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In this study, the influence of Al-doping concentration on the thermal and rheological characteristics of pristine zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofluids was investigated across a range of temperatures and nanoparticle concentrations. A multilayer perceptron (MLP) artificial neural network (ANN) with an optimized topology was employed to model the thermal conductivity and viscosity of nanofluids. The addition of 0.13 M of Al-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles at 1 % rate led to a remarkable 64 % increase in the thermal conductivity of the base fluid (50:50 ratio water + ethylene glycol mixture). Furthermore, incorporating 1 % of these Al-doped nanoparticles outperformed pure zinc oxide, resulting in a 44 % boost in thermal conductivity. The enhanced heat transfer capabilities of Al-doped zinc oxide were evident across different doping and nanoparticle concentrations. The viscosity of nanofluids increases with an increase in nanoparticle concentration and decreases with an increase in temperature. ZnO and Al-doped ZnO nanoparticles have been prepared and studied their structural, morphological and elemental properties using XRD, SEM and EDS respectively. The predicted thermal and rheological behaviours are in close agreement with the experimental values.

Irradiation-induced defects and the precipitates in the wrapper material of the Indian Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR), SS 316 are analyzed using the synchrotron source-based Angle Dispersive X-Ray Diffraction (ADXRD) technique with X-rays of energy 17.185 keV (wavelength ∼0.72146 Å). The differences and similarities in the high displacement damage samples as a function of dpa (displacement per atom) and dpa rate in the range of 2.9 × 10−7- 9 × 10−7 dpa/s are studied. Ferrite and M23C6 are commonly observed in the present set of high displacement damage 40–74 dpa SS 316 samples irradiated at temperatures in the range of 400–483 °C. Also, the dislocation density has increased as a function of the irradiation dose. The X-ray diffraction peak profile parameters quantified such as peak shift and asymmetry show that the irradiation-induced defects are sensitive to the dpa rate-irradiation temperature combinations. The increase in yield strength as a function of displacement damage is also correlated to the dislocation density.

Organic solid waste loading emerges as a serious environmental threat. Vermicomposting and composting are the two biological processes having the potential to effectively treat organic waste. In composting, in a controlled environment, microorganisms are used to treat organic wastes. Vermicomposting is a low-cost waste management technique incorporates earthworms and microorganisms to produce highly nutritive vermicompost, which in turn preserves the ecosystem. In vermicomposting, earthworms are the important players, the rate of mineralization is increased and nutritive cast is produced as a byproduct. Vermicompost improves soil aeration, microbial population, soil enzyme activity, and texture while also fostering plant growth. Crop growth and yield are greatly impacted by vermicompost. Vermicast ensures sustainable agricultural practices in addition to improve soil health and plant growth. Adsorption, precipitation, redox reactions, and complexation all work together to make heavy metals unavailable during composting. Heavy metals like mercury, cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, and manganese are bioaccumulated by earthworms. When persistent organic pollutants are composted, microbes take them up and reduce their bioavailability. Through vermicast, earthworms convert microplastics into nanoplastics. This review discusses developments in composting and vermicomposting of organic wastes, the potential contribution of earthworms, presence of heavy metals in organic waste, the influence of biochar on composting and removal of toxic pollutants through composting and vermicomposting.

Biochar is a promising solution in the competent removal of such toxicants due to its cost-effectiveness, natural properties, biologically rich composition, and environment-friendly characteristics. All the possible heavy metals found in industrial effluents and how to treat them with biochar-based adsorption strategies to lead to a cleaner hydrosphere system were analyzed. Biochar interactions in heavy metal adsorption are studied and profiled to a small extent to allow regional knowledge of how these interactions occur and how biochar studies are taking place. Industrial effluents possess various toxic pollutants that extend their exposure to all kinds of living organisms, contaminating and degrading the biosphere. Adsorption helps mitigate difficulties such as wastewater treatment, remediation studies, and hazardous waste management, providing a sustainable and quality life. The characteristics of biochar produced through pyrolysis using different biomasses analyzed are carbon 35–90 wt%, surface area 5–2100 m2/g, and total pore volume 0.001–50 cm3/g at the temperature range of 400°C–750ºC. The optimum conditions required for maximum adsorption efficiency (96%–99%) of heavy metals majorly lie under the range of temperature 30°C–60°C, pH 5–8, and time 30 min to 1 h. The outcome of this review has significant results on remediation techniques, highlighting biochar’s potential as a flexible tool and as an adsorbent in addressing the challenges related to the possible threats implied by heavy metal contamination in industrial effluents.

