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This study involves the synthesis of CuO–ZnO nanocomposites with varying Sb doping levels (0%, 2.5%, and 5%) through a facile sol-gel process. Structural analysis via X-ray diffraction confirmed the presence of ZnO's hexagonal wurtzite phase and CuO's monoclinic phase in all samples, indicating reduced crystallinity due to doping. The average crystallite size was determined using Scherrer's formula, revealing a decrease in size with doping (33 nm, 31 nm, and 30 nm for 0%, 2.5%, and 5% Sb, respectively). Morphology and chemical composition were assessed using field emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The optical bandgap of the Sb-doped CuO–ZnO nanocomposites was determined using a Tauc plot, resulting in values of 2.48 eV, 2.39 eV, and 2.32 eV for dopant concentrations of 0%, 2.5%, and 5%, respectively. Dielectric permittivity and tangent loss were studied across the frequency range of 100 Hz to 1 MHz at different temperatures ranging from 303 K to 723 K measured between 100 Hz and 1 MHz frequency, revealing Maxwell-Wagner-type interfacial polarization. The dielectric permittivity data reveal anomalous behavior near 673 K, shifting with doping, and is explained by thermal ionization and relaxation mechanisms. The ac conductivity, which varies with frequency, demonstrates low-frequency dispersion and is effectively described by Jonscher's power law aligned with the dielectric analysis. Magneto-dielectric measurements showed a positive effect for permittivity and a negative effect for tangent loss, which may be caused by the changes in dipole alignment. The magneto-dielectric effect was further explored by analyzing the impact of magnetic fields (0–1.5 T) on impedance spectroscopy. Nyquist plots obtained at various magnetic fields were fitted using parallel combinations of resistance-capacitor circuits. These plots were then employed to estimate the contributions of both grains and grain boundaries. Overall, the findings from this study provide a foundation for the development of multifunctional materials with tailored properties for a wide range of optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of biofuels from cellulosic biomass has emerged as an appealing alternative to fossil fuels. However, the recalcitrance of cellulose poses a challenge to converting it into fermentable sugars, impeding the economic viability of bioethanol production. S. cerevisiae , the primary species employed for industrial ethanol production, exhibits stress tolerance and the ability to ferment diverse sugars from various feedstocks. Nonetheless, the production of cellulase enzymes in S. cerevisiae remains limited. To tackle this hurdle, multiplex genome editing technologies offer a promising avenue for engineering recombinant cellulolytic S. cerevisiae strains, thus enabling ethanol production from cellulosic biomass. This review provides an overview of distinct multiplex genome editing techniques employed in the engineering of such strains. These encompass homologous recombination-mediated multiplex genome editing, mega nuclease-mediated multiplex genome editing, TALEN-mediated multiplex genome editing, CRISPR/Cas-mediated multiplex genome editing, multiplex genome editing involving multiple sgRNA expression frames, multiplex genome editing through sgRNA or crRNA arrays, and multiplex genomic integration targeting repetitive sequences. Furthermore, this review delves into the potential of cellulase-engineered S. cerevisiae for ethanol production. The successful development of recombinant cellulolytic S. cerevisiae strains holds the promise of revolutionizing the biofuel industry. This transformation would entail cost reductions in ethanol production, alongside enhancing industry sustainability, consequently diminishing our reliance on fossil fuels. The availability of cellulase-engineered S. cerevisiae strains for ethanol production from cellulosic biomass stands to curtail our dependency on fossil fuels and markedly alleviate the impacts of climate change. [Display omitted] • Multiplex genome editing technologies to engineer recombinant S. c erevisiae • Latest microbial genome editing technologies are discussed • Covered perspectives of cellulase engineered S. c erevisiae for ethanol production • Explores approaches for biofuel (ethanol) production from cellulosic biomass [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: T-2 toxin is one of the most toxic among several trichothecenes involved in both human and animal poisoning cases. We investigated the biochemical and histological alterations behind inflammation and cutaneous injury caused by T-2 toxin. Swiss albino mice were exposed to T-2 toxin topically at doses of 0.5, 1 and 2 LD50 (2.97, 5.94 and 11.88mg/kg respectively) and observed till 3, 24 and 72h. Topical application of T-2 toxin resulted in skin oxidative stress in terms of increased reactive oxygen species generation, lipid peroxidation and neutrophil mediated myeloperoxidase activity. The histological alterations include degenerative changes like vacuolation, ballooning of basal keratinocytes and infiltration of inflammatory cells in dermis. The mRNA levels of skin pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β showed significant up regulation. Anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 showed significant up regulation at 24h whereas IL-4 showed down regulation for all the doses and time points. Gelatin zymography