Exploration of Optimization Strategies for Locking Sulfur in 2D Layered/Polymer-Enveloped Cathode Composite for High Power Li-S Batteries.

In Lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries the sulfur host material is a significant area of research that could impart enhanced conductivity and alleviate the shuttling of polysulfides. In the present study, graphene oxide- sulfur, GO-S was synthesized in melt diffusion method by exploring the two different strategies: Ambient (G2-M) and Inert (G2-T) conditions. Within the cathode, efficient storage of S with sufficient space in GO interlayers was outperformed by G2-T method. Further with PEDOT nanostructures enveloped by oxidative polymerisation proves to be a robust conductive layer and an adsorbing agent. It is evidenced physicochemically by XRD, FTIR, TGA, HR-SEM. Moreover, in addition to the supporting studies, high binding energies of 168.3 and 169.5 eV confirms the superior performance of PEDOT/GO-S (G3-T) as most suitable cathode within the system. The electrochemical behaviour of G3-T possess very low cell impedance with an excellent cyclic reversibility in CV during (de)lithiation process. At 0.1 C, an initial discharge capacity of 868 mAh g-1 has been achieved confirming a high catalytic activity with a low polarisation potential of (ΔE=0.25) inducing fast reaction kinetics. Thus potential locking of sulfur under inert condition is explored with a proven OCV of 2.3 V with red LED glow.

Development of photochemical integrated submerged membrane bioreactor for textile dyeing wastewater treatment.

A pilot-scale photocatalytic membrane bioreactor (PMBR) was developed for the treatment of textile dyeing wastewater. The PMBR is made of mild steel rectangular reactor of photocatalytic unit and polyethersulphone submerged hollow fibre membrane bioreactor unit with the working volume of about 20 L. For easy recovery, the tungsten oxide (WO3) and WO3/1% graphene oxide (GO)-powdered photocatalyst were made into bead and immersed in photocatalytic reactor. Graphene oxide incorporation has shown better results in decolourisation and degradation when compared with WO3 alginate alone. The incorporation of GO into WO3 minimises the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The operating conditions such as 3 h of contact time for photocatalysis reaction (WO3/1% GO), 10 h hydraulic retention time for MBR and 100 kPa of transmembrane pressure were optimised. Chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency of 48% was attained with photocatalysis, and the removal efficiency was further increased up to 76% when integrated with MBR. The colour removal efficiency after photocatalysis was 25% further increased up to 70% with MBR. Complete total suspended solid removal has been achieved with this hybrid system.

Evaluation of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) integrated membrane bioreactor (MBR) for the real textile wastewater treatment.

A novel submerged membrane bioreactor integrated with ozonation and photocatalysis has been developed to treat the real textile wastewater and study the fouling behaviour. This study evaluates the performance efficiency in pilot-scale for the three reactors such as membrane bioreactor, ozonised membrane bioreactor and further clubbed with photocatalysis. The membrane filtration consists of polyvinilidine difluoride hollow fibre membrane module having pore size 0.1 µm. Tungsten oxide, a visible photocatalyst was made into spongy alginate beads and used in photocatalytic reactor. The photocatalyst dose has been optimised as 500 mg/L. About 10% membrane filterability ratio has been achieved by integrating ozone with MBR with the maximal ozone dosage of 5 g/h. It showed better removal efficiency in colour and chemical oxygen demand of 94% and 93% respectively. The biodegradability efficiency also was enhanced from 0.2 to 0.4 with optimised ozone dosage (5 g/h). The study on reversible and irreversible fouling has been done to understand the fouling nature. The important analysis such as microbial community and scanning electron microscopy analysis were done to study the biofouling and extent of fouling after filtration. The treatability studies implemented for textile wastewater showed that integrated MBR systems are suitable in meeting the discharge norms prescribed by the Indian statutory body in terms of chemical oxygen demand, colour and total suspended solids.

Familial transient financial difficulties during infancy and long-term developmental concerns.

