Search Results (12,729)

Recalcitrant azo dyes in textile wastewater are a significant environmental concern due to their persistence and potential impacts on human and ecosystem health. Heterogeneous Fenton-like processes offer a promising approach for their removal, although catalyst performance depends strongly on the physicochemical characteristics of the active material. This study investigated Fe-functionalized silicon oxide (Fe-SiO) catalysts for sodium percarbonate (SPC)-activated removal of Reactive Orange 84 (RO84). The catalysts were prepared using silicon oxide supports with and without thermochemical pretreatment and different amounts of Fe during synthesis. Their structural, morphological, and elemental characteristics were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), complemented by textural analysis. Increasing the amount of Fe used during synthesis shifted removal from adsorption-influenced to oxidation-associated, as reflected in the kinetic behavior. Thermochemical pretreatment promoted more homogeneous Fe dispersion and reduced aggregation in the S2 series, consistent with its higher catalytic response under several evaluated conditions. The PFO model empirically described the observed removal kinetics. Overall, the Fe-SiO materials showed potential for SPC-assisted RO84 removal under the evaluated conditions. Full article

Coal-fired power generation remains a major source of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, and metal–organic framework-74 (MOF-74) materials offer high adsorption capacity but rely on costly 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid linkers that limit scalability. This study synthesized bimetallic Zn_0.75Mg_0.25-MOF-74 using terephthalic acid (TPA) as a cheaper alternative linker and evaluated the effect of synthesis reaction temperature (89–160 °C) and time (5–55.5 h) on its physicochemical properties for carbon capture. Samples were prepared solvothermally and characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM-EDS, and N₂ (77 K) and CO₂ (293 K) adsorption analysis. FTIR confirmed metal–ligand coordination; XRD verified crystalline MOF-74 formation, and SEM showed well-defined rod-like morphology at 100 °C, 12 h and 125 °C, 30 h. Direct CO₂ adsorption on the 125 °C, 30 h sample yielded a Type I isotherm characteristic of micropore filling, with an uptake of 0.31 mmol/g at ~1 bar and 0.072 mmol/g at flue-gas-relevant conditions (~0.135 bar). Its CO₂-derived BET surface area (60.10 m²/g) and Dubinin–Astakhov micropore area (131.69 m²/g) far exceeded N₂-derived values, confirming ultra-micropores accessible to CO₂ but not to N₂ at 77 K. TPA therefore yields a stable, microporous CO₂-adsorbing framework, trading some capacity for lower cost and scalability. Future investigations should systematically evaluate long-term cycling stability and adsorption performance under mixed-gas operating conditions. Full article

The surface activation of industrial-grade unidirectional (UD) carbon fiber (CF) textiles by nitrogen-based Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet (APP Jet) treatment is investigated for application in CF UD/bio-epoxy composite laminates. A systematic parameter screening campaign, guided by Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) of the plasma source, identifies the suitable operating window. The effects of the APP Jet treatment on the UD carbon fabric are characterized by micro-Raman spectroscopy and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive Spectroscopy (FESEM-EDS). Surface analysis indicates a substantial reduction of the surface coverage associated with the thermoplastic binder and sizing residues, a controlled increase in graphitic disorder, and a modification of the surface elemental composition characterized by nitrogen enrichment, consistent with plasma-induced surface functionalization, without evidence of significant morphological damage to the fibers. Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness (G${}_{IC}$) was assessed by Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) testing on vacuum-infused UD CF/bio-epoxy laminates according to the ASTM D5528 standard. Two batches were tested: one adopting the CF UD with 0.1 mm as fabric thickness, and the other 0.2 mm thick. The N${}_2$-treated specimens show a statistically significant improvement of +19.4% and +36.1%, respectively, for the 0.1 mm and 0.2 mm series, in mean propagation toughness (G${}_{IC,ai}$) relative to the untreated baseline, confirming that plasma-induced surface chemistry translates into a measurable enhancement of delamination resistance in quasi-static opening conditions. Full article

