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Abstract Anger suppression is important in our daily life, as its failure can sometimes lead to the breaking down of relationships in families. Thus, effective strategies to suppress or neutralise anger have been examined. This study shows that physical disposal of a piece of paper containing one’s written thoughts on the cause of a provocative event neutralises anger, while holding the paper did not. In this study, participants wrote brief opinions about social problems and received a handwritten, insulting comment consisting of low evaluations about their composition from a confederate. Then, the participants wrote the cause and their thoughts about the provocative event. Half of the participants (disposal group) disposed of the paper in the trash can (Experiment 1) or in the shredder (Experiment 2), while the other half (retention group) kept it in a file on the desk. All the participants showed an increased subjective rating of anger after receiving the insulting feedback. However, the subjective anger for the disposal group decreased as low as the baseline period, while that of the retention group was still higher than that in the baseline period in both experiments. We propose this method as a powerful and simple way to eliminate anger.

Abstract We report an innovative and facile approach to fabricating an ultrasensitive plasmonic paper substrate for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The approach exploits the self-assembling capability of poly(styrene-b-2-vinyl pyridine) block copolymers to form a thin film at the air-liquid interface within the single microdroplet scale for the first time and the subsequent in situ growth of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The concentration of the block copolymer was found to play an essential role in stabilizing the droplets during the mass transfer phase and formation of silver nanoparticles, thus influencing the SERS signals. SEM analysis of the morphology of the plasmonic paper substrates revealed the formation of spherical AgNPs evenly distributed across the surface of the formed copolymer film with a size distribution of 47.5 nm. The resultant enhancement factor was calculated to be 1.2 × 107, and the detection limit of rhodamine 6G was as low as 48.9 pM. The nanohybridized plasmonic paper was successfully applied to detect two emerging pollutants—sildenafil and flibanserin—with LODs as low as 1.48 nM and 3.45 nM, respectively. Thus, this study offers new prospects for designing an affordable and readily available, yet highly sensitive, paper-based SERS substrate with the potential for development as a lab-on-a-chip device.

Abstract Oil-immersed transformers are expensive equipment in the electrical system, and their failure would lead to widespread blackouts and catastrophic economic losses. In this work, an elaborate diagnostic approach is proposed to evaluate twenty-six different transformers in-service to determine their operative status as per the IEC 60599:2022 standard and CIGRE brochure. The approach integrates dissolved gas analysis (DGA), transformer oil integrity analysis, visual inspections, and two Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) algorithms to predict the loss of life (LOL) of the transformers through condition monitoring of the cellulose paper. The first BPNN algorithm proposed is based on forecasting the degree of polymerization (DP) using 2-Furaldehyde (2FAL) concentration measured from oil samples using DGA, and the second BPNN algorithm proposed is based on forecasting transformer LOL using the 2FAL and DP data obtained from the first BPNN algorithm. The first algorithm produced a correlation coefficient of 0.970 when the DP was predicted using the 2FAL measured in oil and the second algorithm produced a correlation coefficient of 0.999 when the LOL was predicted using the 2FAL and DP output data obtained from the first algorithm. The results show that the BPNN can be utilized to forecast the DP and LOL of transformers in-service. Lastly, the results are used for hazard analysis and lifespan prediction based on the health index (HI) for each transformer to predict the expected years of service.

Since the last two decades, the use of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites has garnered significant application considerations over the synthetic fiber reinforced composites due to their numerous advantages and unique properties. Likewise, epoxy resin has attracted the interest of many researchers for composite synthesis, basically because of its chemical stability, thermal and mechanical characteristics. Hence, the primary aim of this study was to investigate the influence of dombeya fiber and paper particulate on the physical and mechanical properties of dombeya fiber and paper particulate-reinforced polymer composites for structural applications. Dombeya fiber and paper particles are renewable and biodegradable materials, thereby making them environmentally friendly materials to replace synthetic materials. Hand lay-up technique was utilized to fabricate the hybrid-reinforced biocomposites after which they were subjected to mechanical, wear, density, and moisture absorption properties. The surface morphology of the fractured surface was also analyzed to investigate its microstructural features. It was discovered from the results that hybrid biocomposites demonstrated improved properties over the unreinforced composite, with composites from 9-wt% dombeya fiber-paper particles reinforced biocomposite exhibiting the most suitable properties with commensurate density with the unreinforced epoxy matrix. These obtained characteristics support the material as a suitable material for biomedical apparatus application such as orthopedic implants, surgical instruments, and bone fixation devices.

Abstract Personalized healthcare management is an emerging field that requires the development of environment‐friendly, integrated, and electrochemical multimodal devices. In this study, the concept of integrated paper‐based biosensors (IFP−Multi) for personalized healthcare management is introduced. By leveraging ink printing technology and a ChatGPT–bioelectronic interface, these biosensors offer ultrahigh areal‐specific capacitance (74633 mF cm−2), excellent mechanical properties, and multifunctional sensing and humidity power generation capabilities. More importantly, the IFP−Multi devices have the potential to simulate deaf‐mute vocalization and can be integrated into wearable sensors to detect muscle contractions and bending motions. Moreover, they also enable monitoring of physiological signals from various body parts, such as the throat, nape, elbow, wrist, and knee, and successfully record sharp and repeatable signals generated by muscle contractions. In addition, the IFP−Multi devices demonstrate self‐powered handwriting sensing and moisture power generation for sweat‐sensing applications. As a proof‐of‐concept, a GPT 3.5 model‐based fine‐tuning and prediction pipeline that utilizes recorded physiological signals through IFP−Multi is showcased, enabling artificial intelligence with multimodal sensing capabilities for personalized healthcare management. This work presents a promising and ecofriendly approach to developing paper‐based electrochemical multimodal devices, paving the way for a new era of healthcare advancements.

Abstract This article presents the results of an experiment designed to study the impact of temperature on the characteristic parameters of creeping discharges. The insulating interfaces consist of a thermally enhanced cellulose surface immersed in mineral oil, palm kernel oil methyl ester (PKOME) and castor oil methyl ester (COME). The study was carried out under a standard negative lightning impulse voltage (1.2/50 μs). The article also presents the complete algorithms for calculating the maximum extension of the discharges, the ionisation rate and the charge produced by them. The results of the study show that temperature favors the propagation of discharges and the ionisation rate. It was observed that liquids with a higher dielectric constant and high electrical conductivity were more exposed to the impact of temperature. The results show ionisation increments of 0.973%/°C, 1.093%/°C and 1.076%/°C in mineral oil (MO), COME and PKOME respectively. The maximum extension of the discharges shows a linear evolution with the applied voltage and temperature but a non-linear increment with the temperature. As for the charge produced, it shows a constant increment with temperature and voltage in each liquid. These values are (5.839%/°C, 1.977%/kV), (6.047%/°C, 2.082%/kV) and (6.177%/°C, 2.113%/kV) respectively in MO, COME and PKOME.

