Mimicking the Synaptic Weights and Human Forgetting Curve Using Hydrothermally Grown Nanostructured CuO Memristor Device.

In the present investigation, we have fabricated copper oxide (CuO) thin film memristor by employing a hydrothermal method for neuromorphic application. The X-ray diffraction pattern confirms the films are polycrystalline in nature with the monoclinic crystal structure. The developed devices show analog memory and synaptic property similar to biological neuron. The size dependent synaptic behavior is investigated for as-prepared and annealed CuO memristor. The results suggested that the magnitude of synaptic weights and resistive switching voltages are dependent on the thickness of the active layer. Synaptic weights are improved in the case of the as-prepared device whereas they are inferior for annealed CuO memristor. The rectifying property similar to a biological neuron is observed only for the as-prepared device, which suggested that as-prepared devices have better computational and learning capabilities than annealed CuO memristor. Moreover, the retention loss of the CuO memristor is in good agreement with the forgetting curve of human memory. The results suggested that hydrothermally grown CuO thin film memristor is a potential candidate for the neuromorphic device development.

An efficient multi-class classification of skin cancer using optimized vision transformer.

Skin cancer is a pervasive and deadly disease, prompting a surge in research efforts towards utilizing computer-based techniques to analyze skin lesion images to identify malignancies. This paper introduces an optimized vision transformer approach for effectively classifying skin tumors. The methodology begins with a pre-processing step aimed at preserving color constancy, eliminating hair artifacts, and reducing image noise. Here, a combination of techniques such as piecewise linear bottom hat filtering, adaptive median filtering, Gaussian filtering, and an enhanced gradient intensity method is used for pre-processing. Afterwards, the segmentation phase is initiated using the self-sparse watershed algorithm on the pre-processed image. Subsequently, the segmented image is passed through a feature extraction stage where the hybrid Walsh-Hadamard Karhunen-Loeve expansion technique is employed. The final step involves the application of an improved vision transformer for skin cancer classification. The entire methodology is implemented using the Python programming language, and the International Skin Imaging Collaboration (ISIC) 2019 database is utilized for experimentation. The experimental results demonstrate remarkable performance with the different performance metrics is accuracy 99.81%, precision 96.65%, sensitivity 98.21%, F-measure 97.42%, specificity 99.88%, recall 98.21%, Jaccard coefficient 98.54%, and Mathew's correlation coefficient (MCC) 98.89%. The proposed methodology outperforms the existing methodology.

Investigations on silver/polyaniline electrodes for electrochemical supercapacitors.

Polyaniline (PANI) and silver doped polyaniline (Ag/PANI) thin films were deposited on stainless steel substrates by a dip coating technique. To study the effect of doping concentration of Ag on the specific capacitance of PANI the concentration of Ag was varied from 0.3 to 1.2 weight percent. Fourier transform-infrared and Fourier transform-Raman spectroscopy, and energy dispersion X-ray techniques were used for the phase identification and determination of the doping content in the PANI films, respectively. The surface morphology of the films was examined by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, which revealed a nanofiber like structure for PANI and nanofibers with bright spots of Ag particles for the Ag/PANI films. There was decrease in the room temperature electrical resistivity of the Ag/PANI films of the order of 10(2) with increasing Ag concentration. The supercapacitive behavior of the electrodes was tested in a three electrode system using 1.0 M H(2)SO(4) electrolyte. The specific capacitance increased from 285 F g(-1) (for PANI) to 512 F g(-1) for Ag/PANI at 0.9 weight percent doping of Ag, owing to the synergic effect of PANI and silver nanoparticles. This work demonstrates a simple strategy of improving the specific capacitance of polymer electrodes and may also be easily adopted for other dopants.

CdS-sensitized TiO2 nanocorals: hydrothermal synthesis, characterization, application.

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticle-sensitized titanium oxide nanocorals (TNC) were synthesized using a two-step deposition process. The TiO(2) nanocorals were grown on the conducting glass substrates (FTO) using A hydrothermal process and CdS nanoparticles were loaded on TNC using successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The TiO(2), CdS and TiO(2)-CdS samples were characterized by optical absorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-Raman, FT-IR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and contact angle. Further, their photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance was tested in NaOH, Na(2)S-NaOH-S and Na(2)S electrolytes, respectively. When CdS nanoparticles are coated on TNCs, the optical absorption is found to be enhanced and band edge is red-shifted towards visible region. The TiO(2)-CdS sample exhibits improved photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance with maximum short circuit current of (J(sc)) 1.04 mA cm(-2). After applying these TiO(2)-CdS electrodes in photovoltaic cells, the photocurrent was found to be enhanced by 2.7 and 32.5 times, as compared with those of bare CdS and TiO(2) nanocorals films electrodes respectively. Also, the power conversion efficiency of TiO(2)-CdS electrodes is 0.72%, which is enhanced by about 16 and 29 times for TiO(2), CdS samples.

