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• Proposed a cutting-edge technique for cardiopulmonary sound separation. • This paper investigates cardiorespiratory auscultation using uniquely integrated MCRA-OMLSA and NMF-HMM techniques. • Unsupervised learning method to enhance signal accuracy without reliance on external data. Increasing the accuracy and efficiency of cardiopulmonary disease screening is crucial, as cardiovascular illnesses pose a serious threat to human health and result in numerous fatalities annually around the globe. For doctors to assess the illness, auscultation is a non-invasive technique. An electronic stethoscope records heart sounds (HS) and lung sounds (LS), which are useful acoustic data for diagnosing pulmonary diseases. Nevertheless, interference between LS and HS that is visible in the frequency and temporal domains hinders the effectiveness of the diagnostic process. Moreover, conducting any prior training is not always feasible in many real-world situations. It is very challenging to prepare pure lung and heart sounds. This paper proposes an integrated approach using a minima-controlled recursive algorithm (MCRA) equipped with optimally modified-log spectral amplitude (OMLSA), a trainable time wrapping technique (TTW), and a non-negative matrix factorization-hidden Markov model (NMF-HMM) to effectively separate lung and heart sounds, knowing nothing about the heart or lung sounds beforehand. A detailed investigation in terms of unsupervised framework is provided in this paper. This study is the first to apply the integrated OMLSA-TTW-NMF-HMM approach to cardiopulmonary sounds separation and presents the HLS classification method. This research proposes a framework with improved robustness and separation quality compared to existing state-of-the-art techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CoPc/Bi 2 WO 6 heterojunction with Co2+ centres have been effectively fabricated. • The built-in electric field and covalent bonding cause effective Z-scheme system. • The Co2+ centres could capture photoelectrons and encourage the CO 2 activation. • Optimized CoPc/Bi 2 WO 6 heterojunction shows superior photocatalytic activities for CO 2 reduction. The Z-scheme heterojunction offers hope for CO 2 reduction due to its unique charge migration, superior separation, and high redox capacity. Yet, regulating charge transfer in nanoscale heterostructure interfaces remains a significant challenge. Herein, we systematically engineered interfacial dual tungsten (W) bonds and built-in electric field (BIEF) modulated Z-scheme heterostructure composed by CoPc and Bi 2 WO 6 (BWO), stimulate a Z-scheme charge shuttle cascade, channelling electrons from BWO to CoPc, thereby optimizing charge separation and upholding a high redox potential. The optimized photocatalyst exhibits high CH 4 /CO 2 rate of ∼2.5 compared to pure BWO under vis-light for efficient CO 2 reduction. The improved photoactivity is confirmed through theoretical/experimental evidence, highlighting the significance of newly formed W-O-C and W-Co bonds and BIEF. These components function as atomic-level interfacial channels, efficiently accelerating Z-scheme interfacial electron shuttle and shortening the electron-shuttle distance. Furthermore, the extended visible-light range, enabled by the molecular dispersion of CoPc, and the favourable catalytic function of its central metal cation (Co2+) for CO 2 activation, significantly contribute to the overall enhancement. This work offers a new platform to design emerging modulated CO 2 photoreduction systems based on Z-scheme charge shuttle by regulating atomic-level interface and BIEF to remarkably encourage photocatalytic CO 2 photo-reduction performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Damage caused by corrosion triggered metallic constructs to be malfunction and collapse, which resulted in financial loss. For this reason corrosion preventing coatings is applied to preserve the worth of industrial assets. Polyaniline (PANI) is one of the members of conducting polymers to use as protective coatings. However, certain co -additives like natural compounds have significantly uplifts the effectiveness of polyaniline (PANI). Herein, the incredible properties of gum rosin (GR) that boost the inhibitory performance of PANI are presented. The PANI patched with GR was synthesized by inverse emulsion polymerization. The UV–Visible and FTIR analysis confirms the synthesis of PANI-gum rosin (PANI-GR) composite, whereas, the thermogram of synthesized composite shows outstanding thermal stability to 533 ° C. SEM analysis reveals a bi-layered morphology with porous PANI layer which is superimposed by fibrous layer of gum rosin. PANI-GR was soluble in numerous common organic solvents, including chloroform, methanol, n-heptane, toluene, DMSO, NMP, and acetone the maximum solubility potential was observed to be 7.8 % (w / v). The corrosion preventing ability of the PANI-GR composite was evaluated through OCP, EIS and Tafel analysis. A significant uplift was found in the OCP potential (E OCP) to −0.38 V which might be due to the existence of a PANI-GR layer with prominent anticorrosive properties. The synthesized PANI-GR composite layer reveals a significant reduction in the corrosion of mild steel surfaces with corrosion efficacy up to 92 % in a diprotic acidic medium. In a nut shell, the potential of PANI-GR composite is demonstrated here in order to resolve problems of PANI, leading to significantly save the country assets. • Ecologically friendly and Novel PANI-GR composite • Superior solubility in common organic solvents • Significant uplift in the OCP potential (E OCP) • Extraordinary corrosion prevention ability up to 92 % [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speech enhancement (SE) by transient noise suppression refers to the process of estimating the desired signal from a transient noise (TN)-corrupted speech signal. It has important applications in speaker verification and identification, voice-based biometric systems, hearing aids, video conferences, and many others. Enhancement of TN-corrupted signals is both important and challenging due to their high randomness, high short-time energy, and wide frequency domain distribution. This paper presents a novel approach to SE that leverages the power of sequential sparse nonnegative matrix factorization (SNMF), enhanced dictionary learning (DL), and Gini index (GI)-based fusion. We use a multi-step approach to enhance noisy speech. Our approach uses semi-supervised learning since