Showing papers by "Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management published in 2020"

Biofuels, biodiesel and biohydrogen production using bioprocesses. A review

Abstract: Energy demands, pollution and global warming induced by globalization are rising, thus calling for alternative sources of energies. In particular, biofuels are increasingly used for transportation, electric power and heat energy generation. Biofuels can mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50%. Biofuels are produced from organic matter and waste such as dry lignocellulose, algae, yeast, restaurant greases, food grain, non-food grain and animal fats. Biofuel from crop residues can be promoted by government subsidies to reduce the fuel price and meet the requirement of industries, transportation and agricultural sectors.

Drug delivery applications of chitin and chitosan: a review

Abstract: Polymers are used in drug delivery devices for drug encapsulation and release. Natural polymers often have advantages such as biocompatibility, biodegradability and biologically recognizable moieties which support cellular activities, compared to synthetic polymers. Chitosan, a naturally occurring polysaccharide obtained from chitin, has recently drawn attention because chitosan is non-toxic, biocompatible, biodegradable, stable and sterilizable. The additional qualities of chitosan are the release rate of drug, easy modification, cross-linking ability with other polymers, antimicrobial properties, gel forming ability, bioadhesion, immunostimulation, activation of macrophages and gas permeability. Here, I review applications of chitosan in drug delivery. The properties of chitin and chitosan, and the mechanisms of drug release are also presented.

Analysis of entropy generation in biomimetic electroosmotic nanofluid pumping through a curved channel with joule dissipation

Abstract: Biomimetic designs are increasingly filtering into new areas of technology in recent years. Such systems exploit characteristics intrinsic to nature to achieve enhanced adaptivity and efficiency in engineering applications. Peristaltic propulsion is an example of such characteristics and in the current article it is explored as a feasible mechanism for deployment in electrokinetic pumping of nanofluids through a curved distensible conduit as a model for a bioinspired smart device. The unsteady mass, momentum, energy and nanoparticle concentration conservation equations for a Newtonian aqueous ionic fluid under an axial electrical field are formulated and simplified using lubrication approximations and low zeta potential (Debye Huckel linearization). A dilute nanofluid is assumed with Brownian motion and thermophoretic body forces present. The reduced non-dimensional conservation equations are solved with the symbolic software, Mathematica 9 via the NDSolve algorithm for velocity, temperature, nano-particle concentration distributions for low zeta potential. An entropy generation analysis is also conducted. The influence of curvature parameter, maximum electroosmotic velocity (Helmholtz-Smoluchowski velocity), inverse EDL thickness parameter, zeta potential ratio and Joule heating parameter on transport characteristics is evaluated with the aid of graphs and contour plots. Temperature profiles are elevated with positive Joule heating and reduced with negative Joule heating whereas the opposite behaviour is observed for the nano-particle concentrations.

A review on biological and biomimetic materials and their applications

Abstract: In the development of technology, a source of inspiration for mankind is the nature. Naturally, many biological surfaces having unique micro–nanostructures, such as lotus leaves, butterfly wings, rose petals and shark skin, exhibit skills and attribute beyond conventional engineering. These skills and characteristic properties are exploited by several scientists to produce bioinspired materials by mimicking biological materials. Scientists called these materials as biomimetic materials as they are developed by inspiration from nature. For the last few decades, an extensive research has been going on to introduce a wide variety of biomimetic materials which can exhibit advanced properties. This paper gives an overview of recently developed biomimetic materials such as Se-modified carbon nitride nanosheets, small intestinal submucosa, magnesium–strontium hydroxyapatite, dimethylglyoxime–urethane polyurethane, polydimethylsiloxane, Ag/Ag@AgCl/ZnO and PDTC(COOH)4/HA, along with their biological properties. In addition, the applications of the biomimetic and biological materials in various fields such as biomedical, oil–water separation, sensors, tissue engineering, genome technology and ultrasound imaging are also discussed.

A cross sectional study reveals severe disruption in glycemic control in people with diabetes during and after lockdown in India.

