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Coatis (Nasua nasua) are wild carnivorous well adapted to anthropized environments especially important because they act as reservoirs hosts for many arthropod-borne zoonotic pathogens. Information about filarioids from coatis and associated Wolbachia spp. in Brazil is scant. To investigate the diversity of filarial nematodes, blood samples (n = 100 animals) were obtained from two urban areas in midwestern Brazil and analyzed using blood smears and buffy coats and cPCR assays based on the cox1, 12S rRNA, 18S rRNA, hsp70 and myoHC genes for nematodes and 16S rRNA for Wolbachia. When analyzing coati blood smears and buffy coats, 30% and 80% of the samples presented at least one microfilaria, respectively. Twenty-five cox1 sequences were obtained showing 89% nucleotide identity with Mansonella ozzardi. Phylogenetic analyses clustered cox1 sequences herein obtained within the Mansonella spp. clade. Sequences of both myoHC and two hsp70 genes showed 99.8% nucleotide identity with Mansonella sp. and clustered into a clade within Mansonella sp., previously detected in coatis from Brazil. Two blood samples were positive for Wolbachia, with a 99% nucleotide identity with Wolbachia previously found in Mansonella perstans, Mansonella ozzardi and Mansonella atelensis and in ectoparasites of the genus Pseudolynchia, Melophagus and Cimex. The study showed a high prevalence of Mansonella sp. in the coati population examined, suggesting that this animal species play a role as reservoirs of a novel, yet to be described, species within the Onchocercidae family.

Introducing amorphous phases into the crystalline matrix is a new design strategy to improve the mechanical properties of Mg alloys. In this work, the effects of strain rate and amorphous nanopillar size on the interaction mechanism between the dislocation and precipitation in the Mg matrix were investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. The results show that the interaction mechanism between dislocation and amorphous precipitation depends on strain rate and amorphous nanopillar size. At strain rates of 5 × 107/s and 5 × 108/s, the amorphous precipitation strengthens the Mg matrix due to the pinning effect of the amorphous precipitation relative to the dislocation. The interaction mechanism changes from merging and canceling of dislocation to the cross-slip mechanism with the increase of precipitation size. Moreover, the strengthening effect of the large-sized amorphous phase on the dislocation is noticeable. However, the amorphous precipitation softens the Mg matrix at strain rates of 5 × 109/s and 1 × 1010/s. The underlying mechanism varies from the dislocation shearing mechanism to the generation of dislocation loops with the increase of the amorphous precipitation size. This research can provide theoretical guidance for developing and designing new high-performance Mg alloys.

The efficient manufacture of nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO NPs) using a novel solution combustion method that makes use of chemical (glucose) and green (Aloe vera gel extract) fuels is reported in this work. As revealed by electron microscopy, the synthesized samples were spongy, spherical, agglomerated, and porous; in contrast, the face-centered cubic crystal structure (FCC) phase for NiO NPs was corroborated by PXRD. The energy band gaps of NiO NPs are 4.09 and 4.21 eV. Using an eco-friendly NiO electrode, cyclic voltammetry investigations demonstrated good reversibility (a reduced value of EO-ER). Its great conductivity was confirmed by electrochemical impedance tests, which also showed a low charge-transfer resistance. Using NiO NPs, stable electrode materials for application in supercapacitors can be readily created. In comparison to chemically synthesized NiO green generated NiO in a 3-electrode setup demonstrated a capacitance of 156 Fg−1 and 183 Fg−1 at a scan rate of 5 Ag−1, respectively, according to the GCD investigation. It also had good cycling stability, retaining more than 85% of its original capacitance after 2000 cycles. The results suggest that green produced NiO could be a cheap and practical material for use in supercapacitor applications in the future.

The amorphous/crystalline (A/C) dual-phase nanostructured model is an effective method to improve the mechanical properties of high entropy alloys (HEAs). However, the deformation mechanism of the dual-phase HEAs during nanoindentation is still unclear. Here, the effect of the amorphous layer position and thickness on the deformation behavior and mechanical properties of the A/C dual-phase CoCrFeMnNi HEAs under nanoindentation is investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. The results show that the amorphous phase has a significant impact on the mechanical behavior of the HEAs, and the amorphous layer plays a role in absorbing dislocations and hindering their continued movement. The embedding position of the amorphous layer has almost no effect on the elastic deformation of the HEAs. However, during the plastic deformation stage, as the insertion position of the amorphous layer in the HEAs moves downwards, the nanoindentation force of the HEAs shows an obvious increasing trend, which promotes deformation strengthening. The results also indicate that the amorphous layer thickness affects its ability to absorb dislocations, and the dislocation lengths in the HEA with smaller amorphous phase thickness are significantly higher than those in the models with larger amorphous phase thickness.

The spin and parity of the charmed mesons Ds⁎+, D⁎0 and D⁎+ are determined for the first time to be JP=1− with significances greater than 10σ over other hypotheses of 2+ and 3−, using an e+e− collision data sample with an integrated luminosity of 3.19 fb−1 collected by the BESIII detector at a center-of-mass energy of 4.178 GeV. Different spin-parity hypotheses are tested via a helicity amplitude analysis of the processes e+e−→Ds⁎+Ds−, D⁎0D0 and D⁎+D−, with Ds⁎+→Ds+γ, D⁎0→D0π0, and D⁎+→D+π0. The results confirm the quark model predictions.