the TN used for dictionary training is derived from the noisy signal using optimally-modified log-spectral amplitude (OMLSA) and is then purified. We involve both the dictionaries of the noisy signal and external clean speech in the DL process to merge the strengths of both dictionaries. Firstly, the dictionary of the noisy signal is obtained through SNMF and is then decomposed into speech-dominant and noise-dominant submatrices using semi-supervised learning. Then this speech-dominant submatrix is combined with the clean speech dictionary to construct an improved speech dictionary. This enhanced dictionary and the external clean speech dictionary are then used for the SE in the testing phase, resulting in two different initial estimated signals. To improve the accuracy of the initial estimates, we apply the GI to obtain the final estimate. Furthermore, the noisy signal's phase is also enhanced. A significant increase is observed in the results through different evaluation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravitational water vortex turbine (GWVT) is an ultra-low head turbine that extracts energy from an artificially induced gravitational water vortex in the basin of cylindrical or conical configuration. The latter type of basin helps in the re-construction of vortex once it is distorted after passing through a runner and thus, provide an additional potential for power extraction at different heights along the basin. In the absence of a detailed experimental study on multi-staging of GWVT in a conical basin, a preliminary investigation has been carried out using runners of Savonius type blades and producing power independently because of telescopic shafts arrangement. The effects of crucial design parameters such as rotor diameter to basin diameter ratio (RB), vortex-blade interaction, the position of the various stages and the offset distance between the neighboring stages, on the performance of GWVT are reported. In addition, the performance parameters which include rotational speed, torque and power are investigated under various rotor submergence conditions; thus, revealing maximum performance for a brimming vortex-blade interaction. One of the key findings of the study is the complex transfer of energy between the two neighboring stages through the vortex flow without the physical contact of rotors. Moreover, multi-staging provides more power than single-stage GWVT by strengthening the vortex in the vicinity of each other through rigid body rotation of the neighboring runners. The outcomes of the present study make it a potential benchmark for the future generations of GWVT technology. • Energy transfer between the neighboring stages is improved through the water vortex. • Performance of multi-stage GWVT depends on rotor diameter to basin diameter ratio. • A brimming vortex-blade interaction compels the rotors to improve their performance. • Addition of rigid body rotation to the vortex improves power of neighboring stages. • With more energy in the surface cortex, top stage performs better than bottom stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oligomeric synthesis of phenyl-end-capped oligoaniline (4PANI LB) has been carried out through a weak oxidizing agent, CuCl 2 , using chemical oxidative polymerization protocol. The sample was characterized by mass spectrometry, UV–vis, IR, and CHN elemental analysis. The experimental results are counterchecked with the aid of Quantum mechanical calculations such as density functional theory (DFT). DFT at B3LYP/6–31 G (d) level of theory was used for the geometric and electronic properties simulations which also confirm the existence of 4PANI LB. Excellent correlation is observed between the experiment and theory, particularly in the UV–vis spectra which conclude the formation of tetramer (fully reduced form) 4PANI LB (C 24 H 20.06 N 4.07 ). Electronic properties such as Ionization Potential (I.P), Electron Affinities (E.A), the coefficient of highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), the coefficient of lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of 4PANI LB were evaluated at the above-mentioned level of theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of conducting polymers (CPs) such as polyaniline (PANI) and its derivatives can be modified, improved and even enhanced by making composites with materials which can change the extent and level of doping in the CPs. This paper reports on the synthesis of PANI in the presence of various concentration of polyvinyl alcohol by inverse emulsion polymerization. The as synthesized PANI and PANI/PVA were characterized with UV/VIS, FTIR, XRD, TGA, SEM, conductivity and electrochemical measurements. The results demonstrated the formation of polyaniline doped with polyvinyl alcohol showing high thermal stability and improved room temperature conductivity. The synthesized composites were found to be soluble in common organic solvents such as N-methylpyrolidinone (NMP), Chloroform, 2:1 mixture of toluene and 2-proanol, 1:1 mixture of chloroform and toluene and 2:1 mixture of toluene and methanol. Cyclic voltammetric studies showed good redox properties of synthesized PANI and PANI/PVA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction of aniline with copper(II) chloride in the presence of p -toluene sulfonic acid was investigated. The reactions were carried out in aqueous media for 24 h under a nitrogen atmosphere. The products obtained were characterized by FT-IR, UV–Vis XPS, SEM, N K-edge NEXAFS and CP MAS 13 C NMR. Elemental analysis was also carried out to determine the elemental composition of the product. The results showed the presence of partially oxidized, partially protonated polyaniline with [CuCl 3 ] − as the dopant counter ion. A decrease in the final pH and increase in the reaction yield was observed with an increase in the oxidant to monomer ratio. The increase in the yield is due to an increase in the oxidation potential of CuCl 2 with an increase in its molar concentration. The low product yields achieved are attributed to the co-formation of a copper(II) chloride aniline coordination complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyaniline and its composites with Cu II chloride were synthesized by inverse emulsion polymerization. The synthesized composites were characterized with UV/vis, FT-IR, XRD and SEM. The results show the presence of polyaniline in the emeraldine base form doped with copper II chloride. The thermal properties of the composites were studied by carrying out TGA. The electrical transport