Strength and durability performance of geopolymer binder of ambient cured alkali-activated MSW rejected waste and GGBFS mixes.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is being generated every day, and its safe disposal is one of the major environmental challenges nowadays. The main focus of this research is to examine the usability of the soil-like inorganic component of MSW, named MSW rejected waste, as a geopolymer binder. In this study, the effect of mutual replacement of MSW rejected waste with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) at 10% interval on the synthesis of geopolymer binder with reference to density, alkali concentration, and curing period is studied by conducting compressive strength, permeability, and durability tests.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Ionic Conductivity Studies of Simultaneously Substituted K- and Ga-Doped BaZrO.

Ceramic fuel cells possess tremendous advantages over PMFCs due to their fuel flexibility and requirement of low-purity hydrogen. Despite high conversion efficiency, the high cost of ultra high-purity hydrogen required for the operation limits the application of PMFCs. Although ceramic fuel cells operate at elevated temperature, high performance coupled with multifuel flexibility makes ceramic fuel cells a superior option as a static power source to generate electricity compared to thermal coal-fired power plants.

Recent advances in bioprinting technologies for engineering cardiac tissue.

Annually increasing incidence of cardiac-related disorders and cardiac tissue's minimal regenerative capacity have motivated the researchers to explore effective therapeutic strategies. In the recent years, bioprinting technologies have witnessed a great wave of enthusiasm and have undergone steady advancements over a short period, opening the possibilities for recreating engineered functional cardiac tissue models for regenerative and diagnostic applications. With this perspective, the current review delineates recent developments in the sphere of engineered cardiac tissue fabrication, using traditional and advanced bioprinting strategies.

Recent advances in bioprinting technologies for engineering different cartilage-based tissues.

Inadequate self-repair and regenerative efficiency of the cartilage tissues has motivated the researchers to devise advanced and effective strategies to resolve this issue. Introduction of bioprinting to tissue engineering has paved the way for fabricating complex biomimetic engineered constructs. In this context, the current review gears off with the discussion of standard and advanced 3D/4D printing technologies and their implications for the repair of different cartilage tissues, namely, articular, meniscal, nasoseptal, auricular, costal, and tracheal cartilage.

Hysteresis in centrosymmetric CuPbIperovskite halide: apolar dielectric or orientable dielectric?

We demonstrated the change in polarization behaviour at the surface/interface before and after light through Havriliak-Negami equation of lesser known CuPbI. We have synthesized CuPbIthrough cold sintering technique and the polarization mechanisms are altered by increasing (cold) sintering temperature. The structure of CuPbIwas not known and we predicted it to be hexagonal (R3̄m) with 21R prototype representation.

Electro-mechanical and Polarization-Induced Antibacterial Response of 45S5 Bioglass-Sodium Potassium Niobate Piezoelectric Ceramic Composites.

Besides the excellent osteoconductivity and biocompatibility of 45S5 bioglass (BG), poor mechanical and electrical properties as well as susceptibility toward bacterial adhesion limit its widespread clinical applications. In this context, the present study investigates the effect of addition of piezoelectric sodium potassium niobate (NaKNbO; NKN) on mechanical, dielectric, and antibacterial response of BG. BG-NKN ( = 0, 10, 20, and 30 vol%) composites were synthesized at 800 °C for 30 min.

Nano-fibrous scaffold with curcumin for anti-scar wound healing.

Open deep cuts and wounds often take a long time to heal and may cause infection and scar formation. A simple biomimetic electrospun nano-fibrous antimicrobial dressing material loaded with dual anti-oxidants has been developed to address this problem. A composite nano-fibrous material (PVP-Ce-Cur NF) comprising polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), cerium nitrate hexahydrate (Ce(NO)·6HO) and curcumin was developed using the electrospinning technique.

Robust spin-ice freezing in magnetically frustrated HoGeTiOpyrochlore.

Structural analysis of spin frustrated HoGeTiO(= 0, 0.1, 0.15 & 0.

Recent developments in the methods of quantitative analysis of microcystins.

