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The present investigation portrayed the synthesis of bare LaZn2O4 material and La2-xAlxZnO4 material (x = 0.1–0.4 mol) by sol–gel auto combustion technique. All these materials were characterized by various prime nano characterization technique to investigate the structural and surface properties. X-ray diffraction pattern for LaZn2O4 material confirms the hexagonal wurtzite lattice for this material. The surface characterization and topographical parameters were confirmed from scanning electron microscopy, while the elemental composition of various concentrations Al3+ modified LaZn2O4 was confirmed from energy dispersive spectroscopy. High resolution transmission electron microscopy technique was utilized to substantiate the lattice parameter and polycrystalinity of the fabricated material. UV-DRS technique was used to validate the tuned band gap of the fabricated materials. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller was employed to calculate total surface area of the prepared materials. The La2-xAlxZnO4 is having highest surface area 85.59 m2/g and pore radius 80.85 Å. Sensor materials with varied composition of Al3+ (x = 0.1–0.4 mol) were fabricated by photolithographic technique having 40 s, mesh number 355. The various toxic gases such as CO, NO2, LPG, and Acetone were investigated for varied gas concentrations. Among all sensors La2-xAlxZnO4 (LZO, x = 0.2) sensor shows highest response for acetone vapors with 88.80% at lowest 60°C. The humidity sensing for the sensors shows that the sensor LZO is operational at moderate humid conditions. The rapid response recovery, reusability, thermal stability, good porosity, high surface area, operational at lower temperature is the characteristics of LZO-2 sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article investigates the effect of thermal shrinkage on the yielding behavior of waxy oil gel. The paper compares constant gap and constant normal force measurement protocols to examine the effect of measurement protocol on the rheological behavior of thermoreversible gel. The findings of this study reveal that the extent of stress overshoot and yield stress in a constant shear-rate start-up flow shows a lower magnitude in a constant gap protocol compared to a constant normal force protocol. The decrease in gel strength in the former protocol is mainly attributed to the formation of voids. These voids cause localized fractures within the crystal network. In contrast, in the constant normal force measurement protocol, gel contraction is compensated by utilizing a variable gap setting. Variable gaps compensate for the lower specific volume of the gel after crystallization, minimizing void formation and subsequent rupture of the crystal network. Hence, the gel network formed using the constant normal force protocol is more homogeneous, eliminating the uncertainties in yield stress measurement. Finally, the effect of thermal history, wax content, and aging period on the yield stress values highlights notable findings. Contrary to the conventionally accepted results, the aging period is found to impact the yield stress negatively, and a nonmonotonic relationship between the cooling rate and yield stress is noticed under the constant gap protocol. Thus, the results obtained under the constant normal force protocol are more reliable and can help in developing a fundamental understanding of the yielding behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this investigation, transformation of agricultural corn cob waste into mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (MCNPS) by template-free method. This synthesized MCNPs are used for the construction of Titanium dioxide-Mesoporous carbon (TMC) nanocomposites by precipitation and calcination method. Synthesized samples were confirmed by various characterization techniques. The photocatalytic behavior of the TMC nanocomposites was checked by the degradation of Methyl Orange (MO) in the presence of UV light. The optimized TMC21 composite shows 92% degradation efficiency towards MO dye within 80 min under UV light than the bare TiO2 and also shows excellent stability and recyclability after five runs. The histo-toxicological studies are done by using freshwater Lobeo Rohita fish organs such as kidney and ovary. The results show that MO dye-containing solution damages the internal structure of kidney and ovary tissues whereas the photo-degraded product of MO dye exhibited no variations in their typical structure similar to the control group indicating that the MO-degraded solution is non-toxic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterizing the timing of menarche and the factors that are associated with it is important for understanding a population's reproductive health needs and long‐term health trajectories. We estimated the age at the menstrual onset among adolescent girls and the association between dietary and nutritional factors and menarche in four sub‐Saharan African urban sites. We used cross‐sectional school‐based data from 2307 female adolescents aged 10–14 years collected by the Africa Research, Implementation Science, and Education (ARISE) Network in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Khartoum, Sudan; and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Logit models were used to estimate the median age at menarche at each site. Associations between menarche and BMI‐for‐age, stunting, dietary quality and food insecurity across settings were assessed using Poisson regression models adjusted for country and school levels. The estimated median age at menarche was 13.1 years (95% confidence interval: 12.7, 13.5) in Ouagadougou; 12.9 (12.6, 13.2) in Addis Ababa; 13.3 (12.7, 13.6) in Khartoum; and 13.2 (12.3, 14.0) in Dar es Salaam. Between 18% and 49% of the girls in each setting had already menstruated. Based on the pooled multivariable models, underweight participants were 42% less likely (adjusted prevalence ratio [PR] 0.58 [0.44, 0.77]) to have experienced menarche in comparison to normal‐weight individuals. The likelihood of experiencing menarche increased for overweight [PR 1.47 (1.30,1.66)] and obese [PR 1.57 (1.35,1.82)] in comparison to normal‐weight girls. Those stunted were 47% less likely to have experienced menarche [PR 0.53 (0.41, 0.69)] than their nonstunted counterparts. A lower likelihood of menarche among those experiencing moderate/severe hunger when compared to those with no/little hunger was also observed (PR 0.78 [0.63,0.96]). No evidence of association with dietary quality was found. Further research is needed to strengthen the body of evidence and inform evidence‐based initiatives in low‐ and middle‐income settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools are increasingly regarded as a key setting for promoting the health, well‐being, and development of children and adolescents. In this multicountry cross‐sectional survey, we describe the health, nutrition, and food environments of public primary schools in five urban settings in Africa region: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Durban; South Africa, Khartoum, Sudan; and, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We evaluated the school health and nutrition (SHN) environments in three main areas: (1) the availability of health‐related policies, guidelines, and school curricula, (2) the provision of health, nutrition, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in schools, and (3) the school food environments and eating habits of adolescents. We used stratified random sampling to recruit 79 schools from five countries. Trained fieldworkers collected standardized questionnaire data from 79 school administrators, 765 food vendors, and 4999 in‐school adolescents aged 10–15 years. In our study, 24 out of 79 school administrators were aware of their school's health‐related policies and guidelines while 30 schools had a specific SHN curriculum. In general, health, nutrition, and WASH services were inadequate. Possibly due to a lack of school kitchens, 14.4% of students bought snacks and unhealthy foods from food vendors. Our study indicates that schools' food and nutrition environments are insufficient to improve adolescent health and nutrition in the African region, including limited coverage of SHN policies, suboptimal facilities and nutrition services, and unregulated food environments. Schools in sub‐Saharan Africa need to improve their health and nutrition environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this qualitative study, nested in a randomized controlled trial, was to assess the mechanisms of the effects in both arms through examining perceptions of the participants about changes in their drinking behavior and their attributions for any perceived changes. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a sub-sample of trial participants. We used thematic analysis to analyze the data. Self-perceived change, mostly positive, was reported regardless of the objectively measured remission status. Participating in the trial itself was a major catalyst for change. Participants in both arms used a variety of similar strategies to make these changes; additionally, for those who received the intervention, both the style of the counselor (for example, the non-judgmental stance) as well as specific elements of the intervention were seen to influence change in drinking behavior. Absence of self-reported change was relatively uncommon and primarily related to the felt need for alcohol (e.g., drinking was perceived to be necessary to maintain good health), or the belief that one did not need to or want to change. Experiences of participating in a trial, the counselor style, and specific elements of a brief psychological treatment, play a role in influencing change in harmful drinking behaviors. • Positive change may be reported in the absence of objectively measured remission. • Trial procedures themselves become a major catalyst for modifying drinking behaviors. • Counselor style and specific elements of the intervention influence change in drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The global adolescent population faces the challenge of the double burden of malnutrition (DBM), characterized by the coexistence of undernutrition and overweight/obesity, including diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This dual challenge, prevalent across various socio-economic backgrounds, necessitates double-duty actions, i.e., integrated interventions designed to concurrently address both sets of conditions. These actions are critical for fostering the overall health and well-being of adolescents. The objective of this review is to describe the content, setting, and delivery mechanisms of double-duty actions, synthesize their impacts on adolescents' nutritional status, and offer policy and program implications for future interventions., Methods: As part of this scoping review, we will conduct a comprehensive search across multiple databases, including MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and Google Scholar, to identify relevant interventions, programs, policies, guidelines, evaluation studies, and strategies targeting DBM among adolescents aged 10-19 years. Inclusion criteria encompass a range of evidence sources with methodologically sound and well-described study designs. All full-text articles and abstracts will be independently screened by two reviewers to ensure a comprehensive inclusion of papers that align with the established criteria. The final protocol is available on Open Science Forum (https://osf.io/kxapb)., Discussion: Addressing DBM through integrated double-duty actions is crucial for achieving global nutrition and public health goals. However, challenges persist in the form of uncoordinated efforts, lack of comprehensive evidence for what interventions work among adolescents, and the need for context-specific strategies to effectively address the heterogeneity of DBM. The results of this scoping review may provide evidence for future policies and interventions, emphasizing integrated, multi-sectoral strategies tailored to the unique needs of the adolescent population., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zhao, Shinde, Mastan, Fawzi and Tang.)

Single-crystal graphene (SCG) wafers are needed to enable mass-electronics and optoelectronics owing to their excellent properties and compatibility with silicon-based technology. Controlled synthesis of high-quality SCG wafers can be done exploiting single-crystal Cu(111) substrates as epitaxial growth substrates recently. However, current Cu(111) films prepared by magnetron sputtering on single-crystal sapphire wafers still suffer from in-plane twin boundaries, which degrade the SCG chemical vapor deposition. Here, it is shown how to eliminate twin boundaries on Cu and achieve 4 in. Cu(111) wafers with ≈95% crystallinity. The introduction of a temperature gradient on Cu films with designed texture during annealing drives abnormal grain growth across the whole Cu wafer. In-plane twin boundaries are eliminated via migration of out-of-plane grain boundaries. SCG wafers grown on the resulting single-crystal Cu(111) substrates exhibit improved crystallinity with >97% aligned graphene domains. As-synthesized SCG wafers exhibit an average carrier mobility up to 7284 cm 2 V -1 s -1 at room temperature from 103 devices and a uniform sheet resistance with only 5% deviation in 4 in. region., (© 2023 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)