properties were calculated from the conductivity measurement. The composites were found to be soluble in common organic solvents such as chloroform, NMP, DMSO, 1:2 mixture of 2-propanol and toluene and 1:2 mixture of 2-propanol and chloroform. Cyclic voltammetry was carried out to find out the redox properties of synthesized composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• DEAD/H-box RNA helicases play a conspicuous role in various RNA related events. • DEAD/H-box RNA can act as sensors or cosensors to regulate innate immune response. • Many helicases function as downstream adaptor molecules of innate immune pathways. • DEAD/H-box helicases regulate viral replication with double-edged processes. DEAD/H-box RNA helicases make the prominent family of helicases super family-2 which take part in almost all RNA-related processes, from initiation of transcription to RNA decay pathways. In addition to these RNA-related activities, in recent years a certain number of these helicases are reported to play important roles in anti-viral immunity through various ways. Along with RLHs, endosomal TLRs, and cytosolic DNA receptors, many RNA helicases including DDX3, DHX9, DDX6, DDX41, DHX33, DDX60, DHX36 and DDX1-DDX21-DHX36 complex act as viral nucleic acid sensors or co-sensors. These helicases mostly follow RLHs-MAVS and STING mediated signaling cascades to trigger induction of type-I interferons and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Many of them also function as downstream adaptor molecules (DDX3), segments of stress and processing bodies (DDX3 and DDX6) or negative regulators (DDX19, DDX24, DDX25, DDX39A and DDX46). On the contrary, many studies indicated that several DEAD/H-box helicases such as DDX1, DDX3, DDX6, DDX24, and DHX9 could be exploited by viruses to evade innate immune responses, suggesting that these helicases seem to have a dual function as anti-viral innate immune mediators and viral replication cofactors. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge on several representative DEAD/H-box helicases, with an emphasis on their functions in innate immunity responses, involved in their anti-viral and pro-viral roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eco-friendly and cost-efficient synthesis of polyaniline (PANI) is one of the perplexing tasks in the research horizons of conducting polymers while keeping the desired properties unaffected. The present work reports an eco-friendly and comparably cost-efficient pathway for the synthesis of corrosion-resistant, thermally stable, and highly soluble PANI salt using coconut oil as a novel dispersion medium. The PANI salt was optimized by varying the reaction parameters, such as concentration of monomer, oxidant, surfactant, and solvent. The UV/Visible spectra indicated absorption peaks in the range of 344–353, 424–433, and 740–779 nm. The FTIR analysis of PANI salt reveals the stretching of the benzenoid and quinoid rings at 1460 and 1559 nm respectively. X-ray diffraction shows peaks on 2Ө at 19° and 25° which are the characteristic peaks of PANI. PANI salt was found to be soluble in several organic solvents such as 2-propanol, n-Methylpyrolidinone (NMP), and highly soluble in chloroform and Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) up to 7.6 and 6.9% respectively. SEM images and TGA analysis of PANI confirmed the porous morphology like cauliflower and quite thermally stable up to 538 °C respectively. The layer of synthesized PANI shows remarkable corrosion inhibiting behavior on the surface of mild steel which reduces the rate of corrosion up to 82%. Hence, boost up the global economy. [Display omitted] • Eco-Friendly and Comparably Cost efficient coconut oil as novel dispersion medium. • High solubility of the synthesized PANI in chloroform up to 7.6%. • The synthesized PANI salts possess highest thermal stability than the reported literature. • The synthesized PANI salts are excellent anticorrosion material for mild steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents an approach for space launch vehicle conceptual design and evaluation using multi-attributes decision making analysis. The approach is comprised of morphological matrix method to improve the brain storming process by efficiently identifying potential space launch vehicle design concepts. The potential concepts are screened for compatibility and are then sized for desired mission using Tsiolkovsky ideal velocity rocket equation. The Tsiolkovsky ideal velocity rocket equation supported by mass and propulsion modeling is found to be fast and efficient and is applied for sizing and performance modeling of space launch vehicle at the conceptual design phase. Based on the performance parameters, program related issues and cost attributes, the candidate design concepts are subjected to multi-attribute decision making analysis. This is to rank the alternative design concepts and identify the most promising ones for further considerations. The successful application of the proposed approach in conceptual design and evaluation of space launch vehicle has demonstrated its utility in the early phase of the aerospace system design and decision making. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

High-altitude lakes (HAL) play a key role in several ecological services of the environment by managing the water supply and flood control. The slow rate of inflowing contaminant circulation results in a buildup of higher levels of contamination level and makes these lakes more vulnerable. The present study focused on determining HAL's water quality parameters (WQP) in the Swat District, northern Pakistan. Water samples (n = 32) were collected and analyzed for basic parameters, anions, and potentially harmful elements (PHE). Results of examined parameters were noted under WHO threshold values, except for a few samples of iron (Fe) and arsenic (As). The concentrations of WQP in HAL were used to calculate drinking and irrigation water quality indices (WQI). Results revealed that the water of HAL was excellent and suitable for drinking and irrigation purposes. Gibbs plot and Piper model were used to identify water as a mixed type and source characterization of rock dominance. Water quality data were used for average daily dose (ADD) and hazard quotient (HQ) to find HAL water's potential health risks. The highest ADD value of 188 μg/kg-day was observed for nitrate (NO 3), and the lowest of 0.31 μg/kg-day was noted for arsenic (As). However, maximum HQ values of 0.18 were reported for As and were observed to be less than