Abstract The erratic, intermittent, and unpredictable nature of sweat production, resulting from physiological or psychological fluctuations, poses intricacies to consistently and accurately sample and evaluate sweat biomarkers. Skin‐interfaced microfluidic devices that rely on colorimetric mechanisms for semi‐quantitative detection are particularly susceptible to these inaccuracies due to variations in sweat secretion rate or instantaneous volume. This work introduces a skin‐interfaced colorimetric bifluidic sweat device with two synchronous channels to quantify sweat rate and biomarkers in real‐time, even during uncertain sweat activities. In the proposed bifluidic‐distance metric approach, with one channel to measure sweat rate and quantify collected sweat volume, the other channel can provide an accurate analysis of the biomarkers based on the collected sweat volume. The closed channel design also reduces evaporation and resists contamination from the external environment. The feasibility of the device is highlighted in a proof‐of‐the‐concept demonstration to analyze sweat chloride for evaluating hydration status and sweat glucose for assessing glucose levels. The low‐cost yet highly accurate device provides opportunities for clinical sweat analysis and disease screening in remote and low‐resource settings. The developed device platform can be facilely adapted for the other biomarkers when corresponding colorimetric reagents are exploited.

Abstract There has been a growing effort to replace manual extraction of data from research papers with automated data extraction based on natural language processing, language models, and recently, large language models (LLMs). Although these methods enable efficient extraction of data from large sets of research papers, they require a significant amount of up-front effort, expertise, and coding. In this work, we propose the ChatExtract method that can fully automate very accurate data extraction with minimal initial effort and background, using an advanced conversational LLM. ChatExtract consists of a set of engineered prompts applied to a conversational LLM that both identify sentences with data, extract that data, and assure the data’s correctness through a series of follow-up questions. These follow-up questions largely overcome known issues with LLMs providing factually inaccurate responses. ChatExtract can be applied with any conversational LLMs and yields very high quality data extraction. In tests on materials data, we find precision and recall both close to 90% from the best conversational LLMs, like GPT-4. We demonstrate that the exceptional performance is enabled by the information retention in a conversational model combined with purposeful redundancy and introducing uncertainty through follow-up prompts. These results suggest that approaches similar to ChatExtract, due to their simplicity, transferability, and accuracy are likely to become powerful tools for data extraction in the near future. Finally, databases for critical cooling rates of metallic glasses and yield strengths of high entropy alloys are developed using ChatExtract.

Abstract Energy storage devices (ESD) which are intended to power electronic devices, used in close contact of human skin, are desirable to be safe and non-toxic. In light of this requirement, Zn based energy storage devices seem to provide a viable pathway as they mostly employ aqueous based electrolytes which are safe and non-toxic in their functioning. Additionally, having a flexible ESD will play a crucial role as it will enable the ESD to conform to the varying shapes and sizes of wearable electronics which they energize. In this work, we have developed an inkjet-printed Zinc ion battery (IPZIB) with planar electrode configuration over bond paper substrate. Zn has been used as the negative electrode, MnO2 is used as the positive electrode with Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) as the active binder. Conducting tracks of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) are used to construct the current collector on the paper substrate. The fabricated IPZIB delivered a high discharge capacity of 300.14 mAh g−1 at a current density of 200 mA g−1. The energy density of the IPZIB is observed as 330.15 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 220 W kg−1 and retains an energy density of 94.36 Wh kg−1 at a high power density of 1650 W kg−1. Finally, we have demonstrated the capability of the IPZIB to power a LED at various bending and folding conditions which indicates its potential to be used in the next generation flexible and wearable electronic devices.

Abstract As the social organism, Polistes wasps build a communal nest using woody fibers with saliva for sustaining brood and adult population throughout the season. Limited information exists regarding the identification specific plant materials employed in wasp nest building. Thus, we firstly tested if the DNA metabarcoding approach utilizing rbcL and trnL molecular markers could identify the plant species quantitatively and qualitatively inform the mixed-origin woody samples. A threshold of 0.01 proportion of reads was applied for rbcL and trnL molecular markers, while this threshold for median proportion was 0.0025. In assessing taxa richness, the median proportion demonstrated superior performance, exhibiting higher taxa detection power, however, rbcL marker outperformed in quantitative analysis. Subsequently, we applied DNA metabarcoding to identify the plant materials from the nests of two Polistes species, P. mandarinus and P. rothneyi. The results showed that higher preference of Quercus and Robinia as the major nest building materials regardless of the surrounding plant communities, by two wasp species. Material diversity was higher for P. rothneyi than P. mandarinus, which may explain the abundance of this species possibly with heightened adaptive capacities in their nesting behavior. This study demonstrated that DNA metabarcoding could identify the complex nest-building plant materials of paper wasps and provide insights into their ecological interactions in the natural ecosystem.

The effect of calcium carbonate nanoparticles (CaCO3) on the mechanical and thermal properties of various polymers was investigated in this review. The results were compared to scholarly research published between 2002-2022. Different polymers were evaluated, including Polypropylene (PP), High-density polyethylene (HDPE), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), Polyethylene (PE), and natural rubber (NR). Through this work, the effect of CaCO3 nanoparticles that act as fillers in polymeric materials has been reviewed. It can be concluded that mechanical and thermal properties can be decreased, increased, or unchanged by increasing and decreasing the fillers to obtain optimal results. It is reasonable to conclude that most papers with nano-CaCO3 showed improvements in appreciable mechanical and thermal properties. In general, the term "surface modification of inorganic fillers" refers to the coating of the fillers with organic materials, which can be done by physical and chemical interactions between the modifiers and the fillers. The reviewed articles revealed that modification of CaCO3 nanoparticles with surface pre-treatment fillers caused enhancement of the mechanical properties of the polymeric matrix twice and prevented the agglomeration of particles in the matrix. Various mixing methods have been used, the most significant being a twin screw extruder, mechanical stirrer, and two-roll mill.

Abstract Osteoclasts are the primary target for osteoporosis drug development. Recent animal studies revealed the crucial roles of osteoblasts in regulating osteoclastogenesis and the longer lifespans of osteoclasts than previously thought with fission and recycling. However, existing culture platforms are limited to replicating these newly identified cellular processes. We report a demineralized bone paper (DBP)-based osteoblast culture and osteoclast assay platform that replicates osteoclast fusion, fission, resorption, and apoptosis with high fidelity and analytical power. An osteoid-inspired DBP supports rapid and structural mineral deposition by osteoblasts. Coculture osteoblasts and bone marrow monocytes under biochemical stimulation recapitulate osteoclast differentiation and function. The DBP-based bone model allows longitudinal quantitative fluorescent monitoring of osteoclast responses to bisphosphonate drug, substantiating significantly reducing their number and lifespan. Finally, we demonstrate the feasibility of humanizing the bone model. The DBP-based osteo assay platforms are expected to advance bone remodeling-targeting drug development with improved prediction of clinical outcomes.

