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The Importance of promoting Human Rights in the Recovery and Identification of Missing and Unidentified persons was presented at 9th International Dental Ethics and Law Society (IDEALS) congress in 2012 and was first introduced in May 2013 at the annual meeting of the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) conference organized by Interpol in Lyon. Dr. Emilio Nuzzolese, participating odontologist of the Interpol Forensic Odontology working group, highlighted the need to apply the highest identification standards and Interpol guidelines to all unidentified human remains, equally in a DVI scenario as well as in a single missing and unidentified person. In 2015 these concepts also inspired the creation of an international group of odontologists from twelve Countries called ‘Forensic Odontology for Human Rights’. The group began promoting the need to protect the human rights of the dead to have a name and an identity by participating in conferences and meetings, and through publications and training at most international forensic events. The mentoring of colleagues with the goal of promoting an authentic involvement of forensic odontology in the identification process was also instigated. The continuous growth of the group, along with the need to involve forensic experts from other disciplines, led to the constitution of the Association Forensic Odontology for Human Rights (AFOHR) and the inauguration of humanitarian forensic odontology. Having become a recognized voluntary organization in the context of humanitarian forensics, in 2019 AFOHR board members discussed the steps needed to achieve the rights of having a date of birth and an identity for every deceased individual. Eight forensic odontology sustainable goals were approved: human rights of the dead; human identification action; international partnership; human forensic odontology; strong forensic odontology; human identification kit; quality age determination; dental evidence in crimes against vulnerable persons. Under the auspices of AFOHR that aim is to inspire colleagues and forensic associations to the best administration of Justice for best practices in human identification and age estimation.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethyl acetate extract of Phanerochaete sordida, an endolichenic fungus (ELF) isolated from the host lichen Bactrospora myriadea, collected from Negombo lagoon, Sri Lanka, led to the isolation of a bioactive compound. Following the identification of the fungus using morphological and DNA barcoding techniques, the pure compound was isolated using column chromatography, preparative TLC, and semipreparative HPLC. The structure elucidation was carried out using IR, HR-ESI-MS and 1H, 13C & 2D NMR spectroscopic methods. The in vitro bioassays conducted revealed that compound 1 has a high antioxidant activity with ABTS•+ (IC50 58.91 ± 1.35 μ M ), moderate anti-inflammatory activity (IC50 254.79 ± 1.41 μ M ), comparable antibacterial activity against the oral-bacterial strain Streptococcus mutans (MIC 898.79 μM and MLC 1797.58 μM), moderate tyrosinase inhibition (IC50 1713.69 ± 8.65 μ M ), and moderate cytotoxicity against oral cancer (IC50 13.65 ± 0.02 μ M ), in comparison with respective positive controls. The in silico experiments conducted for tyrosinase inhibition and cytotoxicity using Schrödinger revealed results in line with the in vitro results, thus confirming the bioactivities. The molecule also satisfies the key features of drug likeliness according to pharmacokinetic studies.

Ni-containing "layered"/cation-ordered LiT

Separation of small hydrocarbon gases is crucial for many industrial processes, but the high energy demand of current separation techniques encourages exploration of alternative sorption-based approaches. Here, we investigate the metal organic framework UiO-66(Zr) as possible solid adsorbent with a focus on the fundamental sorption mechanisms of C2 hydrocarbons in the presence of linker defects and NO2 functionalization. To this end, we directly measure heats of adsorption with calorimetry and correlate our results with ab initio calculations. In particular, we study adsorption of C2H2, C2H4 and C2H6 at 293 K and 195 K. At 293 K, the measured low-coverage enthalpy is found to be an average enthalpy of multiple adsorption sites. However, at 195 K, the low-coverage enthalpy corresponded to the strongest binding site, i.e. the linker defect site. We find that C2H2 exhibits the highest adsorption enthalpy with a significant gap of ∼6 kJ mol−1 to C2H4 and ∼9 kJ mol−1 to C2H6. Our ab initio calculations show excellent agreement with our experiments and are crucial to uncover the mechanisms that lead to the observed differences in binding affinity as a function of coverage. We also find that binding enthalpies increase for all three gases by adding –NO2 functional groups, which even further increase the gap to ∼9 kJ mol−1 and ∼10 kJ mol−1 for C2H4 and C2H6, respectively. Our findings provide mechanistic insight that suggests that linker defects in UiO-66(Zr) have promise to improve its effectiveness as a solid adsorbent in C2H2, C2H4 and C2H6 applications and that functionalization may be used to increase specificity.

