Preparation and characterization of beta-glucan particles containing a payload of nanoembedded rifabutin for enhanced targeted delivery to macrophages

β-glucan particles (GP) are polymeric carbohydrates, mainly found as components of cell wall fungi, yeast, bacteria and also in cereals such as barley and oat, and have been recently shown to have application in macrophagetargeted drug delivery. The aim of this study was to prepare and characterize GP containing a large payload of Rifabutin (RB), an anti-tuberculosis drug effective against MDR-TB at lower MIC than Rifampicin. GP were prepared from yeast cells by acidic and alkaline extraction were either spray dried or lyophilized, prior to RB loading and alginate sealing. The FTIR and 13C-NMR spectra of the GP confirmed a β-(1→3) linked glucan structure, with a triple-helical conformation. The spray dried GP exhibited better characteristics in terms of uniformity, size range (2.9 to 6.1 μm) and more than 75 % particles were below 3.5 μm. The RP-HPLC analysis of spray dried GP revealed drug entrapment and drug loading up to 81.46 ± 4.9 % and ~40.5 ± 1.9 %, respectively, as compared to those dried by lyophilization. Electron microscopy showed nearly spherical and porous nature of GP, and the presence of drug ‘nanoprecipitates’ filling the pore spaces. The formulation showed adequate thermal stability for pharmaceutical application. The particles were readily phagocytosed by macrophage(s) within 5 min of exposure. Drug release occurred in a sustained manner via diffusion, as the release kinetics best fit for drug release was obtained using Higuchi’s equation. Thus, the spray dried GP-based-formulation technology holds promise for enhanced targeted delivery of anti-TB drug(s) to macrophage within a therapeutic window for the clearance of intracellular bacteria

Origin of Ferroelectricity in Orthorhombic LuFeO3_3

We demonstrate that small but finite ferroelectric polarization ($\sim$0.01 $\mu$C/cm$^2$) emerges in orthorhombic LuFeO$_3$ ($Pnma$) at $T_N$ ($\sim$600 K) because of commensurate (k = 0) and collinear magnetic structure. The synchrotron x-ray and neutron diffraction data suggest that the polarization could originate from enhanced bond covalency together with subtle contribution from lattice. The theoretical calculations indicate enhancement of bond covalency as well as the possibility of structural transition to the polar $Pna2_1$ phase below $T_N$. The $Pna2_1$ phase, in fact, is found to be energetically favorable below $T_N$ in orthorhombic LuFeO$_3$ ($albeit$ with very small energy difference) than in isostructural and nonferroelectric LaFeO$_3$ or NdFeO$_3$. Application of electric field induces finite piezostriction in LuFeO$_3$ via electrostriction resulting in clear domain contrast images in piezoresponse force microscopy.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure

DETECTION AND PURIFICATION OF HARMFUL COMPOUNDS IN BEVERAGES USING HPLC

The presence of harmful compounds like caffeine and carbonated compounds in different beverages like soft drinks, fruit juices deserves great attention because of its toxic and carcinogenic effects on  human beings. We report on the detection and purification of those substances with the help of HPLC(High Performance  Liquid Chromatography).According to the migration rate, stationary phase and mobile phase, retention time we can extract the desire compounds. Depending upon the solvent and sample we can detect the compounds with  the  help  of the detector.The chromatogram will be  displayed and it can be viewed in the PC with the help of  Osiris  software. Compounds like Caffeine, Aspartame, Neotame, Saccharin, Maltodextrin, sucrose, fructose etc can be detected and purified. Detection and purification takes place in the column of HPLC where the process called adsorption takes place. Retention time can be calculated by the total time taken of a component that spends  in both mobile phase and stationary phase. It is always expressed in minute

Biosorption of chromium by mangrove-derived Aplanochytrium sp.

The microbial dried biomass of Thraustochytrids is used as bioadsorbent for the removal of the chromium in aqueous solution. In this investigation, three species of Thraustochydrids namely Aplanochytrium sp., Thraustochytrium sp. and Schizochytrium sp. were tested for the efficiency of chromium accumulation by culturing in chromium-incorporated medium at 30°C for one week incubation. The biomass was harvested by filtration through Whatman no.1 filter paper. The level of metal accumulation in the biomass was determined by using an inductively coupled plasma system (ICP- Optical Emission Spectrophotometer; Optima 2100DV). Finally, among the three strains, Aplanochytrium spp. was selected for the adsorption kinetics and optimization using response surface methodology. Optimization of chromium removal by dried microbial biomass was analyzed with important factors of different pH, adsorbent dosage (Aplanochytrium dried biomass), temperature and processing time with 30 batch experimental plan derived from the centre composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology. Aplanochytrium sp. dried biomass removed chromium of 69.4% in aqueous solution. Therefore, Aplanochytrium sp. dried biomass is potent for the removal of chromium in waste water treatment.Key words: Mangroves, chromium removal, Aplanochytrium sp., biosorption, waste water treatment

Influence of milled glass fiber fillers on mode I & mode II interlaminar fracture toughness of epoxy resin for fabrication of glass/epoxy composites

