46 research outputs found
Nanocapsules with stimuli-responsive moieties for controlled release employing light and enzymatic triggers
No full textThe development of stimuli-responsive nanomaterials, that possess tailored functional properties for the release of specific compounds, is of particular interest. To this extent, controlling the release of molecules at the desired target is an important parameter to regulate chemical and/or biological reactions at a more profound level in a wide variety of applications. In the present work, we report on the development of dual-responsive thiourethane-urethane nanocapsules synthesizedviaan interfacial polymerization reaction executed at the droplet interface using the inverse miniemulsion technique. Evidenceviamorphological and controlled release investigations indicate that our nanocapsules are able to encapsulate hydrophilic compounds with high efficiency in their aqueous core and allow for its selective release upon exposure to UV light and the enzyme esterase. Moreover, we demonstrate the efficient encapsulation of the fragrance molecule geranyl acetate and the anticancer drug doxorubicin. For the latter, we demonstrate its apoptotic effect after being released in MCF 7 breast cancer cells. Overall, these nanocapsules can be used for a wide variety of applications where a selective release of the payload is desired.S. S. is an SB PhD Fellow at the FWO (Research Foundation Flanders). S. K. P. acknowledges BOF funding from Hasselt University. This work is supported by Hasselt University and the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO Vlaanderen; Hercules project AUHL/15/2 - GOH3816N). The authors are thankful to Prof. M. Van Bael for access to the DLS device.Pramanik, SK; Ethirajan, A (corresponding author), Hasselt Univ, Inst Mat Res IMO, Wetenschapspk 1 & Agoralaan D, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium; IMEC, Associated Lab IMOMEC, Wetenschapspk 1, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium;
CSIR Cent Salt & Marine Chem Res Inst, Bhavnagar 364002, Gujarat, India.
[email protected]; [email protected]
PEGylating poly(p-phenylene vinylene)-based bioimaging nanoprobes
No full textHypothesis: Conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CNPs) have attracted considerable attention within bioimaging due to their excellent optical properties and biocompatibility. However, unspecific adsorption of proteins hampers their effective use as advanced bioimaging probes. Controlled methodologies made possible tailor-made functional poly(p-phenylene vinylene), enabling one-pot synthesis of CNPs containing functional surface groups. Hence, it should be feasible to PEGylate these CNPs to tune the uptake by cell lines representative for the brain without imparting their optical properties. Experiments: CNPs consisting of the statistical copolymer 2-(50-methoxycarbonylpentyloxy)-5-methoxy-1,4-phenylenevinylene and poly(2-methoxy-5-(30,70-dimethoxyoctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene) were fabricated by miniemulsion solvent evaporation technique. Surface carboxylic acid groups were used to covalently attach amine-terminated polyethylene glycol (PEG) of different molecular weights. We investigated the effect of grafting CNPs with PEG chains on their intrinsic optical properties, protein adsorption behavior and uptake by representative brain cell lines. Findings: PEGylation did not affect the optical properties and biocompatibility of our CNPs. Moreover, a significant decrease in protein corona formation and unspecific uptake in central nervous system cell lines, depending on PEG chain length, was observed. This is the first report indicating that PEGylation does not affect the CNPs role as excellent bioimaging tools and can be adapted to tune biological interactions with brain cells. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Support for confocal microscopy was given by Prof. dr. Marcel Ameloot and Dr. Hannelore Bove. Cells were kindly provided by Prof. dr. Annelies Bronckaers, Dr. Jo Mailleux and dra. Jasmine Vanmol. Technical support was given by Huguette Penxten, Christel Bocken and Erik Royackers. Dr. Neomy Zaquen is acknowledged for the synthesis of the conjugated polymers. MP is grateful for funding from the IWT (Agentschap voor Innovatie door Wetenschap en Technologie). SS is an SB PhD Fellow at the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). The work was funded by the Belgian Charcot Foundation. TJ is grateful for funding from the FWO in the form of an Odysseus grant. This work was supported by Hasselt University and the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO Vlaanderen; Hercules project AUHL/15/2 -GOH3816N). Additional support from BELSPO in the form of the interuniversity attraction pole (IAP) program P7/05: Functional Supramolecular Systems is kindly acknowledged. We further acknowledge the Hercules Foundation for the project (LC-MS@UHasselt: Linear Trap QuadrupoleOrbitrap mass spectrometer.Ethirajan, A (corresponding author), Hasselt Univ, Inst Mat Res, Wetenschapspk 1, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
[email protected]
Power relations Vs Personal Relations in the Selected Translations of O.Chandu Menon’s Indulekha
No full textThe novel has three English translations. The first English version was by John Willoughby Francis Dumergue, a friend of O. Chandu Menon. The latest one was by Dr. Anitha Devassia. The novel had several novelties in terms of theme and technique though Chandu Menon was trying to ‘translate’ an alien genre to Malayalam literature. Anitha Devasia’s translation came more than hundred years after the publication of the original and Dumergue’s translation. This paper intends to analyze the two translations to identify the translator more representative of the author using Bourdieu’s concept of habitus. Bourdieu defines habitus as “a general, transposable disposition, which carries out a systematic, universal appreciation - beyond the limits of what has been directly learnt- of the necessity inherent in learning conditions
Redox-Responsive Nanocapsules for the Spatiotemporal Release of Miltefosine in Lysosome: Protection against Leishmania
No full textLeishmaniasis, a vector-borne disease, is caused by intracellular parasite Leishmania donovani. Unlike most intracellular pathogens, Leishmania donovani are lodged in parasitophorous vacuoles and replicate within the phagolysosomes in macrophages. Effective vaccines against this disease are still under development, while the efficacy of the available drugs is being questioned owing to the toxicity for nonspecific distribution in human physiology and the reported drug-resistance developed by Leishmania donovani. Thus, a stimuli-responsive nanocarrier that allows specific localization and release of the drug in the lysosome has been highly sought after for addressing two crucial issues, lower drug toxicity and a higher drug efficacy. We report here a unique lysosome targeting polymeric nanocapsules, formed via inverse mini-emulsion technique, for stimuli-responsive release of the drug miltefosine in the lysosome of macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line. A benign polymeric backbone, with a disulfide bonding susceptible to an oxidative cleavage, is utilized for the organelle-specific release of miltefosine. Oxidative rupture of the disulfide bond is induced by intracellular glutathione (GSH) as an endogenous stimulus. Such a stimuli-responsive release of the drug miltefosine in the lysosome of macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line over a few hours helped in achieving an improved drug efficacy by 200 times as compared to pure miltefosine. Such a drug formulation could contribute to a new line of treatment for leishmaniasis.A. Das acknowledges SERB (India) Grants (CRG/2020/000492 and JCB/2017/000004) and DBT Grant (BT/PR22251/NNT/28/1274/2017) for supporting this research. N. Mukherjee acknowledges SERB (India) Grant PDF/2016/001437 and K. Das acknowledges the grant EMR/2015/001674 for supporting this research. Financial support from DST (DST/INSPIRE/03/2017/002477) is acknowledged by R.T. This manuscript bears CSMCRI registration no 7/2021.Pramanik, SK (corresponding author), CSIR Cent Salt & Marine Chem Res Inst, Bhavnagar 364002, Gujarat, India.
Mukherjee, N (corresponding author), CSIR Indian Inst Chem Biol, Canc Biol & Inflammatory Disorder Div, Kolkata 700032, India.
Chattopadhy, S (corresponding author), BITS Pilani, Pilani 403726, Goa, India.
Das, A (corresponding author), Indian Inst Sci Educ & Res Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, W Bengal, India.
