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A kinetically favored Cd2+ and Ge4+ dual‐doped lithium titanate (Li4Ti5O12) anode material is designed for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). Rietveld refinement reveals that introducing a 0.05 wt.% of Cd2+ at Li(8a) and Ge4+ at Ti(16d) sites brings no structural change in the spinel Li4Ti5O12. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) identifies Cd2+ and Ge4+ are homogenously doped in the Li4Ti5O12 lattice. High‐resolution powder diffraction (HRPD) confirmed that Cd2+ and Ge4+ doping in Li4Ti5O12 brings expansion in the lattice, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM) shows the reduction in the particle size due to of Cd and Ge in the LTO lattice, and X‐ray photoluminescence spectroscopy (XPS) confirms the partial reduction of Ti4+ to Ti3+ ions on the surface of 0.05‐Cd‐Ge‐LTO electrodes to the pristine LTO. Furthermore, the 0.05‐Cd‐Ge‐Li4Ti5O12 electrode exhibits a superior rate performance and delivers a discharge capacity of ≈169.1 mAhg−1 at 0.1 current rates. It is worth mentioning that, the 0.05‐Cd‐Ge‐Li4Ti5O12 electrode brings outstanding cycling stability in Li+ half‐cell, having a capacity retention of 98.79% after 300 cycles at 2C. This proves that dual‐doping of Cd2+ at Li(8a) and Ge4+ at Ti(16d) sites in the Li4Ti5O12 lattice is an effective approach to obtain superior electrochemical performance as anode material in LIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work aimed to highlight an efficient, readily accessible, and cost-effective adsorbent derived from Dalbergia sissoo (DS) leaf powder for removing the environmentally hazardous dye "alizarin red S" (ARS) from hydrous medium. A variant of the adsorbent is activated via sulfuric acid and composited with magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (DSMNC). Both adsorbents are thoroughly characterized using techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, point of zero charge, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, which show that they have a porous structure rich in active sites. Different adsorption conditions are optimized with the maximum removal efficiency of 76.63% for DS and 97.89% for DSMNC. The study was highlighted via the application of various adsorption isotherms, including Freundlich, Langmuir, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich, to adsorption data. Pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intra-particle diffusion models were utilized to investigate the kinetics and mechanism of adsorption. The Freundlich model and pseudo-second-order kinetics exhibited the best fit, suggesting a combination of physical interactions, as confirmed by the D–R and Temkin models. The dominant adsorbate–adsorbent interactive interactions responsible for ARS removal were hydrogen bonding, dispersion forces, and noncovalent aromatic ring adsorbent pi-interactions. Thermodynamic parameters extracted from adsorption data indicated that the removal of the mutagenic dye "ARS" was exothermic and spontaneous on both DS and DSMNC, with DSMNC exhibiting higher removal efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using first-principle calculations, metal–semiconductor (MS) contact of YX2 (Y=Ta, Nb; X=S, Se, Te) and MX2 (M=Mo, W; X=S, Se, Te) monolayers in the shape of YX2–MX2 van der Waals Heterostructures (vdWHs) are fabricated. Electronic structure, type of the Schottky contact and height of Schottky barrier at the interface of YX2–MX2 vdWHs are investigated. Stabilities of these systems confirmed via AIMD simulation and binding energies calculations. Electronic band structures confirm the metallic nature of YX2–MX2 MS vdWHs. Specific cases of the YX2–MX2 MS vdWHs have quite small (high) effective mass (carrier mobility), hence show potential for nanoelectronic devices. Workfunction and transfer of charges among the layers of YX2–MX2 MS vdWHs are also evaluated via electrostatic potential. A Schottky contact is established, while fabricating YX2–MX2 MS vdWHs. The calculated Schottky barrier height (SBH) show that YX2–MX2 (Y=Ta, Nb, M=Mo, W; X=S, Se, Te) vdWHs, initiate p-type of Schottky contact, while specifically, TaX2–MTe2 (M=Mo, W) and NbTe2–MoS2 and NbTe2–WS2 MS vdWHs initiate n-type of Schottky contact due to their higher Bn values. The SBH values are miniature compared to traditional MS contacts, but they are consistent with previous 2D based MS contacts. These observations indicates the potential of YX2–MX2 MS vdWHs for high-performance device application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid design of advanced materials depends on synthesis parameters and design. A wide range of materials can be synthesized using precursor reactions based on chelated gel and organic polymeric gel pathways. The desire to develop high-performance lithium-ion rechargeable batteries has motivated decades of research on the synthesis of battery active material particles with precise control of composition, phase-purity, and morphology. Among the most common methods reported in the literature to prepare precursors for