In this work, we investigated the impacts of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), i.e., plasma treatment, on pearl millet seeds germination and plant growth. The effect of plasma ...discharge on water activation, by introducing the reactive species, was explored. We evidenced that about 30 min plasma treated pearl millet seeds exhibited 20% higher germination rate than the control seed watered with tap water. The HR-SEM study revealed that the plasma treatment increased the roughness and FTIR study showed that new oxygen functional groups were introduced on the seed surface. Moreover, it was observed that the water contact angle decreased for plasma treated seeds (50%) and the water uptake also increased considerably as compared to control seeds. These findings indicate that the seed surface has turned more hydrophilic after plasma treatment. A cylindrical double dielectric barrier discharge (D-DBD) reactor was employed for water activation, and 30 min of treatment under air has decreased the pH of deionized water from 7.4 to 4.5 and produced about 1.78 ppm of nitrate (NO
3
−
) and 4.2 ppm of hydrogen peroxide (H
2
O
2
). Interestingly, the plasma activated water (PAW) improved the pearl millet seed germination by 30% (after 24 h of sowing) and plant growth as compared to tap water and deionized water. Remarkably, when PAW and plasma-treated seeds were combined, a beneficial impact in seed germination (95 ± 2%) and seedling growth have been evidenced owing to synergistic effect. We evidenced that among the long-lived species in PAW, NO
3
−
enhanced the seed germination and plant growth under similar conditions. These findings demonstrate that the proposed cold plasma reactors could be utilized to boost seed germination and plant growth.Please confirm if the author names are presented accurately and in the correct sequence (given name, middle name/initial, family name). Author 4 Given name: Amine Aymen Last name Assadi. Also, kindly confirm the details in the metadata are correct.Yes, all author names are correctly editted.
Raw textile effluent, collected from Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP), Perundurai, Tamil Nadu, was subjected to toxicity reduction employing varied laboratory treatment protocols viz. chemical ...(Advanced Oxidation Process), physical (Electrocoagulation), bacterial (Lyisinibacillus sphaericus), phycoremediation (Odontella aurita) and their combinations. Aquatic toxicity was tested using freshwater fish Labeo rohita and the variations in fish histopathological, biochemical, enzymology, hematological and immunological parameters were analyzed. The intermediatory dye metabolites and secondary amines produced during chemical (96hLC50=5%) and bacterial remediation (96hLC50=15%) had enhanced the stress factor and organ damage in the exposed fish. In phycoremediation, though the newly explored Odontella aurita could effectively absorb metal ions than other algal species and moderately reduce effluent physical parameters, but was less efficient in the removal of azo dyes from the effluent (96hLC50=50%). Subsequent physical remediation had removed these dyes and other effluent solid sludge, and had enabled the fish to survive acute toxicity (96h+). However, it was less efficient in removing the secondary metabolites produced during bacterial (96hLC50=20%) and chemical (96hLC50=25%) remediation. Secondary phycoremediation had effectively reduced effluent physical parameters, metal ions and the hydroxyl radicals left over after primary chemical remediation. Therefore, this combined chemical and phycoremediation processes had enabled the fish population survive short term chronic toxicity (168h+), with less organ damage and slightly enhanced immunological response. This treatment is certainly better than the methodology adopted by CETP, where the fish could survive only acute toxicity with higher organ damage.
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•A 30-min plasma treatment at 200 °C induced the formation of crystalline particles of inverse spinel CoFe2O4, a phenomenon not observed in samples without plasma treatment.•Plasma ...treatment at 200 °C, a significant reduction in particle size was observed, with the average size plummeting to 6.7 nm, nearly three times smaller than the calcined sample at 600 °C (24.1 nm).•The plasma assisted synthesized material displayed remarkable magnetic properties, boasting a magnetization (Ms) of 91.80 emu/g and a coercivity (Hc) of 888 Oe. In stark contrast, the material calcined at 600 °C exhibited a lower magnetization of 64.53 emu/g and a higher coercivity of 1289 Oe.•EDX analysis unveiled surface oxygen defects in plasma synthesized material compared to materials synthesized by conventional calcination at 600 °C, resulting in a narrower bandgap (1.9 eV).•XPS analysis unveiled the presence of Co2+ and Co3+ within the spinel crystal structure of the plasma-treated material, elucidating the mechanisms underlying its enhanced magnetic behavior.
