Tungsten Oxide (WO3) is a well-known transition metal oxide which exhibits non-toxicity and stability in its nanoparticle form. It is a potential candidate for a variety of applications due to its low cost and facile synthesis process. In the present work, WO3 nanoparticles were synthesized via facile acid-coprecipitation method to explore the effect of surfactants on the morphology of WO3 nanoparticles and thus, on its structural, optical and electrochemical properties. The morphology analysis revealed the formation of spherical nanoparticles in the absence of any surfactant while nanoflakes and nanosheets were observed in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), respectively. Moreover, the presence of surfactants was found to influence the crystallinity state of the samples. The different morphologies exhibited optical band gap of 2.2-2.7 eV as analyzed by UV-Vis spectroscopy along with other optical properties like absorbance range and refractive index. The electrochemical properties of the samples were studied by employing potentio electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (PEIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. CV analysis revealed the diffusion-controlled behavior of the samples which may be suitable for photovoltaic applications. Furthermore, impedance study showed the presence of Warburg impedance which indicates that there is an infinite layer of excitons on the surface of thin film, further suggesting WO3 as a prominent material for solar cell applications. The incorporation of surfactants resulted in the reduction of charge transfer resistance indicating more efficient charge transfer process.
Varma, et al.: Pyrazinamide Polymeric Nanoparticles for Alveolar Macrophage TargetingPyrazinamide, a highly specific agent against Mycobacterium tuberculosis is used as first-line drug to treat tuberculosis. The current work aims to formulate polymeric nanoparticles based drug delivery system to sustain the release profile and reduce the dosing frequency of pyrazinamide. Further aim was to target the macrophages within body fluid. These polymeric nanoparticles were prepared by simultaneous double-emulsion (W/O/W) solvent evaporation/diffusion technique. The prepared dispersions were characterized for various biopharmaceutical parameters such as particle size, zeta potential, polydispersity index, drug loading capacity, entrapment efficiency and targeting to alveolar macrophages. The formulated polymeric nanoparticles were in the particle size range of 45.51 to 300.4 nm with a maximum drug entrapment efficiency of 80.9%. The stability study of optimized batch conducted at 40±2°/75±5% relative humidity showed no significant changes up to 90 days. X-Ray Diffraction spectrum exhibits the transformation of crystalline form of drug to amorphous in the formulation. Scanning Electron Microscope image showed nanoparticles spherical in shape with smooth surface. In vitro release profiles were biphasic in nature with burst release followed by controlled release over a period of 24 h obeying diffusion mechanism. In vivo and ex vivo studies results of the study show significant uptake of the nanoparticles by alveolar macrophages through fluorescent micrograph. Polymeric nanoparticles formulation of pyrazinamide could encompass significant uptake by alveolar macrophages, the high first-pass metabolism, sustain the release of drug leading to reduction in dose, toxicity and improvement of patient compliance.
The study was on the effect of stocking density on growth and survival of grey mullet, (Mugil cephalus) in floating net cages in closed bay, Bapatla. Triplicate groups of mullets with an average initial weight of 0.95 gm were randomly stocked in floating net cages (1m×1m×2m) at 20, 40, 60 and 80 fish/m 3 designed as D20, D40, D60 and D80, respectively. Mullets in the cages were fed with 25% crude protein (CP) formulated diet at 10% of body weight twice daily. Sampling was done weekly. At the end of the experiment, growth in terms of body weight of fish was high in D20 than those in D40, D60 or D80, and in terms of weight gain, and specific growth rate of fish was high in D40 than those in D20, D60 and D80. The analysis of variance for growth performance showed among the treatments at 1% and 5% level of significance and better performance was observed at D20. There was a significant difference in the survival rates of mullets at different stocking densities. However, the survival was recorded at D20 (80%) and lowest at D80 (70%). At the end of the experiment survival rates was high in D20, then those in D40, D60 and D80. Total Feed Conversion Ratio was lower in D20 and D40, followed by D60 and D80. The cages stocked with 20 fish/m 3 have highest growth performance and 80 fish/m 3 showed highest biomass performance. Water quality parameters were at optimum level during study period. Results suggest that 20 fish/m 3 could be recommended for producing better quality mullet fingerlings and 80 fish/m 3 for highest number of seed production.
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