lithium-ion battery active materials, sol-gel is characterized by simplicity, homogeneous mixing, and tuning of the particle shape. The chelate gel and organic polymeric gel precursor-based sol-gel method is efficient to promote desirable reaction conditions. Both precursor routes are commonly used to synthesize lithium-ion battery cathode active materials from raw materials such as inorganic salts in aqueous solutions or organic solvents. The purpose of this review is to discuss synthesis procedure and summarize the progress that has been made in producing crystalline particles of tunable and complex morphologies by sol-gel synthesis that can be used as active materials for lithium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the cybersecurity industry, where legitimate transactions far outnumber fraudulent ones, detecting fraud is of paramount significance. In order to evaluate the accuracy of detecting fraudulent transactions in imbalanced real datasets, this study compares the efficacy of two approaches, random under-sampling and oversampling, using the synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE). Random under-sampling aims for fairness by excluding examples from the majority class, but this compromises precision in favor of recall. To strike a balance and ensure statistical significance, SMOTE was used instead to produce artificial examples of the minority class. Based on the data obtained, it is clear that random under-sampling achieves high recall (92.86%) at the expense of low precision, whereas SMOTE achieves a higher accuracy (86.75%) and a more even F1 score (73.47%) at the expense of a slightly lower recall. As true fraudulent transactions require at least two methods for verification, we investigated different machine learning methods and made suitable balances between accuracy, F1 score, and recall. Our comparison sheds light on the subtleties and ramifications of each approach, allowing professionals in the field of cybersecurity to better choose the approach that best meets the needs of their own firm. This research highlights the need to resolve class imbalances for effective fraud detection in cybersecurity, as well as the need for constant monitoring and the investigation of new approaches to increase applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we introduce a new type of multivalued fuzzy proximal quasi-contraction. These are generalized contractions which are a hybrid of H -contractive mappings and quasi-contractions. Furthermore, we establish the best proximity point results for newly introduced fuzzy contractions in the context of fuzzy b-metric spaces. Fuzzy b-metric spaces are more general than fuzzy metric spaces and are linked with the cosine distance, which is used in various contexts of artificial intelligence to measure the similarity between elements of a vector space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is causing significant disruptions worldwide, and Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), is no exception. This qualitative research delves into the extensive effects of climate change on the health of Swat's residents, particularly those in vulnerable communities. By conducting in-depth interviews with healthcare professionals, local authorities, and affected individuals, alongside employing data collection methods such as audio recordings and meticulous note-taking, a comprehensive understanding of the situation was developed. The study highlights the multifaceted factors contributing to climate change in the region, including deforestation, glacial melting, and unpredictable weather patterns, and explores their cascading effects on public health. The findings reveal that climate change is exacerbating various health issues, including a rise in respiratory problems due to increased air pollution, a surge in waterborne diseases from contaminated water sources, heat-related illnesses stemming from rising temperatures, and a growing prevalence of mental health challenges as communities struggle with climate-induced stress and displacement. To address these impacts, urgent measures are needed, including substantial investment in resilient infrastructure, strengthening local healthcare systems to cope with emerging health threats, improving water management practices to ensure safe drinking water, enhancing early warning systems for extreme weather events, promoting public health education focused on climate adaptation, empowering communities through participatory approaches, and integrating mental health support into climate response strategies. The study emphasizes the importance of coordinated and proactive measures at both local and governmental levels to mitigate the socio-economic and psychological consequences of climate change. By offering valuable insights from respondents, the study concludes by recommending specific actions to alleviate the adverse impacts of climate change on health in Swat, KP, and calls for a comprehensive, multisectoral approach to ensure the well-being of the region's inhabitants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]