Aloe vera-derived graphene-coupled phenosafranin photocatalyst for generation and regeneration of ammonia and NADH by mimicking natural photosynthetic route

Aloe vera-derived graphene (ADG) coupled system photocatalyst, mimicking natural photosynthesis, is one of the most promising ways for converting solar energy into ammonia (NH3 ) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) that have been widely used to make the numerous chemicals such as fertilizer and fuel. In this study, we report the synthesis of the aloe vera-derived graphene-coupled phenosafranin (ADGCP) acting as a highly efficient photocatalyst for the generation of NH3 and regeneration of NADH from nitrogen (N2 ) and oxidized form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+ ). The results show a benchmark instance for mimicking natural photosynthesis activity as well as the practical applications for the solar-driven selective formation of NH3 and the regeneration of NADH by using the newly designed photocatalyst.

Photocatalytic fixation and oxygenation of NAD+ /NADP+ and sulfides using solar light: Exploring mechanistic investigations and their impact on synthetic applications

Sulfur-doped Eosin-B (SDE-B) photocatalysts were synthesized for the first time utilizing sublimed sulfur (S8 ) as a dopant in an in situ thermal copolymerization technique. Sulfur doping not only increased Eosin-B (E-B) absorption range for solar radiation but also improved fixation and oxygenation capabilities. The doped sulfur bridges the S-S bond by substituting for the edge bromine of the E-B bond. The improved photocatalytic activity of SDE-B in the fixation and oxygenation of NAD+ /NADP+ and sulfides using solar light is attributed to the photo-induced hole of SDE-B's high fixation and oxygenation capacity, as well as an efficient suppression of electron and hole recombination. The powerful light-harvesting bridge system created using SDE-B as a photocatalyst works extremely well, resulting in high NADH/NADPH regeneration (79.58/76.36%) and good sulfoxide yields (98.9%) under solar light. This study focuses on the creation and implementation of a sulfur-doped photocatalyst for direct fine chemical regeneration and organic transformation.

Highly Efficient Self-Assembled Activated Carbon Cloth-Templated Photocatalyst for NADH Regeneration and Photocatalytic Reduction of 4-Nitro Benzyl Alcohol

This manuscript emphasizes how structural assembling can facilitate the generation of solar chemicals and the synthesis of fine chemicals under solar light, which is a challenging task via a photocatalytic pathway. Solar energy utilization for pollution prevention through the reduction of organic chemicals is one of the most challenging tasks. In this field, a metal-based photocatalyst is an optional technique but has some drawbacks, such as low efficiency, a toxic nature, poor yield of photocatalytic products, and it is expensive. A metal-free activated carbon cloth (ACC)–templated photocatalyst is an alternative path to minimize these drawbacks. Herein, we design the synthesis and development of a metal-free self-assembled eriochrome cyanine R (EC-R) based ACC photocatalyst (EC-R@ACC), which has a higher molar extinction coefficient and an appropriate optical band gap in the visible region. The EC-R@ACC photocatalyst functions in a highly effective manner for the photocatalytic reduction of 4-nitro benzyl alcohol (4-NBA) into 4-amino benzyl alcohol (4-ABA) with a yield of 96% in 12 h. The synthesized EC-R@ACC photocatalyst also regenerates reduced forms of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) cofactor with a yield of 76.9% in 2 h. The calculated turnover number (TON) of the EC-R@ACC photocatalyst for the reduction of 4-nitrobenzyl alcohol is 1.769 × 1019 molecules. The present research sets a new benchmark example in the area of organic transformation and artificial photocatalysis.

An innovative technique for electronic transport model of group-III nitrides

An optimized empirical pseudopotential method (EPM) in conjunction with virtual crystal approximation (VCA) and the compositional disorder effect is used for simulation to extract the electronic material parameters of wurtzite nitride alloys to ensure excellent agreement with the experiments. The proposed direct bandgap results of group-III nitride alloys are also compared with the different density functional theories (DFT) based theoretical results. The model developed in current work, significantly improves the accuracy of calculated band gaps as compared to the ab-initio method based results. The physics of carrier transport in binary and ternary nitride materials is investigated with the help of in-house developed Monte Carlo algorithms for solution of Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) including nonlinear scattering mechanisms. Carrier–carrier scattering mechanisms defined through Coulomb-, piezoelectric-, ionized impurity-, surface roughness-scattering with acoustic and intervalley scatterings, all have been given due consideration in present model. The direct and indirect energy bandgap results have been calibrated with the experimental data and use of symmetric and asymmetric form factors associated with respective materials. The electron mobility results of each binary nitride material have been compared and contrasted with experimental results under appropriate conditions and good agreement has been found between simulated and experimental results.

