Ultrafast digital soliton logic gates

We demonstrate all-optical fibre switches, including soliton-dragging logic gates, soliton-interaction gates and soliton-trapping AND-gates, that have the potential of operating up to speeds of 0.2 Tbps. Solitons in fibres are attractive for ultrafast timedomain switching because they avoid pulse distortion during propagation and because they exhibit particle-like properties. Soliton-dragging logic gates satisfy all requirements for a digital optical processor and having switching energies approaching 1 pJ. In addition, soliton-dragging logic gates are one example of a more general timedomain chirp switch architecture in which a dispersive delay line acts as a lever-arm to reduce the switching energy. Soliton-interaction gates are based on elastic collisions between solitons and illustrate that solitons can be used to implement conservative, billiard-ball logic operations. Soliton-trapping AND-gates are sensitive to the timing of the input pulses and display on/off contrast ratios greater than 201. The soliton-trapping AND-gate can serve as the final stage in an all-optical system and as the interface to electronics. These ultrafast gates may prove advantageous in applications where the switch bandwidth limits the performance of the system     

Level of some minor and trace elements in Bangladeshi meat products

An investigation on the level of some minor and trace elements in some varieties of meat (beef, mutton and chicken) consumed in Bangladesh is reported. In this study, protoninduced X-ray emission (PIXE) and radioisotope-induced X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques were used for analytical measurements. In PIXE measurements, the samples were exposed to the proton beam in air as 1 mm thick pellets and irradiated with 2.0 MeV protons having the beam intensity of 30 nA for characteristic X-ray excitation, whereas in XRF, the samples were excited for 5000 seconds with a 10 mCi¹⁰⁹Cd annular X-ray source. The elemental concentrations of Ca, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb and Sr were determined in the samples by comparison with X-ray yield curves constructed from IAEA and NBS standard reference materials. The significance of the results is dicussed in relation to human health and diseases.This research received financial support from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, under the research contract RC-4265/RB.     

Cinnamomum verum J. Presl Bark Contains High Contents of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide

The global population is aging, and intervention strategies for anti-aging and the prevention of aging-related diseases have become a topic actively explored today. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) is an important molecule in the metabolic process, and its content in tissues and cells decreases with age. The supplementation of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), an important intermediate and precursor of NAD⁺, has increased NAD⁺ levels, and its safety has been demonstrated in rodents and human studies. However, the high content of NMN in natural plants has not been fully explored as herbal medicines for drug development. Here, we identified that the leaf of Cinnamomum verum J. Presl (C. verum) was the highest NMN content among the Plant Extract Library (PEL) with food experience, using ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). To validate this result, the extraction and quantitative analysis of bark, leaf, root, and stem of fresh C. verum was conducted. The results revealed that the bark had the highest NMN content in C. verum (0.471 mg/100 g). Our study shed light on the prospects of developing natural plants in the context of NMN as drugs for anti-aging and prevention of aging-related diseases. The future should focus on the development and application of C. verum pharmaceutical formulations.     

Enhancement of Anti-Tumoral Properties of Paclitaxel Nano-Crystals by Conjugation of Folic Acid to Pluronic F127: Formulation Optimization,In Vitro and In Vivo Study

A brand-new nano-crystal (NC) version of the hydrophobic drug Paclitaxel (PT) were formulated for cancer treatment. A stable NC formulation for the administration of PT was created using the triblock co-polymer Pluronic F127. To achieve maximum entrapment effectiveness and minimal particle size, the formulation was improved using the central composite design by considering agitation speed and vacuum pressure at five levels (coded as +1.414, +1, 0, −1, and −1.414). According to the Design Expert software’s predictions, 13 runs were created and evaluated for the chosen responses. The formulation prepared with an agitation speed of 1260 RPM and a vacuum pressure of 77.53 mbar can meet the requirements of the ideal formulation in order to achieve 142.56 nm of PS and 75.18% EE, according to the level of desirability (D = 0.959). Folic acid was conjugated to Pluronic F127 to create folate receptor-targeted NC. The drug release profile of the nano-crystals in vitro demonstrated sustained release over an extended period. Folate receptor (FR)-targeted NC (O-PT-NC-Folate) has also been prepared by conjugating folic acid to Pluronic F127. MTT test is used to validate the targeting efficacy on the FR-positive human oral cancer cell line (KB). At pharmacologically relevant concentrations, the PT nano-crystal formulation did not cause hemolysis. Compared to non-targeted NC of PT, the O-PT-NC-Folate showed a comparable but more sustained anti-cancer effect, according to an in vivo anti-tumor investigation in NCI/ADR-RES cell lines. The remarkable anti-tumor effectiveness, minimal toxicity, and simplicity of scale-up manufacturing of the NC formulations indicate their potential for clinical development. Other hydrophobic medications that are formulated into nano-systems for improved therapy may benefit from the formulation approach.     

