<p>Shiv Nadar University is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, research-focused, and student-centric University offering a full range of academic programs at the undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level. With state-of-the-art infrastructure, the University comprises of academic wings, sophisticated labs, international standard sports facilities, amphitheaters, auditorium, conference rooms and smart classrooms. The University&rsquo;s goal is to become internationally recognized for the quality of its research and creative endeavors and their applicability to improving quality of life, generating new insights and expanding the boundaries of human knowledge creativity. Committed to excellence in teaching, research and service, the University aims to serve the higher education needs of India and the world beyond.</p>

Shiv Nadar University

(SoNS) School of Natural Sciences

In this report, an effort has been made to develop an efficient PbS quantum dot-sensitized photoanode by simple successive ionic layer adsorption and reduction technique to enhance the overall photovoltaic performance of PbS quantum dot-sensitized solar cells. Three strategies have been adopted for the improvement of the photovoltaic performance of PbS quantum dot-sensitized solar cells, i.e., (i) by incorporation of TiO2-Au nanocomposites, where Au nanoparticles of different sizes are embedded into a TiO2 matrix, and (ii) variation of temperature at which quantum dots are deposited (iii) by postdeposition annealing of QD-sensitized photoanode in Ar atmosphere. We have used electrophoretic deposition technique to develop the nanocomposite-doped photoanode. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirms that the Au particles dispersed in the TiO2 matrix vary from 2 to 50 nm and PbS quantum dot size ranges 3.5–6 nm. The optical absorption of PbS quantum dot-sensitized TiO2-Au-incorporated photoanode is substantially enhanced as confirmed from the UV-visible absorption spectra measurements. The current-voltage characteristics of all the plasmonic quantum dot-sensitized solar cells under illumination (100 mW/cm2, AM 1.5) show significant improvement in power conversion efficiency using the abovementioned strategies. The maximum power conversion efficiency observed in PbS quantum dot-based quantum dot-sensitized solar cells is 7.0\%. Electroimpedance spectroscopy has been utilized to understand the recombination kinetics in these solar cells. © 2018, Springer Nature B.V.

World University root node

Physics

Journal of Nanoparticle Research

Enhanced efficiency of PbS quantum dot-sensitized solar cells using plasmonic photoanode

The evolution operator U(t) for a time-independent parity-time-symmetric systems is well studied in the literature. However, for the non-Hermitian time-dependent systems, a closed form expression for the evolution operator is not available. In this paper, we make use of a procedure, originally developed by A.R.P. Rau [Phys.Rev.Lett, 81, 4785-4789 (1998)], in the context of deriving the solution of Liuville-Bloch equations in the product formof exponential operatorswhen time-dependent external fields are present, for the evaluation of U(t) in the interaction picture wherein the corresponding Hamiltonian is time-dependent and in general non-Hermitian. This amounts to a transformation of the whole scheme in terms of addressing a nonlinear Riccati equation the existence of whose solutions depends on the fulfillment of a certain accompanying integrability condition. © 2018 Andromeda Publishing And Academic Services LTD. All right reserved.

Fulltext

Letters in High Energy Physics

Evolution operator for time-dependent non-Hermitian Hamiltonians

Organelle-targeted photosensitizers (PSs) having luminescence properties are potential theranostic agents for simultaneous luminescence imaging and photodynamic therapy. Herein, we report a water-soluble luminescent cyclometalated IrIII complex, Ir-Bp-Ly, as a lysosome-targeted theranostic probe. Ir-Bp-Ly exhibits exceptional photophysical properties, with good triplet-state quantum yield (0.90), singlet oxygen generation quantum yield (0.71 at pH 4), and long lifetime (1.47 μs). Interestingly, Ir-Bp-Ly localizes mostly in lysosomes due to the presence of morpholine units, suggesting its potential use as a lyso-tracker. Ir-Bp-Ly displays a notable PDT effect in C6 glioma cells, efficiently generating reactive oxygen species owing to close proximity between the energy levels of its triplet state and those of molecular oxygen (3O2). The mechanism of cell death has been studied through caspase-3/7 and flow cytometry analyses, which clearly established the apoptotic pathway. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Chemistry

Chemistry - A European Journal

A Cyclometalated IrIII Complex as a Lysosome-Targeted Photodynamic Therapeutic Agent for Integrated Imaging and Therapy in Cancer Cells

