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Herein, we present a green, economic and ecofriendly protocol for synthesis of cobalt oxide (Co3O4-NPs) and magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO-NPs) for multifaceted biomedical applications. In the study, a simple aqueous leaf extract of Hibiscus rosa sinensis, was employed for the facile one pot synthesis of Co3O4-NPs and MgO-NPs. The well characterized NPs were explored for multiple biomedical applications including bactericidal activity against urinary tract infection (UTI) isolates, leishmaniasis, larvicidal, antidiabetic antioxidant and biocompatibility studies. Our results showed that both the NPs were highly active against multidrug resistant UTI isolates as compared to traditional antibiotics and induced significant zone of inhibition against Proteus Vulgaris, Pseudomonas Aurigenosa and E.coli. The NPs, in particular Co3O4-NPs also showed significant larvicidal activity against the Aedes Aegypti, the mosquitoes involve in the transmission of Dengue fever. Similarly, excellent leishmanicidal activity was also observed against both the promastigote and amastigote forms of the parasite. Furthermore, the particles also exhibited considerable antidiabetic activity by inhibiting α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. The biosynthesized NPs were found to be excellent antioxidant and biocompatible nanomaterials. Owing to ecofriendly synthesis, non-toxic and biocompatible nature, the Hibiscus rosa sinensis synthesized Co3O4-NPs and MgO-NPs can be exploited as potential candidates for multiple biomedical applications.

Purpose Pakistan is an energy starving country that needs continuous supply of energy to keep up its economic speed. The aim of this paper is to assess the wind resource and energy potential of Quaidabad site for minimizing the dependence on fuels and improving the environment. Design/methodology/approach The Quaidabad site wind shear coefficient and turbulence intensity factor are investigated. The two-parameter k and c Weibull distribution function is used to analyze the wind speed of site. The standard deviation of the site is also assessed for a period of a year. The wind power density and energy density are assessed for a period of a year. The economic assessment of energy/kWh is investigated for selection of appropriate wind turbine. Findings The mean wind shear coefficient was observed to be 0.2719, 0.2191 and 0.1698 at 20, 40 and 60 m, respectively, for a period of a year. The mean wind speed is found to be 2.961, 3.563, 3.907 and 4.099 m/s at 20, 40, 60 and 80 m, respectively. The mean values of k parameters were observed to be 1.563, 2.092, 2.434 and 2.576 at 20, 40, 60 and 80 m, respectively, for a period of a year. The mean values of c m/s parameter were found to be 3.341, 4.020, 4.408 and 4.625 m/s at 20, 40, 60 and 80 m, respectively, for a period of a year. The major portion of values of standard deviation was found to be in between 0.1 and 2.00 at 20, 40, 60 and 80 m. The wind power density (W/m2) sum total values were observed to be 351, 597, 792 and 923 W/m2 at 20, 40, 60 and 80 m, respectively, for a period of a year. The mean coefficient of variation was found to be 0.161, 0.130, 0.115 and 0.105 at 20, 40, 60 and 80 m, respectively. The sum total energy density was observed to be 1,157, 2,156, 2,970 and 3,778 kWh/m2 at 20, 40, 60 and 80 m, respectively. The economic assessment is showing that wind turbine E has the minimum cost US$0.049/kWh. Originality/value The Quaidabad site is suitable for installing the utility wind turbines for energy generation at the lowest cost.

A three-dimensionally interconnected hexagonal boron nitride (3Di-hBN) networked Cu-Ni (3DihBN-Cu-Ni) composite was successfully synthesized in situ using a simple two-step process which involved the compaction of mixed Cu-Ni powders (70 wt.% Cu and 30 wt.% Ni) into a disc followed by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) at 1000 oC. During MOCVD, the Cu-Ni alloy grains acted as a template for the growth of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) while decaborane and ammonia were used as precursors for boron and nitrogen, respectively. Boron and nitrogen atoms diffused into the Cu-Ni solution during the MOCVD process and precipitated out along the Cu-Ni interfaces upon cooling, resulting in the formation of the 3Di hBN-Cu-Ni composite. Energy-dispersive spectroscopic analysis confirmed the presence of boron and nitrogen atoms at the interfaces of Cu-Ni alloy grains. Optical microscopy examination indicated that there was a minimum amount of bulk hBN at a certain compaction pressure (280 MPa) and sintering time (30 min). Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy revealed that an interconnected network of hBN layers surrounding the Cu-Ni grains developed in the 3Di-hBN-Cu-Ni composite. This 3Di-hBN network is expected to enhance the mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties of the 3Di-hBN-Cu-Ni composite. Moreover, the foam-like 3Di-hBN extracted from 3Di-hBN-Cu-Ni composite could have further applications in the fields of biomedicine and energy storage.

The alarming energy crises has forced the scientific community to work for sustainable energy modules to meet energy requirements. As for this, ZnO/g-C3N4 nanocomposites with proper heterojunction were fabricated by coupling a proper amount of ZnO with 2D graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets and the obtained nanocomposites were applied for photocatalytic hydrogen generation from water under visible light illumination (λ > 420 nm). The morphologies and the hydrogen generation performance of fabricated photocatalysts were characterized in detail. Results showed that the optimized 5ZnO/g-C3N4 nanocomposite produced 70 µmol hydrogen gas in 1 h compare to 8 µmol by pure g-C3N4 under identical illumination conditions in the presence of methanol without the addition of cocatalyst. The much improved photoactivities of the nanocomposites were attributed to the enhanced charge separation through the heterojunction as confirmed from photoluminescence study, capacity of the fabricated samples for •OH radical generation and steady state surface photovoltage spectroscopic (SS-SPS) measurements. We believe that this work would help to fabricate low cost and effective visible light driven photocatalyst for energy production.

Rice straw is the main agricultural by-product while polyethylene is among the most widely produced plastics in the world. The bulk of rice straw and discarded polyethylene end up in landfills and pose concerns with waste management. By valorizing these wastes into valuable fuels through a suitable conversion approach, the associated environmental pollution and waste management problems can be reduced. In the reported work, a low-cost cement catalyst was tested for co-pyrolysis of rice straw and waste polyethylene into combustible liquid and gases in a fixed bed pyrolysis reactor. Under optimum conditions, the co-feed rice straw and polyethylene yielded 57.2 wt.% of liquid fuel, 21.3 wt.% of gas, and 21.5 wt.% of bio-char. When compared with rice straw alone, the co-feed feedstock produced 16.60% more liquid fuel and 7.5% less bio-char. The liquid product increased with an increase in plastic content of the blend. The amount of liquid product increased from 57.2 to 74.18 wt.% for rice straw to polyethylene ratio of 1:3. The catalyst showed a noticeable effect on composition of the fuels. With the use of catalyst, the gas yield increased from 21.3 to 28.16 wt.% and hydrogen content of gas increased from 19.33 to 31.18 mL/g.

