Fabrication of Anticounterfeiting Nanocomposites with Multiple Security Features via Integration of a Photoresponsive Polymer and Upconverting Nanoparticles

Anticounterfeiting materials are used to distinguish real banknotes, products, and documents from counterfeits, fakes, or unauthorized replicas. However, conventional anticounterfeiting materials generally exhibit a single anticounterfeiting function, resulting in a low level of security. Herein, a novel anticounterfeiting nanocomposite is demonstrated with numerous prominent security features. The nanocomposite is fabricated by doping upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) in a photoresponsive azobenzene-containing polymer (azopolymer). Because of the cis–trans photoisomerization of the azopolymer, the nanocomposite exhibits photoinduced reversible color changes suitable for anticounterfeiting applications. Additionally, the hard nanocomposite can be converted to a rubber-like soft solid by light irradiation. Imprinted microstructures are fabricated on the photosoftened nanocomposite, which result in photonic colors. Moreover, polarization-dependent structures are fabricated on the nanocomposite via photoinduced orientation for encryption. Importantly, UCNPs in the nanocomposite emit visible light upon excitation by near-infrared light, enabling the observation of various anticounterfeiting structures with high contrast. An advantage of the anticounterfeiting nanocomposite is that the security features can be observed by the naked eye for quick discrimination and can be analyzed using laboratory equipment for higher accuracy. The anticounterfeiting nanocomposite is easily processed on paper, glass, and plastic, which demonstrates its potential anticounterfeiting functions for banknotes, wines, and medicines.     

Ferromagnetic nano model study for the peristaltic flow in a plumb duct with permeable walls

Microsystem Technologies - The purpose of the present enquiry is to analyse the mechanics of an incompressible fluid, with water as base fluid, through a radially symmetric plumb duct with...     

Introducing four different branch structures in PET by reactive processing––A rheological investigation

Chain extension/branching by reactive processing is a well-known method to enhance the rheological properties of polymers. In this study, pyromellitic dianhydride, poly(glycolic acid), triglycidyl isocyanurate, and bisphenol A diglycidyl ether were used as chain extender/branching agents to produce branched Polyethylene terephthalate (PETs) with four different molecular structures. According to the linear rheological characterizations, the storage modulus and complex viscosity of modified PET samples enhanced significantly after branching. The shear viscosities of modified PET show a pronounced shear-thinning behavior and a remarkable increase at low frequencies, which can be an indication of the existence of long-chain branches (LCBs) in the molecular structure of polymer and broadening the molecular weight distribution. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis were used to investigate the effect of branching agents on the chemical structure and thermal properties of PET, respectively. DSC results show that higher amounts of LCBs lead to lower melting and crystallization temperatures.     

Bioavailability,rheology, and sensory evaluation of mayonnaise fortified with vitamin D encapsulated in protein-based carriers

Vitamin D lost its functionality during processing and storage, thus, encapsulation with proteins is desirable to preserve bioactivity. The aim of the current study was to develop encapsulated vitamin D fortified mayonnaise (VDFM) using whey protein isolates (WPI) and soy protein isolates (SPI) as encapsulating materials in three different formulations, that is, 10% WPI, 10% SPI, and 5/5% WPI/SPI. Increased shear stress decreased the apparent viscosity along with significant effects on the loss modulus of VDFM. WPI encapsulates showed better results as compared to SPI. WPI based VDFM (M₁) depicted the best results in terms of size and dispersion uniformity of oil droplets. Hue angle and total change differed significantly among treatments. The highest value for overall acceptability was acquired by M₃ (5:5%WPI:SPI-encapsulates) thus proceed for in vivo trials. Serum vitamin D level was significantly higher in the encapsulated VDFM rat group (58.14 ± 6.29 nmol/L) than the control (37.80 ± 4.98 nmol/L). Conclusively, WPI and SPI encapsulates have the potential to improve the stability and bioavailability of vitamin D.     