A seven-layer broadband antireflection coating consisting of Al₂O₃, TiO₂, SiO₂, and MgF₂ was designed and deposited on both sides of K9 glass for the 400–1100 nm range. The deposition parameters for TiO₂ and SiO₂ single layers were optimized, and the measured optical constants were used in TFCalc to refine the multilayer design. Layer-specific thickness-tolerance analysis was performed to identify the layers requiring strict process control. The initially characterized double-sided coating showed an average transmittance of 98.72% over 400–1100 nm. Four samples prepared in one additional deposition batch exhibited closely matching transmittance spectra, indicating low sample-to-sample variation within that batch. Five-position profilometry indicated consistent total-thickness control. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed well-defined multilayer contrast without obvious cracking, and regional energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis detected the constituent elements of the coating. These results demonstrate a practical design-to-fabrication approach that combines process-specific optical constants with tolerance analysis, with potential applications in imaging systems, optical windows, and lidar. Full article

In this research, terbium-doped strontium tungsten oxide samples were synthesized using the solid-state synthesis method. It was found through X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) that the samples belong to the tetragonal crystal system and have the space group I4₁/a. The SEM-EDS images indicate that the Na, K, W, and Tb atoms are uniformly distributed throughout the samples. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements were applied for sample characterization. All of them exhibited green emission with the highest peak at 545 nm attributable to the ⁵D₄ → ⁷F₅ transition. The highest emission intensity was observed in the Sr_0.996Tb_0.004WO₄ sample, while higher doping levels resulted in a decrease in the PL intensities due to concentration quenching. Samples with additional alkali metal ions for charge compensation were also prepared, and their PL properties were measured; the enhancement of co-doping alkali metal (A⁺ = Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺) on the green luminescence is demonstrated thoroughly. Doping with 0.5 mol% Na⁺ ions yielded a 9.14-fold increase in peak intensity of 545 nm, a 8.02-fold enhancement in operational lifespan, and a 88.82% improvement in quantum yield. These results indicate that Sr_0.991Tb_0.004Na_0.005WO₄ materials have potential application as green phosphors in LEDs. Full article

The paper presents thermodynamic data for the aluminothermic reaction used to synthesise hybrid composites (Al₃Zr, ZrB₂)/AA6063. AA6063 alloy was used with K₂ZrF₆, KBF₄ and Na₃AlF₆ as precursors. Composites containing 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10% wt.% ZrB₂ were produced by direct melt reaction at 900°C and characterised by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The effect of the salt addition level on the resulting structures is also reported. The compressive behaviour was evaluated at room temperature to an engineering strain of 75% and complemented by tensile tests. The mechanical response is non-monotonic with reinforcement content: the flow stress decreases slightly between 2.5 and 7.5 wt.% ZrB₂ and recovers at 10 wt.%, reaching 321.5 MPa at 30% engineering strain against 278.2 MPa for the matrix. The thermodynamic data and microstructural analysis presented here describe the aluminothermic reaction and its effect on the resulting composites. Full article

The increasing incidence of herbicide-resistant weeds and concerns over synthetic herbicides are driving the search for natural alternatives. This study evaluated the post-emergence bioherbicidal activity and mode of action of Santolina chamaecyparissus L. essential oil against Bidens pilosa L. seedlings. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed a chemically complex oil dominated by oxygenated monoterpenes, including cuminic alcohol, cis-carveol, cis-pinocarveol, α-phellandrene, and limonene. A preliminary dose–response assay identified an ED₅₀ of 0.82% (v/v). At this concentration, visible injury reached 75.9% at 72 h, while leaf relative water content declined to 40.0%. Electrolyte leakage reached 77.6% at 24 h, accompanied by a threefold increase in malondialdehyde, indicating severe membrane damage and lipid peroxidation. Chlorophyll fluorescence imaging showed impaired photosystem II function, reduced electron transport, altered energy dissipation, and loss of photosynthetic vitality. Photosynthetic pigments declined after 24 h, with chlorophyll a reduced by approximately 32.5%. Untargeted metabolomics revealed time-dependent depletion of soluble sugars, organic acids, ascorbate, and shikimate, together with accumulation of proline, γ-aminobutyric acid, trehalose, and branched-chain amino acids. Network analysis indicated loss of metabolic coordination. Overall, under the controlled experimental conditions used here, S. chamaecyparissus essential oil exhibited a rapid contact-type phytotoxic action characterised by membrane disruption, oxidative damage, dehydration, photosynthetic impairment, and extensive metabolic perturbation. Full article

