Enabling High Reversibility of Zn anode via Interfacial Engineering Induced by Amino acid Electrolyte Additive.

Despite possessing substantial benefits of enhanced safety and cost-effectiveness, the aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) still suffers with the critical challenges induced by inherent instability of Zn metal in aqueous electrolytes. Zn dendrites, surface passivation, and corrosion are some of the key challenges governed by water-driven side reactions in Zn anodes. Herein, a highly reversible Zn anode is demonstrated via interfacial engineering of Zn/electrolyte driven by amino acid D-Phenylalanine (DPA) additions. The preferential adsorption of DPA and the development of compact SEI on the Zn anode suppressed the side reactions, leading to controlled and uniform Zn deposition. As a result, DPA added aqueous electrolyte stabilized Zn anode under severe test environments of 20.0 mA cm-2 and 10.0 mAh cm-2 along with an average plating/stripping Coulombic efficiency of 99.37%. Under multiple testing conditions, the DPA-incorporated electrolyte outperforms the control group electrolyte, revealing the critical additive impact on Zn anode stability. This study advances interfacial engineering through versatile electrolyte additive(s) toward development of stable Zn anode, which may lead to its practical implementation in aqueous rechargeable zinc batteries.

Contemporary advances in photocatalytic CO2 reduction using single-atom catalysts supported on carbon-based materials.

The persistent issue of CO2 emissions and their subsequent impact on the Earth's atmosphere can be effectively addressed through the utilization of efficient photocatalysts. Employing a sustainable carbon cycle via photocatalysis presents a promising technology for simultaneously managing the greenhouse effect and the energy dilemma. However, the efficiency of energy conversion encounters limitations due to inadequate carrier utilization and a deficiency of reactive sites. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have demonstrated exceptional performance in efficiently addressing the aforementioned challenges. This review article commences with an overview of SAC types, structures, fundamentals, synthesis strategies, and characterizations, providing a logical foundation for the design and properties of SACs based on the correlation between their structure and efficiency. Additionally, we delve into the general mechanism and the role of SACs in photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Furthermore, we furnish a comprehensive survey of the latest advancements in SACs concerning their capacity to enhance efficiency, long-term stability, and selectivity in CO2 reduction. Carbon-structured support materials such as covalent organic frameworks (COFs), graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs), and graphene-based photocatalysts have garnered significant attention due to their substantial surface area, superior conductivity, and chemical stability. These carbon-based materials are frequently chosen as support matrices for anchoring single metal atoms, thereby enhancing catalytic activity and selectivity. The motivation behind this review article lies in evaluating recent developments in photocatalytic CO2 reduction employing SACs supported on carbon substrates. In conclusion, we highlight critical issues associated with SACs, potential prospects in photocatalytic CO2 reduction, and existing challenges. This review article is dedicated to providing a comprehensive and organized compilation of recent research findings on carbon support materials for SACs in photocatalytic CO2 reduction, with a specific focus on materials that are environmentally friendly, readily accessible, cost-effective, and exceptionally efficient. This work offers a critical assessment and serves as a systematic reference for the development of SACs supported on MOFs, COFs, g-C3N4, graphene, and CTFs support materials to enhance photocatalytic CO2 conversion.

Towards sweetness classification of orange cultivars using short-wave NIR spectroscopy.

The global orange industry constantly faces new technical challenges to meet consumer demands for quality fruits. Instead of traditional subjective fruit quality assessment methods, the interest in the horticulture industry has increased in objective, quantitative, and non-destructive assessment methods. Oranges have a thick peel which makes their non-destructive quality assessment challenging. This paper evaluates the potential of short-wave NIR spectroscopy and direct sweetness classification approach for Pakistani cultivars of orange, i.e., Red-Blood, Mosambi, and Succari. The correlation between quality indices, i.e., Brix, titratable acidity (TA), Brix: TA and BrimA (Brix minus acids), sensory assessment of the fruit, and short-wave NIR spectra, is analysed. Mix cultivar oranges are classified as sweet, mixed, and acidic based on short-wave NIR spectra. Short-wave NIR spectral data were obtained using the industry standard F-750 fruit quality meter (310-1100 nm). Reference Brix and TA measurements were taken using standard destructive testing methods. Reference taste labels i.e., sweet, mix, and acidic, were acquired through sensory evaluation of samples. For indirect fruit classification, partial least squares regression models were developed for Brix, TA, Brix: TA, and BrimA estimation with a correlation coefficient of 0.57, 0.73, 0.66, and 0.55, respectively, on independent test data. The ensemble classifier achieved 81.03% accuracy for three classes (sweet, mixed, and acidic) classification on independent test data for direct fruit classification. A good correlation between NIR spectra and sensory assessment is observed as compared to quality indices. A direct classification approach is more suitable for a machine-learning-based orange sweetness classification using NIR spectroscopy than the estimation of quality indices.