Association of impaired cognitive functions with cardiovascular risk factors in elderly Indian population.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of dementia is projected to rise dramatically in future with increasing life expectancy. Though dementia itself is not treatable in majority of cases, modification of co-morbid medical conditions may influence onset and rate of decline of cognitive functions. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of dementia in elderly by assessing cognitive function and to assess the association of cardiovascular risk factors with cognitive functions. STUDY DESIGN: Cross sectional analytical study. PARTICIPANTS: 400 consecutive elderly subjects > 65 years attending Geriatric OPD, Dept. of Medicine, Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur, were recruited and assessed for cognitive functions by applying Mini Mental Status examination Score (MMSE). Relationships between cardiovascular risk factors and impaired cognitive score were determined. RESULTS: Prevalence of impaired cognitive function (MMSE Score < 25) was 33.25% (133 cases), while that of dementia (MMSE < 23) was 3.25 % (13 cases) in this elderly population. Impaired cognitive function was higher in those with low education and low socioeconomic status, (p = < 0.001). Increasing age, Female gender, alcohol intake and high cholesterol were found to be independently associated with impaired cognitive score in multiple logistic regression (p = < 0.001). Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking and obesity were not associated with impaired cognitive score. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of cognitive impairment rises significantly as the age advances and is associated with alcohol intake and high cholesterol.

APTES monolayer coverage on self-assembled magnetic nanospheres for controlled release of anticancer drug Nintedanib.

The use of an appropriate delivery system capable of protecting, translocating, and selectively releasing therapeutic moieties to desired sites can promote the efficacy of an active compound. In this work, we have developed a nanoformulation which preserves its magnetization to load a model anticancerous drug and to explore the controlled release of the drug in a cancerous environment. For the preparation of the nanoformulation, self-assembled magnetic nanospheres (MNS) made of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were grafted with a monolayer of (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES). A direct functionalization strategy was used to avoid the loss of the MNS magnetization. The successful preparation of the nanoformulation was validated by structural, microstructural, and magnetic investigations. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to establish the presence of APTES on the MNS surface. The amine content quantified by a ninhydrin assay revealed the monolayer coverage of APTES over MNS. The monolayer coverage of APTES reduced only negligibly the saturation magnetization from 77 emu/g (for MNS) to 74 emu/g (for MNS-APTES). Detailed investigations of the thermoremanent magnetization were carried out to assess the superparamagnetism in the MNS. To make the nanoformulation pH-responsive, the anticancerous drug Nintedanib (NTD) was conjugated with MNS-APTES through the acid liable imine bond. At pH 5.5, which mimics a cancerous environment, a controlled release of 85% in 48 h was observed. On the other hand, prolonged release of NTD was found at physiological conditions (i.e., pH 7.4). In vitro cytotoxicity study showed dose-dependent activity of MNS-APTES-NTD for human lung cancer cells L-132. About 75% reduction in cellular viability for a 100 µg/mL concentration of nanoformulation was observed. The nanoformulation designed using MNS and monolayer coverage of APTES has potential in cancer therapy as well as in other nanobiological applications.

Studies on interstitial carbon doping from a Ti precursor in a hierarchical TiO2 nanostructured photoanode by a single step hydrothermal route.

Carbon doping from a Ti precursor in TiO2 synthesized by a hydrothermal method was studied. The structural, optical and morphological study of the deposited material was carried out using X-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy characterization techniques. The elemental composition of the TiO2 deposited with different precursor concentrations was studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The amount of elemental carbon in the TiO2 matrix is found to be increased as the Ti precursor concentration is increased, which strengthens the proposed idea of carbon doping via a Ti precursor.

Pulsed laser deposited CoFe2O4 thin films as supercapacitor electrodes.

The influence of the substrate temperature on pulsed laser deposited (PLD) CoFe2O4 thin films for supercapacitor electrodes was thoroughly investigated. X-ray diffractometry and Raman spectroscopic analyses confirmed the formation of CoFe2O4 phase for films deposited at a substrate temperature of 450 °C. Topography and surface smoothness was measured using atomic force microscopy. We observed that the films deposited at room temperature showed improved electrochemical performance and supercapacitive properties compared to those of films deposited at 450 °C. Specific capacitances of about 777.4 F g-1 and 258.5 F g-1 were obtained for electrodes deposited at RT and 450 °C, respectively, at 0.5 mA cm-2 current density. The CoFe2O4 films deposited at room temperature exhibited an excellent power density (3277 W kg-1) and energy density (17 W h kg-1). Using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, the series resistance and charge transfer resistance were found to be 1.1 Ω and 1.5 Ω, respectively. The cyclic stability was increased up to 125% after 1500 cycles due to the increasing electroactive surface of CoFe2O4 along with the fast electron and ion transport at the surface.