ABSTRACT Porcine hemoplasmosis is characterized as a geographically cosmopolitan disease caused by Mycoplasma suis and Mycoplasma parvum. Asymptomatic pigs are considered the focus of hemoplasmosis because they are carriers and reservoirs to new infections. This study aimed to determine the molecular occurrence of porcine hemoplasmas (PH) in the production cycle of technified farrow-to-finished swine herds. For this purpose, 20 swine herds were evaluated, where 501 whole blood samples were collected for qPCR and phylogenetic analyses for hemoplasmas. The epidemiological analysis was performed for the entire population and per the growth stage. The total prevalence for PH was 31.93% (161/501); 95% (19/20) of sampled herds were positive. The occurrence of PH by swine growth stages was nursery (30.47%), growing (31.29%), finishing (26.18%), and slaughter (40.25%). The quantification cycles (Cq) ranged from 3.18- 39.56 and the number of PH 16S rRNA copies per µL of DNA ranged from 5,57 x10-2 to 2.23 x1010. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of five selected samples showed 100% identity with M. parvum strain Indiana and two M. parvum sequences from Brazil/Goiás. This is the first report on PH in technified herds in Southeastern Brazil by growth stages.

Soil erosion has been one of the most important problems of watersheds in the world and is considered one of the main obstacles to achieving sustainable development in agriculture and natural resources. Identifying and prioritizing regions sensitive to soil erosion is essential for water and soil conservation and natural resource management in watersheds. The present research was performed in 2021 year to prioritize the soil erosion susceptibility in 12 sub-watersheds of the Roudzard watershed in Khouzestan province using morphometric analysis and multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. In this regard, 11 morphometric parameters including shape parameters such as compactness constant (Cc), circularity ratio (Rc), form factor (Rf), elongation ratio (Re), linear parameters such as drainage density (Dd), stream frequency (Fs), drainage texture (Dt), bifurcation ratio (Rb), Basin length (L), Length of overland flow (Lg), and topographic parameter including Ruggedness number (Rn) were extracted and their relative weights were calculated using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The prioritization sub-watershed to soil erosion was performed using TOPSIS, VIKOR, and SAW methods, and the results were combined using rank mean, Copeland, and Borda methods. The final prioritization was compared with the amount of specific erosion in the MPSIAC model by determining Spearman's correlation coefficient. The result of the evaluation of morphometric parameters by using the AHP model showed that drainage density (0.161), drainage texture (0.158), and stream frequency (0.146) had the greatest effect on the erodability of the sub-watersheds. In contrast, the form factor (0.049), Elongation Ratio (0.036), and shape factor (0.026) had the least effects on erodability of the study area. In this research, the Spearman correlation coefficient between the final result of prioritizing the sub-watershed and the MPSIAC model was obtained as 0.8 in p-value

We search for the semi-leptonic decays Λc+→Λπ+π−e+νe and Λc+→pKS0π−e+νe in a sample of 4.5fb−1 of e+e− annihilation data collected in the center-of-mass energy region between 4.600GeV and 4.699GeV by the BESIII detector at the BEPCII. No significant signals are observed, and the upper limits on the decay branching fractions are set to be B(Λc+→Λπ+π−e+νe)

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Vandalism or intentional destruction of public property and belongings is one of the social hazards that always leads to huge jeopardy and damage to municipal facades, furniture, municipal spaces and distorts the beauty of the city. In this regard, the present study investigated vandalism and its impacts on urban beauty in the city of Chenaran.METHODS: The research methodology applied in this study was mixed (qualitative-quantitative). At the outset, the qualitative section was conducted in a semi-structured interview with 16 people who were graduates of geography, urban planning and sociology in 4 focus groups of 4 people. Following that, by applying the information of this section, the main examples and cases of vandalism (destructive vandalism and written vandalism), various types of vandalism (recreational, property, ideological and vindictive vandalism), the effects of urban beauty vandalism (destruction of facades, destruction of furniture and destruction of urban spaces) as well as factors affecting vandalism (individual and social) were identified. Analyzes were performed in NVIVO 7 software. Then, by using the findings of the qualitative section and theoretical studies, a questionnaire (Based on the Likert scale) was prepared and distributed among the sample size of the quantitative section (382 citizens of Chenaran). Questionnaire analysis was performed with Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis model in SPSS software.FINDINGS: The findings demonstrated that factors like socio-economic status, degree of socialization, feelings of injustice and discrimination, association with vandals and individual factors are influential in vandalism. The results of regression analysis also illustrated that 63% of the alterations in vandalism are as a result of the relationship between a linear combination of independent variables and the remaining 37% or "Coefficient of Non-Determination" is as a consequence of other factors which were not considered in this study. Feelings of injustice and discrimination (0.168) and association and communication (0.161) have a direct impact, but the socio-economic status (-0.166), the degree of socialization (-0.154) and individual factors (-0.145) have the opposite effect.CONCLUSION: Vandalism affects the beauty of the city in several ways, including feelings of abuse and discrimination with a value of 0.168 and then meetings and communication with a value of 0.161 in which factors such as alteration of people's notions, reconstruction and fixing damaged equipment and the participation of citizens are crucial.

Abstract Using 448.1 × 106 ψ(3686) decays collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII e + e − storage rings, the branching fractions and angular distributions of the decays χ cJ → Ξ − Ξ ¯ $$ \overline{\Xi} $$ + and Ξ0 Ξ ¯ $$ \overline{\Xi} $$ 0 (J = 0, 1, 2) are measured based on a partial-reconstruction technique. The decays χ c1 → Ξ0 Ξ ¯ $$ \overline{\Xi} $$ 0 and χ c2 → Ξ0 Ξ ¯ $$ \overline{\Xi} $$ 0 are observed for the first time with statistical significances of 7σ and 15σ, respectively. The results of this analysis are in good agreement with previous measurements and have significantly improved precision.