An Exploration of Recent Intelligent Image Analysis Techniques for Visual Pavement Surface Condition Assessment.

Road pavement condition assessment is essential for maintenance, asset management, and budgeting for pavement infrastructure. Countries allocate a substantial annual budget to maintain and improve local, regional, and national highways. Pavement condition is assessed by measuring several pavement characteristics such as roughness, surface skid resistance, pavement strength, deflection, and visual surface distresses. Visual inspection identifies and quantifies surface distresses, and the condition is assessed using standard rating scales. This paper critically analyzes the research trends in the academic literature, professional practices and current commercial solutions for surface condition ratings by civil authorities. We observe that various surface condition rating systems exist, and each uses its own defined subset of pavement characteristics to evaluate pavement conditions. It is noted that automated visual sensing systems using intelligent algorithms can help reduce the cost and time required for assessing the condition of pavement infrastructure, especially for local and regional road networks. However, environmental factors, pavement types, and image collection devices are significant in this domain and lead to challenging variations. Commercial solutions for automatic pavement assessment with certain limitations exist. The topic is also a focus of academic research. More recently, academic research has pivoted toward deep learning, given that image data is now available in some form. However, research to automate pavement distress assessment often focuses on the regional pavement condition assessment standard that a country or state follows. We observe that the criteria a region adopts to make the evaluation depends on factors such as pavement construction type, type of road network in the area, flow and traffic, environmental conditions, and region's economic situation. We summarized a list of publicly available datasets for distress detection and pavement condition assessment. We listed approaches focusing on crack segmentation and methods concentrating on distress detection and identification using object detection and classification. We segregated the recent academic literature in terms of the camera's view and the dataset used, the year and country in which the work was published, the F1 score, and the architecture type. It is observed that the literature tends to focus more on distress identification ("presence/absence" detection) but less on distress quantification, which is essential for developing approaches for automated pavement rating.

Evaluation of the Dielectric and Insulating Properties of Newly Synthesized Ethylene/1-Hexene/4-Vinylcyclohexene Terpolymers.

Terpolymerizations of newly synthesized ethylene (E), vinylcyclohexene (VCH), and 1-hexene were carried out with symmetrical metallocene catalysts rac-Me2Si(2-Me-4-Ph-Ind)2ZrCl2 (catalyst A) and rac-Et(Ind)2ZrCl2 (catalyst B). X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), high-temperature gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were used to evaluate the behavior and microstructure of the polymers. The activity of catalyst B was 1.49 × 106 gm/mmolMt·h), with a T m of 73.45 (°C) and ΔH m of 43.19 (J/g), while catalyst A produced first higher 1-hexene, 19.6 mol %, and VCH contents with a narrow molecular weight distribution (MWD). In previous reports, ethylene propylene monomer dienes (EPDM) had a low content and were used for dielectric and insulating properties with nanomaterials. Second, this paper presents a kind of elastomeric polymers based on E/1-hexene and VCH with a high dielectric constant (k = 6-4) and mechanical properties. In addition, low dielectric loss suggests the suitable application potential of these polymeric materials for the fabrications of capacitors. Also, this work reveals that these polymers can be a better candidate for high-voltage electrical insulation due to their enhanced dielectric, mechanical, and thermal characteristics. To examine the insulating property, the interface characteristics of the polymer were evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) with a frequency range of 1 × 105-0.01 Hz and an amplitude of 5.0 mV. EIS is an effective method to investigate the polymers' interfacial electron transfer characteristics. The EIS Nyquist plot showed high Warburg impedance features in the low-frequency domain with straight lines without a semicircle, suggesting that the property of the polymer owing to the high electrical resistance and poor conductivity for ionic kinetics in the electrolyte may have surpassed that of the semicircle. Although the slope of low frequencies in polymers holding potent exoelectrogenic bacteria (Shewanella oneidensis MR-1) as a charge carrier in the electrolyte could significantly reduce the Warburg resistance, it still could not improve the conductivity, which demonstrated that the external charge supply could not alter the insulating property in the used polymers.

Sulfur doped FeNC catalysts derived from Dual-Ligand zeolitic imidazolate framework for the oxygen reduction reaction.

