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Wetlands are represented in Saudi Arabia in the form of mangrove, sabkha, and wadi (valleys) systems, and these habitats are considered as a sanctuary for biodiversity. The present study aimed to identify different vegetation groups in a wetland site in Wadi Hargan near Alqurainah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and to relate different plant communities and plant diversity to soil moisture, salinity, and other soil properties. Floristic analysis and vegetation structure were investigated within 15 stands along the wadi and were subjected to correlation analysis with soil factors via multivariate analysis. The floristic survey revealed the presence of 111 plant species belonging to 39 families. The most represented families were Asteraceae, Poaceae, Brassicaceae, Caryophyllaceae, and Papilionaceae, which accounted for the largest proportion (55.4%) of the total species. The therophytes were the dominant life form, where they were represented by 46.9% of the total number of species. The application of cluster analysis (TWINSPAN) to the importance value of each species based on the relative cover and density led to the recognition of four plant communities: (A) Phragmites australis—Tamarix nilotica community, (B) Zygophyllum coccineum—Acacia gerrardii community, (C) Lycium shawii—Zygophyllum coccineum community, and (D) Rhazya stricta community. The soil analysis and correlation test revealed significant variations in the content of salinity, moisture, CO3, Cl, SO4, Ca, Mg, and Na among the plant communities. It can be concluded that soil moisture and salinity factors were the fundamental driving forces for plant community structure in the studied wadi. The wadi was moderately grazed, mainly by camels; thereby, the invasive plant Rhazya stricta dominated the central region of the wadi. Also, human interference was observed at the end of the wadi, where some weeds sprouted such as Malva parviflora. The presence of those two rare wetland species, Adiantum capillus-veneris and Ficus salicifolia, in the study area, showed the unique properties of the studied wadi and necessitate an urgent biodiversity conservation action to protect its natural vegetation from overgrazing and human interference.

Essential oil (EO) allelopathy has been considered as potential applications in organic agriculture and weed management, where the EOs can be used as eco-friendly natural herbicides. Rhazya stricta is a widely distributed dwarf shrub in the Arabian Peninsula and is characterized by its toxicity. The present study aimed to investigate the chemical composition of the R. stricta EO using quantitative and qualitative analysis via Gas chromatography/ mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) and GC-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) as well as assess its phytotoxicity on weeds. Fifty-four volatile components were identified, representing 97.5% of total oil. The terpenes were found as the backbone of the oil constituents including mono- (55.28%) and sesqui-terpenes (27.35%), alongside non-terpenoid constituents (13.63%). From the overall identified oil constituents, trans-chrysanthenyl acetate (31.57%), cis-verbenol (11.84%), octadecenoic acid, methyl ester (4.84%), cubenol (4.82%), davana ether (4.79%), (E)-9-octadecenoic acid ethyl ester (3.93%) represented the abundant compounds. The EO exhibited strong phytotoxicity on the germination and seedling growth of weeds Dactyloctenium aegyptium and Chenopodiastrum murale compared to the crop Triticum aestivum. The EO showed an IC50 of 6.66, 7.75, and 6.45 mg/L for seed germination, shoot growth, and root growth, respectively for the weed D. aegyptium, while it showed 5.41, 8.33, and 6.82 mg/L for C. murale compared to 16.9, 18.5, and 19.5 for T. aestivum mg/L for seed germination, shoot growth, and root growth, respectively. The observed strong phytotoxicity could be ascribed to the higher content of the oxygenated terpenoid compounds, whereas, further study is recommended to evaluate the phytotoxicity of the major compounds either singularly or in combination against weeds and determine their mode(s) of action as bioherbicides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Wheat commands attention due to its significant impact on culture, nutrition, the economy, and the guarantee of food security. The anticipated rise in temperatures resulting from climate change is a key factor contributing to food insecurity, as it markedly reduces wheat harvests. Terminal heat stress mostly affects spike fertility in wheat, specifically influencing pollen fertility and anther morphology. This research especially focuses on the shape of anthers and examines the effects of heat stress. The DinoLite Microscope’s high-resolution images are used to measure the length and width of wheat anthers. By using object identification techniques, the research accurately measures the length and width of each anther in images, offering valuable insights into the differences between various wheat varieties. Furthermore, Deep Learning (DL) methodologies are utilized to enhance agriculture, specifically employing record categorization to advance plant breeding management. Given the ongoing challenges in agriculture, there is a belief that incorporating the latest technologies is crucial. The primary objective of this study is to explore how Deep Learning algorithms can be beneficial in categorizing agricultural records, particularly in monitoring and identifying variations in spring wheat germplasm. Various Deep Learning algorithms, including Convolution Neural Network (CNN), LeNet, and Inception-V3 are implemented to classify the records and extract various patterns. LeNet demonstrates optimized accuracy in classifying the records, outperforming CNN by 52% and Inception-V3 by 70%. Moreover, Precision, Recall, and F1 Measure are utilized to ascertain accuracy levels. The investigation also enhances our comprehension of the distinct roles played by various genes in abiotic stress tolerance among diverse wheat varieties. The outcomes of the research hold the potential to transform agricultural practices by introducing a more effective, data-driven approach to plant breeding management.

