Transformative Dynamics: Self-Assembly of Iron Oxide Hydroxide Nanorods into Iron Oxide Microcubes for Enhanced Perfluoroalkyl Substance Remediation.

We report the controlled synthesis of iron oxide microcubes (IOMCs) through the self-assembly arrays of ferric oxide hydroxide nanorods (NRs). The formation of IOMCs involves a complex interplay of nucleation, self-assembly, and growth mechanisms influenced by time, thermal treatment, and surfactant dynamics. The self-assembly of vertically aligned NRs into IOMCs is controlled by dynamic magnetism properties and capping agents like cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), whose concentration and temperature modulation dictate growth kinetics and structural uniformity. These controlled structural growths were obtained via a hydrothermal process at 120 °C at various intervals of 8, 16, 24, and 32 h in the presence of CTAB as the capping agent. In this hydrothermal method, the formation of vertically oriented NR arrays was observed without the presence of ligands, binders, harsh drying techniques, and solvent evaporation. The formation of the self-assembly of NRs to IOMCs is obtained with an increase in saturated magnetization to attain the most stable state. The synthesized IOMCs have a uniform size, quasi-shape, and excellent dispersion. Due to its excellent magnetic and catalytic properties, IOMCs were employed to remove the various emerging pollutants known as per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS). Various microscopic and spectroscopic techniques were employed for the characterization and interaction studies of IOMCs with various PFAS. The interaction between IOMCs and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was investigated, revealing strong adsorption tendencies facilitated by electrostatic interactions, as evidenced by UV-vis and FT-IR spectroscopic studies. Furthermore, the higher magnetic and positive surface charge of IOMCs is responsible for an effective remediation eliminating any secondary pollution with ease of recovery after the sorption interaction studies, thereby making it practically worthwhile.

Ultrahigh Capacitive Energy Density in Stratified 2D Nanofiller-Based Polymer Dielectric Films.

Dielectric capacitors are critical components in electronics and energy storage devices. The polymer-based dielectric capacitors have the advantages of device flexibility, fast charge-discharge rates, low loss, and graceful failure. Elevating the use of polymeric dielectric capacitors for advanced energy applications such as electric vehicles (EVs), however, requires significant enhancement of their energy densities. Here, we report a polymer thin film heterostructure-based capacitor of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/poly(methyl methacrylate) with stratified 2D nanofillers (Mica or h-BN nanosheets) (PVDF/PMMA-2D fillers/PVDF), that shows enhanced permittivity, high dielectric strength, and an ultrahigh energy density of ≈75 J/cm3 with efficiency over 79%. Density functional theory calculations verify the observed permittivity enhancement. This approach of using oriented 2D nanofillers-based polymer heterostructure composites is expected to be versatile for designing high energy density thin film polymeric dielectric capacitors for myriads of applications.

Probing the Electronic and Opto-Electronic Properties of Multilayer MoS2 Field-Effect Transistors at Low Temperatures.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs)-based field-effect transistors (FETs) are being investigated vigorously for their promising applications in optoelectronics. Despite the high optical response reported in the literature, most of them are studied at room temperature. To extend the application of these materials in a photodetector, particularly at a low temperature, detailed understanding of the photo response behavior of these materials at low temperatures is crucial. Here we present a systematic investigation of temperature-dependent electronic and optoelectronic properties of few-layers MoS2 FETs, synthesized using the mechanical exfoliation of bulk MoS2 crystal, on the Si/SiO2 substrate. Our MoS2 FET show a room-temperature field-effect mobility µFE ~40 cm2·V-1·s-1, which increases with decreasing temperature, stabilizing at 80 cm2·V-1·s-1 below 100 K. The temperature-dependent (50 K < T < 300 K) photoconductivity measurements were investigated using a continuous laser source λ = 658 nm (E = 1.88 eV) over a broad range of effective illuminating laser intensity, Peff (0.02 µW < Peff < 0.6 µW). Photoconductivity measurements indicate a fractional power dependence of the steady-state photocurrent. The room-temperature photoresponsivity (R) obtained in these samples was found to be ~2 AW-1, and it increases as a function of decreasing temperature, reaching a maximum at T = 75 K. The optoelectronic properties of MoS2 at a low temperature give an insight into photocurrent generation mechanisms, which will help in altering/improving the performance of TMD-based devices for various applications.