Lunar soil-based geopolymers are promising in situ construction materials, but their reliance on Earth-transported alkali activators limits sustainability. This study developed a nano-SiO₂-modified simulated lunar soil-based geopolymer (NS-SLSG) with reduced activator demand by optimizing sodium hydroxide (SH), calcium hydroxide (CH), and sodium silicate (SS). Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), orthogonal testing, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetry–differential scanning calorimetry–derivative thermogravimetry (TG-DSC-DTG), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) were used to evaluate apparent elemental-release characteristics, flowability, mechanical properties, and microstructure. The experimental results indicated that the measured Al and Si concentrations were particularly sensitive to the SH dosage; SH and SS exerted comparatively greater effects on flowability, whereas SH and CH had greater effects on mechanical performance. Adding 0.75 wt.% NS reduced the total admixture mass in the experimental formulation by 23.9% while increasing compressive and flexural strengths by 26.0% and 19.5% to 36.15 and 8.26 MPa, respectively. Microstructural results suggested that SH promoted depolymerization, while CH may have enhanced Ca²⁺-assisted polycondensation, with corresponding variations in gel composition and pore structure. These findings indicate a viable strategy for improving the resource efficiency of lunar construction materials. Full article

To further reveal the degradation mechanism of epoxy coatings under intense ultraviolet radiation in high-altitude environments and clarify its influence on their interfacial adhesion performance, an epoxy coating-cement mortar system was investigated. Ultraviolet (UV) aging tests were conducted, together with attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), surface free energy (SFE) measurements, atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based nano-adhesion force measurements, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), uniaxial tensile tests, and pull-off adhesion strength tests to investigate the evolution of the coating’s characteristic molecular structure, surface polarity, nano-adhesion, coating toughness, macroscopic adhesion performance, and interfacial failure modes at different aging stages. The results showed that the peaks associated with hydroxyl and carbonyl groups in the epoxy coating intensified with increasing UV aging duration. The surface free energy of the coating increased, and its polar component reached 3.9 times the initial value. After 28 d of UV aging, the nano-adhesion force of the coating decreased by 30.1%, its toughness decreased from 2.82 ± 0.052 to 1.21 ± 0.027 MJ·m⁻³, and the adhesion strength between the epoxy coating and the cementitious substrate decreased by 15.7%. In addition, as aging progressed, the failure path gradually shifted from fracture near the substrate surface toward regions near the coating–cementitious substrate interface and within the coating. Correlation analysis further showed that the decreases in coating toughness and nano-adhesion performance were closely associated with the deterioration of macroscopic adhesion strength. Therefore, greater attention should be paid to the optimization of these two properties in practical applications. Full article

