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In this work, we will present semilocal convergence of Chebyshev’s method for solving nonlinear operator equations in Banach spaces. This method is a third order iterative method. Here, we present a new semilocal convergence analysis for Chebyshev’s method by using a new type of majorant condition. Additionally, we also obtain an error estimate based on a twice directional derivative of the majorizing function. We will also present two important special cases about the convergence result based on the Kantorovich-type and Smale-type assumptions that will show that our results generalizes these earlier convergence results. Two numerical examples are also worked out to show efficiency of our study.

Molecular insights into chemical safety are very important for sustainable development as well as risk assessment. This study considers how to manage future upcoming harmful agents, especially potentially cholinergic chemical warfare agents (CWAs). For this purpose, structures of known cholinergic agents were encoded by molecular descriptors. And then each drug target interaction (DTI) was learned from the encoded structures and their cholinergic activities to build DTI classification models for five cholinergic targets with reliable statistical validation (ensemble-AUC: up to 0.790, MCC: up to 0.991, accuracy: up to 0.995). The collected classifiers were transformed to 2D or 3D array type meta-predictors for multi-tasking: (1) cholinergic prediction and (2) CWA detection. The detection ability of the array classifiers was verified under the imbalanced dataset between CWAs and none CWAs (area under the precision-recall curve: up to 0.997, MCC: up to 0.638, F1-sore of none CWAs: up to 0.991, F1-sore of CWAs: up to 0.585).

Molybdenum Trioxide (MoO3) films are grown on Si(100) substrates by reactive RF magnetron sputtering in plasma containing a mixture of Argon and Oxygen, using a pure Molybdenum target. In this paper, we report the deposition of (MoO3) films on Si(100) substrates under varying gas flow (O2 + Ar gas) (20 sccm to 30 sccm with the duration of deposition~ 1hr) by RF reactive magnetron sputtering at room temperature. To get crystalline MoO3 films annealing in O2 environment at 500 °C for 4 h is done. Phase formation and orientation of the film is characterized by Glancing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD). The identification of the orthorhombic MoO3 phase is investigated by XRD and Raman spectroscopy. Raman lines at 819 cm-1 and 995 cm-1 are due to the (A1g, B1g) symmetric stretching (Mo-O–Mo) bond and asymmetric stretching band (Mo=O) respectively. Surface morphology and cross-sectional image of the deposited thin films were investigated by FE-SEM image. UV-Visible reflectance and cross-sectional FE-SEM image confirm the thickness of the MoO3 films with oxygen-rich and oxygen deficient phase formation occur. Reverse leakage current density of 20 sccm 1hr sample is low (1×10-6 mA/cm2) as compared to 30 sccm 1hr sample (1×10-3 mA/cm2). The higher leakage is due to crack formation during the ex-situ annealing of MoO3 films. This MoO3 films can be used in Gas sensing and switching devices.

This paper considers the problem of estimating the population mean under double sampling. We have suggested the generalized class of estimators under Lahiri (1951) to Midzuno (1952) and Sen (1952) type sampling scheme and its properties are studied up to the first order of approximation. Further, we compare the proposed sampling strategy with some conventional estimators under the simple random sampling without replacement. On the basis of suitable range information, we give some concluding remarks related to propose sampling strategy. An empirical study is given in support of the present study.

In this paper, an improved estimator for population variance has been proposed to improvise the log-type estimators proposed by Kumari et al. (2019). The properties of proposed estimators are derived up to the first order of approximation. The proposed estimatorfound to be betterthan the existing estimatorsin the sense of mean squraed error and percent relative efficiency. A numerical study is included to support the use of the suggested classes of estimators.

