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Statistical and experimental studies of MoS2/g-C3N4/TiO2: a ternary Z-scheme hybrid composite
Abstract: A ternary photocatalyst, MoS2/g-C3N4/TiO2, was prepared using layered and exfoliated MoS2, g-C3N4, and TiO2 viahydrothermal and wet chemical method. It was characterized using various methods to evaluate the structural, morphological and optical properties. Successful incorporation of g-C3N4 and TiO2into MoS2 was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the formation of heterojunctions among MoS2, g-C3N4 and TiO2 particles was established by transmission electron microscopy. These hybrid composites exhibited excellent efficiency in the degradation of malachite green dye. The composite can be recycled four times without loss of photoactivity. The remarkable improvement in photocatalytic efficiency was because of the synergism among the three nanoparticlesthrough the Z-scheme pathway which allows separation of electronhole pairs and makes MoS2/g-C3N4/TiO2 an outstanding material in the fields of photocatalysis and water treatment. The optimized experimental conditions for the degradation of the dye were assessed by the BoxBehnken design of the response surface methodology. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC part of Springer Nature. -
Unpacking the Psychology of Investment Intention: The Role of Emotional Intelligence, Personality Traits, and Risk Behaviour
In the dynamic realm of wealth accumulation, investments demand a meticulous evaluation of both financial and non-financial aspects inherent in securities. Prudent decision-making surpasses a fixation on anticipated returns, requiring a nuanced assessment of an investment's potential to actualize desired earnings. This study challenges the presumption of investor rationality in traditional financial theories, emphasizing the profound impact of non-financial determinants on decision-making, including personality traits, emotional intelligence, and risk behavior. With a robust sample size of 396 respondents, the research establishes a statistically significant correlation between emotional intelligence, personality traits, risk behavior, and the intricate domain of investment decisions. For middle-class investors, a pivotal recommendation emerges: fostering a discerning comprehension of one's psychological attributes. Active collaboration with seasoned financial advisers is imperative, serving as a compass through the complexities of the modern financial milieu. This holistic approach, harmonizing financial acumen with nuanced psychological insight, proves indispensable for navigating intricacies and facilitating judicious investment decisions aligned with individual aspirations and risk thresholds. The nuanced integration of financial prudence and psychological acuity fortifies investment portfolios and establishes a resilient foundation for adeptly navigating the dynamic terrain of wealth management. 2024, Iquz Galaxy Publisher. All rights reserved. -
Sociocultural aspects of the medicalisation of infertility: a comparative reading of two illness narratives
This paper is a comparative reading of variations in the medicalisation of infertility caused by sociocultural aspects, in two illness narratives by patients: Elizabeth Katkins Conceivability (2018), a story of navigating a fertility industry with polycystic ovarian syndrome and antiphospholipid syndrome in America and Rohini Rajagopals Whats a Lemon Squeezer Doing in My Vagina (2021), a discussion from India of a growing awareness of medicalisation in treatment of unexplained infertility. For this purpose, it first charts scholarship on illness narratives and medicalisation, noting a historical association. Following this, it shows how infertility, a physiological symptom of reproductive incapacity or failure to show clinical pregnancy, is generally medicalised. This paper reads the texts as showing hitherto unaddressed sociocultural aspects of infertilitys medicalisation. At the same time, drawing from existing sociological and anthropological scholarship, it shows how a reading of sociocultural aspects in medicalised infertility nuances understanding of its medicalisation. This comparative reading attends to sociocultural values and norms within the texts, including pronatalism, fetal personhood, kinship organisation, purity/pollution, individual reliance, sacred duty and so forth. It draws from scholarship on embodiment, rhetorical strategies and the language of medicine. It also shows how a patients non-medicalised, affective history ofdeep sickness caused by the biographical disruption of infertility is not that of apoor historian. In laying out the particularisation of such sociocultural values and norms across America and India, medicalisations migration from its origins to the margins reveals subjectivised, stratified reproduction in infertility illness narratives. This paper is part of a turn in scholarship away from understanding the medicalisation of infertility as naturalised and decontextualised. Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. -