Nonlinear optical properties of 2,4,5-Trimethoxy-4-nitrochalcone: observation of two-photon-induced excited-state nonlinearities.

We report experimental investigations of optical nonlinearities and nonlinear dynamics in acetone solution of 2,4,5-Trimethoxy-4- nitrochalcone. By performing Z-scans with femtosecond laser pulses at low excitation intensity, two-photon absorption (2PA) and third-order nonlinear refraction are measured. As laser excitation intensity exceeds a critical value, however, the interplay between third- and fifth-order nonlinearities is observed. It is also confirmed that fifth-order processes mainly originate from 2PA-induced excited-state nonlinearities by conducting femtosecond time-resolved degenerate pump-probe measurements. All the nonlinear parameters are determined unambiguously in the near infrared region of the 2PA cross-section, second-order hyperpolarizability, excited-state absorption cross-section, excited-state refraction cross-section, lifetime of excited states induced by 2PA, and critical population of the excited states in 2,4,5-Trimethoxy-4-nitrochalcone molecule.

3-(2,4-Dichloro-phen-yl)-1,5-di-2-furylpentane-1,5-dione.

In the title compound, C(19)H(14)Cl(2)O(4), intra-molecular C-H⋯O and C-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds generate S(6) and S(5) ring motifs, respectively. In the crystal structure, inter-molecular C-H⋯O inter-actions between symmetry-related mol-ecules involving two methyl-ene groups and an O atom as a bifurcated acceptor generate an R(2) (1)(6) ring motif. In the mol-ecule, one of the furan rings is rotationally disordered by approximately 180° about the single C-C bond to which it is attached; the refined site-occupancy factors are 0.505 (7) and 0.495 (7). The major component of the disordered furan ring and the benzene ring form a dihedral angle of 88.8 (4)°. The dihedral angle between the major disorder component and the other furan ring is 81.9 (4)°. In addition, the crystal structure is stabilized by further inter-molecular C-H⋯O (×2) hydrogen bonds and C-H⋯π inter-actions.

1,4-Bis(fluoro-meth-yl)benzene.

The title compound, C(8)H(8)F(2), lies across a crystallographic inversion centre. The structure features short C⋯F [2.8515 (18) Å] and F⋯F [2.490 (4) Å] contacts, which are significantly shorter than the sum of the van der Waals radii of these atoms. The F atom and methyl-ene H atoms are disordered over two positions with a site-occupancy ratio of 0.633 (3):0.367 (3). In the crystal structure, inter-molecular C-H⋯F inter-actions link neighboring mol-ecules into infinite chains along the b axis. In addition, C-H⋯π inter-actions link these mol-ecules along [10], forming a two-dimensional network parallel to (101).

Biodegradation of reactive textile dye Red BLI by an isolated bacterium Pseudomonas sp. SUK1.

A novel bacterial strain capable of decolorizing reactive textile dye Red BLI is isolated from the soil sample collected from contaminated sites of textile industry from Solapur, India. The bacterial isolate was identified as Pseudomonas sp. SUK1 on the basis of 16S rDNA analysis. The Pseudomonas sp. SUK1 decolorized Red BLI (50 mg l(-1)) 99.28% within 1h under static anoxic condition at pH range from 6.5 to 7.0 and 30 degrees C. This strain has ability to decolorize various reactive textile dyes. UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR and TLC analysis of samples before and after dye decolorization in culture medium confirmed decolorization of Red BLI. A significant increase in the activities of aminopyrine N-demethylase and NADH-DCIP reductase in cells obtained after decolorization indicates involvement of these enzymes in the decolorization process. Phytotoxicity testing with the seeds of Sorghum vulgare and Phaseolus mungo, showed more sensitivity towards the dye, while the products obtained after dye decolorization does not have any inhibitory effects.

N'-[(E)-1-Phenyl-ethyl-idene]benzo-hydrazide.

The title compound, C(15)H(14)N(2)O, crystallized with two independent mol-ecules in the asymmetric unit. Both mol-ecules are non-planar and have an E configuration with respect to the C=N bond. The dihedral angles between the two benzene rings are 11.1 (2)° in one mol-ecule and 12.40 (19)° in the other. In the crystal structure, the mol-ecules are linked by N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and weak C-H⋯O inter-actions into infinite one-dimensional chains along [1 0 0]. The crystal structure is further stabilized by N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, weak C-H⋯O and very weak C-H⋯π inter-actions.

4-Chloro-N'-[(Z)-4-nitro-benzyl-idene]benzohydrazide monohydrate.