Hypothesis Descriptions are a type of manuscript dedicated to the formal description of a hypothesis, as introduced in an accompanying editorial and an examplary Hypothesis Description for the Enemy Release Hypothesis that is used in invasion biology. This questionnaire provides a template for such a Hypothesis Description manuscript. The template's format was designed for simplicity to facilitate adoption, and it can be easily extended to capture additional information, e.g. instructions for falsification or generalization, taxonomic or geographic scope, etymology, or relevant information in other research fields or other languages. The template reflects the recommended structure for a Hypothesis Description manuscript in that each of its sections provides the title for a section in a Hypothesis Description manuscript and indicates whether that section is mandatory or optional. Four sections - Keywords (mandatory), Conflicts of interest (optional), Acknowledgments (optional) and References (mandatory) - are in this template filled in for the template itself but should otherwise be adjusted for the hypothesis at hand. Comments to guide authors who work on a Hypothesis Description manuscript are provided as well.

Abstract Trimethylsilyl cellulose (TMSC) was employed as the coating matrix for the application of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO) onto paper surfaces and the protections of ZnO/TMSC coating against UV-induced damages and fungal spoilage were evaluated. Filter papers were immersed in 2% w/v TMSC solution loaded with ZnO and air-dried. Three ZnO/TMSC suspensions were prepared with 0.1, 0.5, and 1% w/v ZnO NPs. The presences of ZnO/TMSC protective layers were confirmed with ATR-IR spectroscopy. The coated papers exhibited high surface hydrophobicities. After the coated papers were subject to 365-nm UV irradiation at 400 W for 3 h, the contact angles dramatically dropped. The trimethylsilyl (TMS) groups exposed on the surface formed a moisture barrier and were partially removed on UV exposure. ATR-IR revealed that more TMS groups were removed in the protective layer with no ZnO. UV-irradiated papers turned yellow and papers protected with 1% ZnO/TMSC exhibited significantly lower color changes than that of the uncoated one. Compared to the TMSC-coated paper, the addition of ZnO resulted in a significant reduction in tensile strength at maximum. However, after UV irradiation, significant increases in both the strain at break and strength at maximum were only observed in 1% ZnO/TMSC-protected papers. Regarding their anti-fungal properties, the 1% ZnO/TMSC films were effective in growth inhibitions of Aspergillus sp. and Penicillium sp. on the nonirradiated papers. Despite being hydrophilic after UV-irradiation, growths of the molds were severely suppressed on the UV-irradiated paper.

Abstract The valorization of paper mill sludge (PMS) is the main goal of this study. The emissions of PMS continue to increase at global scale, especially from packaging paper and board sectors. The raw sludge was used to prepare an adsorbent to remove toxic pollutants from wastewater, the methylene blue (MB), an organic dye. Firstly, the physico-chemical characterization of PMS was done determining the crystalline phases of PMS fibers, the content of main elements, and the pH zero point charge, which was determined at around pH 7. The adsorption of MB on PMS powder was studied at 18 °C with an agitation of 200 rpm, being the best operating conditions 30 min of contact time, 250 mg L−1 of initial MB concentration and 0.05 g in 25 mL of adsorbent dose. Experimental data of MB adsorption was fitted to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations. The Langmuir model was more accurate for the equilibrium data of MB adsorption at pH 5.1. The PFOM and PSOM were adjusted to experimental adsorption kinetics data, being PSOM, which describes better the MB adsorption by PMS powder. This was confirmed by calculating the maximum adsorption capacity with PSOM, which was 42.7 mg g−1, being nearly similar of the experimental value of 43.5 mg g−1. The analysis of adsorption thermodynamics showed that the MB was adsorbed exothermically with a ΔH0 = − 20.78 kJ mol−1, and spontaneously with ΔG0 from − 0.99 to − 6.38 kJ mol−1 in the range of temperature from 291 to 363 K, respectively. These results confirm that the sludge from paper industry can be used as biosorbent with remarkable adsorption capacity and low cost for the treatment of wastewater. PMS can be applied in the future for the depollution of the effluents from the textile industry, which are highly charged with dyes.

ABSTRACTThe effect of bamboo virgin pulp addition to the recycled pulp in enhancing the recycled paper’s mechanical properties was evaluated. Malaysian bamboo virgin pulp used in this research were Bambusa vulgaris (Aur bamboo), Gigantochloa levis (Beting bamboo), and Gigantochloa scortechinii (Semantan bamboo). The addition of 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 wt% of bamboo virgin pulp improved the burst index, folding endurance, tearing index, and tensile index of the recycled paper from 2.27 to 3.17 kPa.m2/g, 7 to 15 double folds, 5.98 to 8.27 mN.m2/g, and 24.86 to 32.40 Nm/g, respectively. These were equivalent to the increment percentage for burst index, folding endurance, tearing index, and tensile index at the range of 6.61 to 39.65%, 28.57 to 114.29%, 15.72 to 38.59%, and 10.50 to 33.87%, respectively. The application of bamboo virgin pulp is very promising in improving the recycled paper’s mechanical properties and this could be further extended in enhancing the other properties such as physical and optical paper properties.

Abstract Fluorescence analysis is a fast and sensitive method, and has great potential application in trace detection of environmental toxins. However, many important environmental toxins are non-fluorescent substances, and it is still a challenge to construct a fluorescence detection method for non-fluorescent substances. Here, by means of charge transfer effect and smart molecular imprinting technology, we report a sensitive indirect fluorescent sensing mechanism (IFSM) and microcystin (MC-RR) is selected as a model target. A molecular imprinted thin film is immobilized on the surface of zinc ferrite nanoparticles (ZnFe2O4 NPs) by using arginine, a dummy fragment of MC-RR. By implementation of IFSM on the paper-based microfluidic chip, a versatile platform for the quantitative assay of MC-RR is developed at trace level (the limit of detection of 0.43 μg/L and time of 20 min) in real water samples without any pretreatment. Importantly, the proposed IFSM can be easily modified and extended for the wide variety of species which lack direct interaction with the fluorescent substrate. This work offers the potential possibility to meet the requirements for the on-site analysis and may explore potential applications of molecularly imprinted fluorescent sensors.

Cellulose paper-based sensing devices have shown promise in addressing the accuracy, sensitivity, selectivity, analysis time and cost of current disease diagnostic tools owing to their excellent physical and physiochemical properties, high surface-area-to-volume ratio, strong adsorption capabilities, ease of chemical functionalization for immobilization, biodegradability, biocompatibility and liquid transport by simple capillary action. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in the field of electrochemical immunosensing for various diseases, particularly in underdeveloped regions and globally. It highlights the significant progress in fabrication techniques, fluid control, signal transduction and paper substrates, shedding light on their respective advantages and disadvantages. The primary objective of this review article is to compile recent advances in the field of electrochemical immunosensing for the early detection of diseases prevalent in underdeveloped regions and globally, including cancer biomarkers, bacteria, proteins and viruses. Herein, the critical need for new, simplistic early detection strategies to combat future disease outbreaks and prevent global pandemics is addressed. Moreover, recent advancements in fabrication techniques, including lithography, printing and electrodeposition as well as device orientation, substrate type and electrode modification, have highlighted their potential for enhancing sensitivity and accuracy.