In creep conditions, conventionally, C* and C(t) line integrals are used for characterising the crack tip. However, the true crack driving force or its rate cannot be described by any of the conventional parameters. The theoretical validity of conventional crack tip-characterising parameters like J or Ct is also restricted, making it hard to anticipate the driving forces underlying cracks. To investigate the creep crack growth behaviour of this material an experimental analysis of SS316LN at 650 °C is performed. The crack extension is modelled through the node-release technique, and a configurational force-based rate of change of J integral is calculated by post-processing of the finite element results. The results show that the Ct and dJepc/dt calculated from FE analyses are similar and the trend is also similar to the experimentally measured C*-values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Development, rapid detection and quantification of anticancer drugs in biological samples are crucial for effective drug monitoring. The present work describes the design of a Hf(IV)-based metal-organic framework (MOF) (1) by the reaction between Hf(IV) ion and 2-(thiophene-2-carboxamido)terephthalic acid linker with the surface area of 571 m 2  g -1 . Desolvated MOF (1') displayed highly discriminative fluorescence sensing properties for the antineoplastic drug flutamide and biomolecule hemin in an aqueous medium in the presence of co-existing biomolecules and ions. The MOF's response time for sensing flutamide and hemin was less than 5 s with low detection limits of 1.5 and 0.08 nM, respectively. Additionally, 1' also demonstrated recyclability up to five cycles and maintained its sensing ability across different pH media, various water samples, and biological fluids. Experimental and theoretical analyses suggested photoinduced electron transfer and inner-filter effect in the presence of flutamide and Förster resonance energy transfer in the presence of hemin are most likely reasons behind the fluorescence quenching of MOF. Furthermore, the MOF demonstrated catalytic activity in Friedel-Crafts alkylation reactions, providing a 96 % yield with slight decay in its activity over four uses. The enhanced activity of 1' compared to Hf-BDC and Hf-BDC-NH 2 (BDC: 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid) is due to the functionalized thiophene moieties through hydrogen bond donating sites, confirmed by a series of control experiments., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a fatal disorder that occurs as a rare complication of childhood measles. Symptoms typically manifest between the ages of 5 and 15. While the incidence of SSPE is declining globally, it is still prevalent in regions where measles remains common and vaccination rates are low due to poverty and lack of health education. Diagnosing SSPE can be challenging, particularly when patients exhibit unusual symptoms. A thorough clinical evaluation, including vaccination history, physical examination, electroencephalogram (EEG) and Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis, can help in making a diagnosis. We present the case of a young woman in her early 20s who initially experienced depressive symptoms, followed by myoclonus, dementia and visual impairment. The patient was ultimately diagnosed with SSPE based on characteristic EEG findings, neuroimaging results, CSF analysis and elevated serum measles antibody levels., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Dental implant restorations attached to cement can potentially result in peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis if cement residues are present. Effectively predicting and eliminating such dental cement residues is crucial for preventing complications. This study focuses on creating a regression model using the pixel values to predict the Excess Cement Residues (ECR) by employing an octagonal surface imaging approach. A model featuring gingival imitation, ten abutments, and ten crowns was created, and the cemented implants underwent thorough photographic and analytical assessment. The ECR was determined through two distinct approaches: the Computerized Planimetric Method (CPM) and the weighing method. Across ten implants in this in vitro study, ECR varied from 0.3 to 21 mg, with an average of 5.69 mg. The findings reveal a higher amount of ECR on the distal, mesiobuccal, and mesial sides. Utilizing Pearson's correlation, a coefficient value of r  = 0.786 signifies a strong correlation between CPM and the weighing method. The regression model further aids in predicting ECR based on pixel values. The octagonal surface imaging approach not only vividly captures information about ECR in the implant cementation region but also emphasizes the feasibility of ImageJ as an effective tool for detecting ECR. The congruence between CPM and the weighing method results supports the application of the regression model for precise ECR prediction., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: There are no reliable methods in clinical practice to diagnose adrenal insufficiency (AI) in patients with cirrhosis owing to variable cortisol-binding protein levels. This leads to unreliable results in ACTH stimulated serum cortisol test. We aimed to estimate the long-acting porcine (LA)ACTH-stimulated serum and salivary cortisol levels of patients at different stages of cirrhosis using second generation electrochemiluminescence and to determine the prevalence of true adrenal insufficiency in these patients., Design, Patients and Measurements: We included 135 noncritical patients with cirrhosis (45 each from CHILD A, B and C) and 45 healthy controls. Serum and salivary samples were collected at baseline in the morning and at 1 and 2 h after LA-ACTH injection., Results: In healthy subjects, the 2.5th centile of 2 h ACTH stimulated serum and salivary cortisol were 19.8 and 0.97 μg/dL, which were used as cut-offs for defining AI based on serum and saliva respectively. The median (interquartile-range) 2-h stimulated salivary cortisol in Child A, B, C categories and controls were 1.36(1.23-2.38), 1.46(1.18-2.22), 1.72(1.2-2.2) and 2.12(1.42-2.72) μg/dL respectively. Six subjects (4.4%) were diagnosed to have AI based on stimulated salivary cortisol cut-off, whereas 39 (28.9%) cirrhosis subjects had inadequately stimulated serum cortisol. Three patients (symptomatic) required steroid replacement therapy. Hypoalbuminemia was identified as a major risk factor for the misdiagnosis of adrenal insufficiency by serum cortisol-based testing., Conclusions: Long-acting porcine ACTH stimulated salivary cortisol reduces the overdiagnosis of adrenal insufficiency compared to serum cortisol in cirrhosis liver. Stimulated salivary cortisol is a promising investigation for evaluation of adrenal function in cirrhosis and more studies are required for its further validation before clinical use., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Dental cement residues exacerbate peri-implant tissue irritation and peri-implantitis. The present study aims to evaluate the cytotoxicity, physiochemical, optical, and rheological properties of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) impregnated glass ionomer cement (GIC). Surface passivated fluorescent CQDs were synthesized using citric acid via thermal decomposition and blended with GIC. Characterization studies and rheological measurements were made to evaluate their performance. 3D-printed dental implant models cemented with GIC and GIC-CQD were compared to analyze excess cement residues. MTT assay was performed with human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) and statistically analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey's test. CQDs with a particle dimension of ∼2 nm were synthesized. The amorphous property of GIC-CQD was confirmed through XRD. The fluorescence properties of GIC-CQD showed three times higher emission intensity than conventional GIC. GIC-CQD attained maturation with a setting time extended by 64 s than GIC. Cement residue of size 2 mm was detected with a UV light excitation at a distance between 5 to 10 cm. Biocompatibility at 0.125 mg ml -1 dilution concentrations of GIC-CQD showed viability greater than 80% to hDPSCs. For the first time, we report that CQDs-impregnated GIC is a unique and cost-effective strategy for in-situ detection of excess cement rapidly using a hand-held device. A novel in-situ rapid detection method enables the dentist to identify residual cement of size less than 2 mm during the implantation. Therefore, GIC-CQD would replace conventional GIC and help in the prevention of peri-implant diseases., (© 2024 IOP Publishing Ltd.)