Continual increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) posing global environmental challenge which directed focus towards the waste to energy to achieve dual goal of waste minimization and energy generation. The present manuscript introducing Bronsted acid ionic liquids (BAILs) mediated Catalytic Thermo Liquefaction (CTL) process for conversion of MSW into carbon densified liquid (CTL-Oil) which can be used for multiple energy and fuel applications. BAILs with different counter ions were synthesized and tested for CTL of wet organic biodegradable MSW. The exploration of BAILs provides significant benefits in terms of operating conditions (120 °C, 90 min) with zero char and gases. Of the synthesized catalysts [Benz-SO3HIm]+[H2PO4]−,[Benz-SO3Him]+[HSO4]−,[Benz-SO3HIm]+[TsO]−and [BenzSO3HIm]+[TfO]−, BAIL with [HSO4]−counter ion showed a profound effect on CTL. The intensified CTL process resulted in > 85% MSW conversion with > 80% yield of CTL-Oil without any char and gas formation. Use of BAILs assisted the ease of dissolution and hydrolysis of biomass to produce CTL-Oil via hydrolysis, condensation, cyclization and dehydration reactions. The plausible mechanism for CTL has been proposed. The physicochemical analysis of CTL-Oil was conducted by using elemental analysis, Bomb calorimeter, GC–MS and ATR-FTIR. It was found that the CTL-Oil was rich source of C (48–55%), H (6–8%), O (30–41%) containing compounds such as long-chain hydrocarbons, carboxylic acids, heterocyclic compounds, aldehydes, ketones and esters, etc. Furthermore, the calorific value of CTL-Oil was found to be 20–23 MJ/kg, thus it can be explored for multiple energy and fuel applications. However, the CTL process also adds several environmental and process economic benefits over the conventional waste liquefaction/disposal processes.

Heavy metals, being noxious in nature, enter the food chain and result in toxicity of plants and animals. With the expansion of industries, the pollution of these toxic metals is increasing at a very fast pace. The removal of these heavy metals by natural means is the need of the hour. The toxication of soil by these metals can be removed through phytoremediation, mycoremediation, and microbial remediation. One such way of microbial remediation includes application of siderophores, which are synthesized naturally by microbes and are helpful in forming complexes with heavy metals. Siderophores have been used mostly for clinical studies but have the potential to play a critical role in the cleaning of the environment. This chapter provides insight into the importance of siderophores in heavy metal detoxification and the cleaning of the environment by natural means.

The temperature dependent dielectric properties revealed re-entrant relaxor behaviour (Tm ∼130 K and 210 K for 1 kHz) below a high temperature diffused ferroelectric phase transition, Tc ∼270 K in lead cobalt niobate (PCN). Multiple positive/negative magnetodielectric effect and deviation from straight line at ∼130 K is observed in temperature dependence of inverse susceptibility, which might hint at origin of frustration. Microstructure examination depicts closely packed grains with grain size ∼8-10 μm and XRD pattern revealed single phase pseudo cubic crystal structure having Pm3m symmetry with lattice constant ∼4.0496(2) A. Rietveld Refinement on XRD data yields larger value of thermal parameters, implying Pb and O are disordered along and directions, respectively. Observation of A1g (780 cm−1) mode in Raman spectroscopy and F-spot in SAED pattern along unit axis in TEM suggests presence of nano scale 1:1 Co and Nb non-stoichiometric chemical ordering (CORs), akin to lead magnesium niobate (PMN). K-edge XANES spectra reveals the presence of cobalt in two oxidation states (Co2+ and Co3+); whereas, niobium exists in Nb3+ and Nb5+ states. Therefore, these local-average structural properties suggest chemical, structural and spatial heterogeneities. Such multiple heterogeneities are believed to play a crucial role in producing re-entrant relaxor behaviour.