How do author perceptions match up to the outcomes of the peer-review process and perceptions of others? In a top-tier computer science conference (NeurIPS 2021) with more than 23,000 submitting authors and 9,000 submitted papers, we surveyed the authors on three questions: (i) their predicted probability of acceptance for each of their papers, (ii) their perceived ranking of their own papers based on scientific contribution, and (iii) the change in their perception about their own papers after seeing the reviews. The salient results are: (1) Authors had roughly a three-fold overestimate of the acceptance probability of their papers: The median prediction was 70% for an approximately 25% acceptance rate. (2) Female authors exhibited a marginally higher (statistically significant) miscalibration than male authors; predictions of authors invited to serve as meta-reviewers or reviewers were similarly calibrated, but better than authors who were not invited to review. (3) Authors' relative ranking of scientific contribution of two submissions they made generally agreed with their predicted acceptance probabilities (93% agreement), but there was a notable 7% responses where authors predicted a worse outcome for their better paper. (4) The author-provided rankings disagreed with the peer-review decisions about a third of the time; when co-authors ranked their jointly authored papers, co-authors disagreed at a similar rate-about a third of the time. (5) At least 30% of respondents of both accepted and rejected papers said that their perception of their own paper improved after the review process. The stakeholders in peer review should take these findings into account in setting their expectations from peer review.

Paper mulberry pollen, declared a pest in several countries including Pakistan, can trigger severe allergies and cause asthma attacks. We aimed to develop an algorithm that could accurately predict high pollen days to underpin an alert system that would allow patients to take timely precautionary measures. We developed and validated two prediction models that take historical pollen and weather data as their input to predict the start date and peak date of the pollen season in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan. The first model is based on linear regression and the second one is based on phenological modelling. We tested our models on an original and comprehensive dataset from Islamabad. The mean absolute errors (MAEs) for the start day are 2.3 and 3.7 days for the linear and phenological models, respectively, while for the peak day, the MAEs are 3.3 and 4.0 days, respectively. These encouraging results could be used in a website or app to notify patients and healthcare providers to start preparing for the paper mulberry pollen season. Timely action could reduce the burden of symptoms, mitigate the risk of acute attacks and potentially prevent deaths due to acute pollen-induced allergy.

Abstract Wearable sensors are establishing themselves as options for real‐time continuous health monitoring in health care and wellness. In particular, the use of flexible interfaces that conform to the skin have attracted considerable interest for the extraction of meaningful pathophysiological information through continuous and painless sampling and analysis of biofluids. In contrast, conventional techniques for biomarkers analysis are difficult to adapt to real‐time portable monitoring due to their invasive sampling protocols, biosample preparation and reagent stabilization. Here a shelf‐stable, non‐invasive, paper‐based colorimetric wearable lactate sensor is reported. This sensor exploits the ability of silk to control the concentration, print, and functionally preserve labile transducing biomolecules in the format of a shelf‐stable digital patch for optical readout. This novel approach overcomes major challenges associated with the commercialization of colorimetric wearable sensors (e.g., enzyme thermal instability, narrow sensing range, low sensitivity, and qualitative response) by showing a combination of unprecedented stability (i.e., up to 2 years in refrigerated conditions), wide sensing range, and high sensitivity. Additionally, real‐time quantitative signal readouts are achieved using machine learning‐driven image analysis enabling physiological status evaluation with a simple smartphone camera.

Threatened shark species are caught in large numbers by artisanal and commercial fisheries and traded globally. Monitoring both which shark species are caught and sold in fisheries, and the export of CITES-restricted products, are essential in reducing illegal fishing. Current methods for species identification rely on visual examination by experts or DNA barcoding techniques requiring specialist laboratory facilities and trained personnel. The need for specialist equipment and/or input from experts means many markets are currently not monitored. We have developed a paper-based Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) to facilitate identification of three threatened and CITES-listed sharks, bigeye thresher (Alopias superciliosus), pelagic thresher (A. pelagicus) and shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) at market source. DNA was successfully extracted from shark meat and fin samples and combined with DNA amplification and visualisation using Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) on the LOC. This resulted in the successful identification of the target species of sharks in under an hour, with a working positive and negative control. The LOC provided a simple "yes" or "no" result via a colour change from pink to yellow when one of the target species was present. The LOC serves as proof-of-concept (PoC) for field-based species identification as it does not require specialist facilities. It can be used by non-scientifically trained personnel, especially in areas where there are suspected high frequencies of mislabelling or for the identification of dried shark fins in seizures.

This hypothesis demonstrates that the efficiency of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for nucleic acid detection can be positively influenced by the preconcentration of microbial cells onto hydrophobic paper surfaces. The mechanism of this model is based on the high affinity of microbes towards hydrophobic surfaces. Extensive studies have demonstrated that hydrophobic surfaces exhibit enhanced bacterial and fungal adhesion. By exploiting this inherent affinity of hydrophobic paper substrates, the preconcentration approach enables the adherence of a greater number of target cells, resulting in a higher concentration of target templates for amplification directly from urine samples. In contrast to conventional methods, which often involve complex procedures, this approach offers a simpler, cost-effective, and user-friendly alternative. Moreover, the integration of cell adhesion, LAMP amplification, and signal readout within paper origami-based devices can provide a portable, robust, and highly efficient platform for rapid nucleic acid detection. This innovative hypothesis holds significant potential for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics and field surveillance applications. Further research and development in this field will advance the implementation of this technology, contributing to improved healthcare systems and public health outcomes.

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis (AAV) is a chronic, relapsing-remitting condition associated with increased morbidity. Previous research has shown patients with AAV report high levels of fatigue, pain, depression and anxiety. Over recent years successful work has been carried out to improve clinical outcomes, resulting in reduced mortality and end stage kidney disease (ESKD). Despite this, little work has been done to better understand the role of the patient within this condition. The prevalence of AAV is increasing and to date, there is a shortage of specific tools that assess and measure key features relating to patient reported outcomes (PROs). This protocol details how we can better understand the lived experiences of those with AAV through the development of a disease specific, patient reported outcome measure (PROM), to be used in clinic practice. This will allow us to recognise and validate PROs and the impact the disease and its treatment has on patients' health related quality of life (HRQoL). In addition, we aim to identify potential differences in PRO's between demographics, organ involvement and treatment subgroups in AAV as well as outcomes relating to the patient experience. Patients from a single centre in the UK will be recruited to take part in the exploratory qualitative study which will include focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The inclusion criteria comprise anyone with a diagnosis of AAV and willing to participate, including those who have active or relapsing disease, those are economically active, unemployed, retired and patients receiving renal replacement therapy. The aim of the project is to identify key issues patients experience in relation to their disease and its management and how these can be better assessed in a new PROM developed for use in the clinic setting. This will enable better delivery of individualised care and inform shared decision making, while also serving as a platform for future research looking at PROs in other glomerulonephritides.