the threshold of 1. Therefore, based on water quality, the HAL was recommended for use in drinking, domestic, and irrigation purposes. • Water contamination was noted under World Health Organization (WHO) threshold values. • Water contaminants like iron and arsenic surpassed the WHO threshold valuess • The highest average daily dose value was observed for nitrate intake of water. • Arsenic showed higher hazard quotient values and was observed less than 1. • Drinking and irrigation quality indices were categorized as excellent and good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transient interferences such as keystrokes, mouse clicks and hammering pose a significant challenge in the single channel speech enhancement due to their abrupt and non-continuous nature. Traditional noise suppression algorithms and even many non-stationary noise reduction algorithms do not adequately suppress transient interference. Therefore, in this work, we propose a semi-supervised single channel transient noise suppression method to effectively suppress the transient interference without significant audible distortion. The proposed algorithm consists of training and testing stages. In the training stage, the proposed technique first uses the optimally modified-log spectral amplitude (OMLSA) estimator to estimate the transient noise from the noisy speech signal. After that, we eliminate the residual speech components from the estimated noise obtained from OMLSA based on the correlation coefficient, by taking correlation between the estimated noise with the available clean speech data from the dataset passed through the voice activity detector for silence zones removal. Afterwards, we use this noise for training the noise dictionary in sparse non-negative matrix factorization. Clean speech data is used for speech dictionary training. In the enhancement stage, the dictionaries are fixed and concatenated, to obtain the corresponding activation matrices. The clean speech dictionary and the corresponding weight matrix are used to reconstruct the estimated speech. The experimental results reveal that the proposed algorithm provided better performance compared to other existing algorithms in the speech quality evaluation metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-channel speech dereverberation and separation has been a challenging problem and is of high significance in speech processing applications. Many researchers have tried to address this problem separately, either investigating speech dereverberation or separation. Most of the available literature on joint dereverberation and separation research is for multichannel. Moreover, in joint dereverberation and separation research, mostly noise is considered as the other source. Therefore, there is an emergent need to provide an optimal and efficient solution to the single channel speech dereverberation and separation problem. In this paper, we work on speech dereverberation and separation for single-channel, and we do not consider any noise source except the reverberation effects. We combine the two dominant methods, namely robust principal component analysis (RPCA) and sparse non-negative matrix factorization (SNMF), for the dereverberation and separation of the underlying speeches from the speech mixture. Firstly, we use the RPCA algorithm to dereverberate the reverberant mixture, and then we use the SNMF technique to separate the speeches from the speech mixture. We consider unseen RIRs conditions and compare the results with the baseline. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm improves the speech quality both in evaluation parameters as well as listening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The GST protein of G. explanatum (GeGST) was purified using affinity chromatography. • The purified GeGST was found to be highly immunogenic. • Circulating GST antigen and anti GST antibodies were successfully detected in buffaloes naturally infected with G. explanatum. • GeGST could be used as an important antigen for the diagnosis of amphistomosis under field conditions. The foodborne trematodiases pose a significant health problem to the animals as well as the human population living in close proximities with the livestock and are still considered as the neglected tropical diseases by the World Health Organisation. The digenetic trematode, Gigantocotyle explanatum infecting the liver of Indian water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis, has been identified as one of the most common helminth parasite responsible for the disease, amphistomosis, in livestock. Despite huge abattoir prevalence, the epidemiological data and the actual economic losses incurred due to this parasite alone are yet to be established probably due to the limitations of routinely used diagnostic tests. The gold standard for the confirmation of such infections under field conditions is still the fecal egg count (FEC). However, the poor sensitivity and cumbersome nature of these tests necessitates the development of a more sensitive, reliable and easy to perform workflow/method. Immunological diagnosis of helminthic infections is still considered as an alternative to the FEC. Therefore, efforts have been made to utilize glutathione-S-transferase (GST), a vitally significant molecule of the adult G. explanatum, for the serodiagnosis of amphistomosis under both laboratory and field conditions. The GST antigen was first affinity purified from the somatic extract of the adult worms since its highest level was recorded in the somatic extracts followed by eggs and the excretory/secretory products. A five-fold affinity purified native GST antigen of about 25 kDa was found to be highly immunogenic as evident from high titre (1:25,600) of the polyclonal antibodies raised in the rabbits. The immunoblotting results revealed differential presence of GST in the adult worms, their eggs and excretory/secretory products. The immunolocalization studies revealed that the vitelline glands are the major source of GST in liver amphistome. Further, we were able to successfully screen animals naturally infected with G. explanatum using anti GST polyclonal antibodies in dot blot assay. High levels of both circulating GST antigen and anti GST antibodies were detected in the serum of the animals naturally infected with G. explanatum, while no cross reactivity was observed with the tropical liver fluke, F. gigantica which often infects the buffalo liver concurrently. The findings of the present study indicate that GST could be used as an important antigen for