Comparative Study of Polymer-Grafted BaTiO3 Nanoparticles Synthesized Using Normal ATRP as Well as ATRP and ARGET-ATRP with Sacrificial Initiator with a Focus on Controlling the Polymer Graft Density and Molecular Weight.

Structurally well-defined polymer-grafted nanoparticle hybrids are highly sought after for a variety of applications, such as antifouling, mechanical reinforcement, separations, and sensing. Herein, we report the synthesis of poly(methyl methacrylate) grafted- and poly(styrene) grafted-BaTiO3 nanoparticles using activator regeneration via electron transfer (ARGET ATRP) with a sacrificial initiator, atom transfer radical polymerization (normal ATRP), and ATRP with sacrificial initiator, to understand the role of the polymerization procedure in influencing the structure of nanoparticle hybrids. Irrespective of the polymerization procedure adopted for the synthesis of nanoparticle hybrids, we noticed PS grafted on the nanoparticles showed moderation in molecular weight and graft density (ranging from 30,400 to 83,900 g/mol and 0.122 to 0.067 chain/nm2) compared to PMMA-grafted nanoparticles (ranging from 44,620 to 230,000 g/mol and 0.071 to 0.015 chain/nm2). Reducing the polymerization time during ATRP has a significant impact on the molecular weight of polymer brushes grafted on the nanoparticles. PMMA-grafted nanoparticles synthesized using ATRP had lower graft density and considerably higher molecular weight compared to PS-grafted nanoparticles. However, the addition of a sacrificial initiator during ATRP resulted in moderation of the molecular weight and graft density of PMMA-grafted nanoparticles. The use of a sacrificial initiator along with ARGET offered the best control in achieving lower molecular weight and narrow dispersity for both PS (37,870 g/mol and PDI of 1.259) and PMMA (44,620 g/mol and PDI of 1.263) nanoparticle hybrid systems.

Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticles with Variable Grafting Densities for High Energy Density Polymeric Nanocomposite Dielectric Capacitors.

Designing high energy density dielectric capacitors for advanced energy storage systems needs nanocomposite-based dielectric materials, which can utilize the properties of both inorganic and polymeric materials. Polymer-grafted nanoparticle (PGNP)-based nanocomposites alleviate the problems of poor nanocomposite properties by providing synergistic control over nanoparticle and polymer properties. Here, we synthesize "core-shell" barium titanate-poly(methyl methacrylate) (BaTiO3-PMMA) grafted PGNPs using surface-initiated atom transfer polymerization (SI-ATRP) with variable grafting densities of (0.303 to 0.929) chains/nm2 and high molecular masses (97700 g/mL to 130000 g/mol) and observe that low grafted density and high molecular mass based PGNP show high permittivity, high dielectric strength, and hence higher energy densities (≈ 5.2 J/cm3) as compared to the higher grafted density PGNPs, presumably due to their "star-polymer"-like conformations with higher chain-end densities that are known to enhance breakdown. Nonetheless, these energy densities are an order of magnitude higher than their nanocomposite blend counterparts. We expect that these PGNPs can be readily used as commercial dielectric capacitors, and these findings can serve as guiding principles for developing tunable high energy density energy storage devices using PGNP systems.

Promoting Large-Area Slot-Die-Coated Perovskite Solar Cell Performance and Reproducibility by Acid-Based Sulfono-γ-AApeptide.