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic difficulties affect the cognitive and emotional development of children. However, the focus of prior studies has largely been on poverty and material hardship. This study expands on the existing literature by examining the impact of familial transient financial difficulties during infancy on long-term cognitive and behavioral outcomes. METHODS: The National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth (79) were used to assess the association between a transient drop in family income by 50% or more (called transient income decline or TID) during the first 3 years of life and later-life Peabody Individual Achievement Math and Reading scores and behavior problem index (BPI) scores (N = 8272-17 348; median assessment age = 9 years). A subsample of matched siblings (N = 2049-4238) was examined to tease out maternal and intra-familial effects. RESULTS: Exposure to TID predicted increased total and externalizing BPI scores (std. coefficients of 0.10 and 0.09, respectively, p < 0.01) in the overall sample. Among matched siblings, exposure to TID predicted increased total, externalizing, and internalizing BPI scores (std. coefficients of 0.27, 0.25, and 0.23, respectively, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Familial transient financial difficulties can have long-lasting behavioral effects for infants. The study identifies an early risk factor and at-risk children, thus providing insight into developing early intervention measures for infants to avoid long-term behavioral problems.

Treatment of Tannery Effluent Using a Rotating Disc Electrochemical Reactor.

A novel rotating disc electrochemical (RDE) reactor has been developed to treat tannery effluent. Experiments were carried out in batch, batch recirculation, and once-through modes in the reactor covering wide range of operating conditions. The effect of current density (i), cathode rotation speed (R), electrolysis time (t), influent pH, and electrolyte flow rate (Q) on the pollutant removal efficiency and specific energy consumption was critically evaluated. The response of the process parameters were measured in terms of percentage total organic carbon (TOC) removal. The reaction mechanism of electro-oxidation was modeled using first-order kinetics. GC-MS and FT-IR analysis of the raw and treated effluent show that the tannery effluent can be effectively treated using the RDE reactor.

Wound healing activities of PVA-urea composites from Ormocarpum cochinchinense.

The aim of this work is to prepare ternary blended polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-urea hydrogels containing Ormocarpum cochinchinense, Cinnamomum zeylanicum and antibiotic cephalexin by freezing-thawing method in order to assess the wound healing qualities. In addition to being a synthetic polymer, PVA is a recyclable and biocompatible artificial polymer blend that has attracted a lot of interest in biological applications. The freezing-thawing process with PVA-urea blend is used to make hydrogel film. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and swelling investigations were carried out for the composite membranes. Biological studies involving antibacterial, antifungal, cytotoxicity and wound healing activities were also carried out for the composite membranes. The composite membrane developed has a lot of potential for wound dressing and other applications.

Removal of heavy metals by hybrid electrocoagulation and microfiltration processes.

This study is based on the investigation of the performance of electrocoagulation (EC), followed by the microfiltration process for heavy metal removal in synthetic model waste water containing Zn2+, Ni2+ and Cd2+ ions. Effects of initial concentration, current density and pH on metal removal were analysed to optimize the EC process. The optimized EC process was then integrated with dead-end microfiltration (MF) and was found that the hybrid process was capable of 99% removal of heavy metals. The cake layer formed over the membrane by the hybrid process was analysed through scanning electron microscope-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The particle size analysis of the sludge formed during EC was done to investigate the fouling caused during the process.

Distribution of virulence genes and biofilm characterization of human isolates of Streptococcus agalactiae: A pilot study.

This study included 21 newly isolated clinical samples of Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus) screened in patients (six male, fifteen female) from various states of India with different infections (urinary tract infections, blood, pus and eye infections). All isolates were identified as Group B Streptococcus (GBS) using hemolytic properties, serogrouping and MALDI-TOF-MS analysis. Six virulence genes, cfb (100%), cylE (90.4%), lmp (85.7%), bca (71.4%), rib (38%) and bac (4.7%) were detected via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Distribution studies of these six genes revealed five isolates containing five virulence genes (23.8%), followed by ten isolates containing four virulence genes (47.6%). The twenty GBS isolates selected on the glass surface included non-biofilm producers (n = 6, 30%), weak (n = 11, 55%) and moderate biofilm producers (n = 3, 15%). On the polystyrene surface, weak (n = 4, 20%), moderate (n = 2, 10%) and strong (n = 14, 70%) biofilm producers were detected. Live-dead cell staining revealed that more viable cells accumulated in the S. ag 7420 isolate than in the AH1 isolate. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) biofilm analysis showed S. ag AH1 cells appeared as chain-like structures, whereas the S. ag 7420 isolate biofilm cells appeared as fork-like structures on the glass surface. Biofilm elements were analyzed using Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDAX) for both isolates and 13 elements with different orders of composition were found. Thus, virulence gene detection, distribution and biofilm formation by these new clinical isolates suggested the virulent nature of these pathogens, which might cause different levels of disease severity in humans.