Effect of Ultraviolet Irradiation on Photo-Physical and Surface Electronic Properties of MoS₂

In this study, exfoliation of molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) using the chemical exfoliation method was successfully achieved via probe sonication followed by centrifugation. The observed ultravioletvisible (UV-Vis) spectra of the MoS₂ dispersions indicated the presence of a few layers of MoS₂. The morphological, structural, optical and surface electronic properties before and after UV light irradiation were investigated by the technique of X-ray diffraction, the Raman spectroscopic measurements, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM). It was observed that after UV irradiation, the Fermi level moves towards the valence band.

Abstract P5-07-09: Withdrawn

This abstract was withdrawn by the authors.

Citation Format: Ahirwar DK, Nasser MW, Shukla RK, Shilo K, Ganju RK. Withdrawn [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-07-09.

Associations of CYP1A1, GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms with lung cancer susceptibility in a Northern Indian population

BACKGROUND

Susceptibility to lung cancer has been shown to be modulated by inheritance of polymorphic genes encoding cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) and glutathione S transferases (GSTM1 and GSTT1), which are involved in the bioactivation and detoxification of environmental toxins. This might be a factor in the variation in lung cancer incidence with ethnicity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a case-control study of 218 northern Indian lung cancer patients along with 238 healthy controls, to assess any association between CYP1A1, GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms, either separately or in combination, with the likelihood of development of Lung cancer in our population.

RESULTS

We observed a significant difference in the GSTT1 null deletion frequency in this population when compared with other populations (OR=1.87, 95%CI: 1.25-2.80-0.73, P=0.002). However, GSTM1 null genotype was found associated with lung cancer in the non-smoking subgroup. (P=0.170).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed the GSTT1 null polymorphism to be associated with smoking-induced lung cancer and the GSTM1 null polymorphism to have a link with non-smoking related lung cancer.

Phytochemical Screening, proximate analysis and antioxidant activity of Dracaena reflexa lam. leaves

In the present study, the antioxidant activity of successive leaf extracts of Dracaena reflexa was investigated using the scavenging activity on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and reducing power by ferric reducing antioxidant power assay. Methanol extract was found potent in both the assays. IC50 values of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay for methanol extract was 0.97 mg/ml and ferric reducing antioxidant power value for the same is 1.19. Phytochemical screening, proximate analysis and total phenolic content were also determined. Qualitative screening for phytochemical showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, glycosides and saponins. Highest phenolic content was shown by methanol extract (49.69 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry weight). Proximate analysis showed moisture content (3.31%), ash content (8.02%), crude fibre (1.31%), crude fat (0.97%), total protein (3.70%), total carbohydrate (86.01) and nutritive value (367.56 kcal/100 g), which would make it a potential nutraceutical. This study suggested that Dracaena reflexa, a potential natural free radical scavenger, which could find use as an antioxidative.

Utility of toluidine blue test in accessing and detecting intra-oral malignancies

In vivo staining reveals cytological details that might otherwise not be apparent. The aim of the study was to test the utility of toluidine blue test in detecting various types of malignant and premalignant lesions in early stage. Fifty patients with lesion in oral cavity having suspicion of malignancy clinically were selected. After subjecting the patients to clinical examination, the suspicious lesions were stained with 1 % toluidine blue. The biopsy site was selected on the basis of clinical appearance and dye retention and in the sites where no retention of the stain occurred, clinical judgment directed the biopsy site. The sensitivity of toluidine blue in detecting premalignant or malignant lesions was found to be 97.8 % and the over all specificity was found to be 100 %. The positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy was reported to be 100, 80 and 90 % respectively. Toluidine Blue staining is highly a reliable source for the detection of insitu and invasive carcinomas. Staining with this stains is an adjunct to clinical judgment, assist in the choice of biopsy site, follow up of premalignant lesions and marginal demarcation of the malignant lesions enabling an intervention method to be adopted earlier for the disease, which carries a high rate of morbidity and mortality.

