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The present study has been designed to investigate the potential of Cilostazol a phosphodiesterase-3 (PDE-3) inhibitor in diabetes-induced vascular dementia (Vad) employing Wistar rats. A single dose of Streptozotocin (STZ) was used for the induction of diabetes and subsequent Vad in rats. Memory and learning abilities of rats were evaluated with Morris water maze (MWM) test. Serum glucose, body weight, vascular endothelial function, serum nitrite/nitrate levels, brain oxidative stress levels (viz. brain thiobarbituric acid reactive species and reduced glutathione levels), inflammatory markers ( viz . brain myeloperoxidase activity and neutrophil infiltration in the brain hippocampal area) and brain acetylcholinesterase activity were also tested. Donepezil was used as positive control. Streptozotocin treated animals showed poor performance on MWM indicating impairment of learning and memory abilities with a significant reduction in body weight, vascular endothelial function, serum nitrite/nitrate levels, along with an increase in serum glucose, brain oxidative stress levels, inflammatory changes and brain acetylcholinesterase activity. Treatment with selective PDE-3 inhibitor, Cilostazol significantly attenuated, diabetes-induced impairment of learning and memory; endothelial dysfunction, and changes in various biochemical parameters. It is concluded that selective PDE-3 inhibitor, Cilostazol may be considered as the potential pharmacological agent for the management of diabetes-induced vascular dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments were carried out in the test section of a wind tunnel to simulate the role of the heights of confined space on formation of shock waves due to a high-speed subsonic flow of air interacting with blockages placed in the flow path. The blockage ratio considered was 0.13 and the medium used was air. A Mach stem shock wave structure was seen to be formed in the flow field downstream of the blockages for small heights of the test section while no shock waves were formed for larger heights of the test section. The turbulent velocities, turbulent intensities and length scales of turbulence were also measured. Test sections of smaller heights were shown to generate higher levels of turbulence in the flow field following the blockages due to the complex shock interactions. As a result, ignition of combustible gas mixtures from an accidental release or leakage in a confined space having small height could form a turbulent flame brush or a detonation. The requirement of larger heights of confined spaces is seen to be desirable from explosion safety point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodynamic inactivation studies of microbial pathogens have focused on the use of an external photosensitizer or a precursor compound to eliminate bacteria. The present study investigated the inactivation kinetics of six bacterial pathogens by a 405 nm light emitting diode (LED) without the addition of any external compound. The role of endogenous coproporphyrin on the bacterial susceptibility to LEDs was also examined. Pathogens were illuminated with LEDs at 25, 10 and 4 °C for 9 h and the inactivation curves were modeled using six different equations. Endogenous coproporphyrin was quantified using an HPLC system equipped with a fluorescence detector. At a dose of 306 J/cm 2 , the 405 nm LED brought about 4.0, 2.1 and 1.9 log reductions in the populations of Staphylococcus aureus at 25, 10 and 4 °C, respectively. At all three temperatures, the population of Bacillus cereus and Listeria monocytogenes reduced by approximately 2.3 and 1.9 log respectively. Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 showed moderate susceptibility to 405 nm LED while Pseudomonas aeruginosa was most resistant. Of the six models tested, Hom model proved most suitable. This study demonstrated that 405 nm LEDs can be useful in the inactivation of bacterial pathogens with the aid of endogenous coproporphyrin alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant ecosystem damage and severe environmental issues have surfaced due to unplanned exploitation of resources and industrial expansion. The water bodies are continuously polluted by numerous organic dyes released from industrial effluents. In this work, we report construction of new g-C 3 N 5 /Bi 24 O 31 Br 10 S-scheme heterojunction for UV–visible light driven superior organic dye degradation. The integrated heterojunction with high interfacial charge transfer exhibited excellent 99.08% (∼100%) within 60 min exposure which is manifolds higher than bare g-C 3 N 5 and Bi 24 O 31 Br 10. The mechanistic investigations showed that the key active radicals in photocatalytic CV degradation are the •O 2 - and h+. Building an S-scheme model with favourable energy band structure encourages efficient separation of charges while maintaining the inherent redox capacity of the g-C 3 N 5 /Bi 24 O 31 Br 10 catalyst, which is highly beneficial for superior photocatalytic performance. This work offers a fresh viewpoint for creating organic-inorganic hybrid new S-scheme heterojunctions for high performance photocatalytic waste-water treatment. • High efficiency 2D–2D g-C 3 N 5 /Bi 24 O 31 Br 10 S-scheme heterojunction was designed. • Catalyst exhibit excellent degradation efficiency of 99.08% for CV removal. • PL suggests the efficient charge separation of the carriers. • ·O 2 - and h+ are responsible for CV degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen (H 2) can play a critical role in global greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation. Photocatalytic water splitting using solar radiation is a promising H 2 technology. Titanium dioxide (TiO 2) and carbon nitride (g–C 3 N 4)–based photocatalysts are the most widely used photocatalytic materials because of their activity and abundance. Several attempts have been made to improve the photocatalytic performance of these materials in terms of their activity level, life span, response to visible radiation, and stability. However, the environmental impacts of these modifications are often not included in existing studies. This research, therefore, develops a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) framework to evaluate and compare the GHG footprints of four alternative pathways: TiO 2 nanorods and fluorine-doped carbon nitride quantum dots embedded with TiO 2 (CNF: TNR/TiO 2), g-C 3 N 4 , and g-C 3 N 4 /BiOI composite. Unlike most studies that focus only on certain stages such as laboratory-scale photocatalytic fabrication, this study includes utility-scale cell production, assembly, operation, and end of life to give a more accurate and precise environmental performance estimation. The results show that g-C 3 N 4 /BiOI has the lowest GHG footprint (0.38 kg CO 2 eq per kg of H 2) and CNF: TNR/TiO 2 has the lowest energy payback time (0.4 years). In every pathway, energy use in material extraction processes makes up the largest GHG contribution, between 83% and 89%. Sensitivity and uncertainty analyses were conducted under the impact of various input parameters on the life cycle GHG emissions of hydrogen production. Photocatalytic water splitting is highly feasible for adaptation as a mainstream hydrogen production pathway in the future. • LCA of H 2 production via photocatalytic water splitting is conducted. • GHG emissions range from 0.33 to 1.15 kg of CO 2 eq per kg of H 2 produced. • Material extraction has the largest GHG emissions; 56–67% of total emissions. • System is scaled up to produce 5 tonnes of H 2 per day. • H 2 produced has 95% less GHG emissions than steam methane reforming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li et al. (2016) proposed a least absolute deviation method to find such fuzzy regression models whose all the parameters are trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. Since, the method, proposed by Li et al., is published in Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence (a very reputed International Journal) as well as it is easy to apply Li et al. method in real life problems. So, other researchers may be attracted to apply the method, proposed by Li et al., to find the solution of real life problems. However, after a deep