Methamphetamine detection using portable capillary electrophoresis coupled with a swab-based extraction device.

Methamphetamine (MA) is one of the most virulent illicit drugs that can be synthesized from household materials leading to its prevalent trafficking and local manufacturing in clandestine drug laboratories (clan labs). The significant problems of tracing MA in clan labs and monitoring drug abusers lie in the lag time between sample collection and analysis and the number of tests done. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a rapid separation technique amenable to miniaturization and field testing. Herein, we developed a simple transient isotachophoretic (tITP)-CE method to detect MA and its precursor pseudoephedrine (PSE) in clan labs and non-invasive biological fluids. The method was implemented on the ETD-100, a commercial fully automated portable CE instrument with an integrated swab-based extraction system. Within 2 min of insertion of the swab, MA and PSE were automatically extracted with a leading electrolyte (LE) and then separated on covalently modified capillaries. The ETD-100 showed a limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of MA 0.02 and 0.05 µg/swab and 0.02 and 0.06 µg/swab of PSE, with an enhancement factor of 118 and 328, respectively, when compared to a normal non-tITP injection. The intra and inter-day relative standard deviation in terms of migration time were in the range of 0.75-1.93 % for both MA and PSE and were 2.0-2.4 % for both MA and PSE peak height. The method was demonstrated with the detection of spiked MA and PSE on different household materials as well as in non-invasive biological fluids with a recovery above 60 %.

A bibliometric analysis of the role of nanotechnology in dark fermentative biohydrogen production.

Recently, nanoparticles have drawn a lot of interest as catalysts to enhance the effectiveness and output of biohydrogen generation processes. This review article provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the significance of nanotechnology in dark fermentative biohydrogen production. The study examines the scientific literature from the database of The Web of Science© while the bibliometric investigation utilized VOSviewer© and Bibliometrix software tools to conduct the analysis. The findings revealed that a total of 232 articles focused on studying dark fermentation for hydrogen production throughout the entire duration. The extracted data was used to analyze publication trends, authorship patterns, and geographic distribution along with types and effects of nanoparticles on the microbial community responsible for dark fermentative biohydrogen production. The findings of this bibliometric analysis provide valuable insights into the advancements and achievements in the utilization of nanoparticles in the dark fermentation process used to produce biohydrogen.

Citrus limon peroxidase-assisted biocatalytic approach for biodegradation of reactive 1847 colfax blue P3R and 621 colfax blue R dyes.

One of the big environmental problems in today's world is dye-contaminated toxic waste. Peroxidase is known as highly efficient for the degradation of various pollutants, including dyes. Environmental contamination caused by the discharge of dyes into water bodies is an onerous challenge that poses both human and ecological hazards. In the current studies, biocatalysts used for enzyme decolorization (1847 Colafx Blue P3R and 621 Colafx Blue) are regarded as an eco-friendly method utilizing commonly available low-cost material lemon peels (Citrus limon peroxidase). Peroxidase was extracted in a phosphate buffer of pH 7.0 and partially purified by 20-80% ammonium sulfate precipitation technique from Citrus limon peels. The soluble enzyme was characterized in terms of kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. The values of Km and Vmax (23.16 and 204.08 µmol/ml/min) were determined, respectively. The enzyme showed maximum activity at pH 5.0 and a temperature of 55 °C. Citrus limon efficiently degraded 1847 Colafx Blue P3R and 621 Colafx Blue R dyes with maximum degradation of 83 and 99%, respectively, with an initial dye concentration of 200 ppm at pH 4 and 35 °C temperature within 5-10 min of incubation time. The effect of the redox mediator on the degradation process was examined. Results showed that the peroxidase HOBT system efficiently enhanced the degradation of dyes from water. Hence, Citrus limon peroxidase is an efficient biocatalyst for the treatment of effluents.

Biocatalytic potential of Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis leaves peroxidase for efficient degradation of textile dyes in aqueous medium.