Immunotargeting ability of antibodies may show significant difference between in vitro and in vivo. To select antibody leads with high affinity and specificity, it is necessary to perform in vivo validation of antibody candidates following in vitro antibody screening. Herein, a robust in vivo validation of anti-tetraspanin-8 antibody candidates against human colon cancer using ratiometric quantification method is reported. The validation is performed on a single mouse and analyzed by multiplexed surface-enhanced Raman scattering using ultrasensitive and near infrared (NIR)-active surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering nanoprobes (NIR-SERRS dots). The NIR-SERRS dots are composed of NIR-active labels and Au/Ag hollow-shell assembled silica nanospheres. A 93% of NIR-SERRS dots is detectable at a single-particle level and signal intensity is 100-fold stronger than that from nonresonant molecule-labeled spherical Au NPs (80 nm). The result of SERRS-based antibody validation is comparable to that of the conventional method using single-photon-emission computed tomography. The NIR-SERRS-based strategy is an alternate validation method which provides cost-effective and accurate multiplexing measurements for antibody-based drug development. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Advanced Healthcare Materials

Ultrasensitive NIR-SERRS Probes with Multiplexed Ratiometric Quantification for In Vivo Antibody Leads Validation

A catalyst consisting of titanium oxide encapsulated cuprous iodide nanoparticles was prepared via a sol-gel method using inexpensive raw materials and was harnessed successfully in the oxidative amidation of alkynes via an environmentally benign and sustainable protocol. The mechanism of action of this transformation was thoroughly discussed. The robustness of the catalyst was elucidated by the synthesis of diverse analogues of α-ketoarylamide from a variety of electron rich and poor substrates via a simple procedure in moderate to high yields, with no generation of toxic by-products, in good recyclability up to five cycles, under solvent free and aerobic conditions. The chemical nature, morphology and loading of the CuI@TiO2 nanocatalyst were investigated by TEM, SEM, XPS, EDX, powder XRD, BET, TGA and ICP-MS. © The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

New Journal of Chemistry

Aerobic oxidative amidation of alkynes using titanium oxide encapsulated cuprous iodide nanoparticles (CuI@TiO2)

Ligand- and solvent-free catalytic conditions that harness a nanostructured–CuI catalyst encapsulated in TiO2 has been reported for C2-amination of azoles (benzothiazole, benzoxazole and thiazole). The reaction is highly regioselective. The catalyst is robust, inexpensive and can be recycled up to four times. This strategy was further used for the synthesis of a small molecule with anti-HIV and anti-tumor properties. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

European Journal of Organic Chemistry

Solid Supported Nano Structured Cu-Catalyst for Solvent/Ligand Free C2 Amination of Azoles

We address the presently reported significant flavor anomalies in the Kaon and B meson systems such as the CP violating Kaon decay (ϵ′/ϵ) and lepton-flavor universality violation in B meson decays (RK(*),RD(*)), by proposing flavorful and chiral vector bosons as the new physics constitution at around TeV scale. The chiral-flavorful vectors (CFVs) are introduced as a 63-plet of the global SU(8) symmetry, identified as the one-family symmetry for left-handed quarks and leptons in the standard model (SM) forming the 8-dimensional vector. Thus the CFVs include massive gluons, vector leptoquarks, and W′, Z′-type bosons, which are allowed to have flavorful couplings with left-handed quarks and leptons, and flavor-universal couplings to right-handed ones, where the latter arises from mixing with the SM gauge bosons. The flavor texture is assumed to possess a “minimal” structure to be consistent with the current flavor measurements on the K and B systems. Among the presently reported significant flavor anomalies in the Kaon and B meson systems (ϵ′/ϵ, RK(*),RD(*)), the first two ϵ′/ϵ and RK(*) anomalies can simultaneously be interpreted by the presence of CFVs; the RD(*) anomaly is predicted not to survive, due to the approximate SU(8) flavor symmetry. Remarkably, we find that as long as both of the ϵ′/ϵ and RK(*) anomalies persist beyond the SM, the CFVs predict the enhanced K+→ π+νν¯ and KL→ π0νν¯ decay rates compared to the SM values, which will readily be explored by the NA62 and KOTO experiments, and they will also be explored in new resonance searches at the Large Hadron Collider. © 2018, The Author(s).