Abstract: Background and aims: Uncontrolled diabetes has been associated with poorer clinical outcomes in COVID-19. We aimed to evaluate and assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on management of diabetes and challenges faced by people with diabetes in India during and after the lockdown phase. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on an online questionnaire survey was designed. The questions collected socio-demographic details, medical and social history, and impact of the pandemic on medical and social life from 1582 participants. Linear regression was employed to evaluate association of different parameters with the change in glycemic levels. Results: The frequency of clinical visits during the COVID-19 pandemic were reduced in 87.28% of participants. 92.45% of participants were able to monitor their blood glucose levels (BGLs) in which 78.42% (49.35%, 20.91%, and 8.16%) participants experienced an increase in BGL (mild, moderate, and severe respectively). Only 47.41% of participants possessed the digital glucometer at home. 69.07% of participants reported a decrease in physical activity while 46.88% reported an increase in food intake. 80.06% of participants were able to buy all medicines and 29.80% were gone for virtual consultations while 87.81% reported that they didn’t have access to healthcare services. Overall, 89.47% participants experienced disruption in therapy. A highly significant correlation (r = 0.89, p = 0.0145) was found between increasing age and reporting of higher BGLs. Conclusion: This study provides a firsthand evidence of major disruption in diabetes care activities during and after the lockdown phase in India and increased risk of poorer clinical outcomes, if infected by SARS-CoV-2.

Effect of Heat source on an unsteady MHD free convection flow of Casson fluid past a vertical oscillating plate in porous medium using finite element analysis

Abstract: The present research paper aims to study the effect Heat source on an MHD Casson fluid through a vertical fluctuating porous plate. Dimensional non-linear coupled differential equations transformed into dimensional less by introducing similarity variables. The transformed nondimensional ordinary differential equations of velocity, temperature is solved by Galerkin element technique. The influence of flow parameters like Casson fluid ( γ ) , Permeability (K), magnetic number (M), Phase angle ( ω t ) , Prandtl number (Pr), other physical quantities on velocity along with temperature profiles is explained in detailed via graphs. Skin friction, Nusselt number is also explained through tables. Moreover, with increasing the heat source parameter the result in the velocity and temperature increases.

Recent progresses and challenges in graphene based nano materials for advanced therapeutical applications: a comprehensive review

Abstract: The peculiar features of graphene like excellent physicochemical, electrical, large surface area and biocompatibility are revealing through the past decade, leading to continuous research on the use of graphene nanomaterial in various clinical applications and regenerative medicine. In this review, we highlighted the recent applications and challenges of graphene and its derivatives in stem cell proliferation, bone tissue engineering, neuronal proliferation and in biosensors. Graphene or graphene oxide has shown interesting results in angiogenesis, neuronal regeneration and immunomodulation in various in vitro and in vivo studies. Graphene based materials have a potential to be emerging as next generation nanomaterials. We discussed about the conventional procedures and related challenges in synthesis of graphene oxide. This review aims in summarizing the recent progresses of various graphene based nanomaterials and their hybrids in biomedical applications. Graphene as two dimensional, three dimensional and hybrids are attracting interest in biosensing and bioimaging. However, besides the fascinating properties of graphene, its biocompatibility and biodegradability related toxicities are still a question to researchers. Graphene nanomaterials use in various tissue scaffolds should be taken as an active area of interest by the researchers in near future. This review also enlisted the recent advancements of graphene as anticancer therapy and targeted drug delivery system. We hope the summary of this review inspires the researchers to conduct more studies on graphene based applications and its possible toxicities in humans, so that it can be implemented as cost effective and safe treatment to many pathological conditions.

