Influence of surface metallic silver deposit and surface fluorination on the photocatalytic activity of rutile TiO2 for the degradation of crystal violet a cationic dye under UV light irradiation

Silver metallization and fluorination on the surface of rutile TiO2 (SRT and FRT) was carried out by photochemical reduction and wet impregnation methods respectively. TiO2, SRT and FRT were characterized by various analytical techniques like PXRD, SEM, EDX, FTIR, PL, UV�vis absorbance and XPS. The photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet (CV) was carried out at three different pH conditions. Acidic pH was found to be more favorable for the degradation, in spite of low adsorption of cationic CV molecules on the catalyst surface. The electrostatic repulsion at this pH drives the CV molecules into the bulk of the solution suggesting the involvement of bulk hydroxyl radicals rather than surface adsorbed hydroxyl radicals. The degradation efficiency can be represented by the following order SRT > FRT > TiO2. The Ti-peroxo (Ti-OO-Ti) complex species formed in presence of H2O2 by the combination of two trapped holes (Ti�Orad) in aqueous medium is predicted to enhance the rate of generation of hydroxyl radicals. The exciton mobility is dependent on the polaron effective mass which is higher for rutile TiO2 accounting for its lower activity. The bulk charge carrier transport which is less in bare rutile TiO2 is enhanced in the surface modified TiO2. Effective trapping of photogenerated excitons/electrons by F-/Ag0 can facilitate their migration and increase the activity by tenfolds. The rate of degradation of CV followed two reaction pathways, slower N-demethylation in basic conditions and rapid aromatic cleavage at the central carbon atom in the acidic pH conditions. © 201

Signal Appropriation of Explicit HIV Status Disclosure Fields in Sex-Social Apps used by Gay and Bisexual Men

HIV status disclosure fields in online sex-social applications ("apps") are designed to help increase awareness, reduce stigma, and promote sexual health. Public disclosure could also help those diagnosed relate to others with similar statuses to feel less isolated. However, in our interview study (n=28) with HIV positive and negative men who have sex with men (MSM), we found some users preferred to keep their status private, especially when disclosure could stigmatise and disadvantage them, or risk revealing their status to someone they knew offline in a different context. How do users manage these tensions between health, stigma, and privacy? We analysed our interview data using signalling theory as a conceptual framework and identify participants developing 'signal appropriation' strategies, helping them manage the disclosure of their HIV status. Additionally, we propose a set of design considerations that explore the use of signals in the design of sensitive disclosure fields

EpCAM aptamer mediated cancer cell specific delivery of EpCAM siRNA using polymeric nanocomplex

BACKGROUND: Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is overexpressed in solid tumors and regarded as a putative cancer stem cell marker. Here, we report that employing EpCAM aptamer (EpApt) and EpCAM siRNA (SiEp) dual approach, for the targeted delivery of siRNA to EpCAM positive cancer cells, efficiently inhibits cancer cell proliferation. RESULTS: Targeted delivery of siRNA using polyethyleneimine is one of the efficient methods for gene delivery, and thus, we developed a novel aptamer-PEI-siRNA nanocomplex for EpCAM targeting. PEI nanocomplex synthesized with EpCAM aptamer (EpApt) and EpCAM siRNA (SiEp) showed 198 nm diameter sized particles by dynamic light scattering, spherical shaped particles, of 151 ± 11 nm size by TEM. The surface charge of the nanoparticles was -30.0 mV using zeta potential measurements. Gel retardation assay confirmed the PEI-EpApt-SiEp nanoparticles formation. The difference in size observed by DLS and TEM could be due to coating of aptamer and siRNA on PEI nanocore. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that PEI-EpApt-SiEp has superior binding to cancer cells compared to EpApt or scramble aptamer (ScrApt) or PEI-ScrApt-SiEp. PEI-EpApt-SiEp downregulated EpCAM and inhibited selectively the cell proliferation of MCF-7 and WERI-Rb1 cells. CONCLUSIONS: The PEI nanocomplex fabricated with EpApt and siEp was able to target EpCAM tumor cells, deliver the siRNA and silence the target gene. This nanocomplex exhibited decreased cell proliferation than the scrambled aptamer loaded nanocomplex in the EpCAM expressing cancer cells and may have potential for EpCAM targeting in vivo

RNAi mediated Tiam1 gene knockdown inhibits invasion of retinoblastoma

T lymphoma invasion and metastasis protein (Tiam1) is up-regulated in variety of cancers and its expression level is related to metastatic potential of the type of cancer. Earlier, Tiam1 was shown to be overexpressed in retinoblastoma (RB) and we hypothesized that it was involved in invasiveness of RB. This was tested by silencing Tiam1 in RB cell lines (Y79 and Weri-Rb1) using siRNA pool, targeting different regions of Tiam1 mRNA. The cDNA microarray of Tiam1 silenced cells showed gene regulations altered by Tiam1 were predominantly on the actin cytoskeleton interacting proteins, apoptotic initiators and tumorogenic potential targets. The silenced phenotype resulted in decreased growth and increased apoptosis with non-invasive characteristics. Transfection of full length and N-terminal truncated construct (C1199) clearly revealed membrane localization of Tiam1 and not in the case of C580 construct. F-actin staining showed the interaction of Tiam1 with actin in the membrane edges that leads to ruffling, and also imparts varying invasive potential to the cell. The results obtained from our study show for the first time that Tiam1 modulates the cell invasion, mediated by actin cytoskeleton remodeling in RB

Site suitability analysis for decentralized sustainable solid waste management system for Coimbatore city using GIS.