Fabrication and characterization of MnO2 based composite sheets for development of flexible energy storage electrodes

Development of cost efficient, flexible and light weight paper electrodes for high-tech applications is high in demand in era of modern disposable technology. In this study α-MnO₂ nanorods were fabricated through hydrothermal method by varying growth time and further combined with lignocelluloses fibers extracted from self growing plant, Monochoria Vaginalis. Crystal structure, morphology and thermal properties of MnO₂ nanorods were characterized by X. Ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), respectively. FESEM image analysis revealed the highest aspect ratio of 48.016 for 4?h treated MnO₂ sample and high purity level was confirmed by XRD. MnO₂ sample with high aspect ratio, relatively pure and larger yield was selected for incorporation of lignocelluloses fibers to fabricate flexible, light-weight and environmentally safe LC/MnO₂ composite paper sheet. Furthermore, LC/MnO₂ composite sheet was employed as working electrode in 2?M sodium sulfate electrolyte for cyclic voltammetry measurements. Presented LC/MnO₂ composite sheet revealed specific capacitances 117, 59, 39, 25 and 23?F/g at scan rates of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100?mV/s, respectively. Incorporation of LC fibers within MnO₂ nanorods as binders will open the possibilities to fabricate the flexible paper electrode for application in supercapacitors and batteries due to facile synthesis, light-weight and environmentally friendly aspects.     

Numerical Simulation of Interfacial Closures for 3D Bubble Column Flows

Numerical investigation of flow hydrodynamics in a square cross‐sectioned bubble column was conducted in a transient Euler‐Euler environment by applying the simulation tool Ansys CFX 14.0. The influence of the drag coefficient (C_D) was investigated and the results were also compared with drag force models. Furthermore, three different lift force models and a defined lift coefficient were studied. All results were compared with the available experimental data. All simulations were carried out for a single‐hole sparger with given aspect ratio (H/D) and superficial gas velocity.     

Protein–Energy Malnutrition: A Risk Factor for Various Ailments

The wheel of industrialization that spun throughout the last century resulted in urbanization coupled with modifications in lifestyles and dietary habits. However, the communities living in developing economies are facing many problems related to their diet and health. Amongst, the prevalence of nutritional problems especially protein–energy malnutrition (PEM) and micronutrients deficiencies are the rising issues. Moreover, the immunity or susceptibility to infect-parasitic diseases is also directly linked with the nutritional status of the host. Likewise, disease-related malnutrition that includes an inflammatory component is commonly observed in clinical practice thus affecting the quality of life. The PEM is treatable but early detection is a key for its appropriate management. However, controlling the menace of PEM requires an aggressive partnership between the physician and the dietitian. This review mainly attempts to describe the pathophysiology, prevalence and consequences of PEM and aims to highlight the importance of this clinical syndrome and the recent growth in our understanding of the processes behind its development. Some management strategies/remedies to overcome PEM are also the limelight of the article. In the nutshell, early recognition, prompt management, and robust follow up are critical for best outcomes in preventing and treating PEM.     

Fuzzy Based Hybrid Focus Value Estimation for Multi Focus Image Fusion

Due to limited depth-of-field of digital single-lens reflex cameras, the scene content within a limited distance from the imaging plane remains in focus while other objects closer to or further away from the point of focus appear as blurred (out-of-focus) in the image. Multi-Focus Image Fusion can be used to reconstruct a fully focused image from two or more partially focused images of the same scene. In this paper, a new Fuzzy Based Hybrid Focus Measure (FBHFM) for multi-focus image fusion has been proposed. Optimal block size is very critical step for multi-focus image fusion. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm has been used to find optimal size of the block of the images for extraction of focus measure features. After finding optimal blocks, three focus measures Sum of Modified Laplacian, Gray Level Variance and Contrast Visibility has been extracted and combined these focus measures by using intelligent fuzzy technique. Fuzzy based hybrid intelligent focus values were estimated using contrast visibility measure to generate focused image. Different sets of multi-focus images have been used in detailed experimentation and compared the results with state-of-the-art existing techniques such as Genetic Algorithm (GA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Laplacian Pyramid discrete wavelet transform (DWT), and aDWT for image fusion. It has been found that proposed method performs well as compare to existing methods.