We report a search for a dark photon using 14.9 fb−1 of e+e− annihilation data taken at center-of-mass energies from 4.13 to 4.60 GeV with the BESIII detector operated at the BEPCII storage ring. The dark photon is assumed to be produced in the radiative annihilation process of e+e− and to predominantly decay into light dark matter particles, which escape from the detector undetected. The mass range from 1.5 to 2.9 GeV is scanned for the dark photon candidate, and no significant signal is observed. The mass dependent upper limits at the 90% confidence level on the coupling strength parameter ϵ for a dark photon coupling with an ordinary photon vary between 1.6×10−3 and 5.7×10−3.

We search for an axion-like particle (ALP) a through the process ψ(3686)→π+π−J/ψ, J/ψ→γa, a→γγ in a data sample of (2.71±0.01)×109 ψ(3686) events collected by the BESIII detector. No significant ALP signal is observed over the expected background, and the upper limits on the branching fraction of the decay J/ψ→γa and the ALP-photon coupling constant gaγγ are set at 95% confidence level in the mass range of 0.165≤ma≤2.84GeV/c2. The limits on B(J/ψ→γa) range from 8.3×10−8 to 1.8×10−6 over the search region, and the constraints on the ALP-photon coupling are the most stringent to date for 0.165≤ma≤1.468GeV/c2.

At present, the occurrence of dust storms is one of the most important environmental problems in Khuzestan Province, and the south and southeast regions of Ahwaz have been recognized as one of the interior dust sources and are the priority of corrective operations. Given that land use change is one of the desertification factors in the mentioned region, therefore, modeling its changes is necessary and provides useful information for planners to control and revive the degraded lands. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of the CA-Markov model in predicting land use changes in the dust source of south and southeast of Ahwaz based on two long-term and short-term approaches. In the long-term approach, land use maps of 1986 and 2002 years and in the short-term approach, land use maps of 2002 and 2007 years have been used to predict land use for the year 2016 and then the simulation results were validated. The results showed that the values ​​of allocation error, quantity error, and kappa coefficient for the long-term approach were 42.55%, 13.95%, and 0.08 respectively, and for the short-term approach were 12.56%, 10.42%, and 0.22 respectively, which indicates the weak ability of the CA-Markov model to evaluate the desertification trend in the dust Source of south and southeast Ahwaz. Use of uniform transition rule throughout the simulation period without considering the factors and processes affecting land use change, the non-same trend of land use change during study periods, changes due to human activities, drought, and long forecast period can be the reasons for the poor performance of the CA-Markov model to predict the desertification trend the dust Source of south and southeast Ahwaz.

In this paper, we report on the synthesis of strontium oxide nanoparticles (SONPs) using a novel probe sonication method. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) was used to characterize the physicochemical properties of the prepared materials, which confirmed that the average SrO crystallite size was 43 ​nm. The Kubelka-Monk function of diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) was used to confirm the average energy gap of SONPs (4.06 ​eV). SONPs have been successfully used in conjunction with inventive photocatalysts to remove dyes such as Methylene Blue (MB) and Acid Green (AG). MBand AG dyes were used as standard dyes to investigate the photocatalytic properties of NPs when exposed to UV light and sunlight.These nanometal oxides photodegrade methylene blue (87.70%) and acid green (71.20%) dyes with remarkable efficiency when exposed to UV light. These nanometal oxides demonstrated superior sensitivity when paracetamol was used as an analyte in cyclic voltammetry tests at various scan speeds (10 ​mV/s to 50 ​mV/s). As a result, SONPs may be useful in photocatalytic activity and electrochemical sensor applications.

Nickel oxide nanoparticles [NiO NPs] were synthesized using chemical (Combustion method) and green route using Coccania grandis leaf extract (Probe sonication method). SEM reveals that, NiONPs synthesized using green route showed agglomerated porous, having diameter of 200 nm. Whereas, chemically synthesized NiO NPs were uniform in size with diameter of 180 nm. From PXRD analysis, average crystallite size of green and chemically synthesized NiONPs was found to be 52.6 nm and 41.9 nm respectively. NiO NPs synthesized using the green route. Antibacterial study of NiONPs (synthesized by green route) displayed maximum zone of inhibition i.e10.8mm (Staphylococcussp), 9.4mm (E coli) and 7.4mm (Pseudomonas) compared to 8mm (Staphylococcussp), 9mm (Ecoli). Photocatalytic activity of direct green dye was effective in NiO NPs synthesized by chemical (69.25%) compared to the green route (25.65%). In electrochemical analysis (biosensor), one reduction and one oxidation peak were observed and were highly effective in sensing Fe3+ under alkaline medium in green route NiO NPs.

An economic low-temperature self-ignition solution combustion method was used to synthesize 1–11 mol% chromium ion (Cr3+) doped MgAl2O4 nanoparticles (NPs). The structural, morphological and energy gap variations due to the influence of Cr3+ on the host matrix were evidenced by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Under visible light irradiation, the as-prepared NPs showed excellent photocatalytic activities (PCA) for the industrial dye Acid Red-88 (AR-88) and pyrocatechol (PY) - an emerging pollutant (EP). The experiments were carried out at room temperature in an aqueous solution at a concentration of 20 ppm. Among others, MgAl2O4:Cr3+(5 mol%) showed 91.38% degradation within 150 min exhibiting zero-order kinetics and 82% degradation in 6 h displaying the first order kinetics for AR-88 dye and PY EP, respectively. In this case, a greater number of hydroxyl (OH.) radicles dominate over other reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as holes and singlet oxygens (1O2) under different pH conditions. Electrochemical studies have yielded the proton diffusion coefficient (D) value as large as 2.145 × 10−4 cm2s−1 for the optimized NP electrode, which is substantially greater than 1.0935 × 10−5 cm2s−1 for the pure MgAl2O4 one owing to the intercalated anions and structurally disordered density of the electrode material. This superior electrochemical behaviour suggests the potential application of the optimized NP material as an anodic electrode for supercapacitors.