Abstract Cd-enriched cadmium telluride (CdTe) polycrystalline films were grown on corning glass substrates by close spaced sublimation (CSS) technique. To our knowledge, Cd-enriched CdTe thin films by CSS have not [...]

Landslides are frequent geological hazards, mainly in the rainy season along road corridors worldwide. In the present study, we have comparatively analyzed landslide susceptibility by employing integrated geospatial approaches, i.e., data-driven, knowledge-driven, and machine learning (ML), along the main road corridors of the Muzaffarabad district. The landslide inventory of three road corridors is developed to evaluate landslide susceptibility, and eleven landslide causative factors (LCFs) were analyzed. After statistical significance analysis, these eleven LCFs generated susceptibility models using WoE, AHP, LR, and RF. Distance from roads, landcover, lithological units, and slopes are considered more influential LCFs. The performance matrix of different LSMs is evaluated through the area under the curve (AUC-ROC), overall accuracy, Kappa index, F1 score, Mean Absolute Error, and Root Mean Square Error. The AUC-ROC for WoE, AHP, LR, and RF techniques along Neelum road is 0.86, 0.82, 0.91, and 0.97, respectively, along Jhelum Valley road is 0.83, 0.81, 0.93, and 0.95, respectively, while along Kohala road is 0.89, 0.88, 0.89, and 0.92, respectively. The produced LSMs through ML (i.e., RF and LR) showed better prediction accuracies than WoE and AHP along these three road corridors. The LSMs are categorized into very high, high, moderate, and low susceptible zones along these roads. The LSM generated through hybrid models can facilitate the concerned local agencies to implement landslide mitigation policies for the landslide-prone zones along road corridors.

