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Ferrites are proved themselves as the precious materials for energy storage and water splitting applications such as, supercapacitors, electrocatalysts, photocatalysts, etc. Among the various affecting factors on the performance of the ferrites for aforesaid applications, synthesis methods are one of the most important factors. The ferrites, either spinel or inverse spinel, can be prepared using number of synthesis techniques such as, hydrothermal method, sol-gel auto-combustion method, co-precipitation method, spray pyrolysis method, etc. One can optimize the various properties of the ferrites viz. grain size, crystallinity, porosity, etc by following proper protocol during synthesis. Various physical and chemical synthesis techniques with their optimization conditions and protocols are discussed in this chapter briefly.

In recent years, nanomaterials have piqued the interest of the research community due to intriguing claims in a variety of areas, the primary focus being the mode and methods of synthesis of applicative materials. Numerous methods are now used in the production of various nanomaterials, and these processes have an impact on their properties. Considering that we describe a novel biogenic approach for the synthesis of Zinc Oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using cow urine as a reducing and stabilizing agent, the confirmation and characterization of the synthesized material were accomplished using spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The primary confirmation of bio-fabrication of ZnO NPs was done with UV-DRS and the bandgap was found to be 2.96 keV. The Wurtzite structure with 3.99 nm size was confirmed by the XRD pattern, whereas the morphology and purity were confirmed via SEM and EDX techniques. Furthermore, the disc diffusion method's antibacterial activity of characterized ZnO NPs was tested against different bacterial strains. The radical scavenging activity was studied using the OH and DPPH assays.

The reconstruction of soft tissue defects in the distal third of the leg and ankle joint remains a challenge for reconstructive surgeons. Presently, the distally based neurocutaneous flaps are the predominant surgical alternatives to free tissue transfer. In this article, we describe our experience with the distally based saphenous neurocutaneous flap for reconstructing soft tissue defects in this region. A retrospective review of all patients who underwent reconstruction of the leg distal third and ankle joint at our department from January 1996 to June 2016 was carried out. Only patients who underwent reconstructive surgery for acute traumatic injuries were included. The fasciocutaneous pedicle was 3–4 cm wide, and the anatomical structures consisted of the superficial and deep fascia, saphenous nerve, greater saphenous vein and their accompanying vessels together with an islet of subcutaneous cellular tissue and skin. The size of skin islands ranged from 5–7 to 10–14 cm2. A total of 170 patients (142 men and 28 women) were included in this study. The mean follow-up period was 3 months. All flaps survived with partial necrosis in three patients. Severe venous congestion occurred only in five patients. However, the flap was eventually salvaged after limb elevation and interrupted bloodletting. All donor sites were closed using split-skin grafting. The reverse saphenous neurocutaneous flap proved to be a reliable and efficient method for reconstructing soft tissue defects in the distal third of the leg and ankle joint. Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study

Primary suture closure of wounds is often the optimal solution for soft tissue defect closure because of its simplicity and satisfactory outcome, yet it may be impeded by high -tension closure. The customary application of skin grafts, flaps, free tissue transfer, or tissue expansion is often associated with relatively more complex surgical reconstructive procedures, significant morbidity and extended hospitalization and prolonged recovery period. We retrospectively investigated all patients who underwent wound closure using a mechanical wound closure device between 2014 and 2016 in a tertiary hospital center. The device consisted of stainless steel hooks, sutured over the opposite wound edges, and rubber bands for generating tension which is gradually increased. Approximated wound margins were sutured or allowed to heal by secondary intention. The mechanical device was applied in 50 patients. There were 38 males and 12 females. Wound size ranged from 3 to 25 cm. In most of the patients there was a satisfactory wound margin approximation. However, in 6 patients skin hook cut through from wound margins occurred due to excessive rubber band tension. In 5 patients, it was decided to also apply negative-pressure wound therapy along with the device. After application of the wound closure device, a residual raw area remained in other 4 patients in whom a split thickness graft was applied. During follow-up, hypertrophic scar and wound dehiscence were found in 5 patients. The mechanical wound closure device herein presented is a simple and inexpensive technique that allows a significant reduction in surgical costs and surgery-related morbidity. Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study.

Dopant-free and cost-effective sprayed cadmium oxide (CdO) conducting base-electrodes, obtained at different concentrations (0.5, 1 and 1.5 M), characterized for their structures, morphologies and conductivities by using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and electrical conductivity measurements, respectively, are employed as base-electrodes for growing cobalt hydroxide (Co(OH) 2 ) nanoplates using a simple electrodeposition method which further are envisaged for electrochemical supercapacitor application. Polycrystalline nature and mushroom-like plane-views are confirmed from the structure and morphology analyses. Both CdO and CdO–Co(OH) 2 electrodes reveal specific capacitances as high as 312 F g −1 and 1119 F g −1 , respectively, in 0.1 M KOH electrolyte at 10 mV s −1 sweep rate. Optimized Co(OH) 2 –CdO configuration electrode demonstrates energy density of 98.83 W h kg −1 and power density of 0.75 kW kg −1 . In order to investigate the charge transfer kinematics electrochemical impedance measurements are carried out and explored.