Shock-induced bubble jetting into a viscous fluid with application to tissue injury in shock-wave lithotripsy

Shock waves in liquids are known to cause spherical gas bubbles to rapidly collapse and form strong re-entrant jets in the direction of the propagating shock. The interaction of these jets with an adjacent viscous liquid is investigated using finite-volume simulation methods. This configuration serves as a model for tissue injury during shock-wave lithotripsy, a medical procedure to remove kidney stones. In this case, the viscous fluid provides a crude model for the tissue. It is found that for viscosities comparable to what might be expected in tissue, the jet that forms upon collapse of a small bubble fails to penetrate deeply into the viscous fluid "tissue." A simple model reproduces the penetration distance versus viscosity observed in the simulations and leads to a phenomenological model for the spreading of injury with multiple shocks. For a reasonable selection of a single efficiency parameter, this model is able to reproduce in vivo observations of an apparent 1000-shock threshold before wide-spread tissue injury occurs in targeted kidneys and the approximate extent of this injury after a typical clinical dose of 2000 shock waves.

Effect of an admission monitoring and scheduling system on productivity and employee satisfaction

This article develops and evaluates an admission monitoring and scheduling system designed to reduce fluctuation of work load on nursing units. Effects of the system on work-load distribution, full-time equivalents, labor cost, and employees are assessed in a 235-bed hospital. The system provided more stable work loads and had a potential for improving productivity by about 3 percent, and reducing by about 40 percent the number of days nurses are asked to take off without pay during low-census periods.

A comparative analysis of revenue and cost-management strategies of not-for-profit and for-profit hospitals

Not-for-profit (NFP) and for-profit (FP) hospitals were compared on several performance indicators including revenues, costs, productivity/efficiency, and profitability. The indicators were adjusted, where appropriate, for outpatient activity and a case-mix index for all patients. FP hospitals had higher profit margins as well as higher gross and net revenues per case-mix adjusted admission. On the other hand, NFP hospitals had lower total cost per case-mix adjusted admission even after subtracting taxes from FP hospital costs. There were no significant differences between the two groups on efficiency and productivity indicators--paid hours per case-mix adjusted admissions, occupancy levels, and case-mix adjusted ALOS. The higher profits of FP hospitals were attributed to revenue management rather than cost and efficiency management.

Role of epidural medication in the treatment of resistant low back pain

Two hundred and eight patients of low back pain were studied in the department of orthopaedic surgery, GSVM Medical College, Kanpur. The patients were put on intensive conservative treatment in the form of analgesics, hard bed rest, spinal extension exercises, traction and lumbosacral support. Thirty-two patients did not respond to this treatment and their symptoms were of more than 6 months duration and they were subjected to epidural injection of local anaesthetic agent, saline and corticosteroids. The failed 6 cases were investigated for consideration of surgery. The aim of this study is to develop standardised strategy for the treatment of low back pain. For the low back pain patients not responding to intensive conservative treatment, an idea has been put forward in the form of epidural medication prior to considering them to surgery to prevent unnecessary incidence of "failed back". A trial of epidural injection is suggested to avoid surgery.

The effect of a competency-based targeted staff development program on nursing productivity

This study is based on the empirical fact that among nurses large variations occur not only in clinical competency but also in individual productivity. The article proposes that competency-based targeted staff development programs can improve productivity as well as nursing performance. Research presented here shows that the nurses on units using targeted staff development increased the time spent on professional and direct care and reduced nonprofessional and indirect care tasks in comparison to nurses on the control nursing unit.

Factors and perspectives affecting nursing resource consumption in community hospitals

The consumption of professional and non-professional nursing resources on medical/surgical nursing units varies sharply among community hospitals. In an effort to explain the variation, this study examines several factors: socio-economic characteristics of the population; supply of registered nurses; hospital characteristics such as size, complexity and diversity of services; patient characteristics such as case mix index and nursing care acuity index; and production system characteristics such as efficiency of technical support systems and the structure of nursing care delivery. Nursing skill mix varies more than the staffing levels among hospitals. The research suggests that factors associated with a clinical-rational model such as nursing acuity index and the efficiency of clinical/support systems explains little, whereas factors associated with economic-rational model of hospital revenues--like case mix, number of hospital services, poverty (through Medicaid program) and age distribution (through Medicare program)--do significantly affect nursing resource consumption. The results point to the presence of resource allocation to nursing based on hospital revenues rather than patient care needs.