study of the work done by Li et al., it is noticed that the multiplication of two trapezoidal fuzzy numbers, proposed by Li et al. as well as used in this method, is not valid. Hence, the aim of this note is to make the researchers aware about the valid multiplication of trapezoidal fuzzy numbers that should be used in Li et al. method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel deep reinforcement learning-accelerated energy management system is developed. • Energy management of a hybrid grid-connected desalination process is investigated. • The partial observability dilemma involved in PV-powered energy systems is resolved. • Developed model was superior to 4 advanced deep reinforcement learning algorithms. • Developed algorithm was benchmarked against a powerful energy management system. This paper proposes a novel deep reinforcement learning-accelerated energy management system for a hybrid grid-connected photovoltaic-reverse osmosis-pressure retarded osmosis desalination plant. The energy management problem is formulated as a partially observable Markov decision process by using historical photovoltaic (PV) power data in order to cope with uncertainties related to the generation of solar power and provide more information regarding the true state of the system. The soft actor-critic (SAC) algorithm is employed as the core of the energy management system to maximize water production rate and contaminant removal efficiency while minimizing the supplied power from the external grid. We introduce 1-dimensional convolutional neural networks (1-D CNNs) to the actor, critic, and value function networks of the SAC algorithm to address the partial observability dilemma involved in PV-powered energy systems, extract essential features from the PV power time series, and achieve immensely improved performance ultimately. Furthermore, it is assumed that the proposed CNN-SAC algorithm does not have access to the current output power data of the PV system. The development of more practical energy management systems necessitates this assumption, and we demonstrate that the proposed method is capable of forecasting the current PV power data. The superiority of the CNN-SAC model is verified by comparing its learning performance and simulation results with those of four state-of-the-art deep reinforcement learning algorithms: Deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG), proximal policy optimization (PPO), twin delayed DDPG (TD3), and vanilla SAC. The results show that the CNN-SAC model outperforms the benchmark methods in terms of effective solar energy exploitation and power scheduling, manifesting the necessity of exploiting historical PV power data and 1-D CNNs. Moreover, the CNN-SAC algorithm is benchmarked against a powerful energy management system we developed in our previous investigation by studying three scenarios, and it is demonstrated that considerable improvement in energy efficiency can be obtained without using any solar power generation forecasting algorithm. By conducting ablation studies, the critical contribution of the introduced 1-D CNN is demonstrated, and we highlight the significance of providing historical PV power data for substantial performance enhancement. The average and standard deviation of evaluation scores obtained during the last stages of training reveal that the 1-D CNN significantly improves the final performance and stability of the SAC algorithm. These results demonstrate that the modifications we detail in our investigation render deep reinforcement learning algorithms extremely powerful for the energy management of PV-powered microgrids, including PV-driven reverse osmosis desalination plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Comparably lower performance of GHMs in simulating monthly runoff-deficits. • CHMs and GHMs were similar in estimating SRI. • Ensemble models performed better than the individual models. • Ensemble models simulated drought frequency well. • Differences in ability to simulate the occurrence of observed drought event. Although global- and catchment-scale hydrological models are often shown to accurately simulate long-term runoff time-series, far less is known about their suitability for capturing hydrological extremes, such as droughts. Here we evaluated simulations of hydrological droughts from nine catchment scale hydrological models (CHMs) and eight global scale hydrological models (GHMs) for eight large catchments: Upper Amazon, Lena, Upper Mississippi, Upper Niger, Rhine, Tagus, Upper Yangtze and Upper Yellow. The simulations were conducted within the framework of phase 2a of the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP2a). We evaluated the ability of the CHMs, GHMs and their respective ensemble means (Ens-CHM and Ens-GHM) to simulate observed hydrological droughts of at least one month duration, over 31 years (1971–2001). Hydrological drought events were identified from runoff-deficits and the Standardised Runoff Index (SRI). In all catchments, the CHMs performed relatively better than the GHMs, for simulating monthly runoff-deficits. The number of drought events identified under different drought categories (i.e. SRI values of -1 to -1.49, -1.5 to -1.99, and ≤-2) varied significantly between models. All the models, as well as the two ensemble means, have limited abilities to accurately simulate drought events in all eight catchments, in terms of their occurrence and magnitude. Overall, there are opportunities to improve both CHMs and GHMs for better characterisation of hydrological droughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here in this work, two electrochromic systems have been prepared by functionalizing di-pentyl viologen (DPV) and di-heptyl viologen (DHV) with graphene quantum dots (GQDs). Strong molecular forces like cation- π interactions, π–π stacking interactions, electrostatic interactions, etc., ensure an adequate interaction between GQDs and viologens, hence, responsible for stabilizing the electrochromic system. All solid electrolyte-free electrochromic devices have been fabricated by dispersing DPV-GQD and DHV-GQD in poly(vinyl)alcohol (PVA) gel. Electrochemical behavior and electrochromic responses of the fabricated devices were investigated using chronoamperometry, cyclic voltammetry and in situ UV–vis spectroscopy. Both devices were found to work efficiently without the help of supporting electrolytes. Both DPV-GQD and DHV-GQD devices exhibit high optical contrast of 53.4% and 60 %, with superior coloration efficiency of 143.9 cm2/C and 66 cm2/C, respectively. Swift electrochromic responses of 4.4 s/3.5 s and 6.2 s/2.5 s have been recorded for coloration/bleaching for DPV-GQD and DHV-GQD devices, respectively. Fabricated DPV-GQD device was found to retain 73% of its initial optical contrast while DHV-GQD depicts retention of only 63% after 3000 cycles. The superior coloration efficiency and balanced response time of DPV-GQD make it a potential material for the device application. • Two different composites of alky viologens with GQD has been prepared at room temperature using a chemical synthetic route. • Electrolyte free electrochromic devices using PVA gel are fabricated and characterized. • DPV device showed a superior coloration efficiency of 143.9 cm2/C along with swift electrochromic response of 4.4 s/3.5 s. • Implication of such composites leads to a future electrolyte free electrochromic device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, an Au/Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene hybrid layered D-shaped Photonic Crystal Fiber (DPCF) based Surface Plasmonic Resonance (SPR) biosensor is proposed. The D-shape of PCF is used to make the sensor practically more feasible. The MXene-Au hybrid thin films are placed over the DPCF to induce the surface plasmon polariton (SPP). The resonance wavelength shift occurs when analytes refractive index (RI) is changed. The numerical analysis has been performed by finite element analysis. The results have shown the wavelength sensitivity of 7000 nm/RIU and 13,000 nm/RIU for MXene layer thickness of 14 nm and 27 nm respectively. On comparing, it has been observed that the MXene/Au layered sensor has achieved 3.5 to 6.5 times higher wavelength-sensitivity compared to without MXene thin