Highly Efficient Photocatalysts for Methylene Blue Degradation Based on a Platform of Deposited GO-ZnO Nanoparticles on Polyurethane Foam

The demand for reactive dyes in industries has increased rapidly in recent years, and producing a large quantity of dye-containing effluent waste contaminates soils and water streams. Current efforts to remove these harmful dyes have focused on utilizing functionalized nanomaterials. A 3D polyurethane foam loaded with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and ZnO nanocomposite (PUF/rGO/ZnO) has been proposed as an efficient structural design for dye degradation under the influence of visible light. The proposed structure was synthesized using a hydrothermal route followed by microwave irradiation. The resultant 3D PUF/rGO/ZnO was examined and characterized by various techniques such as XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDAX, BET, and UV–visible spectroscopy. SEM data illustrated that a good dispersion and embedment of the rGO/ZnO NPs within the PUF matrix occurred. The adsorption capacity for neat PUF showed that around 20% of the Methylene blue (MB) dye was only adsorbed on its surface. However, it was found that an exceptional adsorption capacity for MB degradation was observed when the rGO/ZnO NPs inserted into the PUF, which initially deteriorated to ~ 70 % of its initial concentration. Notably, the MB dye was completely degraded within 3 h.     

Graphene and Carbon Nanotube-based Electrochemical Sensing Platforms for Dopamine

Dopamine (DA) is an important neurotransmitter, which is created and released from the central nervous system. It plays a crucial role in human activities, like cognition, emotions, and response to anything. Maladjustment of DA in human blood serum results in different neural diseases, like Parkinson's and Schizophrenia. Consequently, researchers have started working on DA detection in blood serum, which is undoubtedly a hot research area. Electrochemical sensing techniques are more promising to detect DA in real samples. However, utilizing conventional electrodes for selective determination of DA encounters numerous problems due to the coexistence of other materials, such as uric acid and ascorbic acid, which have an oxidation potential close to DA. To overcome such problems, researchers have put their focus on the modification of bare electrodes. The aim of this review is to present recent advances in modifications of most used bare electrodes with carbonaceous materials, especially graphene, its derivatives, and carbon nanotubes, for electrochemical detection of DA. A brief discussion about the mechanistic phenomena at the electrode interface has also been included in this review.     

Hybrid EuIII Coordination Luminophore Standing on Two Legs on Silica Nanoparticles for Enhanced Luminescence

In this study, we have demonstrated a two-legged, upright molecular design method for monochromatic and bright red luminescent Ln^III-silica nanomaterials. A novel Eu^III-silica hybrid nanoparticle was developed by using a doubly binding TPPO−Si(OEt)₃ (TPPO: triphenyl phosphine oxide) linker. The TPPO−Si(OEt)₃ was confirmed by ¹H, ³¹P, ²⁹Si NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray analysis. Luminescent Eu(hfa)₃ and Eu(tfc)₃ moieties (hfa: hexafluoroacetylacetonate, tfc: 3-(trifluoromethylhydroxymethylene)camphorate) were fixed onto TPPO−Si(OEt)₃-modified silica nanoparticles, producing Eu(hfa)₃(TPPO−Si)₂-SiO₂ and Eu(tfc)₃(TPPO−Si)₂-SiO₂, respectively. Eu(hfa)₃(TPPO−Si)₂−SiO₂ exhibited the higher intrinsic luminescence quantum yield (93 %) and longer emission lifetime (0.98 ms), which is much larger than those of previously reported Eu^III-based hybrid materials. Eu(tfc)₃(TPPO−Si)₂−SiO₂ showed an extra-large intrinsic emission quantum yield (54 %), although the emission quantum yield for the precursor Eu(tfc)₃(TPPO−Si(OEt)₃)₂ was found to be 39 %. These results confirmed that the TPPO−Si(OEt)₃ linker is a promising candidate for development of Eu^III-based luminescent materials.