Iron-nitrogen-carbon (FeNC) catalysts derived from zeolitic-imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) are worldwide accepted to be the most promising candidates for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), but the insufficient stability, the low FeNx exposure and poor density restrict their ORR activity. Here, we demonstrate a strategy to synthesize FeNx sites embedded in a micro/mesoporous N, S co-doped graphitic carbon (FeNC/MUS) by tuning the ligand linkers via the addition of 2-undecylimidazole as a co-ligand in ZIF precursors, and optimizing the electronic structure of Fe center by an in-situ addition of thiourea molecules as sulfur (S) source. 2-undecylimidazole offered an open porous structure to incorporate more FeNx, while the S-doping increased the density of FeNx. Besides, 2-undeclyimidazole cooperatively with S-doping caused favorable changes into the catalyst structure, particularly improved the exposure and density of FeNx sites and doubled the Brunauer-Emmetter-Teller surface area to 1132 m2 g-1 contrasted to the pristine FeNC/M (544 m2 g-1). FeNC/MUS displayed an accelerated ORR activity with a higher half-wave potential of 0.86 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)) than that of Pt/C (0.84 V) in addition of a longer durability with a 11 % of activity decay after 30000 s in alkaline media. This work offers a new insight to design optimal ZIFs precursor and a facile electron withdrawing S-doping strategy for efficient electrocatalysis.

Can electrophysiological information reflect the response of mangrove species to salt stress? A case study of rewatering and Sodium nitroprusside application.

The changes in plant life behaviors and water status are accompanied by electrophysiological activities. In this study, the theoretical relationship between clamping force (CF) and leaf resistance (R), capacitive reactance (XC), inductive reactance (XL), impedance (Z), and capacitance (C) were exposed as 3-parameter exponential decay and linear models based on bioenergetics, respectively, for mangrove species. The intracellular water metabolism parameters and salt transport characteristics were also determined based on mechanical equations with influences of Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and rewatering (RW). The results show that the inherent capacitance and effective thickness could better represent Aegiceras corniculatum (A. corniculatum) species, and inherent resistance and impedance show obvious effects on Kandelia obovate (K. obovate) species at different salt levels. SNP application shows positive effect on different salt-resistance capacities of A. corniculatum, while K. obovate perform better in RW phase at high salt level. These outcomes indicates that K. obovate is more salt-resistant because RW process is consistent with actual situation, and response of A. corniculatum at high salt stress is irreversible, even in RW. It is concluded that the electrophysiological parameters could be used for the determination of salt-resistant capacities, which gave more enhanced and reliable information of mangroves' life activities.

Tribological Characterization of Electrical Discharge Machined Surfaces for AISI 304L.

Surface treatments are normally carried out after machining. Surface treatment is a costly and time-consuming process. Hence, it makes sense to reduce the requirement of surface treatment as much as possible. Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is a frequently used machining process. EDM produces a recast layer on the surface of machined components. The tribological performance of this recast layer is not very well understood. The properties of the recast layer formed as a result of EDM depend upon the discharge current, electrodes and dielectrics. This work aims to study the effects of each on the tribological performance - in terms of the wear depth, friction coefficient, friction force and contact surface temperature of recast layers. Subsequent improvement in the quality of surfaces will significantly reduce the cost and time required to treat surfaces after machining. Hence, various combinations of discharge current, dielectrics and electrodes have been used to characterize and deduce their effects. The tribo-tests are performed in the boundary lubrication regime under pin-on-disc configuration to analyze sliding friction, contact surface temperature and the wear of the recast layers formed on AISI 304L. The surface morphology of the test pins has been performed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) before and after the tests. The results show that indeed it is possible to control the tribological performance of the recast layers by varying EDM parameters. This approach promises to be a useful methodology to improve the tribological performance of the layers formed after EDM and reduce the time and costs required for surface treatments post machining.

3D Printable Thermoplastic Polyurethane Energy Efficient Passive Foot.

Passive energy storing prosthetics are redesigned to improve the stored and recovered energy during different phases of the gait cycle. Furthermore, the demand of the low-cost passive prosthesis that are capable of energy storing is increasing day by day especially in underdeveloping countries. This article proposes a new passive foot design that is more energy efficient if 3D printed using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material. The model is built in SOLIDWORKS®, and then the finite element analysis is conducted on ANSYS®. Two models of the foot are designed with and without Steps on the toe and heel, where the difference of Steps showed difference in the energy stored in the foot during stimulation. TPU being a flexible material with high strength and durability is chosen as the material for the 3D printed foot. The analysis performed on the foot is for an 80 kg person at different angles during the gait cycle for the K2 human activity level. The results obtained indicate high energy storage ability of TPU that is 0.044 J/Kg, comparative to other materials Hytrel, Delrin, and Carbon Fiber DA that are commonly used in passive foots.