film. In addition, sensing parameters like resolution, amplitude sensitivity and figure of merit has also been investigated. The proposed sensor is used for sensing the analytes having RI range of 1.33–1.39. The range of RI covers most of the blood cells compositions, cancerous cells, protein and viruses. Therefore, this study can facilitate the use of MXene material with D-shaped PCF to detect the biochemical and chemical liquids. Photonic crystal fiber, MXene material, Gold, Surface plasmon resonance, Biomolecules. • A surface plasmon resonance sensor based on D-shape of PCF is proposed using Mxene/Au material thin film for the first time. • The sensing analytes having a refractive index (RI) range of 1.33–1.39 are used. The range of RI covers most of the bio analyte's RI like blood cells, cancerous cells, RNA/DNA, malaria-infected RBCs, protein and viruses. • The results show the wavelength sensitivity of 7000 nm/RIU and 13,000 nm/RIU for Mxene layer thickness 14 nm and 27 nm respectively. • On comparing, it has been observed that the Mxene/Au layered sensor has 3.5 to 6.5 times higher wavelength-sensitivity than without the Mxene thin layer. • The effect of the Mxene layer on other sensing parameters like resolution, amplitude sensitivity and figure of merit has also been investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most pronounced high-amplitude (−40 to −106 m) geoid deficit with respect to the Earth's reference shape straddles the Indian Ocean. The existing hypotheses suggest a possible linkage of low density and low-velocity anomalies in the mid-and upper mantle and high-velocity anomalies near the base of the mantle to the source behind the lowest geoid. We obtained P to S wave radial receiver functions to investigate these mantle anomalies from an extensive array of Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBSs) positioned in the centre of the Indian Ocean Geoid Low (IOGL). Our modelling suggests that the mean depths for d410 and d660 range from 386.0 ± 13.6 to 459.7 ± 2.9 km and 643.1 ± 7.4 to 710.2 ± 5.4 km with an average of 432.6 km and 680.2 km, respectively. The average thickness of the transition zone varies from 199.6 to 289.8 km. New results confirm an extensive ~800 km wide depression at d410 and d660 towards the centre of the geoid. The depression potentially implies a rather hot mantle material, in which majorite garnet to perovskite transition may become dominant at 660 km depth. The excess temperature calculated for d410 and d660 topography ranges from 139.5 to 557.5 K and 206 to >1000 K, respectively. The shear velocity anomalies derived from the excess temperature range from −0.89 to −3.52 (%) at d410, and at dd60 range from −1.13 to −7.87 (%). The velocity anomalies are highly underestimated at d660 and could be explained by hydrous mantle upwelling at the lower mantle transition zone. The present study outcomes offer new avenues towards exploring a mantle upwelling in the Indian Ocean and its linkage with geoid undulations. • Estimation of receiver functions from OBS data to study mantle transition discontinuities beneath the Indian Ocean geoid low. • A strong depression in both 410 km and 660 km mantle discontinuities indicates an extreme hot mantle regime. • An indication of mantle upwelling with a high probability of pyrolytic to piclogitic composition. • Pyrolytic mantle composition in extremely high-temperature conditions lowers the mantle bulk density ; a link to IOGL source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Clean electricity from the solar energy source. • Flat Plate solar collector is used as an input heat source to ORC. • MWCNT/R141b nanorefrigerant is used as an organic working fluid. • The Solar organic Rankine cycle system is evaluated energetically and exegetically. The principal purpose of the current investigation is to analyze the thermal performance of a small scale solar organic Rankine cycle (ORC). Herein, a flat plate solar collector (FPSC) was utilized to feed heat to ORC. A mathematical model formulated in Engineering Equation solver (EES), uses FPSC's experimental output to assess the thermal performance of ORC. To choose the most appropriate organic fluid for ORC, a preliminary study is conducted for the comparison of the performance of R141b with other organic fluids of previous research studies. In the preliminary analysis of this study, the MWCNT + WO 3 /water nanofluid is used in the solar collector for its performance enhancement and obtained a maximum thermal efficiency of 73.21% at 3 lpm and 1.5 vol%. Moreover, MWCNT/R141b nanorefrigerant is used as an organic fluid in ORC due to its enhanced thermophysical properties. The parametric analysis is also executed to compute the energetic and exergetic performance of ORC at different nanoparticle concentrations and volume flow rates. The parametric study demonstrated a significant increment from 16.30 to 24.82% and 9.03 to 15.33% in energy and exergy efficiency, respectively, for 0.5 vol% of nanorefrigerant and 3 lpm volume flow rate in collector when nanofluid volumetric concentration changes from 0.5 to 1.5 vol%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diamond detectors have been fabricated using commercially available detector grade polycrystalline CVD substrates for fast neutron measurement in the Indian TBM Experiment at the upcoming ITER facility. Subsequent to fabrication, the detectors were characterized for leakage current and for response to alpha particles from 238+239 Pu source. The detectors were observed to have low leakage currents at a field of 1 V µm −1 . The stability of the alpha response and improvement in the count rate were achieved by β-irradiation using 90 Sr β source. The fast neutron response of the detectors was studied using a D–T fast neutron source in India. The detectors showed linear response in the measured neutron flux of 2.86×10 5 –8.76×10 6 n cm −2 s −1 . The neutron response of detectors of 100 µm and 300 µm thicknesses was compared experimentally to study the neutron response dependence on detector thickness. Experimental results show that the detector of 100 µm thickness has better performance compared to the detector of thickness of 300 µm. The results presented in this paper confirm the suitability of commercially available films from Diamond Materials, GmbH, Germany for detector fabrication for fast neutron monitoring. The details of detector fabrication and results of characterization are presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western Canada is endowed with considerable reserves of deep un-mineable coal, which can be converted to syngas by means of a gasification process called underground coal gasification (UCG). The syngas can be transformed into hydrogen (H 2 ) through commercially available technologies employed in conventional fossil-fuel based H 2 production pathways. This paper presents a data-intensive model to evaluate life cycle GHG emissions in H 2 production from UCG with and without CCS. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) was considered as a sequestration method and included in the LCA. The life cycle GHG emissions are calculated to be 0.91 and 18.00 kg-CO 2 -eq/kg-H 2 in H 2 production from UCG with and without CCS, respectively. In addition, a detailed analysis of the influence of key UCG parameters, i.e., H 2 O-to-O 2 injection ratio, ground water influx, and steam-to-carbon ratio in syngas conversion, is completed on the results. The advantage of adopting UCG–CCS technology for H 2 production is realized over the predominant steam methane reforming (SMR) process; around 15.3 million tonnes of GHG emissions can be mitigated to achieve the projected SCO production rate from the bitumen upgrading in 2022. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis showed that the life cycle GHG emissions is sensitive to the heat exchanger efficiency and the separation efficiency of the pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit, with increasing values of these parameters causing an increase and a decrease in the magnitude of life cycle GHG emissions, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile catalyst-controlled regioselective post-Ugi intramolecular hydroarylation process was established, which delivers an expedient access to biologically significant heterocycles such as pyrrolopyridinones, pyrroloazepinones, and benzothienopyridines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating insulin analogs and probing their intrinsic stability at physiological temperature, we observed significant degradation in the size-exclusion chromatography ( SEC) signal over a moderate number of insulin sample injections, which generated concerns about the quality of the separations. Therefore, our research goal was to identify the cause(s) for the observed signal degradation and attempt to mitigate the degradation in order to extend SEC column lifespan. In these studies, we used multiangle light scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry methods to evaluate column degradation. The results from these studies illustrate: (1) that zinc ions introduced by the insulin product produced the observed column performance issues; and (2) that including ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, a zinc chelator, in the mobile phase helped to maintain column performance. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 104:1555-1560, 2015 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amyloid deposits are common in various tissues as a consequence of misfolded proteins. However, secretory protein and peptides are often stored in membrane coated granules as functional amyloids. In this article, we present a detailed characterization of in vitro generated amyloid fibrils from human parathyroid hormone (hPTH(1–84)). Fully mature fibrils could be obtained after a short lag phase within less than one hour at 65 °C. These fibrils showed all characteristic of a cross-β structure. Protease cleavage combined with mass spectrometry identified the central region of the peptide hormone involved in the fibril core formation. EGCG, an inhibitor of amyloid fibril formation, showed binding to residues in the peptide monomers corresponding to the later fibril core and thus explaining the inhibition of the fibril growth. Conformational and dynamic studies by solid-state NMR further corroborated the cross-β core of the fibrils, but also identified highly mobile segments with a random coil structure not belonging to the rigid fibril core. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure of Salmonella to environmental stress, prior to its adherence to a food contact surface, may change the cell surface properties and consequently affect its initial attachment and biofilm formation. This study investigated the influence of temperature and pH preacclimation on the initial attachment of Salmonella Enteritidis to acrylic and stainless steel. Besides, changes in physicochemical properties of cells were examined; and their surface attachment was modeled by xDLVO theory. Results showed that control cells pre-grown at 37 °C had significantly ( P < 0.05) higher initial attachment, followed by those pre-grown at 25, 42, and 10 °C. The initial attachment of cells pre-grown at pH 5.3 or 6.3 was not significantly ( P > 0.05) different from control cells pre-grown at pH 7.3, but they were significantly higher compared to cells pre-grown at pH 8.3 and 9.0. No significant difference was observed between cell attachment to acrylic and stainless steel, although they had different physicochemical properties. The xDLVO theory successfully explained higher attachment for cells pre-grown at optimal condition on both contact surfaces. However, the xDLVO theory could not explain the similar attachment of cells to acrylic and stainless steel. This study elucidates that commonly used intervention technologies including cold storage, thermal treatment, and alkaline antimicrobial agents might alter the physicochemical properties of S . Enteritidis cells and result in varied initial attachment levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusobacterium necrophorum , a Gram-negative anaerobe, is the primary etiologic agent of liver abscesses in cattle. There are two subspecies; subsp. necrophorum and subsp. funduliforme , which differ in morphological, biochemical, molecular characteristics, and virulence. The subsp. necrophorum , which is more virulent, occurs more frequently in liver abscesses than the subsp. funduliforme . Bacterial adhesion to the host cell surface is critical to the pathogenesis of several bacterial infections, and in F. necrophorum , outer membrane proteins (OMP) have been shown to mediate adhesion to bovine endothelial cells. The objective of this study was to identify potential adhesins that are involved in adhesion of F . necrophorum subsp. necrophorum to the host cells. An OMP of 42.4 kDa, which binds with high affinity to the bovine endothelial cells and is recognized by the sera from cattle with liver abscesses, was identified. N-terminal sequencing of the protein showed 96% homology to the FomA protein of F. nucleatum . The PCR analysis showed that this fom A gene was present in several strains of subsp. necrophorum , subsp. funduliforme of bovine and subsp. funduliforme of human origin. The purified native and recombinantly expressed protein when preincubated with the endothelial cells, prevented the attachment of subsp. necrophorum significantly. In addition, the polyclonal antibody produced against the protein prevented the binding of subsp. necrophorum to bovine endothelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strain of Ganoderma lucidum MDU-7 produce multiple extracellular isoforms of laccase in submerged culture condition using malt extract as a carbon source and copper sulfate as an inducer. SDS–PAGE followed by MALDI–TOF peptide fingerprinting confirmed laccase isozyme with molecular mass of 24–66 kDa. Two laccase isozymes (Glac H1 and Glac L1) were purified from native-PAGE protein purification method and a comparative catalytic and antioxidant study has been performed. Both of the laccase isozymes have optimum temperature and pH at 50 °C and 4.0, respectively. Glac L1 has higher stability in comparison to Glac H1, over wide range of temperature, pH, divalent metal ions and surfactants. The K m values of Glac L1 and Glac H1 determined for guaiacol, ABTS and O -tolidine were 98 μM, 26 μM, 320 μM and 281 μM, 29 μM, 338 μM, respectively. Glac H1, irrespective to its laccase activity and stability, acts as a better antioxidant than Glac L1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basic DEA model experiences the weights flexibility problem which is resolved by the method of weight restrictions. The current research incorporating Decision Makers’ (DMs) preferences into weight restrictions is subject to serious limitations such as lacking a framework for dual role factors and not incorporating organizational hierarchy in decision-making. The proposed Genetic Algorithm (GA) based approach for weight restrictions incorporates a dual role factor and organizational hierarchy in decision-making. The approach involves finding a set of weights which are at a minimum distance from all the DMs’ preferences. The approach is flexible and is able to generate a common set of weights and Decision Making Unit (DMU) specific weight restrictions simultaneously. Results from model validation in a well-known automobile spare parts manufacturer in India indicate that the majority of suppliers perceived as highly efficient were actually found to be inefficient in the GA based weight restrictions model. A major contribution of this study is a robust approach to deal with multiple DMs and DEA weights flexibility problem. Another key highlight of the research is translating DMs preferences into a distance function. Using that as a fitness measure within the proposed Evolutionary Algorithms has been done for the first time in the presence of multiple DMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we present an in-depth review of the phenomenon of negative magnetization (or magnetization sign reversal) with an up-to-date literature. We have described numerous experimental examples of the phenomenon, involving a variety of magnetically ordered systems, where it does not arise due to diamagnetism. The present review discusses physics principles for the sign reversal of magnetization under the following mechanisms: (a) negative exchange coupling among ferromagnetic sublattices, (b) negative