Security is one of the pillars of internet technology. Block chain is one of the newest technology which bundles a set of mechanisms such as distributed mechanism, password protection mechanism, decentralized mechanism as well as the scripted mechanism. There is no need of third party to have the validation or the certification. Participants in the block chain need not be known each other. Integrity is ensured as the block chain technology uses asymmetric encryption algorithms such as 3 AES. It has a great impact on Information and network security with respect to many aspects of societal concerns such as healthcare, banks and so on. It records the data and transfers using distributed mechanism. This technology is tamperproof since the integrity and authenticity is maintained., {"references":["M. R. Ogiela and M. Majcher, \"Security of Distributed Ledger Solutions Based on Blockchain Technologies,\" in 32ndInternational Conference on Advanced Information Networking and Applications, 2018","F. Dai, S. Yue, M. and L. Wei, \"From Bitcoin to Cyber security: a Comparative Study,\" in The2017 4th International Conference on Systems and Informatics (ICSAI 2017), China, 2017","S. Nakamoto, Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System, October 2008","K. Christidis and M. Devetsikiotis, \"Block chains and Smart Contracts for the Internet of Things,\" IEEE Access, vol. 4, pp. 2292 - 2303, 2016","C. Ye, G. Li, H. Cai, Y. Gu and A. Fukuda, \"Analysis of Security in Block chain: Case Study in 51%-Attack Detecting,\" in 5th InternationalConference on Dependable Systems and Their Applications (DSA), China, 2018"]}

Parks and other green sites improve urban avenue and environment while also crucial to mitigate climate change. Indian cities are now experiencing high level of pollutions, so trees not only act as carbon sinks but also assist in improving the quality of urban life. Cooch Behar town located in northern part of West Bengal is also experiencing upsurge in urban development and population increase. Therefore the community parks and an institutional campus in the town were assessed for their species richness and the ecosystem services they provide. A total of 75 species represented by 39 families and 67 genera were documented from the urban green sites of Cooch Behar town. The dominant family found was Fabaceae followed by Arecaceae and Moraceae while Ficus was listed as dominant genus. The plant species documented were prominently classified under provisioning type of ecosystem services as 36 species were timbers, 26 species were edible and 24 species were fodder. Other services included species for providing shade (34 species), avenue (27 species) and aesthetic (25 species). The list also included plant species under IUCN Red list category of vulnerable species like Saraca asoca; endangered species like Swietenia mahagoni and Borassus flabellifer and Platycladus orientalis as threatened species. The maintenance of these IUCN Red listed species by the community parks and institutional campus of Cooch Behar town supports the belief that the urban green sites are also a crucial refuge for regional plant diversity in crowded, concrete and human dominated landscape.

In this work, the structural and, morphological properties and electrochemical supercapacitor electrode application of manganese ferrite (MnFe 2 O 4 ) thin films deposited onto glass and stainless-steel substrates using chemical spray method are explored. For confirming the spinel structure and nodule-type morphology of obtained MnFe 2 O 4 film X-ray diffraction pattern and scanning electron microscopy measurements are used. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectrum reveals presence of tetrahedral and octahedral peaks. The specific capacitance values, obtained using cyclic-voltammetry plots of as-deposited ferrite electrode in 1 M KOH, NaOH, Na 2 SO 3 , Na 2 SO 4 aqueous solutions at scan rate of 5 mV s −1 are respectively 313, 295, 146.02, 180.51 Fg −1 . The electrochemical impedance spectrum supports for pseudocapacitance behavior in as-deposited MnFe 2 O 4 film electrode.

We attempt to demonstrate comprehensive analysis of experimentally obtained adverse supercapacitive performance of cobalt hydroxide (Co(OH)2)-polyaniline (PANI) hybrid nanocomposites (HNs), prepared potentiostatically via electrochemical deposition method, compared to phase pure individual nanostructures. Morphologically amorphous Co(OH)2, PANI and HNs are entirely different from one another. The electrochemical properties of the Co(OH)2, PANI and HNs electrodes have been investigated by cyclic voltammograms, galvanostatic charge-discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The specific capacitances of PANI, HNs and Co(OH)2 are found to be 3.06F/g, 215F/g and 868F/g, respectively, at a sweep rate of 10 mV/s in 1.0 M NaOH electrolyte, whereas the stabilities and voltammetric charges, assigned to these electrodes, are 47%, 60% & 55% (after 1000 cycles) and 17.22 mC/cm2, 836.39 mC/cm2 and 1128.73 mC/cm2, respectively. Obtained adverse (inferior) supercapacitive performance values of HNs electrodes have been demonstrated on occurrence of inner and outer charges concept. Our work demonstrates plausible causes for observed smaller supercapacitor performance in hybrid/composite nanostructured electrodes (not a common practice) and useful to researchers working in composite/hybrid symmetric and asymmetric supercapacitor fields.