Abstract Laserjet printing is a kind of facile and digital do-it-yourself strategies, which is of importance to fabricate inexpensive paper-based microfluidic devices. However, the printed hydrophobic barrier is not hydrophobic enough due to the weak hydrophobicity and requires subsequent heating, which can lead to the pyrolysis of cellulose in the paper and influence the detection results. Here, for the first time, we report a kind of functional toner including toner and polydopamine (PDA) nanocapsules which contains oleic acid modified ferric tetroxide (OA-Fe3O4) and octadecylamine (ODA), which is suitable for printing with desired shapes and sizes to lead to formation of superhydrophobic barriers. Moreover, patterns printed with functional toner have good stability, including resistance to moisture, ultraviolet (UV) and bending. Finally, a proof-of-concept of metal and nitrite ions testing is demonstrated using colorimetric analysis, and the results show that the printed devices successfully perform instant detection of ions. The developed functional toner offers easy fabrication, cost-effectiveness and mass production of paper-based devices. In general, this strategy provides a new idea and technical support for the rapid prototyping of microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) using laserjet printing.

Abstract In this paper, three kinds of micro-nano bamboo powder (MBP) and alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) were added to the polyvinyl alcohol/cellulose nanofiber (PVA/CNF) coating to prepare PVA/CNF/MBP coated paper and PVA/CNF/M-MBP/AKD coated paper. The results showed that MBP improved the oleophobicity of PVA/CNF coating, and the grease resistance grade of PVA/CNF/B-MBP and PVA/CNF/M-MBP coated papers reached the highest level, with a kit number of 12. Among the PVA/CNF/MBP coated papers, the PVA/CNF/M-MBP coated paper has the best hydrophobic properties, with the water contact angle and Cobb value of 74° and 21.3 g/m2, respectively. In addition, when the AKD dosage was 0.2% in the PVA/CNF/M-MBP/AKD coating, the kit number of the coated paper was 11, the Cobb value was 15.2 g/m2, the water contact angle was 103°, and the tensile strength was found to increase slightly. Therefore, compared with PVA/CNF coated paper, PVA/CNF/M-MBP/AKD coated paper has good strength and excellent hydrophobic and oleophobic properties.

Abstract Paper coating plays an important role in the paper properties, printability and application. The nanocoating is a multifunction layer that provides the paper with unique features. In this work, nanocoating formulas were prepared using a green method and component. The nanocoating formulas were based on biopolymers nanostarch NSt and nanochitosan NCh (NCS) decorated with Egyptian kaolinite Ka doped with zinc nanoparticles NCS@xka/ZnONPs (x represents different ratios) support for multifunctional uses. The nanocoating formulas were characterized using a physiochemical analysis as well as a topographical study. FTIR, XRD, SEM and TEM techniques were used. Additionally, the antimicrobial activity of the tested samples was assessed against six microorganisms including Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The prepared nanocoating formulas affirmed excellent antimicrobial activity as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial active agent with excellent activity against all representative microbial communities. The nanocoating with the highest ratio of Ka/ZnONPs (NCS@40 ka/ZnONPs) showed excellent antimicrobial activity with an inhibition percentage of more than 70% versus all microorganisms presented. The paper was coated with the prepared suspensions and characterized concerning optical, mechanical and physical properties. When Ka/ZnONPs were loaded into NCS in a variety of ratios, the characteristics of coated paper were enhanced compared to blank paper. The sample NCS@40 ka/ZnONPs increased tensile strength by 11%, reduced light scattering by 12%, and improved brightness and whiteness by 1%. Paper coated with NCh suspension had 35.32% less roughness and 188.6% less porosity. When coated with the sample NCS@10 ka/ZnONPs, the coated paper's porosity was reduced by 94% and its roughness was reduced by 10.85%. The greatest reduction in water absorptivity was attained by coating with the same sample, with a reduction percentage of 132%.

Abstract This paper introduces CORE, a widely used scholarly service, which provides access to the world’s largest collection of open access research publications, acquired from a global network of repositories and journals. CORE was created with the goal of enabling text and data mining of scientific literature and thus supporting scientific discovery, but it is now used in a wide range of use cases within higher education, industry, not-for-profit organisations, as well as by the general public. Through the provided services, CORE powers innovative use cases, such as plagiarism detection, in market-leading third-party organisations. CORE has played a pivotal role in the global move towards universal open access by making scientific knowledge more easily and freely discoverable. In this paper, we describe CORE’s continuously growing dataset and the motivation behind its creation, present the challenges associated with systematically gathering research papers from thousands of data providers worldwide at scale, and introduce the novel solutions that were developed to overcome these challenges. The paper then provides an in-depth discussion of the services and tools built on top of the aggregated data and finally examines several use cases that have leveraged the CORE dataset and services.

The main objective of the proposed approach is to accelerate the transition of the bioeconomy towards a knowledge-based sustainable system, covering key biobased sectors strongly linked to agriculture in Poland, in line with the European Green Deal. The proposed model of a bioeconomy development strategy, with a special focus on agriculture, is based on two pillars: (1) strengthening traditional, relevant (in terms of economic indicators) sectors of the economy and improving their ‘sustainability’ by implementing the proposed transformation pathways; and (2) developing economic activities or ‘niche or novel sectors’ that are prospective accelerators of change in the face of climate challenge, and ensuring their upscaling. This approach forms the basis for policy planning at national and regional level in these European Union (EU) countries, where bioeconomy development strategies have been initiated through dialogue between science, administration and industry stakeholders. The strategic actions we propose are grouped in three areas; (1) Market intervention mainly by introducing sustainability criteria for the national production system; (2) Research, innovation and education that significantly strengthen the relationship between business and science and educational activities in the field of sustainability and climate change, and (3) Governance and policy actions to enforce the relationship between the main sub-sectors of bioeconomy and niche sectors in frame of bio-economy strategy or action plan that will profits by added value of products from bioeconomy sectors and increasing number of newly created jobs.

We study a three-species cyclic model whose organisms are vulnerable to contamination with an infectious disease which propagates person-to-person. We consider that individuals of one species perform a self-preservation strategy by reducing the mobility rate to minimise infection risk whenever an epidemic outbreak reaches the neighbourhood. Running stochastic simulations, we quantify the changes in spatial patterns induced by unevenness in the cyclic game introduced by the mobility restriction strategy of organisms of one out of the species. Our findings show that variations in disease virulence impact the benefits of dispersal limitation reaction, with the relative reduction of the organisms’ infection risk accentuating in surges of less contagious or deadlier diseases. The effectiveness of the mobility restriction tactic depends on the deceleration level and the fraction of infected neighbours which is considered too dangerous, thus triggering the defensive strategy. If each organism promptly reacts to the arrival of the first viral vectors in its surroundings with strict mobility reduction, contamination risk decreases significantly. Our conclusions may help biologists understand the impact of defensive strategies in ecosystems during an epidemic.