Dual plasmonic Au and TiN cocatalysts to boost photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Employing a suitable cocatalyst is very important to improve photocatalytic H2 evolution activity. Herein, two plasmonic cocatalysts, Au nanoparticles and TiN nanoparticles were in-situ coupled over the g-C3N4 nanotube to form a ternary 0D/0D/1D Au/TiN/g-C3N4 composite via a successive thermal polycondensation and chemical reduction method. The g-C3N4 nanotube acted as a support for the growth of Au and TiN nanoparticles, leading to intimate contact between g-C3N4 nanotube with Au nanoparticles and TiN nanoparticles. As a result, multiple interfaces and dual-junctions of Au/g-C3N4 Schottky-junction and TiN/g-C3N4 ohmic-junction were constructed, which helped to promote the charged carriers' separation and enhanced the photocatalytic performance. Furthermore, loading plasmonic cocatalysts of Au nanoparticles and TiN nanoparticles can enhance the light absorption capacity. Consequently, the Au/TiN/g-C3N4 composite exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution activity (596 µmol g-1 h-1) compared to g-C3N4 or binary composites of Au/g-C3N4 and TiN/g-C3N4. This work highlights the significant role of cocatalysts in photocatalysis.

The rise of 3D Printing entangled with smart computer aided design during COVID-19 era.

During the current Pandemic, seven and a half million flights worldwide were canceled which disrupted the supply chain of all types of goods such as, personal protective gears, medical health devices, raw materials, food, and other essential equipments. The demand for health and medical related goods increased during this period globally, while the production using classical manufacturing techniques were effected because of the lockdowns and disruption in the transporation system. This created the need of geo scattered, small, and rapid manufacturing units along with a smart computer aided design (CAD) facility. The availability of 3D printing technologies and open source CAD design made it possible to overcome this need. In this article, we present an extensive review on the utilization of 3D printing technology in the days of pandamic. We observe that 3D printing together with smart CAD design show promise to overcome the disruption caused by the lockdown of classical manufacturing units specially for medical and testing equipment, and protective gears. We observe that there are several short communications, commentaries, correspondences, editorials and mini reviews compiled and published; however, a systematic state-of-the-art review is required to identify the significance of 3D printing, design for additive manufacturing (AM), and digital supply chain for handling emergency situations and in the post-COVID era. We present a review of various benefits of 3DP particularly in emergency situations such as a pandemic. Furthermore, some relevant iterative design and 3DP case studies are discussed systematically. Finally, this article highlights the areas that can help to control the emergency situation such as a pandemic, and critically discusses the research gaps that need further research in order to exploit the full potential of 3DP in pandemic and post-pandemic future era.

Anal fissure management by the gastroenterologist.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Anal fissures are very common. They are easy to diagnose and treat in the office setting. They may coexist with hemorrhoids. In fact 20% of patients with hemorrhoids have anal fissures also. The purpose of this review is to highlight current diagnosis and treatment of anal fissures using diet, ointments and botulinum toxin to enable healing. Medical treatment relies on reducing anal sphincter spasm to allow improved blood flow and healing. RECENT FINDINGS: Many anorectal disorders can be managed in the office. Most anal fissures can be managed without the need for surgery. The need for anorectal examination, including use of anoscopy is stressed in the current literature. The use of calcium channel blockers in preference to nitroglycerin is highlighted as well as the use of botulinum toxin when ointments don't work. SUMMARY: Anal fissure can be managed nonsurgically most of the time and gastroenterologists should be able to manage them. This article should help in preventing unnecessary surgery and its complications, mainly incontinence in a small but significant number. The search for more effective drugs and options for managing this disorder continues.

Mechanical colon cleansing for screening colonoscopy: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Effective screening colonoscopy depends on the quality of colon preparation. This study aimed to compare pulsed irrigation evacuation (PIE), polyethylene glycol (PEG) and sodium phosphate colon preparations. METHODS: Outpatients at a VA hospital were randomized using sealed envelopes. Preparations consisted of polyethylene glycol 4L, Fleet sodium phosphate 90 mL with four to six glasses water twice daily and 296 mL of magnesium citrate in the evening with PIE prior to colonoscopy. Colon cleansing was assessed blindly using a five-point scale: 0 (very poor) to 4 (excellent). RESULTS: Altogether 391 patients participated in the study (129 in the PEG group, 127 in the sodium phosphate and 135 in the PIE group), with a mean age of 62 years, of whom 75% were men. PIE and sodium phosphate were superior to PEG: median cleansing scored 4 (excellent) versus 3 with PEG (P < 0.01). Inadequate preparations were more common with PEG than PIE (18% vs 5%) (P < 0.01). Side-effects included vomiting: 37% in the sodium phosphate group versus 5% in the PEG and 2% in the PIE groups (P < 0.01). The three preparations were judged intolerable in ≤ 5%. CONCLUSIONS: PIE and sodium phosphate are superior to PEG for colon preparations. PIE is the preferred preparation for those at high risk of unsatisfactory preparations or with unsatisfactory traditional preparations.