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Abstract Recent advancements in material science have aimed to create novel nanomaterials with unique properties and potential applications across diverse domains. By deciphering the complexities of the versatile nanomaterial, MgO, the study aims to deepen our comprehension of the synergistic effects induced by dual doping in MgO, thus propelling the advancement of innovative technologies and materials with broad applications. The present investigation employed a facile chemical precipitation and coprecipitation approach to synthesize pure MgO and Ni, Zn dual doped MgO, varying Ni concentration ranging between 2% and 10% and maintaining a constant Zn concentration at 20%. Structural and optical properties were investigated using field emission scanning electron microscope, energy dispersed X-ray analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, absorption spectra, besides photoluminescent analysis. Crystallite size, strain value then dislocation density of the samples were estimated by Scherrer equation and Williamson–Hall method. Tauc plot analysis revealed that codoped samples reduces the bandgap of MgO. The PL emission spectra exhibited a broad emission originating from various defect levels induced by Ni and Zn codoping in MgO. Ferromagnetism was also induced in Ni and Zn codoped samples with a saturation magnetization up to 5.4668 × 10−3 emu for 10%Ni–20%Zn doped MgO. The antibacterial studies were carried out and all samples were effective against the Staphylococcus aureus strain (ATCC 25923). This thorough investigation highlights the multidimensional impact of Ni, Zn dual doping on the characteristics of MgO nanoparticles, offering valuable insights for diverse applications in materials research.

In November 1929, Werner Forssmann, a German surgical resident, attempted the first documented central venous catheter with a 35 cm-long catheter via his left antecubital vein.1 Although revolutionary for his time, this innovation encountered significant opposition, and he was expelled from his training programme for this unauthorised experimentation. Despite the initial censure, his idea garnered interest across the Atlantic in the US, where Andre Counard and Dickinson Richards, in the 1940s, refined his technique and used it for cardiovascular research. In 1956, Forsmann, Counard and Richards were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology for their work on central venous access.2 Since then, a wide variety of central venous access options have emerged. However, totally implanted venous access device (TIVAD) is unique in that it has no exposed catheter parts. This reduces the risk of catheter-related infection, increases the longevity of the access and makes it low maintenance.3 Infuse-A-Port was the first described TIVAD, reported by Niederhuber et al.2 in 1982. Since then, they have been colloquially called “ports” among other names such as port-a-cath and chemoport. Among the scientifically appropriate descriptors, TIVAD, subcutaneous venous access device (SVAD) and totally implanted venous access port (TIVAP) are frequently used in medical literature. These devices have a reservoir or chamber implanted subcutaneously. A catheter connected to this reservoir is pulled through a subcutaneous tunnel and inserted into a large vein, with its tip usually placed in a central vein. The reservoir has a self-sealing silicone diaphragm that is punctured percutaneously with a non-coring needle to gain venous access. Traditionally, TIVADs were inserted by surgeons in operating theatres; however, with the transition to imaging-guided insertion, these devices are now implanted by interventional radiologists in most high-volume centres. Interventional radiology (IR) guided placement of TIVADs has been reported to be cheaper, faster and safer with higher placement success and more accurate positioning.4

Integrating metal nanoparticles (NPs) with ionic polymer blends/composites showed immense interest for their potential in wearable sensors, soft robotic arms, flexible man-machine interfaces of biomedical devices, and water purification applications. However, conventional NPs attached ionic polymer composites exhibit limitations such as low sensitivity (ΔR/R), low total dissolved solids (TDS) reduction, and low phosphate (PO4-P) removal rate. Herein, ionic polymer composites (IPCs) using flower-shaped silver oxide (Ag2O) attached Poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/ polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/ionic liquid (IL) were designed and developed for wearable sensing and water purification. The IPCs demonstrated remarkably high ΔR/R values of 50, 10, and 3.5 corresponding to the wrist movement of 50°, finger movement of 180°, and chin movements respectively. The Ag2O-based IPC recorded a significant reduction of TDS from sewage water from 3405 ppm to 1035 ppm, elevated the dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in the sewage water from 1.2 mg/l to 6.8 mg/l, and removed approximately 87.38 % phosphate from sewage water. Due to the uniform distribution of Ag2O within pores of IPC, it demonstrated enhanced performance for wearable and wastewater treatment applications.

Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines belong to a class of heterocyclic motifs possessing unique structural and pharmacological properties making them an interesting and promising domain in the fields of drug discovery and medicinal chemistry. These molecules have witnessed many fascinating strategies for their synthesis due to their versatile attribute. We herein put forward, the first zinc-catalyzed Ortoleva-King type reaction for the synthesis of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines. The reaction design involves the use of easily accessible and economical nano zinc oxide and molecular iodine as the catalytic dyad. Diverse acetophenones and 2-aminopyridines were used as substrates and the reaction was observed to be general fostering moderate to good results. Furthermore, we could synthesize Zolimidine (a gastro-protectant) via this one-pot reaction design as a validation to its efficacy in the pharmaceutical world.

Non-healing lesions in diabetic foot ulcers are a significant effect of poor angiogenesis. Epigenetic regulators, mainly lncRNA and miRNA, are recognized for their important roles in disease progression. We deciphered the regulation of lncRNA NEAT1 through the miR-146a-5p/mafG axis in the progression of DFU. A lowered expression of lncRNA NEAT1 was associated with dysregulated angiogenesis through the reduced expression of mafG, SDF-1α, and VEGF in chronic ulcer subjects compared to acute DFU. This was validated by silencing NEAT1 by SiRNA in the endothelial cells which resulted in the transcriptional repression of target genes. Our in silico analysis identified miR-146a-5p as a potential target of lncRNA NEAT1. Further, silencing NEAT1 led to an increase in the levels of miR-146a-5p in chronic DFU subjects. This research presents the role of the lncRNA NEAT1/miR-146a-5p/mafG axis in enhancing angiogenesis in DFU.

Flexible electronic devices with flexible sensors have drawn enormous attention due to their wide variety of applications, such as wearable health monitoring devices, bendable touch screens, flexible storage devices, artificial skins, etc. However, the mechanical and electrical performance of devices should be enhanced by new materials design or an innovative device structure to fulfill the requirements for such applications. Here, a poly(vinylidenefluoride) (PVDF) piezoelectric polymer-based hydrophilic nanocomposite (PHNC) sensing membrane using carbon nanofibers (CNF) and poly-acrylamido-methyl-propane-sulfonic acid (PAMPS) polyelectrolyte exhibiting enhanced mechanical and electrical performance is demonstrated. The hydrophilic PAMPS intruded in the PVDF/CNF composition, triggering microstructural changes and facilitating a strong polar β-phase PVDF formation. A dc conductivity of 0.43 S/cm and high electric current density (3.64 μA/cm2) were achieved from PVDF/CNF/PAMPS (80/2/18) PHNC. The piezoelectric performance of the PHNC was investigated for several bending cycles, and it generates the maximum peak output voltage up to 3.65 V under the repeated bending-releasing test procedure. A wearable sensor application is demonstrated by exposing it to different human body movements. During finger motion and elbow movements, the developed PHNC generated piezoelectric maximum peak output voltage up to 3.58 V at a bending angle of 180° for finger motion and 2.2 V for elbow movement. The fabricated PHNC are highly flexible and exhibit outstanding reproducibility and reliability, making them ideal for energy harvesting, the self-powered sensor in wearable electronic devices, electronic skin (e-skin), and soft robotics applications.

Iron- and cobalt-catalyzed Sonogashira coupling reactions are becoming central areas of research in organic synthesis. Owing to their significant importance in the formation of carbon–carbon bonds, numerous green and nanoparticle protocols have emerged during the past decades. The non-toxic and inexpensive nature of catalysts gained much attention in recent times. In this context, their catalytic nature and activity in Sonogashira coupling reactions were well explored and compared. Most importantly, one of the highlights of this review is the emphasis given to green strategies. This is the first review on iron- and cobalt-catalyzed Sonogashira coupling reactions which comprehends literature up to 2020.