k-Carrageenan is a major constituent of red seaweeds composed of inherent repeating sulfated galactan units having potential to produce 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF). The presence of inherent alkali sulfate functionality generates catalytically active acid sites on the backbone of k-carrageenan. In the present study, catalyst-free synthesis of 5-HMF was studied by inducing acid active sites on alkali-sulfated functionalities of k-carrageenan. The presence of −SO3H active sites on acid-imparted k-carrageenan were accountable for the self-catalytic property to deconstruct k-carrageenan into galactose units and further dehydration into 5-HMF. A plausible mechanism for the self-catalytic deconstruction of k-carrageenan into 5-HMF has been proposed. The comparative study of catalytic and noncatalytic reactions in DMSO resulted 43% and 41% yield of 5-HMF, respectively. Of the tested solvents (DMF, DMSO, IPA, TBA, and IAA), DMSO was found as the best solvent for deconstruction. Furthermore, the ease of solven...

The diagnostic accuracy of the I3M to assess the legal age of 18 years has already been tested in several specific-population samples. The left lower third molar has been extensively used for discriminating between minors and adults. This research aimed to compare the usefulness of lower third molar maturity indexes, from both left and right side (I3ML and I3MR), in samples originating from four distinct continents in order to examine possible differences in their accuracy values. For this purpose, a sample of 10, 181 orthopantomograms (OPGs), from Europe, Africa, Asia and America, was analysed and previously scored in other studies. The samples included healthy subjects with no systemic disorders with both third molars and clear depicted root apices. Wilcoxon Signed Rank test for left and right asymmetry did not show any significant differences. Data about sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, likelihood ratio and accuracy were pooled together and showed similar results for I3ML and I3MR, respectively. In addition, all these quantities were high when only the I3MR was considered to discriminate between adults and minors. The present referable database was the first to pool third molar measurements using panoramic radiographs of subjects coming from different continents. The results highlighted that both I3ML and I3MR are reliable indicators for assessing the legal age of 18 years old in those jurisdictions where this legal threshold has been set as the age of majority.

The rapid industrialization and population explosion continuously generate massive amounts of municipal waste. Several conventional processes are in practice for the treatment of municipal waste, but the requirement of stringent operating conditions, incomplete conversion, longer processing time and emission of toxic gases, etc., are the major associated barriers. Thus, there is an urgent requirement for a sustainable, environmentally feasible process that can process waste into energy and fuel products. In the present manuscript, polyethylenimine functionalized polymeric Bronsted acid ionic liquid (PolyE-IL) catalysts have been explored for the Catalytic Thermo Liquefaction (CTL) of organic biodegradable municipal solid waste (MSW). A series of PolyE-IL catalysts with variable counter ions were examined for CTL of MSW. Of all the tested PolyE-IL catalysts, the integration of [PEI]

A Pb-free ferroelectric (Na0.8K0.2)0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (NKBT) thin film is deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrate at 650 °C using pulsed laser deposition technique. This NKBT film is characterized using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, piezoresponse force microscopy, dielectric spectroscopy and PE-loop tracer. The dielectric and ferroelectric properties measured at 1 kHz yields a dielectric constant e ∼564, remnant polarization Pr ∼5.5 µC/cm2 and coercive field Ec ∼33.7 kV/cm. A high piezoelectric constant d33* ∼134 pm/V of NKBT film makes it suitable for a variety of electromechanical devices.