Homogeneous and pinhole-free large-area perovskite films are required to realize the commercialization of perovskite modules and panels. Various large-area perovskite coatings were developed; however, at their film coating and drying stages, many defects were formed on the perovskite surface. Consequently, not only the devices lost substantial performance but also their long-term stability deteriorated. Here, we fabricated a compact and uniform large-area MAPbI3-perovskite film by a slot-die coater at room temperature (T) and at high relative humidity (RH) up to 40%. The control slot-die-coated perovskite solar cell (PSC) produced 1.082 V open-circuit voltage (Voc), 24.09 mA cm-2 short current density (Jsc), 71.13% fill factor (FF), and a maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.54%. We systematically employed a multi-functional artificial amino acid (F-LYS-S) to modify the perovskite defects. Such amino acids are more inclined to bind and adhere to the perovskite defects. The amino, carbonyl, and carboxy functional groups of F-LYS-S interacted with MAPbI3 through Lewis acid-base interaction and modified iodine vacancies significantly. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the C═O group of F-LYS-S interacted with the uncoordinated Pb2+ ions, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the lone pair of -NH2 coordinated with the uncoordinated Pb2+ and consequently modified the I- vacancies remarkably. As a result, the F-LYS-S-modified device demonstrated more than three-fold charge recombination resistance, which is one of the primary requirements to fabricate high-performance PSCs. Therefore, the device fabricated employing F-LYS-S demonstrated remarkable PCE of 21.08% with superior photovoltaic parameters of 1.104 V Voc, 24.80 mA cm-2 Jsc, and 77.00%. FF. Concurrently, the long-term stability of the PSCs was improved by the F-LYS-S post-treatment, where the modified device retained ca. 89.6% of its initial efficiency after storing for 720 h in air (T ∼ 27 °C and RH ∼ 50-60%).

Performance Evaluation and Cyberattack Mitigation in a Blockchain-Enabled Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading Framework.

With the electric power grid experiencing a rapid shift to the smart grid paradigm over a deregulated energy market, Internet of Things (IoT)-based solutions are gaining prominence, and innovative peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading at a micro level is being deployed. Such advancement, however, leaves traditional security models vulnerable and paves the path for blockchain, a distributed ledger technology (DLT), with its decentralized, open, and transparency characteristics as a viable alternative. However, due to deregulation in energy trading markets, most of the prototype resilience regarding cybersecurity attack, performance and scalability of transaction broadcasting, and its direct impact on overall performances and attacks are required to be supported, which becomes a performance bottleneck with existing blockchain solutions such as Hyperledger, Ethereum, and so on. In this paper, we design a novel permissioned Corda framework for P2P energy trading peers that not only mitigates a new class of cyberattacks, i.e., delay trading (or discard), but also disseminates the transactions in a optimized propagation time, resulting in a fair transaction distribution. Sharing transactions in a permissioned R3 Corda blockchain framework is handled by the Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP) and transport layer security (TLS). The unique contribution of this paper lies in the use of an optimized CPU and JVM heap memory scenario analysis with P2P metric in addition to a far more realistic multihosted testbed for the performance analysis. The average latencies measured are 22 ms and 51 ms for sending and receiving messages. We compare the throughput by varying different types of flow such as energy request, request + pay, transfer, multiple notary, sender, receiver, and single notary. In the proposed framework, request is an energy asset that is based on payment state and contract in the P2P energy trading module, so in request flow, only one node with no notary appears on the vault of the node.Energy request + pay flow interaction deals with two nodes, such as producer and consumer, to deal with request and transfer of asset ownership with the help of a notary. Request + repeated pay flow request, on node A and repeatedly transfers a fraction of energy asset state to another node, B, through a notary.

Insulator-to-metal phase transition in a few-layered MoSe2 field effect transistor.

The metal-to-insulator phase transition (MIT) in low-dimensional materials and particularly two-dimensional layered semiconductors is exciting to explore due to the fact that it challenges the prediction that a two-dimensional system must be insulating at low temperatures. Thus, the exploration of MITs in 2D layered semiconductors expands the understanding of the underlying physics. Here we report the MIT of a few-layered MoSe2 field effect transistor under a gate bias (electric field) applied perpendicular to the MoSe2 layers. With low applied gate voltage, the conductivity as a function of temperature from 150 K to 4 K shows typical semiconducting to insulating character. Above a critical applied gate voltage, Vc, the conductivity becomes metallic (i.e., the conductivity increases continuously as a function of decreasing temperature). Evidence of a metallic state was observed using an applied gate voltage or, equivalently, increasing the density of charge carriers within the 2D channel. We analyzed the nature of the phase transition using percolation theory, where conductivity scales with the density of charge carriers as σ ∝ (n - nc)δ. The critical exponent for a percolative phase transition, δ(T), has values ranging from 1.34 (at T = 150 K) to 2 (T = 20 K), which is close to the theoretical value of 1.33 for percolation to occur. Thus we conclude that the MIT in few-layered MoSe2 is driven by charge carrier percolation. Furthermore, the conductivity does not scale with temperature, which is a hallmark of a quantum critical phase transition.