Combining tillage with herbicides is an economical and efficient method for weed management and yield improvement in wheat. A two-year study was conducted having three tillage levels viz. 2″ tillage (shallow tillage, ST), 4″ tillage (conventional tillage, CT) and 6″ tillage (deep tillage, DT). The weed control treatments were five including three herbicides i.e. bromoxynil + MCPA (a broad-leaf weed killer), fenoxaprop-p-ethyl (a grass killer) and isoproturon + carfentrazone (a broad-spectrum herbicide), along with a hand weeding (HW) and a weedy check (WC). Results showed that the recorded parameters were significantly affected by the varying tillage depths, herbicide applications and their interactions. The weed density and biomass were the highest in ST and the lowest in DT, while among the weed control treatments, the weed density and biomass were highest in WC and lowest in HW. On the other hand, the DT treatments resulted in highest number of spikes m−2, 1000-grain weight (TGW), biological yield and grain yield; while ST showed the lowest values. Among the weed control treatments, the number of spikes, TGW, biological and grain yields were the highest in HW and the lowest in WC treatments. The herbicide isoproturon + carfentrazone performed the best among the three applied herbicides in diminishing the weed population density and biomass, and improving the number of spikes, TGW, biological and grain yields. In conclusion, the combination of deep tillage and herbicide isoproturon + carfentrazone can prove to be the best option for optimum weed management in wheat at higher altitudes.

The objective of this research work is to assess the wind characteristics and wind power potential of Gharo site. The wind parameters of the site have been used to calculate the wind power density, annual energy yield, and capacity factors at 10, 30, and 50 m. The wind frequency distribution including seasonal as well as percentage of seasonal frequency distribution has been investigated to determine accurately the wind power of the site. The coefficient of variation is calculated at three different heights. Also, economic assessment per kWh of energy has been carried out. The site-specific annual mean wind speeds were 6.89, 5.85, and 3.85 m/s at 50, 30, and 10 m heights with corresponding standard deviations of 2.946, 2.489, and 2.040. The mean values of the Weibull k parameter are estimated as 2.946, 2.489, and 2.040 while those of scale parameter are estimated as 7.634, 6.465, and 4.180 m/s at 50, 30, and 10 m, respectively. The respective mean wind power and energy density values are found to be 118.3, 92.20, and 46.10 W/m2 and 1036.6, 807.90, and 402.60 kWh/m2. As per cost estimation of wind turbines, the wind turbine WT-C has the lowest cost of US$ Cents 0.0346/kWh and highest capacity factors of 0.3278 (32.78%). Wind turbine WT-C is recommended for this site for the wind farm deployment due to high energy generation and minimum price of energy. The results show the appropriateness of the methodology for assessing the wind speed and economic assessment at the lowest price of energy.

The provision of the heterogeneous information acquisition and managing of emerging technologies with IoT, cloud-based storage, and improved communication services have filled the data scarcity gap on one hand but raised the challenge to extract, process, and comprehend relevant data of complex integrated multiple domains involving a large number of participants with diverse spatial terminologies and methodologies. To resolve this challenge various big data and natural language processing techniques were applied. Another widely used approach to resolve the challenges of heterogeneity, interoperability, and complexity of integrated domain is ontology-based semantic modeling. We proposed Ontology for River Flow and Flood Mitigation (ORFFM) for semantic knowledge formalization with semantic understandability of irrigation, disaster management, related administrative and agricultural domain concepts by humans and machines. The semantic modeling of distributed river flow network and associated flood disaster mitigation for effective coordination, collaborative response activities leads to reduce the impact of a disaster and improve information representation among stakeholders. Furthermore, semantic formalization and inference are supported by explicitly annotated information. We populated ORFFM with Pakistan’s Indus river system, flood disaster management, and Sindh administrative authorities to develop a knowledgebase for knowledge sharing and representation. The formal semantically enriched knowledgebase would contribute towards streamflow optimization and flood mitigation through effective coordination and common conceptualization during disaster management phases. The semantic model of irrigation networks would also be useful for academic purposes to acquire domain knowledge for new entrants in the irrigation and disaster management field.

Plasma treatment of textiles is an efficient and nontoxic alternative to the widely used wet chemical method. Unlike plasma treatment, the wet chemical treatment not only degrades the mechanical strength of textiles but environment as well. The chemical finishing of textiles through non-plasma treatment is carried out by modifying the surface and grafting some functional groups on the plasma exposed textile. Plasma treatment only alters the properties of uppermost layer of an exposed material but not its bulk properties. It causes surface activation, chain scission, surface etching, oxidation and de-crystallization of textiles. Therefore, plasma chemistry and applications of plasma modified textiles are the focus of this review. The plasma-fabric interaction and the resultant changes in weight loss, tensile strength, desizing, dyeing, wettability, contact angle, aging and functional groups are discussed in detail. The activation mechanism and type of radicals on the fabric surface are also elaborated in this review. The survey concludes that plasma treatment grafts oxygen, carbon and nitrogen radicals on the surface. An increase or decrease in contact angle depends on conditions of plasma treatment. The aging and hydrophobicity of plasma treated textiles depends on type of plasma precursors, mixture of gases, temperature of reactive species, plasma pressure and exposure time.

Present study was intendant to assess heavy metals (HMs) concentration and associated health risk in processed fruits’ products sold in the local markets of North Pakistan. In total seven metals viz. cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) were quantified in 345 samples of different brands categorized into eight groups (Sauces, Ketchup, Juices, Jams, canned fruits, tomato paste, marmalades and pickles). On the comparative basis, Fe was dominating with highest concentration in pickles, canned fruits and sauces at 143.3 ± 43.2, 83.64 ± 23.19 and 50.17 ± 15.1 mg/kg, respectively), followed by Cd in sauces (22.94 ± 6.91 mg/kg), Cr in juices (12.97 ± 3.91 mg/kg) and Pb in pickles (12.53 ± 3.77 mg/kg). Measured levels of these metals varied significantly and were relatively higher than their permissible limits. Univariate and multivariate analysis depicted strong association among Cr, Co, Pb and Fe and confirmed HMs contamination through natural and anthropogenic sources in processed foods. Health risk index (HRI) for Cd, Cr and Pb was greater than unity (

We study constant and variable fluid properties together to investigate their effect on MHD Powell–Eyring nanofluid flow with thermal radiation and heat generation over a variable thickness sheet. The similarity variables assist in having ordinary differential equations acquired from partial differential equations (PDEs). A novel numerical procedure, the simplified finite difference method (SFDM), is developed to calculate the physical solution. The SFDM described here is simple, efficient, and accurate. To highlight its accuracy, results of the SFDM are compared with the literature. The results obtained from the SFDM are compared with the published results from the literature. This gives a good agreed solution with each other. The velocity, temperature, and concentration distributions, when drawn at the same time for constant and variable physical features, are observed to be affected against incremental values of the flow variables. Furthermore, the impact of contributing flow variables on the skin friction coefficient (drag on the wall) and local Nusselt (heat transfer rate on the wall) and Sherwood numbers (mass transfer on the wall) is illustrated by data distributed in tables. The nondimensional skin friction coefficient experiences higher values for constant flow regimes especially in comparison with changing flow features.