Visual Identification by next of kin is the most common method of identifying unknown bodies in India. However, this technique is unscientific and unreliable, especially if the remains recovered are decomposing, skeletonized, charred, mutilated, saponified. Primary identifiers recommended by higher authorities for scientific identification of unknown bodies include comparison of fingerprints, DNA, odontology or unique medical records such as implants. Forensic Odontology has played a major role in identifying victims of mass disasters around the world, and few examples of successful application of dental data in DVI situations include the South Asian Tsunami, 2004, Black Saturday bushfires, 2009, Australia, Christchurch earthquake, 2011, etc. However, the application of forensic odontology for positive identifications is extremely limited. A major reason for this is the unavailability and inaccessibility to quality dental records and ante mortem data. To improve the collection of ante mortem data, it is urgent that we create awareness among local on-ground investigating agencies, and stakeholders. For this purpose, an awareness campaign iDENTifyme from the University of Turin, Italy was launched in India in local languages, and has since successfully assisted in collection of ante mortem data for positive identification.

Synthetic non-absorbable meshes are routinely used in hernia surgery for clean cases but are avoided in the case of clean-contaminated or contaminated hernia or dirty cases to minimize the risk of infection. The present study was conducted to evaluate the outcome of polypropylene mesh in the settings of bowel resection performed for strangulated hernias of the abdominal wall. This prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Surgery of a teaching hospital in central India between 1st March 2015 and 31st Aug 2017. Adult patients > 18 years age, with abdominal wall hernias, presenting with strangulation, and requiring resection and anastomosis for gangrenous bowel were included in the study. Outcomes noted were wound infection, morbidity and mortality, need for the removal of the mesh, and recurrence of the hernia. 30 (22 men and 8 women) patients with strangulated hernias underwent emergency surgery with resection of gangrenous bowel and anastomosis. The 30 cases included 21 inguinal, seven incisional, one femoral and one umbilical hernia. 12 of the 30 cases having gross contamination of the operative wound due to perforated gangrenous bowel were classified as ‘dirty’; while the remaining 18 cases with non-perforated gangrenous herniating bowel were classified as ‘contaminated’. Wound infection occurred in 8/30 patients (26.67%); but these healed with antibiotics and dressing. Mesh removal was not required in any patient during entire study period. Two recurrences (6.7%; one inguinal and one incisional hernia) were observed. There was no mortality. The use of polypropylene mesh for contaminated and dirty strangulated hernias is effective and safe, with acceptable morbidity and good short-term results.

The study aims to assess the plant biomass and carbon storage potential of the forests of Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh, India. The study was carried out in Satanwada Range in Shivpuri Forest Division. A total of 96 quadrats of 10×10 m2 were laid. The non-destructive algometric method was used to estimate carbon sequestration. The results show that Acacia catechu (202 individuals/ha) dominated the forest, followed by Anogeissus pendula (90 individuals/ha). The total biomass of the forest was estimated to be 34.72±0.41t/ha, with Boswellia serrata (7.943t) recording the highest. The minimum biomass was recorded for Grewia sp (0.06t). The highest carbon content was found in B. serrata (3.97t; 25 individuals) followed by A. Catechu (2.92t; 195 individuals). Although A. catechu was dominant in the area, due to its lower girth class and young age, the net carbon storage was less than that of B. serrata. It was found that plots with higher carbon stock had higher species richness than plots composed of single species. Therefore, plantations of mixed native species should be preferred for future restoration activities as they are more efficient in sequestrating carbon than monoculture plantations.