Hybrid fully convolutional networks‐based skin lesion segmentation and melanoma detection using deep feature

Abstract: Fully convolutional networks (FCNs) take the input of arbitrary size and produce correspondingly sized output with efficient inference and learning. The automatic diagnosis of melanoma is very essential for reducing the mortality rate by identifying the disease in earlier stages. A two‐stage framework is used for implementing the melanoma detection, segmentation of skin lesion, and identification of melanoma lesions. Two FCNs based on VGG‐16 and GoogLeNet are incorporated for improving the segmentation accuracy. A hybrid framework is used for incorporating these two FCNs. The classification is done by extracting the feature from segmented lesion by using deep residual network and a hand‐crafted feature. Classification is done by support vector machine. The performance analysis of our framework gives a promising accuracy, that is, 0.8892 for classification in ISBI 2016 dataset and 0.853 for ISIC 2017 dataset.

Drug screening of rhodanine derivatives for antibacterial activity.

Abstract: Introduction: Bacteriological infections are a major risk to human health. These include all hospital and public-acquired infections. In drug discovery, rhodanines are privileged heterocyclic frameworks. Their derivatives possess strong anti-bacterial activity and some of them have shown potent activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens, both under in vitro and in vivo conditions. To treat multi-drug resistant pathogens, the development of novel potent drugs, with superior anti-bacterial efficacy, is paramount. One avenue which shows promise is the design and development of novel rhodanines.Areas covered: This review summarizes the status on rhodanine-based derivatives and their anti-bacterial activity, based on published research over the past six years. Furthermore, to facilitate the design of novel derivatives with improved functions, their structure-activity relationships are assessed with reference to their efficacy as anti-bacterial agents and their toxicity.Expert opinion: The pharmacological activity of molecules bearing a rhodanine scaffold needs to be very critically assessed in spite of considerable information available from various biological evaluations. Although, some data on structure-activity relationship frameworks is available, information is not adequate to optimize the efficacy of rhodanine derivatives for different applications.

Apigenin-Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticle Attenuates Diabetic Nephropathy Induced by Streptozotocin Nicotinamide Through Nrf2/HO-1/NF-kB Signalling Pathway.

Abstract: Background Apigenin is known to have a broad-spectrum efficacy in oxidative stress and conditions due to inflammation, although weak absorption, fast metabolic rate and a fast elimination (systemic) limit the pharmacological efficacy of this drug. Hence, we propose the usage of highly bioavailable Apigenin-solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNPs) to recognize such limitations. The defensive function of Apigenin-SLNPs on renal damage induced by streptozotocin (STZ) in animals was studied. Materials and methods We initially injected the rats with 35 mg kg-1 streptozocin intraperitoneally, and after 7 days, the rats were then injected 150 mg kg-1 of metformin intragastrically followed by a once-daily intragastric dose of Apigenin-SLNP (25 or 50 mg kg-1) for a continuous period of 30 days. We then measured the level of insulin and blood glucose, superoxide dismutase, catalase and malondialdehyde in the tissues of the kidney. We also observed messenger-RNA expression of Interleukin-1β, Interleukin-6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha in renal tissue through RT-PCR technique. Moreover, H&E staining and Western blotting observed the histopathological variations and protein expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase/Nuclear Factor-κB signaling pathway, respectively. Results An enhancement in the expressing of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and heme oxygenase-1 and a suppression in the expression of Nuclear Factor-κB occurred due to Apigenin-SLNPs treatment, which was a result of the protective mechanism of Apigenin-SLNPs which is because of not only its anti-inflammatory function (by inhibition of release of inflammatory factors) but also their anti-oxidant activity (through reduction of lipid peroxidation production). Conclusion We found that a protective effect on diabetic nephropathy was shown due to Apigenin-SLNPs, in rats induced with streptozocin maybe through the pathway of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1/Nuclear Factor-κB.

Photoinduced Changes in Aromaticity Facilitate Electrocyclization of Dithienylbenzene Switches.

Abstract: The concepts of excited-state aromaticity and antiaromaticity have in recent years with increasing frequency been invoked to rationalize the photochemistry of cyclic conjugated organic compounds, w...