exchange coupling among canted antiferromagnetic sublattices, (c) negative exchange coupling among ferromagnetic/canted-antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic sublattices, (d) imbalance of spin and orbital moments, and (e) interfacial exchange coupling between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic phases. We have put forward the roles of crystal structure, crystallite type (single crystal, bulk polycrystalline, thin film, and nanoparticle), lattice defect, electronic or chemical phase separation, magnetic anisotropy, and magnetic exchange interactions in the magnetization reversal. This review validates the mean field theory, given by L. Néel (1948), for an explanation of the negative magnetization under the category (a). We also bring out the necessity of further theoretical work to account for the other categories, (b)–(e). The present review also describes the importance of various magnetization measurement protocols for the occurrence of the magnetization reversal. Finally, we have pointed out the tunability aspect of the phenomenon. We conclude that the practical utilization of this phenomenon in magnetic memory, and magnetocaloric and spin resolving devices might be realized by choosing appropriate and well characterized materials whose compensation temperature can be tuned to room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatigue failure in ferroelectrics has been intensively investigated in the past few decades. Most of the mechanisms discussed for ferroelectric fatigue have been built on the “hypothesis of variation in charged defects”, but these are rarely evidenced by experimental observation. Here, using a combination of complex impedance spectra techniques, piezoresponse force microscopy and first-principles theory, we examine the microscopic evolution and redistribution of charged defects during the electrical cycling in BiFeO 3 thin films. The dynamic formation and melting behaviors of oxygen vacancy ( V O ) order are identified during the fatigue process. It reveals that the isolated V O tends to self-order along grain boundaries to form a planar-aligned structure, which blocks the domain reversals. Upon further electrical cycling, migration of V O within vacancy clusters is accommodated with a lower energy barrier (∼0.2 eV) and facilitates the formation of a nearby-electrode layer incorporated with highly concentrated V O . The interplay between the macroscopic fatigue and microscopic evolution of charged defects clearly demonstrates the role of ordered V O clusters in the fatigue failure of BiFeO 3 thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formulation of the static user equilibrium traffic assignment problem (UETAP) under some simplifying assumptions has a unique solution in terms of link flows but not in terms of path flows. Large variations are possible in the path flows obtained using different UETAP solution algorithms. Many transportation planning and management applications entail the need for path flows. This raises the issue of generating a meaningful path flow solution in practice. Past studies have sought to determine a single path flow solution using the maximum entropy concept. This study proposes an alternate approach to determine a single path flow solution that represents the entropy weighted average of the UETAP path flow solution space. It has the minimum expected Euclidean distance from all other path flow solution vectors of the UETAP. The mathematical model of the proposed entropy weighted average method is derived and its solution stability is proved. The model is easy to interpret and generalizes the proportionality condition of Bar-Gera and Boyce (1999). Results of numerical experiments using networks of different sizes suggest that the path flow solutions for the UETAP using the proposed method are about identical to those obtained using the maximum entropy approach. The entropy weighted average method requires low computational effort and is easier to implement, and can therefore serve as a potential alternative to the maximum entropy approach in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work the structural and spectral characteristics of 5-benzyl-2-thiohydantoin (5-BTH) have been studied by methods of infrared, Raman spectroscopy and quantum chemistry. Electrostatic potential surface, optimized geometry, harmonic vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities and activities of Raman scattering were calculated by density functional theory (DFT) employing B3LYP with complete relaxation in the potential energy surface using 6-311G++(d,p) basis set. Our results support the hydrogen bonding pattern proposed by reported crystalline structure. Stability of the molecule arising from hyperconjugative interactions, charge delocalization have been analyzed using natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. The 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts of the molecule are calculated by the gauge independent atomic orbital (GIAO) method and compared with experimental results. UV-vis spectrum of the compound was recorded in methanol solvent. The TD-DFT calculations have been performed to explore the influence of electronic absorption spectra in the gas phase, as well as in solution environment using PCM and 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. In addition, the thermodynamic properties of the compound were calculated at different temperatures and corresponding relations between the properties and temperature were also studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radioresistance is one of the obstacles to the effective radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer. Soluble factors in the tumour microenvironment are often implicated in radioresistance but the underpinning mechanism(s) remain largely elusive. We herein studied the wholesome effect of autocrine cytokines and growth factors in the form of self-conditioned medium (CM) on the radiosensitivity of A549 cells. A549 cells grown in CM exhibited radioresistance which was associated with increased survival and DNA repair. CM induced pro-survival pathways through increased intracellular cAMP and phosphorylation of JNK and p38. Downstream to JNK/p38 signalling, ATF-2 phosphorylated at Thr69/71 was accompanied with its increased transcriptional activity in CM treated cells. Pre-treatment with cAMP inhibitor and silencing of ATF-2 abrogated the CM-induced survival. Interestingly, in cells treated with CM followed by radiation, ATF-2 was found to be switched over from transcription factor to DNA damage response protein. In CM treated cells, after γ-radiation p-ATF-2 Thr69/71 and subsequently the transcriptional activity of ATF-2 were declined with simultaneous rise in p-ATF-2 Ser490/498 . Immunoprecipitation/immunoblotting and inhibitor studies showed that phosphorylation of ATF-2 at Ser490/498 was mediated by ATM. Moreover, p-ATF-2 Ser490/498 was found to be co-localised with γ-H2AX in DNA repair foci in CM-treated cells. The DNA repair activity of ATF-2 was assisted with higher activity MRN complex in cells grown in CM. Our study revealed that, autocrine soluble factors regulate dual but differential role of ATF-2 as a transcription factor or DNA repair protein, which collectively culminate in radioresistance of A549 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2-Methoxyestradiol (2ME2) is an investigational anticancer drug. In the present study, 2-alkoxyesters/acid and 2-benzyloxy analogues of estradiol have been synthesized as analogues of 2ME2. Three of the derivatives exhibited significant anticancer activity against human breast cancer cell lines. The best analogue of the series i.e. 24 showed stabilization of tubulin polymerisation process. It was substantiated by confocal microscopy and molecular docking studies where 24 occupied ‘paclitaxel binding pocket’ to stabilize the polymerisation process. Compound 24 significantly inhibited MDA-MB-231 cells (IC 50 : 7 μM) and induced arrest of cell cycle and apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells. In acute oral toxicity, 24 was found to be non-toxic and well tolerated in Swiss albino mice up to 1000 mg/kg dose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A laboratory-scale