The rural and tribal communities of Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri District depend on forest resources for meeting their domestic energy needs, forest products, and employment. Under Green India Mission, households were randomly selected and surveyed. The data of 61 households from 3 villages of Satanwada range (dry deciduous forest) and 131 households from 4 villages in Pichhore range (dry deciduous scrub forest) was collected through semi-structured questionnaire interviews and direct observation. Generalised Linear Model was used to determine the major factors affecting fuelwood collection. The study revealed the factors affecting the amount of fuelwood collection in Satanwada and Pichhore. Family size of households near to the forest negatively affected the amount of fuelwood collected; opportunity cost of fuelwood collection was lower for them than for families living further away from the forest in Satanwada. In Pichhore, LPG consumption reduced the amount of fuelwood collected, while cow dung complimented the quantity of fuelwood collected. Since the availability of fuelwood was scarce, alternate energy resources became determining factors of the amount of fuelwood collected. In both ranges, the distance of the forest from households had a positive effect on the quantity of fuelwood consumed due to higher opportunity cost and degradation of adjacent forests. The study also revealed a strong correlation between the sampled population percentage of women in villages and the sampled village cattle count. The study also showed the difference of fuelwood collection in Satanwada (8.8 ± 0.6 kg) and Pichhore (6.8 ± 0.4 kg) suggesting that forest degradation correlates with lesser utilisation of forest resources. Hence, the study justifies the need of synergy between public rural provisions of alternative fuel sources with afforestation programs.

Lead-free Na0.4K0.1Bi0.5TiO3 (NKBT) and NiFe2O4 (NFO) ceramics are synthesized by solid-state reaction, and the laminated NKBT/NFO composites have been prepared by gluing the sintered discs with silver-epoxy. The measured parameters, dielectric constant (e′) ∼1450 at 1 kHz, remanent polarization (Pr)∼39 μC/cm2, coercive electric field (Ec)∼27 kV/cm and maximum strain (Smax)∼0.3 % of NKBT along with saturation magnetization (Ms)∼49 emu/g, coercive magnetic field (Hc)∼27 Oe and magnetostriction (λ)∼-30 ppm of NFO, makes them suitable materials to evaluate as laminated magnetoelectric (ME) composites. A maximum ME response of 37, 67 and 86 mV/cm Oe at Hdc∼350−400 Oe field and 1 kHz frequency is observed for NKBT/NFO, NKBT/NFO/NKBT and NFO/NKBT/NFO layered composites, respectively. The high ME response at reasonable fields implies that NKBT/NFO laminated composite is a worthy lead-free candidate for ME sensor and energy harvesting applications.

Both A- and B-site-substituted BaTiO3 ceramics are promising alternative relaxor materials to replace lead zirconium titanate as an actuator. With a motivation to improve electromechanical properties, a lead-free Ba0.95Ca0.05Sn0.09Ti0.91O3 (BCST) ceramic close to the polymorphic phase boundary composition is synthesized by solid-state reaction. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy confirm the coexistence of orthorhombic (Amm2) and tetragonal (P4 mm) phases at room temperature. Our low-temperature dielectric study reveals the appearance of a reentrant relaxor state from the ferroelectric state near ∼150 K and is attributed to the coexistence of short and long ferroelectric ordered regions and slowing down of domain dynamics in the smaller regions, similar to the reentrant spin glass state observed in the system Fe-xAu. This feature is confirmed through glass model fitting parameters [ωo = 2.66(±0.28) × 108 Hz, Tg = 110(±1) K, zv = 4.5(±0.3)], and Mydosh parameter (“K” ∼ 0.05). The field-induced polarization (P–E) and strain (S–E) curves show well-defined slim ferroelectric and “butterfly-like” loops with a large value of maximum strain of ∼0.12%, an electromechanical coefficient of d*33 ∼ 1113 pm/V, and an electrostrictive coefficient of Q11 ∼ 0.048 m4/C2 at room temperature.