Study on electric modulus, complex modulus and conductivity properties of Nb/Sm, Gd doped barium titanate-lithium ferrite ceramic composites

Abstract: The (90)BaTi(1−2x) YxNbxO3 + (10)Li0.5Fe2.5O4 (Y = Gd, Sm and x = 0, 0.05, 0.1) composites are prepared using the solid state method. The structural properties like X-ray diffraction (XRD), FESEM, electrical properties like electric modulus (M′), complex electric modulus (M″) and conductivity properties of doped and undoped composites have been discussed. The XRD studies confirm the tetragonal structure of all composites. FESEM studies reveal an increase in the average grain size of the (90)BaTiO3 + (10)Li0.5Fe2.5O4 composite upon doping with Gd/Nb and Sm/Nb. As and when the temperature of the sample is decreased, with frequency is similar but its conductivity has decreased. In the high frequency region, the frequencies beyond 100 MHz, the conductivity of all composites are not zero, which shows the existence of hopping of electrons to a new site. The real electric modulus (M′) of composites confirm the occurrence of dispersion in all composites at all temperatures. The imaginary electric modulus (M″) increases with frequency and exhibits a peak at a certain frequency. The relaxation time of all composites reveals the short range movement of charge carriers. The nearly same value of activation energy of all composites reveals that the distribution of energy barriers in the Gd/Nb and Sm/Nb doped 0.9BT0.1LF composites. The area of semicircles of all composites increase and the shift of the intercept of a semicircle towards the higher value of M′ represents an increase in the capacitance. The normalized scaling behavior of all composites is studied by plotting normalized parameters M″/M″maxVs Log (f/fmax).

Naringin in Combination with Isothiocyanates as Liposomal Formulations Potentiates the Anti-inflammatory Activity in Different Acute and Chronic Animal Models of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract: Combination of drugs is extensively used to treat chronic inflammatory disease. Naringin (NAR), sulforaphane (SFN), and phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) are nutraceuticals with promising anti-inflammatory properties. However, their clinical effectiveness gets hindered because of low aqueous solubility and poor bioavailability. In the current study, two combinations of liposome (NAR + SFN and NAR + PEITC) were prepared and studied thoroughly in different in vivo models of acute and chronic models of inflammation. The encapsulation efficiency of NAR, SFN, and PEITC in the combination liposomal formulations (CLFs) prepared with 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine/cholesterol/1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine -020CN (15:4:1 M ratio) was determined to be 79.8 ± 4.2, 46.5 ± 3.6, and 78.5 ± 3.2%, respectively. The CLFs were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, dynamic light scattering, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The physicochemical results showed that the preparations were monodisperse (PDI 0.062-0.248) in water with an average size from 140.5 to 165.6 nm and a zeta potential of -47.3 to -53.3 mV. Dissolution studies in vitro showed a slower release of PEITC (>90%, 6 h) in comparison to that of SFN (3 h). Here, we are the first to report the antiarthritic activity of CLF of NAR + SFN and NAR + PEITC in the Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA)-induced arthritic model. At an intraperitoneal dose (375 + 375 μg/mL) for 3 weeks, the NAR + PEITC liposome significantly improves both % paw edema and arthritic score compared to their free drug combinations in FCA rats. Most importantly, hematological and biochemical results showed improved anemic conditions with significant changes in the SGOT, SGPT, and ALP levels. The ELISA results showed similar trends of increased cytokine (IL-10) and decreased inflammation markers (TNF-α, IL-6, IFN-γ). Histological evaluations showing reduction in cell infiltration, pannus formation, and bone and cartilage destruction further confirm and validate the antiarthritic activity of the CLF. This comprehensive study reveals the effectiveness of combination liposomes of poorly soluble anti-inflammatory molecules (NAR, SFN, PEITC) in the treatment of arthritis.

