Computational Insights into Schottky Barrier Heights: Graphene and Borophene Interfaces with H- and H́-XSiN (X = Mo, W) Monolayers.

The two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting family of XSiN (X = Mo and W), an emergent class of air-stable monolayers, has recently gained attention due to its distinctive structural, mechanical, transport, and optical properties. However, the electrical contact between XSiN and metals remains a mystery. In this study, we inspect the electronic and transport properties, specifically the Schottky barrier height (SBH) and tunneling probability, of XSiN-based van der Waals contacts by means of first-principles calculations.

Enhancement of antibacterial and UV protection properties of blended wool/acrylic and silk fabrics by dyeing with the extract of leaves and metal salts.

In response to the heightened awareness of infectious diseases and the growing emphasis on personal protection in daily life, the utilization of natural bioresources for textile fabric dyeing has garnered substantial research attention. This is particularly due to their ability to confer antibacterial and UV protection properties to fabrics. In this study, the dyeing properties of Linn extract, alone and mordanted, were evaluated on blended wool/acrylic and silk fabrics, along with an assessment of their antibacterial and UV protection characteristics.

Green-route synthesis and ab-initio studies of a highly efficient nano photocatalyst:Ce/zinc-oxide nanopetals.

In the present work, Zinc-oxide nanostructures and Ce/Zinc-oxide nanopetals were synthesized by a new environmentally friendly green synthesis method using the Withania coagulans plant. Cerium nitrate Ce(NO) and zinc nitrate Zn(NO) were used as precursors. The prepared nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV-vis).

MOF Derivatives with Gradient Structure Anchored on Carbon Foam for High-Performance Electromagnetic Wave Absorption.

The impedance matching and high loss capabilities of composites with homogeneous distribution are limited owing to high addition and lack of structural design. Developing composites with heterogeneous distribution can achieve strong and wide electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption. However, challenges such as complex design and unclear absorption mechanisms still exist.

Effect of Rice Husk and Wood Flour on the Structural, Mechanical, and Fire-Retardant Characteristics of Recycled High-Density Polyethylene.

Given the rising consumption of plastic products, it is becoming imperative to prioritize the recycling of plastic items as a solution to reducing plastic waste and environmental pollution. In this context, this research focuses on assessing the impact of incorporating rice husk and wood flour into recycled high-density polyethylene (rec-HDPE) to analyze its mechanical properties, flammability, and thermal stability. The combined rec-HDPE content of wood flour and rice husk varied between 0% and 20%.

Free carrier-mediated ferromagnetism in nonmagnetic ion (Bi-Li) codoped ZnO nanowires.

Non-magnetic dopants and p-type materials are attractive choices to explore the mechanism and origin of room-temperature defect-based ferromagnetism in metal oxide-based DMSs. In this study, we performed comprehensive transport, magnetic, structural, optical, and compositional as well as DFT studies of pristine, Li-doped, and Bi-Li codoped vertically aligned ZnO NW films to explore the mechanism and origin of ferromagnetism. We used a simple solution process to synthesize a wurtzite structure and vertically aligned ZnO NWs on a Si substrate.

A low-density cellulose rich new natural fiber extracted from the bark of jack tree branches and its characterizations.

The demand of natural cellulosic fibers has been increasing day by day due to their versatile uses and eco-friendly nature. The reason behind this demand is due to some unique properties of natural fibers that are suitable for several fibrous applications such as in composite, textile, nano-materials, conductive carbon, biomaterials etc. In this study, a new natural cellulosic fiber is extracted from the bark of the jack tree branches by water retting process.

COVID-19 persuaded lockdown impact on local environmental restoration in Pakistan.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic adversely affected human beings. The novel coronavirus has claimed millions of lives all over the globe. Most countries around the world, including Pakistan, restricted people's social activities and ordered strict lockdowns throughout the country, to control the fatality of the novel coronavirus.

Efficient Online Object Tracking Scheme for Challenging Scenarios.

Visual object tracking (VOT) is a vital part of various domains of computer vision applications such as surveillance, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and medical diagnostics. In recent years, substantial improvement has been made to solve various challenges of VOT techniques such as change of scale, occlusions, motion blur, and illumination variations. This paper proposes a tracking algorithm in a spatiotemporal context (STC) framework.

Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue using polyaniline-based silver-doped zinc sulfide (PANI-Ag/ZnS) composites.

This study set out to determine the photocatalytic degradation potential of polyaniline-based silver-doped zinc sulfide composite (PANI-Ag/ZnS) for effective degradation of methylene blue. The heterogeneous photocatalytic experiments were carried out by irradiating aqueous dye solutions with ultraviolet light (UV-254 nm). The catalysts (ZnS, Ag/ZnS, PANI-ZnS, and PANI-Ag/ZnS) were prepared successfully and characterized by Fourier Transforms Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDX).

Energy consumption, economic growth, and environmental sustainability challenges for Belt and Road countries: a fresh insight from "Chinese Going Global Strategy".

The present study investigated the impact of energy- and economy-related variables on CO emissions in 49 countries of the Belt and Road Initiative from 1995-2018. The robust type of cross-section dependence and heterogeneity methods was adopted to analyze data set of countries. Energy consumption, foreign direct investment, medium and high-tech industry, and GDP have been found highly unfavorable for the ecological health (CO emissions) in 49 nations on BRI panel.

