattering measurements. UV-Visible diffuse reflectance measurements were used to deduce the optical bandgap of the respective metal oxide NPs in the NFs. The photocatalytic efficiencies of the CuO NFs and CeO2 NFs were evaluated using methylene blue (MB) as the model dye. The rate constant for the photodegradation of MB was higher for CuO NF as compared CeO2 NF and also higher than simple NPs-based photocatalysts. A plausible explanation for the role of NFs over the simple NPs-based photocatalytic solution is presented