We report efficient detection of alpha radiation on highly textured and vertically aligned along (002) Gallium-doped Zinc Oxide (ZnO:Ga) nanorods on a glass substrate with an average diameter ~150 ± 10 nm. Photoluminescence measurement showed near band emission 393 nm, in agreement with the bandgap value ~3.22 eV, measured by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The developed ZnO:Ga nanorod scintillator is coupled with a commercially available photomultiplier tube and 1K Multichannel Analyser to fabricate an alpha radiation detector. The performance of the alpha radiation detector is evaluated using various activities alpha radiation sources. A large pulse height spectrum is recorded by the detector for different alpha sources against the background spectrum. The calculated detection efficiency and Minimum Detectable Activity (MDA) showed that the detector is highly sensitive to alpha radiation. The repeatability and reproducibility of the performance are studied by evaluating the response of a single scintillator for numerous exposures and by studying inter-batch response variations, respectively. The response is repeatable within ±1% whereas reproducibility varies from ±20% for extremely low activity alpha sources to ±5% for high activity alpha sources. The performance of ZnO:Ga nanorod scintillator grown on glass substrate demonstrates that it can be a promising material system for the detection of alpha radiation.

Glioma predominantly targets glial cells in the brain and spinal cord. There are grade I, II, III, and IV gliomas with anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme as the most severe forms of the disease. Current diagnostic methods are limited in their data acquisition and interpretation, markedly affecting treatment modalities, and patient outcomes. Circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) or “magic bullets” contain bioactive signature molecules such as DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, and metabolites. These secretory “smart probes” participate in myriad cellular activities, including glioma progression. EVs are released by all cell populations and may serve as novel diagnostic biomarkers and efficient nano-vehicles in the targeted delivery of encapsulated therapeutics. The present review describes the potential of EV-based biomarkers for glioma management.

We have suggested an improved ratio type log estimator for population variance by using coefficient of kurtosis and median of an auxiliary variable x. The properties of proposed estimator have been derived up to first order of Taylor’s series expansion. The efficiency conditions derived theoretically under which the proposed estimator performs better than existing estimators. The proposed estimator as illustrated by the empirical studies using real populations performs better than the existing estimators i.e. it has the smallest Mean Squared Error and the highest Percentage Relative Efficiency.

We have suggested an improved ratio type log estimator for population variance by using coefficient of kurtosis and median of an auxiliary variable x. The properties of proposed estimator have been derived up to first order of Taylor?s series expansion. The efficiency conditions derived theoretically under which the proposed estimator performs better than existing estimators. The proposed estimator as illustrated by the empirical studies using real populations performs better than the existing estimators i.e. it has the smallest mean squared error and the highest Percentage Relative Efficiency.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

BiFeO3 thin films are deposited on FTO coated glass substrates using a simple sol-gel deposition technique, limiting thickness about 70 nm and Ag/BiFeO3/FTO RRAM devices are prepared. The devices showed low-voltage bipolar switching with the maximum Ion/Ioff ~ 450, and low set and reset voltages ~ 1.1 V and -1.5 V, respectively. The devices are stable against on-off cycles with ~ 104 s retention time without any significant degradation. The variations in the set and reset voltages are 0.4 V and 0.6 V, respectively. We found that ohmic and trap-controlled space charge limited conductions are responsible for low and high resistance states, respectively. The resistive switching mechanism is attributed to the formation and rupturing of the metal filament during the oxidation and reduction of Ag ions for the set and reset states., 15 Pages, 4 Figures, Submitted for publication in Journal of American Ceramic Society

In this work, we are working to present a local convergence analysis for Chebyshev’s method by using majorizing sequence. The given method is a third order iterative process, used in order to approximate a zero of an nonlinear operator equation in a Banach space. Here we are using a new type of majorant conditions to prove the convergence. We will also try to establish relations between this majorant conditions with results of based on Kantorovich-type and Smale-type assumptions.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and zinc rich zinc oxide (Zn:ZnO) thin films are synthesized using vapor phase trapping assisted thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. X-ray diffraction measurements indicate the highly textured c-axis growth for Zn:ZnO thin films as compared to ZnO thin film structures. The observed insignificant change in lattice parameters suggests that excess Zn is in interstitial sites. The optical studies substantiate that the excess Zn in ZnO matrix is contributing to the point defects, with integrated luminescence towards the light blue color with respect to that for the pristine ZnO thin film. The electronic carrier concentration is about four orders of magnitude higher for Zn:ZnO thin films, causing Burstein-Moss shift of ∼0.13 eV in Zn:ZnO thin films.