Ethyl mercaptan is one of the most persistent sulfur-containing impurities in natural gas and requires efficient adsorbent/catalyst systems for removal under mild conditions. In this study, two types of halloysite-supported metal oxide catalysts, namely Mn- and Cu-based catalysts, were prepared via reflux-wet impregnation using three alkaline precipitation agents (NaOH; Ca(OH)₂; Ba(OH)₂), with and without the use of acetic acid added during the synthesis process. The objective was to evaluate how acidic and alkaline synthesis environments influence catalyst structure, surface chemistry, active metal distribution, and ethyl mercaptan adsorption performance. Characterization techniques used to examine the catalysts included Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The characterization results showed that halloysite (support) possessed a mesoporous structure with a surface area of 51.2 m²/g, while metal incorporation modified the pore structure, surface composition, crystallinity, and morphology of the support. Acid addition during synthesis produced base-dependent effects: it improved the textural properties of Mn-Ca(OH)₂ and Cu-NaOH catalysts but generally reduced active metal surface concentration, modified hydroxyl environments, and increased structural disorder in several systems. XRD and XPS studies suggested that Cu catalysts were comprised primarily of well-defined CuO/Cu₂O surface domains, while Mn catalysts were mostly amorphous or poorly crystallized MnO_x species. Adsorption testing using 200 ppm ethyl mercaptan in methane demonstrated that several synthesized catalysts significantly outperformed the commercial catalyst, which showed a breakthrough time of approximately 1200 min. The best Mn catalyst was Mn-Ba(OH)₂ synthesized without acid, reaching approximately 3600 min. The Cu catalysts showed superior performance overall, with Cu-Ca(OH)₂ synthesized without acid achieving the highest breakthrough time of approximately 8550 min, corresponding to more than a six-fold improvement over the commercial catalyst. These findings demonstrate that catalyst performance is governed not by surface area alone, but by the combined effects of active metal chemistry, precipitation environment, surface composition, crystallinity, metal–support interactions, and accessibility of adsorption-active sites. Full article

Cigarette smoke is a significant source of indoor air pollution, containing particulate matter and numerous volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds. This study evaluates the adsorption performance of two commercial activated carbons, Nuchar SA 1500 (SA) and Filtercarbon PHA (PHA), correlating their pore structure with their ability to retain cigarette smoke contaminants. A two-stage laboratory filtration system was developed to analyze the non-retained fraction using a downstream cellulose filter, employed as an indirect indicator of adsorption efficiency. BET/NLDFT, SEM/EDS, and thermogravimetric analyses show that Nuchar SA 1500, characterized by a more developed micro-mesoporous network, retains a larger fraction of particulate matter and condensable compounds compared with Filtercarbon PHA. Based on preliminary investigations, which revealed a markedly higher adsorption behavior for Nuchar SA 1500, the analytical focus was directed toward this material; consequently, GC–MS analysis was performed only on Nuchar SA 1500, excluding Filtercarbon PHA. Full article

Background and Objectives: Psychogenic erectile dysfunction (ED) is a distinct clinical condition characterized by predominant psychological or relational factors. Despite its prevalence, diagnostic criteria remain heterogeneous and are often based on exclusion of organic causes. Current guidelines recommend cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), eventually combined with medical therapy such as phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5i), as first-line treatment. However, evidence regarding alternative conservative and surgical therapies remains limited. This narrative review aims to evaluate the available evidence on these treatments in psychogenic ED. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and MEDLINE using MeSH terms and free-text keywords related to psychogenic ED and therapeutic interventions. Eligible studies included those involving human subjects, published in English, and reporting outcomes specifically for psychogenic or non-organic ED. Reviews, case reports, and non-full-text articles were excluded. Study selection and data extraction were performed independently by two authors. Due to heterogeneity, a narrative synthesis was conducted. Results: Evidence on alternative therapies is limited and heterogeneous, with many studies predating the 2000s. Vacuum erection devices (VEDs) may improve outcomes, particularly when combined with psychotherapy. Constriction rings showed promising preliminary results. Acupuncture demonstrated inconsistent efficacy, although recent randomized trials suggest potential benefits. Intracavernosal injections (ICI) showed favorable outcomes, particularly in patients refractory to first-line therapies, with some reports of restored spontaneous erections. Penile prosthesis (PP) implantation remains underexplored in contemporary literature on psychogenic ED; however, recent evidence reports good satisfaction rates. Conclusions: Beyond CBT and PDE5i, evidence for alternative treatments in psychogenic ED is scarce and methodologically limited. Selected patients may benefit from adjunctive therapies, including VED, ICI, and acupuncture, while PP can be considered a definitive treatment option. Further well-designed studies are needed to clarify their role within a structured, evidence-based management approach. Full article