closed-circuit pipeline facility was modified to experimentally investigate the effects of pumping slurries of wheat straw and corn stover particles on the performance characteristics of a centrifugal slurry pumps. The effects of particle size and slurry solid mass content (concentration) on head, efficiency, and power consumption of a centrifugal slurry pumps were studied. In a clear contrast to the general performance of centrifugal slurry pumps in conventional solid–liquid systems, the total head height increased with an increase in slurry solid mass content due to several reasons including unique friction loss behavior (i.e., drag reducing feature) of fibrous particles slurries in pipelines. In addition, small size fibrous particles increased the pump efficiency more than the efficiency of the same pump handling pure water only. A correlation was finally proposed to predict the reduction in head while centrifugally pumping fibrous agricultural residue biomass (wheat straw, corn stover) slurries, compared to the head produced while handling pure water only. The results could be used in the design and operation of centrifugal slurry pumps to transport fibrous agricultural residue biomass materials. However, the effects of other parameters like air in the system and anaerobic problems should be taken into account too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Complete assignments of vibrational modes have been made using DFT/B3LYP method. [•] NBO is done for interpretation of hyperconjugative interactions and charge transfer. [•] The UV–vis spectrum examined in DMF solvent and calculated using TD-DFT approach. [•] 1H chemical shifts are calculated by GIAO method and compared with experimental ones. [•] First hyperpolarizability was computed to confirm the suitability for NLO application. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The indoor radon, thoron and their decay products are the main contributors of total inhalation dose in the living environment. Radon soil gas concentration is about thousand times higher as compared to environment. Thus, it is necessary to measure indoor radon–thoron and radon soil gas underneath the soil. Keeping this in mind the measurements of radon and thoron in the indoor environment in some parts of Northern Haryana, India were carried out using twin cup dosimeters along with radon soil gas underneath the soil. The calibration factor for these dosimeters was measured during repeated experimental exercise and verified for two different depths. The radon and thoron concentration in the dwellings varied from 17 to 51Bq/m3 and 9 to 73Bq/m3, while the radon soil gas varied from 2.80kBq/m3 to 6.46kBq/m3. The radon soil gas and indoor radon–thoron concentration strongly depend upon the geological formations. A good correlation was found between the indoor radon and thoron concentration for mud houses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Bunium persicum (Boiss.) Fedtsch or Kala jeera is an economically important medicinal spice that grows in cold temperate regions of Central Asia and Northern India. It is mainly used as spice and condiment in various food preparations. However, its high aroma and richness in essential oils make it industrially important. The bioactivity and pharmacological activities of its phytochemicals have been well elucidated. Due to limited cultivation and huge harvest pressure on natural resources, this species is under severe threat of diversity loss. Further, genetics and molecular breeding studies are lagging for this important crop plant due to a dearth of efficient genome wide molecular markers. In the present study, genomic resources for B. persicum have been generated for the first time through de novo sequencing. In addition, novel genomic SSRs from these resources are identified for their use in future diversity analysis and breeding programs. A total of 177029 perfect and 5915 compound SSR motifs were identified in 212585 assembled sequences. Mononucleotide repeats were the most abundant (55.18%) followed by di- (32.35%), tri- (7.21%), tetra- (3.15%) and hexa- nucleotide (0.76%) repeats. Total 101519 and 2649 primers were successfully designed for sequences containing perfect and compound SSR repeat motifs, respectively. For validation, 88 primer pairs were synthesized for perfect SSR motifs, from which 68 pairs gave scorable amplification. From these, 16 primer pairs were found monomorphic and 52 were polymorphic. These 68 primer pairs altogether yielded 101 alleles with an average of 1.71 alleles per loci. Overall average allele frequency (0.7908), PIC value (0.213), heterozygosity value (0.2995), and gene diversity (0.2680) was recorded for the evaluated Bunium accessions. UPGMA tree constructed based on Nei genetic distances successfully distinguished the evaluated B. persicum accessions. Low genetic diversity recorded in the present study emphasizes the need for restoration and maintenance of effective B. persicum population sizes in situ for its future sustenance. • First report on genomic resources and SSR marker development in Bunium persicum. • No genome sequence information is available for entire Bunium genus till date. • De novo sequencing was done to generate novel genomic resources in B. persicum. • Significant number of SSR motifs spanning across the genome were identified. • Large set of genomic SSR markers (101519) successfully developed for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive research is being done to develop multifunctional advanced new materials for high performance photocatalytic applications in the field of energy production and environmental detoxification, MXenes have emerged as promising materials for enhancing photocatalytic performance owing to their excellent mechanical properties, appropriate Fermi levels, and adjustability of chemical composition. Numerous experimental and theoretical research works implied that the dimensions of MXenes have a significant impact on their performance. For photocatalysis to thrive in the future, we must understand the current state of the art for MXene in different dimensions. Using MXene co-catalysts in widely used in photocatalytic applications such as CO 2 reduction, hydrogen production and organic pollutant oxidation, this study focuses on the most recent developments in MXenes based materials, structural modifications, innovations in reaction and material engineering. It has been reported that using 5 mg of CdS–MoS 2 -MXene researchers were able to generate as high as 9679 μmol/g/h hydrogen under visible light. The MXenes based heterojunction photocatalyst Co 3 O 4 /MXene was utilized to degrade 95% bisphenol A micro-pollutant in just 7 min. Numerous novel materials, their preparations and performances have been discussed. Depending upon the nature of MXene-based materials, the synthesis techniques and photocatalytic mechanism of MXenes as co-catalyst are also summarized. Finally, some final thoughts and prospects for developing highly efficient MXene-based photocatalysts are provided which will indeed motivate researchers to design novel hybrid materials based on MXenes for sustainable solutions to energy and pollution issues. [Display omitted] • MXenes as new interesting class of photocatalysts. • Composites and heterojunctions with 0D, 1D, 2D, 3D MXenes. • Variable and tunable optical band gaps. • Suitable for energy production and pollution mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We report the complete genome sequence of SPPV vaccine strain SPPV-Srin38/00 from India determined by next-generation sequencing (NGS) using Illumina technology. • SPPV genomes, including the SPPV-Srin38/00 strain, shared 99.78–99.98% intraspecies nucleotide identity, indicating that SPPV strains have extremely low genetic diversity. • ORFs 016, 021, 022, 130 and 138 may be potentially used for differentiation of CaPV species. • This study may contribute to a better understanding of the epidemiology and evolution of capripoxviruses as well as the development of specific detection methods and vaccines with improved safety and efficacy. Sheeppox virus (SPPV) is responsible for a significant economic loss to sheep husbandry in enzootic regions of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia including the Indian