The present work deals with the synthesis of cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles (CONPs) using sodium hydroxide and cerium nitrate as precursors via Sonochemical route. As synthesized, cerium oxide nano powders were calcined at 1000 °C to 1100 °C for 2 hrs. The obtained CONPs were characterised by using the advanced analytical methods. XRD (X-ray diffraction) analysis confirmed the pristine cubic fluorite structure for CeO2 NPs. The FTIR spectrum shows a strong broad band around 800 to 900 cm−1, for Ce-O stretching vibration to confirm the formation of pure CeO2. The particle size of CONPs was found to vary between 35 and 38 nm. Under UV light irradiation of the commercial dye methylene blue, these nano metal oxides demonstrated significant efficiency in photo degradation. A specific capacitance value of 59.78 Fg−1 was obtained from the cyclic voltammograms of the CeO2 electrode in 0.1N HCl solution with a scan rate of 10 to 50 mV/s. These electrodes have proved to be very sensitive towards the detection paracetamol. These findings revealed that CeO2 is an effective photocatalyst and a suitable electrode material for detecting paracetamol with high electrode reversibility.

The crystalline/amorphous (C/A) dual-phase structure is a new design strategy to improve the mechanical properties of Mg alloys. Here, the effect of the content of rare-earth element Y on the deformation mechanism and mechanical behavior of the C/A Mg/(MgCu)100-xYx dual-phase Mg alloys under tensile loading is investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. The results show for the first time that the amorphous phase thickness of the alloys increases obviously after relaxation, which is mainly due to the existence of element Y in amorphous phase. And with the increase of the content of element Y, the thickness of amorphous phase increases. The results indicate that the diffusion of element Y from amorphous phase to amorphous-crystalline interface (ACI) promotes the migration of ACI towards crystalline phase (i.e., the amorphization of crystalline phase). The results further pointed out that the amorphization of Mg alloys depends on two factors: one is that the amorphous phase contains a certain concentration of element Y, and the other is the existence of ACI. The results show that there is a critical amorphous phase thickness of the dual-phase Mg alloys, that is, the critical content of Y element, which can make it achieve nearly perfect plasticity.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a neuro-linguistic programming course on job stress, positive organizational behavior and job motivation among physical education teachers of Khorasan Razavi province of Iran. Material: The statistical population of the study consisted 150 physical education teachers of Khorasan Razavi province. 40 physical education teachers were selected as statistical sample. At first, the questionnaires of job stress of Steinmetz (2002), Luthans Psychological Capital questionnaire (2007) and Hackman job motivation questionnaire (1976) were administered to the subjects and then the subjects received the presented protocol. At the end of the course questionnaires were re-presented. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test at 5% error level. Results: The results showed that neuro-linguistic programming had a significant increase in job motivation and positive organizational behavior and a significant decrease in teachers' job stress (P

In the present investigation, the wet chemical combustion method was used for the first time to prepare La10Si6O27 phosphors by incorporating Dy3+(1–11 mol %) cations (LNPs). The powder X-ray diffraction patterns of LNPs display the oxyapatite hexagonal phase. The estimated crystallite size, using Scherer's method, is between 20 and 30 nm and the same was confirmed via Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The bandgap energy (Eg) values calculated from diffuse reflection data were in the range of 5.6–5.72 eV. The emission spectrum is composed of characteristic transitions of Dy3+ cations (intra 4f), namely 4F9/2 → 6H15/2 (blue-479 nm), 4F9/2 → 6H13/2 (yellow-578 nm) and 4F9/2 → 6H11/2 (red-670 nm) under near-UV excitation energies. The emission results confirm the choice of using LNPs in applications of white light emitting diodes and the same was found in Color chromaticity coordinates. The white emission intensity was attributed to inherent defects, in particular oxygen vacancies which could contribute to the transfer of energy from the host to dopant ions. The results from current–voltage (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) show the strong electrochemical properties of LNPs. The solution of paracetamol and sildenafil (Penagra) was effectively sensed using modified carbon paste electrodes. LNPs showed a good photocatalytic activity (PCA) for Orange Red (OR) dye under UV light irradiation. These results indicate that the synthesized LNPs are a good candidate for displays, waste water treatment and for the use as electrochemical sensors.

In order to explore an alternative photocatalyst for environmental remediation, we report the sol-gel process for the synthesis of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) nanoparticles (STNPs). The as-synthesized STNPs were found to poses cubic perovskite-type crystal structure with an average crystallite size of 22 nm were well-characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The agglomerated and cubic like morphologies were identified by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The elemental analysis by energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDAX) confirmed the composition of STNPs. The synthesized nanoparticles were further characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. STNPs displayed good photocatalytic degradation activity for malachite green (MG) and rhodamine blue (Rh–B) dye pollutants under UV light irradiation in the time duration of 120 min. Furthermore, cyclic voltammetric studies revealed that the STNP electrode, because of its increased surface area, produced maximal specific capacitance of 208.47 Fg−1 at 1 mA/cm2 with a high cycle stability of 1500 cycles. The superior supercapacitance behaviour of SrTiO3 electrode materials strengthens its stance to be developed as a highly promising material for energy related applications. In addition, STNPs can serve as better materials for the environmental remediation of pollutant dyes.