Material functionalities strongly depend on the stoichiometry, crystal structure, and homogeneity. Here we demonstrate an approach of amorphous nonstoichiometric inhomogeneous oxides to realize tunable ferromagnetism and electrical transport at room temperature. In order to verify the origin of the ferromagnetism, we employed a series of structural, chemical, and electronic state characterizations. Combined with electron microscopy and transport measurements, synchrotron-based grazing incident wide angle X-ray scattering, soft X-ray absorption and circular dichroism clearly reveal that the room-temperature ferromagnetism originates from the In0.23Co0.77O1−v amorphous phase with a large tunable range of oxygen vacancies. The room-temperature ferromagnetism is tunable from a high saturation magnetization of 500 emu cm−3 to below 25 emu cm−3, with the evolving electrical resistivity from 5 × 103 μΩ cm to above 2.5 × 105 μΩ cm. Inhomogeneous nano-crystallization emerges with decreasing oxygen vacancies, driving the system towards non-ferromagnetism and insulating regime. Our work unfolds the novel functionalities of amorphous nonstoichiometric inhomogeneous oxides, which opens up new opportunities for developing spintronic materials with superior magnetic and transport properties.

This study investigated the effect of input power and process time on microwave-metal interaction pyrolysis of pure plastics (PS, PP, LDPE) and their blends into liquid and gaseous fuels. The microwave power and time were varied to pyrolyze 20 g of each sample in an iron coil. The pure PS underwent maximum conversion into fuels followed by PP and LDPE. Under optimized microwave power (2100–2500 W), PS produced 88.7% oil after 19 min of reaction time, PP produced 54.65% oil at 23 min of reaction time and LDPE produced 30.15% oil after 26 min of reaction time. Pure PS and PP showed high conversion efficiency of 95.40% and 95.10%, respectively, into liquid and gaseous fuels. Pure LDPE showed only 54.30% conversion into fuels by producing large quantity of waxy residue. In blended form, PS-PP blend revealed highest conversion of 65.67% into fuels followed by PS-PP-LDPE blend (57.23%), PS-LDPE blend (46.52%) and PP-LDPE blend (28.08%). Based on mass balance and percentage conversion, PS-PP blend showed maximum conversion of 96.25% whereas PP-LDPE showed minimum conversion of 74.99%. Higher microwave powers within optimal range produced better yield of liquid fuel in shorter time periods. The pyrolytic oils contained some useful aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons (C8–C16).

Waste polyethylene is one of the most abundant plastics coming to the municipal waste. Polyethylene releases toxic chemicals, which deteriorate the environment and human health. This study investigates the valorization of waste polyethylene through thermal and thermo-catalytic pyrolysis process. Being low cost and reusable, the ordinary Portland and white cements were used as a catalyst. The thermal, white cement catalyzed, and Portland cement catalyzed pyrolysis produced 83.16%, 90.99%, and 89.61% relative amount of oil, respectively, at optimum temperature of 500 °C. For time optimization, the pyrolysis reaction was carried out for different time intervals between 15 and 78 min. The catalyst weight of 30% was found best option for increasing the hydrocarbon yield and cutting down the reaction time and is deemed as ensuring the economic disposal of the waste polyethylene. The oil product was broken down into fractions with boiling points comparable to gasoline, kerosene, and diesel and some residual fraction. The gaseous product was analyzed through different chemical analysis and combustibility tests. The oil product was analyzed using FT-IR and GC–MS techniques. It was observed that the oil product is composed of alkane and alkenes. The oil products of catalytic and thermal processes exhibited different chemical compositions. The number of compounds and their nature varied with a change in pyrolysis approach.

Nanoparticles can enhance growth and yield of different plants due to their favorable physicochemical properties. This study investigated the effect of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles on biochemic...

Purpose The rapid rising of renewable energy sources particularly wind energy cannot be ignored. The numerical increase in wind energy farms throughout the world is the best example. The purpose of this paper is to assess the basic question of whether wind characteristics affect the performance and cost of energy. The importance of this question cannot be ruled out while comparing renewable energy to a conventional form of energy more specifically especially for the developing country where the cost of energy is very high. Design/methodology/approach The research design of this paper is consists of an assessment of local wind characteristics of the wind farm site using Weibull k and c parameters. The performance model is used to assess the performance of the wind turbine (WT) corresponding to local wind characteristics. The wind correlation with WT in terms of changing wind speed has been assessed to quantify the effects of wind speed on the WT behavior and failure of WT components. Similarly, the power curve of WT is assessed and compared with the International Electrotechnical Commission standards 61400-12-2. The WT power coefficient and tip speed ratio corresponding to wind speed is also investigated. The energy volume and cost of energy lost model is used to determine the cost and volume loss of energy/kWh of the wind farm. Findings The findings of practical wind farms showed that the wind conditions of the site are showing a strong tendency that can be determined from the results of Weibull k and c parameters. The k and c parameters are observed to be 3.44 and 9.16 m/s, respectively, for a period of a year. The standard deviation is observed to be 2.56 for a period of a year. WT shows the efficient behavior can be obtained from the power coefficient and tip speed of WT at different wind speeds. Also, wind farm observation showed that to be some increasing wind speed cause of based WT component failures. The results of energy volume and cost/kWh assessment showed that the major portion of energy volume and cost of energy is lost owing to network, voltage dip and frequency surge, electrical and mechanical components failures. Originality/value Generally, it can be concluded that the WTs are now able to cope with variable wind speeds. However, the results of this paper are showing that WT performance and availability decreased due to increased wind speeds. It can also be a reason to decreased volume and increase the cost of energy/kWh.

A novel spectrophotometric method has been developed for the analysis of cadmium, cobalt, copper, iron and lead. This method is based on microwave-assisted in-situ complexation of metals ions with ...

A new tetra triazole functionalized calix[4]resorcinarene macrocycle (5) is synthesized and utilized for the detection of copper ions in the aqueous medium. The photophysical potential of compound (5) is examined by a range of cations (Ba2+, Ca2+, Co2+, Hg2+, K+, Mg2+, Mn2+, Na+, NH4 + and Pd2+). The triazole based calix[4]resorcinarene macrocycle (5) has interacted with Cu2+ ion in preference of other cations. A significant quenching has been observed after the addition of 15 μM Cu2+ ion solution, which produced 4.2 folds drift in the absorption intensity of compound (5). Tetra triazole functionalized calix[4]resorcinarene macrocycle showed high selectivity towards copper ion chemosensing without any interference in competitive studies. The pH studies of compound (5) with Cu2+ indicated the maximum chelation between 7- 7.5 pH. The compound (5) is capable to recognize Cu2+ at 1 μM detectable limit. Copper ion was detected in tap water with 15 μM concentration. Job’s plot showed 1:2 binding ratio between macrocycle (5) and Cu2+.

The efficient performance of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) by utilizing safe and cost effective hydrocarbon fuels at low temperature is really a challenging task due to C–H activation and sluggish oxidation/reduction kinetics. In this study a novel [Sr0.4La0.6(Fe0.75Ti0.25)0.6Ni0.4O3-δ] (SLFTNO) nanocomposite was synthesized via solid state reaction route and was evaluated electrochemically in presence of multifuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, methane and ethanol. Phase purity and structural analysis was carried out through X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). The average crystallite size calculated was ranged from 60-100 nm. The electrical conductivity and power density was measured between (89–226) S/cm and (147–318) mW/cm2 respectively among different fuels. This study indicated the synthesized SLFTNO nanocomposite as stable and efficient multifuels candidate for SOFCs.

Ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) gene, PSMD1, is an important gene for neutralization of damaged and misfolded protein(s). The current study was designed to study the genetic and expression variations of PSMD1 gene as a consequence of arsenic exposure and its potential implications in arsenic induced diseases. In the present study, 250 blood samples of exposed industrial workers along with 250 controls were used. Initially, tetra amplification refractory mutation system-PCR was used to determine the role of PSMD1 gene polymorphisms (rs1549339, rs13402242) in industrial workers and controls. Frequency of homozygous mutant genotype of rs1549339 (OR: 2.23, 95% CI: 1.51–3.32, p = 0.0001) and rs13402242 (OR: 2.96, 95% CI: 1.52–5.75, p = 0.001) was observed significantly higher in exposed individuals vs controls. Secondly, qPCR was performed for expression analysis of PSMD1 gene. Significant down-regulated expression of PSMD1 gene (p

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate wind power potential of site using wind speed, wind direction and other meteorological data including temperature and air density collected over a period of one year. Design/methodology/approach The site-specific air density, wind shear, wind power density, annual energy yield and capacity factors have been calculated at 30 and 10 m above the ground level (AGL). The Weibull parameters have been calculated using empirical, maximum likelihood, modified maximum likelihood, energy pattern and graphical methods to determine the other dependent parameters. The accuracies of these methods are determined using correlation coefficient (R²) and root mean square error (RMSE) values. Findings The site-specific wind shear coefficient was found to be 0.18. The annual mean wind speeds were found to be 5.174 and 4.670 m/s at 30 and 10 m heights, respectively, with corresponding standard deviations of 2.085 and 2.059. The mean wind power densities were found to be 59.50 and 46.75 W/m² at 30 and 10 m heights, respectively. According to the economic assessment, the wind turbine A is capable of producing wind energy at the lowest value of US$ 0.034/kWh. Practical implications This assessment provides the sustainable solution of energy which minimizes the dependence on continuous supply of oil and gas to run the conventional power plants that is a major cause of increasing load shedding in the significant industrial and thickly populated city of Pakistan. Also, this will minimize the quarrel between the local power producer and oil and gas supplier during the peak season. Social implications This wind resource assessment has some important social implications including decreasing the environmental issues, enhancing the uninterrupted supply of electricity and decreasing cost of energy per kWh for the masses of Karachi. Originality/value The results are showing that the location can be used for installing the wind energy power plant at the lower cost per kWh compared to other energy sources. The wind energy is termed as sustainable solution at the lowest cost.

This Paper reports the effect of High Entropy Alloy (HEA) weight fraction on the structural behavior and hardness variation of Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites (MMC’s). The AlFeCuNiMgZn HEA is reinforced to Al MMC’s with varied weight fraction viz., 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%. The phase constituents of the HEA powders and Al-HEA composite powders were characterized through X Ray Diffraction (XRD) studies. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of sintered samples were discussed. Macro hardness test was performed employing Rockwell B Scale. Density of the both green and sintered samples tends to increase with increase in HEA weight fraction. Hardness of the samples also follows the similar trend for both green and sintered samples

In the modern era of high-tech machines and advanced technologies, Pakistan yet fails to mitigate its daunting energy crisis and power shortage of $2765~MW$ presently, which eventually affects the economy and well-being of the nation. This article highlights and discusses the key issues in the energy sector of Pakistan and how they give rise to the load shedding, tariff rates and environmental damage subsequently. Unfortunately, the country has the highest power production share of 63.9% from thermal power plants and least of about $5-6\%$ from renewable sources. In contrast to renewable sources, the thermal power generation being exhaustible has many drawbacks such as rapid depletion of fossil fuel reserves, inevitable varying costs, shorter life expectancy and most notably the undesirable environmental impacts. In addition to all this, the transmission and distribution networks need to be upgraded to uplift the current carrying capacity of utility network otherwise may lead to the aging of system equipment, overloading of power and distribution transformers, increasing of power losses and many other factors contributing to the energy and economic concerns in the country. In the view of strategic analysis and detailed study made on the energy sector statistics, it is evident that Pakistan has promising potential of renewable energy resources especially solar, wind, and hydel to overcome the energy, economic and ecological problems in the country particularly and the region as a whole.

Silica particles synthesized by precipitation method were in situ capped with Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and Hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) compounds aiming to increase their biocompatibility. XRD, FTIR, TG/DSC, DLS and SEM analyses were performed to determine the crystalline structure, attached functional groups, thermal behaviour, size and morphology of silica particles. XRD analysis showed the amorphous structure of synthesized particles. FTIR results confirmed the formation of SiO2 particles and pointed about the functional groups (−CN, −CO,−OH etc.) attached on surface. Thermal analysis results showed that weight loss was due to removal of water and gradual degradation of EDTA molecules with rise of temperature, i.e. above 220 °C. The dynamic laser scattering measurements (zeta potential) depicted the strongest electrophoretic stability (− 30 mV) of EDTA-capped silica than virgin (− 13 mV) and particles capped with HMTA(− 24 mV). The SEM results revealed that virgin and silica particles capped with EDTA ligand exhibited spherical morphology with an average particle size of 210 nm and 280 nm, respectively. Whereas, HMTA-capped silica partilces showed hexagonal morphology with an average particle size of 240 nm. The in vitro cytotoxicity analysis was also carried out using human HepG2w, ATCC® HB-8065™ cell culture of 100 µg/ml concentration in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) solution maintained at 37 °C in the presence of CO2 environment. The results revealed that silica particles capped with EDTA (0.07 g) have shown remarkable biocompatibility (~ 96%) than virgin silica (~ 69%) due to bearing better hydrophobic characteristics. However, HMTA decomposed during synthesis which induced toxicity and agglomeration among silica particles. As a result, poor biocompatibility (~ 65%) was observed.

This study presents seismic hazard and seismic microzonation maps for the Abbottabad basin and surroundings, which are used in assessment and seismic design of buildings and bridges and other infrastructures. This research work determines microzonation parameters (shear wave velocity, fundamental frequency, and acceleration on ground surface) using geotechnical and geophysical testing procedures. Standard penetration test (SPT) and H/V methods are used to characterize the soils by estimating shear wave velocity at different locations. Microzonation maps for Abbottabad are developed in terms of acceleration parameter for 10% and 2% probability of exceedances in 50 years return period. These maps have been obtained based on the mean of average spectral acceleration values between 0.10 and 1.00 s following the Borcherdt (1994) recommendations. Based on H/V data (using Tromino Engy Plus instrument), it has been observed that the study area has average fundamental frequency range from 1 to 5 Hz, which represents the deposition of alluvial sediments (i.e., stiff and dense soil). Site characterization based on shear wave velocity indicated that soil in the study area consists of categories C and D. For the return period (Tr) of 475 years, the surface acceleration values ranges from 0.623 to 0.673 g, and for Tr = 2475 years, the area ranges from 1.007 to 1.107 g. These results show that soils in the Abbottabad basin will amplify 0.540 and 0.548 time respectively for Tr = 475 and 2475 against bed rock ground motions. Microzonation maps for Abbottabad basin do not exist; the maps produced in this study will be the basic input for carrying out the earthquake resistant design of the structures in Abbottabad.