the diagnosis of G. explanatum infection in Indian water buffaloes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emission of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in South Asian countries is one of the great environmental concerns and has resulted in the contamination of surrounding high altitude regions such as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan. This first investigation of Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCBs) concentrations in the ambient air, water and surface soil was conducted along the extensive stream network in the AJK valley of the Himalayan Region. In 2014, surface soil samples were taken and passive air and water samplers were deployed along the four main rivers, namely Jhelum, Neelum, Poonch and Kunhar, and analysed for PCBs (33 congeners) using GC-MS/MS. The ∑ 33 PCBs concentrations ranged from 31.17 to 175.2 (mean ± SD: 81 ± 46.4 pg/L), ND to 1908 (1054 ± 588.5 pg/g), and 29.8 to 94.4 (52.9 ± 22.7 pg/m3) in surface water, soil and air matrices, respectively. The levels of dioxin-like PCBs (∑ 8 DL-PCBs) contributed considerably towards the total PCBs concentrations: 60.63% (water), 43.87% (air) and 13.76% (soil). The log transformed air-water fugacity (log fa/fw) ratios ranged from −9.37 to 2.58; with 86.3% of the sampling sites showing net volatilization of selected PCB congeners. Similarly, the fugacity fractions for air-soil exchange exhibited narrow variation (0.8 to < 1) indicating net volatilization of PCBs. The ecological risk assessment showed low potential ecological risks ( E r i = 1.58–7.63) associated with PCB contamination. The present findings provide baseline data that suggest cold trapping of POPs in the remote mountainous areas of Pakistan and can support environmental management of POPs at the regional level. This pioneer investigation campaign to assess the PCBs concentrations in Himalayan Riverine Network of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan helps to develop baseline data of PCBs from the strategically important riverine environment that would help in future regional as well as global ecological studies. However, the effects of temperature variations on the sampling rates of chemicals across a wide spectrum of volatility along the elevation gradient were not taken under consideration for PCBs atmospheric concentrations. Image 1 • Pioneer investigation of PCBs in riverine network of AJK, Pakistan. • Hepta-PCBs (in water), penta-PCBs (in soil), and hexa-PCBs (in air) identified as dominant homologs. • Net volatilization of PCBs from soil and water to the atmosphere. • Low potential ecological risks associated with PCB contamination. Practical Implications: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of high-rate supercapacitors is greatly controlled by the electrical and morphological properties of electrodes. Owing to its unique behavior, polyaniline (PANI) is considered one of the best materials for storing energy. This study emphasizes the fabrication of PANI and PANI/bismuth-doped zinc oxide (PANI/Bi–ZnO) as electrode materials for high-efficiency supercapacitors. The pure PANI and its composite were synthesized through inverse emulsion polymerization and investigated for structural and morphological characterization using UV/Vis spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. These characterization techniques showed that the fabricated materials were suitable for supercapacitor electrodes with improved structural, thermal, and morphological properties. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, galvanostatic charging–discharging, and cyclic voltammetry were used to investigate the electrochemical properties. The PANI-based electrode showed ∼564.23 F/g charge storage capacity with ∼60% of capacitance retention, which correspondingly increased to ∼914.05 F/g and ∼88% in PANI/Bi–ZnO composite even after 10,000 charge–discharge cycles. The PANI/Bi–ZnO composite also displayed remarkably high energy density (∼2189.90 Wh/kg) and power density (∼38480.42 W/kg) values. The fabricated electrode is expected to have a large capacity for storing energy and power in commercial electrochemical electrodes. [Display omitted] • Synthesis and characterization of PANI and PANI/Bi–ZnO. • Improved charge storage capacity, up to 914.05 F/g. • High capacitance retention of 88%. • High energy (∼2189.90 Wh/kg) and power density (∼38,480.4 W/k). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria poses a significant threat to public health and ranks among the principal causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy is an emerging therapeutic technique that has excellent potential to embark upon antibiotic resistance problems. The efficacy of this therapy hinges on the careful selection of suitable photosensitizers (PSs). Transition metal complexes, such as Ruthenium (Ru) and Iridium (Ir), are highly suitable for use as PSs because of their surface plasmonic resonance, crystal structure, optical characteristics, and photonics. These metals belong to the platinum family and exhibit similar chemical behavior due to their partially filled d-shells. Ruthenium and Iridium-based complexes generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), which interact with proteins and DNA to induce cell death. As photodynamic therapeutic agents, these complexes have been widely studied for their efficacy against cancer cells, but their potential for antibacterial activity remains largely unexplored. Our study focuses on exploring the antibacterial photodynamic effect of Ruthenium and Iridium-based complexes against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. We aim to provide a comprehensive overview of various types of research in this area, including the structures, synthesis methods, and antibacterial photodynamic applications of these complexes. Our findings will provide valuable insights into the design, development, and modification of PSs to enhance their photodynamic therapeutic effect on bacteria, along with a clear understanding of their mechanism of action. Ru- and Ir-based complexes generated the ROSs in the presence of a light source, and those ROSs are further responsible for the degradation of bacterial cells. [Display omitted] • We discuss the antibacterial photodynamic properties of Ru and Ir-based complexes. • Synthesis procedure and various structures of Ru and Ir-based complexes are described. • Ru and Ir-based complexes revealed better antibacterial photodynamic therapeutic effects toward G (+) bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of