The present work is focused on improving mode I and mode II delamination resistance of glass/epoxy composite laminates (50 wt. % of glass fibers) with milled glass fibers, added in various amounts (2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10% of the epoxy weight). Including fillers in the interlayer enhances the delamination resistance by providing a bridging effect, therefore demanding additional energy to initiate the crack in the interlaminar domain, which results in turn in enhanced fracture toughness. The maximal increase of mode I and mode II fracture toughness and of flexural strength was obtained by the addition of 5% milled glass fiber. The mechanism observed suggests that crack propagation is stabilized even leading to its arrest/deflection, as a considerable amount of milled glass fiber filler was oriented transverse to the crack path. In contrast, at higher filler loading, tendency towards stress concentration grows due to local agglomeration and improper dispersion of excess fillers in inter/intralaminar resin channel, causing poor adhesion to the matrix, which leads to reduction in fracture toughness, strength and strain to failure. Fractured surfaces analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a number of mechanisms, such as crack deflection, individual debonding and filler/matrix interlocking, all contributing in various ways to improve fracture toughness

Performance of Indian Cotton Sector- An Econometric Analysis

Cotton is a high commercial profile crop serving as a lifebelt crop for millions. It is a predominant crop under cultivation in a large spectrum since the ancient period. Globally it is a significant income earning crop hence aptly termed as White Gold. India is a leading cotton producer, exporter, and consumer in the world. It has surpassed China’s cotton production in 2021 and stands first in world cotton production. But India’s cotton productivity is 466 kg/ha very low than the global average cotton productivity; ranking 42nd in world productivity. Cotton is cultivated in an area of 12.35 million hectares with a production of 5.79 million metric tonnes. The present study aims in estimating the growth rate and the factors influencing cotton acreage and production in India for the last four decades of 1981-82 to 2020-21. The compound growth rate was examined using exponential growth function and instability by Cuddy Della Valle instability index in three different periods i.e Period I 1981-82 to 2001-02 (Pre introduction of Bt), Period II 2002-02 to 2020-21(Post introduction of Bt) and Overall period (1981-82 to 2020-21).The data used in current study is secondary in nature and collected from sources namely Directorate of Economics and statistics, India stat and from FAO. The acreage and supply response was estimated using the Nerlovian double-lagged adjustment model. The findings revealed that a higher growth rate and instability have been witnessed after the introduction of Bt technology in India which symbolizes the magnanimous role of Bt technology in the Indian cotton sector. The responsiveness of cotton area towards the lag cotton area, cotton MSP, rainfall and lagged export price stands significant whereas cotton supply response is highly triggered by lagged cotton production, rainfall and Bt technology

Pesticide Consumption Trends in India

Aims: The main aim of this study is to examine the growth rate of consumption of pesticides in India and Tamil Nadu. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out using the time series data on pesticide consumption collected from secondary sources from 1990 to 2020 for India and for Tamil Nadu, the data were collected from 2011 to 2021. Methodology: The compound annual growth rate is used to calculate the growth rate of consumption of pesticides. The data is segmented for every 10 years and decadal growth rate was also examined. Results: The overall compound annual growth rate of pesticide consumption is negative(-0.44 per cent) and the decadal average was found to be -5.27%, -0.73% and 1.81% for the decades 1990-2000, 2001-2010 and 2011-2020 respectively for India. The growth rate for different types of pesticides was found to be declining (-2.26 per cent) for insecticides, however it is increasing for fungicides (2.65 per cent) and herbicides (0.99 per cent). CAGR indicates that there is no change in growth of pesticide consumption in Tamil Nadu. Conclusion: The trend in the pesticide use has been decreasing over the period and it shows that the total quantity of pesticides used in the country has been continuously decreasing which is a healthy sign for the environment. It may due to increase in the area of organic farming, practices like IPM  and increase in the use of biopesticides

Economics and Financial Feasibility of Major Pulpwood Trees Cultivation in Tamil Nadu

The main raw material for manufacture of paper is wood pulp which are mainly obtained from the pulpwood trees like Casuarina, Eucalyptus and Meliadubia. In Tamil Nadu, the cultivation of these pulpwood trees was promoted by two leading paper manufacturing industries viz., Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Paper Limited (TNPL) and Seshasayee Paper and Boards Limited (SPB).This study aims at estimating the cost, returns and financial feasibility of major pulpwood tree species cultivated in Tamil Nadu. The study found that the cost of cultivation of casuarina, eucalyptus and Meliadubia were Rs.1,76,939, Rs.1,60,593 and Rs.1,52,672 and the net income obtained from these trees were Rs.1,58,473, Rs.1,37,028 and Rs.1,33,831 respectively. Among these trees, Casuarina is more profitable and the results of the study concluded that the cultivation of these three major pulpwood trees are profitable and financially viable

Efficient Energy Management System Using IoT

Energy conservation is a crucial aspect in both residential and industrial sectors. The rising energy demand necessitates smart monitoring and optimization of power consumption. This paper presents the development of an IoT-based energy management system utilizing an ESP32 (Node MCU) microcontroller, current and voltage sensors, and an I2C display module. The system efficiently calculates and monitors electrical parameters such as voltage, current, power, and watts of various household and industrial appliances like fans, light bulbs, and mixer grinders. The collected real-time data is displayed on an I2C LCD module and remotely monitored via the Blynk IoT platform on mobile and system interfaces. The primary goal of this project is to identify high- energy-consuming appliances and optimize their usage for better energy efficiency. The system provides real-time insights to help users take appropriate measures to reduce unnecessary energy consumption and promote cost-effective power utilization