The values of dn/dT for thermally evaporated WO3 thin films were found to be negative either in the heating cycle (295-373 K) or in the cooling cycle (100-300 K) and were found to be of order of 10-5 K-1. On the other hand thermo optic coefficients (TOCs: dn/dT and dk/dT values) of tungsten bronzes (H+, Li+, Na+) with different concentrations were found to be positive and negative, respectively in both the heating and cooling cycles and they were found to be in the order of 10-4 K-1. Heating cycles show hysteresis loops of n and k for tungsten bronzes, which are good for electrochromic devices. On heating the bronzes at temperature higher than 400 K, there might be a reduction in the porosity but an irreversible disordering of hydrogen, lithium or sodium atoms could occur because of anomalous dispersions produced in the optical data. For cooling cycles, the calculated TOCs were again of the order of 10-4 but there was an increase in dn/dT and a decrease in dk/dT values due to more amorphousness built up in the bronzes during the cooling cycles. This change in the values of TOCs for tungsten bronzes created small decrease in electronic polarizabilities (αe) which were calculated in the range from 8.003 to 8.02 × 10-24 cm3 in the cooling cycles.

The worldwide demand of ceramic tiles market is projected to spread about 21,000 million square meters by 2020. The rising infrastructure progress activities in emergent countries is expected to motivate the trade growth throughout the estimated period. The industry has fascinated a number of new competitors owing to the fast demand progress, thus executing the business extremely reasonable. The production of ceramic tiles involves two different stages: pre bisque firing kiln processes and post bisque firing kiln processes. Rejection encountered in pre bisque firing kiln processes can be recycled deprived of much damage to the environment however the post bisque firing kiln rejection cannot be reprocessed. On the other hand, greatest amount of thermal energy is consumed in the bisque firing kiln process. This research paper highlights a case study of frontier ceramic ltd to diminish the post bisque firing kiln rejections frequency during the production of ceramic wall tiles. In this perspective, 5S methodology is used to reorganize the workstations and process flow while the application of kaizens philosophy of continuous improvement has directed to 40% decrease in post bisque firing kiln rejection consequently saving energy and damage to environment.

The present work is focused on the development of an effective process for the conversion of waste soap into fuel oil and gas. The waste soap was converted into highly combustible gas and oil by using low-cost white cement and burnt brick powder catalysts. Optimum conditions for both catalytic and non-catalytic pyrolysis were investigated by varying temperature, weight of catalyst, and reaction duration. All the experiments were carried out in a custom-made furnace and stainless steel pyrolyzer. The gaseous product was identified as alkenes and alkynes during their chemical analysis. The presence of carbon monoxide in the gaseous product was assessed from the color of the flame while the presence of hydrogen was examined through the GC-MS analysis. The oil fraction was separated into gasoline and kerosene fractions using fractional distillation approach. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of the oil was carried out using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The oil obtained at 600 °C by non-catalytic pyrolysis, white cement–catalyzed, and clinker–catalyzed pyrolysis presented hydrocarbon content of 13.27%, 70.70%, and 46.44%, respectively.

Porous SiC nanowire (SiCNW) ceramics have great potentials for engineering applications. We herein report the fabrication of 3D SiCNW scaffolds with tuneable microstructures, densities, and therefore properties, by regulating the solid loading content in the reticulated melamine foam (MF) template and finalizing with a modified carbothermal reaction. We first demonstrate the resulting samples exhibiting high strength (modulus up to ∼167.3 kPa), good recoverability (11% residual strain and 72% maximum stress after 100 compressive cycles at a e = 20%), low thermal conductivity of 32−54 mW m−1 K−1 at room temperature, and good fire retardance performance. We further show that these unique and tuneable SiCNW scaffolds could act as efficient organic solvent/oil absorbent, as excellent support for MOF-derived TiO2-C catalyst to achieve enhanced photocatalytic performance, and as competent electromechanical strain sensors. These multifunctionalities could find niche applications in energy and environment devices.

In the present study Mentha arvensis medaited Magnesium oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by novel green route followed by advanced characterization via XRD, FTIR, UV, SEM, TEM, DLS and TGA. The mean grain size of 32.4 nm and crystallite fcc morphology were confirmed by X-ray diffractive analysis. Scanning and Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed the spherical and elliptical morphologies of the biosynthesized nanoparticles. Particle surface charge of −16.1 mV were determined by zeta potential and zeta size of 30–120 nm via dynamic light scattering method. Fourier transform spectroscopic analysis revealed the possible involvement of functional groups in the plant extract in reduction of Mg2+ ions to Mg0. Furthermore, the antioxidant, anti-Alzheimer, anti-cancer, and anti-H. pylori activities were performed. The results revealed that MgO-NPs has significant anti-H. pyloric potential by giving ZOI of 17.19 ± 0.83 mm against Helicobacter&nbsp, felis followed by Helicobacter&nbsp, suis. MgO-NPs inhibited protein kinase enzyme up to 12.44 ± 0.72% at 5 mg/mL and thus showed eminent anticancer activity. Significant free radicals scavenging and hemocompatability was also shown by MgO-NPs. MgO-NPs also displayed good inhibition potential against Hela cell lines with maximum inhibition of 49.49 ± 1.18 at 400 µg/mL. Owing to ecofriendly synthesis, non-toxic and biocompatible nature, Mentha arvensis synthesized MgO-NPs can be used as potent antimicrobial agent in therapeutic applications.

Owing to its versatility and superiority, nanotechnology-mediated interventions have gained remarkable recognition. The present study was aimed for efficient co-delivery raloxifene (RLX) an...

Fabric bleaching is one of the most widely used processes of the textile industry that also produces a significant amount of highly polluted wastewater. Previously, expensive and chemically extensive conventional remediation systems were used to treat bleaching effluent. Despite this, the potential of constructed wetlands (CWs) as a treatment system remains un-investigated. Furthermore, most research on the use of CWs for textile effluents are conducted at laboratory scale and therefore further research at field-scale is timely. This study compares the efficacy of bacterial augmented vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) and horizontal flow constructed wetlands (HFCWs) for the remediation of textile bleaching wastewater at pilot scale. To this end, CWs macrocosms of 1000 L water capacity were planted with Phragmites australis and inoculated with bacterial strains possessing pollutant degradation and plant growth-promoting traits. The results showed that both variants of CWs were effective in attenuating pollutants from the wastewater; however, the performance of HFCWs exceeded that of the VFCWs for almost every pollutant measure undertaken. For HFCWs, a significant reduction in COD (89%), BOD (91%), TOC (96%), and toxicity was achieved in a period of 72 h during the first month of operation. Bacterial inoculation in CWs further improved the system's performance and these bacteria also exhibited persistence in the rhizoplane (43%), root interior (56%) and shoot interior (29%) of P. australis. This study, therefore, suggests that the bacterial augmented HFCWs is a suitable approach for industrial scale textile bleach wastewater treatment.