Cyanotoxins are produced by the toxic cyanobacterial species present in algal blooms formed in water bodies due to nutrient over-enrichment by human influences and natural environmental conditions. Extensive studies are available on the most widely encountered cyanotoxins, microcystins (MCs) in fresh and brackish water bodies. MC contaminated water poses severe risks to human health, environmental sustainability, and aquatic life.

Microstructural dependent oxygen reduction reaction in a Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite (SmSr)NiO.

Rare earth nickelate perovskites have very wide uses, as magnetic insulators, as well as being conducting materials for the various components of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) due to them undergoing an insulator to metal transition below operating temperature. In SOFCs, the microstructural design of electrode materials is an important aspect for electron and oxygen ion conduction at the electrolyte-electrode and electrode-air interfaces. To investigate this feature, a Ruddlesen-Popper structured layered perovskite, (SmSr)NiO4-δ, was synthesized at different sintering temperatures using a solid-state reaction technique.

Ni stabilized rock-salt structured CoO; Co Ni O: tuning of e electrons to develop a novel OER catalyst.

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a key half-reaction in hydrogen-oxygen electrolysers that is very important for efficient electrochemical energy generation, storage and fuel production that offers a clean alternative to fissile fuel combustion based energy systems. Several transition metal containing perovskites were recently explored for the development of superior OER catalysts, and their activity was correlated with the applied potentials at a specific current density to e electron density present in the materials. The rock salt structure is envisaged here as a model host structure similar to perovskite to tune the e electrons to obtain superior electro-catalytic activity.

Antimicrobial biodegradable chitosan-based composite Nano-layers for food packaging.

Stable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of size 80 ± 11 nm produced by chitosan (CH) mediated green synthesis were blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to form electrospun fibrous composite nano-layers (FCNLs). The chitosan acted as the stabilising as well as an antimicrobial agent in combination with the AgNPs which were characterised using UV-visible spectrophotometry, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The crystallinity and chemical nature of the electrospun composite was characterised by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FTIR spectroscopy, respectively, and its hydrophobicity was characterised by measuring the water contact angle.

Cu(i) substituted wurtzite ZnO: a novel room temperature lead free ferroelectric and high- giant dielectric.

Semiconducting wurtzite ZnO, with the highest incipient piezoelectricity is an attractive alternative choice with doping transition metal ions in the host lattice to develop novel binary ferroelectric materials that can be easily fabricated in any device architecture. Up to 8% Cu ion substitution on Zn sites in the ZnO lattice was achieved by careful selection of raw material and adaptation of a low temperature sol-gel synthesis route for the preparation of bulk material. Phase purity and substitution of Cu ions in the ZnO lattice along with oxide-ion vacancy formation was confirmed using Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Magnetic property measurement system (MPMS) studies.

Tetrahydropyrazolopyridines as antifriction and antiwear agents: experimental and DFT calculations.

Some tetrahydropyrazolopyridines (THPP-H) with the methoxy (THPP-OMe) and methyl (THPP-Me) substituents were synthesized by a one-pot multi-component reaction. NMR spectroscopy (H and C) was used to authenticate the synthesis. According to the results of tribological tests ASTM D4172, and ASTM D5183 on a four-ball tester in paraffin oil (PO) at a concentration of 0.

A Survey on Medical Image Analysis in Capsule Endoscopy.

Background And Objective: Capsule Endoscopy (CE) is a non-invasive, patient-friendly alternative to conventional endoscopy procedure. However, CE produces 6 to 8 hrs long video posing a tedious challenge to a gastroenterologist for abnormality detection. Major challenges to an expert are lengthy videos, need of constant concentration and subjectivity of the abnormality.

Challenges and opportunities in the recovery of gold from electronic waste.

Rapid global technological development has led to the rising production of electronic waste that presents both challenges and opportunities in its recycling. In this review, we highlight the value of metal resources in the printed circuit boards (PCBs) commonly found in end-of-life electronics, the differences between primary (ore) mining applications and secondary ('urban') mining, and the variety of metallurgical separations, in particular those that have the potential to selectively and sustainably recover gold from waste PCBs.

