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Abstract This study investigates the photo-catalytic and super-capacitive properties of green-synthesized ZnO/Ag2O nanocomposites using P. macrosolen L. leaf extract. The synthesis was performed in a single step at low temperature with a short reaction time. The synthesized materials were characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM, FTIR, UV-VIS and XPS. The ZnO/Ag2O nanocomposites exhibited exceptional photo-catalytic efficiency and stability under visible light for the degradation of carbon-based dyes. The degradation rate constants of the optimized ZnO/Ag2O nanocomposites were 0.054351 min⁻¹ for Methylene Orange (MO) and 0.048751 min⁻¹ for Toluidine Blue (TB), achieving degradation efficiencies of 99.69% and 98.50%, respectively, compared to ZnO (0.0075 min⁻¹). This remarkable improvement in visible-light photo-catalytic performance is attributed to the hetero-junction formation, which enhances charge separation and transfer through the matched crystal lattices and energy bands of Ag2O and ZnO. The Ag2O nanoparticles efficiently generate and transfer excited electrons to the ZnO conduction band under visible-light irradiation. Electrochemical studies revealed a significant improvement in specific capacitance, with the ZnO/Ag2O composite containing 50 wt% AgNO3 achieving a maximum specific capacitance of 655.0 F/g at a scan rate of 10 mV/s. This superior performance highlights the synergistic effect of ZnO and Ag2O in improving photo-catalytic and electrochemical properties. These findings demonstrate the potential of ZnO/Ag2O nanocomposites for industrial dye degradation and super-capacitor applications.

Abstract This study explores the impact of banana fiber-reinforced diatomaceous earth (DE) slurry treatment on recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) for structural applications. Six types of treated recycled aggregates were prepared by coating their surface with a slurry containing 5% DE, 0-7% banana fiber, and ordinary Portland cement. Various tests assessed the treatment’s impact on aggregate and concrete properties. The treatment improved specific gravity, aggregate crushing resistance, impact resistance, and abrasion resistance for up to 5% of banana fiber in the slurry. The formation of additional calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) phases contributed to strengthening the microstructure by filling voids and enveloping the aggregate surface. Concrete prepared with treated recycled aggregate showed significant improvements in compressive strength (25.14%), tensile strength (36.58%), and flexural strength (72%) at an optimum 5% fiber content. Non-destructive testing confirmed better surface hardness and internal quality, while microstructural analyses revealed improved bonding and fiber reinforcement. These substantial improvements demonstrate the potential of banana fiber-reinforced DE slurry treatment for sustainable construction practices.

Abstract As per world health organization, Anemia is a most prevalent blood disorder all over the world. Reduced number of Red Blood Cells or decrease in the number of healthy red blood cells is considered as Anemia. This condition also leads to the decrease in the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. The main goal of this research is to develop a dependable method for diagnosing Aplastic Anemia and Iron Deficiency Anemia by examining the blood test attributes. As of today, there are no studies which use Interpretable Artificial Intelligence to perform the above differential diagnosis. The dataset used in this study is collected from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal. The dataset consisted of various blood test attributes such as Red Blood cell count, Hemoglobin level, Mean Corpuscular Volume, etc. One of the trending topics in Machine Learning is Explainable Artificial Intelligence. They are known to demystify the machine learning outputs to all its stakeholders. Hence, Five XAI tools including SHAP, LIME, Eli5, Qlattice and Anchor are used to understand the model’s predictions. The importance characteristics according to XAI models are PLT, PCT, MCV, PDW, HGB, ABS LYMP, WBC, MCH, and MCHC. are employed to train and test the data. The goal of using data analytic techniques is to give medical professionals a useful tool that improves decision-making, enhances resource management, and eventually raises the standard of patient care. By considering the unique qualities of each patient, medical professionals who must rely on AI-assisted diagnosis and treatment suggestions, XAI offers arguments to strengthen their faith in the model outcomes.

