Carbon-based TiO2-x heterostructure nanocomposites for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of dye molecules

Application of brown titanium dioxide (TiO_2-x) and its modified composite forms in the photocatalytic decomposition of organic pollutants in the environment is a promising way to provide solutions for environmental redemption. Herein, we report the synthesis of effective and stable TiO_2-x nanoparticles with g-C₃N₄, RGO, and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using a simple hydrothermal method. Among all the as-synthesized samples, excellent photocatalytic degradation activity was observed for RGO-TiO_2-x nanocomposite with high rate constants of 0.075 min^?1_, 0.083 min^?1 and 0.093 min^?1 for methylene blue, rhodamine-B, and rosebengal dyes under UV–Visible light irradiation, respectively. The altered bandgap (1.8 eV) and the large surface area of RGO-TiO_2-x nanocomposite impacts on both absorption of visible light and efficiency of photogenerated charge electron (e^?)/hole (h⁺) pair separation. This resulted in enhanced photocatalytic property of carbon-based TiO_2-x nanocomposites. A systematic study on the influence of different carbon nanostructures on the photocatalytic activity of brown TiO_2-x is carried out.     

Energy balanced data gathering approaches,issues and research directions

Telecommunication Systems - Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and Internet of Things domain comprise of numerous small sized battery powered sensor nodes. Energy efficiency and energy balancing are...     

Adsorption of anionic dye on eco-friendly synthesised reduced graphene oxide anchored with lanthanum aluminate: Isotherms,kinetics and statistical error analysis

In the present study we made an effort to deploy eco-friendly synthesized reduced graphene oxide/Lanthanum Alluminate nanocomposites (RGO-LaAlO₃) and Lanthanum Alluminate (LaAlO₃) as adsorbents to remove dye from the synthetic media. XRD, SEM, BET surface area and EDX have been used to characterize the above-mentioned adsorbents. The impacts of different factors like adsorbent dosage, the concentration of adsorbate and PH on adsorption were studied. The best fit linear and nonlinear equations for the adsorption isotherms and kinetic models had been examined. The sum of the normalized errors and the coefficient of determination were used to determine the best fit model. The experimental data were more aptly fitted for nonlinear forms of isotherms and kinetic equations. Pseudo-second-order and Freundlich isotherm model fits the equilibrium data satisfactorily. Methyl orange (MO) has been used as model dye pollutant and maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 469.7 and 702.2 mg g^?1 for LaAlO₃ and RGO-LaAlO₃, respectively.     

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Therapy in Novel Porcine Model of Diffuse Liver Damage Induced by Repeated Biliary Obstruction

In liver surgery, biliary obstruction can lead to secondary biliary cirrhosis, a life-threatening disease with liver transplantation as the only curative treatment option. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have been shown to improve liver function in both acute and chronic liver disease models. This study evaluated the effect of allogenic MSC transplantation in a large animal model of repeated biliary obstruction followed by partial hepatectomy. MSC transplantation supported the growth of regenerated liver tissue after 14 days (MSC group, n = 10: from 1087 ± 108 (0 h) to 1243 ± 92 mL (14 days); control group, n = 11: from 1080 ± 95 (0 h) to 1100 ± 105 mL (14 days), p = 0.016), with a lower volume fraction of hepatocytes in regenerated liver tissue compared to resected liver tissue (59.5 ± 10.2% vs. 70.2 ± 5.6%, p < 0.05). Volume fraction of connective tissue, blood vessels and bile vessels in regenerated liver tissue, serum levels of liver enzymes (AST, ALT, ALP and GGT) and liver metabolites (albumin, bilirubin, urea and creatinine), as well as plasma levels of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and TGF-β, were not affected by MSC transplantation. In our novel, large animal (pig) model of repeated biliary obstruction followed by partial hepatectomy, MSC transplantation promoted growth of liver tissue without any effect on liver function. This study underscores the importance of translating results between small and large animal models as well as the careful translation of results from animal model into human medicine.     

Analog and RF Performance Evaluation of Junctionless Accumulation Mode (JAM) Gate Stack Gate All Around (GS-GAA) FinFET

Silicon - This work presents the analog and RF performance evaluation of Junctionless Accumulation Mode (JAM) Gate Stack Gate All Around (GS-GAA) FinFET, and the results acquired have been compared...     

Odour Cues from Fruit Arils of Artocarpus heterophyllus Attract both Sexes of Oriental Fruit Flies

Journal of Chemical Ecology - The Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) is an economically devastating pest of fruit crops across the globe with stringent quarantine restrictions to...     

First-Principles Investigation of Electronic Properties of GaAsxSb1 –x Ternary Alloys

Semiconductors - Compositional variations in GaAs based ternary alloys have exhibited wide range alterations in electronic properties. In the present paper, first-principles study of...     

Flower‐shaped ultra‐wideband fractal antenna

A flower‐shaped ultra‐wideband fractal antenna is presented. It comprises a fourth iterative flower‐shaped radiator, asymmetrical stub‐loaded feeding line, and coplanar quarter elliptical ground planes. A wide operating band of 12.12 GHz (4.58‐16.7 GHz) for S ₁₁ ≤ ? 10 dB is achieved along with an overall antenna footprint of 15.7 × 11.4 mm². In addition, other desirable characteristics, that is, omnidirectional radiation patterns, peak gain upto 5 dB, and fidelity factor more than 75% are achieved. A good agreement exists between the simulation and measured results. The obtained results illustrate that this antenna has wide operating range and compact dimensions than available structures.     

High temperature tensile properties of 316LN stainless steel investigated using automated ball indentation technique

Type 316LN stainless steel (SS) is the principal structural material for the components of sodium cooled fast reactors operating under elevated temperature conditions. In order to assess the degradation in strength of service exposed components using a small specimen testing technique such as automated ball indentation (ABI), it is necessary to carry out prior detailed ABI studies on the virgin material. In this investigation, the tensile behaviour of as-received 316LN SS were investigated at several temperatures in the range 298–973 K using ABI technique. The load-depth of indentation data measured from ABI tests was analyzed using semi-empirical relationships to obtain the tensile properties. The yield stress and the flow curves were determined by correlating ABI results with corresponding uniaxial tensile test results. Trend curve for tensile strength with temperature, as estimated from ABI tests, exhibited a plateau region in the temperature around 823 K, similar to uniaxial tensile tests. The variations of strength coefficient, strain hardening exponent, yield ratio, hardness and uniform ductility with temperature were evaluated from ABI tests. The ABI technique was found to estimate the influence of temperature on tensile properties sensitively.