In the title compound, C(14)H(10)ClN(3)O(3)·H(2)O, the benzohydrazide group is not planar and the mol-ecule exists in a cis configuration with respect to the methyl-idene unit. The dihedral angle between the two substituted benzene rings is 38.7 (3)°. In the crystal structure, mol-ecules are linked by O-H⋯O, O-H⋯N and N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds into a two-dimensional network parallel to the (100) plane. The crystal structure is further stabilized by weak C-H⋯O inter-actions.

3-(2-Chloro-6-fluoro-phen-yl)-1-(2-thien-yl)prop-2-en-1-one.

The title chalcone derivative, C(13)H(8)ClFOS, crystallized as an inversion twin with two independent mol-ecules in the asymmetric unit. The thio-phene rings in both mol-ecules are disordered over two sites: the ratios of occupancies for the major and minor components in the two mol-ecules are 0.820 (2):0.180 (2) and 0.853 (2):0.147 (2). The dihedral angles between the major and minor components of the thio-phene and benzene rings are 1.13 (18) and 2.2 (6)°, respectively, in one mol-ecule, with corresponding values 6.09 (17) and 1.3 (6)° in the other. Weak intra-molecular C-H⋯O and C-H⋯F inter-actions involving the prop-2-en-1-one group generate an S(5)S(5) ring motif, whereas a weak intra-molecular C-H⋯Cl contact generates an S(6) ring motif. In the crystal structure, mol-ecules of both the major and minor components are linked into infinite one-dimensional chains along the b axis. The crystal structure is stabilized by weak C-H⋯O, C-H⋯F, C-H⋯Cl and C-H⋯π inter-actions.

1-(2,4-Dichloro-phen-yl)-3-(4-methyl-phen-yl)prop-2-en-1-one.

The mol-ecule of the title compound, C(16)H(12)Cl(2)O, adopts an E configuration. The dihedral angle between the two benzene rings is 42.09 (5)°. In the crystal structure, mol-ecules are linked into a three-dimensional framework by weak C-H⋯O inter-actions and by C-H⋯π inter-actions involving the methyl-phenyl ring.

(E)-1-(4-Chloro-phen-yl)-3-(4-methyl-phen-yl)prop-2-en-1-one.

The title compound, C(16)H(13)ClO, adopts an E configuration with respect to the C=C double bond of the propenone unit. The dihedral angle between the two benzene rings is 45.9 (2)°. In the crystal structure, mol-ecules are arranged into sheets parallel to the ac plane and the sheets are stacked along the b axis. This arrangement is stabilized by weak inter-molecular C-H⋯π inter-actions involving both aromatic rings.

(E)-3-(2-Chloro-phen-yl)-1-(2,4-dichloro-phen-yl)prop-2-en-1-one.

In the title chalcone derivative, C(15)H(9)Cl(3)O, the dihedral angle between the 2-chloro-phenyl and 2,4-dichloro-phenyl rings is 41.79 (14)°. Weak C-H⋯O and C-H⋯Cl intra-molecular inter-actions involving the enone unit generate S(5) ring motifs. In the crystal structure, the mol-ecules are arranged in a head-to-tail manner along the a axis. These chains are stacked along the b axis.

(E)-3-(2-Chloro-phen-yl)-1-(4-nitro-phen-yl)prop-2-en-1-one.

In the title compound, C(15)H(10)ClNO(3), a substituted chalcone, the 2-chloro-phenyl and 4-nitro-phenyl rings make a dihedral angle of 26.48 (6)°. The nitro group makes a dihedral angle of 11.64 (7)° with the plane of the benzene ring to which it is bound. Weak intra-molecular C-H⋯O and C-H⋯Cl inter-actions involving the enone groups generate S(5) ring motifs, which help to stabilize the planarity of the 3-(2-chloro-phen-yl)prop-2-en-1-one segment of the mol-ecule. In the crystal structure, adjacent mol-ecules are stacked in a head-to-tail fashion into columns along the a axis by π-π inter-actions [centroid-centroid distance = 3.6955 (8) Å]. Neighbouring columns are linked by weak C-H⋯O inter-actions.

(E)-1-(3-Bromo-phen-yl)-3-(4-ethoxy-phen-yl)prop-2-en-1-one.

The title compound, C(17)H(15)BrO(2), adopts an E configuration. The dihedral angle between the two benzene rings is 10.09 (11)°. The enone plane makes dihedral angles of 12.05 (11) and 9.87 (11)°, respectively, with the bromo-phenyl and ethoxy-phenyl rings. The eth-oxy group is nearly coplanar with the attached benzene ring. In the crystal structure, the mol-ecules are linked by C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a zigzag ribbon-like structure along the b-axis direction.