Electro-coagulation treatment of oily wastewater with sludge analysis.

Experiments were carried out in a batch reactor to treat the oily effluent by electro-coagulation. The influence of operating parameters such as applied current, type of electrode and electrolysis time on electro-coagulation efficiency has been critically examined. The maximum percentage removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) was 94% under optimum experimental conditions of pH 6.7, current density 6 mA/cm², electrolysis time 40 min, and using mild steel as anode. The remaining sludge in the reactor was analyzed by energy disperse analysis of X-rays (EDAX) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. The analysis confirms that the oily pollutant was removed by electroflotation and adsorption of the oily particles of precipitate during the electro-coagulation process. Electro-coagulation can be used as an efficient treatment technique for oily wastewater.

Fusant Trichoderma HF9 with enhanced extracellular chitinase and protein content.

Strain improvement was carried out to obtain higher chitinase and protein by inter-specific protoplast fusion between Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma viride. Fusant HF9 and parental strains of Trichoderma were compared for chitinase and protein production. 1% of glucose, sucrose and fungal cell wall (Rhizoctonia solani), were used as carbon source for cultivation of Trichoderma and fungal cell wall was the best to induce chitinase and protein. Usage of 0.5% colloidal chitin for the fungal growth under aerated conditions at pH 6.5 and 28 degrees C led to higher chitinase and protein production. In these conditions fusant Trichoderma HF9 in comparison with parent strains had 3-, 2.5- and 1.5-fold increase of total chitinase, specific chitinase and protein, respectively. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that it had 9 major protein bands with up-regulation compared to parent strains. Amino acid analysis showed that protein of culture filtrate of T. harzianum, T. viride and fusant Trichoderma HF9 had 8, 6 and 10 amino acids, respectively. The results obtained suggested that fusant HF9 could be an integration of T. harzianum and T. viride through protoplast fusion.

Curcumin Is an Iconic Ligand for Detecting Environmental Pollutants.

The rapid increase in industrial revolution and the consequent environmental contamination demands continuous monitoring and sensitive detection of the pollutants. Nanomaterial-based sensing system has proved to be proficient in sensing environmental pollutants. The development of novel ligands for enhancing the sensing efficiency of nanomaterials has always been a challenge. However, the amendment of nanostructure with molecular ligand increases the sensitivity, selectivity, and analytical performance of the resulting novel sensing platform. Organic ligands are capable of increasing the adsorption efficacy, optical properties, and electrochemical properties of nanomaterials by reducing or splitting of band gap. Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is a natural organic ligand that exhibits inherent fluorescence and electrocatalytic property. Due to keto-enol tautomerism, it is capable of giving sensitive signals such as fluorescence, luminescence, ultraviolet absorption shifts, and electrochemical data. Curcumin probes were also reported to give enhanced meterological performances, such as low detection limit, repeatability, reproducibility, high selectivity, and high storage stability when used with nanosystem. Therefore, research on curcumin-modified nanomaterials in the detection of environmental pollution needs a special focus for prototype and product development to enable practical use. Hence, this article reviews the role of curcumin as a natural fluorophore in optical and electrochemical sensing of environmentally significant pollutants. This review clearly shows that curcumin is an ideal candidate for developing and validating nanomaterials-based sensors for the detection of environmental pollutants such as arsenic, lead, mercury, boron, cyanide, fluoride, nitrophenol, trinitrotoluene, and picric acid and toxic gases such as ammonia and hydrogen chloride. This review will afford references for future studies and enable researchers to translate the lab concepts into industrial products.

