•Mg–4Li–1Ca (LC41) alloy developed was hot rolled to reduce the grain size from 100μm to 5μm.•This fine grained ultralight alloy exhibits high strength resulting in improved specific strength of ...142kNm/kg.•This also shows an increase in the bio-corrosion resistance in simulated body fluid (SBF) for biomedical application.
Mg–4Li–1Ca (LC41) alloy was hot rolled at 300°C, which resulted in refinement of the grain size from 100μm to 5μm by recrystallization in the presence of fine uniformly dispersed eutectic (α-Mg+Mg2Ca). Evidence of profuse deformation twinning in the microstructure suggested twinning to be the important mode of deformation in the present material. Room temperature tensile tests of the alloy at a strain rate of 10−4s−1 exhibited substantially high specific strength of 142kNm/kg owing to its low density and combined effect of grain boundary strengthening and dispersion strengthening in the presence of Mg2Ca phase. LC41 alloy also showed an increase in the overall bio-corrosion resistance (Rp=0.266kΩcm2) in simulated body fluid (SBF) as a result of a change in the corrosion mechanism from localized to uniform corrosion. The reported combination of excellent properties is a clear indication that the new ternary alloy LC41 has a significant potential for use in lightweight structural and biomedical applications.
The main goal of the present study involves synthesis of Al-Cu-Fe based icosahedral quasi-crystal (QC) particles reinforced Al matrix composite and analyze its microstructure, phase and hardness ...property. The icosahedral quasi-crystal phase nominal composition was taken to Al
63
Cu
25
Fe
12
(%). Mechanical alloying as a viable powder metallurgy route was used to synthesize the quasi-crystal phase with various milling parameters. The X-Ray diffraction analysis immediately after milling revealed that there was no formation of quasi-crystal phase exclusively by milling. However, after annealing the 100 hours milled powders at 600°C for 4 hours, the quasi-crystal phase was observed to form. The quasi-crystal phase was identified to be the 1/1 cubic approximant (α-Al
85.5
Cu
36.95
Fe
15.5
) of the icosahedral phase. The quasi-crystal particles reinforced aluminum composites were prepared with different concentrations (10-50 weight %) of the quasi-crystal phase by cold compaction. The compacted samples were then sintered for 4 hours at different temperatures such as 400°C, 500°C, and 600°C. The icosahedral Al
64.3
Cu
23.5
Fe
12.2
phase formation was observed in the 600°C sintered composite, whose composition is approximately similar to the nominal composition used. The results uncovered that, while increasing the concentration of the reinforcement quasi-crystal phase, the hardness of the composite increased.
TRIM58 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase superfamily member implicated by genome-wide association studies to regulate human erythrocyte traits. Here, we show that Trim58 expression is induced during late ...erythropoiesis and that its depletion by small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) inhibits the maturation of late-stage nucleated erythroblasts to anucleate reticulocytes. Imaging flow cytometry studies demonstrate that Trim58 regulates polarization and/or extrusion of erythroblast nuclei. In vitro, Trim58 directly binds and ubiquitinates the intermediate chain of the microtubule motor dynein. In cells, Trim58 stimulates proteasome-dependent degradation of the dynein holoprotein complex. During erythropoiesis, Trim58 expression, dynein loss, and enucleation occur concomitantly, and all are inhibited by Trim58 shRNAs. Dynein regulates nuclear positioning and microtubule organization, both of which undergo dramatic changes during erythroblast enucleation. Thus, we propose that Trim58 promotes this process by eliminating dynein. Our findings identify an erythroid-specific regulator of enucleation and elucidate a previously unrecognized mechanism for controlling dynein activity.
•Genome-wide association studies link the TRIM58 gene to human erythrocyte traits•Trim58 shRNAs delay normal enucleation of mouse erythroblasts•Trim58 binds the molecular motor dynein and promotes its proteasomal degradation•Trim58-mediated elimination of dynein may promote erythroblast enucleation
Genome-wide association studies link TRIM58 polymorphisms with human erythrocyte trait variation. Thom et al. show that Trim58 regulates erythroblast enucleation. Furthermore, they demonstrate that Trim58 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that promotes proteasomal degradation of dynein, identifying a previously unappreciated mechanism for regulating this molecular motor complex.