Vibrational properties of Gd substituted lead magnesium niobate (PGMN, Pb1−xGdx(Mg1+x/3Nb2−x/3)O3 with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) ceramics have been investigated by using Raman spectroscopy, which were correlated to the enhancement in dielectric relaxor behaviour. Raman active stretching modes of Nb O Mg (A1g, ∼780 cm−1) and Nb O Nb (∼500–600 cm−1) have been used as a probe to measure the effect of Gd on the size of chemical ordered regions (CORs) and polar nano-regions (PNRs) in the PGMN ceramics. The red shift in A1g mode is explained by considering the random site model used to elucidate B-site cation ordering in the chemical ordered regions (CORs). Similarly, the red shift in the Nb O Nb stretching mode has been related to off-centre displacement of Nb-ion in the polar nano-region (PNRs), which is reduced with increasing content of Gd. Along with this, the decrease in lattice parameter, as well as the blue shift in stretching mode of Pb O (∼150 cm−1) and bending mode of O B O (∼260 cm−1), confirms the Gd-substitution to be at Pb-site. An increase in the width of distribution of the relaxation time, characterized by the Cole-Cole fitting parameter α at Tm(100Hz)+15 °C, and reduction in interaction between the PNRs, characterized by the stretched exponent fitting parameter p, is consistent with the Raman studies. The presence of multiple heterogeneities, i.e., site disorder, presence of the CORs, off-center ionic displacements in the PNRs, are responsible for high dielectric relaxation, as well as the broadening and overlapping of the Raman active modes.

The exponential increase in CO2 emission enforced the discovery of alternative methods to curb excessive atmospheric CO2. In the present manuscript, nano-crystalline copper disperced TiO2 (CuOx-TiO2) catalyst has been explored for the direct hydrogenation of CO2 into formic acid (FA) under hydrothermal condition. Series of Cu based catalysts were synthesized via a simple co-precipitation method and tested for CO2 hydrogenation. Of the tested catalyst, CuOx-TiO2 showed the highest TON (turnover number) 6.62 for FA under non-stringent reaction conditions (40 bar, 200 °C). The addition of base (both organic/ inorganic) showed significant improvement in CO2 reduction. Inorganic bases showed a profound effect to obtain a higher yield of FA as compared to organic bases. The process intensification study was conducted for the influence of temperature, base, concentration of base, pressure, catalyst loading, and reaction time on FA production. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized catalyst were studied by using XRD, ATR-FTIR, BET, FEG-SEM, EDX, and ICP-OES analysis. Catalyst recyclability study showed the gradual drop in TON and TOF for five cycles but the easy regeneration process reboots the catalytic activity. The plausible reaction mechanism for direct hydrogenation of CO2 to FA has also been proposed.

Microstructure, ferroelectric and dielectric properties investigation reveals non-stoichiometric chemical ordered regions (CORs) and relaxor like dielectric characteristics in 800 °C to 1200 °C uniaxially hot pressed (HP) lead magnesium niobate (PMN) ceramics. Occurance of (½½½) superlattice reflections along 〈1 1 1〉 in 〈1 1 0〉 zone axis SAED pattern and the presence of bright nano-meter regions in corresponding dark-field images in 800 °C hot pressed PMN (HP800) demonstrates the formation of the CORs as soon as the perovskite phase is formed during calcination at 800 °C. The lattice constant is observed to remain constant with HP sintering temperature. An increase in dielectric constant maximum (em) from 8800 to 25,000 and shift of temperature of the em (Tm) from 278 K to 263 K is explained considering a restriction of thermal activity of large polar regions near to the grain boundaires of smaller grains.

The ethanol distillery generates a huge quantum of undesirable dark brown coloured wastewater called “Distillery Spent Wash” (DSW) or “Vinasse” which has high COD and BOD. Presently, the disposal of DSW sustainably and efficiently is a major scientific, engineering, economic and environmental challenge in front of the distillery industry. In the present manuscript, a comprehensive approach has been made to elucidate the physicochemical properties of DSW and explored its potential for the production of commodity chemicals. The characterization of DSW samples collected from different distilleries throughout India was done by various analytical techniques such as HPLC, elemental analysis, TDS, TSS and ash content etc. Typically, the COD of DSW samples was found in the range of 1, 10,000 to 2, 05,000 ppm (parts per million) due to the variable composition of dissolved organic compounds. Of the total COD, (a) 1-2% is contributed by sugars like xylose, glucose and sucrose, (b) 30-36% by carboxylic acids like formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid, (c) 5-6 % by alcohol like ethanol and (d) 50-57% by melanoidins and caramels. The estimated statistics based on the present study depicted that DSW can be a potential chemical pool for the production of commodity chemicals. Assessment of DSW for the production of commodity chemicals could appreciably contribute to both the economic and environmental aspects of distillery wastewater management. However, future distillery can be directed as a multiproduct industry for the production of commodity chemicals from distillery wastewater.