The cultivated soils in several semi-arid areas have very low organic matter due to climatic constraints that limit primary crop yield. Conservation tillage systems, outlined here as no tillage, no tillage with straw return and straw incorporation into the field, have been accepted as capable systems that preserve soil’s resources and sustain soil productivity. However, in semi-arid climates, there is presently no knowledge about the influence of different conservation tillage techniques on soil’s physical, chemical and biological properties at different soil depths in spring wheat fields and only little information about spring wheat yield in these management systems. Therefore, the present study was carried out with the objective of examining the impact of conservation tillage systems on soil properties (physical, chemical and biological) and spring wheat yield. The three conservation tillage treatments consisted of no tillage system (NT), wheat stubble return with no tillage (NTS) and straw incorporation with conventional tillage (CTS), as well as one conventional tillage (CT) control treatment, which were evaluated under randomized complete block design with three replications. The three conservation tillage treatments were compared with the conventional tillage control. Conservation tillage significantly increased the bulk density, gravimetric water content, water storage, hydraulic conductivity and soil aggregates and decreased the pore space and soil temperature compared to CT; however, no significant difference was found in the case of field capacity. Soil chemical properties in the 0–40 cm soil layer increased with conservation tillage compared to CT. Conservation tillage also notably increased the soil microbial counts, urease, alkaline phosphatase, invertase, cellulase and catalase activities relative to CT. Microbial biomasses (carbon and nitrogen) and wheat yield significantly elevated under conservation tillage compared to CT. Therefore, conservation tillage could significantly improve soil properties and maintain wheat yield for the research zone.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Distal femur fractures are increasingly common injuries in today’s orthopedic practice. Early treatment with suitable implant brings in promising functional outcomes. There is a growing debate over the type of implant used in these injuries. Therefore, we have compared two commonly used implants to determine the functional outcomes in search of an implant that has less post op complications, less technically demanding and produces better results. To compare the functional outcome of dynamic condylar screw with condylar blade plate in treatment of distal femur fractures. METHODOLOGY: A total of 372 skeletally mature patients aging 18-60 years of both gender with fracture distal femur (Type A, according to OTA classification) presented within 3 weeks of fracture time were included. Patients meeting inclusion criteria were stratified into two groups having 186 patients each. Group A and Group B. Group A received dynamic condylar screw fixation and in group B, condylar blade plate fixation was preferred. Patients were followed for 3 years and their Functional outcome was evaluated with the help of Lysholm Knee Score. RESULTS: Lysholm knee score after 3 years in group A (Dynamic condylar screw) was excellent (95-100) in 173 patients (76.9%), Good in 33 (17.7 %), Fair in 8 (4.3%), poor in 2 (1.1%).However, group B had Excellent in 57(30.6%), Good in 59(31.7%), Fair in 38 (20.4%), and poor in 32 (17.2%). CONCLUSION: Dynamic condylar screw can be used as an effective treatment with better functional outcome as compared to condylar blade plate in type A fractures of distal femur.

This paper discusses the state of the art in the application of self-healing silicone-based materials for outdoor high-voltage insulation. Both the dynamic behavior of the dimethyl side groups of silicone rubber and the diffusion of a bulk siloxane to maintain low surface energy are respectively reported as intrinsic mechanisms responsible for the self-healing of silicone rubber. Localization, temporality, mobility, and the type of synthesis are the aspects defining the efficiency of the self-healing ability of silicone rubber. In addition, the deterioration of the self-healing ability with filler loaded into silicone rubber insulation housing composites is discussed. Taking the self-healing property into consideration among the other properties of silicone rubber insulators, such as tracking and erosion resistance, can be a useful design practice at the material development stage. Hydrophobicity retention, recovery, and transfer measurements are discussed as useful indicators of the self-healing ability of silicone rubber. Nevertheless, there remains a need to standardize them as design tests at the material development stage. The paper is intended to shed the light on the hydrophobicity recovery, a key material design parameter in the development of silicone rubber outdoor insulating composites, similar to the tracking and erosion resistance.

The use of real-time systems is growing at an increasing rate. This raises the power efficiency as the main challenge for system designers. Power asymmetric multicore processors provide a power-efficient platform for building complex real-time systems. The utilization of this efficient platform can be further enhanced by adopting proficient scheduling policies. Unfortunately, the research on real-time scheduling of power asymmetric multicore processors is in its infancy. In this research, we have addressed this problem and added new results. We have proposed a dynamic-priority semi-partitioned algorithm named: Earliest-Deadline First with C=D Task Splitting (EDFwC=D-TS) for scheduling real-time applications on power asymmetric multicore processors. EDFwC=D-TS outclasses its counterparts in terms of system utilization. The simulation results show that EDFwC=D-TS schedules up to 67% more tasks with heavy workloads. Furthermore, it improves the processor utilization up to 11% and on average uses 14% less cores to schedule the given workload.