Dye-contaminated wastewater discharge from textile and dye manufacturing industries is reported as a world worse water polluter due to the toxic and mutagenic behavior of dyes. Peroxidase, one of the key enzymes of oxidoreductases, is widely distributed in nature and has been currently exploited in industries for various applications. Widespread applications of peroxidases are associated with their nonspecific nature towards a wide spectrum of substrates such as phenols, aromatic amines, pesticides, antibiotics, and synthetic dyes. The present study explored the potential of ammonium sulfate precipitated partially purified Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis leaves peroxidase for degradation of reactive textile dyes Remazol Turquoise Blue 133 G and Drim Red CL4BN. Various physico-chemical parameters such as pH (2-9), temperature (20-70 â„ƒ), enzyme activity (3-24 U/mL), concentrations of H2O2 (0.4-1.4 Mm) and dye (10-100 mg/L) were optimized for enzymatic decolorization of both dyes' solution. Studies revealed that maximum degradation (95%) of Remazol Turquoise Blue 133 G with peroxidase was achieved with 25 mg/L of initial dye concentration, in the presence of 0.8 mM hydrogen peroxide with 45 min of incubation time, at pH 3, 4, and 5, and 70 °C. Maximal decolorization (97%) of Drim Red CL4BN was obtained at pH 2.0, in 10 min of incubation time at 45 â„ƒ using o-dianisidine hydrochloride as a redox mediator. In conclusion, the findings illustrate the prospect of Brassica oleracea peroxidase to remediate dye pollutants and dye-based industrial effluents in a green technology theme.

Portable capillary electrophoresis coupled with swab-based extraction device for cleaning validation in pharmaceutical facilities.

All pharmaceutical manufacturers are required to verify that their production equipment is free from contaminants. Here, we report the capability of a fully automated portable capillary electrophoresis instrument with an integrated sample swab extraction - the Grey Scan ETD-100 - for the detection of pharmaceutical residues on surfaces of manufacturing equipment. Lidocaine was used as a model compound and could be recovered from a surface by swabbing, extracted from the swab, and analysed within 1 min. The recovery of lidocaine from a stainless-steel coupon was 81.3 %, with a LOD of 0.13 µg/swab. This fast, sensitive, and simple method implemented on a user-friendly portable CE instrument without the need for manual sample pre-treatment provides the possibility for on-site rapid determination of equipment cleanliness in the pharmaceutical industry.

Biocatalytic degradation of reactive blue 221 and direct blue 297 dyes by horseradish peroxidase immobilized on iron oxide nanoparticles with improved kinetic and thermodynamic characteristics.

In present study, we describe the biodegradation of direct blue (DB) 297 and reactive blue (RB) 221 by immobilizing horseradish peroxidase (HRP) isolated from fresh leaves of Moringa Oliefera on iron oxide nanoparticles. Iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation method and showed a maximum immobilization efficiency of 87%. The surface topography of iron oxide nanoparticles was envisaged by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), results showed that magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were in the form of aggregates having size of 1 µm. Furthermore, immobilization was confirmed via functional group identification performed by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Immobilization phenomena displaced the optimum temperature from 35 °C to 50 °C moreover, pH optima were altered from 5.0 to 7.0. Vmax and Km for free and immobilized HRP, were 303 U/mg and 1.66 mM and 312 U/mg and 1.94 mM, respectively. Enzymatic thermodynamic measurements (ΔH*, ΔS*, Ea, ΔG*) were also evaluated for immobilized HRP and its free counterpart. Optimum degradation of reactive blue (RB) and direct blue (DB) 297 with free and immobilized HRP was observed at pH 5 and at temperature 40 °C respectively. The removal efficiency of DB 297 and RB 221 with free HRP was 75% and 86% while with immobilized HRP was 81% and 92% respectively. Furthermore, biodegradation of reactive blue (RB) 221 and direct blue (DB) 297 with immobilized and free biocatalyst was also investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) by identification of groups involved in dye degradation. FTIR results confirmed the 100% degradation of dyes. Immobilized HRP retained significant catalytic activity after five consecutive cycles of dye degradation. In conclusion, Fe3O4 nanoparticles are promising and environmentally friendly media for enzyme immobilization. Moreover, immobilized HRP showed more thermal stability, pH stability and higher dye degradation efficiency as compared to free HRP. Furthermore, the immobilized HRP, economically more convenient and easily removable from reaction media. Owing to its thermal stability, ease of separation from reaction media and reusability, the magnetically separatable immobilized HRP can be exploited successfully for treatment of dye contaminated textile effluents.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Strain Ultrasound Elastography in Thyroid Lesions Compared to Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology.