Implementation of IoT Based Wireless Electronic Stethoscope

Abstract: Applications of medical electronics play a vital rolein today's world of engineering. Various medical devices such as MRI, Stethoscope, Digital thermometers, electronic cardiac monitor (ECG), Brain wave machine, and Blood glucose monitor are used for measurement of multiple parameters of the human body. In this paper, some of the aspects with respect to stethoscope are considered for the advancement with the help of IoT (Internet of Things). Till date, many electronic stethoscopes designed were based on various technologies such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, neural network, and Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), etc. There are few limitations associated with the existing conventional stethoscopes such as short-distance communication, device weight, high cost, and difficulty in remote patient monitoring. In view of overcoming the above shortfalls, this paper proposes a new method of analyzing acoustic properties of heart sounds using an electronic stethoscope with IoT.

Finite element study of Soret number effects on MHD flow of Jeffrey fluid through a vertical permeable moving plate

Abstract: An analysis has carried out to study effect of Soret number on MHD free convection flow of heat and mass transfer of an electrically conducting non-Newtonian fluid through a vertical moving porous plate. Set of governing non linear coupled differential equations are converted to a non dimensional set of partial differential equations by introducing the suitable variables. Galerkin finite element technique is applied on non dimensional velocity, temperature and concentration profiles to get numerical solutions. The effect of physical quantities chemical reaction, dufour, other flow parameters on profiles of velocity, temperature and concentration are illustrated through graphs.

Reduced graphene oxide supported ZnO quantum dots for visible light-induced simultaneous removal of tetracycline and hexavalent chromium

Abstract: Semiconducting nanomaterials play an important role in the photocatalytic removal of aqueous pollutants like heavy metals, organic compounds, pathogens and antibiotics. In this study, we prepared ZnO quantum dots (QD) by the precipitation method and ZnO/rGO materials with varying percentages (0.5–2 wt%) of ZnO were prepared by the hydrothermal method. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by various physicochemical techniques, such as powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible-diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-VIS-DRS), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis to determine the structural as well as textural and surface properties. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared catalysts was analyzed during the individual and simultaneous removal of tetracycline (TC) and hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] in aqueous medium. Among all the catalysts, 1.5 wt% ZnO/rGO showed the highest visible light activity, where 68% tetracycline and 84% Cr(VI) abatement was observed after 120 min irradiation time. Moreover, tetracycline showed 70% mineralization. The photocatalytic activity is explained based on the photo-generated electron transfer from the conduction band (CB) of ZnO to the surface of rGO which prevents the recombination of excitons and produces OH˙ and O2−˙; these radicals play an important role in degrading the TC and Cr(VI). The mechanism suggested that the co-existence of oxidizable and reducible species such as TC and Cr(VI) ensured the effective use of the photo-generated electrons and holes that leads to the efficient oxidation of TC and Cr(VI) reduction.

Lime Stabilization of Soil: A Physico-Chemical and Micro-Mechanistic Perspective

Abstract: Lime stabilization is a well-established technique to improve the subgrade properties of different soil for pavement construction, despite construction difficulties and its ineffectiveness in certain conditions. However, a greater level of understanding is needed to know the mechanism of alteration in the properties of soils, particularly to longevity potential of ionic interaction. In the present study, mechanism of long-term strength behaviour of lime-treated soil has been brought clearly through alteration in ionic exchange (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+), mineralogy and microstructure by performing series of physico-chemical and micro-analyses (XRD, SEM and EDAX). The results revealed that addition of lime to soil influences greatly the concentration of sodium (Na+) and calcium (Ca2+) ions with marginal alteration in potassium (K+) and magnesium (Mg2+) with curing periods. The variation in concentration of Ca2+ with curing periods has attributed to the strong cation exchange reactions at early stage and consumption of calcium in the formation of cementitious compounds with an increase in curing periods. However, concentration of Ca2+ increases after curing for longer periods, indicating the increase in solubility of cementitious compounds. Alterations in mineralogy and microstructure with an increase in curing periods of lime-treated soil substantiate the effect of changes in ionic concentration. Further, a significant increase in the strength up to 28 days and marginal up to 1 year substantiates that variation in Ca2+ and thereby, formation of cementitious compounds control the strength behaviour of lime-treated soil.