Interface engineering in ZnO/CdO hybrid nanocomposites to enhanced resistive switching memory for neuromorphic computing.

Resistive random-access memory (RRAMs) has attracted significant interest for their potential applications in embedded storage and neuromorphic computing. Materials based on metal chalcogenides have emerged as promising candidates for the fulfilment of these requirements. Due to its ability to manipulate electronic states and control trap states through controlled compositional dynamics, metal chalcogenide RRAM has excellent non-volatile resistive memory properties. In the present we have synthesized ZnO-CdO hybrid nanocomposite by using hydrothermal method as an active layer. The Ag/C15ZO/Pt hybrid nanocomposite structure memristors showed electrical properties similar to biological synapses. The device exhibited remarkably stable resistive switching properties that have a low SET/RESET (0.41/-0.2) voltage, a high RON/OFF ratio of approximately 105, a high retention stability, excellent endurance reliability up to 104 cycles and multilevel device storage performance by controlling the compliance current. Furthermore, they exhibited an impressive performance in terms of emulating biological synaptic functions, which include long-term potentiation (LTP), long-term depression (LTD), and paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), via the continuous modulation of conductance. The hybrid nanocomposite memristors notably achieved an impressive recognition accuracy of up to 92.6 % for handwritten digit recognition under artificial neural network (ANN). This study shows that hybrid-nanocomposite memristor performance could lead to efficient future neuromorphic architectures.

Effects of safety pattern, cabin ergonomics, and sleep on work-related stress and burnout of city and transit bus drivers in Lahore, Pakistan.

The health and working environment of bus drivers is compromised in low-middle-income countries like Pakistan which leads to burnout and excessive Road Traffic Crashes. Hence, this study delves into factors affecting their safe operations from health and work environment perspectives and measures their associated stress and Burnout level. In a study of four hundred and ninety-nine (499), 86% city and 14% transit bus drivers are surveyed through a questionnaire. Stress is estimated for city and transit bus drivers, using the Effort/Reward Imbalance Model (ERI) of Siegrist, and burnout is calculated using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). For the determination of important determinants, descriptive and regression analyses are conducted. Findings show that stress has emerged as a negative factor for the physical and psychological health of city and transit bus drivers. Results based on bus drivers' responses suggest that organisational awareness and emphasis on health and safety levels can significantly reduce driver stress and burnout. Practitioner Summary: This study explores burnout and work-related stress of bus drivers in Lahore (Pakistan). City and transit bus drivers were interviewed through a questionnaire, containing three sections, using different subjective ratings based upon their past reliability. Results indicate that stress in bus drivers emerged as a physical and psychological health-damaging factor.

Quantification of biochemical compounds in Bauhinia Variegata Linn flower extract and its hepatoprotective effect.

Liver disorders may occur as a result of exposure to chemical compounds capable of inducing the oxidative stress and hepatic injuries. The aim of present study was to investigate the effects of flower extracts of B. Variegata for the treatment of liver injury induced by the CCl4. About 1 ml/kg body weight (b.w) of CCl4 was induced to experimental mice by intraperitoneal way for 14 days. The methanol and chloroform extracts (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg b.w) were administered to experimental animals for 14 days along with standard drug Silymarine (100 mg/kg b.w). The extracts alone showed no evidence of hepatic toxicity but animals exposed to CCl4 without the treatment with B. Variegata presented variations in levels of liver enzymes, antioxidant enzymes, proteins and blood cells as well as injuries in liver cells were also observed during histopathological study. However, after the treatments especially with 300 mg/kg b.w of methanol flower extracts levels of liver markers (ALT, AST and ALP), antioxidant enzymes and blood cells decreases and turned towards normal levels. Whereas level of total proteins and bilirubin was improved and damaged liver cells were repaired. The curative activity of flower extracts can be correlated to the higher potential of antioxidants and occurrence of Quercetin and some other organic compounds those were investigated from flower extracts of B. Variegata during HPLC and GC-MS analysis. The finding of this study supports the use of B. Variegata flower formulation in folk medicines.