Eco‐friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles and its larvicidal property against fourth instar larvae of Aedes aegypti

In this study, larvicidal activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesised using apple extract against fourth instar larvae of Aedes aegypti was determined. As a result, the AgNPs showed moderate larvicidal effects against Ae. aegypti larvae (LC₅₀  = 15.76 ppm and LC₉₀  = 27.7 ppm). In addition, comparison of larvicidal activity performance of AgNPs at high concentration prepared using two different methods showed that Ae. aegypti larvae was fully eliminated within the duration of 2.5 h. From X‐ray diffraction, the AgNP crystallites were found to exhibit face centred cubic structure. The average size of these AgNPs as estimated by particle size distribution was in the range of 50–120 nm. The absorption maxima of the synthesised Ag showed characteristic Ag surface plasmon resonance peak. This green synthesis provides an economic, eco‐friendly and clean synthesis route to Ag.Inspec keywords: silver, nanofabrication, X‐ray diffraction, zoology, particle size, nanoparticles, biomedical materials, nanomedicineOther keywords: time 2.5 h, size 50 nm to 120 nm, silver nanoparticle, larvicidal property, instar larvae, Aedes aegypti, larvicidal effect, larvicidal activity performance, X‐ray diffraction, nanoparticle particle size distribution, absorption maxima, silver surface plasmon resonance peak     

Nucleation mechanism for the direct graphite-to-diamond phase transition

Graphite and diamond have comparable free energies, yet forming diamond from graphite in the absence of a catalyst requires pressures that are significantly higher than those at equilibrium coexistence. At lower temperatures, the formation of the metastable hexagonal polymorph of diamond is favoured instead of the more stable cubic diamond. These phenomena cannot be explained by the concerted mechanism suggested in previous theoretical studies. Using an ab initio quality neural-network potential, we carried out a large-scale study of the graphite-to-diamond transition assuming that it occurs through nucleation. The nucleation mechanism accounts for the observed phenomenology and reveals its microscopic origins. We demonstrate that the large lattice distortions that accompany the formation of diamond nuclei inhibit the phase transition at low pressure, and direct it towards the hexagonal diamond phase at higher pressure. The proposed nucleation mechanism should improve our understanding of structural transformations in a wide range of carbon-based materials.     

Possibilities of production of nanopowders with high power ELV electron accelerator

Electron-beam evaporation of various natural and industrial materials in the atmosphere of different gases at atmospheric pressure can be used for the synthesis of nanosize powders. These powders are characterized by high purity and may exhibit unusual properties. In particular, nanopowders of silicon dioxide and oxide (SiO₂, SiO), magnesia (MgO), alumina (Al₂O₃), titania (TiO₂), gadolinium oxide (Gd₂O₃), various metals (tantalum, molybdenum, nickel, aluminium, copper, silver), semiconductor (Si), nitrides (AlN, TiN), and some other substances had been produced. The process of nanopowder synthesis is highly effective; in particular, the yield of oxides can exceed ten kilograms per hour.     

Role of Tungsten in the Tempered Martensite Embrittlement of a Modified 9 Pct Cr Steel

The effect of tempering on the mechanical properties and fracture behavior of two 3 pct Co-modified 9 pct Cr steels with 2 and 3 wt pct W was examined. Both steels were ductile in tension tests and tough under impact tests in high-temperature tempered conditions. At T ≤ 923 K (650 °C), the addition of 1 wt pct W led to low toughness and pronounced embrittlement. The 9Cr2W steel was tough after low-temperature tempering up to 723 K (450 °C). At 798 K (525 °C), the decomposition of retained austenite induced the formation of discontinuous and continuous films of M₂₃C₆ carbides along boundaries in the 9Cr2W and the 9Cr3W steels, respectively, which led to tempered martensite embrittlement (TME). In the 9Cr2W steel, the discontinuous boundary films played a role of crack initiation sites, and the absorption energy was 24 J cm^?2. In the 9Cr3W steel, continuous films provided a fracture path along the boundaries of prior austenite grains (PAG) and interlath boundaries in addition that caused the drop of impact energy to 6 J cm^?2. Tempering at 1023 K (750 °C) completely eliminated TME by spheroidization and the growth of M₂₃C₆ carbides, and both steels exhibited high values of adsorbed energy of ≥230 J cm^?2. The addition of 1 wt pct W extended the temperature domain of TME up to 923 K (650 °C) through the formation of W segregations at boundaries that hindered the spheroidization of M₂₃C₆ carbides.     

The Research of Spin-Orbital Interaction in Intermetallic Compounds of System Gd-In on Paramagnetic Area

Normal,R0,and anomalous,RS,components of the Hall coefficient are determined from the results of experimental investigations of temperature dependences of the H...     

Concession-making in multi-attribute auctions and multi-bilateral negotiations: Theory and experiments

Concession-making behavior is an essential process in negotiations and auctions and has critical impact on the outcomes of an exchange. In auctions, concessions relate to deciding on the next bid by bid-makers, while in negotiations they involve proposing next offers by both parties. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) present a theory of concessions which could be applied to both auctions and negotiations and (2) provide experimental verification of the theory. The concession model identifies nine types of concessions derived from the preference structures. The occurrence of all nine types has been confirmed in experiments. The model also identifies two concession categories which are associated with the process transparency. The theory-based assessment of the concession-making in multi-attribute auctions and multi-issue multi-bilateral negotiations allows for their comparison. To this end, two systems implemented on the Invite e-negotiation platform are used. One of the major findings suggests that auctions induce concession-making that is more likely to lead to Pareto-optimal agreements. This study also suggests that greater transparency in negotiations is likely to lead to better agreements.     

Using Environmental Models to Optimize Sensor Placement

Sensors used in protective applications are conventionally placed on perimeters or over areas in an evenly distributed pattern. However, such patterns may actually be suboptimal, since environmental factors may make some forms of attack more or less likely than others. We describe a protective application of sensors for detecting underwater threats in an urban estuary environment. We demonstrate that environmental information, derived from a computational river current model, can be utilized to optimize sensor placement, increasing detection rates and decreasing the number of required sensors. Simulation results show a significant improvement in detection likelihood for a given number of sensors; alternatively, fewer sensors can be used while still maintaining the detection rate of a conventional approach     

Label-Free Characterization of Macrophage Polarization Using Raman Spectroscopy

Macrophages are important cells of the innate immune system that play many different roles in host defense, a fact that is reflected by their polarization into many distinct subtypes. Depending on their function and phenotype, macrophages can be grossly classified into classically activated macrophages (pro-inflammatory M1 cells), alternatively activated macrophages (anti-inflammatory M2 cells), and non-activated cells (resting M0 cells). A fast, label-free and non-destructive characterization of macrophage phenotypes could be of importance for studying the contribution of the various subtypes to numerous pathologies. In this work, single cell Raman spectroscopic imaging was applied to visualize the characteristic phenotype as well as to discriminate between different human macrophage phenotypes without any label and in a non-destructive manner. Macrophages were derived by differentiation of peripheral blood monocytes of human healthy donors and differently treated to yield M0, M1 and M2 phenotypes, as confirmed by marker analysis using flow cytometry and fluorescence imaging. Raman images of chemically fixed cells of those three macrophage phenotypes were processed using chemometric methods of unmixing (N-FINDR) and discrimination (PCA-LDA). The discrimination models were validated using leave-one donor-out cross-validation. The results show that Raman imaging is able to discriminate between pro- and anti-inflammatory macrophage phenotypes with high accuracy in a non-invasive, non-destructive and label-free manner. The spectral differences observed can be explained by the biochemical characteristics of the different phenotypes.