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•Cu, Ag, and Au NPs were loaded onto Mg-Al LDH with varying sizes Au > Ag > Cu.•Influence of plasmonic metals over physicochemical properties was investigated.•Au loaded LDH ...composites exhibited the highest degradation of tetracycline.•Schottky junction and the SPR effect were responsible for improved photoactivity.
This work focused on the enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of solvothermal synthesized Mg0.667 Al0.333 (OH)2 (CO3)0.167 (H2O)0.5 layered double hydroxide (LDH) by plasmonic metal (Cu, Ag, and Au) photodeposition (1-3 wt%). HRTEM analysis confirmed the successful loading of plasmonic nanoparticles with varying sizes (Au (∼4–25 nm) > Ag (∼3–12 nm) > Cu (∼2–7 nm)) on the surface of LDH. The effect of different plasmonic metals and their size on the surface structural, optical, electrokinetic, and photocatalytic properties of LDH was investigated. The prepared catalysts were evaluated for the degradation of tetracycline under LED irradiation for 140 min and the photoactivity trend followed the order: pristine LDH < Cu@LDH < Ag@LDH < Au@LDH. The LC-MS studies revealed that the degradation occurred by the attack of various reactive species (O2.-, h+, OḢ) via four paths mainly including hydroxylation, functional group cleavage, and ring-opening reaction. A possible mechanism was proposed for the appreciable enhancement in performance caused by the formation of Schottky barriers and surface plasmon resonance of plasmonic nanoparticles. The results of total organic carbon (TOC) indicated the acceptable mineralization of about 84 %. Less than a 10 % fall in degradation efficiency was observed within four recycle runs.
•Superior photocatalytic activity of sodium titanate nanotube to P25-TiO2.•Electro-kinetic properties vary with synthesis condition of TiO2nanostructures.•Ag and Cu deposition did not significantly ...alter the electro-kinetic parameters.•Sodium content has no detrimental effect on the photoactivity of titanate nanotube.
Titania based nanocatalysts such as sodium titanates of different morphology having superior surface properties are getting wide importance in photocatalysis research. Despite having sodium (Na) contents and its high temperature synthesis (that generally deteriorate the photoreactivity), these Na-titanates often exhibit better photoactivity than P25-TiO2 catalyst. Hence, this work demonstrated the influence of crystal structure, BET surface area, surface charge, zeta potential (ζ) and metal loading on the photocatalytic activity of as-prepared sodium titanate nanotube (TNT) and titania nanorod (TNR). Straw like hollow orthorhombic-TNT (Na2Ti2O5·H2O) particles (W=9–12nm and L=82–115nm) and rice like pure anatase-TNR particles (W=8–13nm and L=81–134nm) are obtained by the hydrothermal treatment of P25-TiO2 with NaOH, which in fact, altered the net surface charge of TNT and TNR particles. The observed ζ=−2.82 (P25-TiO2), −13.5 (TNT) and −22.5mV (TNR) are significantly altered by the Ag and Cu deposition. It has been found here that TNT displayed best photocatalytic activity for the imidacloprid insecticide (C9H10ClN5O2) degradation to CO2 formation under UV irradiation because of its largest surface area 176m2g−1 among the catalysts studied.
RNA interference (RNAi) based methods are being developed for pest management. A few products for control of coleopteran pests are expected to be commercialized soon. However, variability in RNAi ...efficiency among insects is preventing the widespread use of this technology. In this study, we conducted research to identify reasons for variability in RNAi efficiency among thirty-seven (37) insects belonging to five orders. Studies on double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) degradation by dsRNases and processing of labeled dsRNA to siRNA showed that both dsRNA degradation and processing are variable among insects belonging to different orders as well as among different insect species within the same order. We identified homologs of key RNAi genes in the genomes of some of these insects and studied their domain architecture. These data suggest that dsRNA digestion by dsRNases and its processing to siRNAs in the cells are among the major factors contributing to differential RNAi efficiency reported among insects.
The main focused aim of developing new processing and manufacturing technologies are to reduce production or manufacturing costs, processing times, and to enhance manufactured product properties. The ...developed processing techniques should be widely acceptable for all types of materials including metal matrix composites, ceramics, alloys, and fiber reinforced plastics. Microwave materials processing is emerging as a novel processing technology which is applicable to a wide variety of materials system including processing of MMC, FRP, alloys, ceramics, metals, powder metallurgy, material joining, coatings, and claddings. In comparison to the conventional processes, microwave processing of materials offers better mechanical properties with reduced defects and economical advantages in terms of power and time savings. The present review work focuses mainly on global developments taking place in the field of microwave processing of materials and their relevant industrial applications.
