Low-cost microvascular phantom for photoacoustic imaging using loofah.

Significance: Existing photoacoustic phantoms are unable to mimic complex microvascular structures with varying sizes and distributions. A suitable material with structures that mimic intricate microvascular networks is needed.

Aim: Our aim is to introduce loofah as a natural phantom material with complex fiber networks ranging from 50 to , enabling the fabrication of phantoms with controlled optical properties comparable to those of human microvasculature.

Green hydrothermal approach for the synthesis of carbon quantum dots from waste tea bags for acrylamide detection in drinking water: A fluorescence assay validated by HPLC-PDA analysis.

The study focused on converting tea bag waste into strong fluorescence carbon quantum dots (TBW-CQDs) for the detection of acrylamide in drinking water, antimicrobial activity, and photocatalytic degradation. The TBW-CQDs exhibited blue luminescence and maximum absorbance at 287 nm under UV light and distinctive fluorescence emission and excitation wavelengths at 425 nm and 287 nm, respectively. TBW-CQDs revealed a particle size of 8.

Pd@BTL-Cd core-shell nanoparticles as plasmonic photocatalysts for the reductive amination of furfural in water.

This work reports the step-wise fabrication of a core-shell plasmonic nanocomposite Pd@BTL-Cd consisting of a BTL-Cd shell and a palladium nanoparticle core. BTL-Cd is the [Cd(BTL)·CdCl] complex where the heptadentate framework of the bis-compartmental ligand encapsulated two Cd(II) centres in separate pockets. Pd@BTL-Cd has been found to be highly efficient for the photocatalytic conversion of furfural (a biomass-derived aldehyde) to furfuryl amine reductive amination in aqueous ammonia at room temperature.

The Combination of α-FeO NP and Trichoderma sp. Improves Antifungal Activity Against Fusarium Wilt.

Soil-borne plant pathogens are the most damaging pathogens responsible for severe crop damage. A conventional chemotherapy approach to these pathogens has numerous environmental issues, while biological control agents (BCAs) are less promising under field conditions. There is an immediate need to develop an integrated strategy for utilizing nanoparticles and biocontrol to manage soil-borne pathogens, such as Fusarium wilt, effectively.

Different social experiences drive the development of divergent stress coping styles in female swordtails (Xiphophorus nigrensis).

Individual variation in stress coping styles is widespread and consequential to health and fitness. Proactive (bold behavior, low stress reactivity, low cognitive flexibility) and reactive (shy behavior, high stress reactivity, high cognitive flexibility) coping styles are found in many species, but the developmental forces shaping them remain elusive. We examined how social influences, specifically mating interactions, shape the development of adult female coping styles with a manipulative rearing experiment using El Abra swordtails, Xiphophorus nigrensis.