Non-thermal plasma (NTP)-assisted catalysis offers a promising avenue with diverse applications, particularly in air and water treatment. This study aimed to investigate the utilization of NTP discharge for the synthesis of magnetically active nanoparticles (MANps). We have demonstrated that the NTP discharge-assisted low-temperature calcination effectively induces surface modification and crystallization, thereby enhancing magnetic susceptibility. Specifically, a 30 min plasma treatment at 200 °C (CF-P-200) facilitated the formation of crystalline particles, a phenomenon that was absent in materials synthesized without plasma treatment under similar operating conditions. High-resolution microscopy revealed an average particle size of about 6.7 nm, while EDX analysis unveiled surface oxygen defects in CF-P-200 compared to materials synthesized by conventional calcination at 600 °C (CF-T-600), resulting in a narrower bandgap (1.9 eV). Magnetization measurements conducted using vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) displayed superior magnetic properties of plasma treated MANps, with a magnetization (Ms) of 91.80 emu/g and coercivity (Hc) of 888 Oe. These values outperformed those of materials calcined at 600 °C (Ms: 64.53 emu/g, Hc: 1289 Oe), emphasizing the efficacy of NTP discharge in enhancing magnetic characteristics during material synthesis.
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•NH3-SCR with Cu/BEA catalyst investigated without DOC and DPF on actual engine exhaust.•Weak and moderate acid sites aid in NH3 coverage up to 350 °C – Maximum NOx reduction of ...63.5 % obtained.•Kinetic model developed by using genetic algorithm for optimizing kinetic parameters.•Investigated parametrically for variations in reaction temperature and concentrations of NH3, NO, and O2.
Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology using NH3 has shown to be the most promising method in the curbing of NOx and zeolite catalysts impregnated with copper has shown excellent SCR activity below 350 °C. However, most of the investigations are carried out with the artificial mixing combination of exhaust gases. The effect of real-time engine-out exhaust gas on NH3-SCR activity has been scantily reported. In this paper, Cu/BEA zeolite with varying copper loading from 0.83 to 4.31 wt% has been used and the effect of engine-out exhaust emissions has been investigated. The catalysts were prepared using ion-exchange method and characterized using SEM, XRD, and BET analyses. The highest NOx reduction efficiency of 62.5 % was observed for 1.77 wt% Cu for which the Cu/Al ratio was close to unity. The kinetic modeling of the SCR activity was also carried out to validate the experimental results with an average error of 3.85 %.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a result of degeneration/damage of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) while retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an inherited early-onset disease, results from ...premature loss of photoreceptors. A promising therapeutic approach for both is the replacement of lost/damaged cells with human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived retinal cells.
The aim of this study was to investigate the in vivo functionality of RPE and photoreceptor progenitor (PRP) cells derived from a clinical-grade hiPSC line through a unified protocol. De novo-generated RPE and PRP were characterized extensively to validate their identity, purity, and potency.
RPE expressed tight junction proteins, showed pigmentation and ciliation, and secreted polarization-related factors vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF). PRP expressed neural retina proteins and cone and rod markers, and responded to KCl-induced polarization. Transcriptomic analysis demonstrated an increase in the expression of mature retinal tissue-specific genes coupled with concomitant downregulation of genes from undesired lineages. RPE transplantation rescued visual function in RCS rats shown via optokinetic tracking and photoreceptor rescue. PRP transplantation improved light perception in NOD.SCID-rd1 mice, and positive electroretinography signals indicated functional photoreceptor activity in the host's outer nuclear layer. Graft survival and integration were confirmed using immunohistochemistry, and no animals showed teratoma formation or any kind of ectopic growth in the eye.
To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a unified, scalable, and GMP-adaptable protocol indicating strong animal efficacy and safety data with hiPSC-derived RPE and PRP cells. These findings provide robust proof-of-principle results for IND-enabling studies to test these potential regenerative cell therapies in patients.