Young adults experience of housing and real estate chatbots in India: effort expectancy moderated model
Purpose: This study aims to recognize the role of information system (IS) model on young adults experience of housing and real estate chatbots. This model of IS takes into account the quality of information, the quality of system and the quality of service. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a sample frame for analysis which comprises young adult population in India, i.e. between the ages of 18 and 35. A questionnaire consisting of five components was used to collect information in a structured manner. The 386 responses thus collected were analysed using the structural equation model. Findings: It was found that there is a significant influence of the quality of information, quality of system and quality of service on young adults experience of housing and real estate chatbots. The findings also showed that there is moderation role of effort expectancy between the quality parameters and young adults user experience of housing and real estate chatbots. Research limitations/implications: This study focusses exclusively on the young adults from various parts of India. Future research can consider larger population categories across age groups and across sectors employing chatbots. Practical implications: This study will enable in-depth understanding of IS model quality dimensions relation with the user experience. In particular, housing and real estate organisations will profit from the expanded usage of artificial intelligence through chatbots for user correspondence and communication. Originality/value: To the best of the authors knowledge, this study is first of its kind, as it investigates how IS model quality dimensions affect the young adults experience of housing and real estate chatbots in India. This study also ventures into identifying the moderation role of effort expectancy between the quality dimensions as per IS model and young adults experience of housing and real estate chatbots. This study will be useful for the stakeholders of housing and real estate industry. 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited. -
Presence of red giant population in the foreground stellar substructure of the Small Magellanic Cloud
The eastern region of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is found to have a foreground stellar substructure, which is identified as a distance bimodality (?12 kpc apart) in the previous studies using red clump (RC) stars. Interestingly, studies of red giant branch (RGB) stars in the eastern SMC indicate a bimodal radial velocity (RV) distribution. In this study, we investigate the connection between these two bimodal distributions to better understand the nature and origin of the foreground stellar substructure in the eastern SMC. We use the Gaia Early Data Release 3 astrometric data and archival RV data of RGB stars for this study. We find a bimodal RV distribution of RGB stars (separated by ?35-45 km s-1) in the eastern and south-western (SW) outer regions. The observed proper motion values of the lower and higher RV RGB components in the eastern regions are similar to those of the foreground and main-body RC stars, respectively. This suggests that the two RGB populations in the eastern region are separated by a similar distance to those of the RC stars, and the RGB stars in the lower RV component are part of the foreground substructure. Based on the differences in the distance and RV of the two components, we estimate an approximate time of formation of this substructure as 307 65 Myr ago. This is comparable with the values predicted by simulations for the recent epoch of tidal interaction between the Magellanic Clouds. Comparison of the observed properties of RGB stars, in the outer SW region, with N-body simulations shows that the higher RV component in the SW region is at a farther distance than the main body, indicating the presence of a stellar counter-bridge in the SW region of the SMC. 2021 The Author(s) Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society. -
Drinking straw from coconut leaf: A study of its epicuticular wax content and phenol extrusion properties