extremely dispersed redox-heterojunctions is a critical step toward improving of photocatalytic activity. Nonetheless, electron transfer faces momentous hurdles at the interfaces of these redox-heterojunction, mainly as a result of the considerable gap and potential-barrier between them. To address this obstacle, a bifunctional phosphate was deliberately introduced as an electron-bridge into the Cu 2 O/CeO 2 redox-heterojunction system, aiming to necessitate a potential-barrier, establish a photoelectron transport route to improve the surface catalysis, and serve as a catalyst stabilizer, leading to improved dispersion of Cu 2 O on the CeO 2 surface. The resultant intricately dispersed and optimized redox-heterojunction showcased an unparalleled advancement in apparent quantum efficiency (AQE), attaining an approximate value of 1.41 % at 420 nm during the photocatalytic CO 2 reduction. The experimental findings established a conspicuous association between the substantial increase in AQE and the diminished interfacial migration resistance, heightened dispersion, and abundance of more active-sites, all accredited to phosphate-modulation in the redox-heterojunction. The work emphasizes the significant importance of phosphate in bridging the conduction and valence bands of semiconductors, leading to enhanced photocarrier separation efficiency and improved molecular dispersion. • A Bifunctional phosphate group was rationally introduced into redox Cu 2 O/CeO 2 heterojunction system. • Phosphate modulation reduces the interfacial electron migration resistance and enhances Cu 2 O dispersion on CeO 2. • The optimized dispersed redox heterojunction demonstrated a quantum efficiency of 1.41 % at 420 nm for CO 2 conversion. • Improved photoactivity stems from reduced migration resistance, enhanced dispersion, and increased active-site abundance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In real-time applications, the aim of speech enhancement (SE) is to achieve optimal performance while ensuring computational efficiency and near-instant outputs. Many deep neural models have achieved optimal performance in terms of speech quality and intelligibility. However, formulating efficient and compact deep neural models for real-time processing on resource-limited devices remains a challenge. This study presents a compact neural model designed in a complex frequency domain for speech enhancement, optimized for resource-limited devices. The proposed model combines convolutional encoder–decoder and recurrent architectures to effectively learn complex mappings from noisy speech for real-time speech enhancement, enabling low-latency causal processing. Recurrent architectures such as Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM), Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU), and Simple Recurrent Unit (SRU), are incorporated as bottlenecks to capture temporal dependencies and improve the performance of SE. By representing the speech in the complex frequency domain, the proposed model processes both magnitude and phase information. Further, this study extends the proposed models and incorporates attention-gate-based skip connections, enabling the models to focus on relevant information and dynamically weigh the important features. The results show that the proposed models outperform the recent benchmark models and obtain better speech quality and intelligibility. The proposed models show less computational load and deliver better results. This study uses the WSJ0 database where clean sentences from WSJ0 are mixed with different background noises to create noisy mixtures. The results show that STOI and PESQ are improved by 21.1% and 1.25 (41.5%) on the WSJ0 database whereas, on the VoiceBank+DEMAND database, STOI and PESQ are improved by 4.1% and 1.24 (38.6%) respectively. The extension of the models shows further improvement in STOI and PESQ in seen and unseen noisy conditions. • Proposed Deep Models with LSTM, GRU, and SRU Model for Speech Enhancement. • To Capture Temporal Sequences, LSTM, GRU, and SRU are applied to extracted Spectral Features. • Attention Gates are added to the Skip Connections to Focus on Important Spectral Features. • The Proposed SE Models are Evaluated on two datasets (WSJ0 and VoiceBank+DEMAND). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The increased ROS level, enhanced lipid peroxidation along with the disruption of antioxidant and detoxification cascade resulted in oxidative stress in the F. gigantica infected animals. • Massive infiltration of immune cells was observed in the F. gigantica infected liver. • The level of IL-4 and IL-6 cytokines was altered in the infected animals. • The change in the adenosine deaminase activity could modulate the host's immune response towards Th-2 type. Fine tuning of the metabolic, physiological and immunological cues along with interplay between the biomolecules of the host and the parasite could be responsible for the successful establishment of parasitic infections. The present investigation was aimed at evaluating the oxidative status and the level of adenosine deaminase (ADA) in the serum and liver of rabbits experimentally infected with Fasciola gigantica. A significant increase in level of ROS, MDA and 4-HNE along with a decline in the SOD, CAT, GR and GST activity was evident in rabbits experimentally infected with Fasciola gigantica. However, there was an increase in the GPX activity in the sera of infected rabbits. The increased GPX activity and decreased GR activity would have resulted in the depletion of GSH, a key non-enzymatic antioxidant, in the infected animals. The level of GSSG was also found to be higher in the sera and liver tissues of the infected rabbits along with a decline in the GSH/GSSG ratio, indicating a high level of oxidative stress in the infected animals, which also showed a significant increase in the activity of the marker enzymes of liver pathology, AST and ALT. Further, a significant inhibition of the adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity in the infected rabbits was accompanied with the reduction in the level of pro-inflammatory cytokine, IL-6 while the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-4 level was significantly elevated. In conclusion, the F. gigantica induced significant oxidative stress as evident from the increased levels of ROS and lipid peroxidation along with the disruption of antioxidant and detoxification cascade ultimately lead to pathogenic and inflammatory responses in the experimental host. Whereas, the altered