Journal of High Energy Physics

Simultaneous interpretation of K and B anomalies in terms of chiral-flavorful vectors

Tunnelling nanotubes (TNTs), also known as membrane nanochannels, are actin-based structures that facilitate cytoplasmic connections for rapid intercellular transfer of signals, organelles and membrane components. These dynamic TNTs can form de novo in animal cells and establish complex intercellular networks between distant cells up to 150 μm apart. Within the last decade, TNTs have been discovered in different cell types including tumor cells, macrophages, monocytes, endothelial cells and T cells. It has also been further elucidated that these nanotubes play a vital role in diseased conditions such as cancer, where TNT formation occurs at a higher pace and is used for rapid intercellular modulation of chemo-resistance. Viruses such as HIV, HSV and prions also hijack the existing TNT connections between host cells for rapid transmission and evasion of the host immune responses. The following review aims to describe the heterogeneity of TNTs, their role in different tissues and disease conditions in order to enhance our understanding on how these nanotubes can be used as a target for therapies. © 2018 The Author(s).

Life Sciences

Cell Communication and Signaling

Perspective on nanochannels as cellular mediators in different disease conditions

Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC; HER2-, ER-/PR-) is an aggressive subtype prone to drug resistance and metastasis, which is characterized by high intratumor microvascular density (iMVD) resulting from angiogenesis. However, the mechanisms contributing to the aggressive phenotypes of TNBC remain elusive. We recently reported that down-regulation of exchange factor directly activated by cyclic AMP (cAMP), also known as EPAC1, leads to a reduction in metastatic properties including proliferation and cell migration in TNBC cell lines. Here, we report that EPAC1 supports TNBC-induced angiogenesis, tumor cell migration and invasiveness as well as pro-metastatic phenotypes in endothelial cells induced through the tumor secretome. Using an approach that integrates proteomics with bioinformatics and gene ontologies, we elucidate that EPAC1 supports a tumor-secreted network of angiogenic, cell adhesion and cell migratory pathways. Using confocal microscopy, we show that signaling molecules involved in focal adhesion, including Paxillin and MENA, are down-regulated in the absence of EPAC1, and electric cell substrate impedance sensing technique confirmed a role for EPAC1 on TNBC-induced endothelial cell permeability. Finally, to provide a translational bridge, we studied iMVD and therapy response using a primary human tumor explant assay, CANscript TM, which suggests a link between therapy-modulated neovascularization and drug sensitivity. These data provide mechanistic insight into the role of EPAC1 in regulating the tumor microenvironment, iMVD and cancer cell-induced angiogenesis, a dynamic mechanism under drug pressure that may associate to treatment failure. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Carcinogenesis

CAMP regulated EPAC1 supports microvascular density, angiogenic and metastatic properties in a model of triple negative breast cancer

We have systematically studied heating efficiencies (via specific absorption rate–SAR/intrinsic loss power-ILP) of carboxyl (terephthalic acid-TA) functionalized hydrophilic SPIONs based ferrofluids (with good biocompatibility/high magnetization) and influence of following key factors in magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH): (i) alternating magnetic fields (AMFs - H)/frequencies (f) - chosen below/above Hergt's biological safety limit, (ii) concentrations (0.5–8 mg/ml) and (iii) dispersion media (water, a cell-culture medium and triethylene glycol (TEG)) for in vitro cancer therapy. In calorimetric MFH, aqueous ferrofluids have displayed excellent time-dependent temperature rise for the applied AMFs, which resulted in high SAR ranging from 23.4 to 160.7 W/gFe, attributed to the enhanced magnetic responses via π-conjugations of short-chained TA molecules on the surface of SPIONs. Moreover, ILP values up-to 2.5 nHm2/kg (higher than the best commercial ferrofluids) are attained for the aqueous ferrofluids when excited below the recommended safety limit. Besides, the SPIONs dispersed in high viscous TEG have exhibited the highest SAR value (178.8 W/gFe) and reached therapeutic temperatures at faster rates for the lowest concentration due to prominent Neel relaxations. Moreover, these SPIONs have higher killing efficiency towards MCF-7 cancer cells in in vitro studies. Thus, the TA-based ferrofluids have great potential for in vivo/clinical MFH cancer therapies. © 2017 Elsevier Inc.