Smart systems, the Industrial Internet of Things, and cyber-physical networks increasingly make decisions on the devices where data is generated, on nodes short of memory, compute, energy, and bandwidth, and exposed to real adversaries. Two research currents have grown to meet this: one makes artificial intelligence small and distributed (quantization, pruning, distillation, TinyML, federated and split learning), the other makes it safe (defenses against poisoning, backdoors, inversion, and evasion). This review argues that the two are entangled rather than parallel. Operators that shrink a model or scatter it across nodes also redraw its attack surface, each carrying a security dividend and a security liability, and because a node’s resources are finite and shared, model capacity and defense strength compete for one multi-dimensional budget. We formalize this as an efficiency-decentralization-security (EDS) design tension, explicitly a tension and not an impossibility, and show with published measurements that the coupling is non-monotonic. Around this thesis we build three artifacts, following an explicit design-science research process: an evidence-graded scoring matrix that separates each operator’s security dividend from its liability across seven axes and reports the direction of every effect separately from the confidence in the evidence behind it; a resource-aware threat model that judges attack and defense feasibility against a tiered device, gateway, network, and server budget with stated units; and a co-design framework whose decision workflow terminates in a defense-selection program and a verification step under adaptive attack. We work the framework through an industrial predictive-maintenance scenario with the resource arithmetic computed line by line, and evaluate it retrospectively against six published edge-AI systems. The result is a decision-support guide for building edge AI that is efficient, decentralized, and secure at once. Full article

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between metabolic and atherogenic indices and erectile dysfunction (ED) severity, and to compare their diagnostic performance in predicting severe ED. Methods: This retrospective study included 221 men with ED between January 2025 and January 2026. ED severity was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5). The triglyceride–glucose (TyG) index, atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), Castelli Risk Index-1 and -2, and atherogenic coefficient (AC) were calculated from routine laboratory parameters. Correlation, logistic regression, and ROC analyses were performed. Results: Patients with severe ED (n = 57) had significantly higher triglyceride, fasting glucose, TyG, and AIP levels and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) levels than those with mild-to-moderate ED (all p < 0.05). TyG (ρ = 0.369, p < 0.001) and AIP (ρ = 0.359, p < 0.001) were positively correlated with severe ED. In the multivariable model, the TyG index remained associated with severe ED after adjustment for AIP, age, BMI, total testosterone, and the TyG-by-testosterone interaction (OR: 4.354, 95% CI: 1.668–11.364; p = 0.003). Total testosterone was not independently associated with severe ED (p = 0.510), and the TyG-by-testosterone interaction was not significant (p = 0.281). ROC analysis showed that TyG had the best predictive performance (AUC: 0.743). Conclusions: The TyG index showed discrimination for IIEF-5-defined severe ED and may have value as a complementary metabolic risk-stratification parameter. Full article

To improve fly ash utilization in mine grouting materials and address the slow reaction and limited early-age strength of fly ash-based binders, a fly ash-based grout was prepared using fly ash and S95-grade ground granulated blast-furnace slag at a mass ratio of 70:30 and activated with NaOH-Na₂SO₄. A full-factorial experiment evaluated the effects of water-to-solid ratio, total activator dosage, and NaOH:Na₂SO₄ on fluidity, bleeding rate, stone formation rate, and compressive strength at 7 and 28 d. Representative 7 d specimens were characterized by SEM, EDS, and XRD. Increasing the water-to-solid ratio improved fluidity but increased the bleeding rate and reduced the stone formation rate and compressive strength. The preferred mixture had a water-to-solid ratio of 0.55, a total activator dosage of 5%, and NaOH:Na₂SO₄ = 2:1. It exhibited a fluidity of 195.0 mm, a bleeding rate of 1.70%, a stone formation rate of 99.50%, and compressive strengths of 8.5 MPa at 7 d and 11.3 MPa at 28 d. At NaOH:Na₂SO₄ = 2:1, the specimen showed a denser microstructure with fewer pores and cracks, a local Ca/Si ratio of approximately 0.94, and more evident reaction-product features. The results provide an experimental basis for mix-proportion selection of fly ash-based grouting materials. Full article