Probing structural transformation and optical and magnetic properties in Cr doped GdMnO: Jahn-Teller distortion, photoluminescence and magnetic switching effect.

The systematic evolution of structure, photoluminescence and different magnetic transitions in GdMnO is reported after Cr doping. With increasing the Cr concentration from 10 to 40 at%, Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction patterns demonstrates that an O' type orthorhombic structure transforms to O type, manifesting a reduction in lattice volume. The noticeable reduction in lattice volume is ascribed to the smaller size of the Cr ion compared to Mn.

Differential Susceptibility of Catheter Biomaterials to Biofilm-Associated Infections and Their Remedy by Drug-Encapsulated Eudragit RL100 Nanoparticles.

Biofilms are the cause of major bacteriological infections in patients. The complex architecture of () biofilm attached to the surface of catheters has been studied and found to depend on the biomaterial's surface properties. The SEM micrographs and water contact angle analysis have revealed that the nature of the surface affects the growth and extent of biofilm formation.

Ag-Cu Bimetallic Nanoparticles as Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction Electrocatalysts in Alkaline Media.

The alkaline medium oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activities of Ag-Cu bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs), consisting of neighboring Ag and Cu domains, were studied and compared with those of pure Ag and Cu nanoparticles prepared by the same polyol route. Three variations of Ag-Cu BNPs viz. Ag-Cu (4:1), Ag-Cu (2:1), Ag-Cu (1:1) BNPs were considered.

Retracted Article: A bio-based piezoelectric nanogenerator for mechanical energy harvesting using nanohybrid of poly(vinylidene fluoride).

A bio-based piezoelectric egg shell membrane (ESM) is used for energy harvesting applications in the form of two and three-component nanohybrids. A bio-waste piezo-filler in a piezoelectric polymer matrix was designed through an induced β-phase nucleation in the matrix using an organically modified two-dimensional nanoclay. Structural alteration (α to β-phase) in the presence of the nanoparticles was also manifested by morphological changes over spherulite to a needle-like morphology; thus, these nanohybrid materials are suitable for energy harvesting applications.

Porous and highly conducting cathode material PrBaCoO: bulk and surface studies of synthesis anomalies.

The paradigm that chemical synthesis reduces the sintering temperature as compared to solid state synthesis seems to be violated in the case of the PrBaCo2O6-δ double perovskite. The sintering temperatures for pure phase samples synthesized through the solid state route (P-SSR) and the auto-combustion route (P-ACR) were found to be 1050 and 1150 °C, respectively. The porous microstructure of P-SSR is suitable for SOFC cathode materials while that of P-ACR is pore free.

Structure-guided approach to identify a novel class of anti-leishmaniasis diaryl sulfide compounds targeting the trypanothione metabolism.

Leishmania protozoans are the causative agent of leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease consisting of three major clinical forms: visceral leishmaniasis (VL), cutaneous leishmaniasis, and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. VL is caused by Leishmania donovani in East Africa and the Indian subcontinent and by Leishmania infantum in Europe, North Africa, and Latin America, and causes an estimated 60,000 deaths per year. Trypanothione reductase (TR) is considered to be one of the best targets to find new drugs against leishmaniasis.

Synthesis and application of Zn/Ce bimetallic oxides for the decontamination of arsenite (As-III) ions from aqueous solutions.

Arsenic contamination has threatened water safety due to its high toxicity and carcinogenicity. Therefore, it is urgent and significant to develop simple and effective approach for dearsenification of drinking water. In present study, Zn/Ce bimetallic oxide particles of various atomic ratios were synthesized by sol-gel process and were applied for adsorption of arsenite from aqueous solutions.

Multiple 3D-QSAR modeling, e-pharmacophore, molecular docking, and study to explore novel AChE inhibitors.

Ligand-based and energy-optimized structure-based approaches were considered to obtain excellent candidates as AChE inhibitors. The known AChE inhibitors were utilized to develop a pharmacophore hypothesis, HPRRR and X-ray crystallographic structures of AChE were used to produce three e-pharmacophore hypotheses . AHHRR, AHRR, and DHRR.