ADA activity could modulate the host's immune responses toward Th-2 type and would facilitate the successful establishment of flukes within their host, thus indicating that ADA could be exploited as a target for the development of novel anthelmintic drugs against fasciolosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravitational water vortex turbine (GWVT) is one of the emerging micro-hydro power plants because it requires less expertise, low head and reduced setup space for installation. A detailed performance evaluation of the GWVT based on turbine performance curves is yet to be explored. With the help of mathematical expressions along with the experimentation, the present study presents different performance parameters (PPs) such as; rotational speed, torque, brake power and mechanical efficiency of single-stage GWVT under various flow and design conditions. The effect of vortex height, runner position, percentage submergence of blades, notch angle, blades aspect ratio, blades curvature, blades inclination, hub diameter, straight and conical edged blades on the PPs has been investigated. The analytical and experimental results are in a good agreement both qualitatively and quantitatively. The experimental results show that the vortex height and a good vortex shape with fully developed air core are the major parameters in deciding the performance of GWVT. Better performance of GWVT can be achieved at middle of the rotational speed range i.e. between the minimum and maximum load conditions with minimum possible notch angle and hub diameter, using inclined blades of zero curvature fixed near the bottom of the basin. • Turbine design and operating conditions affect the turbine performance. • Rotational speed is a strong function of blade submergence in water vortex. • Vortex height with fully developed air core mainly drives the turbine performance. • Best performance lies at mid-range rpm with minimum notch angle and hub diameter. • Inclined blades of zero curvature fixed near bottom of basin are the best performer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the organic-inorganic hybrid materials have gained tremendous importance due to their unique applications in different technological fields. In this connection, the chemical synthesis of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and its binary and ternary nanocomposites by in-situ bulk polymerization with various percentages of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and hematite nanoparticles (Fe 2 O 3 NPs) is presented. Dielectric properties of binary and ternary nanocomposites are investigated in the frequency range of 25 Hz-1 MHz for each composition. Ternary nanocomposite of PMMA with RGO:Fe 2 O 3 NPs (2:2 wt%) exhibits a substantial enhancement of the dielectric constant up to ≈308 and suppressed dielectric loss of 0.12 at 25 Hz. Appearance of three types of interfaces in ternary PMMA nanocomposites accounts for the superior dielectric properties due to the accumulation of greater number of charges at the interfaces as compared to the binary nanocomposites with only one interface. The same optimized ternary PMMA nanocomposite shows a remarkable improvement in the thermal conductivity (2.04 W/mK), which is attributed to the formation of efficient thermal conducting pathways contributed by the synergic reduction in thermal resistance of both RGO and Fe 2 O 3 NPs (2:2 wt%) relative to the binary nanocomposites PMMA/2 wt% RGO (1.04 W/mK) and PMMA/2 wt% Fe 2 O 3 (0.98 W/mK). Thus, ternary nanocomposites prove to be the excellent candidates for thermal management applications. Furthermore, a comparison of the mechanical strength and thermal stability for all the binary and ternary nanocomposites is presented. In the last section, respective precursors and optimized binary and ternary nanocomposites are characterized by XRD, FTIR and SEM which reveal the strong interaction of respective nanofillers into PMMA matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed-valance manganites with strong electron correlation exhibit strong potential for spintronics, where emergent magnetic behaviors, such as propagation of high-frequency spin waves and giant topological Hall Effects can be driven by their mesoscale spin textures. Here, we create magnetic vortex clusters with flux closure spin configurations in single-crystal La 0.67 Sr 0.33 MnO 3 wire. A distinctive transformation from out-of-plane domains to a vortex state is directly visualized using magnetic force microscopy at 4 K in wires when the width is below 1.0 μm. The phase-field modeling indicates that the inhomogeneous strain, accompanying with shape anisotropy, plays a key role for stabilizing the flux-closure spin structure. This work offers a new perspective for understanding and manipulating the non-trivial spin textures in strongly correlated systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Biomimetic nanocomposites containing hydroxyapatite and natural polymers are promising candidates for bone grafting. In this work, a tricomponent bioactive nanocomposite (nHA-CH-TFSP) assembling nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA), Chitosan (CH) and Trigonella foenum graecum seed polysaccharide (TFSP) was developed using co-precipitation method and investigated against bicomponent nHA-CH nanocomposite for bone tissue engineering. In contrast to nHA-CH nanocomposite, nHA-CH-TFSP nanocomposite exhibited rough and interconnected porous structure as revealed by SEM with the porosity (60.3 ± 0.17) lying in the range of cancellous bone. The incorporation of TFSP in nHA-CH substantially enhanced the in vitro water absorption capacity and protein adsorption ability along with appropriate biodegradation rate. Additionally, the nHA-CH-TFSP nanocomposite exhibited superior antibacterial activity. The nHA-CH-TFSP evinced a compressive strength of 6.7 ± 0.24 MPa and a compressive modulus of 100 ± 1.4 MPa, which fulfill the strength requisite of cancellous bone and could provide strong support for the growth of osteoblasts cells. Furthermore, the in vitro bioactivity study demonstrated its excellent biomineralization capacity in comparison to nHA-CH. The synthesized nHA-CH-TFSP nanocomposite exhibited better cytocompatibility towards the MG-63 cells along with its haemocompatible nature. Taken together the results of the present study indicate that nHA-CH-TFSP could serve as a prospective analogue for bone tissue engineering. Highlights • Enhanced crystallinity and mechanical properties; comparable to that of natural bone • Dense