Surface Capping Layer Prepared from the Bulky Tetradodecylammonium Bromide as an Efficient Perovskite Passivation Layer for High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells.

The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has increased and levels with silicon solar cells; however, their commercialization has not yet been realized because of their poor long-term stability. One of the primary causes of the instability of PSC devices is the large concentration of defects in the polycrystalline perovskite film. Such defects limit the device performance besides triggering hysteresis and device instability. In this study, tetradodecylammonium bromide (TDDAB) was used as a postsurface modifier to suppress the density of defects from the mixed perovskite film (CsFAMA). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses validated that TDDAB binds to the mixed perovskite through hydrogen bonding. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and two-dimensional grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (2D GIWAXS) study uncovered that the TDDAB modification formed a capping layer of (TDDA)2PbI1.66Br2.34 on the surface of the three-dimensional (3D) perovskite. The single charge transport device prepared from the TDDAB-modified perovskite film revealed that both the electron and hole defects were considerably repressed due to the modification. Consequently, the modified device displayed a champion PCE of 21.33%. The TDDAB surface treatment not only enhances the PCE but the bulky cation of the TDDAB also forms a hydrophobic capping surface (water contact angle of 93.39°) and safeguards the underlayer perovskite from moisture. As a result, the modified PSC has exhibited almost no performance loss after 30 days in air (RH ≈ 40%).

Enhanced Dielectric Strength and Capacitive Energy Density of Cyclic Polystyrene Films.

The maximum capacitive energy stored in polymeric dielectric capacitors, which are ubiquitous in high-power-density devices, is dictated by the dielectric breakdown strength of the dielectric polymer. The fundamental mechanisms of the dielectric breakdown, however, remain unclear. Based on a simple free-volume model of the polymer fluid state, we hypothesized that the free ends of linear polymer chains might act as "defect" sites, at which the dielectric breakdown can initiate. Thus, the dielectric breakdown strength of cyclic polymers should exhibit enhanced stability in comparison to that of their linear counterparts having the same composition and similar molar mass. This hypothesis is supported by the ∼50% enhancement in the dielectric breakdown strength and ∼80% enhancement in capacitive energy density of cyclic polystyrene melt films in comparison to corresponding linear polystyrene control films. Furthermore, we observed that cyclic polymers exhibit a denser packing density than the linear chain melts, an effect that is consistent with and could account for the observed property changes. Our work demonstrates that polymer topology can significantly influence the capacitive properties of polymer films, and correspondingly, we can expect polymer topology to influence the gas permeability, shear modulus, and other properties of thin films dependent on film density.

A blockchain based lightweight peer-to-peer energy trading framework for secured high throughput micro-transactions.

With the electric power grid experiencing a rapid shift to the smart grid paradigm over a deregulated energy market, Internet of Things (IoT) based solutions are gaining prominence and innovative Peer To Peer (P2P) energy trading at micro-level are being deployed. Such advancement, however leave traditional security models vulnerable and pave the path for Blockchain, an Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) with its decentralized, open and transparency characteristics as a viable alternative. However, due to deregulation in energy trading markets, massive volumes of micro transactions are required to be supported, which become a performance bottleneck with existing Blockchain solution such as Hyperledger, Ethereum and so on. In this paper, a lightweight 'Tangle' based framework, namely IOTA (Third generation DLT) is employed for designing an energy trading market that uses Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) based solution that not only alleviates the reward overhead for micro-transactions but also provides scalability, quantum-proof, and high throughput of such transactions at low confirmation latency. Furthermore the Masked Authentication Messaging (MAM) protocol is used over the IOTA P2P energy trading framework that allows energy producer and consumer to share the data while maintaining the confidentiality, and facilitates the data accessibility. The Raspberry Pi 3 board along with voltage sensor (INA219) used for the setting up light node and publishing and fetching data from the Tangle. The results of the obtained benchmarking indicate low confirmation latency, high throughput, system with Hyperledger Fabric and Ethereum. Moreover, the effect of transaction rate decreases when the IOTA bundle size increases more than 10. For bundle size 5 and 10 it behaves absolutely better than any other platform. The speedy confirmation time of transactions in IOTA, is most suitable for peer to peer energy trading scenarios. This study serves as a guideline for deploying, end-to-end transaction with IOTA Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) and improving the performance of Blockchain in the energy sector under various operating conditions.