A novel Ag/carrageenan-gelatin hybrid hydrogel nanocomposite and its biological applications: Preparation and characterization.

A novel biohybrid hydrogel nanocomposite made of natural polymer carrageenan and gelatin protein were developed. The silver nanoparticles were prepared using the carrageenan polymer as reduction and capping agent. Here, the Ag/Carrageenan was combined with gelatin hydrogel using glutaraldehyde having a cross-link role in order to create the biohybrid hydrogel nanocomposite. The manufactured composite performances were anaylised by UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) methods. The swelling behaviour of the Ag/Carrageenan-gelatin hybrid hydrogel nanocomposite was also analyzed. The antibacterial activity was tested against human pathogens viz. S.agalactiae 1661, S. pyogenes 1210 and E. coli. The bacterial cell wall damage of S.agalactiae 1661 was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The cytotoxic assay was performed against the A549 lung cancer cells.

Biochemical study and in vitro insect immune suppression by a trypsin-like secreted protease from the nematode Steinernema carpocapsae.

A trypsin-like serine protease was purified by gel filtration and anion-exchange chromatography from the excretory-secretory products of parasitic phase Steinernema carpocapsae. The purified protease exhibited a molecular mass of about 29 kDa by SDS-PAGE and displayed a pI of 6.3. This protease exhibited high activity with trypsin-specific substrate N-Ben-Phe-Val-Arg-p-nitroanilide and was highly sensitive to aprotinin and benzamidine. The purified trypsin protease digested the chromogenic substrate N-Ben-Phe-Val-Arg-p-nitroanilide with K(m), V(max) and k(cat) values of 594.2 mum, 0.496 mum/min and 22.8/s, respectively. The optimal pH and temperature for protease activity were 9 and 30 degrees C, respectively. Internal amino acid sequencing yielded 150 amino acids and these were homologous to other trypsin sequences. In vitro investigation was carried out to monitor prophenoloxidase suppression in Galleria mellonella by the purified protease; about 38.9-52.6% suppression of prophenoloxidase was observed. The purified protease affected insect haemocyte spreading, causing cells to become spherical or round. Protease-treated actin filaments were highly disorganized in haemocytes. In vitro, G. mellonella haemocytes recognized infective juveniles of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora; however, S. carpocapsae and Steinernema glaseri were not recognized. We provide experimental evidence that the purified trypsin has the potential to alter host haemocytes, actin filaments and to inhibit host haemolymph melanization.

Modeling electrowinning process in an expanded bed electrode.

A theoretical model has been developed to describe the flow behavior of conducting particles in a fluidized bed electrode for electro winning of metal ions present in the dilute solution. Model equations have been developed for potential and current distributions and mass transfer rates. The influence of operating parameters on particle growth has been critically examined. It has been observed from the present investigation that the particle size increased with electrolysis time. The present model simulations have been compared with the experimental data reported in the literature and observed that the model predictions satisfactorily match with the reported experimental findings.

Study on the inflammatory response of PMMA/polystyrene/silica nanocomposite membranes for drug delivery and dental applications.

BACKGROUND: The application of polymeric materials in medical industry has grown drastically in the last two decades due to their various advantages compared to existing materials. The present research work emphases on the sol-gel technique to formulate the polymethyl methyl acrylate/polystyrene/silica composite membrane. METHODS: The characteristic of the composite was investigated through modern state art of instrumentation. RESULTS: The functional groups attached to the polymer was absorbed by FTIR. The FTIR spectrum confirm that the blend was mixed thoroughly and the formation of unite intimately between the polymers. The membranes were observed by SEM for its surface homogeneity which depends upon the composition of the two blending polymers. The captured SEM images showed the formation of microcracks on the surface, which was evidently controlled by varying the constituent polymer ratios. The prepared blend membranes with 2:1 ratio of PMMA/PS/Si displayed higher water uptake compared to other blended membranes. The composite membranes had good hydroxyl apatite growth in SBF solution. Furthermore, the in vitro cytotoxicity studies carried out by MTT method, using RAW macrophage cells showed that all the samples exhibited excellent cell viability. CONCLUSION: The inflammatory response of composite with equal concentration of PMMA-PS were performed and observed no inflammation in comparison with control and other tested concentrations.