          The effective solid waste management in a developing country like India has become an essential concern of the society. Municipality and corporation have framed many policies and municipal solid waste rules for a sustainable solid waste management, but the increase in population and urbanization leads to many challenges in implementing an effective system. Disposal of waste is an important action in solid waste management but due to many flaws in system the centralized disposal of waste is not effective. In this research the site selection for decentralized processing unit zone wise is done using GIS and weighted overlay analysis. The weighted overlay analysis is done by using thematic layers like land use land cover, geomorphology, geology, soil, lineaments, ground water depth, distance from water bodies, distance from railway track, drainage density, road density ,distance from roads are used as inventory maps to arrive the suitable area to carry out decentralized solid waste management. The results revealed the suitable area in sqkm under five classifications as highly suitable, high to moderately suitable, moderately suitable, poorly suitable and not suitable. Keywords: site suitability, south zone, Coimbatore decentralized waste management, weighted overlay analysis

Class solutions for SABR-VMAT for high-risk prostate cancer with and without elective nodal irradiation

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to find the optimal planning settings for prostate SABR-VMAT for high-risk prostate cancer patients irradiated to prostate only (PO) or prostate and pelvic lymph nodes (PPLN). METHODS: For 10 patients, plans using 6MV flattened, flattening-filter-free (FFF) 6MV (6 F) and FFF 10MV (10 F) photon beams with full and partial arc arrangements were generated and compared. The prescribed dose was 40Gy to the prostate with 25Gy to the PLN in 5 fractions. Plans were then evaluated for PTV coverage, dose fall-off, and OAR doses. The number of monitor units and the treatment delivery times were also compared. Statistical differences were evaluated using a paired sample Wilcoxon signed rank test with a significance level of 0.05%. RESULTS: A total of 150 plans were generated for this study. Acceptable PO plans were obtained using single arcs, while two arcs were necessary for PPLN. All plans were highly conformal (CI ≥1.3 and CN ≥0.90) with no significant differences in the PTV dose coverage. 6MV plans required significantly longer treatment time and had higher dose spillage compared to FFF plans. Superior plans were obtained using 10 F 300° partial arcs for PO with the lowest rectal dose, dose spillage and the shortest treatment times. For PPLN, 6 F and 10 F plans were equivalent. CONCLUSIONS: SABR-VMAT with FFF photon beams offers a clear benefit with respect to shorter treatment delivery times and reduced dose spillage. Class solutions using a single 10 F 300° arc for PO and two 10 F or 6 F partial 300° arcs for PPLN are proposed. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13014-016-0730-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF SINAPIC ACID: IN VITRO AND IN VIVO APPROACH

Objective: This study was aimed to evaluate the antioxidant potential of sinapic acid in both in vitro and in vivo. Recently, we have reported that oral administration of sinapic acid (3,5-dimethoxy 4-hydroxycinnamic acid) an active phyto ingredient widely distributed in rye, mustard, berries, and vegetables has been shown to ameliorate hyperglycemia.Methods: Experimental Type 2 diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats by feeding high-fat diet to induce insulin resistance followed by intraperitoneal administration of a single low dose streptozotocin (35 mg/kg body weight [bw]). Sinapic acid was administered orally at a concentration of 25 mg/kg bw/rat/day for 30 days, and its efficacy was compared with metformin. In vitro, antioxidant scavenging properties of sinapic acid were determined using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), superoxide, and nitric oxide (NO) assay.Results: Sinapic acid treatment showed a significant decline in the levels of lipid peroxides, hydroperoxides and protein carbonyls in the plasma and vital tissues of diabetic rats. The treatment also improved the antioxidant status in diabetic rats indicating the antioxidant potential of sinapic acid. In addition, the results of DPPH, ABTS, superoxide, and NO radical scavenging assays substantiate the free radical scavenging efficacy of sinapic acid.Conclusion: The results of this study evidenced that sinapic acid possess significant antioxidant properties which in turn may be responsible for its antidiabetic properties

Rough Set Techniques in Wireless Sensor Networks using Membership Function and Rough Labelling Graphs for Energy Aware Routing

Rough set theory and rough graphs are employed for data analysis. Rough graphs utilize approximations, and this paper presents a method for implementing rough graphs using rough membership functions and graph labeling for data structures and reduction. This paper proposes a rough graph labeling method, termed rough -labeling similarity graph, that utilizes a similarity measure for vertex and edge labeling. This method aims to minimize boundary regions in rough graphs and is applicable to wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In WSN, the proposed algorithms such as PSO-LSTM, COA-LSTM, LOA-LSTM integrates with rough set theory based rough -labeling for boundary region identification. The proposed method incorporates the membership functions encapsulates the rough labeling graphs for cluster boundary region identification for WSN. The cluster boundary for WSN is based on rough set membership and rough labelling is termed as rough set membership boundary region (RMB). RMB in WSN and implementation of proposed routing algorithm such as LOA-LSTM provides high throughput and energy saving when compared to existing cluster boundary structure methods such as Voronoi, Spectrum and Chain