Evaluation of Serum Testosterone Levels Following Three Months of SA3X (Spilanthes acmella) Supplementation.

INTRODUCTION:  Low testosterone is usually associated with erectile dysfunction (ED). SA3X (Spilanthes acmella) has proven to be effective in alleviating symptoms of ED, which could be due to an alteration in serum testosterone levels. This study was carried out to evaluate the change in testosterone levels in participants with ED supplemented with SA3X for three months. MATERIALS AND METHODS:  A group of 326 sexually active men aged 25-60 years was investigated from November 2021 to May 2022 in Hyderabad. The participants were subjected to supplementation with SA3X capsules for three months, and a follow-up was done at the end of six months with serum testosterone assessment in each visit. The change in testosterone level was assessed using a mixed model repeated measures analysis. RESULTS:  A significant increase was observed in the mean serum testosterone levels by the end of the second month (323.91 ± 13.76 ng/dL vs. 309.84 ± 14.11 ng/dL; p=0.03) and third month (332.27 ± 12.85 ng/dL vs. 309.84 ± 14.11 ng/dL; p<0.01) of SA3X therapy. The adjusted mean change in testosterone levels was found to be 22.43 ng/dL at the end of the three-month therapy. It was also observed that the change in testosterone levels was significantly lower in participants having diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and a history of substance abuse. However, participants on phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors had an increased change in testosterone levels. CONCLUSION:  Supplementation with SA3X capsules for three months increases the serum testosterone levels. However, causality cannot be ascertained owing to the longitudinal nature of the study, and further controlled trials are required for the same.

Universal Surface Passivation of Organic-Inorganic Halide Perovskite Films by Tetraoctylammonium Chloride for High-Performance and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells has been showing rapid improvement in the last decade. However, still, there is an unarguable performance deficit compared with the Schockley-Queisser (SQ) limit. One of the major causes for such performance discrepancy is surface and grain boundary defects. They are a source of nonradiative recombination in the devices that not only causes performance loss but also instability of the solar cells. In this study, we employed a direct postsurface passivation strategy at mild temperatures to modify perovskite layer defects using tetraoctylammonium chloride (TOAC). The passivated perovskite layers have demonstrated extraordinary improvement in photoluminescence and charge carrier lifetimes compared to their control counterparts in both Cs0.05(FAPbI3)0.83(MAPbBr3)0.17 and MAPbI3-type perovskite layers. The investigation on electron-only and hole-only devices after TOAC treatment revealed suppressed electron and hole trap density of states. The electrochemical study demonstrated that TOAC treatment improved the charge recombination resistance of the perovskite layers and reduced the charge accumulation on the surface of perovskite films. As a result, perovskite solar cells prepared by TOAC treatment showed a champion PCE of 21.24% for the Cs0.05(FAPbI3)0.83(MAPbBr3)0.17-based device compared to 19.58% without passivation. Likewise, the PCE of MAPbI3 improved from 18.09 to 19.27% with TOAC treatment. The long-term stability of TOAC-passivated perovskite Cs0.05(FAPbI3)0.83(MAPbBr3)0.17 devices has retained over 97% of its initial performance after 720 h in air.

A Novel Blockchain-Based Healthcare System Design and Performance Benchmarking on a Multi-Hosted Testbed.