Strength properties of paper are of great significance in terms of its mechanical performance and are attributed to cellulosic fibers. When filler is used in papermaking, the cost and strength properties get reduced but optical properties are improved. So far, modification of fillers using chitosan (CH) is not explored in such a way that all aspects of wet-end of papermaking get covered. The novelty lies in showing the effect of CH as filler modifier at various doses on different fillers and the wet-end application of modified fillers at different doses along with other additives used in papermaking. The impact of addition of modified fillers on end paper properties is also analyzed. Here, CH was applied to modify fillers characteristics so that the ash in paper can be increased without compromising the strength properties. Three different doses (0.25%, 0.50% and 1.00%) of CH were added to the fillers. The addition of modified fillers to bleached mixed hardwood (BMHW) pulp increased the filler retention in paper while the reduction in strength properties was found to be less and in some properties even an increase was observed. The particle size distributions of fillers were found to be affected after modification of fillers.

Abstract Cellulose paper has emerged as an ideal sensing element for wearable pressure sensors owing to its inherent flexibility, high porosity, and light weight. However, traditional paper‐based pressure sensors use metal‐based materials as electrodes, which significantly limits the unique advantages of paper, particularly in terms of degradability. In this study, a degradable pressure sensor is designed by combining the highly conductive poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) Xuan paper electrode with a low‐conductivity PEDOT:PSS tissue paper sensitive layer. Notably, Xuan paper, also called rice paper, has been a prominent substrate owing to its softness and good durability. By introducing a perforated structure in the sensitive layer, a novel sensing mechanism, conductivity conversion under pressure, is realized to improve the sensitivity. The obtained sensor exhibits a high sensitivity (13.9 kPa−1 at < 8.3 kPa, 151 kPa−1 at 8.3–20.8 kPa), ensuring that it can precisely monitor the full‐range human activities. Additionally, as the sensor does not rely on metal materials, it can degrade in water or fire without causing any negative environmental impacts. These findings establish a new approach to producing highly sensitive degradable sensors, which hold significant potential for application in green electronics, paper‐based sensing matrices, new prosthetics, and other fields.

Waste papers, which are a major constituent of municipal wastes, can be repurposed into the production of bioethanol, a renewable and ecofriendly fuel. Many studies have produced ethanol from print-grade papers, but literature on conversion of waste cartons is sparce. In this study, waste corrugated cartons and print-grade papers were reduced into slurries and were subjected to physical and chemical tests to determine their suitability for biosynthesis. Cellulose fibers in the slurries were directly hydrolyzed into glucose without prior pretreatment by dilute hydrochloric acid, and fermented into ethanol using Saccaromyces cerevisae. Density, flammability, color, odor, non-volatile residue and other qualitative tests were conducted on the ethanol produced. Glucose yield and the extraction efficiency in cellulose hydrolysis were significantly higher for waste cartons than print paper slurries. Qualitative tests reveal that the ethanol produced from both slurries has physical and chemical characteristics that are comparable to laboratory grade ethanol, contains no toxic impurities, and is suitable for use as a biofuel.

Sponsored and organized by the International Open Benchmark Council (BenchCouncil), the IC conference is to provide a pioneering technology map through searching and advancing state-of-the-art and state-of-the-practice in processors, systems, algorithms, and applications for machine learning, deep learning, spiking neural network and other AI techniques across multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary areas. IC 2023 invites manuscripts describing original work in the above areas and topics. All accepted papers will be presented at the IC 2023 conference and published by Springer CCIS (Indexed by EI). The IC conferences have been successfully held for two series from 2019 to 2022 and attracted plenty of paper submissions and participants. IC 2023 will be held on December 4-6, 2023 in Sanya and invites manuscripts describing original work in processors, systems, algorithms, and applications for AI techniques across multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary areas. The conference website is https://www.benchcouncil.org/ic2023/.Important Dates: Paper Submission: July 31, 2023, at 11:59 PM AoE Notification: September 30, 2023, at 11:59 PM AoE Final Papers Due: October 31, 2023, at 11:59 PM AoE Conference Date: December 4-6, 2023 Submission Site: https://ic2023.hotcrp.com/

Basalt fiber is a famous sound and thermal insulating material. In this study, a novel basalt fiber-based electrical insulating paper was successfully prepared, and its physical strength, dielectric properties, thermal stability, and glue permeability of the composite paper were systematically investigated. The results showed that the introduction of mica could make basalt fiber/mica composite paper (B-M paper). Meanwhile, the introduction of aramid fibrids into B-M paper could greatly increase the physical strength and dielectric performance (1–26 times). In addition, silicone adhesive bonding could further enhance physical strength and electrical properties, which were 1–45 times higher than those of pure composite paper. Thus, basalt fiber-based paper is a potential electrical insulating material.

Abstract Background Misinformation regarding COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination is damaging COVID-19 vaccine trust and acceptance in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC). Identification of misinformation and designing locally acceptable solutions are needed to improve COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. This study aimed to utilize community-led co-design methodology to evaluate misinformation regarding COVID-19 and develop contextual interventions to address misinformation in a marginalized peri urban slum communities of Landhi town Karachi, Pakistan. Methods This study was conducted between January and December 2021, in marginalized peri-urban slum dwellers of Muslimabad Colony, Landhi Town Karachi, Pakistan. We used a community-centred co-design methodology embedded within mixed study design to identify misinformation, co-design, test and implement locally acceptable solutions. The co-design methodology involved five stages of the design thinking model: (1) Empathize, (2) Define, (3) Ideate, (4) Prototype, and (5) Test. The project involved active engagement and participation of wide range of stakeholders and community beneficiaries (end users) including local EPI vaccinators, informal healthcare workers, religious leaders (male and female), schoolteachers (male and female), local government representatives, community leaders, housewives, youth, and general population. To develop a trusting relationship, and understand local culture, values, practices, and traditions, we allowed one month of observation period (observe, engage, watch, and listen) in the beginning, followed by door-to-door survey along with focus group discussions (FGD) and in-depth interviews (IDI) at baseline. Co-design workshops (separate for male and female) were conducted at each stage of co-design methodology to design and test locally acceptable solutions. Conclusion Community-centred co-design methodology was not only successful in designing, testing, and evaluating locally acceptable solutions but it also actively engaged and empowered the marginalized population living in peri urban slum communities of Karachi, Pakistan.