Introduction Strain ultrasound-guided elastography (USE) could be used to differentiate malignant from benign thyroid lesions if its sensitivity and specificity are significantly high. Data on whether to rely on USE in differentiating thyroid nodules are unavailable, and fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) remains the gold standard. However, FNAC carries a significant financial burden on hospitals and psychological stress on patients. Therefore, we conducted this study to determine the diagnostic accuracy of strain USE in thyroid lesions. Methodology We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study at the Radiology Department, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi, from December 6, 2020, to June 5, 2021. The study included adult patients aged between 20 to 70 years who were referred with thyroid nodules or lesions found clinically or on routine neck ultrasound. The study excluded patients who had previous history of surgery or previously diagnosed with malignant thyroid lesions and recurrent thyroid nodules. Strain USE was performed on thyroid nodules, and the degree of strain was color-coded on a scale from red (soft, greatest elasticity) to green (intermediate, average strain) to blue (hard, no elasticity/strain). Lesions were given an elasticity score on a five-point scale. The lesion was given a score of one if the entire lesion was uniformly shaded in green. A lesion with mosaic pattern of green and blue was scored as two. A score of three denoted a lesion with green periphery and blue center on strain elastography. A score of four indicated uniform blue in the entire lesion, with green in the lesion's periphery. The highest score of five was given if the lesion and its surroundings demonstrated blue color. Ultrasound-guided FNAC of the thyroid nodules was performed following USE. Data was analyzed using IBM Corp. Released 2011. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. Mean ± standard deviation for calculating quantitative variables. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for qualitative variables. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and diagnostic accuracy of strain USE was calculated taking FNAC as gold standard. We also conducted a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of strain USE in thyroid lesions. Results The study included 207 adult patients (117 women, 56.52%; 90 men, 43.48%). The study population's mean age was 50.0 ± 11.8 years (range, 20 to 70 years). Most patients (56.52%) were aged 46 to 70 years. FNAC confirmed malignant thyroid nodules in 100 cases (true positive), and nine cases (false positive) had no malignant lesions on FNAC. In USE-negative patients, 91 were true negative, while seven were false negative. Strain USE's overall sensitivity was 93.46%, specificity was 91.0%, PPV was 91.74%, NPV was 92.86%, and diagnostic accuracy was 92.27% compared to the gold standard FNAC. Conclusions Strain USE in thyroid lesions is a noninvasive modality of choice with high diagnostic accuracy and has dramatically improved our ability to diagnose malignant thyroid nodules preoperatively. Strain USE also helps the surgeons in proper decision-making. Strain USE should be used routinely in all patients with thyroid lesions to help diagnose malignant thyroid nodules preoperatively and inform proper surgical and treatment plans.

Non-magnetic and magnetically responsive support materials immobilized peroxidases for biocatalytic degradation of emerging dye pollutants-A review.

In recent years, the removal of hazardous pollutants from many industries has become a significant challenge for mankind as a growing number of contaminants, including a wide range of organic pollutants, synthetic dyes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), have inevitably led to an increased anthropogenic impact on the biosphere. Due to the complex aromatic structure, most synthetic dyes show resistance to degrade by the classical approaches, such as coagulation, flotation, adsorption, membrane process, and reverse osmosis. Enzyme-assisted biodegradation of pollutants offers an eco-friendlier and cost-effective alternative to remediate dyes, dyes-based effluents, other toxins, etc. Various plant and microbial oxidoreductase (Horseradish and manganese peroxidase) have recently received more attention for degrading and detoxifying a wide range of dyes either by opening the aromatic ring structure or by precipitation due to their high activity under milder conditions, high substrate specificity, and biodegradable nature. To enhance the efficiency, stability and recyclability, enzymes were immobilized on various support media such as sodium alginate, agarose, chitin/chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylamide, macroporous exchange resins, hydrophobic sol-gels, and nanoporous silica gel, including magnetically separatable media. Among various types of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles, such as hematite, magnetite, and maghemite, have gained great attention due to their properties like small size, superparamagnetism, high surface area to volume ratio, and ease of separation for repeated cycles of uses. These carriers can be separated easily and rapidly from the reaction medium by an external magnetic field without being subjected to mechanical stress than centrifugation or filtration. Various methods have been employed for immobilizing oxidoreductase on different media, such as adsorption, covalent binding, entrapment, and encapsulation using different cross-linking agents. Compared to the free enzyme, insolubilized enzymes reduce production costs by enzyme reusability, tolerance to unfavorable environmental conditions, and high catalytic stability. Here, we review various immobilization methods and biocatalytic degradation of emerging dye pollutants, focusing on various non-magnetically and magnetically responsive supports to immobilize peroxidases. Conclusively, magnetically separatable peroxidases show more stability towards extreme temperature and pH conditions and can be used for repeated cycles than free and non-magnetically separatable peroxidase.