BiFe 0.99 Cr 0.01 O 3 thin film is deposited on FTO glass using sol-gel technique. The deposited film is used in Ag/ BiFe 0.99 Cr 0.01 O 3 /FTO configuration to understand its potential as RRAM device. The device showed forming free bipolar RRAM characteristics with Ion/Ioff~80. The device showed non-volatile behaviour by maintaining its LRS and HRS states for 104 s. The device exhibits excellent reproducibility up to 100 cycles and reliability of V set and V reset voltage is observed. The endurance characteristics for 200 cycles ensures the stability of the device, further, conduction mechanism is attributed to filament formation and switching mechanism is assigned to migration of silver ion inside the film.

n-ZnO nanorod/p-si hetrojunction diode is synthesized using a simple chemical solution method on p-type silicon substrates for light emitting diode applications. The grown ZnO nanorods showed highly textured hexagonal crystallographic phase along c-axis. An intense band to band photoluminescence peak is observed at 377 nm in conjunction with the weak deep-level emissions in visible region centred at 500 nm. The current–voltage measurements show diode-like characteristics. The work will also discuss the emission response with bias field for these solution processed n-ZnO/p-Si heterostructures under dark and UV conditions in the context of possible UV photo-response and light emitting diode applications.

Ureolytic-type bacteria has been used to improve the strength of cement mortar by the precipitation of calcium carbonate. In the present study Bacillus sphaericus has been used to improve the properties of cement mortar such as setting time, compressive strength and sorptivity. The setting time is found to be unaffected by the presence of bacteria. It is found that compressive strength at both 7-days and 28-days of mortar cube increases with the increase of bacteria concentration. At the optimum bacteria dosage of 107 cells/ml, the average compressive strength increases by 58% (at 7 day) and 23% (at 28 day) over the control specimen. The sorpitivity coefficient decreases as the concentration of bacterial cells increases. The mineralogy and morphology of the calcium carbonate precipitation have been tested by XRD and FESEM.

BiFeO3 based resistive random access memory (RRAM) devices are fabricated using a low-cost solution process to study the effect of an Al top electrode on switching behavior and reliability. Fabricated devices demonstrated bipolar switching characteristics with a moderate Ion/Ioff ratio, set and reset voltages of ∼−1.3 V and ∼0.8 V, DC and AC endurance of more than 250 cycles and 7100 cycles, respectively, and a retention time of over 104 s, confirming the non-volatile resistive switching behavior. The ohmic and trap filled space charge limited conduction dominates the conduction mechanism in the devices at lower and higher voltages, respectively. Moreover, impedance spectroscopy measurements substantiate the presence of an AlOx layer at the Al/BiFeO3 interface resulting from the Al–O interaction at the junction, which is the possible rationale of reliable complementary switching in these RRAM devices. The switching mechanism is elucidated using the formation and rupture of the oxygen vacancy mediated filament, assisted by the participation of a thin AlOx layer at the Al/BFO interface. The role of the thin AlOx layer is explained by modeling of impedances.

Wireless sensor network (WSN) always comes up with the need of deploying either mobile or immobile sensor nodes or both. Wireless communication among these nodes is crucial and it requires identifying the location of these nodes within a specific region. Global positioning system (GPS) is widely used for location tracking. However, when it comes to WSN, GPS has its limitations, due to its high power consumption and the overhead of additional hardware cost. The research challenge here lies in the efficient location tracking of wireless sensor nodes, especially in closed indoor and outdoor environments. This paper comes up with a simple and easy-to-implement technique using artificial neural networks (ANNs) to manipulate the location of the sensor nodes. In this paper, the back-propagation network training algorithm for providing supervised learning to multilayer perceptron is generalized to synthesize the WSN and gives out 2D Cartesian coordinates of the nodes. The technique is both cost-efficient and achieves 98% accuracy.

Bacterially induced mineral precipitation is a general phenomenon in nature. Ureolytic bacteria have been used in many studies as an environmentally friendly method for the protection and i...