The research groups in computer vision, graphics, and machine learning have dedicated a substantial amount of attention to the areas of 3D object reconstruction, augmentation, and registration. Deep learning is the predominant method used in artificial intelligence for addressing computer vision challenges. However, deep learning on three-dimensional data presents distinct obstacles and is now in its nascent phase. There have been significant advancements in deep learning specifically for three-dimensional data, offering a range of ways to address these issues. This study offers a comprehensive examination of the latest advancements in deep learning methodologies. We examine many benchmark models for the tasks of 3D object registration, augmentation, and reconstruction. We thoroughly analyse their architectures, advantages, and constraints. In summary, this report provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in three-dimensional deep learning and highlights unresolved research areas that will need to be addressed in the future.

BenchCouncil Transactions on Benchmarks, Standards and Evaluations (TBench) is an open-access journal dedicated to advancing the field of benchmarks, data sets, standards, evaluations and optimizations. This journal is a peer-reviewed, subsidized open-access journal where The International Open Benchmark Council (BenchCouncil) pays the open-access fee. Authors do not have to pay any open-access publication fee. However, at least one of the authors must register BenchCouncil International Symposium on Benchmarking, Measuring and Optimizing (Bench) (https://www.benchcouncil.org/bench/) and present their work. It seeks a fast-track publication with an average turnaround time of one month.We invite submissions covering a wide range of topics from various disciplines, with a particular emphasis on interdisciplinary research. Whether it pertains to computers, AI, medicine, education, finance, business, psychology, or other social disciplines, all relevant contributions are welcome.At TBench, we prioritize the reproducibility of research. We strongly encourage authors to ensure that their articles are prepared for open-source or artifact evaluation before submission. The journal website is https://www.benchcouncil.org/tbench.

In this study, hemp-based barrier papers were produced by a facile film coating route. The hemp plant was mechanically separated by crushing and breaking down the stalks. The woody hurd and fibers were separated manually. Then, cellulosic pulp was prepared by the Kraft method. Alkali treated hemp fibers were used for the paper preparation, and papers were coated with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) films. Physical, morphological, structural, wetting, mechanical properties, thermal dimensional stability, and water vapor permeability (WVP) properties were analyzed. Average hemp fiber diameter decreased by around 50% after alkali treatment. It was also found that dry and wet tensile strength values for PLA-coated hemp papers increased 3- and 2-orders of magnitudes, respectively. Also, PLA-coated hemp papers showed 0% shrinkage in the temperature range from 100°C to 200°C. WVP of PLA-coated hemp papers decreased by around 50% compared to hemp paper at the end of 300 h.

Building up the organic matter content of coarse-textured soils with organic amendments seeks to ameliorate the productivity of these soils, which is limited by plant available water and nutrient supply. Wood fibre-based sludges from the pulp and paper industry have potential for soil conditioning. In this study, the effects of three different pulp and paper mill sludges at application rates of 10 and 20 vol-% on water retention, respiration, and nitrogen (N) dynamics were examined in a series of laboratory studies using coarse field soils. Water retention curves comprising 13 matric potentials revealed that the amendments increased total soil porosity and volumetric water content at matric potentials corresponding to macro- and mesopores size range with pore diameters of >30 μm and 30–0.2 μm, respectively. Volumetric water content at field capacity increased by c. 10–30%, depending on the type (fresh, lime-stabilised and fibre sludge) and application rate of the amendment, with no marked change in the water content at the permanent wilting point. This was reflected as a mean increase of 1.9–3.3 mm in the plant available water content relative to the non-amended soils (17 mm), which corresponds to 19–33 m3 per hectare. At most, an increase of 5.5 mm (55 m3 ha−1) in plant available water was achieved by the fibre sludge amendment at an application rate of 20 vol-%. During a 60-day laboratory incubation, c. 30–40% of the carbon (C) added to soil in the sludge materials was respired as carbon dioxide. Additional N accelerated decomposition without increasing total respired C. Decomposition of the amendments in the soil led to a net N immobilisation of roughly 5–10 mg min-N g−1 added C, which occurred mainly during the first two weeks after soil incorporation. Overall, pulp and paper mill sludge amendments may serve to alleviate water shortages during drought in coarse-textured soils, but may generate a transient plant-microbe competition in N uptake.

The high production of paper, followed by a more significant concern with environmental and economic issues, has led to greater relevance to paper recycling and its raw uses as composite filler. Composites of polypropylene with 10, 20, and 30 wt.% of recycled office waste paper were produced by injection molding and characterized by mechanical and thermal properties. All composites presented a slight reduction of 15°C in thermal stability compared to the polymeric matrix. Moreover, as the filler amount increased, the degree of crystallinity was reduced proportionally. The mechanical test showed similar tensile strength values among neat polymer andcomposites but also showed an increase in the composite’s tensile modulus, related to the stiffness of the natural filler. The composite with a higher percentage of waste paper (30 wt.%) maintained equivalent properties as neatpolypropylene and other composites (10 and 20 wt.%). Thus, 30 wt.% composites proved to be an excellent material with less synthetic polymer percentage, keeping thermal and mechanical properties comparable to the neat PP.Furthermore, this composite does not need chemical treatment or additives harmful to the environment. It is suitable for future applications in various plastic products such as packaging and domestic utensils.

The alarming global deforestation rate has great impacts on the output of the Pulp and paper Industry since wood is the principal papermaking fiber material. Although, generally, bamboo is an alternative cellulolytic fiber source, the species and culm age have great effects on its papermaking potential. Based on the methods by the International Association of Wood Anatomists (IAWA), this work assessed the characteristics of fibers from the axial culm sections of six-month plantation-grown Oxythenantera abyssinica and Beema bamboo (which was cloned from Bambusa balcoaa) for paper production. The lengths of the fibers ranged from 1.89 to 2.39 mm while the diameters were 0.025–0.031 mm. The fiber lumen diameter and wall thickness were 0.014–0.018 mm and 0.004–0.006 mm, respectively. Fibers from the species had their runkle ratios below 1, slenderness ratios above 70 and flexibility ratios above 50. These characteristics compare well with the recommendations for fibers often used for the production of packaging, writing and printing papers. Establishment of plantations of Beema bamboo and O. abyssinica is encouraged as they will serve as good raw material base for the paper industry within six months of planting. Additionally, their planting will contribute to meeting Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 13.

The microstructure of fibrous paper plays an important role in its property investigation. In this study, an approach is proposed to extrapolate a 2D image into a virtual 3D microstructure. Five types of handsheets made of different pulps were prepared. Then, a hybrid function of two-point correlation and lineal-path function (S2&L2) and co-occurrence correlation functions (CCFs) was used in the simulated annealing reconstruction method. Thus, microstructures of two-phase fiber-pore handsheets were reconstructed using 2D scanning electron microscopy images. Finally, penetration simulations and calculations of the absolute permeability of handsheets were conducted. The statistical values of two-point correlation function (S2) and lineal-path function (L2) extracted from the reconstructed images were used to characterize the reconstruction accuracy, and the comparisons of reconstruction accuracy and time were made. The study results showed that the 3D microstructures of fibrous handsheets could be reconstructed effectively by S2&L2 and CCFs, identifying with the targets. The accuracies were around 10−5, and the reconstruction times by CCFs were shortened by 30–60% compared with S2&L2. Moreover, the visual permeability simulation results could reflect the structural difference of handsheets, according to the calculated absolute permeability. These findings provide a guidance for 3D reconstruction of natural fiber paper.