Background and Objectives: Plastics are a ubiquitous part of our daily life but now posing a major threat to marine life, animal and human health. More than 50% of the manufactured plastic including straws are being disposed of after single-use. There is an increasing need to mitigate this trend so that the damage could be brought under control. The aim of this research was to develop a compostable, eco-friendly alternative to plastic straws using the leaves of Cocos nucifera L. Materials and Methods: The biochemical properties of 6 varieties of Cocos nucifera L. leaflets were studied in order to screen the most suitable material for making sustainable straws. Epicuticular wax content was analyzed to choose the best variety for preparation of hydrophobic straws. Total antioxidant activity, total tannin content, phenolic and flavonoid content were assayed to evaluate the potential functionality of the leaflets. The phenol extrusion properties of the material were also checked in acidic and normal beverages. Results: Estimation of epicuticular wax and phytochemical analysis in all 6 varieties revealed that all varieties of Cocos nucifera L. leaves provide a potent biomaterial for straw preparation. Silicon 732 was found to be a good adhesive agent for straw preparation. Phenol extrusion assays revealed that there is a negligible difference in the release of phytochemicals before and after dipping of straws in the beverages. Conclusion: The outcome of this research opens up vistas to carry out further research in a hitherto unexplored area of utilizing the leaf of Cocos nucifera in a novel way with far reaching economic and employment implications. 2019 Jyoti Jeena James et al. -
Structural, luminescence and NMR studies on Nd3+-doped sodiumcalcium-borate glasses for lasing applications
In this work, Neodymium (Nd3+) -doped borate glasses were synthesised by melt-quenching method and their structural as well as optical properties were analysed through XRD, Raman, NMR, DSC, UVVisible, luminescence and decay studies for the possible application as laser gain medium. DSC and XRD results revealed that the glasses have high transition temperature and are in amorphous nature, respectively. The vibrational characteristics of the host matrices as well as the effect of Nd3+ incorporation were analysed by using Raman spectra, which exhibit majorly borate groups as supported by NMR results. The band gap energy of the glasses decreases with an increase in Nd3+ concentration. Using Judd-Oflet theory the characteristic intensity parameters (??, ? = 2, 4 and 6) were calculated and further used for calculating the various radiative parameters from the emission spectra. The emission cross-section (?em) was estimated as high as 1.15 10?20 cm2 from the FhtbauerLandenburg (FL) equation for the dominant 4F3/2?4I11/2 (1056 nm) transition. The effect of Nd3+ concentration on the lifetime of the 4F3/2 luminescent level was analysed from the decay curve analyses. From which, the corresponding quantum efficiency (?) was estimated and found as high as 54%. The investigated result suggests the prepared glasses can be utilized as gain medium to generate laser at around 1.05 ?m. 2020 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. -
Integrated fuzzy AHP and TOPSIS as innovative student selection methodology at institutions of higher learning
BACKGROUND: The selection of students at academic institutions has been a challenging affair given multiple criteria that need to be considered by the institution. Additionally, multiple evaluators and decision makers are involved in the student selection process, rendering it inconsistent. The complexity and subjectiveness in such decisions making requires new and innovative approach in order to be more systematic and transparent. OBJECTIVE: This paper presents an innovative methodology for student selection for admission into an Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) using Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Drawing on the success of using these methods in other fields, this study applies the technique and principles on student selection process. METHOD: Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) is used in determining the weights of the criteria by the decision makers which avoids the vagueness and inconsistencies in decision making process and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method ranks finds out the best alternative solution for student selection by calculating the relative closeness from the positive ideal solution. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: This research finds using the hybrid method is effective in student selection for IHL and makes the process efficient and bias-free. This method can be applied to various fields and uses where multi-criteria decision making is involved. 2023 - IOS Press. All rights reserved. -
Indium oxide decorated graphitic carbon nitride/multiwalled carbon nanotubes ternary composite for supercapacitor applications