In this investigation, we have measured the optical constants (n, k) of vacuum evaporated MoO3 thin films and of ZxMoO3 (Z = H+, Li+) bronze thin films being annealed at different temperatures and with different concentrations (x) over the range 298–453 K without and within an oxygen plasma environment using manual ellipsometry. We have also measured mass densities, thermo optic coefficients (TOCs), electronic polarizability coefficients (EPCs) and the coefficients of temperature dependence of density of MoO3 thin film and of its bronzes over the same temperature range. It was found that the change in density and porosity of MoO3 thin film (when annealed at 453 K for 36 h) was not more than 6.4% and 15% respectively from the room temperature data. In the case of bronzes, when the samples H0.203MoO3, Li0.076MoO3 and Li0.133MoO3 were annealed at 453 K within an oxygen plasma over different periods of times, it was found that the overall increase in mass density and decrease in the porosity was not more than 4% and 11%, respectively from the initial data at room temperature. Comparably, when the samples H0.211MoO3 and Li0.27MoO3 were annealed at 453 K within an oxygen plasma over different periods of time, the respective decrease in density and increase in porosity was found not more than 3.4% and 6% from the room temperature data. All these results are mostly due to evolution of H2O which causes diffusion of oxygen leading to shallow and deep localised states in the oxide bronze layers. TOCs and EPCs of samples HxMoO3 (x = 0.203) and LixMoO3(x = 0.076, 0.133) upon annealing at 453 K (without and within an oxygen plasma) over different periods of times have an increase in TOCs and in EPCs, and that increase is from 0.10 × 10−4 K−1 to 13.5 × 10−4 K−1 and 0.13 × 10−27 cm3 K−1 to 3.2 × 10−27 cm3 K−1, respectively. On the other hand, the thermo optic coefficient and the coefficient of temperature dependence of density of MoO3 thin films decrease from − 1.2 × 10−4 K−1 to − 8.86 × 10−4 K−1 and − 1.86 × 10−4 g cm−3 K−1 to − 15.13 × 10−4 g cm−3 K−1, respectively. In the case of H0.211MoO3 and Li0.27MoO3 when annealed at 453 K over different periods of time within oxygen plasma, the overall decrease in TOC is from − 0.3 × 10−4 K−1 to − 4.62 × 10−4 K−1, and the decrease in coefficient of temperature dependence of density is from − 0.45 × 10−4 g cm−3 K−1 to − 8.9 × 10−4 g cm−3 K−1. These results are due to linear thermal expansion effect.

True verification of meat species is critical for religious, economical, legal, and/or public health concerns. Current methods available for verification of meat species are very time-consuming and/or costly. So considering the necessity, a novel polymerase chain reaction assay (PCR)–based ARMS (amplification refractory mutation system) type identification assay for detection of 6 most common mammalian species—Equus asinus (donkey), Equus caballus (horse), Bos Taurus (cow), Bubalus bubalis (buffalo), Capra hircus (goat), and Canis lupus familiaris (dog)—was described in present study by designing species-specific forward primers against variable regions and a single universal reverse primer against a very conserved region of nuclear beta actin (ACTB) gene by investigation of areas of homology and variation. As compared with conventional designing of primers, ARMS type primer designing is a better alternative as it allows more room for choice and offers differentiation of closely related species by exploiting just a single nucleotide base difference. PCR bands of 128, 229, 273, 362, 710, and 796 bp were generated on electrophoretic gel for buffalo, donkey, cow, horse, dog, and goat meat species respectively. Besides singleplexing, duplex (multiplex) PCR for donkey and horse, donkey and goat, and donkey and buffalo were also performed which successfully generated corresponding bands. The method is a simple and straightforward setup; results can be interpreted easily in a short time and do not need validation by sequencing. Results of the present study clearly demonstrate that the method can be used as an identification tool for differentiation between cow, buffalo, goat, donkey, horse, and dog species.

We have measured mass densities, thermo-optic coefficients, and electronic polarizability of MoO3 thin films and of HxMoO3 and LixMoO3 bronze thin films over the temperature range from 100 K to 373 K using ellipsometry. The mass densities of MoO3 and molybdenum bronzes with different concentrations (x) changed from 3.76 g/cm3 to 2.45 g/cm3 during the heating and cooling cycles. Thermo-optic coefficients (TOCs) or dn/dT and dk/dT values of the molybdenum bronzes were found to have anomalous dispersion in the heating cycles over the range 295–373 K. On the other hand, the values of dn/dT for MoO3 thin films and for ZxMoO3 bronzes were found to be negative and positive, respectively over the temperature range 100–295 K and were on the order of 10−4 K−1. The respective values of dk/dT were found to be positive and negative and were on the order of 10−4 K−1 in the same temperature range. A little increase in the values of TOCs for the molybdenum bronzes is due to small increase in electronic polarizability, which was calculated in the range from 8.20 to 8.22 × 10−24 cm3 over the temperature range 100–373 K. All these small values are due to creation of more amorphousness in the MoO3 structure during the cooling cycles. The n and k data and TOCs values of molybdenum bronzes are explained using analytical model. The reported ellipsometric data is also interpreted in terms of small-polarons and bipolarons using configurational coordinate model.

All cultivated soils are prone to rapid reconsolidation when wet, particularly structurally unstable soils. This predisposes them to waterlogging, slow and limited infiltration, rapid drying, and poor establishment, growth and production of crops. Field-scale research was undertaken to develop soil management and/or engineering practices that will maintain a stable, loose tilth with aeration, drainage and infiltration properties that prevent waterlogging, enhance infiltration and increase crop production. The effects of deep ripping plus gypsum, permanent raised beds (PRB), deep blade loosening at 250 mm depth (DBL) and no-tillage crop establishment (NT) were studied in controlled traffic regimes on rainfed and irrigated crops. The DBL treatment severs roots at about 250 mm depth and loosens without inverting the overburden. Experiments were undertaken from 1997 to 2011 on winter waterlog-prone unstable sandy loam over clay soils in Western Australia, on an unstable fine sandy clay loam in Pakistan and on a self-mulching clay in Queensland. All sites were operated on a field scale as part of the commercial operations of collaborating farmers. Root zone soil conditions were monitored with measurements (0–400 mm) of bulk density, tilth porosity, hydraulic conductivity, perched water table depth, root mass, organic carbon, total nitrogen and moisture profiles. Irrigation applications and crop yield were also recorded. Bulk density data on all experimental sites showed reconsolidation of the tilth created by deep ripping with or without gypsum in the NT treatment occurred substantially within one growing season. The reconsolidated NT treatment in Western Australia also had low hydraulic conductivity, air-filled porosity values of only two to 4% at a soil moisture potential of −250 mm (PRB height) and suffered long duration waterlogging events. The DBL-PRB treatment on these soils remained largely unconsolidated, had larger hydraulic conductivity, an air-filled porosity at −250 mm moisture potential of ≥10%, and did not suffer waterlogging. Modelling using drainage theory showed that DBL-PRB could be as wide as three metres and easily drain saturated beds within two days, thus precluding waterlogging. Root mass in the 0–400 mm in DBL-PRB treatment was, on average, seasonally 31% greater than the NT treatment. This increase in root mass is shown to have produced increases of 48% in soil organic carbon and 34% in total soil nitrogen content, and, over 19 cropping seasons with six different types of crop, the DBL-PRB treatment produced an annual average increase in grain yield of 23% over that of the NT treatment. The DBL-PRB treatment also substantially increased the amount and rate of lateral infiltration. Irrigation wetting fronts were both measured and predicted by infiltration theory to reach the centre of 2 m wide DBL-PRB in one third to one half of the time taken in NT-PRB. DBL practice has the potential to stabilise a deepened tilth in all soil types through the conservation of the structure and mass of enhanced root growth, which increases soil organic carbon, total soil nitrogen and crop productivity, as well as preventing waterlogging and improving irrigation efficiency.

