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Waste cooking oil (WCO) as a rejuvenator is gaining attention in the pavement industry to incorporate higher reclaimed asphalt (RA) in asphalt mixture. This review article provides a comprehensive review on the current state and the feasibility of turning WCO and RA into cleaner and sustainable asphalt pavement material. Considering the advancements in research related to the utilization of WCO in RA mixture, it was necessary to critically review the past and recent studies to provide a methodological scope for future research. The review discusses a plethora of characteristics focusing on chemical, rheological, simulation, environmental, and economical findings related to the utilization of WCO in RA mixtures. Based on the review, WCO can be adjudged as a potential material to rejuvenate asphalt mixtures with higher recycled asphalt content. Furthermore, although WCO enhances low-to-intermediate temperature performance, studies indicated that moisture damage and higher temperature properties are compromised. Future research scope exists in understanding the rejuvenation capabilities of different WCOs and blends of different types of WCO, optimizing the transesterification process of WCO to improve its quality, molecular dynamic simulations focusing on transesterified WCO, quantification of environmental and economic benefits of recycled asphalt mixtures with WCO, and field performance studies.

Abiotic stresses adversely affect rice yield and productivity, especially under the changing climatic scenario. Exposure to multiple abiotic stresses acting together aggravates these effects. The projected increase in global temperatures, rainfall variability, and salinity will increase the frequency and intensity of multiple abiotic stresses. These abiotic stresses affect paddy physiology and deteriorate grain quality, especially milling quality and cooking characteristics. Understanding the molecular and physiological mechanisms behind grain quality reduction under multiple abiotic stresses is needed to breed cultivars that can tolerate multiple abiotic stresses. This review summarizes the combined effect of various stresses on rice physiology, focusing on grain quality parameters and yield traits, and discusses strategies for improving grain quality parameters using high-throughput phenotyping with omics approaches.

The major objective of this study was to understand the influence of mix parameters on pore properties and modulus of control and silica fume (SF) modified pervious concrete mixtures with an application of ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) technique in defining the structural and hydrological properties. A total of twenty-four different pervious concrete mixtures were prepared encompassing three aggregate gradations with four aggregate sizes, and two levels each of water-to-cement (WC) and cement-to-aggregate (CA) ratios. Additionally, 5 % SF was used as partial replacement for cement to produce twelve SF modified pervious concrete mixes. It was found that permeability mainly depends on mix variables such as WC and CA ratios, and gradations since these factors control the interconnected pore structure of the pervious concrete mixes. Based on the measured mix properties, permeability predictive equation was developed, which followed Weibull distribution, and was mathematical robust with very good statistical goodness of fit measures ( R adj 2  > 0.80; S e / S y  = 0.432). The equation was rational indicative of the fact that porosity alone might not always be significant in defining permeability of the pervious concrete. UPV test technique employing a set of 55 kHz transducers was used to determine dynamic modulus of elasticity ( E d ) of all mixes, which yielded UPV in the range of 2750–3400 m/s, and E d in the range of 11–19 GPa. The findings were encouraging in that the estimated moduli using UPV were rational, which was also testimonial of the fact that this technique can be confidently used in future in the periodic evaluation of in-service pervious concrete pavements without having to retrieve field cores.

Solid-state Li–S batteries (SSLSBs) are made of low-cost and abundant materials free of supply chain concerns. Owing to their high theoretical energy densities, they are highly desirable for electric vehicles 1 – 3 . However, the development of SSLSBs has been historically plagued by the insulating nature of sulfur 4 , 5 and the poor interfacial contacts induced by its large volume change during cycling 6 , 7 , impeding charge transfer among different solid components. Here we report an S 9.3 I molecular crystal with I 2 inserted in the crystalline sulfur structure, which shows a semiconductor-level electrical conductivity (approximately 5.9 × 10 −7  S cm −1 ) at 25 °C; an 11-order-of-magnitude increase over sulfur itself. Iodine introduces new states into the band gap of sulfur and promotes the formation of reactive polysulfides during electrochemical cycling. Further, the material features a low melting point of around 65 °C, which enables repairing of damaged interfaces due to cycling by periodical remelting of the cathode material. As a result, an Li–S 9.3 I battery demonstrates 400 stable cycles with a specific capacity retention of 87%. The design of this conductive, low-melting-point sulfur iodide material represents a substantial advancement in the chemistry of sulfur materials, and opens the door to the practical realization of SSLSBs. A conductive, low-melting-point and healable sulfur iodide material aids the practical realization of solid-state Li–S batteries, which have high theoretical energy densities and show potential in next-generation battery chemistry.

This article comprehensively investigates the thermal performance of a ternary hybrid nanofluid flowing in a permeable inclined cylinder/plate system. The study focuses on the effects of key constraints such as the inclined geometry, permeable medium, and heat source/sink on the thermal distribution features of the ternary nanofluid. The present work is motivated by the growing demand for energy-efficient cooling systems in various industrial and energy-related applications. A mathematical model is developed to describe the system’s fluid flow and heat-transfer processes. The PDEs (partial differential equations) are transformed into ODEs (ordinary differential equations) with the aid of suitable similarity constraints and solved numerically using a combination of the RKF45 method and shooting technique. The study’s findings give useful insights into the behavior of ternary nanofluids in permeable inclined cylinder/plate systems. Further, important engineering coefficients such as skin friction and Nusselt numbers are discussed. The results show that porous constraint will improve thermal distribution but declines velocity. The heat-source sink will improve the temperature profile. Plate geometry shows a dominant performance over cylinder geometry in the presence of solid volume fraction. The rate of heat distribution in the cylinder will increase from 2.08% to 2.32%, whereas in the plate it is about 5.19% to 10.83% as the porous medium rises from 0.1 to 0.5.