A hybrid ternary composite In2O3/g-C3N4/MWCNT (GCI) was synthesized by combining three-dimensional In2O3, two-dimensional g-C3N4, and one-dimensional MWCNTs employing a one-pot solvothermal method. The resulting In2O3/g-C3N4/MWCNTs composite leverages the combined benefits of the integration of different dimensionality materials and the synergy between its components. Integrating 1D, 2D, and 3-D materials can create hybrid structures with 3D architectures. It exhibits hierarchical porosity that provides better conductive pathways for ion transport and improves the rate performance. The distinct spatial structure of the composite with short ion diffusion paths maximizes the exposure of the active sites and enhances the conductivity, leading to superior energy storage performance. The electrochemical assessment of the In2O3/g-C3N4/MWCNTs composite exhibited a remarkable specific capacitance of 1081 F g?1 at 1 A g?1 with a commendable capacitance retention of 97.5 % at 3 A g?1 over 5000 cycles. An asymmetric supercapacitor fabricated using In2O3/g-C3N4/MWCNT//AC showcased a notable energy density of 57.5 Wh Kg?1 with an impressive power density of 2760 W Kg?1 at 1 A g?1. The outstanding electrochemical attributes of the fabricated device underscore the potential of the material for future applications in hybrid energy storage systems. 2024 Elsevier Ltd -
Symmetric Supercapacitors based on Reduced Graphene Oxide/Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes/Cobalt Oxide Ternary Composites
Ternary nanocomposites of reduced graphene oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes/cobalt oxide nanoparticles (rGO/MWCNT/Co3O4) were synthesized employing a facile hydrolysis method with subsequent heat treatment. The good electrical conductivity and remarkable carrier mobility of rGO and MWCNTs make them a suitable matrix for hybrid supercapacitors, and their composites with metal oxides exhibit enhanced electrochemical properties due to the advantages of the synergistic contribution and the integration of different dimensionalities. The binary counterparts of Co3O4 with GO or MWCNTs were also produced using the same technique to gain additional insight into the characteristics of the individual components. The structural and morphological properties of the composites were analyzed using various analytical techniques. The electrochemical behaviors of the prepared composites were investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic chargedischarge (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 1 M H2SO4. A platinum electrode modified with the rGO/MWCNT/Co3O4 composite displayed a remarkable specific capacitance of 922 F g?1 at a current density of 1 A g?1 composite with a negligible capacitance drop after 2000 cycles. The symmetric supercapacitor fabricated using the rGO/MWCNT/Co3O4 composite showed an energy density of 32.2 Wh Kg?1 at 1 A g?1, and the corresponding power density was 2000 W Kg?1. The supercapacitor fabricated using the composite displayed 83% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles at 3 A g?1 composite. 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. -
Multifarious Potential of Biopolymer-Producing Bacillus subtilis NJ14 for Plant Growth Promotion and Stress Tolerance in Solanum lycopercicum L. and Cicer arietinum L: A Way Toward Sustainable Agriculture
Diverse practices implementing biopolymer-producing bacteria have been examined in various domains lately. PHAs are among the major biopolymers whose relevance of PHA-producing bacteria in the field of crop improvement is one of the radical unexplored aspects in the field of agriculture. Prolonging shelf life is one serious issue hindering the establishment of biofertilizers. Studies support that PHA can help bacteria survive stressed conditions by providing energy. Therefore, PHA-producing bacteria with Plant Growth-Promoting ability can alter the existing problem of short shelf life in biofertilizers. In the present study, Bacillus subtilis NJ14 was isolated from the soil. It was explored to understand the ability of the strain to produce PHA and augment growth in Solanum lycopersicum and Cicer arietinum. NJ14 strain improved the root and shoot length of both plants significantly. The root and shoot length of S. lycopersicum was increased by 3.49 and 0.41cm, respectively. Similarly, C. arietinum showed a 9.55 and 8.24cm increase in root and shoot length, respectively. The strain also exhibited halotolerant activity (up to 10%), metal tolerance to lead (up to 1000?g/mL) and mercury (up to 100?g/mL), indicating that the NJ14 strain can be an ideal candidate for a potent biofertilizer. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.) The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2023. -
Unravelling the potential plant growth activity of halotolerant Bacillus licheniformis NJ04 isolated from soil and its possible use as a green bioinoculant on Solanum lycopersicum L.