Correction: Study on the inflammatory response of PMMA/polystyrene/silica nanocomposite membranes for drug delivery and dental applications.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209948.].

Development of electrochemical calcium sensors by using silicon nanowires modified with phosphotyrosine.

This paper reports the electrical detection of calcium ions by using silicon nanowires (SiNWs) as channels in a chemically gated field-effect-transistor (FET) configuration. To obtain a selective and sensitive layer for calcium sensing, the SiNWs are modified with a biologically relevant amino acid phosphotyrosine (p-Tyr), which is able to complex calcium ions with high affinity. It is found that when the p-Tyr modified SiNWs are exposed to aqueous solutions containing calcium ions, their conductances increase with the increasing of calcium concentration up to 10microM. In contrast, when the SiNWs are exposed to sodium or potassium, or when they are modified with tyrosine (Tyr), no significant increase in the conductance is observed. This finding suggests that the calcium ions complexed with the phosphate group of p-Tyr can act as a positive gate voltage on the FET device comprising of n-type SiNWs, and leads to an increase in their conductances. The FET device is also sensitive to magnesium ions. However, the response is 10 times lower than that of calcium at the same concentration. The study reported here may pave the way for designing an intracellular calcium sensor which permits the monitoring of calcium concentration in real time.

Highly sensitive measurements of PNA-DNA hybridization using oxide-etched silicon nanowire biosensors.

The highly sensitive and sequence-specific detection of single-stranded oligonucleotides using nonoxidized silicon nanowires (SiNWs) is demonstrated. To maximize device sensitivity, the surface of the SiNWs was functionalized with a densely packed organic monolayer via hydrosilylation, subsequently immobilized with peptide nucleic acid (PNA) capable of recognizing the label-free complementary target DNA. Because of the selective functionalization of the SiNWs, binding competition between the nanowire and the underlying oxide is avoided. Transmission electron microscopy was conducted to clearly differentiate the SiNW surface before and after removal of SiO(2). Fluorescence microscopy was used to further realize the selectivity of the oxide-etched chemistry on the SiNWs and sequence specificity of PNA-DNA hybridization. The concentration-dependent resistance change measurements upon hybridization of PNA-DNA show that detection limit down to 10fM can be obtained. The SiNW devices also reveal the capability of an obvious discrimination against mismatched sequences. Among several efforts being made to improve detection sensitivity, this work addresses one significant issue regarding surface functionalization which enables highly sensitive biomolecular sensing with SiNWs.

Complex Proximal Humeral Fracture Fixation with PHILOS Plate using Minimal Invasive Percutaneous Plate Osteosynthesis (MIPPO) Technique: A Series of 30 Patients.

Introduction: Proximal humerus fracture fixation using plate osteosynthesis depends on the quality of the bone, design of the fixation devices and intra-operative soft tissue dissection. This study evaluates the functional outcome of minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis using locking compression plate in proximal humerus fracture treatment. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 30 patients with complex proximal humerus fractures treated by minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis using locking compression plate (PHILOS). There were 21 males and 9 females. The average age of our study group was 58.8 years. All the patients were evaluated at six weeks, three months, four months, six months and 12 months following surgery. Results: All patients had fracture union at an average of 13.2 weeks. The mean DASH score at the follow-up was 8.69 (2.5 to 17.16), the average range of flexion was 143.83 degrees (100 to 170 degrees) and abduction was 121.49 degrees (90 to 160 degrees). We had superficial infection in three patients which resolved with a short course of antibiotics. There was excellent outcome in 26 patients, good and fair in two patients each. Conclusion: Proximal humerus fractures treated with minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis using locking compression plate with minimal soft tissue dissection, provides good functional outcome and early return of shoulder function.

Correction: Physiochemical characterization and cytotoxicity evaluation of mercury-based formulation for the development of anticancer therapeuticals.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195800.].