Harmonic magneto-dielectricity studied for the perovskite systems—Pb0.98Gd0.02(Mg1/3Nb2/3)0.995O3 (PGMN), La0.95Ca0.05CoO3 (LCCO), La2NiMnO6 (LNMO), and Ca3Mn2O7 (CMO), precisely characterizes intricately polarized phases. In magnetically co-doped PGMN, the first-harmonic signal ( χ 2 ′ ) manifests finite polarization P(H) below 270 K, corroborated by the measured remnant P–E traces. The second harmonic ( χ 3 ′ ) reveals the effect of random E-fields, causing electrical vitreousity. In spin-state LCCO, across the 65K-start of intermediate- (IS) to low-spin (LS) transition, harmonic susceptibilities evidence IS/LS-interfacial hyper-polarizations, and ac-/dc- conductivities exhibit mechanism-changeovers. In charge-transfer LNMO, dual magneto-electricity due to Ni2+ ↔ Mn4+ charge-hopping (intrinsic) and Maxwell–Wagner (fictitious) polarizations gets distinguished via χ 2 ′. In hybrid improper ferroelectric (HIF) CMO, while the χ 2 , 3 ′-signals clearly evidence stabilization of the ferroelectric state below 50 K, χ 3 ′ and ɛ* discern the super-paraelectric, coupled-relaxor, and glassy phases, magneto-electrically coexistent with short-range spin-correlations, antiferromagnetic, and weak-ferromagnetic states, respectively. Our results on a variety of perovskites establish harmonics' exclusivity in revealing novel phases and superiority in divulging subtly variant states, either escaping detection or rendered indescript by usual electrical characterizations.

Phase, microstructural, dielectric and ferroelectric properties investigation clearly reveal that the charge imbalance created due to alio-valent Gd3+-ion substitution at the Pb2+-site in lead magnesium niobate (PMN) should be compensated by changing the B-site cation ratio instead of creating the A-site or B-site vacancies. Microstructure analysis along with elemental mapping exhibit segregation of MgO and GdNbO4 phase, which is consistent with the Gd3+-ions solubility limit in the PMN. Gd3+-ion substituted PMN (PGMN) where the charge imbalance is compensated by creating the A-site vacancies leads to formation of large concentration of pyrochlore phase. Fitting of frequency dependent temperature of dielectric constant maximum [Tm(f)] and the Mydosh parameter “K” calculated from the Tm(f) clearly reveals critical slowing down of polar nano-regions (PNRs) dynamics leading to a super-dipolar glass state in PGMN in which the charge imbalance is compensated by changing the B-site cations ratio or by creating the B-site vacancy.

Here in this work we have carried out synthesis of isoniazid and their benzaldehyde derivative in the presence of SiO2/P2O5 catalyzed utilizing conventional and microwave assisted protocols. Both these protocols examined comparatively and we found that microwave assisted synthesis is more efficient, eco-friendly and economical method as compared to conventional method. Yield of product is also higher than conventional method. Use of heterogeneous catalyst is also promoting the yield of product and it is very easy to separate from the product by simple filtration and centrifugation. These synthesized compounds are characterized by physical and spectral studies (IR, UV-VIS, NMR spectroscopy) Isoniazid having excellent antitubercular activity and due to presence of Isoniazid they may have good antibiotic property.

