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Exploration of blend polymer membrane with desire performances is a highly essential research topic because it makes them as key component of the battery technologies. However, the blend membrane cannot simultaneously meet out the high electrical insulation and ion conductivity. Here, we report porous PVdF-HFP based polymer membrane blended with P123 polymer which is prepared by phase inversion technique and along with solution casting technique for comparison. Especially, the major improvements can be claimed with porous PVdF-HFP blend with P123 matrix by phase inversion process that could be mainly due to increasing the disorganize crystallinity of the PVdF-HFP, thereby enhancing the ionic conductivity of PVdF-HFP/P123 than the same prepared by traditional solution casting. More importantly, our studies reveals that, besides having an effect of crystallinity and high ionic conduction PVdF-HFP/P123 blend matrix yield homogeneous pores with higher pore density when prepared by phase inversion approach. We attribute this to remarkable enhancement in higher electrolyte uptake and higher cation transport in the blend membrane. This facilitates high ionic conductivity of 7.06 × 10−5 S/cm and electrochemical stability of 2.8 V,while the solution casting approach display low ionic conductivity of 1.63 × 10−6 S/cm and electrochemical stability of 2.2 V, respectively. A symmetric supercapacitor device is fabricated with the membrane prepared by phase inversion process, resulting in a high specific capacitance of 80 F/g at the current density of 0.25 A/g with 90.51% specific capacitance retention at 0.5 A/g. The energy density of 90.9 W/kg can be achieved at the power density of 0.375 W/kg.

The growing demand for environmentally friendly materials in energy storage has led to a significant focus on using biopolymer membranes derived from renewable resources. This study focuses on creating eco-friendly biopolymer electrolytes for Electric Double Layer Capacitors (EDLC) by blending Magnesium trifluoromethanesulfonate (Mg(CF3SO3)2) with Cellulose Acetate (CA) through a solution casting method. To enhance performance, plasticized membranes were developed using nontoxic Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as a plasticizer. The addition of PEG reduced membrane crystallinity, as shown by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicated complexation among electrolyte constituents. The optimal composition, containing 25 wt% PEG, exhibited the highest ion conductivity (3.76 × 10−4 S/cm) according to Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). EIS data allowed determination of important ion transport parameters, such as Diffusion Coefficient, Ionic Mobility, and Carrier Density. The EDLC device showed a Specific Capacitance (Csp) of 13.14 F/g at a scan rate of 5 mV/s, with excellent stability (3.2 V) in Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV). Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Galvanostatic Charge Discharge (GCD) tests confirmed no redox processes, yielding a Csp of 12.94 F/g at 0.1 A/g. The EDLC device demonstrated exceptional cyclic stability, high coulombic efficiency, and maintained consistent results in terms of Power Density (Pd) and Energy Density (Ed) over 1000 cycles. Incorporating PEG into biopolymer membranes enhances the electrochemical energy storage of EDLC devices, contributing to sustainable energy storage solutions.

Synergistic-aggregation and cross-seeding by two different proteins/peptides in the amyloid aggregation are well evident in various neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease. Here, we show co-storage of human Prolactin (PRL), which is associated with lactation in mammals, and neuropeptide galanin (GAL) as functional amyloids in secretory granules (SGs) of the female rat. Using a wide variety of biophysical studies, we show that irrespective of the difference in sequence and structure, both hormones facilitate their synergic aggregation to amyloid fibrils. Although each hormone possesses homotypic seeding ability, a unidirectional cross-seeding of GAL aggregation by PRL seeds and the inability of cross seeding by mixed fibrils suggest tight regulation of functional amyloid formation by these hormones for their efficient storage in SGs. Further, the faster release of functional hormones from mixed fibrils compared to the corresponding individual amyloid, suggests a novel mechanism of heterologous amyloid formation in functional amyloids of SGs in the pituitary.