Soil-based radon investigations are of value in correlating radon production and its transportation into buildings through the processes of convection and diffusion. Such studies can help in identifying land areas that pose special concerns. We present preliminary results of soil radon gas measurements at 60 different locations in an attempt to map out the geohazard zone of the city of Muzaffarabad. The seismic geohazard microzonation for the area includes five microzones based on different hazard parameters: a very high hazard zone, a high hazard zone, a moderate hazard zone, a low hazard zone, and a safe zone. Measurements were taken with an active radon monitoring system at the depths of 30, 40, 50, and 60 cm below the ground surface. The results obtained were explained by the lithology of the area. Average soil radon gas concentrations were correlated with the depth from the ground surface and indoor radon values for the study area. No significant correlation was found between soil radon gas and meteorological parameters, however soil radon gas increases as the depth from the surface of the ground grows. The results showed a linear relation between soil radon concentrations with depth from ground surface (R2 = 0.9577). The minimum soil radon concentration (68.5 Bq/m3) was found at a depth of 30 cm in the very high hazard zone, the maximum value (53.300 Bq/m3) at a depth of 60 cm in the seismically safe zone. Measured soil gas radon concentrations at depths of 30, 40, 50, and 60 cm were mapped for high, moderate, and low radon concentrations. Elevated soil radon gas concentrations were found in the safe zone, otherwise considered to be suitable for any type of construction.

Abstract: Polycrystalline thin films of Cd x Hg1−x Te (0.958< x <0.997) were obtained by deposition of HgTe on pre-deposited CdTe thin films used as substrates by close spaced sublimation (CSS) technique. The cadmium mercury telluride (CMT) thin film samples characterized by different techniques showed a decreasing trend of band gap from 1.48 to 1.43 eV with the increase of Hg concentration. The deposited samples showed high value of resistivity. The prepared samples were infrared sensitive in the 800–900 nm wavelength range. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) is the development of hematopoietic tissue outside the bone marrow and it most often occurs in the liver and spleen. Renal EMH is quite rare, and there are very few case reports concerning the kidney. We describe a case diagnosed with congenital dyserythropoetic anemia presenting with a solitary renal mass with splenomegaly. CECT showed a heterogeneously enhancing mass lesion suggestive of renal neoplasm. Microscopic examination revealed features of extramedullary hematopoiesis. We intend to present this case because of the rarity of EMH in kidney and to emphasize that its possibility should be kept in mind in any case of solitary renal mass, especially in those patients suffering from chronic hematological disorders.

Desmoid tumors are benign neoplasms of fibroblasts characterized by local invasiveness. They often recur after surgical resection. They constitute about 3.5% of all fibrous tissue tumors and 0.03% of all neoplasms. Paraspinal desmoid tumors are rare and only few cases have been reported in the literature. We present an 18-year-old female presenting with a paraspinal mass. Patient had a history of trauma at the same site one year back. FNA (Fine needle aspiration) was done and a diagnosis of benign fibroblastic lesion was made which was later confirmed on histopathology. We present this case on account of its rarity and its importance in the differential diagnosis of post traumatic paraspinal masses.

We analyze performance of famous cluster based routing protocols and identify the factors affecting energy consumption in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). From theoretical and experimental analysis, it is observed that communication distance and cluster node density are the major sources in the formation of energy and coverage holes. To overcome these deficiencies, we propose a new hybrid approach of static clustering and dynamic selection of cluster heads. We also conduct a comprehensive energy consumption analysis of our technique with selected existing ones. Simulation results show that the proposed technique is relatively better in terms of energy holes minimization and network lifetime prolongation.