As tellurides and selenides of Bismuth are extensively used thermoelectric materials in the low-temperature range with refrigeration application, A concerted effort is put forth to boost the ZT by ...co-doping the pristine Bi
2
Se
3
with antimony (Sb) on cation end and tellurium (Te) on anion side of the compound. The double sintered solid-state reaction method is employed in the preparation of Bi
2
Se
3
and (Bi
1−
x
Sb
x
)
2
Se
2.7
Te
0.3
polycrystalline pellets, with
x
= 0.02, 0.04, and 0.06. The sample exhibits a rhombohedral structure with the space group of R
3
¯
m. FESEM and EDAX analysis are used to confirm surface morphology and elemental composition of the produced samples. The thermoelectric measurements for the pristine and co-doped samples were conducted by the physical property measurement system as well as a considerable increase in the Seebeck coefficient of − 115 µV/K is observed for 0.02 doping of the Sb which is 4.2 times greater than as for pristine (S = − 28 µV/K). Higher concentration doping (
x
= 0.04, 0.06) has not reflected any Seebeck coefficient advancement. In contrast, the lowest total thermal conductivity at a low-temperature regime (< 50 K) is observed for
x
= 0.06 doping concentration which at near room temperature increases beyond the pristine thermal conductivity; whereas,
x
= 0.02, 0.04 doping concentration shows a decrement in total thermal conductivity at low, at room temperature region the values are almost equivalent to that of pristine. The co-doped samples’ electrical resistivity is substantially less than pristine sample. The highest power factor of 3 × 10
–4
µW/mK
2
is obtained for the
x
= 0.02 sample. The highest ZT value for the
x
= 0.02 sample is almost 28 times more than a pristine sample. We conducted a study where we combined experimental and DFT methods to investigate thermoelectric properties incorporated into pristine and doped with antimony and tellurium on Bi
2
Se
3
. We have employed this combination to investigate the partial density of states, Seebeck coefficient, power factor using the Boltzmann transport equation. Theoretical thermoelectric data were derived and compared to experimental observations. Hence, using combined experimental and theoretical investigations helps to predict with higher accuracy of thermoelectric properties of semiconducting materials.
Metabolite-protein interactions define the output of metabolic pathways and regulate many cellular processes. Although diseases are often characterized by distortions in metabolic processes, ...efficient means to discover and study such interactions directly in cells have been lacking. A stringent implementation of proteome-wide Cellular Thermal Shift Assay (CETSA) was developed and applied to key cellular nucleotides, where previously experimentally confirmed protein-nucleotide interactions were well recaptured. Many predicted, but never experimentally confirmed, as well as novel protein-nucleotide interactions were discovered. Interactions included a range of different protein families where nucleotides serve as substrates, products, co-factors or regulators. In cells exposed to thymidine, a limiting precursor for DNA synthesis, both dose- and time-dependence of the intracellular binding events for sequentially generated thymidine metabolites were revealed. Interactions included known cancer targets in deoxyribonucleotide metabolism as well as novel interacting proteins. This stringent CETSA based strategy will be applicable for a wide range of metabolites and will therefore greatly facilitate the discovery and studies of interactions and specificities of the many metabolites in human cells that remain uncharacterized.
Cycloparaphenylene is a particle that comprises a few benzene rings associated with covalent bonds in the para positions to frame a ring-like structure. Similarly, poly (para-phenylenes) are ...macromolecules that include benzenoid compounds straightforwardly joined to each other by C-C bonds. Because of their remarkable architectural highlights, these structures have fascinated attention from numerous vantage focuses. Descriptors are among the most fundamental segments of prescient quantitative structure-activity and property relationship (QSAR/QSPR) demonstrating examination. They encode chemical data of particles as quantitative numbers, which are utilized to create a mathematical correlation. The nature of a predictive model relies upon great demonstrating insights, yet additionally on the extraction of compound highlights. To a great extent, Molecular topology has exhibited its adequacy in portraying sub-atomic structures and anticipating their properties. It follows a two-dimensional methodology, just thinking about the interior plan, including molecules. Explicit subsets speak the design of every atom of topological descriptors. When all around picked, these descriptors give a unique method of describing an atomic system that can represent the most significant highlights of the molecular structure. Detour index is one such topological descriptor with much application in chemistry, especially in QSAR/QSPR studies. This article presents an exact analytical expression for the detour index of cycloparaphenylene and poly (para-phenylene).
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•The XRD analyses revealed that the synthesizes nickel doped ZnO (Zn1−xNixO, x=0.0, 0.03, 0.06 and 0.09) nanostructures have hexagonal wurtzite structure.•The photoluminescence ...measurements revealed that the broad emission was composed of different bands due to zinc and oxygen vacancies.•X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the Ni incorporation in ZnO lattice as Ni2+ ions.•Room temperature ferromagnetism was observed due to the oxygen vacancies and zinc interstitials are the main reasons for ferromagnetism in Ni doped ZnO NPs.