Layered double hydroxides are traditional positively charged inorganic materials generally considered as efficient and low-cost adsorbents for the removal of anionic organic molecules. In this study, ...we prepared a series of g-C
3
N
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@NiCo LDH composites by loading 10–30 wt% of g-C
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N
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onto the LDH through the electrostatic self-assembly method. The bare LDH and g-C
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N
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loaded LDH composites were characterized by XRD, SEM-EDS, Zeta, DLS, and FTIR techniques. Results revealed that extra peak corresponds to g-C
3
N
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originating in the XRD patterns, distorted morphology of LDH, reduction in positive surface zeta potential, and enhancement in hydrodynamic size after loading of g-C
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affirmed the successful formation of the composite. The adsorption performance of as-modified LDH was evaluated by removing the most commonly used salicylic acid and methylene blue as anionic and cationic model pollutant, respectively, from aqueous solution. The adsorption mechanism for both the pollutants by as-synthesized samples follows Langmuir isotherm. The results demonstrated that the bare LDH exhibited maximum adsorption efficiency of 75.16 mg/g and only 3.66 mg/g for salicylic acid and methylene blue, respectively. With 30 wt% loading of g-C
3
N
4
, the adsorption capacity for methylene blue increased to 25.16 mg/g almost 6–7 times higher than that of bare LDH. On the other hand, the opposite effect on adsorptive removal of salicylic acid was observed with increase in the wt% loading of g-C
3
N
4
. With 30 wt% loading of g-C
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N
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, the adsorption capacity for salicylic acid decreased to 38.37 mg/g, almost half that of bare LDH. A possible mechanism has been proposed. The kinetics for adsorption of salicylic acid onto bare LDH obeys the second-order model aside from the methylene blue adsorption which follows first-order kinetics. On the other hand, the kinetics of adsorption for both the pollutants onto (10–30) CN- LDH composites follows second order kinetics.
RNA interference (RNAi) has become a widely used reverse genetic tool to study gene function in eukaryotic organisms and is being developed as a technology for insect pest management. The efficiency ...of RNAi varies among organisms. Insects from different orders also display differential efficiency of RNAi, ranging from highly efficient (coleopterans) to very low efficient (lepidopterans). We investigated the reasons for varying RNAi efficiency between lepidopteran and coleopteran cell lines and also between the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata and tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens. The dsRNA either injected or fed was degraded faster in H. virescens than in L. decemlineata. Both lepidopteran and coleopteran cell lines and tissues efficiently took up the dsRNA. Interestingly, the dsRNA administered to coleopteran cell lines and tissues was taken up and processed to siRNA whereas the dsRNA was taken up by lepidopteran cell lines and tissues but no siRNA was detected in the total RNA isolated from these cell lines and tissues. The data included in this paper showed that the degradation and intracellular transport of dsRNA are the major factors responsible for reduced RNAi efficiency in lepidopteran insects.
Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is an important pest of cotton causing direct damage as sap feeder and vector of Cotton leaf curl virus (CLCuV). Previous few studies suggest that female ...whiteflies are more efficient vector of begomovirusthan males, however the sex-biased transmission efficiency is still not clearly understood. Present studies with B. tabaci AsiaII-1 haplotype showed higher virus transmission efficiency of females compared to males. This variable begomovirus transmission efficiency has been related to previously identifiedkey factors associated with B. tabaci. The higher density of endosymbiont Arsenophonus and variable expression of some midgut proteins genes i.e. Cyclophilin, Knottin, Hsp40, Hsp70 may be possibly imparting higher vector competency to the females compared to males. The present studies suggest low abundance of Arsenophonus spp. as well as lower expressionof Cyclophilin genein males as compared to females. This is further supplemented by overexpression of Knottin, Hsp40, and Hsp70 genes in males compared to females and thus collectively all these factors might be playing a key role in low virus transmission efficiency of males. The relative density of Arsenophonus spp. and expression of midgut proteins genes in male and female whitefly first time enriches our understanding about sex-biased transmission efficiency of begomovirus.
Background
Endoscopic spine surgery is a promising minimally invasive technique and use of trocars like Metrx (Neurosurgery 51(5):S129–36,
2002
), Destandau (Neurol Res 21:39–42,
1999
), and Easy go ...(Acta Neurochir (Wien) 151:1027‑33,
2009
) has revolutionized this field. However, the steep learning curve makes this procedure elusive to many parts of the world.
Methods
The authors describe the technique of pure endoscopic discectomy using a specialized trocar devised by the senior author “Endospine Plus” which makes the technique easy to learn along with the advantages and complications of the procedure.
Conclusions
Endoscopic lumbar discectomy is a safe and effective technique for the treatment of prolapsed intervertebral disc.
Amrasca biguttula biguttula (Ishida) commonly known as cotton leafhopper is a severe pest of cotton and okra. Not much is known on this insect at molecular level due to lack of genomic and ...transcriptomic data. To prepare for functional genomic studies in this insect, we evaluated 15 common housekeeping genes (Tub, B-Tub, EF alpha, GADPH, UbiCF, RP13, Ubiq, G3PD, VATPase, Actin, 18s, 28s, TATA, ETF, SOD and Cytolytic actin) during different developmental stages and under starvation stress. We selected early (1st and 2nd), late (3rd and 4th) stage nymphs and adults for identification of stable housekeeping genes using geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper and RefFinder software. Based on the different algorithms, RP13 and VATPase are identified as the most suitable reference genes for quantification of gene expression by reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Based on RefFinder which comprehended the results of three algorithms, RP13 in adults, Tubulin (Tub) in late nymphs, 28S in early nymph and UbiCF under starvation stress were identified as the most stable genes. We also developed methods for feeding double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) incorporated in the diet. Feeding dsRNA targeting Snf7, IAP, AQP1, and VATPase caused 56.17-77.12% knockdown of targeted genes compared to control and 16 to 48% mortality of treated insects when compared to control.
This study answers the research question: can any systematic patterns of factionalism and fissures within the Akali Dal be discerned through its organisational history since 1920? I argue that the ...Akali Dal went through five distinct periods of internal factionalism, each with its own distinct intra-party and leadership dynamics. Furthermore, I argue that factions, fissures, and mergers within Akali Dal emerge due to the political competition between individual Akali leaders, their changing ideological positions due to this competition, and the prevailing political circumstances which dictate the parameters of their ideological flexibility within Sikh and Punjab politics.
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