Abstract Ferroelectric (FE) capacitors exhibiting ultrahigh power densities are widely utilized as electrostatic energy storage devices in pulsed electronic devices. One approach to maximize the discharge energy density (Ud) of capacitors is to increase the breakdown strength (Eb) accompanied with high maximum polarization (Pm) while suppressing the energy loss. However, the inverse relationship between Eb and Pm challenges the simultaneous enhancement of Eb and Ud. To overcome this limitation, FE/relaxor FE (RFE) heterostructure capacitors composed of Co‐doped BaTiO3 (BTCO) and Sn‐doped BaTiO3 (BTS) epitaxial thin film layers to decouple the Eb and Pm values are fabricated and the simultaneous enhancement of the Eb and Ud up to 7.9 MV cm−1 and 117 J cm−3, respectively is achieved. The high Eb and Ud values can be attributed to the suppression of the leakage current at the BTCO/BTS interface, a narrower hysteresis loop contributed by the BTS, and high Pm and Eb from the BTCO layer. Additionally, the BTCO/BTS heterostructure capacitors exhibit excellent fatigue endurance of up to 108 cycles and are thermal stable even at 160 °C. Through properly designing the FE and RFE layers, thermally stable and reliable FE/RFE heterostructure capacitors exhibiting high Ud and Eb can be realized.

The cyanation reaction has achieved rapid progress in recent times. The ability to exhibit multiple oxidation states increased the demand of ruthenium in the field of catalysis. These cyanation reactions have wide application in pharmacological and biological fields. This review gives an overview of the ruthenium-catalyzed cyanation reactions covering literature up to 2021.

A novel Ni-I2 catalytic system was introduced for the synthesis of 2-arylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines from readily available arylmethyl ketones and 2-aminopyridines as the starting materials. The method uses efficient and cost-effective NiCl2·6H2O catalyst and molecular iodine to provide a range of 2-arylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines in moderate to good yields through the Ortoleva-King type protocol. The transformation is proposed to follow a sequence of α-iodination/Ortoleva-King type reaction/cyclization. The method was effectively utilized in the synthesis of Zolimidine, a gastroprotective drug.

The first manganese-iodine catalyzed Ortoleva-King type protocol for the synthesis of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines has been established. This interesting methodology involves the use of less toxic, readily available and easy to handle MnO2 and molecular iodine as the catalytic system. A wide range of aromatic ketones and 2-aminopyridines were tolerated well in this reaction to afford a variety of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines in moderate to good yields. This one-pot method is efficient towards the direct synthesis of the gastro protective drug, Zolimidine.

Organosilanes have great importance in the field of synthetic organic chemistry. They are widely used as intermediates for the preparation of natural products, elastomers, resins and act as effective coupling partners in cross-coupling reactions. Hydrosilylation of the unsaturated compound is the most effective method for the preparation of organosilicon compounds and exploited widely in the area of material chemistry and organic synthesis. Recently the area of hydrosilylation is governed by a variety of transition metal catalysts. This review examines the applications of well-defined Ru-catalytic complexes in the hydrosilylation of unsaturated organic compounds and heterocycles. The high reactivity and electron transfer property of Ru-based complexes made them a competent catalyst for hydrosilylation reactions.

The emergence of a modern teacher education system in Singapore can be traced to 1950 when the Teachers Training College (TTC) was established. The TTC was a separate entity from the School of Education at the University of Singapore. Rapid economic growth in the 1970s and 80s necessitated changes to upgrade the education system, such that school leavers could be better prepared for work in a post-industrial economy. It was recognised then that teacher preparation had to be upgraded to represent the field as an evidence-based profession, thus leading to the establishment of the Institute of Education in 1973; this was a significant first step in the journey towards universitising teacher education in Singapore. Continued and transformative economic growth in the 1980s and 90 s necessitated further changes in education goals, best represented by the Thinking Schools, Learning Nation initiative in 1997, the Teach Less Learn More initiative in 2004, and the ICT MasterPlans initiatives. In response, in 1991, the National Institute of Education (NIE) was established, as an institute of Nanyang Technological University. The move to universitise teacher education in Singapore enabled the profession to attract a better calibre of teacher-students, develop rigorous graduate and postgraduate programmes in education, recruit faculty with postgraduate qualifications, and invest in Singapore-centric education research. Though the journey has been long, steady progress towards universitisation has contributed significantly to Singapore's development, and the NIE can today claim to be an internationally recognised Institute of Distinction.