The rare earth (RE = Eu, Sm, Dy, and Tb) ions doped La10Si6O27 nanophosphor was synthesized by a simple solution combustion method. The prepared La10Si6O27:RE3+ nanophosphors (LNPs) were subjected to diverse technical tools for exploring their structural, optical, morphological, and electrochemical features. The structural analysis using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) patterns revealed the hexagonal oxy apatite phase for LNPs with a crystallite size in the range of 25–50 nm, and the equivalent was affirmed by image analysis via transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Utilizing DRS data, the bandgap energy (Eg) values were recorded for LNPs. Cyclic voltametric (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and sensor studies were performed using a modified carbon paste electrode of LNPs. The modified LNP electrodes were found to be highly effective in sensing paracetamol in acidic medium with a quick response time of 3 secs for sensing the drugs at 1 mM concentration. All the RE ions Eu3+, Sm3+, Dy3+, and Tb3+ (5 mol%)-doped LNPs exhibited the most promising electrochemical sensing characteristics.

Nano ferrite bentonite clay composite (NFBC) is synthesized in this present work by using manganese (Mn) recovered from waste batteries, ferric nitrate and citric acid prepared by simple and cost-effective Indian sodium bentonite nanoclay (Na-IB) by sol-gel process and by using X-ray diffractrometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy, Energy dispersive Spectroscope (EDS) characterized nanoparticles. The result shows that NFBC is sufficient for the excellent performance of AO dye photocatalytic degradation (98 %). Electrochemical study of prepared material with graphite electrode paste in 0.1 M KCl electrolyte showed excellent redox potential output as calculated by cyclic voltammetry and expanded its sensor activities to biochemical (Dextrose). We examined the efficacy of NFBC in the detection of Dextrose from an aqueous solution and compared the results with pristine MnFe2O4 NPs.

Using e+e− collision data at ten center-of-mass energies between 2.644 and 3.080 GeV collected with the BESIII detector at BEPCII and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 500 pb−1, we measure the cross sections and effective form factors for the process e+e−→Ξ0Ξ¯0 utilizing a single-tag method. A fit to the cross section of e+e−→Ξ0Ξ¯0 with a pQCD-driven power function is performed, from which no significant resonance or threshold enhancement is observed. In addition, the ratio of cross sections for the processes e+e−→Ξ−Ξ¯+ and Ξ0Ξ¯0 is calculated using recent BESIII measurement and is found to be compatible with expectation from isospin symmetry.

The present study confirms the application of phytochemicals of Lemon rind (LR) towards the synthesis of activated carbon using a low temperature carbonization method. The structural, morphological, and electrochemical properties of the prepared carbonized flakes epoxy (CFE) electrode has been analyzed using various characterization techniques. The electrochemical double layer capacitance (EDLC) behavior of the LR-activated carbon has been evaluated. The synthesized LR-activated carbon material exhibited flake like structure along with hydroxyl groups as confirmed by studies by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscope. In addition, the band gap energy (Eg) has been estimated using diffused reflectance spectroscopy (DRS-UV-Vis) and found to be 2.06 eV. The electrochemical property of CFE-electrode was studied utilizing cyclic voltammetric (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) techniques. The galvanostatic charge–discharge tests for this prepared carbon flake electrode demonstrated excellent capacitance performance, making it favorable for the fabrication of supercapacitors. These progressive results could be considered for the enlargement of novel assets to scale for power-storage utility using low-cost carbon materials in various energy storage applications as well.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have proven record of exhibiting multifunctional properties and thus utilized for diversified applications. ZnO NPs were successfully synthesized by chemical and green routes. The Syzygium cumini plant leaf extract was used to synthesize green ZnO NPs. The chemical and green ZnO NPs were characterized by using advanced technical tools to explore their bonding, structural and morphological features. The PXRD (Powder X-Ray Diffraction) patterns confirmed the hexagonal phase of ZnO with wurtzite structure. The scanning and transmission electron microscopic (SEM and TEM) analysis revealed rectangular flake like structures for chemical ZnO whereas spherical structures were found for green ZnO NPs. Maximum antibacterial activity was observed against Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial strain with zone of inhibition of 14.5 mm followed by 5 mm for Klebsiellaoxytoca and 4 mm for Escherichia coli for green ZnO NPs. The percentage of inhibition was found to be 85, 29 and 50 for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiellaoxytoca and Escherichia coli bacterial strains. The percentage of inhibition of mycelial growth observed during antifungal testing was varied from 5% to 70%. The photocatalytic efficiency of 98 % for Acid Red 88 dye degradation was recorded for ZnO NPs. Green ZnO NPs exhibited better antibacterial and antifungal activities, in addition to superior photocatalytic behaviour.

The current research work presents the preparation of Samarium (1–9 mol%) doped Lanthanum Silicate (La10Si6O27:Sm3+) nanophosphors (LNPs) by means of solution combustion synthesis utilizing Oxalidihydrazide as a fuel. The prepared LNPs were described by Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD) studies, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Photoluminescence (PL) studies. The normal crystallite size of oxyapatite hexagonal phase LNPs were in the range of 10–20 nm as determined by Scherrer's technique and the equivalent was confirmed by TEM. Band gap energy was found in the range of 4.8–5.1 eV utilizing DRS. PL investigations of the LNPs show all the characteristic emissions of Sm3+ cations related to transitions 4G5/2→6Hj/2 (j = 5,7,9,11) and optimal emission intensity was observed for 3 mol% addition of Sm3+ ions with orange red emission as depicted in the CIE. CV and EIS results uncover the great electrochemical properties of LNPs, which detect effectively Paracetamol and Sildenafil (Penegra) utilizing modified carbon paste electrodes. Results show that the blended LNPs can be a potential candidate for displays, catalytic and electrochemical sensor applications.