The eco-friendly, safe, and cost-effective synthesis of selenium (Se) nanoparticles (NPs) by microorganisms is an important branch of nanotechnology and is considered to be a green synthesis. Functional biosynthesized Se NPs find various applications if they are have definite shapes and sizes, which can be obtained by controlling the cultural conditions and physical operation parameters during the biosynthesis process. We depict the rapid (∼12 h) synthesis of Se NPs using a tryptic soy broth culture under the experimental conditions of pH ∼9, temperature ∼50 °C, in sunlight. The optimized conditions helped us to synthesize chemically and environmentally stable Se NPs. The main aim of the present study is to optimize the different cultural media, temperature, pH, light intensity, concentration of selenium dioxide, and the time of reaction for the rapid blend of Se NPs by Pantoea agglomerans.

We investigate the connection between the inertial range and the dissipation range statistics of rotating turbulence through detailed simulations of a helical shell model and a multifractal analysis. In particular, by using the latter, we find an explicit relation between the (anomalous) scaling exponents of equal-time structure functions in the inertial range in terms of the generalised dimensions associated with the energy dissipation rate. This theoretical prediction is validated by detailed simulations of a helical shell model for various strengths of rotation from where the statistics of dissipation rate, and thus the generalised dimensions, as well as the inertial range, in particular the anomalous scaling exponents, are extracted. Our work also underlines a surprisingly good agreement---such as in the spatial structure of the energy dissipation rates and the decrease in inertial range intermittency with increasing strengths of rotation---between solutions of the Navier--Stokes equation in a rotating frame with those obtained from low-dimensional, dynamical systems such as the shell model which are not explicitly anisotropic. Finally, we perform direct numerical simulations of the Navier--Stokes equation, with the Coriolis force incorporated, to confirm the robustness of the conclusions drawn from our multifractal and shell model studies., Comment: 18 pages with 7 figures. We add a figure on scale-by-scale intermittency and supporting evidence for our results, rearrange the text for better readability, and add new references

Saraca asoca (Roxb.) Willde. is a globally vulnerable tropical tree species with immense medicinal and aesthetic value. High demand for its bark in pharmacological industry resulted in severe reduction of its population in wild, thus paving way to adulteration. The declining population can only be restored and multiplied through both in situ and ex situ conservation efforts. The seeds of the species were reported with less germination. The present study was therefore an attempt to improve the seed germination of the species with mechanical, water based and chemical based presowing treatments, which significantly improved the germination as compared to no presowing treatments (55%) except with boiling water based treatments (11.6618.33%) which significantly reduced germination. Exposing the plumule by rubbing the seed coat with sand paper and soaking the seeds in hot water (70°C) for 12 h significantly enhanced germination. Chemical based presowing treatments with salicylic acid and thiourea also enhanced germination by 1.67–15% and 13.33–31.66%, respectively over control. Higher the concentration of thiourea improved germination than salicylic acid. Temperature of water and exposure time to water also influenced germination. Increasing the temperature of water from room temperature to 70°C increased germination but further increasing the temperature significantly reduced germination over control. Increasing soaking time by 12–24 h, however reduced germination. In terai region of West Bengal, for faster, higher and smoother germination of S. asoca, adaptation of presowing seed treatment may be recommended especially via soaking the seeds in hot water for 12 h.

Wood biomass from forest is the major source of domestic energy in most of the developing countries The present study was an attempt to document information on wood collection consumption and species used for domestic energy needs by residents of both rural and urban villages in Ranchi district of Jharkhand state India in different seasons round the year Wood fuel is the major domestic fuel in the study area which is mainly collected from forests or non ndash forest lands or purchased The fuel need is also supplemented by coal in urban localities The consumption of wood and coal in both urban and rural areas increases during winter and gradually decreases from rainy to summer season The quantity of wood consumption per family in study area varied from ndash Kg day in urban areas while it was ndash Kg day in rural areas The wood of species Mangifera indica Syzigium cumini Gmelina arborea Madhuca indica and Dalbergia sissoo were found mostly used for domestic energy purposes because of their availability Firewood extraction by indigenous rural and urban poor in our study area are no way causing loss to forest or threatening tree species to risk as they are using dead stems twigs or branches of trees either from non ndash forest lands or from forest those species which are in lesser priority list of IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature Instead there should be capacity built for involvement of urban poor in more and more afforestation reforestation programmes of multi ndash purpose species in non ndash forest lands and their rights safeguarded so that they can also use firewood solely for their domestic energy need and not supplement hydrocarbon fossils like coal