A well-designed polarimeter is integral to the realization of the highly sensitive atomic magnetometer. Amongst various detection schemes, optical polarimetry based on Faraday modulator is most commonly used owing to its angular sensitivity at low-frequency range. The multilayered solenoid coil is the key component of Faraday effect based optical detection system. This paper primarily deals with design and analysis of multilayered coil of Faraday modulator. All deterministic parameters that affect the optimum design have been identified and analyzed. Mathematical expressions have been obtained for axial field homogeneity; modulation depth and power dissipation manifesting direct dependence on coil geometry. The design parameters of the coil are optimized with respect to axial magnetic field homogeneity over region of interest and reduced power losses with suitable geometric construction. The influence of different geometrical and electromagnetic parameters on optimum design has been highlighted and guidelines for design procedure are given. Theoretical results have been compared with simulation and experimental results. The mathematical formulation could be implemented in a computer program for recurrence design and to assist the realization of an optimized design of Faraday modulator coil.

Electrochemical sensing has shown great promise in monitoring neurotransmitter levels, particularly dopamine, essential for diagnosing neurological illnesses like Parkinson's disease. Such techniques are easy, cost-effective, and extremely sensitive. The present investigation discusses the synthesis, characterization, and potential use of a cysteine-grafted Cu MOF/ZnO/PANI nanocomposite deposited on the modified glassy carbon electrode surface for nonenzymatic electrochemical sensing of dopamine. The synthesized nanocomposite was confirmed through X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, Raman, and scanning electron microscopy characterization techniques. Additionally, electrochemical analysis was conducted using cyclic voltammogram, differential pulse voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. The process was determined to be the diffusion-controlled oxidation of dopamine. Dopamine underwent spontaneous adsorption on the electrode surface through an electrochemically reversible mechanism. Despite various biological interfering factors, the nonenzymatic electrochemical sensor demonstrated a remarkable level of selectivity toward dopamine. Cysteine-grafted Cu MOF/ZnO/PANI produced the lowest dopamine detection limit, at 0.39 μM, and the sensitivity was observed as 122.57 μAmM -1 cm -2 . Results have demonstrated that enhanced catalytic and conductive properties of MOFs, combined with nanostructured materials, are the primary factors affecting the sensor's performance., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

The popular organophosphorus (OP) compound chlorpyrifos (CP) has recently gained significant attention due to its health risks, particularly among farmers exposed to OP pesticides. This study aimed to evaluate the acute toxicity of Cuscuta reflexa seed extract (CRSE) and its efficacy of mitigating the adverse effects of CP in albino male mice. For acute toxicity analysis, the first group was served as the control group, while the second group was received CRSE (200 mg/kg/bw) on the first day of the 14-day experiment. For hepatotoxicity analysis, the first group was the control group, the second group (vehicle control) received corn oil (CO) (2 mL/kg/bw), the third group was given CP (20 mg/kg/bw) dissolved in corn oil and the fourth group was given CP (20 mg/kg/bw) along-with CRSE (200 mg/kg/bw) orally via gavage once daily for 21 days. The acute toxicity examination revealed no statistically significant differences between the CRSE-treated and control groups in serum biochemical indicators and histopathological analyses of various organs, suggesting that CRSE as safe at a dosage of 200 mg/kg/bw, with an oral LD 50 in mice higher than 200 mg/kg. The hepatotoxicity study demonstrated that the CP administration resulted in liver damage and oxidative stress, while CRSE acted as an antioxidant and attenuated the signs of oxidative stress in liver damage. Hence, a promising therapeutic approach for lowering CP hepatotoxicity is co-treatment with CRSE., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Photocatalytic colloids enable light-triggered nonequilibrium interactions and are emerging as key components for the self-assembly of colloidal molecules (CMs) out of equilibrium. However, the material choices have largely been limited to inorganic substances and the potential for reconfiguring structures through dynamic light control remains underexplored, despite light being a convenient handle for tuning nonequilibrium interactions. Here, we introduce photoresponsive N,O-containing covalent organic polymer (NOCOP) colloids, which display multi-wavelength triggered fluorescence and switchable diffusiophoretic interactions with the addition of triethanolamine. Our system can form various flexible structures, including AB n -type molecules and linear chains. By varying the relative sizes of active to passive colloids, we significantly increase the structural diversity of A 2 B 2 -type molecules. Most importantly, we demonstrate in-situ transitions between different isomeric configurations and the reversible assembly of various structures, enabled by on-demand light ON and OFF control of diffusiophoretic interactions. Our work introduces a new photoresponsive colloidal system and a novel strategy for constructing and reconfiguring colloidal assemblies, with promising applications in microrobotics, optical devices, and smart materials., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The organization of microscopic objects into specific structures with movable parts is a prerequisite for building sophisticated micromachines with complex functions, as exemplified by their macroscopic counterparts. Here we report the self-assembly of active and passive colloids into micromachinery with passive rotational parts. Depending on the attachment of the active colloid to a substrate, which varies the degrees of free freedom of the assembly, colloidal machines with rich internal rotational dynamics are realized. Energetic analysis reveals that the energy efficiency increases with the degrees of freedom of the machine. The experimental results can be rationalized by the cooperation of phoretic interaction and osmotic flow encoded in the shape of the active colloid, which site-specifically binds and exerts a torque to passive colloids, supported by finite element calculations and mesoscale simulations. Our work offers a new design principle that utilizes nonequilibrium interfacial phenomena for spontaneous construction of multiple-component reconfigurable micromachinery.