Loss of Function Variants in the XPC Causes Severe Xeroderma Pigmentosum in Three Large Consanguineous Families.

BACKGROUND: Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare recessively inherited disorder that presents clinical and genetic heterogeneity. Mutations in eight genes, of which seven are involved in nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway have been reported to cause the XP. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three large consanguineous families of Pakistani origin displaying typical clinical hallmarks of XP were evaluated at clinical and molecular level. Homozygosity mapping using microsatellite markers established linkage of the families to XPC gene on chromosome 3p25.1. Sanger sequencing of the XPC gene identified a novel homozygous single bp deletion [NM_004628.5; c.1934del; p.(Pro645Leufs*5)] and two previously reported mutations that included a nonsense [c.1243 C>T; p.(Arg415*)] and a splice acceptor site (c.2251-1 G>C), all segregating with the disease phenotypes in the families. CONCLUSION: This report has extended the spectrum of mutations in the XPC gene and will also facilitate in diagnosis of XP and counselling of families inheriting it, which is the only inevitable tool for preventing the disease occurrence in future generations.

Structure Dependent Differential Modulation of Aß Fibrillization by Selenadiazole-Based Inhibitors.

Misfolding and fibrillar aggregation of Aß is a characteristic hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and primarily participates in neurodegenerative pathologies. There has been no breakthrough made in the therapeutic regime of Alzheimer's disease while the pharmacological interventions against Aß are designed to sequester and clear Aß burden from the neurological tissues. Based on the physiological relevance of Aß, therapeutic approaches are required to inhibit and stabilize Aß fibrillization, instead of cleaning it from the neurological system. In this context, we have designed a selenadiazole-based library of compounds against the fibrillization paradigm of Aß. Compounds that completely inhibited the Aß fibrillization appeared to stabilize Aß at the monomeric stage as indicated by ThT assay, CD spectrophotometry, and TEM imaging. Partial inhibitors elongated the nucleation phase and allowed limited fibrillization of Aß into smaller fragments with slightly higher ß-sheets contents, while noninhibitors did not interfere in Aß aggregation and resulted in mature fibrils with fibrillization kinetics similar to Aß control. Molecular docking revealed the different binding positions of the compounds for three classes. Complete inhibitors alleviated Aß toxicity to SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and permeated across the blood-brain barrier in zebrafish larvae. The amino acid residues from Aß peptide that interacted with the compounds from all three classes were overlapping and majorly lying in the amyloidogenic regions. However, compounds that stabilize Aß monomers displayed higher association constants (Ka) and lower dissociation constants (Kd) in comparison to partial and noninhibitors, as corroborated by ITC. These results support further structure activity-based preclinical development of these selenadiazole compounds for potential anti-Alzheimer's therapy.

Enzyme-assisted bioremediation approach for synthetic dyes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons degradation.

