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Fulltext Silver Nanoparticles Embedded on Reduced Graphene Oxide@Copper Oxide Nanocomposite for High Performance Supercapacitor Applications

Ansari AR, Ansari SA, Parveen N, Ansari MO, Osman Z

Materials (Basel), 2021 Sep 03;14(17).
PMID: 34501128 DOI: 10.3390/ma14175032

In this work, silver (Ag) decorated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) coated with ultrafine CuO nanosheets (Ag-rGO@CuO) was prepared by the combination of a microwave-assisted hydrothermal route and a chemical methodology. The prepared Ag-rGO@CuO was characterized for its morphological features by field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy while the structural characterization was performed by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis was undertaken to confirm the elemental composition. The electrochemical performance of prepared samples was studied by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge in a 2M KOH electrolyte solution. The CuO nanosheets provided excellent electrical conductivity and the rGO sheets provided a large surface area with good mesoporosity that increases electron and ion mobility during the redox process. Furthermore, the highly conductive Ag nanoparticles upon the rGO@CuO surface further enhanced electrochemical performance by providing extra channels for charge conduction. The ternary Ag-rGO@CuO nanocomposite shows a very high specific capacitance of 612.5 to 210 Fg-1 compared against rGO@CuO which has a specific capacitance of 375 to 87.5 Fg-1 and the CuO nanosheets with a specific capacitance of 113.75 to 87.5 Fg-1 at current densities 0.5 and 7 Ag-1, respectively.
Genetic diversity among tomato accessions based on agro-morphological traits

Izhar Hussain, Sher Aslam Khan, Abid Farid, Naushad Ali, Sardar Ali, Shah Masaud, et al.

Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:2637-2645.

It is of great importance to know about the genetic diversity, conservation and classification for further utilization of
tomato germplasm resources. Therefore, 40 tomato accessions were evaluated on the basic of agro-morphological traits
for genetic diversity in 2014. The experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Farm, University of Haripur and
farmer field in Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Principal component analysis showed that five out of 27 principal
components with an eigenvalue above 1.0 were considered for 74.10% of the total variance. The major contributing traits
in variations were days to flowering (DFL), days to fruiting (DFR), fruit size (FS), fruit weight plant-1 (FW), yield plot-1 (YPP),
yield hectare-1 (YPH), leaf length (LL), predominant fruit shape (PDFS), fruit length (FL), fruit width (FWidth), clusters
plant-1 (CPP), fruits plant-1
(FPP) and plant height (PH). The scattered plot of the PC’s revealed that the accessions were
scattered in all the quarters, which is also a representative that high level of genetic variability was present. FW and FL
were positively correlated with YPH. However, the remaining yield components indirectly contributed YPH. Cluster analysis
divided 40 accessions into four main clusters (I, II, III and IV), each of which having 12, 11, 07 and 10 accessions. The
accessions in clusters I and II were statistically similar and performed better in terms of yield and yield related traits.
Grouping into different clusters was associated with their agro-morphological differences. These results could be serving
as a useful resource for further characterization, preservation and breeding programs.
Fulltext The Types and Pattern of Use of Mobile Health Applications Among the General Population: A Cross-Sectional Study from Selangor, Malaysia

Kc B, Alrasheedy AA, Hing Goh B, Blebil A, Bangash NSA, Mohamed Ibrahim MI, et al.

Patient Prefer Adherence, 2021;15:1755-1762.
PMID: 34408408 DOI: 10.2147/PPA.S325851

Purpose: The aims of this study are to explore the types and patterns of use of health mobile apps among pharmacy clients in Selangor, Malaysia, and to explore the users' experiences and views regarding the benefits of and issues with the use of the health apps.
Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 278 pharmacy clients who were using health apps on their smartphones. A survey was developed, piloted, and rolled out, comprised of socio-demographic characteristics, information regarding the common types and the pattern of health app use, the benefits of health apps, and issues that users faced while using these apps. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 21.
Results: The mean (±SD) age of health app users was 29.8 (±11.74) years old, and over half of them (51.8%) were male, while less than half were female (48.2%). There were 48 different types of mobile health apps used by the participants in this study. The two most common were multi-purpose general health apps (53.6%) and fitness apps (38.1%). In terms of pattern of use, 33.5% of the participants reported using their health apps daily, 36.7% at least once weekly, and 25.2% monthly. The main benefits reported by the users were tracking of health status (47%), motivation (41%), and knowledge about health and fitness (9%). The main issues reported by the participants included inaccuracy of the app (24%), inconvenience (20.7%), and not being user-friendly (18.5%).
Conclusion: The study showed that the participants used many different types of mobile health apps for several purposes, including general health, wellness, fitness, and self-management of diseases. These apps helped the participants to track their health-related activities and motivated them to maintain their wellness and fitness. Further areas of improvement were identified to ensure evidence-based and effective utilization of apps to achieve required health outcomes.
Benzimidazole derivatives protect against cytokine-induced apoptosis in pancreatic β-Cells

Zawawi NK, Rajput SA, Taha M, Ahmat N, Ismail NH, Abdullah N, et al.

Bioorg Med Chem Lett, 2015 Oct 15;25(20):4672-6.
PMID: 26330080 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2015.08.022

Apoptotic cell death is the cause of the loss of insulin-producing β-cells in all forms of diabetes mellitus. The identification of small molecules capable of protecting cytokine-induced apoptosis could form the basis of useful therapeutic interventions. Here in, we present the discovery and synthesis of new benzimidazole derivatives, capable of rescuing pancreatic β-cells from cytokine-induced apoptosis. Three hydrazone derivatives of benzimidazole significantly increased the cellular ATP levels, reduced caspase-3 activity, reduced nitrite production and increased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in the presence of proinflammatory cytokines. These findings suggest that these compounds may protect β-cells from the harmful effects of cytokines and may serve as candidates for therapeutic intervention for diabetes.