Immensely expanding world population and narrowing arable land for agriculture is a mighty concern faced by the planet at present. One of the major reasons for decline in arable lands is the increased soil salinity, making it unfavourable for crop cultivation. Utilisation of these saline land for agriculture is possible with suitable invention for improving the soil quality. Biofertizers manufactured out of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria is one such innovation. In the present study, Bacillus licheniformis NJ04 strain was isolated and studied for its halotolerance and other effective plant growth promoting traits. The NJ04 strain was able to tolerate salt up to 10% and highlighted remarkable antifungal activity against common fungal phytopathogens. The preliminary seed germination test in Solanum lycopersicum seeds revealed a significant increase in root length (16.29 0.91 cm) and shoot length (9.66 0.11 cm) of treated plants as compared with the control plants and thereby shows its possible use as a green bioinoculant in agriculture and an ideal candidate to compete with salt stress. 2022 Elsevier Inc. -
The Problem of Perception in Sandor Mais Embers: An Advaitic Study
This article attempts to study the problem of perception in Sandor Mais celebrated novel Embers from the standpoint of the pramana (a method of knowledge) of Advaita Vedanta. An epistemic problem, the problem of perception, concerns the overwhelming questions of life, culminating in an enigmatic amalgamation of dilemmas and paradoxes. Genuine dilemmas and paradoxes problematize human relationships, which is evident in the complex narrative of Embers. Our contention in this article is to show how, even though enacted within the periphery of the purely fictional, Embers bears testimony to the complexities of life that are quickened by the limits of human perception, which keeps one from seeing how things really are by creating a shadow or reflected consciousness. Set against the backdrop of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the novel opens up a dialogic space at the intersection of a triangular relationship enacted on the threshold of perception and its multidimensional problems. 2024 Management Centre for Human Values. -
Parallelization of frequent itemset mining methods with fp-tree: An experiment with prepost+ algorithm
Parallel processing has turn to be a common programming practice because of its efficiency and thus becomes an interesting field for researchers. With the introduction of multi-core processors as well as general purpose graphics processing units, parallel programming has become affordable. This leads to the parallelization of many of the complex data processing algorithms including algorithms in data mining. In this paper, a study on parallel PrePost+ is presented. PrePost+ is an efficient frequent itemset mining algorithm. The algorithm has been modified as a parallel algorithm and the obtained result is compared with the result of sequential PrePost+ algorithm. 2021, Zarka Private University. All rights reserved. -
An improved frequent pattern tree: the child structured frequent pattern tree CSFP-tree
Frequent itemsets are itemsets that occur frequently in a dataset. Frequent itemset mining extracts specific itemsets with supports higher than or equal to a minimum support threshold. Many mining methods have been proposed but Apriori and FP-growth are still regarded as two prominent algorithms. The performance of the frequent itemset mining depends on many factors; one of them is searching the nodes while constructing the tree. This paper introduces a new prefix-tree structure called child structured frequent pattern tree (CSFP-tree), an FP-tree attached with a child search subtree to each node. The experimental results reveal that the CSFP-tree is superior to the FP-tree and its new variations for any kind of datasets. 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature. -
SR-Mine: Adaptive Transaction Compression Method for Frequent Itemsets Mining
Extraction of frequent itemsets is a key step in association rule mining. Frequent Pattern (FP) mining from a very large dataset is still a challenging research problem. The basic frequent itemset algorithms are Apriori and FP-growth. FP-growth uses Frequent Pattern Tree (FP-tree) to store the database information in a compressed form. A large number of research papers have been proposed as an improvement of the basic frequent itemset mining algorithms. Several researchers have proposed modifications to existing data structures as well as new data structures to improve the mining process. A new method, Size Reduced Mining (SR-Mine), is proposed to speed up the FP-tree creation. The proposed work is implemented with the basic FP-growth algorithm and with the other two recent algorithms based on FP-tree. The three modified algorithms have been tested with standard datasets and compared with the original algorithms. The proposed method can be applied with the frequent itemset mining algorithms which consider each transaction one by one to construct a data structure for mining. The experimental results show that the proposed method can improve the performance of the mining. 2021, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals. -
Optimal Siting of Capacitors in Distribution Grids Considering Electric Vehicle Load Growth Using Improved Flower Pollination Algorithm
