Edge analytics in the internet of things

High-data-rate sensors are becoming ubiquitous in the Internet of Things. GigaSight is an Internet-scale repository of crowd-sourced video content that enforces privacy preferences and access controls. The architecture is a federated system of VM-based cloudlets that perform video analytics at the edge of the Internet

In vitro cytotoxicity of water soluble silver (Ag) nanoparticles on HaCat and A549 cell lines

The wide range of applications of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in commercial products, including food packaging, has encouraged researchers to come up with novel preparation methods for the production of these robust materials. The methods resulting in the formation of NPs for such commercial applications clearly demand a good accounting of their toxicity aspects to humans as well as the environment. We herein present a chemical preparation method for the production of size- and shape-defined AgNPs and investigate the impact of these nanoparticles on HaCat and A549 cell lines. Findings show that lung cells (A549) are more sensitive than skin cells (HaCat) to Ag induced toxicity, evident by the significantly (p<0.05) reduced LC50 for all NPs under study. The current investigation showed that the extent of surface capping agent (citrate) and size influenced the cell toxicity, where a lesser surface coverage (zeta potential, ζ, -27.7 mV) and smaller size (~17 nm) enhanced the toxicity compared to comparatively bigger particles (~39 nm) with higher surface coverage (ζ, -47.3 mV). The size- and shape-defined particles such as triangles which have proven useful for many applications, due to their high energy/high field edges, were found to be less toxic against biological cell lines and therefore may have potential to be used in food packaging applications as reservoirs of silver ions. A striking difference in cell line toxicity within such a small size window clearly demonstrates the vital roles played by the smaller size, difference in shape and lesser surface coverage in defining a higher passive cell membrane diffusion followed by silver dissolution inside cell cytoplasm increasing cytotoxicity

A novel bacteriophage Tail-Associated Muralytic Enzyme (TAME) from Phage K and its development into a potent antistaphylococcal protein

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>is a major cause of nosocomial and community-acquired infections. However, the rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance limits the choice of therapeutic options for treating infections caused by this organism. Muralytic enzymes from bacteriophages have recently gained attention for their potential as antibacterial agents against antibiotic-resistant gram-positive organisms. Phage K is a polyvalent virulent phage of the <it>Myoviridae </it>family that is active against many <it>Staphylococcus </it>species.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We identified a phage K gene, designated <it>orf</it>56, as encoding the phage tail-associated muralytic enzyme (TAME). The gene product (ORF56) contains a C-terminal domain corresponding to cysteine, histidine-dependent amidohydrolase/peptidase (CHAP), which demonstrated muralytic activity on a staphylococcal cell wall substrate and was lethal to <it>S. aureus </it>cells. We constructed N-terminal truncated forms of ORF56 and arrived at a 16-kDa protein (Lys16) that retained antistaphylococcal activity. We then generated a chimeric gene construct encoding Lys16 and a staphylococcal cell wall-binding SH3b domain. This chimeric protein (P128) showed potent antistaphylococcal activity on global clinical isolates of <it>S. aureus </it>including methicillin-resistant strains. In addition, P128 was effective in decolonizing rat nares of <it>S. aureus </it>USA300 in an experimental model.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We identified a phage K gene that encodes a protein associated with the phage tail structure. The muralytic activity of the phage K TAME was localized to the C-terminal CHAP domain. This potent antistaphylococcal TAME was combined with an efficient <it>Staphylococcus</it>-specific cell-wall targeting domain SH3b, resulting in the chimeric protein P128. This protein shows bactericidal activity against globally prevalent antibiotic resistant clinical isolates of <it>S. aureus </it>and against the genus <it>Staphylococcus </it>in general. <it>In vivo</it>, P128 was efficacious against methicillin-resistant <it>S. aureus </it>in a rat nasal colonization model.</p

New insights into the efficient charge transfer of ternary chalcogenides composites of TiO2

