This study evaluates the effects of phyto-derived zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) on human cancer cells, colon carcinoma HCT 116, and chronic myelogenous leukemic K562, along with normal ...lymphocytes/erythrocytes. The commercial, chemically synthesized ZnONPs (cZnONPs) were also assessed in parallel. Using an eco-friendly approach devoid of harmful chemicals, biogenic nanoparticles were synthesized from aqueous leaf extract of
Spondias pinnata
(SpLZnONPs) by a sol-gel method. Optical, structural, and elemental characterization of both particle types were carried out deploying UV–Vis/photoluminescence spectroscopy, FTIR, XRD, FESEM, HRTEM, and EDX. Both SpLZnONPs and cZnONPs displayed hexagonal wurtzite structure with particle sizes averaging 30 and 48.5 nm, respectively. SpLZnONPs were found to be cytotoxic to both cancer cell types while cZnONPs exhibited toxicity only against HCT 116 cells. Interestingly, the cytomorphological changes and analysis of DNA laddering pattern observed in these treated cells were indicative of simultaneous induction of dual modes of death involving apoptosis and necrosis. Flow cytometric analysis of cell-cycle distribution, clonogenic, wound healing, and comet assays provided evidences of the antiproliferative potential of the tested nanoparticles. Apoptosis induction via oxidative stress-mediated Ca
2+
release, ROS generation, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and externalization of phosphatidylserine was also determined biochemically. Relative expression of apoptotic genes was quantified using RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis. Mitotic index analysis, MTT, and hemolytic assays on lymphocytes and erythrocytes clearly revealed the absence of any deleterious effect(s) of SpLZnONPs in these cells compared with the toxicity of the chemically derived cZnONPs, thereby attesting to the biocompatibility and selective action of the biogenic nanoparticles.
► Comprehensive survey of the techniques used in the field of power quality events classification. ► Exploring the potential contribution of monitoring of power in the field of power quality events ...classification. ► Survey to other techniques has been included to see the improvement in the field of PQ events. ► The use of PQ events classification in the smart grid has also been cited.
Power quality (PQ) interest has increasingly evolved over the past decade. The paper surveys the application of signal processing, intelligent techniques and optimization techniques in PQ analysis. This paper carries out a comprehensive review of articles that involves a comprehensive study of signal processing techniques used for PQ analysis. Within this context intelligent techniques such as fuzzy logic, neural network and genetic algorithm as well as their fusion are reviewed. Tabular presentation (i.e. highlighting the important techniques) has also been provided for comprehensive study. Although this review cannot be collectively exhaustive, it may be considered as a valuable guide for researchers who are interested in the domain of PQ and wish to explore the opportunities offered by these techniques for further improvement in the field of PQ.
Modern seafood processing practices result in amassment of a large volume of waste products, i.e., skin, head, tails, shells, scales, backbones, etc. These waste products may often encompass several ...high-value products which are still untapped due to the dearth of appropriate management. Moreover, inadequate disposal of waste also has negative implications on both environment and human health. This seafood waste often contains a huge amount of chitin, a polysaccharide that exhibits exceptional inherent characteristics including biocompatibility, biodegradability, antimicrobial, antitumor and antioxidant activities. The present review summarizes the existing methods for recovery of chitin and its derivatives from marine waste. The preparation of chitin nanoparticles was discussed along with blending of chitin and chitosan with other biopolymers. The recent trends of the application of chitin and chitosan nanostructures in various sectors were explored. This review is an attempt to highlight the extraction methods of chitin and chitosan from marine waste resources and its transformation into valuable commercial products as a solution to waste management.
The mucus layer is the first line of innate host defense in the gut that protects the epithelium by spatially separating commensal bacteria. MUC2 mucin is produced and stored by goblet cells that is ...constitutively exocytosed or hyper secreted upon sensing a threat. How coordinated mucus exocytosis maintains homeostasis in the intestinal epithelium and modulates the immunological landscape remains elusive. Here we describe how the vesicle SNARE protein VAMP8 coordinates mucin exocytosis from goblet cells. Vamp8
exhibit a mild pro-inflammatory state basally due to an altered mucus layer and increased encounters with microbial antigens. Microbial diversity shifts to a detrimental microbiota with an increase abundance of pathogenic and mucolytic bacteria. To alleviate the heavy microbial burden and inflammatory state basally, Vamp8
skews towards tolerance. Despite this, Vamp8
is highly susceptible to both chemical and infectious colitis demonstrating the fragility of the intestinal mucosa without proper mucus exocytosis mechanisms.
Mechanical property design of molecular solids Mishra, Manish Kumar; Ramamurty, Upadrasta; Desiraju, Gautam R.
Current opinion in solid state & materials science,
December 2016, 2016-12-00, Volume:
20, Issue:
6
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Display omitted
•Crystal engineering principles applied to design and modulation of mechanical properties of molecular solids.•Elastic crystals obtained by designing of isotropic weak interactions ...and interlocked crystal packing.•Solid-solution strengthening effectively utilized to engineer the hardness of organic solids.•Cocrystallization approach used to alter the mechanical properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients.•Nanoindentation technique establishes structure-mechanical properties correlations in molecular solids.