Temperature dependent electric response under the application of 10 kV/cm dc electric field and PE loop measurements suggest reduction in diffuseness and degree of relaxation in perovskite relaxor ferroelectric PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3 ceramic. Abnormality at ~ 195 K is assigned to nano to macro domain ferroelectric transition but no evidence of disappearance of CORs is noticed. Cheng’s power law is found to give reasonable fitting parameters compared to the Vogel-Fulcher relations.Due to an internal processing error, an incorrect article was published on 10 April 2018. AIP Publishing apologizes for this error. The correct article, "Field induced nano to macro domain ferroelectric transition in relaxor lead magnesium niobate ceramic" by Adityanarayan H. Pandey and S. M. Gupta, was published on 12 June 2018.Temperature dependent electric response under the application of 10 kV/cm dc electric field and PE loop measurements suggest reduction in diffuseness and degree of relaxation in perovskite relaxor ferroelectric PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3 ceramic. Abnormality at ~ 195 K is assigned to nano to macro domain ferroelectric transition but no evidence of disappearance of CORs is noticed. Cheng’s power law is found to give reasonable fitting parameters compared to the Vogel-Fulcher relations.Due to an internal processing error, an incorrect article was published on 10 April 2018. AIP Publishing apologizes for this error. The correct article, "Field induced nano to macro domain ferroelectric transition in relaxor lead magnesium niobate ceramic" by Adityanarayan H. Pandey and S. M. Gupta, was published on 12 June 2018.

The electrocaloric (EC) effect is calculated for Gd-substituted PMN (x = 0 to 0.1) relaxors from temperature dependent heat capacity and polarization measurements, using a thermodynamic Maxwell equation. Polarization change with temperature reveals an anomalous behaviour around the glass transition temperature, which is in the vicinity of a crossover from positive to negative EC effect, which is explained evoking the critical slowing-down of the polar nano-domains dynamics to super-dipolar glass state upon cooling. The maximum negative EC coefficient is observed to decrease from 0.4 K-mm/kV at 164 K to 0.1 K-mm/kV with x., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures

The synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and subsequent detailed Rietveld analysis of lead magnesium niobate (PMN) samples were performed to study the microstructural properties of polar nanoregions (PNRs) of the R3m phase. PMN samples were synthesized under different sample processing conditions. The line profile broadening analysis of room-temperature synchrotron powder XRD patterns was performed using the multi-phase Rietveld refinement method for isotropic microstructural evaluation of different PMN samples. The two phases of perovskite PMN considered in the Rietveld refinement approach for satisfactorily fitting the XRD patterns are the paraelectric cubic phase (Pm\overline 3m) and the local rhombohedral phase (R3m) which corresponds to the PNRs. It is observed that the contributions of the Gaussian component of size broadening of the polar rhombohedral phase (R3m) and the Lorentzian component of strain broadening of the paraelectric cubic phase (Pm\overline 3m) are apposite for satisfactory Rietveld refinement of the synchrotron XRD data for all PMN samples. The volume-average crystallite size of PNRs (R3m phase) is almost invariant (approximately 12 nm) with increasing processing temperature while their weight percentage increases. The values of the apparent microstrain in the paraelectric cubic phase (Pm\overline 3m) are larger for hot-pressed samples.

Dielectric properties of single phase PbNi1/3Nb2/3O3 (PNN) ceramic prepared by two step coulmbite method has been investigates thoroughly. The value of degree of relaxational constant ΔTm ∼24, and diffuseness parameter calculated from the modified Curie-Weiss fitting δA ∼111, suggests higher dielectric relaxation strength for PNN in comparison to well-known PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3 PMN. Frequency dependence of temperature of dielectric maximum (e’m) is fitted with Arrhenius, Dipolar glass, stretched exponential and cluster glass model. The attempt frequency of physically acceptable process has been obtained from cluster glass model, which indicates critical slowing down of PNR dynamics.