subcontinent. In this study, we present the complete genome sequence of SPPV vaccine strain SPPV-Srin38/00 from India determined by next-generation sequencing (NGS) using Illumina technology. The attenuated Srinagar vaccine strain of SPPV (SPPV-Srin38/00) was developed by serial passaging the virus initially in lamb testes (LT) cells followed by Vero cell line. The SPPV-Srin38/00 virus has a genome size of 150, 103 bp, which encodes for 147 functional putative genes and consists of a central coding region flanked by two identical 2353 bp inverted terminal repeats (ITRs). Comparative phylogenetic analysis based on complete genome sequences of Capripoxviruses formed three distinct groups each for SPPV, GTPV, and LSDV with clustering of SPPV-Srin38/00 strain with SPPV-A strain. Nine ORFs of SPPV-Srin38/00 namely SPPV-Srin_002/SPPV-Srin_155, SPPV-Srin_004/SPPV-Srin_153, SPPV-Srin_009, SPPV-Srin_013, SPPV-Srin_026, SPPV-Srin_132, and SPPV-Srin_136 were found to be fragmented as compared to LSDV, whereas only one ORF (such as SPPV-Srin_136) was found to be fragmented as compared to GTPV. SPPV genomes, including the SPPV-Srin38/00 strain, shared 99.78–99.98% intraspecies nucleotide identity, indicating that SPPV strains have extremely low genetic diversity. The strain shared 96.80–97.08% and 97.11–97.61% nt identity with GTPV and LSDV strains, respectively. Its ORFs 016, 021, 022, 130 and 138 are the least identical ORFs among three species of the genus Capripoxvirus with 72.5–93% aa identity to GTPV and LSDV strains and may be potentially used for differentiation of CaPV species. This study may contribute to a better understanding of the epidemiology and evolution of capripoxviruses as well as the development of specific detection methods, better expression vectors, and vaccines with improved safety and efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zhang and Zhang (2013) proposed the arithmetic operations of trapezoidal interval type-2 fuzzy numbers having different left and right heights and hence the arithmetic operations of trapezoidal interval type-2 fuzzy soft sets having different left and right heights. In this paper, it is pointed out that the complement operation of a trapezoidal interval type-2 fuzzy number, proposed by Zhang and Zhang, is not valid and hence, the complement operation of trapezoidal interval type-2 fuzzy soft set as well as all the results, proposed by Zhang and Zhang in which complement operation is used, are not valid. The results, proposed by Zhang and Zhang, are valid only for such trapezoidal interval type-2 fuzzy numbers and trapezoidal interval type-2 fuzzy soft sets in which left and right heights are equal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huntington's disease (HD) is a signature polyglutamine disorder. An enduring theory of HD pathogenesis has involved dysregulation of transcription. Indeed, transcriptional regulatory proteins can be modulated to overcome cardinal features of HD-modeled mice, and efforts to move these into human studies are ongoing. Here, we discuss a unifying hypothesis emerging from these studies, which is that HD represents the pathological disruption of evolutionarily conserved adaptive gene programs to counteract oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and accumulation of misfolded proteins. Transcriptional dyshomeostasis of adaptive genes is further exacerbated by repression of genes involved in normal synaptic activity or growth factor signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] First quantitative report of ozone level and UV radiation emission from photocopier. [•] Ozone production is directly proportional with intensity of photocopy operation. [•] Ozone level from ground floor is significantly higher than basement photocopier. [•] Ozone production and UV radiation studied has less correlation during photocopy. [•] Health hazard issue has been evaluated for effect of UV radiation in terms of SED. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nucleus, the control centre of eukaryotic cell, houses most of the genetic machineries required for gene expression and their regulation. Post translational modifications of proteins, particularly phosphorylation control a wide variety of cellular processes but its functional connectivity, in plants, is still elusive. This study profiled the nuclear phosphoproteome of a grain legume, chickpea, to gain better understanding of such event. Intact nuclei were isolated from 3-week-old seedlings using two independent methods, and nuclear proteins were resolved by 2-DE. In a separate set of experiments, phosphoproteins were enriched using IMAC method and resolved by 1-DE. The separated proteins were stained with phosphospecific Pro-Q Diamond stain. Proteomic analyses led to the identification of 107 putative phosphoproteins, of which 86 were non-redundant. Multiple sites of phosphorylation were predicted on several key elements, which included both regulatory and functional proteins. The analysis revealed an array of phosphoproteins, presumably involved in a variety of cellular functions, viz., protein folding (24%), signalling and gene regulation (22%), DNA replication, repair and modification (16%), and metabolism (13%), among others. These results represent the first nucleus-specific phosphoproteome map of a non-model legume, which would provide insights into the possible function of protein phosphorylation in plants. Biological significance: Chickpea is grown over 10 million hectares of land worldwide, and global production hovers around 8.5 million metric tons annually. Despite its nutritional merits, it is often referred to as ‘orphan’ legume and has remained outside the realm of large-scale functional genomics studies. While current chickpea genome initiative has primarily focused on sequence information and functional annotation, proteomics analyses are limited. It is thus important to study the proteome of the cell organelle particularly the nucleus, which harbors most of the genetic information and gene expression machinery. Phosphorylation-dependent modulation of gene expression plays a vital role but the complex networks of phosphorylation are poorly understood. This inventory of nuclear phosphoproteins would provide valuable insights into the dynamic regulation of cellular phenotype through phosphorylation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Proteomics of non-model organisms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

O-GlcNAcylation is an important post-translational modification of proteins and is known to regulate a number of pathways involved in cellular homeostasis. This involves dynamic and reversible modification of serine/threonine residues of different cellular proteins catalyzed by O-linked N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase and O-linked N-acetylglucosaminidase in an antagonistic manner. We report here that decreasing O-GlcNAcylation enhances the viability of neuronal cells expressing polyglutamine-expanded huntingtin exon 1 protein fragment (mHtt). We further show that O-GlcNAcylation regulates the basal autophagic process and that suppression of O-GlcNAcylation significantly increases autophagic flux by enhancing the fusion of autophagosome with lysosome. This regulation considerably reduces toxic mHtt aggregates in eye imaginal discs and partially restores rhabdomere morphology and vision in a fly model for Huntington disease. This study is significant in unraveling O-GlcNAcylation-dependent regulation of an autophagic process in mediating mHtt toxicity. Therefore, targeting the autophagic process through the suppression of O-GlcNAcylation may prove to be an important therapeutic approach in Huntington disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] A framework is developed for estimation of tortuosity factor for biomass transport. [•] GIS is used to calculate the tortuosity factor for western Canada. [•] Tortuosity factor for the Province of Alberta in Canada is in the range of 1–3.16. [•] This methodology helps in accurate assessment of biomass delivery cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report synthesis, characterization and use of ternary zinc complexes as emissive and electron transport material in organic light emitting devices (OLED). 