Ageing is considered one of the significant issues faced by bituminous mixtures. The short-term ageing phase involves a significant rise in the bitumen’s viscosity, which may lead to early raveling and cracking. Antiageing additives are prescribed to reduce the effects of short-term ageing. However, most antiageing additives have detrimental health effects and also affect water quality. In recent times, waste cooking oil (WCO) has gained attention as a potential antiageing additive considering its peptizing ability. In this study, the antiageing ability of WCO is investigated considering the rheological and chemical parameters of the bitumen (binder). The rheological test included oscillation, frequency sweep, and multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR). The chemical test included the extraction of asphaltene from the bitumen. PG 64-10 and VG30 binders were short-term aged and modified with 3.0 and 5.0% WCO, respectively. The master curves indicated the presence of optimum WCO content for the binders, where the WCO short-term aged modified binders overlapped with that of unaged binders. The Burger model fitted for the creep phase of the bitumen indicated a significant increase in the viscous strain when the WCO addition exceeded the optimum value. The ageing indices based on rheological and chemical parameters depicted an excellent correlation. The optimum values of WCO based on rheological, chemical, and ageing indices were found to be in tandem. Overall, WCO has the potential to function as an antiageing additive, and the optimum value should be identified meticulously, as adding beyond the optimum may lead to permanent deformation.

Background There are many biomarkers associated with breast cancer. Higher expression of PIK3CA (Phosphoinositide 3-kinase Cα), in its upregulated form, is associated with Hr + and Her2 − breast cancer; therefore, many drugs were synthesized against this protein to treat breast cancer patients. FDA recently approved that the drug alpelisib also inhibits PI3KCα (PDB ID-5DXT) in BC patients with Hr + and Her2 − . In present study, we have exploited fourteen coumarin-carbonodithioate derivatives and alpelisib against this protein along with eighteen others which are responsible for causing BC through computational analysis. We have used Schrödinger Maestro 11.2 version for our in silico docking study, and to calculate relative binding energies of ligands, we used prime MM-GBSA module. Result Docking study revealed that among all fourteen compounds, 2f, 2a, 2d, and 2e showed the highest G score than the alpelisib and coumarin against PI3KCα with − 9.3, − 9.0, − 9.0 and − 9.1 kcal/mol respectively, along with individual G score of alpelisib (− 8.9) and coumarin (− 7.9). Prime MM-GBSA analysis gave the relative binding energies of alpelisib, 2f, and 2e with − 19.94864535, − 18.63076296 and − 13.07341286 kcal/mol sequentially. Conclusion This study provides an insight into the coumarin-carbonodithioate derivatives that could act as inhibitors of PI3KCα like alpelisib. Further prime MM-GBSA study revealed ligand binding energies and ligands strain energies.

Air pollution is one of the major health threats for urban dwellers due to increased concentration of pollutants and vehicular traffic. Approximately 7.0 million premature deaths in the world are associated with air pollution. Although stringent emission standards have been introduced, no significant reduction in air quality index in metro cities has been reported. Alternative solutions such as photocatalytic materials can be utilized as an innovative strategy to reduce the concentration of pollutants. Photocatalytic materials can be used in photocatalytic concrete pavements, which decrease the concentration of NO x by photocatalytic activity. A systematic review of photocatalytic materials and its application in concrete pavements has been introduced. The laboratory and field investigations of photocatalytic concrete pavements have been discussed. It was found that NO x reduction up to 60 and 31%, respectively, was observed in laboratory and field conditions. Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) is the mostly commonly used photocatalytic additive in the range of 3–10% by cement weight. The review found that the photocatalytic concrete pavements have not gained significant attention unlike other pavement materials. The demerits of TiO 2 for field application and research lacunae in this domain have been discussed and based on which, future scope of research is proposed. It is envisaged that photocatalytic concrete pavements can play a significant role in reducing air pollutant concentration in urban areas.

Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS) syndrome usually presents two to six weeks after treatment with a drug implicated in this disorder. However, in some cases, it can present more than eight weeks after the initiation of an implicated medication. This is a type 4 drug hypersensitivity reaction in which any internal organ may be involved. While the liver is commonly involved, cardiac involvement is not unheard of. Comorbidities and multiorgan involvement may obscure the diagnosis, and Registry of Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions (RegiSCAR) criteria are a useful diagnostic aid. It is best treated by withdrawing the offending agent and administering systemic steroids. Oxidative stress is high in DRESS syndrome. Hepatoprotection is a priority in all patients and yields a better prognosis.

The flow and heat transfer of non-Newtonian nanofluids has an extensive range of applications in oceanography, the cooling of metallic plates, melt-spinning, the movement of biological fluids, heat exchangers technology, coating and suspensions. In view of these applications, we studied the steady Marangoni driven boundary layer flow, heat and mass transfer characteristics of a nanofluid. A non-Newtonian second-grade liquid model is used to deliberate the effect of activation energy on the chemically reactive non-Newtonian nanofluid. By applying suitable similarity transformations, the system of governing equations is transformed into a set of ordinary differential equations. These reduced equations are tackled numerically using the Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg fourth-fifth order (RKF-45) method. The velocity, concentration, thermal fields and rate of heat transfer are explored for the embedded non-dimensional parameters graphically. Our results revealed that the escalating values of the Marangoni number improve the velocity gradient and reduce the heat transfer. As the values of the porosity parameter increase, the velocity gradient is reduced and the heat transfer is improved. Finally, the Nusselt number is found to decline as the porosity parameter increases.