This study explores the impact of banana fiber-reinforced diatomaceous earth (DE) slurry treatment on recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) for structural applications. Six types of treated recycled aggregates were prepared by coating their surface with a slurry containing 5% DE, 0-7% banana fiber, and ordinary Portland cement. Various tests assessed the treatment's impact on aggregate and concrete properties. The treatment improved specific gravity, aggregate crushing resistance, impact resistance, and abrasion resistance for up to 5% of banana fiber in the slurry. The formation of additional calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) phases contributed to strengthening the microstructure by filling voids and enveloping the aggregate surface. Concrete prepared with treated recycled aggregate showed significant improvements in compressive strength (25.14%), tensile strength (36.58%), and flexural strength (72%) at an optimum 5% fiber content. Non-destructive testing confirmed better surface hardness and internal quality, while microstructural analyses revealed improved bonding and fiber reinforcement. These substantial improvements demonstrate the potential of banana fiber-reinforced DE slurry treatment for sustainable construction practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the manufacturing of some sectors, such as marble and brick, certain byproducts, such as sludge, powder, and pieces containing valuable chemical compounds, emerge. Some concrete plants utilize these byproducts as mineralogical additives in Turkey. The objective of the experimental study is to ascertain whether the incorporation of waste from the marble and brick industries, in powder form, into cement manufacturing as a mineralogical additive or substitute is a viable option. The materials used in this study were marble and brick wastes, CEM I 42.5 N cement, CEM I 42.5 clinker, water and CEN standard sand. as a replacement for the cement and a substitution for the clinker, the waste marble sludge powder and calcined clay brick powder was separately replaced with either CEM I 42.5 N cement or CEM I 42.5 clinker To determine the usability of marble and brick wastes in conventional cement and clinker production. To this end, there were prepared twenty-four different binder constituents at 0, 6, 10, 20, 21, and 35%. Then the hardened mortar samples were prepared with the new twenty-four different binders, standard drinkable water, and standard mortar sand. Besides, to evaluate pozzolanic activity, the construction lime was mixed with the marble and brick wastes. The microstructure of the marble and brick waste was analyzed using X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. In addition to the microstructure analyses, the chemical features of the marble and brick wastes, including oxides, loss on ignition, pH, total organic content and clay content, were determined in accordance with current standards. The physical and pozzolanic features of the wastes, such as their fineness, density, specific surface area, water permeability, and flexural and compressive strengths, were also evaluated using up-to-date standards. The results of the chemical experiments indicate that the total oxides of calcium, silica, alumina, and ferrite in marble powder and brick powder are more than 54% and 82%, respectively. Marble powder and brick powder are more finely ground than a few mineralogical materials, such as fly ash and silica fume, according to the residue amounts on sieves. Consequently, marble and brick powders can be used as water reducers in mortar, grout, and concrete. Moreover, marble and brick powder have a higher density than many mineralogical materials, making them suitable for applications requiring a higher binder feature of cement, higher strength, and improved durability of mortar and concrete. The specific surface area and water permeability of the marble and brick powders provide compelling evidence to support the inferences previously made about the fineness and density of these materials. Additionally, the pozzolanic properties of the brick powder were three and fourteen times greater than those of the marble powder, as evidenced by its compressive and flexural strengths, respectively. It can be reasonably deduced from the experimental results that marble powder is a latent hydraulic mineralogical natural additive or substitute, while brick powder is an unnatural mineralogical pozzolanic additive or substitute for cement-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As per world health organization, Anemia is a most prevalent blood disorder all over the world. Reduced number of Red Blood Cells or decrease in the number of healthy red blood cells is considered as Anemia. This condition also leads to the decrease in the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. The main goal of this research is to develop a dependable method for diagnosing Aplastic Anemia and Iron Deficiency Anemia by examining the blood test attributes. As of today, there are no studies which use Interpretable Artificial Intelligence to perform the above differential diagnosis. The dataset used in this study is collected from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal. The dataset consisted of various blood test attributes such as Red Blood cell count, Hemoglobin level, Mean Corpuscular Volume, etc. One of the trending topics in Machine Learning is Explainable Artificial Intelligence. They are known to demystify the machine learning outputs to all its stakeholders. Hence, Five XAI tools including SHAP, LIME, Eli5, Qlattice and Anchor are used to understand the model's predictions. The importance characteristics according to XAI models are PLT, PCT, MCV, PDW, HGB, ABS LYMP, WBC, MCH, and MCHC. are employed to train and test the data. The goal of using data analytic techniques is to give medical professionals a useful tool that improves decision-making, enhances resource management, and eventually raises the standard of patient care. By considering the unique qualities of each patient, medical professionals who must rely on AI-assisted diagnosis and treatment suggestions, XAI offers arguments to strengthen their faith in the model outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The widespread use of plastic goods creates huge disposal issues and environmental concerns. Increasing emphasis has been paid to the notion of a circular economy, which might have a significant impact on the demand for plastic raw materials. Post-consumer plastics recycling is a major focus of the nation’s circular economy. This study focuses on energy recovery from waste plastics as an alternative fuel source to meet the circular economy demand. Waste plastic fuel produced through pyrolysis has been claimed to be utilized as a substituted fuel. This work focuses to determine the performance and emission standards of Waste Plastic Fuel (WPF) generated from the pyrolysis of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) in a single-cylinder Direct Injection Diesel Engine (DIDE). Three different ratios of WPF were combined with 10% ethanol and 10% ethoxy ethyl acetate as an oxygenated additive to create quaternary fuel blends. The ethanol has a low viscosity, a high oxygen content, a high hydrogen-to-carbon ratio as favourable properties, the quaternary fuel results the improved brake thermal efficiency, fuel consumption and reduced emissions. The blend WEE20 exhibits 4.7% higher brake thermal efficiency, and 7.8% reduced fuel consumption compared to the diesel. The quaternary fuel blends demonstrated decreased carbon monoxide of 3.7 to 13.4% and reduced hydrocarbons of 2 to 16% under different load conditions.

Nanotechnology is rapidly becoming more and more important in today's technological world as the need for industry increases with human well-being. In this study, we synthesized SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) using an environmentally friendly method or green method from Croton macrostachyus leaf extract, leading to the transformation of UV absorbance to visible absorbance by reducing the band gap energy. The products underwent UV, FTIR, XRD, SEM, EDX, XPS, BET, and DLS for characterization. Characterization via UV–Vis spectroscopy confirmed the shift in absorbance towards the visible spectrum, indicating the potential for enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation. The energy band gap for as-synthesized nanoparticles was 3.03 eV, 2.71 eV, 2.61 eV, and 2.41 eV for the 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, and 1:4 sample ratios, respectively. The average crystal size of 32.18 nm and very fine flakes with tiny agglomerate structures of nanoparticles was obtained. The photocatalytic activity of the green-synthesized SnO2 nanoparticles was explored under visible light irradiation for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB), which were widespread fabric pollutants. It was finally confirmed that the prepared NPs were actively used for photocatalytic degradation. Our results suggest the promising application of these green-synthesized SnO2 NPs as efficient photocatalysts for environmental remediation with low energy consumption compared to other light-driven processes. The radical scavenging experiment proved that hydroxyl radicals (_OH) are the predominant species in the reaction kinetics of both pollutant dyes under visible light degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]