5,7-Dimethyl-8-hydroxyquinoline or 2-carbonitrile-8-hydroxyquinoline have been used with 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole to synthesize (2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazolato) (5,7-dimethyl-8-hydroxyquinolinato)zinc(II) [Zn(HPB)(Me2q)] and (2-(2-hydroxyphenyl) benzoxazolato)(2-carbonitrile-8-hydroxyquinolinato)zinc(II) [Zn(HPB)(CNq)] complexes. These complexes possessed high thermal stability and having good film forming property. Optical properties of the synthesized complexes have been studied by UV–visible absorption, photo-luminescence and time resolved photo-luminescence spectroscopy. Density functional theoretical calculations have been performed to demonstrate the three-dimensional geometries and the frontier molecular orbital energy levels of these compounds. Synthesized materials show quite good efficiency in multilayered device structure ITO/α-NPD/Zinc complex/BCP/Alq3/LiF/Al with maximum brightness of 7017 cd/m2 and 6925 cd/m2 having electroluminescence spectral peak emission centered at 567 nm and 569 nm, respectively. Electron mobility of these molecules were found to be 1.5 × 10−6–1.2 × 10−5 cm2/V s for electric field range 1000–1200 (V/cm)1/2 and hence showed very high efficiency as electron transport layer in device structure ITO/α-NPD/5% Ir(ppy)3 doped CBP/BCP/Zn(HPB)(Me2q) or Zn(HPB)(CNq)/LiF/Al. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Thorium (⩽10μM) induced liver cell proliferation through IGF-1 receptor signaling. [•] Thorium induced phosphorylation of IGF-1R substrate, IRS1. [•] Akt and JNK-MAPK were found to mediate upstream events of IGF-1R activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A simple and convenient approach for the synthesis of unsymmetrical diaryl chalcogenides (Te, Se, and S) has been developed by copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of organoboronic acid with diaryl dichalcogenide in ethanol using NaBH4 in air or oxygen. The present methodology is highly practical for the synthesis of unsymmetrical diaryl tellurides with various functionalities such as –NO2, –F, –Br, and –COOH that have been obtained in good to excellent yields. Methodology is also effective for the synthesis of unsymmetrical diaryl selenides and sulfides. Moreover, symmetrical diaryl selenides have also been obtained from arylboronic acids using elemental selenium powder under optimized reaction conditions. The use of NaBH4 is the key for the development of milder reaction conditions, which enable the construction of unsymmetrical diaryl chalcogenides from boronic acid substrates in ethanol at room temperature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) reinforced tantalum carbide (TaC) composites are exposed to a high temperature plasma flow in order to evaluate the effects of GNP on the oxidation behavior of TaC at conditions approaching those of hypersonic flight environments. The addition of GNP is found to suppress the formation of the oxide layer by up to 60%. The high thermal conductivity of GNPs dissipates heat throughout the sample thereby reducing thermal gradients and reducing the intensity of heating at the surface exposed to plasma. In addition, GNPs enhance oxidation resistance by providing toughening which suppresses crack formation and bursting that accelerates oxidation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) reveal that GNPs have the ability to survive the intense high temperature of the plasma. GNPs are believed to seal oxide grain boundaries and hinder the further influx of oxygen. GNPs also provide nano sized carbon needed to induce the localized reduction of Ta2O5 to TaC. Micro computed X-ray tomography (MicroCT) validates that the above mechanisms protect the underlying unoxidized material from the structural damage caused by thermal shocks and high shear forces, by reducing thermal gradients and providing toughness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, a new methodology named as vague lambda–tau, is proposed for reliability analysis of the repairable systems based on a trapezoidal vague set with different left and right heights. In this methodology, the trapezoidal vague set with different left and right heights is coupled with the conventional lambda–tau method to evaluate the vague expressions for OR-transition of the Petri Nets model. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of gas turbine system has been discussed in this work. In qualitative analysis, the Petri Net model is obtained from its equivalent Fault Tree and in quantitative analysis, the reliability parameters are evaluated using the vague lambda–tau methodology. The system reliability can be analyzed in a more flexible and intelligent manner by using the proposed approach. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Polypyrrole/carbon (PPy/C) composites have been synthesized using varying concentration of p-toluenesulfonate (pTS) dopant by surface initiated in-situ chemical oxidative polymerization with the purpose to develop an electrode material for supercapacitors. The influence of pTS on the structure of the composite is observed through Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy while the morphological features have been examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The dc conductivity shows direct correlation with pTS concentration and follows Mott's three dimensional variable range hopping (3D-VRH) charge transport. The performance of PPy/C composite electrode for charge storage has been analyzed using electrochemical tools such as cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The maximum specific capacitance ∼395 F g−1 in 0.5 M Na2SO4 aqueous solution with significant stability (∼500 cycles) is obtained for the material synthesized using equimolar concentration (0.1 M) of pTS to pyrrole. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Building materials are the second major source of indoor radon after soil. The contribution of building materials towards indoor radon depends upon the radium content and exhalation rates and can be used as a primary index for radon levels in the dwellings. The radon flux data from the building materials was used for calculation of the indoor radon concentrations and doses by many researchers using one and two dimensional model suggested by various researchers. In addition to radium content, the radon wall flux from a surface strongly depends upon the radon diffusion length (L) and thickness of the wall (2d). In the present work the indoor radon concentrations from the measured radon exhalation rate of building materials calculated using different models available in literature and validation of models was made through measurement. The variation in the predicted radon flux from different models was compared with d/L value for wall and roofs of different dwellings. The results showed that the radon concentrations predicted by models agree with experimental value. The applicability of different model with d/L ratio was discussed. The work aims to select a more appropriate and general model among available models in literature for the prediction of indoor radon. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The emission of radon from building materials and soil depends upon the radium content, porosity, moisture content and radon diffusion length of materials. Several techniques have been used to reduce the radon emission from the soil using different flooring materials. But the effectiveness of radon shielding depends upon the diffusion of radon through these materials. The present study proposes a method for producing a radon resistant material for decreasing radon diffusion through it. The method involves rice husk ash (RHA) in addition to cement for the preparation of concrete used for flooring and walls. The radon diffusion, exhalation and mechanical property of concrete prepared by rice husk ash blended cement were studied. The addition of RHA caused the reduction in radon diffusion coefficient, exhalation rates, porosity and enhanced the compressive strength of concrete. The bulk radon diffusion coefficient of cementitious concrete was reduced upto 69% by addition of rice husk ash as compare to that of control concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]