Environmental protection from emerging pollutants has become a significant challenge for mankind as an increasing number of contaminants, including synthetic dyes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), represent a serious risk to ecological and environmental balance. Most synthetic dyes have complex aromatic structures and are resistant to degrade by classical approaches, such as physical and chemical processes, including adsorption, chemical coagulation, flocculation, ion exchange, membrane separation, froth flotation, and reverse osmosis. Enzymes-assisted catalytic transformation of pollutants has become a potential alternative to classical methods because of their ability to react with complex compounds, a quick degradation rate, and producing less harmful by-products. Plant peroxidases, and microbial laccase and lignin-degrading peroxidases (manganese and lignin peroxidase) have gained significant attention for treating aromatic waste due to their capability of oxidizing and detoxifying a wide range of recalcitrant xenobiotics, including PAHs and synthetic dyes. Peroxidases being efficient biocatalysts detoxify an array of toxic compounds by simple free-radical mechanism resulting in the formation of oxidized and depolymerized products of significantly reduced toxicity. Moreover, it is an ecofriendly and economically favorable approach towards the biodegradation of recalcitrant and toxic industrial waste. Among microbial and plant peroxidases, bacterial enzymes have broad substrate specificity and can transform a wide range of recalcitrant substrates. Ligninolytic enzymes oxidize the aromatic ring into quinones and acids by producing free hydroxyl radicals instead of dihydrodiols and mineralize aromatic hydrocarbon in combination with cytochrome P450, monooxygenases, and epoxide hydrolases. In the review, an attempt has been made to provide detailed knowledge about the availability of inexpensive peroxidases sources, their mechanism of action, and degradation potential. The present review summarizes the exploitation of peroxidases from plants, bacteria, and fungus (manganese peroxidase, lignin peroxidase, and laccases) for detoxification and degradation of textile dyes as well as PAHs. Conclusively, peroxidases have great potential to react with almost all classes of synthetic dyes and most PAHs due to broad substrate specificity and transformed them into less harmful metabolites.

The First Report of a Missense Variant in RFX2 Causing Non-Syndromic Tooth Agenesis in a Consanguineous Pakistani Family.

Background: The syndromic and non-syndromic congenital missing teeth phenotype is termed tooth agenesis. Since tooth agenesis is a heterogeneous disorder hence, the patients show diverse absent teeth phenotypes. Thus identifying novel genes involved in the morphogenesis of ectodermal appendages, including teeth, paves the way for establishing signaling pathways. Methods and Results: We have recruited an autosomal recessive non-syndromic tooth agenesis family with two affected members. The exome sequencing technology identified a novel missense sequence variant c.1421T > C; p.(Ile474Thr) in a regulatory factor X (RFX) family member (RFX2, OMIM: 142,765). During the data analysis eight rare variants on various chromosomal locations were identified, but the co-segregation analysis using Sanger sequencing confirmed the segregation of only two variants RFX2: c.1421T > C; p.(Ile474Thr), DOHH: c.109C > G; p.(Pro37Ala) lying in a common 7.1 MB region of homozygosity on chromosome 19p13.3. Furthermore, the online protein prediction algorithms and protein modeling analysis verified the RFX2 variant as a damaging genetic alteration and ACMG pathogenicity criteria classified it as likely pathogenic. On the other hand, the DOHH variant showed benign outcomes. Conclusion: RFX2 regulates the Hedgehog and fibroblast growth factor signaling pathways, which are involved in the epithelial and mesenchymal interactions during tooth development. Prior animal model studies have confirmed the expression of rfx2 at a developmental stage governing mouth formation. Moreover, its regulatory role and close association with ciliary and non-ciliary genes causing various dental malformations makes it a potential candidate gene for tooth agenesis phenotype. Further studies will contribute to exploring the direct role of RFX2 in human tooth development.

Antidiabetic and Hypolipidemic Potential of Green AgNPs against Diabetic Mice.

Green nanotechnology-based approaches have been acquired as environmentally friendly and cost effective with many biomedical applications. The present study reports the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from the leaves of Emblica phyllanthus, characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, EDX, SEM, AFM, and XRD. The acute and chronic antidiabetic and hypolipidemic potential of AgNPs was studied in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. A total of 11 groups (G1-G11, n = 6) of mice were treated with different concentrations (150 and 300 mM) and sizes of AgNPs and compared with those treated with standard glibenclamide. A significant decrease (P > 0.05) in the glucose level was achieved for 30, 45, and 65 nm after 15 days of treatment compared to the diabetic control. The oral administration of optimal AgNPs reduced the glucose level from 280.83 ± 4.17 to 151.17 ± 3.54 mg/dL, while the standard drug glibenclamide showed the reduction in glucose from 265.5 ± 1.43 to 192 ± 3.4 mg/dL. Histopathological studies were performed in dissected kidney and liver tissues of the treated mice, which revealed significant recovery in the liver and kidney after AgNP treatment. Acute toxicity study revealed that AgNPs were safe up to a size of 400 nm and the raw leaf extract of Emblica phyllanthus was safe up to 2500 mg/kg b.w. This study may help provide more effective and safe treatment options for diabetes compared to traditionally prescribed antidiabetic drugs.