Non-wood fibers are projected as fast-growing resources and sustainable alternate materials to reduce deforestation and enhance efficiency in the pulp and paper industry. This paper addressed the paucity of data on the fiber morphological characteristics (Fiber Length, Diameter, Lumen Diameter, and Wall Thickness) and pulping properties (Slenderness Ratio, Rigidity Coefficient, Flexibility Coefficient, Runkel Ratio, Solids Factor, and Luce’s Shape Factor) for Silk Cotton, leaves and stalk of Elephant Grass and Sugarcane Bagasse found in Ghana, especially, as environmental variations may cause differences in regional data. Observed values for the studied parameters were within the suitable range for paper production and differed from those reported for other regions. Elephant Grass (stalk) and Bagasse that had higher values of Fiber Length (4101.42 ± 197.89 and 3960.20 ± 194.35 µm), Diameter (60.03 ± 1.82 and 59.85 ± 1.72 µm), Lumen Diameter (33.33 ± 1.76 and 35.97 ± 1.38 µm), Wall Thickness (13.35 ± 0.83 and 11.94 ± 0.55 µm), Slenderness Ratio (70.8 ± 4.2 and 67.2 ± 3.4), and Flexibility Coefficient (55.7 ± 2.3 and 55.7 ± 2.3) would perform better during paper production. They would exhibit good physico-mechanical properties suitable for manufacturing flexible, high tearing, elastic, dense, smooth, and well-formed papers with high tensile and bursting strengths. Silk Cotton may also produce good papers with low tearing index, well-bonded, rigid, bulky, and coarse textured.

The objective of this study was to better understand the effect of micro/nanofibrils added as reinforcement on paper handsheets, their physical-mechanical performance and barrier properties, and to determine the ideal cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) proportion to increase such paper properties. Mechanically produced CNF were added at increasing amounts (0%, 2%, 5%, 8% and 10%) to commercial Eucalyptus pulp to produce paper handsheet samples. Morphology, crystallinity, physical-mechanical and air barrier properties of the paper handsheets were evaluated. The results suggested that adding CNF has decreased the presence of empty spaces inside and on the surface of the paper handsheets by up to 61% due to the interaction between fibers and nanofibrils. The paper handsheets became denser, more compact and resistant to passage of air, as well as with greater mechanical performance with higher CNF content (10%). The bursting index is approximately 5 times higher on paper with addition of 10% of CNF compared to control paper handsheets. There were significant gains in the studied properties without any change in CNF/fibers surface charge or the use of any cationic polymer to assist the retention of nanofibrils and fibers. This study highlights the potential of CNF as additives in papermaking process, increasing its properties.

Abstract In this study, we present a promising and facile approach toward the fabrication of non-toxic, water-stable, and eco-friendly luminescent fiber paper composed of polycaprolactone (PCL) polymer and CsPbBr3@SiO2 core–shell perovskite nanocrystals. PCL-perovskite fiber paper was fabricated using a conventional electrospinning process. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) clearly revealed incorporation of CsPbBr3@SiO2 nanocrystals in the fibers, while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that incorporation of CsPbBr3@SiO2 nanocrystals did not affect the surface and diameter of the PCL-perovskite fibers. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and contact angle measurements have demonstrated that the PCL-perovskite fibers exhibit excellent thermal and water stability. The fabricated PCL-perovskite fiber paper exhibited a bright green emission centered at 520 nm upon excitation by ultra-violet (UV) light (374 nm). We have demonstrated that fluorescent PCL-perovskite fiber paper is a promising candidate for anti-counterfeiting applications because various patterns can be printed on the paper, which only become visible after exposure to UV light at 365 nm. Cell proliferation tests revealed that the PCL-perovskite fibers are cytocompatibility. Consequently, they may be suitable for biocompatible anti-counterfeiting. The present study reveals that PCL-perovskite fibers may pave way toward next generation biomedical probe and anti-counterfeiting applications. Graphical Abstract

Abstract In this work heat transfer papers were loaded with a new core–shell pigment based on precipitating thin shell of titanium dioxide on a core of rice husk silica ash TiO2/RHSA to be applied in dye sublimation printing of textile fabrics. Besides, 0.1% (w/w) cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) and 1% (w/w) bentonite (Bt) were also added sequentially to improve drainage and filler retention of the paper hand-sheets made from bleached kraft bagasse pulps. The effect of the new core–shell pigment on the mechanical and barrier properties, thermal stability and surface morphology of modified paper sheets were investigated. In addition, the study of transfer printability and ease of dye release from paper to fabric in this heat transfer printing of polyester fabrics using silk-screen printing under different transfer parameters were studied. Also, fastness measurements including washing, light and perspiration of printing polyester fabric were also estimated.

Abstract Paper and packaging materials a lignocellulose-based natural biodegradable polymer that spontaneously releases acetic acid, aldehydes, alcohol, and ester-based volatile organic compounds (VOCs) upon ageing and these VOCs start degrading the paper products and decline their mechanical strength properties. The reactivity of the paper of unbleached wheat straw pulp towards acetic acid and hexanal, which has been proven to have more degrading effects on paper than other VOCs, was considered in this work. The papers were exposed to these volatile compounds for 90 days in an air-tight vessel under ambient environmental conditions. The results showed that hexanal was more destructive than acetic acid with regards to cellulose degradation and depletion in the mechanical strength properties. The paper properties like, tensile, tear and burst index, viscosity, pH and carbonyl group content was measured. The growth of the carbonyl group, evidence of the ageing effects in the paper, detected more in the paper exposed to acetic acid. However, the strength of paper properties declined more with hexanal. FE-SEM analysis of the sample showed the development of pores and damage of cellulose fibre upon ageing. Similarly, the damaging effects of VOCs on cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin were confirmed by significantly reduced peak detection through FT-IR \analysis. The high crystallinity index of the paper products due to exposure to VOCs was detected by XRD analysis, which confirmed the degradation of the low molecular weight cellulose molecule. Thus, the results are strongly recommended that VOCs that generates due to natural or artificial ageing could be the leading cause of paper degradation.

Abstract Polymers are often combined with magnetostrictive materials to enhance their toughness. This study reports a cellulose nanofibril (CNF)-based composite paper containing dispersed CoFe2O4 particles (CNF–CoFe2O4). Besides imparting magnetization and magnetostriction, the incorporation of CoFe2O4 particles decreased the ultimate tensile strength and increased the fracture elongation of the CNF–CoFe2O4 composite paper. CNF was responsible for the tensile properties of CNF–CoFe2O4 composite paper. Consequently, the magnetic and magnetostrictive properties and tensile properties of CNF–CoFe2O4 composite paper can be controlled by changing the mixture ratio of CNF and CoFe2O4 particles.