This study investigates the enhancement of hydrogen gas-sensing performance by introducing silver (Ag) nanoparticles onto tungsten trioxide (WO 3 ) thin films. Herein, the WO 3 thin films are deposited onto SiO 2 /Si substrates using a sputtering technique and Ag nanoparticles are loaded onto the WO 3 surface through a spin coating technique. To evaluate the sensing performance of a hydrogen gas, interdigitated titanium (Ti) electrodes are deposited onto the Ag:WO 3 layer. Structural, chemical, and morphological analyses are conducted for both pristine WO 3 and Ag:WO 3 thin films, followed by the investigation of gas-sensing performance by varying hydrogen gas concentrations from 100 ppm to 300 ppm and operating temperatures between 30 °C and 300 °C. The obtained results demonstrate that Ag:WO 3 thin films exhibit a notably enhanced response of 5.08% when exposed to a concentration of 100 ppm of hydrogen gas at room temperature, compared to the pristine WO 3 of 3.40%. The fabricated Ag:WO 3 sensor exhibits a response time of 3.0 s, a recovery time of 4.5 s, and also demonstrates excellent stability over 45 days period. Finally, with the superior sensitivity and fast response time, the fabricated Ti/Ag:WO 3 /Ti hydrogen gas sensor test-device can be a potential for improvement of safety from both industrial and environmental perspectives., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study proposes a mecanum-built perturbation-based balance training device aimed at improving motor adaptive skills for fall prevention in individuals with neurological disorders or the elderly. Incorporating multidirectional fall simulations in line with modified constraint-induced movement therapy, the device's efficacy was evaluated by measuring the distance traveled and peak acceleration under different static loads (20, 30, and 40 kg) and input accelerations (1, 2, and 3 m/s 2 ). A pilot study with 10 subjects was conducted to assess device performance, utilizing repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni's post hoc analysis. Results indicated a load-dependent reduction in distance traveled, with an average mean difference of 0.74-1.23 cm between the 20 and 40 kg loads for trials of 9 and 18 cm, respectively. Despite varying loads, the device consistently achieved near-anticipated peak accelerations, suggesting its capability to induce effective perturbations. The study also observed a significant lateral movement preference, suggesting adjustments to pulse width modulation and time period may optimize lateral movement performance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Jaison Jacob Mathunny et al.)