The electromagnetic process e+e−→pp¯ is studied with the initial-state-radiation technique using 7.5 fb−1 of data collected by the BESIII experiment at seven energy points from 3.773 to 4.600 GeV. The Born cross section and the effective form factor of the proton are measured from the production threshold to 3.0 GeV/c2 using the pp¯ invariant-mass spectrum. The ratio of electric and magnetic form factors of the proton is determined from the analysis of the proton-helicity angular distribution.

Burkholderia mallei is a gram-negative bacterium that causes glanders disease, which primarily affects equids. B. mallei can infect humans and cause clinical manifestations ranging from subclinical infections to severe conditions [...]

We report the synthesis of medicinal plant, Vernonia amygdalina Del. mediated green copper oxide nanoparticles (VeA-CuO NPs). The presence of two absorbance maxima, λmax 1 and λmax 2 at 436 nm and 452 nm, respectively confirms a mixture of biomolecules surface amalgamated CuO NPs with different morphological features. The FT-IR spectra of the plant leaf extract and VeA-CuO confirmed the efficient role of biomolecules as capping and stabilising agents. The XRD patterns of NPs approved high crystallinity of CuO. The purity of the NPs was corroborated by SEM-EDAX analysis. The average particle size of the NPs was found to be 19.68 nm. In addition, the combined TEM, HRTEM and SAED analysis substantiated the presence of CuO with a d-spacing value of 0.2854 nm, which conformed to CuO (111). The antibacterial assay revealed that VeA-CuO NPs were synergistic in their influence versus bacterial strains, S. aureus, E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and E. aerogenes. The uppermost zone of inhibition of 15 mm was observed for E. aerogenes. The bioactive compounds capped around the CuO NPs served the effective role in disrupting the cell wall of bacterial strains. The degradation efficiencies for Indigo carmine (IC) and Malachite green (MG) dyes by NPs were found to be 95% and 91%, respectively. The lowest degradation half-life was recorded to be 16.55 min for MG dye. In addition, the better electrode stability revealed by CV and EIS studies, confirms the multi-functional nature of VeA-CuO NPs, these CuO NPs exhibited multifunctional applications.

The Cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) and Clay/CoFe2O4 has been successfully synthesized via chemical method have been investigated. The structural properties of the produced powders were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). XRD patterns confirms the spinel/cubic structure of the prepared Clay/CoFe2O4. FE-SEM micrographs showed uniform sphere-shaped CoFe2O4 when infused with the clay. In addition, Infrared spectroscopy has been used to verify cobalt ferrite formation and Clay/CoFe2O4 particles. The photocatalytic performance of Clay/CoFe2O4 was examined for their potential role in photo degradation of Indigo carmine dye under UV-light. The result shows that the composite is suitable for excellent photocatalytic degradation performance and degradation was found to be 98 %. Electrochemical analysis was conducted for the synthesized material with prepared Nickel mesh electrode in 0.1 M KOH electrolyte. It showed excellent performance in redox potential measured by cyclic voltammetry and extended their sensor activities towards chemical sensors (arsenic trioxide, lead acetate, mercuric acetate and stannous chloride). These studies showed new platform to use simple chemical method for the preparation of Clay/CoFe2O4 for their potential applications such as in detection of heavy metals, waste water treatment and electrochemical studies.

In this study, calcium magnesium aluminate (Ca3MgAl10O17) nanomaterials (CMA NMs) have been synthesized via a simple and cost-effective chemical combustion method using urea as a fuel for the first time. The orthorhombic crystal structure of CMA NMs was confirmed during X-ray diffraction analysis. The lattice grain size of CMA was found in the range of 20 to 25 nm. Kubelka–Munk function was utilized to study diffuse reflectance spectra and the band gap of the nanoparticles was determined to be 5.42 eV. HRTEM-SAED analysis revealed that the CMA NMs were nearly spherical in shape with interplanar spacing value of 0.19 nm. Acid orange-88 (AO-88) dye was used as a model dye to study the photocatalytic properties of the NMs under ultraviolet light irradiation. The degradation study on CMA NMs conformed superior AO-88 dye degradation with 92.25% efficiency proving these NMs to be excellent photocatalysts. The EIS measurements revealed the low charge transfer resistance (Rct) and high capacitance (C) values of 35.36 Ω and 2.815 × 10-3 F respectively, for the prepared CMA electrode. For sensor-based applications, dextrose and metal ions like arsenic, lead, mercury and tin were chosen as analytes. The modified carbon paste electrode of CMA NMs exhibited decent charge transfer properties with an efficient dextrose sensing ability in KCl electrolyte and metal sensing ability in alkaline medium. These results corroborated that the CMA NMs can be a promising electrode material for sensing dextrose and few selected metals with high electrode reversibility. The synthesized CMA NMs are expected to offer significant futuristic opportunities towards multifunctional applications for environmental remediation.