Comparison of subjective versus data base approaches for improving efficiency of operating room scheduling

This paper compares subjective and four data-based models to estimate length of surgery for operating room scheduling systems. The four data-based models for predicting case block length are based on 1) procedure, 2) procedure and surgeon, 3) procedure and case complexity, and 4) procedure, case complexity, and surgeon. Data-based approaches performed better than subjective estimates. In establishing data-based standards it is more important to account for complexity of cases than for differences among surgeons.

Standardisation of methods for the estimation of thiocyanate and iodine in foodstuff

Thiocyanate content in vegetables has been estimated by passing the water extract of vegetables through an alumina column. The thiocyanate content in the eluate has been measured according to Johnston and Jones. Iodine content in the vegetables has been estimated according to a modified method of Acland. The results show the primarily the Cruciferae family vegetables contain higher concentration of thiocyanate.

AM admissions/PM discharges can reduce length of stay

This article challenges our present system of afternoon admissions and morning discharges for its inefficiency in utilizing patient stay at the hospital as well as for its insensitivity to consumer convenience. In fact, the tradition of afternoon admissions and morning discharges may have its roots in the hotel industry which sets similar times for arrival and departure of guests. By changing the admission system from afternoon admissions and morning discharges (PM/AM) to morning admissions and evening discharges (AM/PM), the length of stay for most patients can be reduced and used more efficiently.

Patients Perception of Care Under Primary and Team Nursing

The relationship between the structure of nursing care and patient satisfaction is examined after equalizing the quantity and quality of nursing staff. An all-registered-nurse model of primary nursing is compared to team nursing. The nursing competency scores of registered nurses (as measured by the Slater scale) on two patient care units were equalized through 6 months of continuing education and staff development programs. A patient checklist was used to determine satisfaction with care and perceived omissions in care. No significant differences in satisfaction with care were found between the two units. The unit with primary nursing was perceived as having significantly higher omissions in care in three categories: dietary needs, reaction to therapy, and contact with nurses. The results suggest that the effect of nursing care structures on patient perception of care may be contingent upon the efficiency of the support systems and the competency of the nursing staff.

Utilization of physical therapy personnel in one hospital. A work sampling study

The purpose of this study was to illustrate the adaptability and use of work sampling, an industrial engineering technique, as a dependable method for collecting personnel utilization data in the physical therapy department of a general hospital and to demonstrate the concept of work sampling to physical therapy supervisors and personnel unfamiliar with this approach. Over a six-week period, a total of 5,824 observations were made at randomly selected 15-minute intervals during the 40-hour work week. Percentages of total time used in observed activities for all physical therapy personnel were divided as follows: 1) direct care, 20.38 percent; 2) indirect care, 11.18 percent; 3) administration, 2.27 percent; 4) communication, 3.28 percent; 5) clerical, 9.56 percent; 6) personal time, 24.60 percent; and 7) out-of-department, 28.72 percent. Physical therapists were most likely to be involved in personal duties from 8 AM to 9 AM (35%) and from 4 PM to 4:30 PM (41%). They showed greatest productivity from 9 AM to 10 AM (59%) and spent time in out-of-department activities rather consistently throughout the day. A conclusion of this study was that work sampling may be used successfully to collect personnel utilization data in a physical therapy department.

Primary or team nursing? Two conditions determine the choice

The cost-benefit analysis of the primary nursing structure is contingent on the factors that affect the proper use of nursing skills. By reducing the problems of coordinating the work, primary nursing has the potential of greater professional nurse involvement with patients. However, in a unit with inefficient support systems, inappropriate use of professional skills in primary nursing render the primary nursing structure less cost-beneficial than the team nursing structure. We may postulate here that primary nursing will be more cost-beneficial than team nursing when the nursing support system requires very little of the RNs' time and the patients require highly skilled care. In a hospital that has inefficient nursing support systems and on nursing units that have mostly self-care to intermediate care patients, primary nursing will only diminish proper use of nursing skills without significant potential to improve the quality of care. On the contrary, with highly efficient nursing support systems and on nursing units that have mostly intermediate use to extensive care patients, primary nursing will have great potential to improve quality and to use nursing skills properly.

Structure vs. people in primary nursing: an inquiry

This paper raises the question, "Is it the structure or the competency of the nursing staff that improves the quality of primary nursing over team nursing?" In the study an all-RN model of primary nursing was compared to a team nursing care system. The nursing competency scores of registered nurses on the two units were equalized through six months of continuing education and staff development programs, and the nursing competencies and the quality of patient care were measured by Slater and Qualpac scores, respectively. Although the primary nursing unit scored higher than the team unit on five out of six subscales, the scores were statistically significant (p = .06) only on one, the communications subscale. Results of this study were compared to Felton's study, which found primary nursing units had a more competent nursing staff and higher Qualpac scores. The comparison suggests that nursing competencies may be a stronger contributing factor to the quality of care than is the structure of primary nursing.