As a result of the proliferation of digital and network technologies in all facets of modern society, including the healthcare systems, the widespread adoption of Electronic Healthcare Records (EHRs) has become the norm. At the same time, Blockchain has been widely accepted as a potent solution for addressing security issues in any untrusted, distributed, decentralized application and has thus seen a slew of works on Blockchain-enabled EHRs. However, most such prototypes ignore the performance aspects of proposed designs. In this paper, a prototype for a Blockchain-based EHR has been presented that employs smart contracts with Hyperledger Fabric 2.0, which also provides a unified performance analysis with Hyperledger Caliper 0.4.2. The additional contribution of this paper lies in the use of a multi-hosted testbed for the performance analysis in addition to far more realistic Gossip-based traffic scenario analysis with Tcpdump tools. Moreover, the prototype is tested for performance with superior transaction ordering schemes such as Kafka and RAFT, unlike other literature that mostly uses SOLO for the purpose, which accounts for superior fault tolerance. All of these additional unique features make the performance evaluation presented herein much more realistic and hence adds hugely to the credibility of the results obtained. The proposed framework within the multi-host instances continues to behave more successfully with high throughput, low latency, and low utilization of resources for opening, querying, and transferring transactions into a healthcare Blockchain network. The results obtained in various rounds of evaluation demonstrate the superiority of the proposed framework.

Randomized, Triple-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial of SA3X (Spilanthes acmella) for the Management of Erectile Dysfunction.

Introduction Spilanthes acmella has been used as an aphrodisiac in India and other countries. However, studies concerning humans have been limited. This randomized controlled trial was carried out to evaluate the effect of SA3X capsules containing 500 mg of S. acmella on sexual function domain scores in sexually active men with symptoms of erectile dysfunction (ED) using the Men's Sexual Health Questionnaire (MSHQ). Materials and methods This triple-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group was conducted at two centres in Hyderabad and Secunderabad from May to December 2021. Patients were randomized 1:1 to SA3X therapy or placebo for one month along with an observational cohort. The change of MSHQ score and its subdomains from baseline to month 1 (primary endpoint) and one-month post-treatment (secondary outcome) was assessed using a mixed model repeated measures analysis. Additional secondary outcomes measured were the change in the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and duration of penile erection. Safety was evaluated. Results The intention-to-treat population included 448 patients (152 - SA3X therapy; 146 - placebo; 150 - observational cohort). A significant increase was observed with SA3X therapy versus placebo on the total MSHQ score (17.24 vs 4.72; SE: 2.11, 1.98; P<0.001) along with the sub-domains at the end of one month of therapy. At one-month post-treatment, the increase in MSHQ score with SA3X therapy was significant (18.48 vs 3.78; SE 2.81, 1.39; P<0.001). The IIEF scores and duration of penile erection also increased significantly in the SA3X therapy group. Dysgeusia (3.94%) was the most common drug-related adverse effect. No serious adverse effects were noted. Conclusion SA3X was concluded to be safe and effective as a potential treatment for ED.

Bright and Dark Exciton Coherent Coupling and Hybridization Enabled by External Magnetic Fields.

Magnetic field- and polarization-dependent measurements on bright and dark excitons in monolayer WSe2 combined with time-dependent density functional theory calculations reveal intriguing phenomena. Magnetic fields up to 25 T parallel to the WSe2 plane lead to a partial brightening of the energetically lower lying exciton, leading to an increase of the dephasing time. Using a broadband femtosecond pulse excitation, the bright and partially allowed excitonic state can be excited simultaneously, resulting in coherent quantum beating between these states. The magnetic fields perpendicular to the WSe2 plane energetically shift the bright and dark excitons relative to each other, resulting in the hybridization of the states at the K and K' valleys. Our experimental results are well captured by time-dependent density functional theory calculations. These observations show that magnetic fields can be used to control the coherent dephasing and coupling of the optical excitations in atomically thin semiconductors.