For the first time, Tb3+ ions were successfully doped into La10Si6O27 by using low temperature initiate solution combustion method. The resulting Tb3+ doped lanthanum nanophosphors (LNPs) were characterized by PXRD, FTIR, TEM and UV-DRS techniques. The PXRD patterns of calcined sample show a pure hexagonal oxy apatite phase. The crystallite size was found to be within a range of 25–40 nm and it is matched with TEM results. The energy band gap (Eg) was found to vary from 5.64 eV to 5.77 eV. The photocatalytic degradation of Disperse Orange (DO) and Fast Blue (FB) dyes by La10Si6O27:Tb3+ was tested under the irradiation of UV light. La10Si6O27: Tb3+ NPs showed enhanced degradation for Disperse orange and Fast blue dyes under UV light. La10Si6O27:Tb3+ (5 mol %) electrode exhibited reversible electrode reaction with low charge transfer resistance and high capacitance value. All the above findings confirm that the synthesized LNPs is a potential candidate for waste water treatment and sensor applications.

A series of copper (X) doped NiMnFe2O4 (X = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using a simple and effective probe sonication method. The obtained NPs were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV–visible studies. The photocatalytic degradation activity of Ni0.2CuxMn0.2Fe2O4 (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) NPs were evaluated by degrading methylene blue (MB) and Drimarene yellow (DY) dyes under UV light. The removal efficiencies of 70.2% and 43.3% by NPs with X = 0.1 was observed for MB and DY, respectively. While NPs with X = 0.4 displayed removal efficiencies of 98.1% for MB and 28.9% for DY. The effect of dopant concentration and pH on the photocatalytic ability of the NPs was studied in detail. Electrochemical measurements were performed for the NPs using Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) using a carbon paste electrode in acidic (0.1 M HCl) and alkaline (0.1 M NaOH) electrolytes. The specific capacitance values for electrodes with X = 0.1 and 0.4 M were calculated as 244.5 and 498.6 F g−1 in 0.1 M HCl; 40.14 and 25.01 F g−1 in 0.1 M NaOH at a scan rate of 10 mV/s, respectively. EIS measurements further confirmed the CV results. The impedance spectrum of electrode with X = 0.4 in 0.1 M HCl displayed a lowered arc with a smaller diameter in the region of high frequency, revealing the low charge transfer resistance (RCt = 5.281 Ω) and high capacitance (C = 1.654 × 10−8 F) of the electrode. The high reversibility of electrodes and remarkable photocatalytic activity makes them favourable for applications in multifunctional fields.

The current work involves the synthesis of a series of Eu3+ (1–11 mol%) doped La10Si6O27 nanophosphors (ELNPs) by solution combustion method using oxalyl dihydrozil (ODH) as a fuel for the first time. The PXRD studies revealed the average crystallite size in the range 15–35 nm for ELNPs. DRS studies revealed the energy gap of Eu3+ (1–11 mol %) doped La10Si6O27 is ~5.4 eV. The Photoluminescence (PL) studies of the ELNPs showed all the characteristic emission of Eu3+ cations and optimal emission intensity was observed for 5 mol % concentration of Eu3+ ions. The excitation maxima detected at 360 nm, 379 nm, 391 nm, 400 nm, 413 nm and 462 nm were conformed to transitions from 7F0→5G3, 5G4, 5L6, 5D4, 5D3 and 5D2 states of Eu3+ ions respectively. The observed intensities of PL transitions clearly indicated great potentiality for the fabrication of blue/near UV-LED excited phosphor for WLEDs. The calculated CIE chromaticity coordinates confirm the red emission and were depicted in the CIE diagram. The paracetamol and penegra materials were effectively sensed by the prepared carbon paste electrode of Eu3+ (3 mol %) doped La10Si6O27 as revealed by cyclic voltammetric and EIS studies. All the above results show that the synthesized ELNPs can be a potential candidate for display and electrochemical sensor applications.

In this study, nickel ferrite nanoparticles (NiFe2O4 NPs) were synthesized via simple and cost effective sonochemical method. X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of inverse spinel ferrite with face centered cubic structure and the dimensions of the NPs ranged from 9 to 17 nm. Kubelka–Munk function was applied to study diffuse reflectance spectra and the band gap of the NPs was determined as 2.26 eV. Methylene blue (MB) and Drimarene yellow (DY) dyes were used as model dyes to study the photocatalytic properties of NPs under ultraviolet light irradiation. Point of zero charge (pHpzc) has played a significant role in understanding the adsorption of dyes onto the surface of the photocatalyst. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements for NiFe2O4 electrode were performed in 0.1 M HCl and 0.1 M NaOH aqueous electrolytes. The electrode exhibited specific capacitance of 2.084 F g–1 and 0.533 F g–1 in acidic and basic electrolytes, respectively. EIS measurements showed reduction in the charge transfer resistance. Modified carbon paste electrode using NiFe2O4 NPs has sensed Paracetamol in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes. These results indicated that NiFe2O4 is a promising electrode material for sensing paracetamol with high electrode reversibility and is an excellent photocatalyst. Hence, sonochemically synthesized NiFe2O4 NPs are expected to offer significant insight into their multifunctional applications.