BACKGROUND: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has revolutionized the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to large vessel occlusion (LVO), but its efficacy and safety in medium vessel occlusion (MeVO) remain less explored. This multicenter, retrospective study aims to investigate the incidence and clinical outcomes of vessel perforations (confirmed by extravasation during an angiographic series) during MT for AIS caused by MeVO. METHODS: Data were collected from 37 academic centers across North America, Asia, and Europe between September 2017 and July 2021. A total of 1373 AIS patients with MeVO underwent MT. Baseline characteristics, procedural details, and clinical outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: The incidence of vessel perforation was 4.8% (66/1373). Notably, our analysis indicates variations in perforation rates across different arterial segments: 8.9% in M3 segments, 4.3% in M2 segments, and 8.3% in A2 segments (p = 0.612). Patients with perforation had significantly worse outcomes, with lower rates of favorable angiographic outcomes (TICI 2c-3: 23% vs 58.9%, p

Modern micromanipulation techniques typically involve trapping using electromagnetic, acoustic, or flow fields that produce stresses on the trapped particles thereby precluding stress-free manipulations. Here, we show that by employing polyhedral symmetries in a multichannel microfluidic design, we can separate the tasks of displacing and trapping a particle into two distinct sets of flow operations, each characterized and protected by their unique groups of symmetries. By combining only the displacing uniform flow modes to entrain and move targeted particles in arbitrary directions, we were able to realize symmetry-protected, stress-free micromanipulation in 3D. Furthermore, we engineered complex, microscale paths by programming and controlling the flow within each channel in real time, resulting in multiple particles simultaneously following desired paths in the absence of any supervision or feedback. Our work therefore provides a general symmetry-group-based framework for understanding and engineering microfluidics and a novel platform for 3D stress-free manipulations. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

PURPOSE:We aimed to evaluate the imaging features of solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) of the pancreas with an emphasis on radiologic-pathologic correlation.METHODS:Ten patients (all female; mean age, 32 years) with histologic or cytologic diagnosis of SPN encountered between January 2007 and December 2013 were included in this study. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) images were reviewed for location, attenuation, enhancement pattern, margin, shape, size, morphology, presence of capsule and calcification. CT appearances were correlated with histopathologic findings. RESULTS:Tumors in the distal pancreatic body and tail had a tendency to be larger (mean size 12.6 cm vs. 4.0 cm). Six of the nine tumors that were resected had a fibrous pseudocapsule at histology, five of which could be identified on CT scan. Eight lesions had mixed hypoenhancing solid components and cystic areas corresponding to tumor necrosis and hemorrhage. The two smallest lesions were purely solid and nonencapsulated. Varied patterns of calcification were seen in four tumors. Three of the four pancreatic tail tumors invaded the spleen. At a median follow-up of 53 months, there was no evidence of recurrence in the nine patients who underwent surgical resection of the tumor.CONCLUSION:A mixed solid and cystic pancreatic mass in a young woman is suggestive of SPN. However, smaller lesions may be completely solid. Splenic invasion can occur in pancreatic tail SPNs; however, in this series it did not adversely affect the long-term outcome.