Effect of SA3X (Spilanthes acmella) Supplementation on Serum Testosterone Levels in Males with Erectile Dysfunction - A Parallel Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives:To determine whether SA3X (Spilanthes acmella) supplementation improves serum testosterone levels, in comparison with placebo, in participants with erectile dysfunction (ED) and low testosterone levels. Material and methods:This double-blind placebo-controlled parallel-group was conducted in Hyderabad, India, among male participants who were randomized to SA3X therapy or placebo (1:1) for three months. The change of serum testosterone levels from baseline to months 1, 2, 3 and 6 (three months after completion of the intervention) were assessed using a mixed model repeated measures analysis. Additional secondary outcomes were the change in the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire (MSHQ), International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and the duration of penile erection. Stratifying the effect of SA3X on testosterone levels was done to account for potential confounders and effect modifiers. Safety was evaluated. Results:The intention-to-treat population included 215 patients (105 - SA3X therapy; 110 - placebo). SA3X intervention increased the testosterone levels significantly (21.85 vs. 1.89 ng/dL; P<0.001) at the end of month 3. The elevated testosterone levels were maintained at month 6 (18.69 vs. 1.79; P<0.001) even after discontinuation of the intervention. The MSHQ scores, IIEF scores, and duration of penile erection also increased significantly in the SA3X group. Sensitivity analysis showed that the effect of SA3X on testosterone significantly differed by BMI, presence of comorbid conditions and intake of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. Dysgeusia (7.61%) was the significant drug-related adverse effect. Conclusion:Supplementation with SA3X for people with ED and low testosterone is a safe option as it significantly increases testosterone levels along with erectile function.

Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Polymer-Grafted Low-K and High-K Nanoparticles for Dielectric and Electronic Applications.

The synthesis of polymer-grafted nanoparticles (PGNPs) or hairy nanoparticles (HNPs) by tethering of polymer chains to the surface of nanoparticles is an important technique to obtain nanostructured hybrid materials that have been widely used in the formulation of advanced polymer nanocomposites. Ceramic-based polymer nanocomposites integrate key attributes of polymer and ceramic nanomaterial to improve the dielectric properties such as breakdown strength, energy density and dielectric loss. This review describes the "grafting from" and "grafting to" approaches commonly adopted to graft polymer chains on NPs pertaining to nano-dielectrics. The article also covers various surface initiated controlled radical polymerization techniques, along with templated approaches for grafting of polymer chains onto SiO2, TiO2, BaTiO3, and Al2O3 nanomaterials. As a look towards applications, an outlook on high-performance polymer nanocomposite capacitors for the design of high energy density pulsed power thin-film capacitors is also presented.

Evaluation of effects of Spilanthes acmella extract on muscle mass and sexual potency in males: A population-based study.

INTRODUCTION: Spilanthol, an active metabolite of the herb Spilanthes acmella, has many biological and pharmacological effects with limited studies on humans. OBJECTIVES: To determine the extent of increase/decrease in muscle mass and sexual frequency over a period of 3 weeks and 2 months in participants consuming SA3X capsules (containing 500 mg of Spilanthes acmella extract, standardized to 3.5% spilanthol delivering 17.5 mg spilanthol). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study is longitudinal in nature and is conducted among 240 male participants consuming SA3X capsules at three points - first at recruitment, second at the end of 3 weeks, and lastly at the end of 2 months in Hyderabad and Secunderabad who were assessed for muscle gain by measuring mid upper-arm circumference (MUAC), chest circumference (CC), thigh circumference (TC), and for sexual activity by a change in frequency of sexual activity and duration of penile erection. The nutrient intake was assessed by 24-h dietary recall method at each visit along with the daily activity. RESULTS: A significant increase in the MUAC, (P = 0.050), frequency of sexual intercourse (P = 0.028), and duration of penile erection (P = 0.032) were observed at the end of 3 weeks; however, no changes were observed in CC and TC. At the end of 2 months, a significant increase in the parameters MUAC (P = 0.031), frequency of sexual intercourse (P < 0.001), duration of penile erection (P = 0.029) along with significant increase in CC; (P = 0.048) and TC; (P = 0.036) was observed. CONCLUSION: The study reflects the herb Spilanthes acmella to be a potent muscle gainer and aphrodisiac. However, further studies on humans need to be carried out to establish the temporality of the association of spilanthol with its claimed benefits.