Reactivity of trachea, bronchi, and lung strips to histamine and carbachol in rhesus monkeys

Responses of isolated airway smooth muscles of a subhuman primate to carbachol and histamine were investigated. Isolated lung parenchymal strips of rhesus monkeys (RM) exhibited approximately equal sensitivity (i.e., ED50) and contractility (i.e., maximum tension) to carbachol and histamine. Tracheal chains and bronchial strips responded with concentration-dependent contractions to carbachol. Trachea did not exhibit any contractile responses to histamine. Bronchial strips responded with weak contractile responses to histamine when compared with those elicited ay carbachol. Histamine-induced contractions on bronchi and lung strips were easily antagonized by pyrilamine (H1-receptor antagonist) (10(-6) to 5 X 10(-6) M). Carbachol-contracted trachea and bronchi responded with relaxations to histamine and dimaprit (H2-receptor agonist) that were antagonized by metiamide (H2-receptor antagonist) (5 X 10(-5) M). The present findings indicate 1) a differential reactivity of central and peripheral airway smooth muscles of RM to histamine and carbachol; 2) lung strips of RM appear to possess only H1 types of histamine receptors; 3) bronchial smooth muscles of RM have a small population of H1-receptors mediating bronchoconstriction; and 4) a preponderance of inhibitory H2-receptors in the tracheobronchial smooth muscles of rhesus monkeys. If these subhuman primate findings apply to the airways of man, they could aid considerably in furthering our understanding of the pathophysiology of the respiratory tract.

True macrodactyly of the hand

A case of true progressive macrodactyly was treated by cosmetic amputation of the middle and ring fingers with defatting of the palm and dorsum of the hand. Three months later the result was satisfactory.

Modified Zancolli's operation in claw hand in leprosy

The operative technique of the Modified Zancolli's operation in claw hand is easy. Re-education is easier in Zancolli's capsulorrhaphy than any other operations. Results of this operation are encouraging. It is particularly required when quick turnover of cases is needed and when adequate facilities for physiotherapy is not available. In cases operated by Zancolli's capsulorrhaphy active flexion of metacarpophalangeal joint is possible. Complications are few e.g. pulling of capsulorrhaphy and development of flexion contracture.

Fatigue fracture of the femoral neck

Fatigue fractures in the necks of femurs removed from fresh cadavers were produced experimentally by applying repeated compression and rotational stresses. We found that a load applied once in a physiological direction may be within the ultimate strength of the bone, but may produce a fracture if applied repeatedly. With increased age, chances of fatigue failure increased age, chances of fatigue failure increased and loads of even physiological magnitude produced fatigue fractures. This may also happen during life. The subcapital fractures produced in these specimens were similar to those seen in patients in a clinical practice. This has been reported many times in new young military recruits. In individuals undergoing unusually strenuous exercises, the stress concentrations can be unusually high.

Mode of action of creatinine on colour of cuprous oxide precipitate in Benedict's qualitative sugar test

Creatinine appears to alter the colour and bulky nature of the cuprous oxide precipitate not by altering the chemical composition of the precipitate but by the physical process of retardation of the growth of newly formed yellow cuprous oxide crystals to large red crystals by adhering to their surface and blocking some sites for further crystal growth.

The role of creatinine and histidine in Benedict's qualitative test for reducing sugar in urine

The statement made in some standard textbooks that Benedict's qualitative test gives a green, yellow, or orange-red precipitate with pure solutions of glucose of varying strength has been shown to be incorrect. Pure solutions of glucose give only a bright red precipitate at all concentrations. These changes in the colour of the suspensions are observed with urinary glucose only. The difference in the action of glucose in water and in urine has been shown to be mostly due to creatinine and to a small extent to the histidine content of urine. The colour of the precipitate depends not only on the concentration of glucose but also on that of creatinine. An increase in concentration of creatinine tends to make the precipitate more yellow. Histidine has a similar though much smaller effect. Attention has been drawn to possible errors in the semi-quantitative assay of urinary glucose by Benedict's test arising out of variation in concentration of creatinine and histidine.