Prevalence of potential drug-drug interactions in breast cancer patients and determination of their risk factors.

Breast cancer patients use numerous medications, which include cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs, hormonal agents and supportive medication, so they are more vulnerable to potential adverse drug interactions. This study aimed to evaluate frequency, severity, clinical importance and risk factors responsible for the Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in a cohort of patients suffering from breast cancer. Data was obtained from 150 patients in the oncology ward (both inpatient and outpatient) with a confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer and currently receiving standard breast cancer-directed treatment. The data was recorded into a pre-designed form specifically made for this study through individual patient interviews and by reviewing the detailed medical chart records of the patients. DDIs were identified by using drug interaction software such as Medscape mobile application and Micromedex version 2.The results of this study showed that all patients were female. The mean numbers of drugs that patients used were 7. Potential drug interactions were identified in 92% of the patients. When drug groups were overviewed, 32% of interactions were between anti neoplastic drugs, 62.9% interactions were between the anti neoplastic agent and supportive care drugs and 5% of them were between anti-cancer drugs and drugs used to treat comorbidities. Major DDIs were found in 62.2% of patients, 25.3% of DDIs were moderate and 12.4% were minor. The number of drugs, comorbid diseases, and selection of chemo protocols were the risk factors for drug interactions. Most of the DDIs found in breast cancer therapy may have adverse consequences on patient health and therapeutic outcomes. Therefore, health care professionals should review the medication regimen of patients with breast cancer before starting any chemotherapy treatment.

Cuscuta reflexa Roxb. Expedites the Healing Process in Contact Frostbite.

Frostbite is caused due to extreme vulnerability to cold, resulting in damage of deeper and superficial tissues alike. In this study, we report the anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties of aqueous methanolic extract of Cuscuta reflexa (Cs.Cr) against contact frostbite. Thirty rats were divided into five groups including three treatment groups with increasing doses of Cs.Cr, a standard drug group receiving acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), and a metal bar-induced frostbite group. Frostbite injury was induced by a 3 × 3.5 cm metal bar frozen up to -79°C on shaved skin for continuous 3 minutes. Wounded area percentages were recorded to measure the healing rate in response to Cs.Cr administration. Haematological parameters and malondialdehyde content were also noted. On treatment with Cs.Cr, the healing rate is drastically increased and lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde was decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Results were compared with frostbite and ASA (standard drug group). These results indicate that Cs.Cr possesses excellent wound-healing properties against frostbite injury and can prove to be a prospective compound in such conditions.

Fabrication of Humidity Sensor Using 3D Printable Polymer Composite Containing Boron-Doped Diamonds and LiCl.

Humidity sensing is of significant interest to monitor and control the moisture sensitive environments. Here, we developed a novel 3D printable composite consisting of boron-doped diamond (BDD) (60 wt %) and LiCl (2 wt %) in acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). SEM analysis of the composite material confirmed the uniform distribution of the BDD and presence of a thin layer of LiCl distributed throughout the matrix. The developed composite material was employed for simple and quick (∼2 min) fabrication of the humidity sensor using low cost fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer. The unique composite material allowed the fabrication of one-piece 3D printed sensor in comparison to traditional multicomponent (e.g., support, sensitive film, and electrodes) humidity sensing devices. The resulting humidity sensor showed excellent sensitivity with up to 125-fold change in resistance for the range of 11-97% relative humidity. The quick response (60 s, n = 3, RSD= 18.7%) and the recovery time (120 s, n = 3, RSD = 16.6%) is attributed to the uniform distribution of the BDD electrode material and strong networking with the LiCl layer distributed throughout the matrix. Long-term stability and repeatability was evaluated, with relative standard deviation of the response of less than 15% obtained over a test period of 14 days. When applied as a sensor for humidity in human breath, the response curves obtained for 12 consecutive breath cycles with post-breath compressed air-drying, showed excellent repeatability and sensitivity, with quick response and recovery (13 s, n = 12, RSD = 15%). The developed 3D printable humidity sensing material was also used to fabricate a customized 3D printed sensor for monitoring the humidity of the N2 supply.