Abstract A two-step solvothermal synthesis was adopted to prepare AgXSe2-TiO2 (X = In, Bi) composites. DFT study of the pristine parent samples showed the formation of the hexagonal phase of AgBiSe2, and tetragonal phase of AgInSe2 and TiO2, which corroborated the experimentally synthesised structures. Both the AgBiSe2-TiO2 and AgInSe2-TiO2 composites displayed enhanced visible light absorption and reduced band gap in the UV-DRS patterns. The XPS results exhibited a shift in binding energy values and the TEM results showed the formation of spherical nanoparticles of both AgBiSe2 and AgInSe2. The PL signals displayed delayed recombination of the photogenerated excitons. The as synthesised materials were studied for their photocatalytic efficiency, by hydrogen generation, degradation of doxycycline, and antimicrobial disinfection (E. coli and S. aureus). The composite samples illustrated more than 95 % degradation results within 180 min and showed 5 log reductions of bacterial strains within 30 min of light irradiation. The hydrogen production outcomes were significantly improved as the AgBiSe2 and AgInSe2 based composites illustrated 180-fold and 250-fold enhanced output compared to their parent samples. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency displayed is attributed to the delayed charge recombination of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs in the AgXSe2-TiO2 interface. Formation of a p-n nano heterojunction for AgBiSe2-TiO2 and type II heterojunction for AgInSe2-TiO2 composite are explained

A conceptual change in crystallisation mechanisms of oxide materials from solutions in closed systems.

Atomic and molecular level interactions in solutions dictate the structural and functional attributes of crystals. These features clearly dictate the properties of materials and their applicability in technologies. However, the microscopic phenomena of particle formation—nucleation and growth—in real systems are still not fully understood. Specifically, crystallisation occurring in closed systems are largely unproven. Combining coherent experimental data, we here demonstrate a fundamental nucleation-growth mechanism that occurs in a model zinc oxide system when particles are formed under continuous, rapid heating under closed reaction conditions. Defying all previous reports, we show that the nucleation commences only when the heating is terminated. A prenucleation clusters pathway is observed for nucleation, followed by crystallite assembly-growth. We show that the nucleation-growth processes result from temporal and dynamic activity of constituent ions and gaseous molecules in solution and by the irreversible expulsion of the dissolved gaseous molecules. We suggest that this nucleation process is generic to most closed systems that go through precipitation, and, therefore, important for the crystallisation of a variety of metal oxides, composites and minerals. We anticipate that the work may be a platform for future experimental and theoretical investigation promoting deeper understanding of the nucleation-growth phenomena of a variety of practical systems

Exome-wide analysis of rare coding variation identifies novel associations with COPD and airflow limitation in MOCS3, IFIT3 and SERPINA12.

Several regions of the genome have shown to be associated with COPD in genome-wide association studies of common variants.To determine rare and potentially functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the risk of COPD and severity of airflow limitation.3226 current or former smokers of European ancestry with lung function measures indicative of Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2 COPD or worse were genotyped using an exome array. An analysis of risk of COPD was carried out using ever smoking controls (n=4784). Associations with %predicted FEV1 were tested in cases. We followed-up signals of interest (p<10(-5)) in independent samples from a subset of the UK Biobank population and also undertook a more powerful discovery study by meta-analysing the exome array data and UK Biobank data for variants represented on both arrays.Among the associated variants were two in regions previously unreported for COPD; a low frequency non-synonymous SNP in MOCS3 (rs7269297, pdiscovery=3.08×10(-6), preplication=0.019) and a rare SNP in IFIT3, which emerged in the meta-analysis (rs140549288, pmeta=8.56×10(-6)). In the meta-analysis of % predicted FEV1 in cases, the strongest association was shown for a splice variant in a previously unreported region, SERPINA12 (rs140198372, pmeta=5.72×10(-6)). We also confirmed previously reported associations with COPD risk at MMP12, HHIP, GPR126 and CHRNA5. No associations in novel regions reached a stringent exome-wide significance threshold (p<3.7×10(-7)).This study identified several associations with the risk of COPD and severity of airflow limitation, including novel regions MOCS3, IFIT3 and SERPINA12, which warrant further study