Aluminium oxide nano particles (Al2O3 NPs) were synthesized using simple but effective probe sonication method. The structural, photocatalytic, and electrochemical sensor properties of Al2O3 NPs were investigated by powder X-ray Powder Diffraction (PXRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–vis Spectroscopy, and Electrochemical analyzer potentiostat. The impact of sonication on the physical properties of Al2O3 NPs was elucidated. From the powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) studies the material exhibited a face centered cubic structure and γ phase with crystallite size in the range from 6 to 16 nm. The semiconductor behavior has been confirmed from the study of energy band gap via diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The conductivity of the samples was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical Impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 0.1 M HCl and 0.1 M NaOH as aqueous electrolytes. The electrode exhibited specific capacitance of 0.866 F g-1 and 0.488 F g-1 at scan rate 10 mV/s in acidic and alkaline electrolytes, respectively. EIS measurements showed reduction in the charge transfer resistance in acidic electrolyte. Modified carbon paste electrode employing γ-Al2O3 NPs has sensed Paracetamol in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes. The electrode displayed high sensitivity for paracetamol detection under varying concentrations. A linear calibration curve for paracetamol detection was obtained with a limit of detection (LOD) 2.3602 × 10−3 mol/L. These results confirm that the γ-Al2O3 NPs are promising electrode material for sensing paracetamol with high electrode reversibility and as an excellent photocatalyst.

Manufacturing functionally graded material through 3D printing is challenging owing to the deposition of different materials with different thermal properties in each layer, leading to a higher thermal gradient between deposited and depositing layers, resulting in improper bonding between them and, hence, reduced mechanical properties. This study focuses on 3D printing of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/high-density polyethylene (HDPE)based lightweight functionally graded nanocomposites (FGNCs) and their investigation for microstructural, rheological, physical, and mechanical properties. Functionalized MWCNTs (0.5% [right arrow] 5%) are initially compounded with widely utilized HDPE to develop nanocomposites (H0.5[right arrow]H5 pellets) for extruding filaments for 3D printing. 3D-printed FGNC samples are investigated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), rheology, density, tensile, and flexural tests. SEM and rheology confirm the homogeneous dispersion of the filler in HDPE and the processing parameters suitability in blending, extrusion, and 3D printing. Complex viscosity ([eta]*), loss modulus (E'), and storage modulus (E') of FGNCs increase, while the damping decreases with the MWCNTs rise in the graded layers. Density results revealed the highest weight saving potential (~12%) of FGNC-2 (H1-H3-H5), showing great weight saving potential. Tensile and flexural properties rise when the MWCNTs content rises in the graded layer. The FGNC-2 showed the highest tensile strength and moduli, 37.12% and 90.41% higher than HDPE. Flexural strength and moduli are also found to be the highest for FGNC-2. 28.57%, and 26.83% higher than HDPE. The highest specific moduli and strength are found for FGNC-2, 46.16% and 44.14% higher than HDPE, respectively. Experimental findings are found to be strongly in agreement with numerical findings. 3D-printed FGNC-2 demonstrated the best flexural and tensile characteristics with the lowest weight and hence can be used to make practical parts and structures that need variable stiffness. Highlights * FGNCs functionally graded n anocomposites are concurrently 3D printed. * FGNC-2 exhibited the highest weight saving potential of 12%. * FGNC-2 showed 90.41% and 37.12% enhanced tensile modulus and strength. * FGNC-2 displayed 28.57% and 26.83% improved flexural strength and modulus. * FGNCs exhibited better mechanical performance than the homogeneous NCs. KEYWORDS 3D printing, finite element analysis, functionally graded nanocomposites, mechanical properties, MWCNT, 1 | INTRODUCTION Nanocomposites are composites reinforced by nanofillers such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), nano-clay, and graphene. They might be either metal, ceramic, or polymer matrix-based nanocomposites. Polymer nanocomposites offer [...]

Introduction Thyroid hormones (THs) are essential for human growth, development, metabolism, cardiovascular homeostasis, and the immune system. (1) Their circulating levels are strictly regulated via a negative feedback loop along [...], BACKGROUND: Some pesticides have been shown to interfere with thyroid functions through changes in thyroid hormone (TH) levels. However, few human studies have explored associations between TH levels and environmental exposure to currently used pesticides, including neonicotinoids, phenylpyrazoles, phenoxy acids, and azoles. Moreover, such studies often measure biomarkers of exposure in urine or blood, and thus reveal only recent exposure. In contrast, hair has been demonstrated to be a suitable matrix for assessing chronic exposure to both persistent and nonpersistent organic pollutants. OBJECTIVES: We investigated 54 biomarkers of pollutant exposure in relation to tetraiodothyronine (T4), 3,3',5-triiodothyronine (T3), 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (rT3), and 3,3'-diiodothyronine (T2). METHODS: In a cross-sectional study of 196 healthy Chinese women of reproductive age (25-45 years of age), concentrations of both pollutants and THs were analyzed in the first 12 cm (starting from the scalp) of the hair matrix, collected in 2016. Associations between pollutants and TH levels were explored using stability-enhanced least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) by regressing all exposures against each outcome of interest, adjusted for age, body mass index, and city. RESULTS: Each TH was associated with the mixture of at least eight of the examined pesticides. We found associations of [beta]-HCH, PCP, DMP, DETP, 3Me4NP, carbofuran, [ClCF.sub.3]CA, imidacloprid, 2,4-D, metolachlor, difenoconazole, and tebuconazole with THs. For example, a 2-standard deviation (SD) increase in [log.sub.10]-transformed hair DMP concentration was associated with lower hair T4 concentration [-15:0% (95% CI: -26:1, -2:21%)] and higher hair T3 concentration [8.16% (95% CI: 1.73, 15.0%)] in the adjusted unpenalized regression models. We also found associations of some pesticides with T3/T4, rT3/T4, and rT3/T3 molar ratios, including PCP, DMP, 2,4-D, metolachlor, difenoconazole, and tebuconazole. DISCUSSION: Our results suggest that exposure to the low levels of pesticides examined here may disrupt thyroid homeostasis in humans. Further studies are needed to confirm our results and to evaluate the long-term consequences of these subtle interferences. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP14378