The optimal VAr compensation using capacitor banks (CBs) in radial distribution networks (RDNs) is solved in this paper while taking the growth of the load from electric vehicles (EVs) into consideration. This is accomplished by adapting an improved variant of the flower pollination algorithm (IFPA) with an enhanced local search capability. The primary objective of determining the locations and sizes of CBs is to minimize the distribution losses in the operation and control of RDNs. Additionally, the effect of CBs is shown by the increased net savings, greater voltage stability, and improved voltage profile. A voltage stability index (VSI) was used in the optimization process to determine the predefined search space for CB locations, and a double-direction learning strategy (DLS) was then considered to optimize the locations and sizes while maintaining a balance between the exploration and exploitation phases. Three IEEE RDNs were used to simulate various EV load increase scenarios as well as typical loading situations. According to a comparison with the literature, the IPFA produced global optimum results, and the proposed CBs allocation approach demonstrated enhanced performance in RDNs under all scenarios of EV load growth. 2022, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All Rights Reserved. -
Solar pv tree: Shade-free design and cost analysis considering Indian scenario
In this paper, the performance and the cost-effectiveness of a solar PV tree for supplying the energy demand of a flood lighting system at a basketball court in the School of Engineering and Technology, Christ (Deemed to be University) at Bangalore, India, are analyzed. Also, the energy demand of a flood lighting system for year 2017 is estimated (16 kWh/day), and the design of 4 individual trees of 1 kWp each is proposed, which saves around 40 sq.m area of land near to the basketball court. The experimental data was collected from June 1st, 2018 to May 31st, 2019, using a data acquisition system and processed to calculate the monthly cost of energy produced by each tree. In order to reduce the complexity in design and allow it to be shade-free, all the panels of a tree were oriented at the same azimuth angle. Based on technical and economical assessments with respect to rooftop systems, the solar PV tree presented reasonable results and could be a future adoptable technology for high population density areas, as well as for remote applications. Later, the adoptability of the proposed solar PV tree was simulated for 2 kWp, considering the climatic conditions of 2020, for different rural and urban locations of India. From the techno-economic-environmental analysis, it is highlighted that the annual energy yield is more with the solar PV tree model than with a land-mounted SPV system. The cost savings and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction are also higher with the proposed oak tree-based solar PV tree in urban areas than in rural areas recommending it for practical applications. 2021, Walailak University. All rights reserved. -
A new meta-heuristic pathfinder algorithm for solving optimal allocation of solar photovoltaic system in multi-lateral distribution system for improving resilience
A new meta-heuristic Pathfinder Algorithm (PFA) is adopted in this paper for optimal allocation and simultaneous integration of a solar photovoltaic system among multi-laterals, called interline-photovoltaic (I-PV) system. At first, the performance of PFA is evaluated by solving the optimal allocation of distribution generation problem in IEEE 33- and 69-bus systems for loss minimization. The obtained results show that the performance of proposed PFA is superior to PSO, TLBO, CSA, and GOA and other approaches cited in literature. The comparison of different performance measures of 50 independent trail runs predominantly shows the effectiveness of PFA and its efficiency for global optima. Subsequently, PFA is implemented for determining the optimal I-PV configuration considering the resilience without compromising the various operational and radiality constraints. Different case studies are simulated and the impact of the I-PV system is analyzed in terms of voltage profile and voltage stability. The proposed optimal I-PV configuration resulted in loss reduction of 77.87% and 98.33% in IEEE 33- and 69-bus systems, respectively. Further, the reduced average voltage deviation index and increased voltage stability index result in an improved voltage profile and enhanced voltage stability margin in radial distribution systems and its suitability for practical applications. 2021, The Author(s). -
Congestion management approaches in deregulated power system an illustrative approach
In deregulated power system with competitive electricity market environment, the provision of strategic bidding option to the market participants and its consequences are open up new challenging tasks to the system operator. The market economic efficiency is mainly dependent on transmission system support. The inability of transmission system support to drive market cleared schedule is known as congestion and which is not desirable. The remedial actions to relieve congestion in the transmission system known as congestion relief approaches and are differ in various markets around the world. The objective of this paper is to illustrate some of the technical and non-technical approaches using simple case studies. 2016 SERSC.