Radial Undersampling-Based Interpolation Scheme for Multislice CSMRI Reconstruction Techniques.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is an important yet slow medical imaging modality. Compressed sensing (CS) theory has enabled to accelerate the MRI acquisition process using some nonlinear reconstruction techniques from even 10% of the Nyquist samples. In recent years, interpolated compressed sensing (iCS) has further reduced the scan time, as compared to CS, by exploiting the strong interslice correlation of multislice MRI.

Spatio-Temporal Context, Correlation Filter and Measurement Estimation Collaboration Based Visual Object Tracking.

Despite eminent progress in recent years, various challenges associated with object tracking algorithms such as scale variations, partial or full occlusions, background clutters, illumination variations are still required to be resolved with improved estimation for real-time applications. This paper proposes a robust and fast algorithm for object tracking based on spatio-temporal context (STC). A pyramid representation-based scale correlation filter is incorporated to overcome the STC's inability on the rapid change of scale of target.

Evaluation of adverse effects of particulate matter on human life.

Particulate matter (PM) has a severe impact on human health. The concentration of PM, related to air-quality changes, may be associated with perceptible effects on people's health. In this study, computer intelligence was used to assess the negative effects of PM.

Monetization of the environmental damage caused by fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels account for more than 80% of the world's energy consumption. Constituents of the atmosphere have changed perceptibly due to the increased use of fossil fuels. Therefore, many researchers have tried to relate their effect on society.

An econometric analysis of inter-fuel substitution in energy sector of Pakistan.

Hydroelectricity is playing a significant role in lowering CO emissions as it contributes a desirable platform to fulfill the growing energy demand while releasing fewer GHGs in comparison to other fossil fuels. Utilizing the trans-log production model, this study is an endeavor to investigate the potential inter-fuel substitution by estimating the substitution elasticity between pairs of coal, natural gas, petroleum, and hydroelectricity to suggest policy for Pakistan to achieve higher economic growth, environmental sustainability, and increased energy access by its citizens. Over the period 1980-2013, the ridge regression was approved to estimate the model's parameters.

Refining Defect States in WO by Mo Doping: A Strategy for Tuning N Activation towards Solar-Driven Nitrogen Fixation.

Photocatalysis may provide an intriguing approach to nitrogen fixation, which relies on the transfer of photoexcited electrons to the ultrastable N≡N bond. Upon N chemisorption at active sites (e.g.

Magnetic and electronic properties of single-walled MoC nanotube: a first-principles study.

The structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of single-walled MoC nanotubes are investigated by using first-principles calculations. We establish that single-walled MoC nanotubes can be rolled up from a graphene-like MoC monolayer with H- or T-type phase, i.e.

A robust technique based on VLM and Frangi filter for retinal vessel extraction and denoising.

The exploration of retinal vessel structure is colossally important on account of numerous diseases including stroke, Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) and coronary heart diseases, which can damage the retinal vessel structure. The retinal vascular network is very hard to be extracted due to its spreading and diminishing geometry and contrast variation in an image. The proposed technique consists of unique parallel processes for denoising and extraction of blood vessels in retinal images.

The role of wind field induced flow velocities in destratification and hypoxia reduction at Meiling Bay of large shallow Lake Taihu, China.

Unlabelled: Wind induced flow velocity patterns and associated thermal destratification can drive to hypoxia reduction in large shallow lakes. The effects of wind induced hydrodynamic changes on destratification and hypoxia reduction were investigated at the Meiling bay (N 31° 22' 56.4″, E 120° 9' 38.

Wind-induced flow velocity effects on nutrient concentrations at Eastern Bay of Lake Taihu, China.

Shallow lakes are highly sensitive to respond internal nutrient loading due to wind-induced flow velocity effects. Wind-induced flow velocity effects on nutrient suspension were investigated at a long narrow bay of large shallow Lake Taihu, the third largest freshwater lake in China. Wind-induced reverse/compensation flow and consistent flow field probabilities at vertical column of the water were measured.

Using ADV for suspended sediment concentration and settling velocity measurements in large shallow lakes.

Sediment resuspension plays an important role to provide nutrient release for algal growth in large shallow lakes. The settling velocity (w ) is the key parameter for understanding the suspended sediment transport. In this paper, acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) and optical backscatter sensor (OBS) instruments were used to measure in situ velocities and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) simultaneously without affecting the ambient turbulence in the bottom layer of Lake Taihu.

Novel structural descriptors for automated colon cancer detection and grading.

The histopathological examination of tissue specimens is necessary for the diagnosis and grading of colon cancer. However, the process is subjective and leads to significant inter/intra observer variation in diagnosis as it mainly relies on the visual assessment of histopathologists. Therefore, a reliable computer-aided technique, which can automatically classify normal and malignant colon samples, and determine grades of malignant samples, is required.

Ensemble classification of colon biopsy images based on information rich hybrid features.

In recent years, classification of colon biopsy images has become an active research area. Traditionally, colon cancer is diagnosed using microscopic analysis. However, the process is subjective and leads to considerable inter/intra observer variation.