[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Synthesis, crystal growth and characterization of bioactive material: 2-amino-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-3-ium salicylate single crystal-a proton transfer molecular complex
No full textA study on Accounting students' perception on employability skills in University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Muscat
No full textAbstract: Universities are expected to contribute the economic growth of the country by preparing the graduates with necessary academic skills. Students are focusing more on knowledge or the course contents but put less effort on the skill that are inventible for them to master in their chosen field. This study is focusing on the perception of accounting graduates of UTAS about employability skill that they should possess. The study found that the students feel Learning and Development skills are not necessary for employability irrespective of gender or the year of study. Learning and Development skills include working in teams, able to adapt technology, communication skills, lifelong learning and problem solving skills. When subject knowledge is compared with the year of study, the authors found that the students did not give importance to subject knowledge as well. However, Life/Career skills are considered to be valuable skills by the students whether it is compared with gender or year of study. The authors recommend that the students must be educated on the importance of Learning and development skills and subject knowledge, which will help them in securing a good job in the future. It will also help to solve the unemployment problems in the society.
Keywords: Employability skills, subject knowledge, students, University, Accounting, Unemployment problems.
Title: A study on Accounting students’ perception on employability skills in University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Muscat
Author: Dr. Anitha Ravikumar, Mr. Gopalan Puthukulam, Dr. Anupam Sharma
International Journal of Recent Research in Commerce Economics and Management (IJRRCEM)
ISSN 2349-7807
Vol. 9, Issue 3, July 2022 - September 2022
Page No: 145-149
Paper Publications
Website: www.paperpublications.org
Published Date: 23-September-2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7108137
Paper Download Link (Source)
https://www.paperpublications.org/upload/book/A%20study%20on%20Accounting%20students-23092022-6.pdfInternational Journal of Recent Research in Commerce Economics and Management (IJRRCEM), ISSN 2349-7807, Paper Publications, Website: www.paperpublications.or
Multi-Sensor Fusion for Localization of a Lunar Micro Rover Using Non-Vision Sensors
No full textAutonomous navigation is a critical aspect of robotic systems, particularly in hostile and uncertain environments, and robot localization is central to navigation. Robot localization establishes its position within its surroundings. This thesis addresses the challenge of robot localization, focusing on a lunar-like environment with constraints such as limited computational resources and the use of non-visual based sensors. In this thesis, three sensors — wheel encoders (WE), Sun sensor (SS), and inertial measurement unit (IMU) — are employed for localization. Each sensor contributes distinct information regarding position and orientation. However, individual sensor measurements suffer from inherent inaccuracies and errors, especially the IMU’s reliance on integration over time, leading to significant drift. To mitigate these challenges, three fusion methods are explored: sensor selection based on predefined thresholds, Kalman filtering, and weighted fusion. Results indi- cate substantial improvements in localization accuracy compared to individual sensor measurements. The weighted fusion method, in particular, demonstrates superior per- formance by assigning appropriate importance, according to their accuracy, to each sensor’s information, resulting in significantly reduced positioning errors. The maxi- mum localization error using this method is 92m, which is smaller than reported in the literature. Further, the maximum localization percentage error over 65m is around 8%, which is comparable to the literature with visual sensors. The weighted fusion method introduces only a marginal increase in the computational complexity. Thus, this method stands out for its simplicity and delivers results superior to those documented in existing literature for non-visual sensors. Despite promising results, the research is met with certain hurdles, notably the avail- ability and consistency of datasets. The reliance on existing datasets, such as the Devon Island Rover dataset, highlights the need for standardized and comprehensive datasets for thorough testing and validation. Calibration inconsistencies and verification issues further underscore the complexity of real-world implementation. Nevertheless, the findings of this thesis offer insights into the integration of multiple sensors for enhanced localization in lunar-like environments. By leveraging complementary sensor data and employing efficient fusion techniques, the proposed approach enables more accurate and reliable navigation of lunar micro rovers, thus advancing the capabilities of autonomous robotic systems for future lunar exploration missions.Electrical Engineering | Signals and System
Role of Na+ K+ ATPase in Cytotoxic Cell Death
No full textThis Dissertation / Report is the outcome of investigation carried out by the creator(s) / author(s) at the department/division of Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore mentioned below in this page