In the present work, copper molybdenum mixed oxide phase Cu
3
Mo
2
O
9
was synthesized and studied for catalytic diesel soot oxidation reaction. The impregnation of silver and potassium over copper ...molybdenum mixed oxide was also studied for further improvement in soot oxidation activity under the both tight and loose contact modes. The soot oxidation temperature (
T
max
) decreased from 602 °C in the absence of catalyst to 376 °C with copper molybdenum mixed oxide under tight contact mode, while this was observed at 434 °C for loose contact condition, which suggest high activity of the present catalyst for soot oxidation reaction. There was only slight improvement in the catalytic activity of silver and potassium promoted catalysts. From the detailed structural characterization of the as-prepared catalyst, it was inferred that the synthesized copper molybdenum mixed oxide phase was Cu
3
Mo
2
O
9
. The catalyst structure is highly defective with structural oxygen vacancies responsible for rapid soot oxidation at lowered temperature. These findings were also corroborated by XPS and other studies.
The high incidences of COVID-19 cases are believed to be associated with high transmissibility rates, which emphasizes the need for the discovery of evidence-based antiviral therapies for curing the ...disease. The rationale of repurposing existing classes of antiviral small molecule therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2 infection has been expected to accelerate the tedious and expensive drug development process. While Remdesivir has been recently approved to be the first treatment option for specific groups of COVID-19 patients, combinatory therapy with potential antiviral drugs may be necessary to enhance the efficacy in different populations. Hence, a comprehensive list of investigational antimicrobial drug compounds such as Favipiravir, Fidaxomicin, Galidesivir, GC376, Ribavirin, Rifabutin, and Umifenovir were computationally evaluated in this study. We performed in silico docking and molecular dynamics simulation on the selected small molecules against RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, which is one of the key target proteins of SARS-CoV-2, using AutoDock and GROMACS. Interestingly, our results revealed that the macrocyclic antibiotic, Fidaxomicin, possesses the highest binding affinity with the lowest energy value of −8.97 kcal/mol binding to the same active sites of RdRp. GC376, Rifabutin, Umifenovir and Remdesivir were identified as the next best compounds. Therefore, the above-mentioned compounds could be considered good leads for further preclinical and clinical experimentations as potentially efficient antiviral inhibitors for combination therapies against SARS-CoV-2.
The aim of the study is to analyse the effectiveness of TENS transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on improving hyposalivation in Xerostomia patients with diabetes mellitus. This was an ...experimental study with pre and post-test type. Sixty (60) Diabetes mellitus patients with hyposalivation condition were treated with TENS on their external surface of salivary glands and other corresponding buccal nerves. The duration of the treatment is for 15-20 minutes 1 session per day four sessions a week for 4 weeks. A simplified questionnaire is used as a screening tool and Sialometry method is used to analyze the saliva secretion. Saliva samples were collected from the subjects prior to TENS stimulation. The present study states that, the salivary secretion was increased after TENS application in continuous mode (p<0.001) and burst mode (p<0.001). It was illustrated when compared to saliva taken before therapy, particularly in xerostomic diabetes mellitus patients. Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 59(1), 01-06, 2024
Background
Mammosphere formation assay has become a versatile tool to quantify the activity of putative breast cancer stem cells in non-adherent in vitro cultures. However, optimizing the suspension ...culture system is crucial to establish mammosphere cultures from primary breast tumors.
Methods
This study aimed at determining the self-renewal and sphere-forming potential of breast cancer stem-like cells derived from human primary invasive ductal carcinoma and normal breast tissue samples, and MCF-7 breast cancer cell line using an optimal suspension culture system. Mammosphere-forming efficiency of the mammospheres generated from the tissue samples and cell line were compared. We evaluated the expression of CD44
+
/CD24
−
/
low
and CD49f
+
/EpCAM
−
/
low
phenotypes in the stem-like cells by flow cytometry. CK-18, CK-19, α-SMA, and EpCAM marker expression was assessed using immunohistochemical staining.
Results
Breast epithelial cells isolated from the three samples formed two-dimensional spheroids in suspension cultures. Interestingly, mammospheres formed from patient-derived primary breast tumors were enriched in breast cancer stem-like cells with the phenotype CD44
+
/CD24
−
/
low
and exhibited a relatively more number of large spheres when compared to the normal breast stem cells. MCF-7-derived SCs were more aggressive and resulted in the formation of a significantly higher number of spheroids. The expression of CK-18/CK-19 and α-SMA/EpCAM proteins was confirmed in breast cancer tissues.
Conclusions
Thus, the use of primary tumor specimens and breast cancer cell lines as suitable models for elucidating the breast cancer stem cell activity was validated using mammosphere culture system.
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