Microorganisms display nonequilibrium predator-prey behaviors, such as chasing-escaping and schooling via chemotactic interactions. Even though artificial systems have revealed such biomimetic behaviors, switching between them by control over chemotactic interactions is rare. Here, a spindle-like iron-based metal-organic framework (MOF) colloidal motor which self-propels in glucose and H 2 O 2 , triggered by UV light is reported. These motors display intrinsic UV light-triggered fuel-dependent chemotactic interactions, which are used to tailor the collective dynamics of active-passive colloidal mixtures. In particular, the mixtures of active MOF motors with passive colloids exhibit distinctive "chasing-escaping" or "schooling" behaviors, depending on glucose or hydrogen peroxide being used as the fuel. The transition in the collective behaviors is attributed to an alteration in the sign of ionic diffusiophoretic interactions, resulting from a change in the ionic clouds produced. This study offers a new strategy on tuning the communication between active and passive colloids, which holds substantial potentials for fundamental research in active matter and practical applications in cargo delivery, chemical sensing, and particle segregation., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Active tether and transportation of cargoes on cytoskeletal highway enabled by molecular motors is key for accurate delivery of vesicles and organelles in the complex intracellular environment. Here, a hybrid system composed of colloidal motors and self-assembled lipid tubes is designed to mimic the subcellular traffic system in living cells. The colloidal motors, composed of gold-coated hematite, display light-activated self-propulsion tunable by the light intensity and the concentration of hydrogen peroxide fuel. Importantly, the motors show light-switchable binding with lipid cargoes and attachment to the lipid tubes, whereby the latter act as the motor highways. Upon assembly, the colloidal motor/lipid tube system demonstrates directional delivery of lipid vesicles, emulating intracellular transportation. The assembly and function of the hybrid system are rationalized by a cooperative action of light-triggered electrophoretic and hydrodynamic effects, supported by finite element analysis. A synthetic analog of the biological protein motor/cytoskeletal filament system is realized for the manipulation and delivery of different matter at the microscale, which is expected to be a promising platform for various applications in materials science, nanotechnology, microfluidics, and synthetic biology., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Light-actuated micromachines are of enormous interest due to their ability to harvest light for triggering catalytic reactions to acquire free energy for mechanical work. This work presents an inorganic-organic hybrid copolymeric poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-barbituric acid) colloid, which displays multiwavelength excited emission and catalytic activities, exploiting the unique structural, chemical, and optical features of inorganic heterocyclic ring hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene and organic co-monomer barbituric acid. Specifically, this work reveals particle-resolved unusual multicolor emission under excitation with the same or different wavelengths of light using fluorescence microscopy. The result is rationalized by density functional theory studies. In this work, the authors find that emission is coincident with fluorometric measurements, and the photocatalytic properties are anticipated from the overall band structure. This work also demonstrates the use of these colloids as micropumps, which can be remotely activated by UV, blue, and green lights under fuel-free conditions, and ascribe the behavior to ionic diffusiophoresis arising from light-triggered generation of H + and other charged species. This work offers a new class of polymeric colloids with multiple-wavelength excited emission and catalytic activities, which is expected to open new opportunities in the design of fuel-free, photo-actuated micromachines and active systems., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Light-powered fuel-free colloidal motors possess significant potential for practical applications ranging from nanomedicine to environmental remediation. However, current light-powered colloidal motors often require the incorporation of expensive metals or high concentrations of toxic chemical fuels, which is a severe limitation for their practical applications. Integrating highly ordered and porous materials with a large surface area into colloidal motors is a promising strategy for upsurging their self-propelled speed and adsorption, which will benefit many applications. Here, highly efficient, fuel-free, and light-activated metal organic framework (MOF)-3-trimethoxysilyl propyl methacrylate Janus colloidal motors with a hierarchical morphology are reported. These colloidal motors can be driven by UV or visible light, with a self-propelled speed tuned by the light intensity. The speed can be further enhanced by morphology optimization or by the addition of H 2 O 2 as a fuel. The colloidal motors display a superior efficiency in removing heavy metal ions of Hg, which is up to ∼90% within 40 min from the contaminated water, attributed to their high surface area, hierarchical morphology, large number of active sites, and high mobility. This work not only offers a facile approach to incorporate a versatile MOF family into the design of fuel-free and light-powered Janus colloidal motors, but also demonstrates their potential for real-life applications such as environmental remediation.