The costs of foraging can be high while also carrying significant risks, especially for consumers feeding at the top of the food chain. To mitigate these risks, many predators supplement active hunting with scavenging and kleptoparasitic behaviours, in some cases specializing in these alternative modes of predation. The factors that drive differential utilization of these tactics from species to species are not well understood. Here, we use an energetics approach to investigate the survival advantages of hunting, scavenging and kleptoparasitism as a function of predator, prey and potential competitor body sizes for terrestrial mammalian carnivores. The results of our framework reveal that predator tactics become more diverse closer to starvation, while the deployment of scavenging and kleptoparasitism is strongly constrained by the ratio of predator to prey body size. Our model accurately predicts a behavioural transition away from hunting towards alternative modes of predation with increasing prey size for predators spanning an order of magnitude in body size, closely matching observational data across a range of species. We then show that this behavioural boundary follows an allometric power-law scaling relationship where the predator size scales with an exponent nearing 3/4 with prey size, meaning that this behavioural switch occurs at relatively larger threshold prey body size for larger carnivores. We suggest that our approach may provide a holistic framework for guiding future observational efforts exploring the diverse array of predator foraging behaviours.

Throughout history, coronaviruses have posed challenges to both public health and the global economy; nevertheless, methods to combat them remain rudimentary, primarily due to the absence of experiments to understand the function of various viral components. Among these, membrane (M) proteins are one of the most elusive because of their small size and challenges with expression. Here, we report the development of an expression system to produce tens to hundreds of milligrams of M protein per liter of Escherichia coli culture. These large yields render many previously inaccessible structural and biophysical experiments feasible. Using cryo-electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, we image and characterize individual membrane-incorporated M protein dimers and discover membrane thinning in the vicinity, which we validated with molecular dynamics simulations. Our results suggest that the resulting line tension, along with predicted induction of local membrane curvature, could ultimately drive viral assembly and budding.

Vascular cells self-organize into unique structures guided by cell proliferation, migration, and/or differentiation from neighboring cells, mechanical factors, and/or soluble signals. However, the relative contribution of each of these factors remains unclear. Our objective was to develop a computational model to explore the different factors affecting the emerging micropatterns in 2D. This was accomplished by developing a stochastic on-lattice population-based model starting with vascular progenitor cells with the potential to proliferate, migrate, and/or differentiate into either endothelial cells or smooth muscle cells. The simulation results yielded patterns that were qualitatively and quantitatively consistent with experimental observations. Our results suggested that post-differentiation cell migration and proliferation when balanced could generate between 30-70% of each cell type enabling the formation of vascular patterns. Moreover, the cell-to-cell sensing could enhance the robustness of this patterning. These findings computationally supported that 2D patterning is mechanistically similar to current microfluidic platforms that take advantage of the migration-directed self-assembly of mature endothelial and mural cells to generate perfusable 3D vasculature in permissible hydrogel environments and suggest that stem or progenitor cells may not be fully necessary components in many tissue formations like those formed by vasculogenesis.

Simultaneous multiple infestation of parasitic crustacean species involving a cymothoid isopod, Cymothoa frontalis Milne Edward, 1840 and four species of copepods such as Lernanthropus tylosuri Richiardi, 1880, Caligodes lacinatus Kroyer, 1863, Bomolochus bellones Burmeister, 1833 and Dermoergasilus coleus Cressey & Collette, 1970 was frequently noticed on spot-tail needlefish, Strongylura strongylura (Belonidae) captured from the Malabar coast (Kerala, India) during the period from April 2011 to March 2012. All the 43 fishes (Strongylura strongylura) collected, were under the hyper-infection with parasitic crustaceans; a total of 388 parasitic crustaceans including 57 C. frontalis, 252 L. tylosuri, 31 C. lacinatus, 24 B. bellones and 32 D. coleus were recovered from the host fish. 4 members (9.30%) of host fish were under quadruple parasitism, in two different combinations. Seventeen (39.53%) host fishes showed triple parasitism and 20 (46.51%) members exhibited double parasitism, with four and five parasitic combinations respectively. Remaining two (4.65%) fishes were parasitized only by the copepod, L. tylosuri. The infestations by all recovered parasitic crustaceans were highly site specific. The damage caused by the parasitic crustaceans was also discussed.