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

A stroke is a neurological disease that primarily causes paralysis. Besides paraplegia, all other types of paralysis affect the upper extremity. Advanced technologies, such as wearable devices and rehabilitation regimens, are also being developed to enhance the functional ability of a stroke person to grasp and release daily living objects. In this research, we developed a rehabilitation functional assist device combining a flexion and extension mechanism with suction cup technology (hybrid technology) to help post-stroke patients improve their hand grip strength in day-to-day grasping activities. Ten poststroke hemiplegia patients were studied to test the functional ability of the impaired hand by wearing and not wearing the device. The outcomes were validated by three standard clinical tests, such as the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute - Hand Functional Test (TRI-HFT), the Chedoke Arm Hand Activity Inventory (CAHAI-9), and the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) with overall score improvements of 14.5 ± 3.8-25 ± 2.2 ( p  = 0.005), 5.4 ± 2.8-10 ± 1.6 ( p  = 0.008), and 9.6 ± 2.6-17 ± 2.4 ( p  = 0.005) respectively. The p -value for each of the three evaluations was less than 0.05, indicating significantly improved results and the average feedback score of the participants was 3.8 out of 5. The proposed device significantly increased impaired hand functionality in post-stroke patients. The subjects could complete some of the grasping tasks that they could not grasp without the device. Clinical trial registration The Clinical Trial Registry of India approved the work CTRI/2022/02/040495 described in this manuscript., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Modern cancer therapy now routinely employs the blocking of many oncoproteins or pathways. With two or more medicines, multiple inhibitions are often accomplished via DML techniques. In this study, we developed 30 quinazolinone derivatives as PARP1 and STAT3 dual inhibitors using DML methods and these compounds were tested for their dual inhibitory effect on PARP1 and STAT3 using docking, MM-GBSA, and molecular dynamics simulation investigations. The docking studies of ligands against PARP1 and STAT3 were performed using the Glide module, in silico ADMET screening was performed using the quickprob module, binding energy calculation was performed using the Prime MM-GBSA module, MD simulation was performed using the Desmond module, and atomic charges were calculated using the Jaguar module of Schrodinger suite 2019-4. Of the substances studied, the derivative 1f has a considerable gliding score. The in silico ADMET characteristics are within the approved range. PRIME MM-GB/SA was used to compute the binding free energy, and the results are substantial. To investigate the dynamic behavior of the protein-ligand complex, compound 1f was subjected to MD simulation at 100 ns. The tested chemical 1f produced the greatest results in MD simulations and MM-GBSA calculations, indicating that this ligand can inhibit more effectively.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.