Poor availability is the major barrier to accept the new smart gel system as a preferred ophthalmic solution for various eye problems. Smart gel system especially derived from natural source allows the rapid transition of ocular solution into gel form upon contact to tear solution. The present experimental scheme was intended to prepare and characterize a pH triggered in situ gelling system using moxifloxacin HCl (MOX-HCl). Gum was extracted from Terminalia arjuna bark resin and used as gelling agent in blend with sodium alginate. Sterilized formulations were developed and characterized for their physicochemical attributes. These were further investigated for microbiological testing and eye irritation studies. Drug loaded in situ gel was appeared as clear sol that converted into gel phase in presence of tear solution. Optimized formulation was stable, therapeutically efficacious, non-irritant and has a sustained release of the drug for twelve hours period. Instillation of MOX-HCl loaded in situ gel did not cause any type of irritation symptoms like redness, inflammation and excessive tear production in rabbits as compared to control. MOX-HCl loaded in situ gel can be appraised as a substitute for conventional eye drops for extended precorneal retention, improved corneal permeability along with better ocular bioavailability., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Polyphosphazenes have grabbed focal attention in materials research due to their structural diversity, intrinsic backbone stability, and capability to form hybrid molecules. Herein, for the first time, we report morphology-controlled cross-linked hybrid nanotubes and microspheres composed of a novel iron-containing poly(ferrocenedimethano)cyclotriphosphazene synthesized via a facile polycondensation between 1,1'-ferrocenedimethanol and hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene. The morphology was tuned by introducing two sets of mixed solvent systems that are tetrahydrofuran:acetonitrile and acetone:toluene mixtures, for the growth of nanotubes and microspheres, respectively. A growth mechanism for nanotubes and microspheres has been proposed. The nanotubes exhibited intrinsic paramagnetic properties (saturation magnetization of 53 emu/g and coercivity of 19.6) and fluorescence emission (2450 au) as compared to microspheres owing to their remarkable cross-linked structure. Both nanotubes and microspheres demonstrated significant potential to absorb negatively charged hazardous methyl orange dye, and their adsorption capacities came out under the range of 880-2235 and 737-2125 mg g -1 , respectively. This facile fabrication route is anticipated to open a new window for structural manipulation of other metal-containing polymers for improved physicochemical properties.