and immunoblot analysis of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-9 and 2 indicated MMP activation and their role in degenerative skin histological changes. Time dependent increase in inducible nitric oxide synthase levels was seen. Immunoblot analysis revealed significant increase in the levels of phosphorylated p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK). Flow cytometry analysis of propidium iodide stained epidermal cells showed increase in sub-G1 population at all the doses and time points indicating apoptosis. In summary, T-2 toxin induced skin inflammation and cutaneous injury is mediated through oxidative stress, activation of myeloperoxidase, MMP activity, increase in inflammatory cytokines, activation of p38 MAPK and apoptosis of epidermal cells leading to degenerative skin histological changes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Electropolymerization of EDOS on both flexible and rigid substrates. • Electronic and electrochromic properties of PEDOS and PEDOT films were studied. • Polymer on flexible substrate shows rough surface and blue shift in absorption. • Polymer on flexible substrate exhibits good stability and improved optical contrasts. Recently, significant efforts have been devoted on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxyselenophene) (PEDOS) and its derivatives due to their promising properties for various optoelectronic applications. Surprisingly, no study has been reported on electrochemical synthesis of PEDOS on flexible substrate, and its optoelectronic properties. In this work, electropolymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxyselenophene (EDOS) on flexible (ITO/PET) as well as rigid (ITO/glass) substrates, followed by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical stability, morphology, spectroelectrochemical, and electrochromic properties of the PEDOS films were studied. For comparison purpose, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) films were also prepared on both flexible and rigid substrates and a throughout comparison was made. It has been observed that the polymer films on flexible substrates are relatively more stable, rough, and show blue shift in absorption spectra as compared to the polymer films on rigid substrates. On repeated bending, polymers films on flexible substrate exhibits good mechanical stability. Moreover, polymer film on flexible substrate has improved contrast ratio than that of polymer film on rigid substrate, whereas no significant change of response time has been observed. To the best of our knowledge, electropolymerization of EDOS on flexible substrate has been reported for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Solution-processable deposition of CuSeCN as an efficient hole transport layer for solar cells. • Eco-friendly and inexpensive DMSO and DMF solvents were used as an alternative to foul-smelling diethyl sulfide solvent. • The optical, electrical, and morphological properties of the HTLs were studied. • Photovoltaic devices were fabricated with a simple device geometry ITO/CuSeCN/PCDTBT:PC 71 BM/Al. Recently, a lot of research on solution-processable deposition of copper (I) thiocyanate (CuSCN) as an efficient hole transport layer (HTL) for solar cells has been reported. Herein, we report the higher chalcogen analogue copper (I) selenocyanate (CuSeCN), as efficient HTL for organic solar cells. Eco-friendly and inexpensive DMSO and DMF solvents were used for solution-processable deposition of CuSeCN thin films. The optical, electrical, and morphological properties of the HTL were studied using UV–vis-NIR spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and scanning electron microscopy. Density functional theory calculations were performed to understand the HOMO level and band gap of the HTL. Two different concentrations of CuSeCN solution (DMSO and DMF) were used for HTL deposition for fabrication of photovoltaic devices. Photovoltaic devices were fabricated with a simple device geometry ITO/CuSeCN/PCDTBT:PC 71 BM/Al and maximum power conversion efficiencies were achieved up to 3.92% and 4.03% using DMSO and DMF as deposition solvents, respectively under ambient conditions, which are comparable to devices made by PEDOT:PSS and MoO x as HTLs under identical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) is an emergent paradigm that brings computation, storage, and network resources close to mobile users. It allows applications to execute near the user, which are delay-sensitive and content-aware. Since the MEC systems comprise distributed edge devices managed by self-governing people, they are more liable to security and privacy threats. Therefore, acure and efficient authentication mechanism is required for MEC. In this paper, we construct a mutual authentication and key agreement scheme without the involvement of a trusted third party for MEC, which ensures mutual authentication between a user and edge servers and generates a secure session key. This scheme achieves important security attributes such as secure communication, user anonymity in mutual authentication and session key agreement. The performance analysis of the proposed protocol indicates better efficiency. Moreover, we prove the security of the protocol in the random oracle model and simulate the protocols using AVISPA simulator. The analysis of security shows that the proposed protocol is safe against known attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]