Porous ZnO/C nanocomposites derived from 3 different Zinc based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) including MOF-5, MOF-74 and ZIF-8, were prepared at high temperature under water-steam atmosphere and their performances in photocatalytic H2 evolution reaction (HER) and photodegradation of organic dye pollutants were evaluated. The formation mechanism from MOF precursors, the structural properties, morphologies, compositions and textural properties of the derived ZnO/C composites were fully investigated based on different characterization techniques and the correlation between the precursors and the derived composites was discussed. It is evident that MOF precursors determine the crystalline structures, doping profiles, thermal stabilities and metal oxide-carbon weight percentage ratios of the resulting composites. The correlation between MOFs and their derived nanocomposites indicates that different parameters play unalike roles in photocatalytic performances. The desired properties can be tuned by selecting appropriate MOF precursors. MOF-5 derived porous ZnO/C nanocomposite not only exhibits the highest photocatalytic dye degradation activity under visible light among these MOFs, but also outperforms those derived from MOF-74 and ZIF-8 up to 9 and 4 times in photocatalytic HER respectively. This study offers simple and environmentally friendly approaches to further develop new homogeneously dispersed functional metal oxide/carbon composites for various energy and environment-related applications.

In the presented work, waste glass was converted into highly porous material through a thermo-chemical reaction. In this conversion, lime was used as flux, salt as a medium and soda as a reactant. The effect of relative concentration of fluxes and reactants on the physicochemical properties of the resulting material were investigated at different temperatures. The porous material product was investigated for its textural and chemical nature using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X ray florescence spectroscopy. SEM analysis showed that the adsorbent had mesoporous and microporous nature. Since porous glass of well-defined pore size and porosity level was fabricated through a hetero-coagulation template processing, the strategy can be developed into a general pathway to prepare various porous inorganic materials with well-defined pore structure. The porous product was also used as an adsorbent for the removal of direct blue dye from aqueous medium. The glass adsorbent significantly removed the Direct blue dye from the aqueous medium. It was observed that the adsorbent can remove 1.27 mg/g of dye after 25 min of treatment.

The photocatalytic activities of g-C3N4 can be significantly improved by increasing life time of the photogenerated charges. Here, in this work we introduced TiO2 as proper energy platform to accept the photogenerated electrons from g-C3N4 during photocatalysis. The nanophotocatalysts formed from the combination of a suitable amount of TiO2 nanoparticles and g-C3N4 nanosheets showed 8.75 and 4.22% enhancement in photocatalytic activities for CO2 reduction and 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) degradation under visible light illumination as compared to bare g-C3N4. Based on the surface photovoltage spectra, photoluminescence spectra and examination of formed hydroxyl radicals, it was confirmed that these enhanced photoactivities were attributed to the much-improved charge separation via the electron transfer from g-C3N4 to TiO2. From trapping experiments, it was found that hydroxyl radicals were the major species involved in the photocatalytic degradation of 2-CP. This study is helpful to synthesize efficient photocatalysts to cope with energy and environmental issues. Keywords: Nanophotocatalyst, Charge separation, CO2 reduction, Pollutant degradation

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway has been etiologically implicated in the development and progression of colorectal cancer. We studied thirteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in SFRP3 (rs7775), CTNNB1 (β-catenin) [rs4135385, rs13072632], APC (rs454886, rs459552), LRP6 (rs2075241, rs2284396), DKK4 (rs3763511), DKK3 (rs6485350), TCF4 (rs12255372) and AXIN2 (rs3923086, rs3923087, rs4791171) in patients with colorectal cancer (n = 122) and controls (n = 110). Evaluation of WNT pathway SNPs showed protective association for rs4135385, located in β-catenin. Additionally, variants in SFRP3 (rs7775) and LRP6 (rs2284396) which did not show any association in the overall analysis were significantly associated with female and old aged colorectal cancer patients, respectively. Keywords: WNT signaling pathway, Colorectal cancer, SFRP3, LRP6, β-catenin

Summary The reversibility and cyclability of anionic redox in battery electrodes hold the key to its practical employments. Here, through mapping of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (mRIXS), we have independently quantified the evolving redox states of both cations and anions in Na2/3Mg1/3Mn2/3O2. The bulk Mn redox emerges from initial discharge and is quantified by inverse partial fluorescence yield (iPFY) from Mn-L mRIXS. Bulk and surface Mn activities likely lead to the voltage fade. O-K super-partial fluorescence yield (sPFY) analysis of mRIXS shows 79% lattice oxygen redox reversibility during the initial cycle, with 87% capacity sustained after 100 cycles. In Li1.17Ni0.21Co0.08Mn0.54O2, lattice oxygen redox is 76% initial-cycle reversible but with only 44% capacity retention after 500 cycles. These results unambiguously show the high reversibility of lattice oxygen redox in both Li-ion and Na-ion systems. The contrast between Na2/3Mg1/3Mn2/3O2 and Li1.17Ni0.21Co0.08Mn0.54O2 systems suggests the importance of distinguishing lattice oxygen redox from other oxygen activities for clarifying its intrinsic properties.

The development of biocompatible, cost effective and more efficient materials to control or inhibit the growth of microorganisms in necessary to fight against resistant microbes. Here, we demonstrate the synthesis of nickel oxide-incorporated polyaniline/polyvinyl alcohol (PANI/PVA/NiOx) composite material by single-step polymerization and its application as antibacterial agent. The composite films were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). UV-Vis spectra revealed the enhancement in absorption properties of PANI/PVA/NiOx with optimum 5% incorporation of NiOx. TGA results indicated slightly enhanced thermal stability of the PANI/PVA/NiOx composite film as compared to PANI/PVA. FTIR spectra for composites revealed the existence of NiOx in polymers. However the crystallinity of PANI/PVA was not much affected. The antibacterial activity of the prepared composites was examined against four different gram negative bacteria, Salmonella, Shigella, Pseudomonas and Escherichia coli (E. coli). The composite exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against E. coli, Salmonella and Shigella while pseudomonas showed some resistance. Based on the results, PANI/PVA/ NiOx (5%) composite showed the highest activity against the tested bacterial strains, thus showing its potential to be used as an effective antibacterial agent.