Zn1−xNixO nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation method. The crystallite sizes of the synthesized samples found to decrease from 38 to 26nm with increase in nickel concentration. FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of ZnO stretching bands at 577, 573, 569 and 565cm−1 in the respective ZnO NPs. Optical absorption spectra revealed the red shifted and estimated band gap is found to decrease with increase of Ni doping concentration. The PL spectra of all the samples exhibited a broad emission at 390nm in the visible range. The carriers (donors) bounded on the Ni sites were observed from the micro Raman spectroscopic studies. Pure and Ni doped ZnO NPs showed significant changes in the M–H loop, especially the diamagnetic behavior changed into ferromagnetic nature for Ni doped samples. The antiferromagnetic super-exchange interactions between Ni2+ ions is increased in higher Ni doped ZnO NPs and also their antibacterial activity has been studied.
The increase in population growth and demand is rapidly depleting natural resources. Irrigation plays a vital role in the productivity and growth of agriculture, consuming no less than 75% of fresh ...water utilization globally. Irrigation, being the largest consumer of water across the globe, needs refinements in its process, and because it is implemented by individuals (farmers), the use of water for irrigation is not effective. To enhance irrigation management, farmers need to keep track of information such as soil type, climatic conditions, available water resources, soil pH, soil nutrients, and soil moisture to make decisions that resolve or prevent agricultural complexity. Irrigation, a data-driven technology, requires the integration of emerging technologies and modern methodologies to provide solutions to the complex problems faced by agriculture. The paper is an overview of IoT-enabled modern technologies through which irrigation management can be elevated. This paper presents the evolution of irrigation and IoT, factors to be considered for effective irrigation, the need for effective irrigation optimization, and how dynamic irrigation optimization would help reduce water use. The paper also discusses the different IoT architecture and deployment models, sensors, and controllers used in the agriculture field, available cloud platforms for IoT, prominent tools or software used for irrigation scheduling and water need prediction, and machine learning and neural network models for irrigation. Convergence of the tools, technologies and approaches helps in the development of better irrigation management applications. Access to real-time data, such as weather, plant and soil data, must be enhanced for the development of effective irrigation management applications.
In the present work, spindle-shaped ZnO and reduced graphene oxide sheets were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method and then ZnO/r-GO composite was prepared by a direct solution mixing ...method. Various characterization results confirmed the interior and surface decoration of spindle-shaped ZnO on the reduced graphene oxide sheets. The phase formation, crystalline structure, morphology, surface states and optical properties were characterized using Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The X-ray diffraction analysis showed the formation of the hexagonal wurtzite crystalline structure of ZnO with high crystalline quality. The band gap of the ZnO/r-GO composite was found to be low (3.03eV) compared to the band gap of spindle shaped ZnO (3.13 eV), as calculated from optical studies. The spindle-like morphology of the single crystalline ZnO was clearly shown in the electron microscopic images. The chemical bonding and surface states of the samples were studied using XPS measurement. Moreover, a possible growth mechanism for the ZnO spindle was proposed. The catalytic activity of the as-synthesized samples was evaluated for the photodegradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation. Among the synthesized samples, the ZnO/r-GO composite showed higher degradation efficiency of 93% and successfully reused for four consecutive run without any activity loss.
•ZnO spindles and reduced graphene oxide sheets were prepared by a hydrothermal method.•ZnO spindle was obtained by effective capping of TEA on the specific crystallographic facet.•ZnO/r-GO composite was prepared by a directing solution mixing of ZnO and r-GO.•Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue was studied under visible light irradiation.•ZnO/r-GO composite was reused for four consecutive run of photodegradation.
Nanostructured copper particles are synthesized by Garcinia mangostana leaf extract as reducing agent with copper nitrate. X-ray diffraction study confirms the formation of nanocrystalline cubic ...phase of copper nanoparticles. The micro-structural properties such as grain size, strain, dislocation density and particle size are examined. The lattice constant is calculated using Nelson–Riley function. Physical parameters like lattice constants, stress, strain, dislocation density and size are calculated. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermo gravimetric (TGA) have confirmed that nanoparticles have phase purity and weight loss percentage is 3.328%. The particle size calculated from XRD is 26.51nm which is in good agreement with the results of W–H plot, SSP methods and particle analyser. The morphology of prepared copper nanoparticles is characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and TEM. These biologically synthesized nanoparticles are highly antibacterial against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.
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