apatite formation during mineralization in SBF • Improved cytocompatibility, haemocompatibility and protein adsorption • Enhanced hydrophilicity and thus greater antibacterial activity • Underscores TFSP in the context of bone tissue engineering [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic is a pervasive environmental pollutant that is found in ground waters globally and is related to numerous morbidities in the high-risk population areas in countries including Bangladesh, India, and the USA. Arsenic exposure has been ubiquitously reported for exacerbating free radical generation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and apoptosis by interfering with the mPTP functioning. Over the past decades, nutraceuticals with antioxidant properties have shown promising efficacy in arsenic poisoning. In the present study, we have examined, the protective efficacy of thymoquinone (TQ), an active component of seed oil of Nigella sativa with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity on arsenic–induced toxicity in hippocampi of Wistar rats. In our results, arsenic conditioning (10 mg/kg b.wt.; p.o.) for 8 days has caused a significant increase in intracellular ROS generation, mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptotic events. On the contrary pretreatment with TQ (2.5 and 5 mg/kg b.wt.; p.o.) inhibited arsenic–induced mitochondrial dysfunction such as lowering of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm). Our results indicated that the neuroprotective efficacy of TQ in arsenic–induced stress is mediated through or in part by inhibition of mPTP opening. Demonstration of neuroprotective action of TQ provides insight into the pathogenesis of arsenic-related neuropathological morbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this communication we describe the fabrication of nano-hydroxyapatite/chitosan-tamarind seed polysaccharide (n-HA/CS-TSP) nanocomposite with a weight ratio of 70/20/10, 70/15/15 and 70/10/20, respectively through a co-precipitation method. A comparative assessment of the properties of n-HA/CS-TSP and n-HA/CS nanocomposites was done by FT-IR, SEM–EDX, TEM, TGA/DTA, XRD and mechanical testing. The results suggested strong chemical interactions between the three components, decreased particle size and homogeneous dispersion of n-HA particles in n-HA/CS-TSP as compared to n-HA/CS. The n-HA/CS-TSP (70/10/20) showed the most porous and rough surface, enhanced thermal stability and highest compressive strength (4.0 MPa) and modulus (81 MPa). In addition, n-HA/CS-TSP (70/10/20) exhibited greater swelling character, acceptable degradation and increased biomineralization in simulated body fluid (SBF) as compared to n-HA/CS-TSP (70/20/10, 70/15/15) and n-HA/CS nanocomposites. The superior non-toxic response with MG-63 cells and better haemocompatibility was observed with n-HA/CS-TSP (70/15/15). Thereby, n-HA/CS-TSP nanocomposites could be promising alternative biomaterials in the field of bone tissue engineering compared to the n-HA/CS nanocomposite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the most common type of dementia in elderly ( >65 years of age). Excessive extra cellular deposits of amyloid beta (Aβ) are a pathological feature of AD. Aβ can cause cell death through oxidative damage; recent studies have implicated opening of mPTP as a detrimental event in AD-related mitochondrial dysfunctions. Over the past few years, natural compounds with antioxidant properties have shown promise for intervention in AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Porphyrin and perylene diimide have great application potential in organic optoelectronic devices. However, large plane frames of porphyrin and PDI tend to aggregate, resulting in low power conversion efficiency. In this work, four side chain modified porphyrins (H 2 TCPP, ZnTCPP, H 2 TCPP(CH 3) 4 , ZnTCPP(CH 3) 4), and one perylene diimide (PDI-C5) were synthesized. The blended films of the donor and acceptor were prepared by a simple and low-cost liquid deposition method. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and global analysis revealed that ZnTCPP(CH 3) 4 :PDI-C5 showed a higher rate of charge transfer and radical ions formation compared to the other porphyrin donors, which means that the ZnTCPP(CH 3) 4 has good compatibility with PDI-C5. In addition, we also characterized these blended films by ultraviolet–visible absorption spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and AFM techniques. The CV results show that the difference between the LUMO of each porphyrin donor and PDI-C5 acceptor is about 0.3 eV, which is sufficient for exciton dissociation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ecofriendly synthesis of Ag decorated ZnO nanoparticles was carried out. • Carya illinoinensis leaves extract was used as reducing and capping agent. • Decoration of Ag increased the photocatalytic activity due to trapping of electrons. • The effect of various factors were examined, degradation kinetic of dye (Rhodamine B) obeyed pseudo first order model. In the present work, ZnO and Ag@ZnO nanoparticles based photocatalyst were synthesized via green route by using the leaves extract of pecan nuts (Carya illinoinensis) for the first time. The phytochemicals present in leaf of extract pecan nuts (Carya illinoinensis) such as methyl gallate and kaempferol act as capping and reducing agents. The obtained photocatalyst were analyzed via various techniques such as XRD (X-ray diffraction), TEM (transmission electron microscopy), SEM (scanning electron microscopy), FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), PL (Photoluminescence spectroscopy), XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and UV (UV–visible spectroscopy). The activity of biogenic photocatalyst were investigated against RhB (Rhodamine B) dye and the results demonstrated that the catalytic properties become enhanced significantly after Ag doping as compared to bare ZnO. The effect of various parameters were also investigated such as pH, catalyst dose, initial concentration of dye. The obtained results showed highest efficacy of catalyst at pH 10, further the photo-degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye followed pseudo first order kinetic model. The reusability test of biogenic photocatalyst revealed that the catalyst was an excellent option for practical use with high stability even after 5 cycles. The mechanism for, ZnO and Ag@ZnO synthesis and degradation pathway of RhB dye was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]