The current emphasis of crystal engineering, which has evolved over the past three decades through crystal packing analysis and identification of crystal design strategies, has shifted from structure to properties, i.e., design of molecular solids with targeted combination of properties. Amongst the panoply of chemical, physical, and biological properties that these materials exhibit, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanical properties is perhaps the most challenging as it involves connecting molecular level structural features to macroscopic mechanical behavior. However, the adoption of the nanoindentation technique, with which it is possible to measure—both quantitatively and accurately—the mechanical response of even small single crystals, in crystal engineering, has paved the way for substantial progress in the recent past. In this review, we summarize some recent results with an emphasis as to how one can design and control properties of molecular solids such as elastic modulus and hardness. This review closes with an enumeration of the key challenges that lie ahead. Such studies show a big scope for studying mechanical properties of organic crystals as a function of crystal structure, and in turn to understand their structure-property relationship for designing future smart materials. This emerging research field has prospects and a potential to play an important role in the future development of crystal engineering.
Display omitted
•Wastewater treatments may not completely remove the SARS-CoV-2 RNA.•Activated sludge process exhibited better RNA removal efficacy than root-zone treatment.•ORF 1ab and S genes ...appeared more sensitive to treatment than N genes.•Temporal variability is observed in the removal efficacy of wastewater treatment plants.
In the initial pandemic phase, effluents from wastewater treatment facilities were reported mostly free from Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA, and thus conventional wastewater treatments were generally considered effective. However, there is a lack of first-hand data on i) comparative efficacy of various treatment processes for SARS-CoV-2 RNA removal; and ii) temporal variations in the removal efficacy of a given treatment process in the backdrop of active COVID-19 cases. This work provides a comparative account of the removal efficacy of conventional activated sludge (CAS) and root zone treatments (RZT) based on weekly wastewater surveillance data, consisting of forty-four samples, during a two-month period. The average genome concentration was higher in the inlets of CAS-based wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the Sargasan ward (1.25 × 103 copies/ L), than that of RZT-based WWTP (7.07 × 102 copies/ L) in an academic institution campus of Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. ORF 1ab and S genes appeared to be more sensitive to treatment i.e., significantly reduced (p < 0.05) than N genes (p > 0.05). CAS treatment exhibited better RNA removal efficacy (p = 0.014) than RZT (p = 0.032). Multivariate analyses suggested that the effective genome concentration should be calculated based on the presence/absence of multiple genes. The present study stresses that treated effluents are not always free from SARS-CoV-2 RNA, and the removal efficacy of a given WWTP is prone to exhibit temporal variability owing to variations in active COVID-19 cases in the vicinity and genetic material accumulation over the time. Disinfection seems less effective than the adsorption and coagulation processes for SARS-CoV-2 removal. Results stress the need for further research on mechanistic insight on SARS-CoV-2 removal through various treatment processes taking solid–liquid partitioning into account.
Display omitted
Antimony (Sb) is introduced into soils, sediments, and aquatic environments from various sources such as weathering of sulfide ores, leaching of mining wastes, and anthropogenic ...activities. High Sb concentrations are toxic to ecosystems and potentially to public health via the accumulation in food chain. Although Sb is poisonous and carcinogenic to humans, the exact mechanisms causing toxicity still remain unclear. Most studies concerning the remediation of soils and aquatic environments contaminated with Sb have evaluated various amendments that reduce Sb bioavailability and toxicity. However, there is no comprehensive review on the biogeochemistry and transformation of Sb related to its remediation. Therefore, the present review summarizes: (1) the sources of Sb and its geochemical distribution and speciation in soils and aquatic environments, (2) the biogeochemical processes that govern Sb mobilization, bioavailability, toxicity in soils and aquatic environments, and possible threats to human and ecosystem health, and (3) the approaches used to remediate Sb-contaminated soils and water and mitigate potential environmental and health risks. Knowledge gaps and future research needs also are discussed. The review presents up-to-date knowledge about the fate of Sb in soils and aquatic environments and contributes to an important insight into the environmental hazards of Sb. The findings from the review should help to develop innovative and appropriate technologies for controlling Sb bioavailability and toxicity and sustainably managing Sb-polluted soils and water, subsequently minimizing its environmental and human health risks.
Diesel engine modeling draws the greater attention due to its higher efficiency as compared to spark ignition (SI) engine. Still it is very challenging job to model diesel engine due to its complex ...combustion phenomena. The focus of the present study is to review the different available model used for modeling of CI engines. The modeling of CI engine is divided into single zone, multizone and multi-dimensional model. Which further subdivided in many submodel i.e. heat transfer, ignition delay period, droplet evaporation, intake and exhaust flow, chemical kinematics and soot formation model. A comparative study has also been carried out with experimental validation to show the compatibility with different modeling approach. Some optimum mathematical input parameter has been suggested by the analysis of different modeling approach to minimize the NOx emission and soot formation to make diesel engine more eco-friendly.
Abstract
Indian cities have frequently observed intense and severe heat waves for the last few years. It will be primarily due to a significant increase in the variation in heat wave characteristics ...like duration, frequency, and intensity across the urban regions of India. This study will determine the impact of future climate scenarios like SSP 245 and 585 over the heat wave characteristics. It will present the comparison between heat waves characteristics in the historical time (1981 to 2020) with future projections, i.e., D
1
(2021–2046), D
2
(2047–2072), and D
3
(2073–2098) for different climate scenarios across Indian smart cities. It is observed that the Coastal, Interior Peninsular, and North-Central regions will observe intense and frequent heat waves in the future under SSP 245 and 585 scenarios. A nearly two-fold increase in heat wave' mean duration will be observed in the smart cities of the Interior Peninsular, Coastal, and North Central zones. Thiruvananthapuram city on the west coast has the maximum hazard associated with heat waves among all the smart cities of India under both SSPs. This study assists smart city policymakers in improving the planning and implementation of heat wave adaptation and mitigation plans based on the proposed framework for heat action plans and heat wave characteristics for improving urban health well-being under hot weather extremes in different homogeneous temperature zones.
PDF