Effect of endophytic Bacillus megaterium colonization on structure strengthening, microbial community, chemical composition and stabilization properties of Hybrid Pennisetum.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to analyze the effects of endophytic Bacillus megaterium (BM 18-2) colonization on structure strengthening, microbial community, chemical composition and stabilization properties of Hybrid Pennisetum. RESULTS: The BM 18-2 had successfully colonized in the interior tissues in both leaf and stem of Hybrid Pennisetum. During ensiling, the levels of pH, acetic acid (AA), butyric acid (BA), propionic acid (PA), and the population of yeast and aerobic bacteria were significantly (P > 0.05) lower, while lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and lactic acid (LA) were significantly (P < 0.001) higher with the steps forward of ensiling in with BM 18-2 as compared to without BM 18-2 colonized of Hybrid Pennisetum. During the different ensiling days, at days 3, 6, 15, and 30, the genus Brevundimonas, Klebsiella, Lactococcus, Weissella, Enterobacter, Serratia, etc. population were significantly decreased, while genus Pediococcus acidilactici and Lactobacillus plantarum were significantly influenced in treated groups as compared to control. The genus Lactobacillus and Pediococcus were positively correlated with treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the endophytic bacteria strain BM 18-2 significantly promoted growth characteristics and biomass yield before ensiling and after ensiling inoculated with or without Lactobacillus plantarum could improve the distinct changes of the undesirable microbial diversity, chemical composition, and stabilization properties in with BM 18-2 as compared to without BM 18-2 colonized Hybrid Pennisetum. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Biological and biochemical characteristics of male reproductive system, serum metabolites and carcass quality of Japanese quails by the supplementation of Pinus ponderosa leaves and α-tocopherol acetate.

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation of Pinus ponderosa leaves (pine leaves) and α-tocopherol acetate (vitamin E) powder on male reproductive system, serum metabolites and carcass characteristics of Japanese quails. A total of 360-day-old male quails were purchased from the open market and kept at poultry shed for ninety-four days. After ten days of adaptation, all quails were randomly assigned into 4 groups, control (IC); supplemented with α-tocopherol acetate (IE) at the rate of 150 mg/L; Pinus ponderosa leaves (IP) at the rate of 150 mg/L; and 70 mg α-tocopherol acetate and 70 mg Pinus ponderosa leaves (IEP). Pinus ponderosa leaves and α-tocopherol acetate supplementation had not significantly (p > .05) effected on final body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio of quails. The high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) and total cholesterol (TC) were significantly (p > .05) affected by IE and IP groups as compared to IC and IEP groups. Triglyceride (TG), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) significantly (p < .05) increased in all treatment groups except for the IC group. Aspartate transaminase (AST) significantly (p > .05) decreased in treatment groups as compared to control group. Overall, the mineral levels significantly (p < .05) increased in treatment groups as compared to control. Cloacal gland index values, the quantity of foam production and testis weight were significantly (p < .05) increased in treatment groups. It was concluded that the supplementation of Pinus ponderosa leaves and α-tocopherol acetate improved the testis weight, foam production, serum antioxidant enzymes and mineral level especially zinc in Japanese quail considered an indicative characteristic of higher sperm production rate and improved sexual activity. Further, higher gametogenesis rate, sperm production or reproductive behaviour including different hormonal level will be analysed in future study.

Recent advances in enhancing the sensitivity of electrophoresis and electrochromatography in capillaries and microchips (2016-2018).

One of the most cited limitations of capillary and microchip electrophoresis is the poor sensitivity. This review continues to update this series of biannual reviews, first published in Electrophoresis in 2007, on developments in the field of online/in-line concentration methods in capillaries and microchips, covering the period July 2016-June 2018. It includes developments in the field of stacking, covering all methods from field-amplified sample stacking and large-volume sample stacking, through to isotachophoresis, dynamic pH junction, and sweeping. Attention is also given to online or in-line extraction methods that have been used for electrophoresis.