Background: Mental foramen (MF) is an important landmark for administration of local anesthesia in surgical procedures involving the mandible. Additional mental foramina, called accessory mental foramina (AMF) transmitting branches of mental nerve, have been reported. Detection of AMFs in presurgical imaging may reduce postoperative pain in dental surgical procedures. Aim: The aim of the study was to study the incidence and morphometric analysis of accessory MF in the dry human mandibles of South Indian population. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and sixty dry human mandibles were studied for the presence, location, shape of AMF, and its relation to MF. The horizontal diameter of AMF, and its distance from symphysis menti, the posterior border of mandible and from the base of mandible were measured and statistically analyzed. Results and Conclusions: In our study, AMF were present in 8.85% mandibles (unilateral - 7.6% [4.6% - left, 2.69% - right] and bilateral 1.6%). The most common position was below the second premolar (48.1%). AMF were round in shape (74%) and was often located either superomedial or inferolateral to MF. Their transverse diameter ranged from 0.5 to 1 mm. The AMF were situated at a mean distance of 2.96 mm from MF, 23.47 mm from symphysis menti, 11.24 mm from the lower border of the body of the mandible, and 57.35 mm from the posterior border of ramus of mandible. The knowledge of the presence of AMF and its dimensions would enable the clinicians to do mandibular procedures carefully and avoid injury to the branches of mental nerve that may be passing through it.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the current service quality and the strategies of Dialog Axiata PLC in Sri Lanka, which have been implemented to achieve their organizational objectives. This research study has analyzed audit findings, survey results, observational research and content analysis in order to identify the current strategic position of the company and environmental analysis of the telecommunication industry. In addition, several strategic management models have employed to identify the company’s potential to maintain long term strategic competitiveness over competitors within the industry. Furthermore, this paper has discussed about the strategic issues, which the company had to face because of the lack of strategic planning and consideration. According to the findings and results, there are several recommendations, which have been mentioned at the end of analysis in order to enhance the quality of the service, which would enable the Dialog Axiata to be competitive in the telecommunication industry further. The paper suggests that the company should reposition its product lines, invest more on R&D capabilities, and review its Human Resource Management practises in order to gain a significant position in the market.

Embedding sustainability into pedagogical approaches is a key priority in higher education. Equipping students with knowledge, understanding, and skills, and developing the next generation of innovators and leaders, can potentially provide the change needed and create a real impact in the journey to a sustainable future. Advancement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), and corresponding industries can be seen as vital for the success of meeting a majority of the sustainable development goals, and hence the approaches taken to embed sustainability in learning and teaching in STEM higher education programmes can be considered significant in many ways. This paper is based on published literature over the last two decades and a semi-structured interview with 12 university academics from a developing country. Hence, the paper reviews approaches taken to embed sustainability in learning, teaching and assessments in STEM programmes. It also aims to investigate the actions taken by universities to integrate sustainability in STEM education and the remedies taken to minimise the impact of the pandemic on the effectiveness of the learning pedagogies used to integrate sustainability concepts.

A great number of universities worldwide are having their education interrupted, partially or fully, by the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Consequently, an increasing number of universities have taken the steps necessary to transform their teaching, including laboratory workshops into an online or blended mode of delivery. Irrespective of the measures taken, universities must continue to maintain their high academic standards and provide a high-quality student experience as required for delivery of learning outcomes associated with each degree programme. This has created a challenge across the higher education landscape, where academics had to switch to remote teaching and different approaches to achieving laboratory delivery. As a result, students have not been receiving face-to-face teaching, and access to laboratory facilities has been limited or nearly impossible. This paper reviews numerous approaches taken by universities to deliver teaching and laboratory practices remotely, in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic, whilst also considering the potential impacts on the student learning experience. This review is primarily focused on the fields of engineering, science and technology, based on published literature including books, reviewing web-based provision of selected universities, institutional and national policy documents.

This school-based cross-sectional study, conducted among 872 grade thirteen students in Sri Lanka, assessed the complex relationship between burnout and work engagement using the validated Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student Version (UWES-S). In canonical correlation analysis (CCA), three subscale scores of MBI-SS [Exhaustion (EX), Cynicism (CY), reduced Professional Efficiency (rPE)] and three subscale scores of UWES-S [Vigor (VI), Dedication (DE), Absorption (AB)] were used as the criterion and predictor variables respectively. The full model across three functions yielded by CCA was statistically significant (p < 0.001), explaining 64.7% of the variance between the variable sets. The dimension reduction analysis considered the first two functions accounted for 52.9% and 22.7% of shared variance respectively. In Function 1, EX was the most relevant criterion variable contributing to burnout [structure coefficient (rs) = 0.998], while all three variables were positively related. Furthermore, VI (rs = -0.959) and AB (rs = -0.899) variables were the primary contributors to work engagement. The canonical correlation between the burnout and work engagement variables was found to be high (0.727). This complex, strong relationship between burnout and work engagement among students provides a platform to develop evidence-informed policies focusing on student engagement as a means of promoting mental well-being of students., Author(s): Nuwan Darshana Wickramasinghe [sup.1] , Devani Sakunthala Dissanayake [sup.2] , Gihan Sajiwa Abeywardena [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.430357.6, 0000 0004 0433 2651, Department of Community Medicine - Faculty of [...]

Abstract Objectives To test the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of aspirin and/or vitamin D3 in active surveillance (AS) low/favourable intermediate risk prostate cancer (PCa) patients with Prolaris® testing. Patients and Methods Newly‐diagnosed low/favourable intermediate risk PCa patients (PSA ≤ 15 ng/ml, International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) Grade Group ≤2, maximum biopsy core length