Thin films and coatings are increasingly being used almost in every engineering field. Many properties such as tribological, strength and magnetic can be improved by application of thin film. Especially in mechanical they are being applied in engines parts, prone to worn out and corroded parts, biomedical implants and cutting tools. Under service life, these coatings may incur failure thereby resulting in loss of the system as a whole. Therefore, it is unavoidable to investigate the critical loads that lead to ultimate fracture. Among many techniques available to assess the service performance of coatings, nanoindentation technique is a versatile nondestructive and has been applied frequently for this purpose. Further, it is imperative to simulate nanoindentation by powerful FEM software to extract plenty of mechanical properties like hardness, elastic modulus, endurance loads and various parameters like optimal thickness and optimal critical load, stress distribution and contact pressure between substrate and layer can be obtained through load-displacement curve. In this article review, a detailed procedure of nanoindentation experiment and its finite element analysis have been presented and latest development in this area has been provided while keeping focus on thin films. Keywords: Nanoindentation, Coatings, Finite element methods

Tungsten oxide (WO3) nanostructures of controlled morphology were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method. The size, shape and crystal structure were tuned by varying amount of precursor and structure directing agent. TEM and XRD measurements confirm the formation of hexagonal and monoclinic nanostructures. The synthesized WO3 nanostructures exhibit excellent photocatalytic and sensing properties. The photocatalysis was performed at room temperature by varying three different organic dyes i.e. Methyl Blue (MB), Methyl Orange (MO) and Rhodamine B (RhB) under UV irradiation. The photocatalytic efficiencies were optimized considering the effects of catalyst amount, dye concentration, calcination temperature and pH. Moreover, the WO3 nanostructures reveal excellent electrocatalytic properties for sensing of H2O2 and l -Cysteine. The WO3/GCE modified electrode shows highly reproducible sensitivity of 4.99 μA μM−1cm−2 and 0.301 μA μM−1cm−2 for H2O2 and l -Cysteine, respectively. Moreover, the modified electrode exhibits a low detection limit of about 0.5 μM and wide linear detection range from about 0.5 to 50 μM for H2O2 and a low detection limit of about 3 μM and wide linear detection range from about 3 to 50 μM for l -cysteine, respectively. Our results demonstrate that WO3 nanostructures with multifunctional properties can be employed for remediation of environmental issues and sensing applications.

A momentum resolved resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (qRIXS) experimental station with continuously rotatable spectrometers and parallel detection is designed to operate at different beamlines at synchrotron and free electron laser (FEL) facilities. This endstation, currently located at the Advanced Light Source (ALS), has five emission ports on the experimental chamber for mounting the high-throughput modular soft X-ray spectrometers (MXS) [24]. Coupled to the rotation from the supporting hexapod, the scattered X-rays from 27.5° (forward scattering) to 152.5° (backward scattering) relative to the incident photon beam can be recorded, enabling the momentum-resolved RIXS spectroscopy. The components of this endstation are described in details, and the preliminary RIXS measurements on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) reveal the low energy vibronic excitations from the strong electron-phonon coupling at C K edge around σ* band. The grating upgrade option to enhance the performance at low photon energies is presented and the potential of this spectroscopy is discussed in summary.

Revealing spin-orbit coupling in a cuprate Strong coupling between the spin and orbital degrees of freedom is crucial in generating the exotic band structure of topological insulators. The combination of spin-orbit coupling with electronic correlations could lead to exotic effects; however, these two types of interactions are rarely found to be strong in the same material. Gotlieb et al. used spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to map out the spin texture in the cuprate Bi2212. Surprisingly, they found signatures of spin-momentum locking, not unlike that seen in topological insulators. Thus, in addition to strong electronic correlations, this cuprate also has considerable spin-orbit coupling. Science , this issue p. 1271

This study deals with valorization of the protein-rich fish and poultry waste. Since fish scales and chicken feathers are hard-to-degrade by the scavenger microbes, they were hydrolyzed into a source material for construction of rechargeable protein batteries. Both wastes were dissolved in sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution to form oxidizing and reducing halves of the battery. NaOH not only worked as a hydrolyzing agent but electrolyte for battery as well. Different parameters including NaOH concentration, salt bridge, charge storage capacity, charging time and quantity of the waste were optimized to get maximum output from the protein battery. The optimum concentration of NaOH was measured about 0.75 M. The waved-thread wick was found the best salt bridge and maximum charger power was obtained at 24 V with 10 min of charging time. The scale to feather ratio of 4:5 was found best condition for construction of protein battery with stable output. The constructed battery was found effective in both open and closed circuits. Light emitting diodes were used as a load for the closed circuit.

A pilot-scale vertical flow constructed wetland (VFCWs) system was designed, implemented and operated for one year for the treatment of dye-rich real textile effluent. Brachiaria mutica was vegetated to develop VFCWs in which five different textile effluent degrading endophytic bacteria were inoculated. These bacteria were screened based on their dye degrading and plant growth promoting capabilities. The system's performance was evaluated by monitoring physicochemical parameters, nutrients removal, heavy metals reduction, detoxification potential, and persistence of endophytic bacteria in the plant rhizo- and endosphere. Although VFCWs were able to remove a majority of the pollutants from the wastewater, bacterial augmentation further enhanced the remediation efficiency. The system promoted an increase in dissolved oxygen up to 188% and, concomitantly, a substantial decrease in the chemical oxygen demand (81%), biochemical oxygen demand (72%), total dissolved solids (32%), color (74%), nitrogen (84%), phosphorous (79%), and heavy metals [Cr(97%), Fe(89%), Ni(88%), Cd(72%)] was recorded. Wastewater treated with VFCWs augmented with bacteria was found to be non-toxic and inoculated bacteria showed persistence in the root and shoot interior of B. mutica. Conclusively, VFCWs proved to be an effective methodology for treatment of textile effluent whereas its smaller size with high efficiency is an advantage for field-scale applications.

Data storage is always an issue, especially for video data from CCTV cameras that require huge amounts of storage. Moreover, monitoring past events is a laborious task. This paper proposes a motion detection method that requires fewer calculations and reduces the required data storage up to 70%, as it stores only the informative frames, enabling the security personnel to retrieve the required information more quickly. The proposed method utilized a histogram-based adaptive threshold for motion detection, and therefore it can work in variable luminance conditions. The proposed method can be applied to streamed frames of any CCTV camera to efficiently store and retrieve informative frames.

This paper describes the analysis and characterization of NayWOx bronze nanowires bundles and evaluation of their effective adsorption of methylene blue dye (MB). The Na-doped WOx bronze nanowires bundles were first synthesized via a simple solvothermal method, which were then fully characterized by using different techniques including TEM, XRD, XPS and UV-Vis, to validate the successful Na+ insertion into the WOx framework. The adsorption activities of the resulting NayWOx bronze nanowires bundles, compared with the undoped WOx form, were investigated by evaluating the adsorption effect on methylene blue under both UV and visible light irradiations. An enhanced adsorption performance of the Na-doped WOx bronze samples was recorded, which demonstrated a 90% of removal efficiency of the MB under different conditions (dark, visible and UV light). Moreover, the NayWOx bronze samples also offered a 4 times better kinetic rate of MB removal than the plain WOx nanowires.